do y’all remember before direct messages tumblr had a dumbass ask limit of 10 per hour and communication was impossible until they introduced dumbass fan mail and we were basically sending telegraphs back in forth trying to communicate those were…dark times
Do y’all remember when they finally gave us direct messages and instead of doing it normally, they gave it to a few people at a time and we had to infect each other with it like a virus
Hot Take: We are actually living in a “gasoline punk” alternate universe, where technology continued to develop along the lines of hydrocarbon combustion, even though nuclear energy has been available for decades.
Well that explains the comically exaggerated, dystopian nightmare setting that appears to be a very badly concealed metaphor about oppression. Someone tell the sixteen year old writing me that they don’t have to kill off every cool character.
Some guy just mansplained space to an actual fucking astronaut.
tfw correcting misinformation is written off as mansplaining
tfw when idiots on tumblr who know jack shit about thermo assume the dude is ‘correcting misinformation’ when actually he’s dead ass wrong. ‘Spontaneous’ is a scientific term – it means a reaction with a negative Gibb’s free energy, i.e. a reaction that will occur without an external energy input, i.e. water boiling because of low atmospheric pressure. Spontaneous is absolutely the correct term for what she’s observing, and that is ‘simple thermo’, and this is ‘correcting misinformation’.
Mercer: I’ve been at the tables growing up with, like, you know, the… the… and I use the term respectfully, toolbag players, that
Mercer, in a skeezy, macho tone: wanna roll to see how long they laaaaast. And like, Oh man, make a cons-
Mercer, in his normal voice: Like Travis said, “a constitution save?” And I was like, “Ehhhhhh.” You’re joking about that because you haven’t really had to do that in a game before, I’ve been in a game where players have wanted to do that, and it’s really uncomfortable for everyone at the table.
Brian: No, that just means they’re not getting enough action off-table.
Mercer: That’s kinda the thing, because to me, it’s an indicator of, once again, an extended fantasy. [chuckles] You know, like, “Oh man I wanna see how well I do in bed,” and it’s like, [pitying] “Ohh buddy. I guess this is.. where you have to.. play out those fantasies.”
Legolas pretty quickly gets in the habit of venting about his travelling companions in Elvish, so long as Gandalf & Aragorn aren’t in earshot they’ll never know right?
Then about a week into their journey like
Legolas: *in Elvish, for approximately the 20th time* ugh fucking hobbits, so annoying
Frodo: *also in Elvish, deadpan* yeah we’re the worst
Legolas:
~*~earlier~*~
Legolas: ugh fucking hobbits
Merry: Frodo what’d he say
Frodo: I’m not sure he speaks a weird dialect but I think he’s insulting us. I should tell him I can understand Elvish
i mean, honestly it’s amazing the Elves had as many languages and dialects as they did, considering Galadriel (for example) is over seven thousand years old.
english would probably have changed less since Chaucer’s time, if a lot of our cultural leaders from the thirteenth century were still alive and running things.
they’ve had like. seven generations since the sun happened, max.
frodo’s books are old to him, but outside any very old poetry copied down exactly, the dialect represented in them isn’t likely to be older than the Second Age, wherein Aragorn’s foster-father Elrond started out as a very young adult and grew into himself, and Legolas’ father was born.
so like, three to six thousand years old, maybe, which is probably a drop in the bucket of Elvish history judging by all the ethnic differentiation that had time to develop before Ungoliant came along, even if we can’t really tell because there weren’t years to count, before the Trees were destroyed.
plus a lot of Bilbo’s materials were probably directly from Elrond, whose library dates largely from the Third Age, probably, because he didn’t establish Imladris until after the Last Alliance. and Elrond isn’t the type to intentionally help Bilbo learn the wrong dialect and sound sillier than can be helped, even if everyone was humoring him more than a little.
so Frodo might sound hilariously formal for conversational use (though considering how most Elves use Westron he’s probably safe there) and kind of old-fashioned, but he’s not in any danger of being incomprehensible, because elves live on such a ridiculous timescale.
