BothSidesNow

Kei, she/her, fandom old. This blog is random, whatever shiny catches my interest. Like a magpie, yes. Read/reblog a bunch of fandoms, only write Tolkien, mostly late First to early Third Ages.

[kisnora2021]

[maglors-anion-gap]

Come Tomorrow (You Won't Find Me Here) [AO3 Link]

A remix for firstamazon's Healing Wounds for @tolkienremix 2022

I posted this on the AO3 collection when it opened but forgot to publish this out of my draft :( sorry

Wordcount: 2,215

Rating: E

Warnings: None

Relationships: Glorfindel/Maglor

Tags: Rivendell, Grey Havens, Angst (just a little) with a happy ending, frottage, (mutual) oral, transmasculine author

Summary:

"They are tired of ghosts, the both of them, even ghosts they love." [Glorfindel makes up his mind to sail for Valinor, but he won't be going alone]

Come Tomorrow (You Won't Find Me Here) [AO3 Link]

[hairbrush9]

space shit is cancelled until we solve homelessness and poverty

[transhumanist-viking-deactivate]

I mean, the military budget of the USA is around 824.6 billion. 

NASA’s budget is only 18-19 billion

It’s estimated that to end extreme poverty would take 175 billion dollars

Clearly, it’s space stuff that’s taking up all money that could otherwise go to help people. 

[thebibliomancer]

We can’t cut the space budget. We need it to launch the billionaires into the sun

[khaustic]

At its peak, funding NASA returned 8 dollars to the economy for every dollar it was given and singlehandedly advanced technology by decades. The money doesn’t get launched into space: all the benefits stay here.

[feralkwe-deactivated20210912]

THANK

[theriversdaughter]

Fuck this “Cut science and art because poor people exist!” bullshit.  Make fucking rich people pay their damned taxes.  That *ALONE* solves the vast majority of the problems.  Make employers hire more people, not keep condensing job duties into more and more single positions (some of us are getting sick of doing the work of three people on barely the salary for one of them).  Demand pay rates increase so that EVERYONE with a job makes enough to support themselves.  Demand better health care, so that people don’t lose their homes and jobs because someone in their family got fucking cancer, or chronic illness, or severe injury.   Science isn’t the problem.  The problem is capitalism and greed.

[beaversbearsleeches-deactivated]

Did you know that the technology that we use to see far away galaxies is the same technology used for mammograms. Plenty of technology developed for space exploration has uses in our everyday lives right here on earth.

[jenniferrpovey]

Technology developed by NASA - JUST NASA, not counting ESA or anyone else:

LED units that can ease muscle pain and arthritis and will soon be used to combat MS, complications of diabetes, Parkinson’s.

The aural thermometer

Robot limbs - which are now being used to make more advanced prosthetics.

A new version of the  temporary artificial hearts they use to keep people alive while they are waiting for transplants. It’s 1/10th the size. For kids. FOR KIDS.

Improved de-icing systems for aircraft.

Concrete safety grooving used to make steps less slippery.

Longer lasting tires. To, ya know, save money and rubber.

Chemical sensors that detect metal fatigue in aircraft. To, ya know, keep them from crashing.

A device using surplus rocket fuel that can destroy land mines without setting them off.

Lots and lots of fire retardant stuff.

The breathing apparatus firefighters wear to keep them from breathing smoke.

Better two-way radios, also used by firefighters.

Memory foam. Memory foam, people. Which is used not just to make nice mattresses and pillows, but in a lot of athletic safety gear, prosthetics, airline seats, amusement park rides…memory foam. It’s everywhere.

Those itty bitty portable cordless vacuums people use to clean their cars.

Freeze drying food. Which is very good for disabled and elderly people.

Better solar panels.

Better ways to clean up oil spills, limiting damage to the ocean and wildlife.

Improved water purification for both people in the third world and campers.

A lot lot LOT of software, some of it used in medicine.

Structural analysis software used to design airplanes, cars, roller coasters, etc.

Powdered lubricants which greatly reduce the cost of keeping jet engines in good order, lowering the price of air tickets.

Ultrasonic monitors that can: Spot problems in railroad ties before there’s an accident, analyze groundwater for contaminants, adjust dosage for people undergoing radiation therapy and assess internal swelling. So far. It’s basically a tricorder.

Improved guidelines for handling seafood, juice, and dairy products.

So, shut up about how space stuff should be canceled. Because it’s benefitting ALL of us, and it’s a sideshow from the real issues.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

I tried to come up for a rationale for why, if Gil-galad is the son of Orodreth, Eärendil - as a descendent of Fingolfin - doesn’t become the high king once he’s of age. (Excluding a system of very strict primogeniture with no inheritance through the female line, because I don’t like that.)

