#and that's such a good foundation

[incomingalbatross]

So much of Kidnapped is about the culture clash. Davie (audience surrogate) is a teenage boy from a culture that both Stevenson's audience and we recognize as relatively familiar in, you know, the expectations you'd have of a teenage boy, or an average citizen. Alan is the most Jacobite Highlander to ever Highland about things. They're both from the same time, and (technically) from the same country—and yet! So much culture clash in these couple chapters.

Davie looks at this man in a fancy coat with a bunch of gold and is like "rich upper-class kind of guy. snob potential? will like me better if I play up my own upper-class background I just found existed, and consider me an equal?" And where a man from Davie's own society would likely laugh and go "okay sure, ship's boy, I'm sure you're landed gentry," Alan's reaction is not doubt that the child of a landed estate would be alone and in poverty on a merchant ship (...I think they're merchants), but immediate insecurity/defensiveness because he—despite his king's name and his gallantry and everything Davie sees as status markers—does not have any right to a landed estate and thus just the birthright puts Davie on a higher rank than him. Which did not occur to Davie, and is not an insecurity that would make sense to him anyway because, practically speaking, how is an estate he doesn't have a threat to anyone? Davie made the brag, but he himself didn't think it was worth as much as Alan did.

And then Alan admires his honesty in admitting that he can't shoot, because (as I understood it) that would be a deeply embarrassing admission for someone of his or Davie's class in the Highlands. Something that did not occur to Davie when he said it, because he's a kid and a schoolmaster's son, why would he be expected to know how to shoot?? But he gets credit for admitting it anyway because, by Alan's standards, that would take courage.

And then the post-battle bit. It's the best. Alan just moves straight into "I just did a really cool thing and I WON, oh man, that was so cool it deserves a song." He is from a Warrior Culture. Davie is having a breakdown in the corner because he just shot and killed multiple people. That's not something he ever expected to have to do (even in the earlier chapters when he was going up against his uncle and fancying himself a bit of a Boy Adventurer). And when he starts crying and Alan hears it—again, Alan doesn't shame him! Because Alan's been in enough combat to know this is a normal and respectable reaction. He says "You did good and you'll feel better in the morning!" But...again...Alan understands his reaction, but he does not remotely share it. It feels more like he sees it as something to ride out, to get through, because it's normal. The process of Getting Used To Killing Other People is a normal process that you go through when you grow up!

I love the culture clash. I love that you have all these differences and mismatched expectations at the same time that they're banded together and fighting for each other's lives, and also at the same time you get so much fondness for Alan through Davie's narration. ("I will say that in prose he always did me more than justice.") It's real good.

[knifebaby3000]

checked into your heart and trashed it like a hotel room

[unamusedyams]

(4/4) The end! No loose ends or tension to be found here! 🐶🤖

Part 1 || Part 2 || Part 3

[inkskinned]

in internet posts it is easy to cut them out of your life. they are hurting you! they aren't listening to you!

they held your hair back. they lent you lipstick. they held your hand at the train station and got you home safe. they rounded on your bully, got loud, said get fucked, spitting-mad in your defense.

they also cut the hair off again. told you that you should really think twice before wearing something like that. took you for granted. took your insecurities and threw them in your face again.

you know logically it should be easy. all the internet advice comments always read it will feel better. like an equation - if a person is rotten, you just remove them. you pull the tooth that's hurting.

but it was never a big flare-up moment. you don't live in a sitcom. they never tried to take your boyfriend or steal from your apartment. they showed up to birthdays and they wrote songs about you and bring you water without you asking. once you found out they carry an emergency inhaler for you, even though you haven't had an asthma attack in years - just in case.

where is the line? people fuck up. sometimes they fuck up badly. sometimes people have raw personalities, like a powerline, and being around them is dangerous. addicting. sometimes they can't help themselves, but you know they're trying. sometimes they are just rough-around-the-edges. sometimes they don't even realize how they sounded when they said that. sometimes it's just - you've both loved each other for so long now, the way this thing hurts goes back to the root.

and that's the fucked up part. you have pushed your fingers against the sweetheart of memory. things these days are electric, tense, harrowing. they didn't used to be. there were a lot of good days in there. sometimes you want to just close your eyes and say can this be over yet? do we still need to be fighting?