to over-analyse this awesome and hilarious post even more, legolas’ grandfather
was from linguistically stubborn Doriath and their family is actually from a
somewhat different, higher-status ethnic background than their subjects.
so depending on how much of a role Thranduil took in his
upbringing (and Oropher in his), Legolas may have some weird stilted old-fashioned speaking tics in his
Sindarin that reflect a more purely Doriathrin dialect rather than the Doriathrin-influenced Western Sindarin that became the most widely spoken Sindarin long before he was born, or he might have a School Voice
from having been taught how to Speak Proper and then lapse into really
obscure colloquial Avari dialect when he’s being casual. or both!
considering legolas’ moderately complicated political position, i expect he can code-switch.
…it’s
also fairly likely considering the linguistic politics involved that Legolas is reasonably articulate in Sindarin, though
with some level of accent, but knows approximately zero Quenya outside of loanwords into Sindarin, and even those he mostly didn’t learn as a kid.
which would be extra hilarious when he and gimli fetch up in Valinor in his little homemade skiff, if the first elves he meets have never been to Middle Earth and they’re just standing there on the beach reduced to miming about what is the short beard person, and who are you, and why.
this is elvish dialects and tolkien, okay. there’s a lot of canon material! he actually initially developed the history of middle-earth specifically to ground the linguistic development of the various Elvish languages!
Legolas: Alas, verily would I have dispatched thine enemy posthaste, but y’all’d’ve pitched a feckin’ fit.
Aragorn: *eyelid twitching*
Frodo: *frantically scribbling* Hang on which language are you even speaking right now
Pippin, confused: Is he not speaking Elvish?
Frodo, sarcastically: I dunno, are you speaking Hobbit?
Boromir, who has been lowkey pissed-off at the Hobbits’ weird dialect this whole time: That’s what it sounds like to me.
Merry, who actually knows some shit about Hobbit background: We are actually speaking multiple variants of the Shire dialect of Westron, you ignorant fuck.
Sam, a mere working-class country boy: Honestly y’all could be talkin Dwarvish half the time for all I know.
Pippin, entering Gondor and speaking to the castle steward: hey yo my man
Being poor sucks. We all know that. Surviving on almost nothing is not only soul-sucking, there’s no real adventure intrigue to it. Things that take a long time to cook only add to that.
This isn’t going to be a perfectly healthy list of fruits and vegetables, but things to eat that will keep you feeling fed with interesting meals on the cheap. This list is also only for those with no food intolerances at all. I will be writing a few of these, based on places I’ve personally lived. Some of the advice can overlap countries, so it’s worth checking them all out. Keep an eye out for one that will work for you!
Ramyun: I cannot stress this enough for people who don’t mind spicy food. Packets of ramyun are sold in most Asian supermarkets all over the UK and Ireland. This is basically a Korean form of spicy ramen noodles. Buy American cheese slices (yes, trust me on this) and some eggs; drop an egg in there once the noodles are about 1 minute from finished during the boil. Don’t let the egg cook too long or you’ll lose the soft yolk. Pour all this into a big bowl or just eat it out of the pot. Either way, you lay the American cheese across the top when you’re finished. Ready to eat! A very warming dish in the winter and especially good for hangovers. You can add veggies if you like, but we’re going for simple.
Cost: 5-pack ramyun, around £4.50, 6-pack eggs, cheapest at Lidl about 80p, American cheese slices £1 for 10. £6 total for 5 meals.
Pesto Pasta: This is a delicious option that’s super cheap and will keep you fed and happy for quite a while. A package of fusilli pasta and a jar of pesto (or several jars). Best-tasting one I’ve found is in Tesco and from Barilla, Pesto Alla Genovese, but honestly you can get a little jar of pesto anywhere. Warning: pesto is pine nuts! A block of mature cheddar cheese. Cook up the pasta, mix in the pesto, top with a few slices of cheese. Awesome. Tastes incredible with malbec if you’re into wine. The bag of pasta will last you for several meals.