And I’ve decided it’s because 1) Eärendil doesn’t want to be High King and 2) elves come of age at 50, so he and Gil-galad mutually just decide to consider him ineligible on the basis that he’s not of age yet, and conveniently ignore the fact that he’s peredhil and has a completely different maturation pattern.

[cycas]

Isn't it that Gil-galad was of age to inherit, and Earendil was a small child when Turgon died?

Even in systems of fairly strict primogeniture, you wouldn't expect a reigning king to step aside for another claimant many years into his reign, particularly during a war.

There definitely seems to be an 'acclamation' element to kingship among the Noldor, since that's what Fingolfin's challenge to Feanor's authority was based on: Feanor was unquestionably the eldest, but FinweNoloFinwe had more support. It's not just descent that dictates who leads the Noldor.

The Sack of Nargothrond is dated 495FA. So I think that by the time Turgon died in 510 FA , Gil-galad had probably already been king-in-exile of Nargothrond for fifteen years, in the same way that Finrod was a king, but not High King.

It's even possible that Gil-galad had been king-in-exile of Hithlum since 472FA, when Fingon died in the Nirnaeth, if like me, you roll with the idea that Fingon had adopted Gil-galad formally as heir (whoever Gil-galad's biological father was, surely Fingon would recognise the need for some kind of heir, and that should be good enough).

That would make Gil-galad king of both Hithlum and Nargothrond and all its lands (admittedly, all those lands are currently missing in action, but still claimed by the Noldor). He'd owe theoretical allegiance to the High King, Turgon, in Gondolin, but effectively he'd be doing his own thing with whatever Noldor were left free outside of Gondolin.

That might help answer the question of why Idril wasn't acclaimed High King instead of Gil-galad or Galadriel (if available).

Could be that Idril didn't want to be a Queen (slightly harder to believe this of First Age Galadriel, but maybe she wasn't there, or maybe she was on for being a Queen, but not a Queen desperately facing overwhelming nightmare forces of Eeeevil) . Or there is the tired old 'because she was female' thing of course, but nobody likes that.

But I like the idea that Gil-galad had effectively been doing the job of minor king for a while by the time Gondolin fell, and that meant he was already in position by the time Idril and the Gondolin refugees arrived with the news that Turgon was gone.

So, Idril is older, and Galadriel is much older - but Gil-galad is senior to both of them as a king, because his kingship dates from the fall of Fingon (and Orodreth), not from Turgon.

[warrioreowynofrohan]

I think that’s a good point, that the High Kingship seems to pass to the next adult in line, and they retain it even if a closer claimant reaches adulthood (age 50). If Gil-galad is the son of Fingon, it’s why Turgon rather than Gil-galad remains the official High King during the period after Gil-galad is an adult but before Turgon’s death. If Gil-galad is the son of Orodreth, it’s why the crown stays with him rven after Eärendil is an adult.

Gil-Galad is said to be a young child when he’s sent to the Havens during the Bragollach; if we say that he’s, say, 5 years old in year 455 when the Bragollach begins, he’d become an adult in the year 500 and could therefore have already been considered king of the Fingolfinian or Finarfinian (depending which geneology you go with) Noldor outside of Gondolin for ten years, by the time the Fall of Gondolin happens (510). And then it’s more than another decade before Eärendil is 20 (roughly, adulthood in human terms, as peredhel seem to follow human aging up to maturity).

So yes, it could easily be that going from someone with 20 years’ experience of rule to someone who had just become an adult (and who also didn’t appear to particularly want the crown) didn’t make much practical sense.

(The little we see of Galadriel in the First Age seems to be compatible with her adopting an attitude of “screw it, I’m Sindar now” after arriving in Beleriand, possibly in reaction to the Kinslaying etc., esp. if she fought on the Teleri side; by the Second Age, after the War of Wrath, she may have felt differently.)

[vikingofficial-deactivated20241]

Nobody better slam my girl Hubble Telescope after the Webb Telescope pics came out, alright? For YEARS she was the baddest bitch around and we owe her nothing but gratitude

[ironically-true]

my whole fucking dash is this post

[vikingofficial-deactivated20241]

Well have you thanked her yet

[cipheramnesia]

Thank you, Old Mother Hubble.

[radioactivepeasant]

Old Mother Hubble

Went to the trouble

To fetch us a view of a star.

Though it might’ve been blurred

If she hadn't sent word

We wouldn't be where we are

[thewritingrealm]

If you're reading this...

go write three sentences on your current writing project.

[ezzydean]

# my favourite part about this post # is that nowhere does it say to reblog this # but we’re all reblogging it # because if we have to suffer # so do other writers

[bitegore]

F u c k

[diamondrust]

Duty and Honor - my GOS2022 story

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I hope you enjoy, @theelfmaiden! Everyone check out the other stories for @gatesofsummerexchange.

