jaynaneeya:

Today marks five years since my first video chat with the Shipwrecked Comedy Core Four. It was a perk from the Poe Party kickstarter, to which I had contributed significantly more than I’d originally intended because the campaign had gotten me so excited for this project. I was excited but very nervous to talk to them, since conversing with people I don’t know is not something I’m particularly skilled at, so I was therefore delighted and pleasantly surprised by how easy I found them to talk to. I don’t remember all the details of that conversation anymore; the main thing I recall is telling them that my favorite author was Jane Austen and that I was a little disappointed that she wasn’t going to be in Poe Party and them responding with “Yeah, we just thought she’d be too similar to Charlotte Brontë”, which I only remember because Jane Austen frickin WAS in Poe Party, but I didn’t know it at the time, and they gave absolutely NO INDICATION that would have led me to suspect anything, which I’m still impressed by. Beyond that, I mostly just remember them being very kind and excited about what they were working on.

A lot has happened in five years. The world has changed, and my relationship to Shipwrecked has changed. I’ve gotten to know them pretty well, and every interaction we have makes me love them a little more. They are my favorite storytellers, and I would want to support their work even if I didn’t know them at all. But the reason I am so over-the-top, beyond enthusiastically supportive of them is that, in addition to being remarkably talented creators of wonderful projects, I also know them to be good and kind human beings. And that is such a rare combination that I will never shut up about it.

So please, if you can, I would encourage everyone to support Shipwrecked’s next project, Headless, on Kickstarter, and/or support them on Patreon. They are absolutely worthy of all the support they receive and so much more.

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/656722191140913152.

icaruslamented:

tumblr is so like. meaningless. just clicking around. reading lil poem fragments. reblogging things just bcuz the vibe is good. seeing the same paintings on the dash 5 times in a day. making my little 2 note posts. love it here.

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/646044130774040576.

windandwater:

I’ve posted about this passage of Two Towers on my blog before but I gotta talk about another element of it that I really love but can’t capture in any other format. This is when Frodo & Sam are in Cirith Ungol:

All was dark about it, earth and sky, but it was lit with light. Not the imprisoned moonlight welling through the marble walls of Minas Ithil long ago, Tower of the Moon, fair and radiant in the hollow of the hills.

Paler indeed than the moon ailing in some slow eclipse was the light of it now, wavering and blowing like a noisome exhalation of decay, a corpse-light, a light that illuminated nothing.

In the walls and tower windows showed, like countless black holes looking inward into emptiness; but the topmost course of the tower revolved slowly, first one way and then another, a huge ghostly head leering into the night.

–The Two Towers, Book 2 Chapter 8

There’s so many things I love about this chapter, and of course this is creepy and mood-setting and world-buildy (just casually throwing in the corruption of Minas Ithil in there! I could write another post just about that line!) in a ton of amazing ways. 

But what I’m thinking about this time around the most is that you get this sense, that even though it may be possible for Sam & Frodo to infiltrate Mordor and make their way through and do their job and maybe, maybe even get out–if they get taken into Minas Morgul, they’re not coming out.

It’s a credit to the way Tolkien has built up the terror of the Ringwraiths, partially, but they’ve always been able to escape or evade their attention, even narrowly, before. But now they’re on Ringwraith territory. Now this is their ground. And Tolkien makes the peril so real. If they’re caught, it’s all over. There’s no escaping this time.

And then there’s a moment where the Witch-King senses the Ring and very nearly finds them, but then:

At that moment the Wraith-king turned and spurred his horse and rode across the bridge, and all his dark host followed him. Maybe the elven-hoods defied his unseen eyes, and the mind of his small enemy, being strengthened, had turned aside his thought. But he was in haste. Already the hour had struck, and at his great Master’s bidding he must march with war into the West.

–The Two Towers, Book 2 Chapter 8

It’s such a close call, and there are many things that save Frodo & Sam in this moment–the light of Galadriel, the Elven cloaks–but also, Gandalf’s whole plan. He’s been saying all along at this point that his job is distract Sauron from Frodo & Sam, to keep him worrying about the war with Gondor instead of keeping too close an eye on his borders.  And in this moment, we see it actually work.