Cost: Fusilli pasta, 50p. Pesto sauce, 90p-£1 (1 bottle=2 meals). Block of mature cheddar, £2-3. £6 total for 5 meals.
Chicken kievs: Tesco sells 4-packs of chicken kievs for 2.50. Another brand does 2-packs for 88p. This gets some protein into your diet. Pick up a bag of basmati rice and put the kievs on it. Hint: put a pat of butter and some dark soy sauce on the rice. You can also add cheddar to the kievs if you feel like it.
Cost: Chicken kievs, £88p for 2 or 2.50 for 4. Basmati rice: £1-2. Optional dark soy sauce: £1-2 and butter £1-2, cheddar as above £2-3. Lowest option, with 88p kievs and basmati rice: £3 for 5 meals; with dark soy & butter, £4.50 for 5 meals; with cheddar £6 for 5 meals.
Broccoli Mac & Cheese with Garlic Bread: Lidl has packets of broccoli mac & cheese for 30p and bags of garlic bread for £1. This could be any variety of mac & cheese where you also add broccoli, but these are the cheapest I’ve seen. £2.75 (including cost of milk) for 5 meals.
DRINKS: Yes, you’re poor. This doesn’t mean you have to completely cut out other fun things. These are some recommendations for affordable wines and spirits that don’t taste like licking turpentine (and here in the UK a lot of the wine tastes that way, even brands from other countries for some reason):
Cheap Options for Wines:
Red: Argentinian malbec tends to taste the best and cost the least.
White: Look for anything from the Loire valley or vinho verde from Portugal.
Rosé: French, sometimes English.
Hint: buy the wine that originally cost the most and has the best on-sale price; a wine that was 18 and is now 6 vs a wine that was 10 and is now 8.
Cheap Options for Spirits:
Vodka and ginger ale
Rum and coke
WHERE TO BUY: If you have enough to buy in bulk, Majestic Wines or other UK wine warehouses will get you the best prices for the best flavours. Don’t have a ton of money at your disposal? Bring like 5-6 of your friends and each of you choose a bottle. Failing that, drinks should be purchased at higher-end stores because snobs won’t stand for shitty wine. You’d be surprised at how cheap some of the wines are at M and S, for example; we had one recently called Summer Fizz that was a glorified sort of gin and tonic champagne for £3 per bottle. This is only an example, but steer clear of purchasing alcohol at the cheap shops as you’re only going to regret it. They may be good for food but the booze tastes like licking an oilworker’s boot.
Prices will vary because alcohol prices vary. These are suggestions and starters. Wine with a plastic cork will be more reliable than wine with a wooden cork; don’t let that dissuade you. Much of what you’ll end up liking is based on personal taste. Experiment! Look around.
Cheap Options for Soft Drinks:
Squash is the UK and Ireland’s cheap go-to flavouring. They also sell it in little travel packs now so you can add it to your water. I think it’s disgusting but everyone I know loves it.
Juice (as in fruit juice, not soda) is sold in cardboard cartons in Tesco and other markets for less than £1.
Soda There’s always a sale on Irn-Bru somewhere in Scotland. Don’t drink too much soda or you will feel like garbage.
Cheap Options for Fruit/veg: You know those Indian and African supermarkets with the fruit stand outside? Try there first. They often have good prices. Asian and African supermarkets are a lifesaver if you are a person who likes fruit and veg.
Desserts:
Ice cream is available in many flavours for less than £1 per carton.
Biscuits are also available for less than £1 per packet. Mix them with your ice cream 🙂
Snacks
Primula & Ritz available for £2 at farmfoods
Battenberg cake sells for £1 at Tesco
Tip 1: Pick up some cheap spices, pepper, garlic, cayenne for a little kick. Get a different one on occasion to see if you like it. There is a cheap variety of spice in most stores, the ones that are less than £1. They will enhance your food a lot.
