Tag: commentary

ast-heljar:

cynicalpie:

lollard:

ihavealotoffeelings:

jrrtolkiennerd:

gwuscrc:

Gandalf breaking all the rules. 

The Minas Tirith Archives Department probably had strict rules about proper record keeping procedures too, but try telling Gandalf anything and you’d probably get some form of “I do what I want.”

@nerdyveganrunner

Eh, I’m gonna quibble with “the Minas Tirith Archives Department probably has strict rules about proper record keeping procedures”, given that we see Gandalf being shown into a poorly lit room full of jumbled stacks of books and loose papers that was clearly a disaster before he arrived. Maybe they did have good standards at one point, but Denethor cut the library budget and they had to downsize their storage space, let go of some staff, you know how it is.

#DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON MINAS TIRITH’S POOR ARCHIVAL STANDARDS#I HAVE RANTED ABOUT THEM BEFORE#I WILL RANT ABOUT THEM AGAIN#I HAVE A TAG SPECIFICALLY FOR RANTING ABOUT THE MINAS TIRITH ARCHIVES#much that once was has been lost for none now live who can remember where we shelved it

@backofthebookshelf

@edderkopper

You know, I still like this and it makes me giggle, but I have some quibbles about some things on it. Mostly because, well, I have been watching living history stuff the last few days, and dude.

That bit about no beverages? That’s not a beverage. That’s a magnifier.

By at least the early 16th century – possibly earlier – they had figured out that fill a spherical glass container with water, and you can magnify details on a manuscript being illuminated. By no more than a century after that, they also were well aware you could use the same thing to magnify light from candles or rushlights, for a brighter light to do detail work.

In Middle Earth, I’m betting the dwarves came up with the water-in-glass-bulbs for magnifiers, both for seeing detail work up close, and for magnifying light to have brighter lights for that detail work. That spread, probably to elves sometime in the First or Second Age first, and then from there to humans.

(And it’s probably those who used it for sewing, and anyone who did manuscripts who adopted it first as it spread out of Dwarven cultures, because hey, look, tools to make thier lives easier!)

In the context of Gandalf doing research? He’s probably using it to magnify the candle light so as to keep the candles further away from the manuscripts.

Which, they would have used candles for light even around manuscripts, when they couldn’t get natural light. Now, granted, they’d probably have done most of their writing/reading in daylight, because it’s better anyway, but still. Sometimes things happen, and you’re trying to do that by candle light. Or, it’s the middle of winter, and you never have enough light anyway.

The desk is the wrong sort of desk to do any writing at, so the ink is, indeed, misplaced, at least with the quill for a writing implement. You need an angled working surface for clean writing.

The clutter… well. That is asking for a fire to start, Gandalf, you should know better than that, even if the archivists have fallen down on their job.

(Gloves for handling fragile items I’m uncertain of, but suspect is a more modern thing with manuscripts, and for the sort of feel that a lot of Middle Earth has, and especially Gondor, that… wouldn’t even be a thought. You use bare hands because gloves are too bulky and you risk more damage to the scrolls and old books from the lack of dexterity than you do from natural skin oils and sweat.)

lynati:

theotherguysride:

nyxserpent:

aniseandspearmint:

education:

Take The Quiz Now!

HA!

THEY GOT IT SOOOO WRONG

It says I grew up in the midwest. I’ve never even BEEN to the midwest on more than a drive through.

I grew up in N. Cali, Washington State, Oregon, and Georgia.

Pacific Northwest? *falls over laughing* Noooope, New England girl here

And it said New England for me, but *I grew up in the southwest*.

Mine said California…I’m from the Mid-Atlantic.

South. Which, ok, if you’re talking summers, but Mid-Atlantic was the majority of my time.

Joy, I hope I’m not being a bother but I have a lot of food issues and chronic illnesses like you and have you ever come across a person who’s had an allergic reaction to water? I can only have tap water in very small quantities (I can have most non-water drinks, which usually contain water) or I get really sick. I have to drink a specific brand of really expensive bottled water all the time to stay hydrated and it’s very annoying!

thebibliosphere:

Since I moved here we’ve had to heavily filter the tap water because a) it’s extremely hard water and the stomach can find that hard to deal with sometimes and b) it was giving me a horrible sore throat for the longest time and we eventually realized it was the chlorine treatment doing it. So if you don’t have a filter that attaches to your pipe under the sink, maybe consider trying that. Or some other kind of system. We’re actually want to install a distillation system in the basement when it comes to replacing some things, for this exact reason.

If you have tried that, can I ask? Is the bottled water highly alkaline water? Because I too have a specific brand of bottled water which is my “rescue” water for when my acid reflux gets out of hand and even drinking water can make me throw up/hurt. But drinking alkaline water can actually help control it a little bit. (Doesn’t help long term cause the stomach needs acid, but it helps me to stay hydrated when reflux takes over, which it hasn’t for a while, cause we figured out most of my reflux was from food allergies, which was why the usual control methods didn’t work, except the h2 blocker stuff. Called zantac over here.)