doing that would give up any chance you get of getting an apology, but you don't always know that you need an apology, you love them. once they flaked on your birthday party. once they told you to get over it, people are always dying. they also let you crash on their couch for a week after the breakup, handfeeding you when you were so sad you couldn't eat. they are also judgmental about everything, occasionally react to banal statements with an attitude that is weird and fiery. they also love you like a lighthouse sometimes, so strong they cut the storm like lightning.

but the problem is that you might be storm. you might be the thing that needs breaking. what if you are two forces who are desperately, horribly drawn to each other, shaped by the other person's passions, and both good for each other and bad in equal measure.

what if you're both just people, and you're no saint neither.

just cut them off! swallowing the saltwater, you catch yourself in the mirror. you've been shaking more than usual. there's an ache in you that is oblique, loud, impossible to soothe. is this what it looks like? when life is "easier"?

your mouth will always have a hole, is the thing, if you remove the tooth.

[mytardisisparked]

The reason Psych is the Important Show of All Time is because it said "friendship is the MOST important thing." Like, yes, the romances were good but the show spends even more time emphasizing and developing the friendships and that's why it rocks. Lassiter and Juliet love and support each other unconditionally without even the slightest whiff of romance and it is SO. REFRESHING. When Juliet almost dies, Lassie sacrifices his favorite gun to save her without any hesitation. He's the one there to hold her while she cries. She's his confidant. She leaves everything she knows behind so he can chase his dream of being chief without reprocussion. That's a deep, wholesome kind of platonic love. They also never had Shawn be jealous of how close Jules and Lassie are - instead, in the final episode, we see Shawn thanking Lassie for loving and supporting Juliet. We simply don't do that jealousy crap here. Lassie and Jules are best friends and that's an excellent thing. And then there's Shawn and Gus. Those characters are narratively and physically inseperable. The show makes it VERY clear that, without the other, neither one is complete. They balance each other and exacerbate each other's hijinks at the same time. They're closer than close and everyone around them just accepts it. It's just the way those two dumb boys are and no one is going to try to get between that. And then, of course, SO many friendships develop over the course of the show. Lassie and Shawn form a begrudging friendship eventually. Juliet and Karen end up bonding more than I think either expected. Friendship is the beating heart of this series and it's presented in a way that is unique and fun and I just don't see a lot of other shows that do it like Psych did.

[nothorses]

I think the other thing about it is that sometimes what you get out of art says a lot more about you than it does the artist. and what you see in people says more about you than it does them.

the people who looked at Gaiman's work and saw beauty and love for humanity and a life worth living may have been looking at the mask of a monster, and they may have been seeing a bit of something real in an otherwise abusive person, but what they were definitely seeing was a reflection of something already inside themselves.

your relationship with art isn't just about the art, and it isn't just about the artist. it's about you. you are a lens the art shines through, and you are a part of the conversation the art is having, and you are reflecting and being reflected through and by the art, and you are echoing and interpreting pieces of yourself alongside pieces of the art.

it's not foolish to see good things in art made by shitty people. it's not foolish to see good in people who are lying. it's not foolish to trust, believe, hope, or love. I think you might just have hope, love, and joy in your heart, and you might just be finding it in all of those places because you carried it there with you in the first place.

[hotchology]

GIF REQUEST MEME - 9. FAVORITE BROTP: DEMILY (DEREK MORGAN & EMILY PRENTISS) (requested by @mortalscience <3)

bonuses that i thought didnt fit in the grid/layout nicely :D

[the-dragon-hearted]

Currently thinking about how the death of Polites fractured the dynamic of the crew which led to quite literally the rest of the Odyssey in EPIC the musical. The entire crew relied on this man and NO, I am not exaggerating.

Polites served as the temperance of Ody; the diplomatic and optimistic council who was a liaison between the captain and his crew. Why? Well, Polites is never acknowledged to hold any power in the crew (we're talking EPIC canon here) but is clearly respected and valued by the captain. This combination is familiar; the crew is comfortable approaching Polites because he's their equal and Polites is comfortable approaching Odysseus with their problems because they're friends. That is his role.

Now I have my own issues with Eurylochus but I do think he's written well. And I also do not think he is fully in the wrong. HOT TAKE I KNOW, but hear me out: Eury was Ody's right hand. Odysseus is clever but he's also pretty humble (excluding the whole "I am the infamous Odysseus" but Bro had a right to crash out there). Odysseus does not surround himself with "yes-men", he surrounds himself with friends who are willing to challenge him. Case and point; Eurylochus and Polites.