This is showing, not telling–we get a horribly close call, saved at the last moment by a desperate strategy, plotted by people who don’t and can’t know if it’s working, or how close it came to not working.

I love this book so much.

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/645502295319150592.

wizzardhowl:

space sweepers is everything i could’ve asked for: found space family with a little magical girl, a bunch of stupid former delinquents that now fight for the greater good and adorable adopted robots that care for their friends!

the story was fun and although it’s a heavily action-based film, it still found a way to slow down and let the characters have small moments together. i am obsessed with the fact that everyone spoke their native languages and could understand each other thanks to the live translator, because it meant that for once (for the first time maybe) a space opera got to be diverse in a way that made sense, not just alien stuff. it just felt so welcoming in a way i haven’t seen many futuristic movies be. i loved captain badass jang, uncle tiger, soft sad daddy taeho and bubs a whole lot. there’s a lot of things being said about bubs now but i like her character so much, she just sits outside and reads rilke. who’s doing it like her.

most of the reviews i’ve read so far have been… negative and i understand that there are a few plot holes here and there (they never explain why the villain was poisoned, or why they couldn’t just inject nanobots in other kids to see if it worked like with kotnim) but i feel like the charm of this movie were the characters and their relationships, not the story itself. it has a heart and i think that shines through, even if the plot was sometimes a little confusing.

i’m genuinely overwhelmed by how much i loved this movie, it made me realize i haven’t watched a lot of space families in cinema since endgame ruined gotg and i missed it a lot. such a waste that it only lasts 2 hours because i would’ve loved an entire show like that, it had so much potential.

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/643398708327743489.

charlieheatons:

“Everybody has experienced the defeat of their lives. Nobody has a life that worked out the way they wanted it to work out. We all begin as the hero of our own dramas, in centre stage, and inevitably life moves us out of centre stage, defeats the hero, overturns the plot and the strategy and we’re left on the sidelines, wondering why we no longer have a part, or want a part, in the whole damn thing. So everybody’s experienced this. When it’s presented to us sweetly, the feeling goes from heart to heart and we feel less isolated and we feel part of the great human chain, which is really involved with the recognition of defeat.”

— Leonard Cohen on why people enjoy listening to melancholy songs. From a BBC radio interview in 2007

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/631571210955784192.

0rpheus038:

The Who  All This Music Must Fade 

Reposted from https://lies.tumblr.com/post/188359922900.

stranger-nature:

A Lincoln’s sparrow perched on a fence next to a song sparrow. You can really see the contrast between the two species here!

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/180845211604.

marya-nikolaevna:

“As I read Return of the King, I didn’t want it to be over. That last book blew my mind, particularly the scouring of the Shire. I didn’t like that when I was in high school. The story’s over, and they destroyed the ring — but he didn’t write “and now they lived happily ever after.” Instead, they went home and home was all fucked up. The evil guys had burned down some of the woods; a fascist-like tyranny had taken over. That seemed anticlimactic to me. Frodo didn’t live happily ever after or marry a nice girl hobbit. He was permanently wounded; he was damaged. As a 13 year old, I couldn’t grasp that. Now, every time I re-read The Lord of the Rings — which I do, every few years — I appreciate the brilliance of the scouring of the Shire. That’s part of what lifts the book from all its imitators. There was a real cost to Tolkien’s world. There’s a tremendous sadness at the end of Lord of the Rings, and it has a power. I think that’s partly why people are still reading and re-reading these books. By the time I finished Lord of the Rings it actually somewhat depressed me, because I didn’t think I could ever do anything of that stature. Fortunately, I got over that.”

