#geekiness level EXTREME

[cha-mij]

The following is a breakdown of a very quick, successful, and EXTREMELY geeky hyperfocus, so niche as to be obnoxious to almost everyone 🤣🤣

1) Watch a program from 1999 about ghosts of Fulham Palace.

2) Hear a piece of music during a scene describing Elizabeth 1st's royal progress - know two things instantly.

A) that piece is not Elizabethan, but is Baroque, and by the style is probably Handel

B) you recognise it from a film.

3) Realise that whatever film you recognise it from featured it at an event at Versailles.

4) Make an educated guess that the film is Man in the Iron Mask from 1998.

5) Search YouTube for a relevant sounding piece from the soundtrack, aim for "The Masked Ball", which was a scene of a royal event at Versailles.

6) Hear a very similar piece of music, head straight to the comments.

7) Find the predictable comment from a fellow music nerd that states it's a rendition of Handel's Music for The Royal Fireworks, and even states it's Minuet II (which saves sifting through some 20 minutes of music)

8) Confirm by listening to Minuet II

9) Indulge in the joyous feeling of copious dopamine flooding your brain.

[inbarfink]

Goddam, just seeing Simon in these last two episodes is really flooding me with so many conflicting emotions.

Because, on the one hand, after his lowest point in Episode 4 - resigning himself to death in the hands of the Scarab - he’s clearly finally doing better. Just look at him making plans

And showing off his smarts

And finally genuinely smiling and feeling happy

And being so glad to meet the alt versions of his friends

And getting excited about his nerdy shit for the first time in glob-knows-how-long

And cracking goofy geeky jokes

And offering others the same grace and kindness he was given when he was trapped under the curse of the Magic Crown

And trying to be comforting and fatherly and give Fionna advice and cheer her up

He’s so clearly doing a lot better now, he’s rediscovering aspects of himself that his depression has torn away from him, he found a meaning and purpose in his life again. And it should warm my heart, and on some level it does....

But it also sends a chill down my spine knowing that this purpose that brought back the light into Simon’s eyes, the purpose he finally found is sacrificing his mind and identity again for the sake of Fionna’s happiness and her world.

He’s throwing himself right back into the miserable existence and the trauma he tries so hard to move forward from. He’s dooming himself because he honestly believes now that he’s always going to be miserable and lonely and fucked up so he might as well have be the kind of miserable and fucked up that is not lucid enough to know how miserable he is all of the time. The kind of misery that at least fits into his world.

Because he started to romanticize being the Ice King in a twisted kinda way, and now he has found the excuse to turn it into a selfless, noble act. Because the only way he feels like he’s useful and like he has worth is by protecting and helping and sacrificing himself for the sake of others.

(And like, especially in light of how he was trying to resign himself to death just moments before coming up with his plan. Not to get extremely dark, but.... suicidal people often seem to ‘get better’ just before the try to kill themselves. Because they feel like they’re finally ‘doing something’ and their misery is almost over. That kinda feels what Simon is going through right now? Becoming the Ice King again is not literally death, but it is a sort of death for Simon Petrikov’s identity.)

And this new sense of purpose in saving Fionnaworld by dooming himself is clearly blinding Simon to so many obviously telegraphed signs that this is a horrible idea.

He saw hints of just how badly Farmworld Finn has been dealing with his own Magic Crown Related Trauma

and maybe if things would’ve been different this could’ve been something they could have commiserated over. Simon could’ve had someone who understood a bit of what he has gone through, and seeing a version of Finn, of all people, face similar struggles - maybe could’ve helped him feel a little less Uniquely and Irredeemably Fucked Up. (For bonus points, they're ALSO both dealing with the grief of losing their Significant Other)

But his newfound obsession that Everything Will Be Better Once He’s Cursed again was making him totally ignore all of this.

And then there’s their little adventure in the Winter Kingdom. Which had both the Candy Queen/Princess Bubblegum as a perfect reminder of the suffering and pain involved in being trapped in the Madness of the Magic Crown

And the Winter King as a reminder of the harmful and twisted things he was capable of doing as the Ice King.

But instead he basically refused to learn any lesson from that Universe that’s not just ‘Fuck That Version of Me Specifically’ and tried to advice Fionna to do the same.

But well, while I am still worried about Simon’s mental state, his improved disposition does give me a little bit of hope. Hope that maybe he himself will notice that he is doing better and won’t be quite so eager to sacrifice his own sanity. Or maybe more likely, hope that now that he’s not just a miserable sadman screaming at their faces

Fionna and Cake are growing to appreciate Simon Petrikov for who he is and will simply refuse to let him sacrifice himself for their sake. Because, yeah, Simon tried to tell Fionna to not worry about all of that Winter Kingdom stuff, that it was just that Simon was ‘messed up’ - but since when does Fionna Campbell do what she’s told?

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

The 100 songs that changed metal (by Metal Hammer)

74. Within Temptation – Ice Queen (Mother Earth, 2000)

In the 90s, symphonic metal was more a glittering garnish than a scene in itself, something bands from Therion to Celtic Frost would sprinkle on their music to make it sparkle. And while the genre would start coming together into something more tangible towards the end of the decade, it wasn’t until a few years later that a song would emerge to put symphonic metal on the map.

