#at least nobody dies in this one

[eri-pl]

Silm Advent calendar 9: Road

He should have sailed earlier. But when? 

(They should have sailed immediately when given the chance, but. Nelyo’s face warped in terror, his voice shaking, “Who knows what the Valar will do if we act against  them” — Nelyo had known for sure all the things they could do and many more.)

The sea roared. Was it anger or impatience?

The moon rose and the wind changed, bringing the smell of a distant storm.

So when? 

After Nelyo was …gone, when so many were returning? Maglor couldn't face their eyes, the judgment, the pity. Anyway they wouldn't probably let him anywhere near the ships alive. 

When Men left for their new home?

Elros had invited him to visit, to “help establish the kingdom” and the mix of hope, anger and determination in his eyes had been unbearable. Had he been hoping for Maglor to return home? Or to try and be slain for it? 

It did not matter anymore, Elros had long been dead.

The boat jumped on the waves and the wind grew stronger. Maglor shivered, but was it the cold or everything else? 

Should he have sailed after Elrond found him (Or: he found Elrond and his hidden home, somehow? He wasn't even sure which way it had been) and talked him out of despair and for a time it felt like home?

Should he have sailed when the world had changed and again many had been leaving, as if feeling the change and becoming afraid that soon they won't be able to? (Not Tyelpe. He had left the hard way, and Maglor hadn't even known back then that it was happening, but maybe it had been better this way.)

The stars disappeared behind heavy clouds and the western horizon blinked with lightnings. A drop fell on Maglor’s cheek, colder than a tear, and others followed it.

Should he have sailed with Elrond? Or at least meet him before he did? Maglor still couldn't decide what would be worse: if Elrond had asked him to go with him, or if he hadn't. As with all of his problems, he solved that one by avoiding it. And so Elrond had sailed without a farewell. 

Not that Maglor deserved farewells from anyone. Neither Elrond, Tyelpe, Elros or Nelyo. Especially Nelyo.

The rain grew stronger and he turned the boat back east, blinking away the rain and tears. The storm was a clear sign. He was not welcome to even try. So he would not. He never liked arguing with others’ opinions, and arguing with Lord Ulmo could not work anyway. 

The wind blew at his back, roaring with disappointment.

[msburgundy]

idiots stop hiking WITH CHILDREN during peak heat hours in the height of the summer in Arizona challenge (impossible)

[basofy]

i think you can be as critical about the venezuelan opposition and maría corina and edmundo as you want but arent venezuelans allowed to choose for themselves even if the options arent perfect? are you willing to justify electoral fraud and police brutality, class inequality, bad management of resources, lack of maintenance of the country, breach of the law, lack of investment in health services and education etc etc just because the person doing it is someone you like or because you don't like the other option? are people at fault for wanting something different?

[aroaceleovaldez]

Jason, Reyna, and Nico have one billion in-jokes about Mediterranean history between the bronze age to the renaissance that they find absolutely hilarious and no one else understands in the slightest. i know this in my heart to be true.

[crossedwithblue]

random thought bc I've been listening to Six on repeat: the queens claim that the only reason they're remembered is because of Henry, but would Henry be one of the most iconic and well-known English monarchs if not for them?

[clover-mouse]

Ok don't look at me i know I'm playing a lot of D&D ... but .. here's my Curse of Strahd pc ♡ A pal I play in another game with is running a heavily homebrewed CoS campaign and the vibes rule so far. Blurb under the cut ehehehe

Beau, paladin of vengeance. Shepherd in life. What she will be in her undeath has yet to be seen - but it seems, so far, that her old habits didn't die when she was buried. Keeping an eye on the others who came back beside her in this unfamiliar place, counting heads, leading with crook in hand.

Whoever had buried her left her with a parting gift. A heavy wolf's pelt, draped and secured over her shoulders. It unnerves her. But it's comforting to know someone did bury her, and took care to send her off with some things she valued in life. A blanket she knitted, a lantern, her crook. Her grave was shallow, and her casket was barely a crate. But it wasn't without care. The gift won't go to waste.