None of this might be helpful to you, but yes, you can react badly to drinking water, but it’s usually some other factor at work causing it, in my experience. I sometimes find adding a little bit of sea salt makes regular tap water hurt less too, and if you’re chronically dehydrated (another cause for reflux most drs dont seem to actually mention) it can help to hydrate you better. Ask Google for the ratio, it knows better than me, off the top of my head.

Good luck, I hope some of this was useful and you can get some relief 💖

Chronic dehydration can cause reflux. *thumps head on desk* That. That might explain so much. Fuck. *goes to get more to drink, because fuck*

tawghasa:

compromised-by-castiel:

inky-petrel:

cakeisnotpie:

psistriker:

3fluffies:

portraitoftheoddity:

starboydameron:

legaylity:

bioloyg:

bioloyg:

Hey if you’re ever embarrassed by any scars you have just remember that I have a three inch scar down the length of my forearm from where I scratched myself on a microwave while cleaning

Hey reblog this with your odd scar stories cause I think it’s cute and I wanna read em

I got a scar on my lip when I was 4 cause I slipped in the bathtub and my top teeth went through my bottom lip then when they were gluing my lip back together I jerked away now I got a scar.

Weird L shape on my arm from a waffle iron

Slice down my palm from when I was drunkenly showing off my knives, dropped one, and thought it would be a smart idea to catch it midair. By the blade. 

One of my worst scars was from trying and failing to catch a falling cat. (The cat was fine.)

Dent in my forehead from hitting my head on the pointed end of the metal banister in kindergarten when I bent over to pick up my hat.

square burn just aboveo my right elbow from hot glue. Don’t lift it above your head and try to glue shit to the ceiling. Gravity works.

Scar under my chin from when I was 5 or 6, I tripped over a doorframe at school, and somehow managed to pretzel myself and bring the buckle on my sandal up to my face and cut it bad enough that I needed 2 stitches.  I have never been that flexible before or since.

I have a scar in my palm from where I accidentally stabbed myself with a double pointed knitting needle
Haven’t used them since

Scar on the rood of my mouth from when I was playing the recorder in primary school music class and another 7 year old tried to silence me by slapping her hand over the end of the instrument.

Scar above my eyebrow from leaning over the railing of the boat while another boat went past us at entirely too fast, and the wake was really rough. It needed several stitches, but I was a little more concerned with the needle of novacaine to numb it and the blood damage to my favorite towel at the time.

Black dot on my left palm where I put a freshly sharpened pencil through it when I was maybe six? I’m not very clear on the when at this point; I was a very tiny Morgyn who was in school but did not yet have glasses.

New configuration of freckles and a patch of shiny skin on my right knee where I’d skinned it badly as a small Morgyn. I do not remember what I was doing for certain, but probably something with my bicycle.

And a long streak of rearranged freckles with texture changes, plus the entire inside of both forearms having a new skin texture from spending a month and more with very large, overlapping, possibly full-thickness blisters from poison ivy all over them in late spring 2014.

norcumi:

dharmaavocado:

It’s time for another round of aus I would like to read but not necessarily write because my wip list is a nightmare that never ends: clone wars ds9 au.

And let’s be honest the main reason I want this is because the Jedi are obviously the Trill, and Hondo’s people are exceptionally long lived and he has known several of Kenobi’s previous hosts. He is, as he will loudly tell anyone within shouting distant, Kenobi’s best friend. He’s not exactly wrong.

(Obi-Wan had barely set foot onto the promenade before he was greeted with a booming “Kenobi!”

Hondo bustled out of his bar, grinning, arms held wide open.

“Hello, Hondo,” Obi-Wan said, resigned, as Hondo swept him into an embrace that lifted him off his feet.

“You’ve changed faces again, old friend,” Hondo set, setting Obi-Wan back onto his feet. “You’ve finally become a ginger. I like the beard. Very masculine. Oh, remembers Ilia’s lamentations over xir inability to grow one?”

“I’ve always liked a good beard,” Obi-Wan said.

He had long since given up on guessing how Hondo always knew it was him, even when he was in a new host. He half-suspected Hondo just shouted that greeting at every passing Trill in hopes of eventually getting it right.

“You wound me,” Hondo had said the one time Jrul Kenobi had voiced her theory, hand splayed over his heart. “I am wounded to my very core that you think our deep and abiding friendship means so little I would not recognize you.”

“You once mistook Jinn for me,” Kenobi pointed out dryly, although out of all of Kenobi’s hosts she was the one who found Hondo the most amusing.

Hondo waved one hand dismissively. “Bah. I was drunk and concussed. You cannot possibly blame me for that. And,” Hondo added as he topped up Kenobi’s glass with fine Vulcan whiskey, “you have a very particular way of carrying yourself. You cannot be mistaken for anyone but yourself.”

“Why, Hondo, that was very nearly poetic of you,” Kenobi said, and touched their glasses together.

“Tell me, my friend,” Hondo said, draping an arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders, “now that you’ve finally grown the beard you’ve always wanted, have you put more thought towards my very lucrative business opportunity?”

“It’s piracy,” Obi-Wan said dryly, “and my answer is still no.”