— ‘Game of Thrones’ George R.R. Martin: Outtakes From the Rolling Stone Interview | Movies News | Rolling Stone (via boiledleather)

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/174708317174.

geopsych:

For those who wonder, and people often ask, my pictures are taken in
eastern Pennsylvania in the States. Some people who live where I take
most of the pictures have asked that I not say exactly where it is
because the area has become so small and fragile, but some of you have probably figured it out from place names I’ve dropped.

Eastern
Pennsylvania is still beautiful in some places, but a broad part of the
beautiful landscape that once existed here has been bulldozed and made
into industrial parks, ugly modern housing, and shopping centers with
big highways and lots of Walmarts and fast food, because it is so close
to New York City and Philadelphia. So for me some sadness accompanies
the beauty in every one of my pictures. These places I post pictures of, along with the
plants, birds, and other things still living there, are the last
remnants of a once large and beautiful pastoral area. Earlier, before
settlers arrived, it was home to a magnificent ancient forest full of amazing and
beautiful plants and other life of which we now have only dwindling
traces.

Every year I see things I have taken pictures of, and
posted on this blog, being destroyed. I know that eventually it will all
be gone. I feel like people should see how beautiful it was before it
disappears forever. I thank everyone for sharing in the beauty that
might otherwise be forgotten. <3

Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/173355733963.

“For Democrats, opposing Trump’s plan, which a measly 8 percent of Americans support in its current form, is a no-brainer. But with health care emerging as the American people’s top concern , according to recent polls, Democrats would be wise to seize the moment, go on the offensive and rally around a bold alternative to the Republican Party’s backward vision. It’s time for progressives and Democrats to unite behind Medicare for all.

Under a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system, the United States would join virtually every other Western country in recognizing health care as a fundamental right and providing insurance for every citizen. It would reduce the burden on employers, which bear the brunt of the cost of insurance today, and it would bring down overall health-care costs because Medicare is more efficient than for-profit private insurance. It would be paid for with tax hikes on the wealthiest Americans, including a financial transactions tax that would curb risky high-frequency trading.

Contrary to how it is often portrayed, this is not some left-wing fantasy but an idea with widespread across-the-aisle support. An April survey from the Economist/YouGov showed that 60 percent of Americans support “expanding Medicare to provide health insurance to every American,” including a majority of independents and nearly half of self-identified Republicans. Likewise, a Gallup poll conducted last month found that a majority of Americans would like to see a single-payer system implemented. (Given how deeply Medicare is woven into the fabric of our society, I prefer the term “Medicare for all” over the wonky “single-payer.”)

This is not to say that Democrats should stop defending the Affordable Care Act, which is more popular now that it is being threatened than ever before. The law was clearly a major step forward, as evidenced by the 20 million Americans who gained coverage because of it. But the most compelling argument for the Affordable Care Act was always that it was just that: not the final destination but a step in the right direction. “For me, this legislation represents progress toward universal health care for all Americans,” Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a longtime supporter of Medicare for all, said when it passed in 2010 . “It is a beginning — and an important one.””

– Time for Democrats to unite around Medicare for all – The Washington Post
(via dendroica)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2sAOgay.

catrocketship:

“This morning I have been pondering a nearly forgotten lesson I learned in high school music. Sometimes in band or choir, music requires players or singers to hold a note longer than they actually can hold a note. In those cases, we were taught to mindfully stagger when we took a breath so the sound appeared uninterrupted. Everyone got to breathe, and the music stayed strong and vibrant. Yesterday, I read an article that suggested the administration’s litany of bad executive orders is a way of giving us “protest fatigue” – we will literally lose our will to continue the fight in the face of the onslaught of negative action. Let’s remember MUSIC. Take a breath. The rest of the chorus will sing. The rest of the band will play. Rejoin so others can breathe. Together, we can sustain a very long, beautiful song for a very, very long time. You don’t have to do it all, but you must add your voice to the song. With special love to all the musicians and music teachers in my life…..#Resist”

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2owSMbS.