Polites challenges his morals and instincts - Polites is always trying to ensure that Odysseus is doing what is best for himself. "You can relax my friend" is not something you tell your leader to do casually. It's what you tell your friend to do when they're working themselves too damn hard. "Greet the world with open arms" is not what you tell your commanding officer who you're trusting to get you home.

Eurylochus challenges his decisions. Always does, in every scene and NO that is not a flaw. He serves as a point of resistance so that Odysseus is forced to consider every option carefully. He makes sure Ody has considered the worst-case scenario and is fully prepared to back him up when that happens. Bro was ready to burn the Lotus island down if his friends didn't come back. Eury is the guy who's willing to strike first and make the difficult decisions, much like Ody is. He is a good second in command.

The point is: the two filled massively different roles in the crew. Eury is supposed to challenge Odysseus and question his decisions - that is his job; to make sure that his captain is making the best decisions for the crew. Polites is supposed to support Ody; he is a friend, a confident, and a source of trust and camaraderie.

What makes them such a well-oiled machine is that they all have specific roles and they are good at them. Ody makes the plans and decides what battles to fight, Eurylochus takes initiative and counterbalances Polites optimism, Polites offers ethical and moral support while counterbalancing Eury's cynicism. That is why the crew works so well.

Odysseus has someone to rely on and someone to challenge him. The crew has someone to confide in and a second in command to consider their needs. They have a captain who listens to both. Eurylochus and Polites have each other to balance out and a captain who values their opinions.

It works. It's balanced. It's a powerful type of leadership.

Then Polites dies, and so does that balance.

Eurylochus finds himself having to fill two roles. He has to question his captain and calm the crew. He has to place complete trust in Odysseus as Polites did, but he can't. His and Ody's relationship has always been based on challenging one another to ensure that they're considering every angle. He has spent his entire life being critical of Odysseus' plans because he knows that's what he's supposed to do. He doesn't have blind faith, he's a realist - optimism and trust were Polites forte.

Odysseus finds himself without that support and line of connection to Polites. He grows disconnected from the crew because of it and flounders when it comes to dealing with Eurylochus.

This is seen clearly in the song: Luck Runs Out

Eury was not in the wrong for pointing out how fucking crazy it is to casually ask the Wind God for some help. Sure let's go knock on a god's door and ask for loose change; HELLO!? There are so many ways it could've gone wrong and it has always been Eury's job to point such flaws out. It's what he's always done - probably what he's done for Ody throughout the war.

But Odysseus? He just lost his best friend and his mentor. His entire support system is crumbling, so being challenged by the one person who he needs to have his back pushes him into a dangerous space as a leader.

On the one hand, he cannot afford to have Eury question his every move, especially since Polites isn't there to challenge him for Odysseus. Especially now that he doesn't have Polites instilling trust in the crew - he can't afford Eury's challenges to eroding what trust remains in his disheartened crew.

On the other, pushing Eurylochus away and demanding staunch obedience from him is so out of character for their relationship that all trust between Captain and SOC is suddenly up in the air.

That is why Eurylochus opens the windbag. Not because he wanted "treasure", but because the captain who demanded he "be devout" is not the captain he's followed all this time. The captain who sits awake for four days, eyes following every crewmember with a glimmer of distrust is not the Odysseus Eurylochus knows.

Eury knows Odysseus with Polites. If Polites had been alive, he would've been able to quell the crew's distrust because he would have had full trust in their captain. Odysseus would've been able to trust his crew because he could trust Polites. He cannot trust Eurylochus to have that same blind faith, because Eury doesn't have it; and the crew knows it.

Everything's changed since Polites

It's not a throwaway line; it's what the crew whispers to Eurylochus. He's different. He's changed. Odysseus is not the same. Maybe it is treasure. Maybe he's lying to us. How do we know? How do you know?

And Eurylochus doesn't know. He isn't certain. Odysseus is his friend and his captain; that's a difficult power dynamic to balance.

So Eury opens the windbag, because he doesn't trust Odysseus. It's a different sort of mistrust though - not one of constructive criticism from a friend, but earnest dangerous mistrust of your superior.

Eurylochus leads the mutiny, because that was always his role as Ody's right hand; to question and stand against what he felt was wrong. To speak for the crew as another leader.