Hondo shrugged, unbothered as always. “Perhaps your next host will have a better head for business.” He steered Obi-Wan towards his bar. “I hear you’ve got a little worm junior falling you around. You should bring him around sometime. It is a him, yes? There is so much I want to tell him.”

The Trill were not gifted with foresight, but Obi-Wan had a vivid vision of Anakin and Hondo meeting.

“That,” he said with feeling, “will never happen.”)

::CACKLES AND APPLAUDS (and gently nudges in @morgynleri‘s direction in case they hadn’t seen it yet)::

*sits and giggles* Oh, fuck. That. That was so perfectly a blend of the two universes, and damnit, I want to read this. I do not have the spoons to write it, but fuck yes, I would love to read more of this.

maylovelies:

The episodes where we learn more about garak, bashir and odo’s relationships with their mentors are great and all, but I hate how the writers made them forgive,or make up with their abusers. 

Garak and Tain made up. He should have left Tain in mental agony on his death bed. Told him what a failure he and the Obsidian Order were, but told Tain about how he himself found friends and a new family. 

Bashir should’ve been “see ya later” to his abelist father as he was sentenced to jail. What Mr. Bashir did was not Julian’s fault and to make him feel guilty that he could a.) get his parents arrested and b.)that he did “get” his father arrested is shitty. He should have cut him off. (same with his mom?? like his mom sat there and let that happen!!)

And Odo…Odo making up with Dr. Mora, a man who abused him until he had no choice to turn is just??

If the narrative isn’t gonna make Kira forgive Dukat (which I’m glad she didnt forgive him, i’m not complaining bcs if she did forgive/befriend dukat i would’ve had a lot more to rant about) , then why make these three forgive people who were directly responsible for their lives. Or if not forgive, make up?

Like, Garak is freaking middle aged and still lived half his life in guilt wanting to please a man who abused him?? At least Odo and Bashir outwardly hated their folks, Garak was the worst still stuck on a man who wanted to kill him since he was a baby–and the narrative made them make up to some extent.

I really don’t like the whole “be the better person” or “learn to forgive. it makes you feel better” trope when it comes to abuse and like, all three of these men were abused in some way and still got off on some good footing with their abusers….

^^^^

THIS.

theotherguysride:

whimseeker:

elevan:

puto-papi:

antiandrogen:

puto-papi:

violaslayvis:

Cargo shorts are one of the ugliest clothes ever invented. Next to overalls.

Cargo Shorts are useful when you’re meeting a white bear in the desert and have to carry Gun Oil, condoms, weed, a crowler of craft beer and your 3DS XL with pokemon moon so

Just carry a purse…

But I told him I was masc 😦

😦

Honestly, speaking as a woman, I would much rather have a multitude of giant pockets than to ever have to carry a purse.

Cargos are the best. Pockets are WAY more sortable in inventory mode than a purse is, at least for me. I’ve got a purse yeah, but it’s. Er. A fucking DISASTER ALWAYS.

A purse is just an excuse for clothing designers to get rid of pockets. Cargo shorts and cargo pants are the antithesis of purses, and the bane of clothing designers who think the clothes are more important than the people who wear them.

Give me cargo shorts, because pockets. Pockets everywhere.

*aggressively hordes pockets*

qjusttheletter:

anyothergirl:

Business Card

(via Andro Hays on FB)

[ID: “Shut Up” in scrawled cursive to the right of the card. along the right side, vertical capitalized text reads, “you’re not a doctor”; to the left of the cursive, “yes, I’m disabled. / I don’t care about your “cured” friend. / suggest yoga and I will personally fling you into the sun.” is also in capitalized text.] 

@thebibliosphere @deadcatwithaflamethrower – you might find this interesting?

2-face:

madamebomb:

cephalotodd:

we should make fun of americans more. why dont their shops include tax in the price tag. like how much does this item cost? its a surprise 🙂

Honestly, tea. I’ve lived here my whole life and I have never once known what my total is gonna be at the register. Total fucking mystery.

im an ex-american living in new zealand for the past two years and it still never fails to blow my mind that i can take a $2 coin, walk up to a counter with two $1 items, and perform the expected transaction

As someone who actually has to deal with multiple states and their varying tax rates with a small business with no permanent shop front that travels to different events – taxes aren’t included in the price for a small business that travels because different states have different tax rates, and I am not bloody redoing all the damned tags four times in a month for four different events in four different states (or, worse, in different places in the same state that have different local tax rates).

Now. Stores with permanent shop fronts? Do not have that excuse. Because, damnit, see also how gas is priced. If gas station chains that span the fucking lower 48 can manage to have the taxes rolled into the price at the pump, so can a damned shop front.

*takes a deep breath* Anyway. Sales tax in this country is a fucking pain in the ass, I hate dealing with the various tax rates, and California can go suck hot flaming rocks because I can’t even go from one part of the state to another and expect a stable tax rate. Also, any state that has a fraction of a percent in its tax rate can do likewise, because fuck that math, I hate it.

(On the other hand, at least I can put the damned number into Square, and it will do the math for me these days. There would be more screaming otherwise.)