The Uncommon Comma @araeph - Tumblr Blog

No, you see, I wish to be an author. Not in marketing. Or an influencer. I wish to tell my stories, be told I did a fantastic job, and then go back to my hovel to scribble some more. I am delicate of constitution and awkward in crowds.

jothehat

May your 25th of May be glorious! Here's to Truth, Justice, Freedom, Reasonably Priced Love, and a Hard Boiled Egg.

clusterbungle

Happy 100th birthday David Attenborough, you absolute bloody legend 💖💖💖💖💖

janadoesstuffwrong

No you don't understand this conversation occupies like half of my brain

Excuse me while I ramble incoherently.

Zuko pretty consistently thinks in terms of 'complete task = result'. (Capture avatar = Dad will love him; get gf food = gf won't be grumpy; light candles for date = date not sad etc.) In this case (following her threat) 'prove I won't hurt the others = Friendship with Katara'. He wants to be friends with all of them, not just allies.

He's done what he was told to, but it hasn't changed anything, what is he missing?

Zuko (and the audience) are under the impression that her anger with him is based in her protectiveness, her caution and her strong sense of morality... BUT THEN THIS HAPPENS

Katara turns around and lets him know EXACTLY what he's missing.

This is not about the others, it's not about him being a threat, it's not about Aang. Its about them! Him and Her!

The rug is pulled out from under our feet. And Zuko's. Katara won't forgive him because she did feel a connection to him, felt like she could trust him, and then he hurt her. Then after she's convinced herself that it was all a deception and doesn't matter, this idiot just shows up and reveals that oh, that wasn't a deception at all, that connection was genuine, but he still betrayed her. The others trusting him grates on her because SHE WAS THERE FIRST AND LOOK WHAT IT GOT HER!

I can't even put it into words how much I think about the line 'Oh, everyone trusts you now? I was the first person to trust you, remember?!'

She's reminding him that their relationship didn't start at the Western Air Temple, it started in the catacombs. Maybe Zuko thinks that who he was then is behind him, but Katara doesn't.

No wonder Zuko's next move is, okay, give me a new, specific task that will fix this problem. There must be something I can do to fix it. He tries by finding Yon Rha, but in the end it isn't his actions that lead to her forgiving him, it's her personal judgement and newfound closure.

I think realising that there's no easy task that can salvage their connection helps him move away from feeling like he can earn relationships from people. When he goes to his uncle (after talking to a certain someone might I add), he doesn't list what he's done right to prove why he should be forgiven (as he does when he joins the gaang), he just apologises and accepts that he might not be forgiven no matter what he does because its not something he can earn through performing services for people.

Altogether, this moment is so special because the show for once is willing to admit that the catacombs moment mattered to these characters and they haven't forgotten that.

Ugh they break my brain they really do.

allthingswhumpyandangsty

every day I learn bot comments on ao3 are stooping lower and lower

anyway if you get a comment like this, chances are that they are bot and their goal is to do whatever it takes to get you to delete your work, most certainly (from what I’ve heard) it’s because they want to “safely” steal your work, use it to train their ai without you being able to rightfully claim ownership of your work since “there’s no proof that the work was stolen/was posted elsewhere first by you” because the original source has already been deleted.

THEY ARE ALL BOTS. at first it was “ao3 is deleting fics and your entire account will be affected unless you delete the fics yourself” then it was “this work contains contents that are illegal and they have already reported you and your fic to the police” (yes, that’s how desperate these bots are), and now it’s this.

report their comments to ao3 for spam—in this case, specifically, I think you may be able to report them for harassment too—and don’t pay attention to them, most importantly don’t delete your works, don’t feel discouraged by their comments. remember that they are bots and they mass comment something like this on people’s works at random to get people to delete their works. (or even if they’re not bot, they are still pathetic bullies who don’t deserve your time or attention.)

MORE ABOUT BOTS AND SCAMS PLAGUING AO3’S COMMENTS SECTION HERE

zutara

Credit: not raynna on TikTok

And yet they still have the audacity to accuse this fandom and this ship as being shallow!

sisterreisaid

Hungary had a 75% voter turnout. The USA must have the same.

apolladay

If you know the meaning of the word "defenestrate", do you remember how you learned it?