Tip 2: If you have a local butcher or fishmonger, see if they have deals. You’d be surprised what you can find if you look outside of the larger chain shops.
Tip 3: Bag o’ chicken. Most grocery stores have a way to buy a large bag of chicken in bulk; this can last for a while if you freeze it. However, you have to REALLY like chicken.
Tip 4: Foods to buy just to have around if you want to make something else: Eggs, Cheese, Milk, Rice, Pasta. Then you can make whatever is on offer by mix n matching these ingredients and experimenting on your own.
Tip 5: Lidl and Aldi are your friends. Asda and Iceland are there when you absolutely need them. DO NOT BUY DRINKS FROM THESE STORES IT IS GROSS. Tesco is reliable. Stop in to M and S and Waitrose sometimes; they have sales and you can get some amazing food there.
That’s it for the UK edition. I hope this helps people, as I speak from long experience. Half of the frustration with being poor is feeling like you can only eat garbage, and I hope this list brings some relief to my buds out there who need it.
I won’t speak for all liberals, but I’d like to see a future where it isn’t a big deal for a woman in full modesty garb to sit next to a drag queen in NYC. It’s become a bit of a sensation, but her and I were just existing. The freedom to simply be yourself in a sea of people who aren’t like you is a freedom we all deserve.
The central irony is that this isn’t some hypothetical future–it’s just present day reality. This is a picture of two ordinary people going about their normal lives despite how haters want to politicize it lmao. So the underlying message is not “future liberals want” it’s “people conservatives want to eradicate”
the underlying message is not “future liberals want” it’s “people conservatives want to eradicate”
The freedom to simply be yourself in a sea of people who aren’t like you
there’s some lava bending going on there…. so she separated the ground down to the mantle layer (magma chamber)? then floated that chunk on lava then air bended it over?
This is often cited as the single most powerful feat in bending in the entire franchise, and I’m inclined to agree. Kyoshi Island also manages to wind up quite a distance from the mainland–let’s assume it’s still on the continental shelf, otherwise MY GOD–and is large enough to sustain a reasonably-sized village with agriculture. Unless there’s an earthbending equivalent of the great comet going on, this is nuts.
Avatar Kyoshi also lived to 230 years old.
All of this begs the question to me–what the hell was up with her? Did she get a spirit-world power boost or something? These things are all very much outside the norm, even in a world of such extraordinary people.
What’s everybody’s theory on this?
She was just that strong
My thought has always been that Kyoshi was one of the few Avatars that was completely at peace with who and what she was. Every other Avatar we’ve seen – even the best of them like Aang and Korra – are conflicted over what they have to do and how they do it. Guilt and self-loathing over their responsibilities and actions, regret over what they could have done better.
Kyoshi, however, never doubted herself. Even without being arrogant, she always saw that what she did had to be done. She took what were the only options. You see this even in the advice she gives to subsequent Avatars: Be decisive. Be final. Commit.
Because of that, she was one of the few (Maybe only) Avatars who was able to completely encompass the powers available to them. No part of her subconsciously didn’t want to use them. There was no hesitancy buried so deep that she even didn’t realize it, Unlike Aang, or Roku, or Koruk, or Korra, or Yangchen, or even Wan, she was able to give herself over totally to whatever she was doing and hold nothing back.
That’s why she was able to accomplish feats of bending and skill that no other Avatar could equal: Because she, alone of all the Avatars, had she SHEER CHUTZPHA to do it.
other avatars ask “can i do it?”
kyoshi says “of course i can.”
Believe in yourself like Avatar Kyoshi believed in herself. Encompass the spirit of Avatar Kyoshi. I am a bad-ass and I WILL JUST DO IT
I always felt like Kyoshi’s age was a hastily made mistake and oversight that the team just went with
Dama Cherepaha 