“One constituent, holding a sign showing her support for Merrick Garland — former president Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, who was blocked by Republicans last year — asked whether Republicans would really blow up the filibuster to get Gorsuch through. “They can, but by all rights, 60 votes ought to be the standard,” Whitehouse said. “When he doesn’t get 60 votes, that’s going to give Mitch McConnell a tough choice. He’ll have to either change the candidate or change the rules. And it’s not going to be easy for him to change the rules, because a lot of people in his caucus will push back. We have to have the vote, show this guy can’t get 60, and see where it goes from there. In the crucible of the Senate, sometimes good things can emerge.” Over a few rounds of questions, Whitehouse raised the possibility that Gorsuch would be blocked and Republicans would start over with a more moderate nominee. In a short interview after the speech, Whitehouse said he was confident that more than 40 Democrats would hang together. “If four, or five, or two, or no Democrats want to support him, the result is the same: not 60,” Whitehouse said. “This is a problem [Republicans] should have seen when they picked a nominee off of a list from special-interest groups.” Asked about the possibility that the filibuster would be “nuked,” ripping it away from Democrats in future fights, Whitehouse chuckled. “To my mind, there’s no reason to lose a fight in order to save yourself for a later fight,” he said. “You just face the same fight later, plus you’ve already lost.””

– Gorsuch may fall short of votes needed for smooth Supreme Court confirmation – The Washington Post
(via dendroica)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2npJVVM.

“

The history of the US is riddled with leaders betraying in practice the laws sanctified on paper. Centuries-old injustices over race and class are frequently glossed over in textbooks that seek to inspire with tales of heroism instead of to scare with the truth of the disregarded. But in the past and recent present, US leaders struggled to hide or justify their misdeeds, afraid of public accountability. They did not always uphold the values of our founding documents but they knew they were supposed to try. They knew there could be penalties if they were caught in immoral or criminal behavior, such as humiliation, a lost election, or even impeachment.

In contrast, bigotry is blatant; laws are broken; patriotism is sham that seems to amuse them. What is unprecedented is not that a president is doing bad things, but that he does not bother to pretend to be good. This malice is not an indicator of liberating honesty, as contrarians have framed it, but a signpost on the road to humanitarian catastrophe. Policies Trump has embraced include eliminating healthcare for millions of Americans, using nuclear weapons, supporting Russian imperialism, rounding up ethnic and religious minorities, and making lists of federal employees who study climate change or gender equality, in seeming anticipation of a mass firing and an attack on science and freedom. These authoritarian moves do not benefit any US citizen, including those who voted for him. That these policies are being proclaimed openly, and in several instances blatantly favor Russian interests over those of the US, implies that traditional penalties for betraying the electorate are gone.

As anyone who lives in an authoritarian state knows, once authoritarians get in, it is very hard to get them out. Politicians looking at 2018 and 2020 fail to comprehend that authoritarians rewrite rules, that laws are only as good as the people who uphold them, that the constitution is a piece of paper unless it is honored in practice. So long as the majority of politicians on both sides of the aisle continue to cower to the new administration, it becomes increasingly unlikely that democracy will hold.

”

– Our kids may never get the chance to know America
(via dendroica)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2juBUfp.

“

[…] Sadly, the past few days have drawn important attention away from your incendiary cabinet appointments, your ditching of the American press, your inclusion of your daughter in closed-door meetings with Japan, and your massive settlement of the Trump University fraud case—and that is unfortunate.

However, what these days have done, is once again illustrate that you are not ready, qualified, or seemingly interested in leading the diverse complexion of this country in any meaningful way  For all your talk of making America great, it seems those dreams are for a highly selective few and with a very limited pigmentation.

You Tweeted yesterday that the theatre was supposed to be a “safe and special place” for all people. No, Mr. Trump, you’re thinking of America. America is supposed to be a safe and special place for all its citizens; those of color, those who are gay, those who claim the Muslim faith, those whose voices are often silenced by people in power—you know, people like the cast of Hamilton.