Yes (put it in the tags please I'm curious)

No

I don't know the meaning of the word defenestrate

Voting ended onApr 18

#high school Latin teacher #Fenestra means window

akindplace

the most important things to do in 2026 are to never lose hope, never give into despair, get enough sleep, and try to give yourself a little treat whenever you can

runawaymarbles

"Why can't Trump be impeached" because the democrats don't control the house or the senate. "Why doesn't the Supreme Court stop him" well the lower courts are stopping him but he stacked the Supreme Court in his first time. "Why can't they do the 25th amendment" because that requires the president to be basically unconscious. "When will congress do something" probably in January when the new congress comes in if the democrats pick up a lot of seats in the midterms

runawaymarbles

#they could do something if they really wanted to but they dont#dems rn are pretty bad at their job and super flimsy ngl#repubs have had the minority up until now and they kicked a huge fuss any time anything happened#so much so that they could lock things up and prevent things from moving forward even though they were the minority#the same is here but dems wont do jack#pretty disappointed ngl

I don't know how else to explain to you that when Republicans did that they controlled the Senate and sometimes the House. Or that when the dems "controlled" the senate for two years in 2020-22 they did so with a 50-50 vote and one of those votes was Joe Manchin and the other was Kierstyn Sinema, who mucked things up as much as they could, and they STILL got a bunch of shit through.

Right now the Republicans control ALL THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. The executive branch, both houses of congress, AND the Supreme Court. The Democrats have not had that in my lifetime.

To act like the dems have the same bargaining power the GOP did during the last 6 years of Obama's presidency or all of Biden's presidency is to fundamentally misunderstand how math works

toss-a-coin-to-your-stan-account

one thing I love about pride and prejudice is that wickham marrying lydia is never portrayed as a "well they deserve each other" situation. even while lydia is loud-mouthed and arrogant and conceited the book still makes clear that she's young and naive about wickham's intent and her running off to marry him is consistently portrayed from elizabeth's point of view as an awful thing. the "joy" and relief surrounding the confirmation of their marriage comes from the fact that it was the only way the situation could have ended in a way perceived as "respectable" and not because it was actually a good thing. for all of her flaws and negative character traits lydia is still a teenage girl being manipulated and groomed by a horrible worthless man and the book doesn't shy away from that. thank you miss austen

wren--bee

There’s a bit more to it- none of which undermines this point! I want that to be clear. Wickham is never treated as “punishment” for Lydia and the fact that many people are taken in by him is important- including another similarly aged character who nearly did what Lydia did, but we are only supposed to see her with sympathy.

But that isn’t the point I want to make. The point is that, in my opinion, there was another good outcome- and that was what Mr Darcy attempted, and that it was doomed before he even could try tells us more about the failure of the Bennet parents.

We are told explicitly- albeit briefly- in Mrs Gardiner’s letter that Mr Darcy tried to get Lydia to leave Wickham and go back to her family. Now, he would of course know that the outcome of that would be massive damage to the family- if, IF her running away with Wickham was public knowledge. But in such a situation the intelligent thing to do would be to avoid rumour spreading. Much harder if she’s left home- but she didn’t, nobody in Meryton would have questioned her absence, nor would it have been weird if she’d come back from seeing family in London. Hiding it would have been very possible- and in the eyes of Mr Darcy, a far better alternative than a young woman being stuck with Wickham.

What Mr Darcy doesn’t know- at the point that Lydia was refusing to go home- was that hiding it would be impossible by then. The Bennets have done as they always do- not handle parenting remotely well. It explicitly says that Mrs Bennet didn’t have the prudence to hold her tongue in front of the servants. I’m of the opinion that the natural expectation from readers of the time would be that the family tries to hide it and that it’s another failure on the part of Mr and Mrs Bennet that that was completely impossible.

Wickham’s behaviour was… you know. He was a 30-ish year old preying on 15/16 year olds. I’m not trying to diminish his actions- rather to paint the scale of how badly failed by her parents Lydia was, and this was just another example of that.

cuntaloupes-deactivated20241215

Abusive men pave the way for lazy men to get wives and girlfirends.

cuntaloupes-deactivated20241215

Lemme clarify, how many times have you heard your overworked female friends and relatives say “Yeah, Jerry drinks beer every evening after work while I cook dinner and clean up after everyone and does the bare minimum to help me raise the kids but he’s such a nice guy. He’s never beat me in my life. I couldn’t ask for a better guy in my life.”

