The Glittering Tinsel of Neo-Feudalism

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See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

Sounds perfect Wahhhh, I don’t wanna
shiplocks-of-love
disabledmachineherald

like

i need abled people to understand

many very very sick people, people with life threatening and terminal diseases, cannot even fucking go to the dr right now because they stopped mandating masking in medical facilities and we cannot risk our lives

because there is a difference between "will kill you in years" and "will kill you in days"

there are also many people who can't get vaccinated due to conditions like guillain barre, which may progress or kill them if their immune system is activated. and these people have no other options for protection besides the vaccines they can't get and the callous whim of others, because evusheld, an iv prophylactic, became ineffective against the new variants and it doesn't look like they have any interest in updating it.

people had to fight to even get evusheld in the first place, and then had to fight to actually receive it because it was expensive and the criteria for who could get it was very small. many did not qualify, and those who did weren't able to afford it. and many of those who didn't qualify but were still able to get it were only able to do so because of privilege- for instance, one was a medical professional and another was a lawyer

the vaccines are also not effective for many people because their immune systems are not strong enough. they don't boost it like they would for someone else

i just want abled people to know this is happening

you should care even if it really was "only 2 or 3 people". but if you don't, it's still really much more that. it's hundreds. hundreds of people who either can't leave their houses and haven't for 3 years, or people with potentially deadly conditions, terminal illnesses, progressive disabilities, who have to work in this anyway if they want to be able to pay rent and eat.

you were told the high risk would protect themselves but how are we supposed to do that? we can't. there is no fucking protection. masks are only effective when everyone else is wearing one.

if you can help, please do.

helping can be as simple as wearing a mask at least when you go to the dr too, and encouraging other people to do so. idk

i can't say it matters when it's on an individual level. i want it to. but the truth is i just don't know what to do. at this point i just want abled people to care, and to actually support us. to protect us. to even want to.

shiplocks-of-love

I'm going to get shit for this, but

"masks are only effective when everyone else is wearing one" is only true for those flimsy surgical masks that most people use. Use a N95 mask if you fear for your life due to any condition you might have. They are certified to block 95% of particles, including small particulates that surgical masks will not block effectively. Like, properly certified. They can also be typically worn longer than surgical masks.

(I agree that in certain situations, people should be wearing masks regardless. Medical facilities for sure, it's insane that they are not doing that! Public transports could also be added to the list. But some extrapolate to "we should be always wearing masks everywhere foreverrrrr" and that is not a good idea either, for several reasons.)

Covid advice
katedrawscomics
hufflefluffles

I got a marketing email from hobbycraft to say that they're now selling plush pumpkins ahead of halloween

so of course I went to the website, which led me to this delightful photo series showing the different sizes available:

Three photos of the same black man, holding a series of plush pumpkins. The first pumpkin (labelled small) fits within the palm of his hand, and he is looking down delighted by the tiny pumpkin. The second pumpkin (labelled medium) is still hand sized, and he is looking at the camera with a smile. The third pumpkin (labelled large) is balanced on his hand to the side, and he is looking at it in amusementALT
Two more photos of the same man holding larger plush pumpkins. The first (labelled XL) is cradled in both hands in front of his chest, and he is looking down at the pumpkin. The second (labelled XXL) covers about half his chest, and is being held out in front of him with a happy/excited look on his faceALT

I love and support this man and his pumpkin collection

katedrawscomics

i like how the series of photos make it look like one single pumpkin that is growing extremely quickly. this man is a pumpkin wizard and he loves his job

halloween
disorganisedautodidact
light-of-the-two-trees

So we agree that 'jail-crow of Mandos' is an iconic Feanor quote, especially considering he said it to Melkor (of all beings!) while telling him to get off his lawn.

What we haven't spoken much about is this:

image

Feanor 🤝 Insulting Melkor 🤝 Fingolfin

Also now I want Finarfin to take a turn at yelling at Melkor. I think he deserves it too.

disorganisedautodidact

image

when you're Fëanor and Fingolfin, everything is a competitive sport

feanor and feanor's kin the silmarillion [honks airhorn at melkor] GET FUCKED
hedgiwithapen
charlesoberonn

Middle-aged magical girl.

She's been defending the Earth since the early 90s and she's very tired.

charlesoberonn

My name is Tominaga Haruka. I was chosen by a magical talking animal, and for the last 29 years I've been Earth's one and only... Wonder-Sparkle Princess.

exponentiallygayrobot

she's been fighting the same villains for three decades and they are also tired of it. Most of them aren't giving it their all.
Half of them are in a groupchat they've added her to where they schedule their evil plans to make sure they don't interfere with each other, or more importantly, with *her*

Xalkrax the space demon from outer space decided to attack the city when she was taking her vacation time once, and now he's dead, because even the power of friendship and redemption can't save you if you interrupt her rare vacations

charlesoberonn

Demon Queen Eluria: Gonna fill the city people's hearts with hatred on thursday to cause mayhem and discord.