[mgcoco]

Gil-galad and Círdan 🌊 💙

[tolkien-feels]

You know, I love that Tolkien said Finrod walks with Finarfin, because he could've said he's in Aman, or he's with Amarie, or any other thing, but none of them would give me the feeling that I get from canon, which is that besides processing his horror movie-like last days in Mandos, he also got a hug from his parents. Or many hugs. I know he's an adult and all, but I think after a giant wolf basically eats you alive, you deserve to be spoiled by your family a little bit no matter your age

[jackharkness]

TOLKIEN WEEK # day 4 beginnings / endings every fellowship member first and last scene

[moromaitar]

Christopher Tolkien. I was sad to hear of his passing this week. Without him, we wouldn’t have seen most of his father’s worlds.

[anerea-lantiria]

So true! We have a lot to be grateful to Christopher for!

Lovely portrait!

(@moromaitar The Silmarillion Writers’ Guild would really like to publish your drawing on our website, to go with an article on the recently released Christopher Tolkien tribute book. Please let me know if you’re happy for us to feature it and,if yes, how you would like to be credited and what website/ social media links you’d like us to link to. Thank you! Anérea.)

(And my apologies for contacting you this way, tumblr has made my main blog messaging disappear, so I’ve popped my email in the tags. Thank you!)

[mysharona1987]

[zhooniyaa-waagosh]

Why Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Are Having Trouble Getting Their Meds Post-Roe

They help with debilitating and painful symptoms.

[darkshrimpemotions]

I need y'all to read that article and fully understand how absolutely fucked this is. RA is a progressive disease. There is no cure. The ONLY option is to slow it down as much as possible and hope for remission. Methotrexate is one of the most effective drugs in doing this. I currently take it.

And with it, I can function normally, most of the time. I can be symptom-free, most of the time. Pain-free, most of the time. But without it?

Without it, my fingers start to feel like they're broken in several places. My hands swell up and turn red and lose movement and dexterity. My shoulder joints swell up so much that they no longer fit into the sockets quite right and routinely slips out when I move it. Just...dislocate at random. My ankles double in size and lose freedom of movement. My jaw hinge and knees begin to ache and don't stop.

I am in agony. I can't work. I can't sleep. I can't exercise or take care of myself. Nothing helps except taking my meds--the methotrexate--and waiting for the flare up to end. And every single time, irreparable damage is done to my joints. My disease progresses just a little bit and I can't walk it back.

Withholding medications from RA patients like this is cruel and inhumane. It will lead to permanent disability, shortened lifespans, and agonizing deaths for RA sufferers. It is essentially telling all people with RA who could get pregnant: your actual life is worth less than the hypothetical babies you might have. It is unethical and downright fucking evil.

[beardedmrbean]

Rescued otter learning to get over it's fear of water

[elfwreck]

[western-woods]

[neil-gaiman]

I’m teaching a writing class to some teenagers on Friday, and we’re talking about Character Flaws. I have some stuff I’m going to talk about, but I wondered if you have any insight about choosing flaws, why have flaws in the first place, or advice on how to write flaws?

I’d get major credibility if the author of Coraline gave them some sweet, sweet wisdom.

Thanks!

I don't really know the difference between character flaws and character, to be honest. If you make a whole person there will be things they do well, and places where they are broken. Writing whole people is the challenge and the joy.

[queerbauten]

Look, I know N95 and equivalent masks are the most protective against all strains of COVID (which is part of why I use them—the other part being that I can afford them), but

As a disabled essential worker, I would much rather see someone in a surgical or cloth mask than someone not try at all.

These masks aren't as protective as N95 and equivalent masks, but I'd rather people were to at least try stopping the spread of at least some variants, especially if surgical or cloth masks are all they can afford.

I've seen a lot of panic on social media about the reduced effectiveness of certain masks, and I'm concerned that could lead to otherwise well-meaning people giving up entirely.

Please don't give up.

[s4mm4n]

God I miss the days when you could show up to a stranger’s farm and he’d say “What’s your name, boy?” and you’d take off your hat and hold it to your chest to better let him see your face and reply “Why I ain’t got none, sir, on account of my mammy passed on before she could give me one” and he’d tell you he’s real damn sorry to hear that and ask what he can do you for and you’d tell him that you can’t read nor even write neither but you’re mighty good with horses and can mend them fallen fence posts what you saw on your way in and won’t ask for nothing much more than a hot meal and a warm barn to sleep in and he’d keep his wife and daughters inside but send his boy who ain’t got married yet even though his mama tells him he needs a woman out with a lantern and some stew at night and the two of you’d get to talkin and he’d throw you his flask to take a swig from and watch you drinkin from it while he leant against the door frame and when he finally got called back on up to the house again he’d take a sip from it too real slow-like like it weren’t the whiskey what he were tryna savour

[argumate]

you see you don’t get posts like this on twitter

[lastweekseyeliner]

every day at least once while on a walk i think to myself “it weren’t the whiskey what he were tryna savour” and sometimes if i am alone i say it out loud