Like no, Sally, your husband is a common stone among turds and you know it.

biggestniq

I try to explain this conceptually to people as a thing that happens not saying that this is good but it’s a thing that happens.

wedgemccloud

This is what male privilege is and how all men benefit from it.

This is why you are not exempt from statements about “all men” even if you are overall good.

You benefit from the bar constantly being lowered by systemic issues within the gender.

The expectations on you are always lower than they should because “at least you’re not X”.

musingsofatiredmind

That…is the best response I’ve seen to the “not all men” thing. Thank you.

sprinkledsalt

Yeah, this post reminded me of this bit from a talk by Lundy Bancroft

liesmyth

#if you’ve never worked with older people you can’t realise how many women are just living like this#they work all week and then go home and do nothing except cook and clean and that’s fine with them#their husband does fuck all and if they get really drunk at the office Christmas party they’ll tell you how much they hate him#but most of the time he’s nice enough and the kids like him bc he’ll take them for ice cream so could you really do better @cloud-frost

whatthehelloh

Time to update this and add information for protesters having to deal with LRADS, the new sonic weapons the feds are deploying against citizens:

yipyipallyall

[ID: 1: PROTESTING SAFELY: WHAT TO WEAR: Nondescript, solid color, layered clothing; cover identifying tattoos; Heat resistant gloves; Goggles and mask; Emergency contacts written down [image shows Sharpie on arm]; Tie your hair up. WHAT TO BRING: Water for drinking and tear gas; Cash/change and ID; Bandages and first aid supplies; Snacks; Washcloth; Ear plugs; Protest signs. DON'T BRING: Cell phone without first turning off Face/Touch ID, going on airplane mode, and disabling data; Jewelry; Anything you don't want to be arrested with [images of switchblade knife and baggie of green stuff that is probably weed]; Contact lenses.

2: LRAD SAFETY FACTSHEET FOR PROTESTERS compiled by: Ron & Frosty Crunch 2020. GET OFF-AXIS FIRST. GET FAR AWAY SECOND. Folks out in the streets: this is a short guide below to staying safe from LRADs (Long Range Acoustical Device), which is a form of sonic weaponry that police have deployed in recent protests to disperse crowds. I am sharing what I know not to cause alarm, but so that people are aware of what LRADs are and can act to protect themselves, should they be deployed at any point. I am writing this as an electrical engineer working in audio and do not claim to be an expert on LRADs or sonic weaponry. This fact sheet has been cobbled together from available information online (LRAD instruction manuals, marketing datasheets, interviews, other disparate online sources) and from professional experience working in audio.

LRADs (Long Range Acoustical Device) have been deployed at actions in many major US cities. They produce high-frequency, highly directional sound to disperse crowds. Typical LRAD maximum SPLs (Sound Pressure Level) are 140dB-160dB. This is enough to burst eardrums even at a distance. The longer you are subjected to the sound, the more severe the damage to your hearing may be. Depending on proximity, permanent hearing damage is very possible.

The best safety measure is getting as off-axis and as far away as possible before it's activated. If you can't do that:

First priority is still to get as off-axis (i.e., out of its "spotlight") as you can, as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. Side-step the beam first, move away from it second. Try not to panic and abandon caution when trying to do this.

Bring earplugs, but keep in mind they alone will not be sufficient protection for prolonged periods of time. Inventor Woody Norris said in a 2008 AP interview, "What if they wear earplugs or put their fingers in their ears? The device is designed with sufficient intensity… That doesn't do a heck of a lot." Despite that, the LRAD 100x, 500x, and 1000x instruction manuals indicate that the operator (who is standing behind the beam) and people way off to the side of the beam should wear hearing protection (such as foam plugs). Having them will be better than nothing, but do not rely on them solely.