But Eurylochus never wanted to be captain. He never wanted to betray his friend. He felt he had to - Yes, he was willing to leave crewmates behind in Circe's lair because he has always been willing to make those hard calls.

Odysseus? He so rarely does what Eurylochus wants to do because they are not the same person. Eury doesn't want Ody to be him (Eury has flaws, but ambition is not one of them. He recognizes he isn't a good leader hence he immediately falls back on Ody's judgment after the holy cow bit) - he wants Ody to listen to him and consider his insights. So for Odysseus to sacrifice six of their crewmates without a word to his friend - without consulting anyone - without leaving space for his right-hand man to question him... that is when Eurylochus loses faith in Odysseus. Because that is not his captain. He doesn't know who it is. But his captain would never.

Hypocritical? Yes. But also rather insightful.

And Odysseus? He loses the last pillar of support he has in the crew, not because Eurylochus changes - not even because he changes. He loses it all because it is doomed to fall apart without Polites. It was all doomed to fall apart when they lost their counterbalance.

It is not Ody's mercy or ruthlessness that kills them. It is not Eury's distrust. Both of those existed far before it all went to shit. It was Polites dying. It was the fact that the three of them were so well suited for leadership as long as it was the three of them.

It had to be the three of them.

[jessmalia]

NATASHA + being impressed by Steve's quick wit

[existennialmemes]

If I had three wishes (based off intent, unadulterated, no strings attached, consensually offered by a genie working as a free agent, in servitude to no one) they'd be as follows:

Cure Poverty- everybody has access to their needs, including rest and leisure.

Immunity to Misinformation- everybody can instantly tell when something isn't true

Curse of Compassion- everybody becomes incapable of not caring about others (this will likely result in many abusers and oligarchs and whatnot ending their lives.)

[bennetsbonnet]

I fear that the Netflix Pride and Prejudice adaptation will try far too hard to make a Lake Scene™ or Hand Flex™ moment happen and in doing so will miss the point that both of those were accidentally iconic. The infamous scene in the 1995 series was intended to be funny rather than swoon-worthy, while the shot of Mr Darcy's hand in the 2005 film was captured by chance. Both iconic moments, but not scripted as such.

I don't think you can force these things, they kind of take on a life of their own once an adaptation is released and become iconic in their own right organically thanks to the audience. I would hate for a scene to be added in to try and force A Moment™ to happen.

So, rather than trying to make the next one happen, I would love it if this time a scene from the novel with Jane Austen's brilliant dialogue in all its unaltered glory was what truly stood out to people and that the incredibly talented lady who brought so many iconic characters to life, for once, got the credit she deserves, rather than a scene that never appeared in the original novel getting all the hype.

[cozylittleartblog]

JUST GUYS BEIN' DOODS

redraw of the meme under the cut

original by @knightmarebug

[foldbaron]

It's here. TLDW:

-They initially planned a bigger State Of The Role, but the LA Fires threw everything out of wack. Details were changing up until the night before they actually shot this update.

-Next week, February 6th, is the FINAL episode of Campaign 3, clocking in at 8.5 hours. The fires started on the day they were set to shoot the finale, so it's split into two parts since they recorded the second half later on. -The cast will be doing a live tale gate party at 6pm PST / 9pm EST leading into the finale. Yes, live live. On Youtube/Twitch/Beacon.

EXU: Divergence is the next mini-campaign DM'd by Brennan with players Jasmine Don, Celia Rose Gooding, Alex Ward, Liam O'Brien, and our sweet boi Matthew Mercer finally gets to play again! This begins on Feb 13th

Campaign 3's Wrap-Up will air March 13th at 7pm PST / 10pm EST. They'll be taking questions from Youtube, Twittch, and Beacon about all things Exandria from all campaigns.

There was no mention of C4 or The Mighty Nein's animated series, but they assure us they have much much more to talk about in the future for 2025.

[johnnodwarf]

‘there is simply nothing to be said at all.’

fanart for the tale Secondhand Smoke by @astersquill & @rottingraisins (I’ll chill with the pings now

[hollybattz]

I'm officially giving up on finishing this work but I'll post it anyway so y'all would know what u could've have if not my adhd

[prncssguya]

i hope apple tv never decides to stop making incredibly expensive tv shows that make no money