In fact, the American theatre has historically been one of the few places marginalized communities have been represented and had a voice and been openly celebrated. Your attempt to use equality and safety there as a weapon against these same folks, highlights your inability to show the slightest compassion toward those most maligned and most jeopardized by your campaign and victory. The very Americans most in need of you as their President-Elect to reassure them that you see and hear and respect them, are once again having confirmed for them by your very conduct—that you really don’t give a damn about them.

[…]

I’m not sure you really wanted this job, and I know that you don’t understand it, so let me help you: You work for the American people now, not the other way around. You don’t get to bully and shut down discussion and bulldoze citizens expressing free speech. You get the distinct and undeserved privilege to listen to the disparate voices of all the American people, and to serve them all as best you can. You get to humble yourself and consent to their will, not your own.

You received only a small percentage of Americans’ votes, Mr. Trump. The boos are going to be here for four years, so my advice to you is to put on that thick skin and those big boy pants your supporters are always saying Liberal “snowflakes” so need. Get off of Twitter and crack open some books because you are woefully ill prepared for this task at hand. You can’t Tweet or sound bite your way to leadership, so do the work that needs doing.

And perhaps more than anything, stop lecturing and ranting and scolding those who have been so very hurt in this country and who are right to feel threatened and worried right now—and start listening to them and trying to be their President-Elect, instead of a fragile Twitter personality trolling for sympathy. If your mind and attention are on Broadway shows and Saturday night comedies and newspaper reporters, your mind and attention are not on the things a President’s mind and attention should be on, which is the biggest problem here. You shouldn’t have time for this stuff and it shouldn’t even be on your radar.

Ask Barack Obama, George Bush Senior or Junior, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter how to honor this position.

You’re charged with leading America and *all* its people. Start leading.

”

– John Pavlovitz, Dear Donald Trump, Hamilton Proves You’re Not Ready to Lead

(via thefederalistfreestyle)

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2gf7TSn.

micdotcom:

Watch: Michelle Obama’s speech on the Trump tapes should be required viewing for all Americans

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2ebkPUC.

atonalremix:

Hidden Gems of a Webseries: Edgar Allen Poe’s Murder Mystery Dinner Party

It’s so rare to find a canon that not only balances delightful humor with the macabre

but also affectionately pays respect to the ever-present literary spirit (pun totes intended). The first webisode cements this balance in its well-crafted soundtrack – seriously, listen to each and every introduction and how the lyrics shift to personify each author that crosses that threshold.

It’s no mistake, mind you, that the score screeches to a halt upon the door opening to Emily Dickinson (or that the opening titles never quite have her grace our screens. No wonder she has to carve out her presence! She’s a real, live person!!).

The creative team’s gone above and beyond in peppering their work with literary jokes of all stripes (from
Dostoyevsky’s “spirit for a spirit!” to even Oscar’s portrait rearing its beautiful head and Eliot insisting that she!! is!! a!! man!!!!) – after all, it makes sense that Lenore’s speech patterns are the only ones resembling ours. She escapes time and place; she’s not bound to history. She’s transcended it, much like a certain H.G. Wells and his (not-quite-yet-invented) Time Machine.

#ILovePoeParty not only because of its sharp wit (”Did someone say murder?”) but because of each and every loving detail. How a show manages to become better upon rewatching it, I have no clue, but Poe Party does it with such finesse that you notice new things (and reactions!) every time.

Seriously, if you’re not watching it – and it doesn’t take forever to catch up, given that each episode’s ~7-10 minutes long: Give it a whirl already!!

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2dzsqyo.

knights-of-ben-solo:

oneroikalunae:

janinekspendlove:

There were so many guys dressed as #StarWars #Rey at #dragoncon2016 – I wish I’d managed to get pics of all of them. And they weren’t dressed in a “haha look at me, I’m a man dressed as a woman, isn’t this funny?” kind of way, but in a “I LOVE REY AND I’M DRESSED UP AS HER!” serious love & appreciation kind of way. It was awesome. (The guy on the right chased me down and was so excited to get a picture since we were both dressed as “lightsaber Rey”)

oh gosh yes. yes. this is my jam

YAAAAS I didnt know I needed this until now

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2cve4zn.