Given the high directionality of the sound, sufficiently large obstacles create effective acoustical shadows. Treat the LRAD almost like a spotlight and find large, dense cover. That said, remember that sound is a wave: it will reflect off of hard surfaces. Account for reflection when trying to take cover.

There is a video circulating suggesting signs (depending on their construction) may provide effective acoustical shielding. There are significant trade-offs and risks with this method. It should go without saying that if you block your face with a sign, you will not be able to see in front of you, leaving you vulnerable to both projectiles and to direct attacks by police. Additionally, the sign will reflect the signal, potentially at another innocent party. Bear this in mind if you are forced to use this method.

Additionally, an LRAD is not as directional as a spotlight, and depending on the model, the beam angle can be arbitrarily focused or widened. It is safest to be behind one. Since that won't be possible (that's where the police will be), getting perpendicular to the LRAD's beam (not perpendicular to the LRADS face) will also provide cover. That may also be difficult since police will likely occupy that space too. LRADs are often mounted on a pivoting stand too and can be pointed and aimed. Keep this in mind when finding cover.

{Image labeled "NYPD using an LRAD 100; larger models may be mounted on vehicles.")

LRAD Hazard Areas (from Acoustic Deterrent Systems website - a distributor of LRAD):

A diagram of the hazard areas when the LRAD is used at limited power and maximum volume. A circle around the LRAD is labeled Operator Hazard Area (Hearing protection recommended for sustained operations). A cone shoots out from the front of the LRAD in the direction of targeted subject(s), reaching 15 degrees to each side of the LRAD's aim. This cone is labeled Tone Hazard Area (Hearing damage may result in tone mode. Do not use tone if individuals are within Tone Hazard Area. Use voice mode only.). In this case, the cone shoots 10m out from the LRAD.

Another diagram illustrates the hazard areas when the LRAD is used at maximum power and maximum volume. A half-circle behind the LRAD is labeled Operator Hazard Area (Hearing protection recommended for sustained operations). A half-circle in frong of the LRAD and a beam 40 degrees to either side of the direction of targeted subject(s) reaching out ~15m is labeled Voice-Tone Hazard Area (Hearing damage may result in both tone mode and voice modes). A narrower but longer cone shoots out from the front of the LRAD in the direction of targeted subject(s), reaching 15 degrees to each side of the LRAD's aim. This cone is labeled Tone Hazard Area (Hearing damage may result in tone mode. Do not use tone if individuals are within Tone Hazard Area. Use voice mode only.). In this case, the cone shoots 75m out from the LRAD.

Tone Beam Width: 38m at range of 75m, 25m at range of 50m, 5m at range of 10m.

Chart of typical sounds by decibels and their impact: No sound perceptible to human ear (0dB) - threshhold of hearing. Normal breathing (10dB). Whisper (20dB). Library / Quiet office / Watch ticking (30dB). Quiet residential/rural area (40dB). Quiet suburban area / Rainfall / Fridge (50dB). Dishwasher / Air conditioner (60dB) - Normal conversation. Highway traffic / Vacuum cleaner (70dB). Alarm clock / Doorbell / Ringing phone (80dB). Noisy restaurant / Heavy traffic (85dB) - Maximum permitted level in workplace (8 hours). Tractor / Bus or truck (90dB). Electric drill / Underground train (95dB - Sustained exposure may result in hearing loss. Motorbike / Walkman (max. volume) (100dB). Disco / Pneumatic drill / Car horn (110dB). Chain saw / Rock concert / Stadium (115dB). Jet plane taking off / Thunder (120dB) - Threshhold of pain. Vuvuzela horn (world cup) (127dB). Power drill / Orchestra percussion (130dB). Air-raid siren (135dB). LRAD-100X max (137dB). Firearms / Gunshot (140dB) - Brief exposure can cause permanent damage. LRAD-300X max (143dB). LRAD-500X max (149dB). Artillery fire (at 500 ft / 150m) (150dB). LRAD-1000X max (153dB). Balloon pop (at 3 ft / 1m) (157dB) LRAD-2000X max (162dB). Rocket launch (180dB) - Death of hearing tissue.]

tolkienillustrations

IF YOU LIVE IN THE U.S.:

NATIONWIDE STRIKE FRIDAY 1/30 TO PROTEST ICE