[shinesurge]

I was musing about it on mastodon because it's a nuanced issue but it keeps coming up and i really feel like offering bsky as a Tumblr Alternative doesn't make sense, even aside from my own hangups about twitter clones. Tumblr, (bsky, mastodon), discord, personal sites, and newsletters all serve different functions and none of them are expressly Replacements for another imo, it's like trying to replace a screwdriver with a hammer. Offering bsky to me as an art platform backup feels as incongruous as saying "oh hey the marina is closed today but we can take our rowboat to the park instead" lmao

that said like i definitely get it, since cohost failed idk what options there would even be at this point for something like tumblr if it really does go down at some point. everybody's just trying to do their best when our careers (and just!! our art sharing communities!!) are at the mercy of people who don't give a shit so this is less shitting on people eyeing lifeboats and more being frustrated this is a thing on anyone's radar at all rn

[druidonity2]

I looked at my fanart of War Crimes with Anduin holding himself dying with Chromie, and I decided I wanted to draw more Anduin trauma with dragons...(wip)

[hana-bobo-finch]

i hardly ever mention Glad for some reason. you. you know the one. the cousin. the mouthless one. bellona’s cousin that I have probably only mentioned once but she does actually do stuff in the plot. yknow. i only have concept sketches of her but uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

[startledstoat]

Someone: well if it isn't the boy who lived twice

Harry's angsty ass probably: tbh I was kinda hoping I wouldn't the second time

[magicalyams]

pc i put together doesn't work i want to explode rhe world

[plenaurum]

Thoughts on Luci as a Dino lover

So, I'm doing a Lucifer route after having only done Dino's route in HS 1 and 2. Initially, I thought I'd hate him. I don't like LIs like him, they never did much for me (the whole dark, 'I hate you but love you', 'I don't care about you and like to dangle other women in front of you but I hate it when you even think about other men' type), but this was different and fun to play through (even though it was hard dodging Dino's advances). I thought I'd be more bothered by his wishy-washyness, but honestly? I wasn't. His feelings were so obvious the whole time that it was almost laughable that he even tried hiding them. Like, who tf did he think he was fooling? LMAO. Vicky has him in a chokehold. Anyway, I see why he's so popular (however, LEO is still MY best LI hands down).

Imma stop hating on him ig.

[sesamenom]

trying to figure out Lomion's relationships for the reverse gondolin au - so far I have Rog as his mentor instead of Eol and Celegorm as his "uncle". he's not particularly close with Idril, but Turgon helps him with the politics/statecraft stuff. anyways I can't figure out a marriage candidate for him for heir-identification purposes so

[izzy-b-hands]

I will be forever grateful i can be on this new med. it's one a lot of folks also need and can struggle to have access to! It's important i be on it, especially if i start doing any vid collabs

(some of which, really, all of which, i unfortunately actually need to cancel that were in the preplanning stages, bc the election results have me wanting to wait and see how the general atmosphere of the country is before i agree to meet up with anyone. I feel bad for cancelling, but also i just can't know for sure how safe things are/might be going forward and I'd rather avoid the potential of. ya know. various not great things that could happen at a meet up, tho i would certainly hope they wouldn't. i don't feel like actually addressing them rn, u guys know what i mean)

That said, if the truvada initial side effects could fuck off asap would be so lovely. three weeks at worst, then they should be gone/much better or so i am told. really hope that's true bc losing my mornings to being dizzy and nauseous is Not Working for me lmao. im on week two, and now understand why my new doc said to call if i needed any 'cheerleading' and support to get thru the side effects, bc apparently she's done that for several ppl to make sure they actually make it thru the three weeks and keep on it (lovely of her!!)

[beanghostprincess]

I'm realizing now that all of my fics for Sanuso week are extremely angsty somehow. Even the one Ice Skating. Somehow. Don't ask me how I did it because I do not know.

[keeps-ache]

[walking around, peering into people's faces like i'm in an art exhibit] hm. nice