“

6) Tolkien’s hero was average, and needed help, and failed.

This is the place where most fantasy authors, who love to simultaneously call themselves Tolkien’s heirs and blame him for a lot of what’s wrong with modern fantasy, err the worst. It’s hard to look at Frodo and see him as someone extra-special. The hints in the books that a higher power did choose him are so quiet as to be unnoticeable. And he wouldn’t have made it as far as he did without his companions. And he doesn’t keep from falling into temptation.

A lot of modern fantasy heroes are completely opposite from this. They start out extraordinary, and they stay that way. Other characters are there to train them, or be shallow antagonists and love interests and worshippers, not actually help them. And they don’t fail. (Damn it, I want to see more corrupted fantasy heroes.) It’s not fair to blame Tolkien for the disease that fantasy writers have inflicted on themselves. […]

Fantasy could use more ordinary people who are afraid and don’t know what the hell they’re doing, but volunteer for the Quest anyway.

It’s misinterpretation of Tolkien that’s the problem, not Tolkien himself.

”

–

Reposted from http://ift.tt/2bLnK5i.

seanpersaud:

entertainmentweekly:

Radiohead release new song ‘Burn the Witch’ 

After scrubbing their internet presence, the band release a brand new song

I’ll be over here listening to this all day.

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1TKwbi4.

allthingslinguistic:

linustorvalds:

now that we don’t have replies I’ve been thinking abt how the type of communication differs between asks, replies, IM, and reblog commentary.

you might reply to a post with “omg”, but sending an ask with “omg that post” is unnecessary and is probably never sent. reblogs with “omg” are looked down upon and rarely used anymore, while in IM you might message the person with maybe more information than simply “omg” if you know them already or if you’re mutuals.

idk, it’s interesting to me bc I’m also a linguistics major aside from CS.

@allthingslinguistic what do you think? is this even worth pointing out?

The closest I could get would be to reblog with omg in the tags, I think. But that’s a stronger omg than simply replying with omg, because you’re also amplifying the audience who sees it – and this is especially relevant with replies because they only show (showed, I guess, RIP) on original posts from mutuals/people you’ve been following for a while, which may be precisely the more personal posts that you wouldn’t want to reblog. 

More broadly, it’s interesting to see how the tools that we use influence how we speak to each other. I think that’s why people get so upset when @staff changes something or when other social networking sites change things about their communication: it’s like someone has reached into the conversations you’ve been having with people and altered how you’re having them. 

I mean, this would be ridiculous in offline communication: “No, I’m sorry, you’re not allowed to make jazzhands or say the word “groovy” anymore, but we’ve introduced this great new elbow zig-zag which you’re going to LOVE!!!” It’s not that I have anything against new options, but even if people weren’t really using jazzhands or groovy as much as we used to, we’ve gotten used to having the potential of them for our conversations. (I’m not sure that replies were actually falling into disuse, but tumblr seems to have thought they wouldn’t be missed.)

I think the new tumblr IM is cool since it expands the communicative options available to us, but losing replies is just that – a loss. And it reminds me that tumblr isn’t really my own space, it’s a space that I occupy at the whims of an organization which can mould my communication however it sees fit. Maybe it thinks it’s helping me, but if you sneak into my house and rearrange my bookshelves, I’m still going to be confused and angry even if the new organization is “better” by some objective standard. I’ve kind of gotten used to the fact that tech companies sometimes rearrange my digital furniture, but I still don’t think they’re careful enough about it. (If anything, I was hoping we were getting a smoother way of replying to replies, like a properly-integrated version of the xkit feature). 

As it stands, well, it’s like someone telling me I can’t whisper anymore. It’s not censorship – I can still express any thoughts I want, I just have to say them at a different volume. But that doesn’t mean I don’t still feel like a part of my conversational repertoire isn’t what it used to be. 

Reposted from http://ift.tt/1lpgNLR.