Wonder-Sparkle Princess: Can't, got a PTA meeting.

Demon Queen Eluria: Friday?

Wonder-Sparkle Princess: A birthday party.

Demon Queen Eluria: Damn. How about I fill just the mayor's heart with hatred then?

Wonder-Sparkle Princess: That'd be redundant, lol. Maybe fill his heart with a desire to fix the fucking potholes?!

Demon Queen Eluria: LMFAO love you, bitch. Stay strong.

Wonder-Sparkle Princess: You too, gurl. How's the husband? Still dead?

Demon Queen Eluria: Yep. Thanks for that, btw.

Wonder-Sparkle Princess: Don't mess with my time off :p

love it anime ficlet
laisai
tanoraqui

[slams fists on table] There is MINIMAL evidence that the whole world of Middle Earth appears flat to Elves. There is MUCH MORE evidence that Elves live on a globe with everyone else (after the Fall of Númenor); they just have access—via ocean sailing, maybe only in a westward direction—to a tangential line leading off the globe to a bonus continent + local seas, which may or may not exist on a flat plane. (Note: not on the moon; the moon is a piece of glowing flower set in a small flying ship, steered by a guy who keeps getting distracted by his crush.) It’s called the “STRAIGHT ROAD”, not the “flat world”!!

It’s like this:

image

* There’s actually almost 0 evidence of anything really, because Tolkien’s worldbuilding is like the dril budget tweet and he spent $3,600 on linguistics. But that’s why we should pay attention to word choice like “Straight ROAD”, ie a single path!

laisai

the moon is a female maia and the sun is a male maia and i think you're describing earendil instead? who is a star and not the moon

but that is an interesting take

tanoraqui

…you are straight-up incorrect? The Moon is Tilion, a he/him Maia of Oromë, and the Sun is Arien, a she/her Maia of Vana.

The maiden whom the Valar chose from among the Maiar to guide the vessel of the Sun was named Arien, and he that steered the island of the Moon was Tilion. In the days of the Trees Arien had tended the golden flowers in the gardens of Vána, and watered them with the bright dews of Laurelin; but Tilion was a hunter of the company of Oromë, and he had a silver bow. He was a lover of silver, and when he would rest he forsook the woods of Oromë, and going into Lórien he lay in dream by the pools of Estë, in Telperion’s flickering beams; and he begged to be given the task of tending forever the last Flower of Silver. Arien the maiden was mightier than he, and she was chosen because she had not feared the heats of Laurelin, and was unhurt by them, being from the beginning a spirit  of fire, whom Melkor had not deceived nor drawn to his service. Too bright were  the eyes of Arien for even the Eldar to look on, and leaving Valinor she forsook the form and raiment which like the Valar she had worn there, and she was as a naked flame, terrible in the fullness of her splendour.

— “Of the Sun and the Moon and the Hiding of Valinor”, Quenta Silmarillion

I’ll concede that i extrapolated “vessel” to the popular interpretation of “ship”, matching, yes, Eärendil, forgetting that the text does call it an “island” as well (though what that is supposed to mean in the context or a single flower or fruit being steered across the sky, I do not know).

And re: the crush:

But Tilion was wayward and uncertain in speed, and held not to his appointed path; and he sought to come near to Arien, being drawn by her splendour, though the flame of Anar scorched him, and the island of the Moon was darkened.

aethersea
griseldagimpel

OTW Candidate Audrey Richards

Alright, it looks like the shit's about to hit the fan. The full names for OTW Board Candidates have been released, and it looks like Audrey Richards recently ran for political office as a Republican. Source: https://ballotpedia.org/Audrey_Richards

Based on what happened last year with Tiffany G, I want to make something clear: This is not a plot by the Republican party to destroy AO3.

Audrey Richards is an OTW volunteer in good standing. She wouldn't be able to run if she wasn't.

Also, if the Republican Party wanted to destroy AO3, they'd have Tucker Carlson or whoever put the site on blast and whip up the Conservative hate machine against the site. That hasn't happened because I don't believe that the drivers of the Republican Party are aware that the site exists.

What's happening here is that in the Republican Party, Audrey is small fry enough that affiliation with AO3 hasn't become a career liability for her. But, seriously, given how fascist the Republican Party is these days, I would not advise anyone who loves the site to be affiliated with the U.S.'s Republican Party. That's peak Voting for the Leopards Eating Faces Party behavior!

Okay, with all that said, even before this came out, Audrey Richards wasn't impressing me as a candidate. You can read her Q&As here: https://elections.transformativeworks.org/category/2023-en/2023-candidates/2023-audrey-r/

She answers variations of I Don't Know to a LOT of questions (which none of the other candidates do) and has some definite clunkers of answers. I won't be voting for her, but that was already the case based upon her answers.

ce fandom