That song was Within Temptation’s Ice Queen. A complete volte-face from the gothic doom of the Dutch metallers’ 1997 debut, Enter, it appeared on the follow-up, Mother Earth, in a flurry of lavish arrangements and fairytale histrionics. Buoyed by vocalist Sharon den Adel’s crystalline voice, it pushed metal towards a new frontier, quickly whipping up a buzz in mainland Europe. Ice Queen can take credit for being symphonic metal’s first major hit, pushing women to the forefront and influencing a brand new generation of bands.

81. Evanescence – Bring Me To Life (Fallen, 2003)

Evanescence’s debut single, Bring Me To Life, turned vocalist Amy Lee into a megastar. Arriving in 2003, when mainstream music was dominated by hyper-masculine men and overly sexualised pop stars, with her billowing long skirts, corset tops, arm socks and steely self-confidence, Amy redefined what a female artist could be, becoming a role model for millions of misfits and dreamers everywhere.

Despite its crunchy guitars and a rapped verse, courtesy of 12 Stones’ Paul McCoy – which Amy has since said she was forced to add by their label – Bring Me To Life’s cobwebby, goth fragility also brought something fresh to nu metal’s dick-swinging party, extending the mainstream’s flirtation with the genre for a little longer – as of 2019, it’s sold more than 3 million copies and has passed more than a billion streams on YouTube and Spotify.

82. Arch Enemy – We Will Rise (Anthems Of Rebellion, 2003)

We Will Rise was a huge song, not only for Arch Enemy but for the new generation of 21st-century melodic death metal they spearheaded. Guitarist Michael Amott had already laid down the melodeath blueprints with Carcass, while Arch Enemy themselves had already made three albums with singer Johan Liiva, but neither they nor anyone else had made an anthem quite like this.

As well as propelling the genre as a whole to greater heights and popularity, it provided a bigger platform for Angela Gossow – a hugely influential figure and one of the first prominent female vocalists to not only try but absolutely nail an extreme metal style. “Her emergence as a metal vocalist was, without hyperbole, revolutionary,” Svalbard’s Serena Cherry told us recently, and we’re not arguing.

84. Nightwish – Nemo (Once, 2004)

Nightwish didn’t invent symphonic metal, but alongside peers Within Temptation and Epica, they popularised it and packaged it to the masses. By 2004, the Finns had already established themselves as a major player in Europe, but with the sumptuous Nemo, they broke through on an unprecedented level.

No longer a niche concern in the geeky corners of the metal world, symphonic metal, in all its lavish, overwrought glory revelled under a global spotlight. Nemo’s fantastical magic, sparkling piano refrain and stirring melody has endured – it’s still the band’s best-known song – but its lasting image comes via its gothic music video, and then-singer Tarja Turunen singing in the snow in a blood-red coat. Nemo showed metal at its most fragile and beautiful.

95. Babymetal – Gimme Chocolate!! (Babymetal, 2014)

If elitists were tearing their hair out at the likes of Ghost, Bring Me The Horizon and Limp Bizkit being considered ‘metal’, then they might as well have just reached for the clippers for this one. The sight of three young Japanese girls rocking choreographed moves and singing sugary-sweet, J-pop-infused choruses about chocolate over heavy metal riffs was as shocking as it was delightful.

Babymetal hadn’t just broken the mould for metal, either; they’d given the West a fuller glimpse into the uniquely Japanese phenomenon of idol culture, and given the cutesy world of Kawaii a bigger global platform than ever. Overseen by band mastermind and producer extraordinaire, Key ‘Kobametal’ Kobayashi, Babymetal were unlike anything our world had seen before: equal parts hyper-polished girl band and full-on heavy metal experience, with their mysterious Kami Band backing musicians as formidable as any ‘proper’ metal band you could name.

Cynics moaned, but with the likes of Rob Halford, Metallica and Corey Taylor throwing in their support, the trio quickly transcended their ��gimmick’ tag to become a legitimate force in the modern metal landscape.

99. Spiritbox – Holy Roller (Eternal Blue, 2022)

Spiritbox were already firmly established as Ones To Watch by the time Holy Roller, the first single from Eternal Blue, exploded like a hand grenade in the summer of 2020. Once those first, colossal riffs rang out, however, it was clear that the Canadian troupe hadn’t just levelled up considerably – they had successfully repositioned themselves as one of the most exciting and vital bands of their generation.

Backed by a memorable video inspired by Ari Aster’s disturbing Midsommar movie, Holy Roller was the perfect crystallisation of the last decade-plus of evolution in metal, packing djent, metalcore, nu metal and more into a massively crushing (but seriously catchy!) three minutes. “This song was never intended to be a single,” explained vocalist Courtney LaPlante later. “Our mission statement was, ‘Let’s make the most ridiculous song that we can.’”

[kookidough]

sierra is sooooo complicated to me like. i could go on about her for so long & also i wish the writers did certain things with her character (which i will get into later in this rant) so ya here we go

firstly her childhood is . very clearly messed up?? it’s established that her mother is Ultra Obsessed with chris and i think sierra mentions being a 3rd generation chris mclean scholar at one point which implies that obsession just runs in the family atp😭 before even going on the show she’s grown up in an environment where this level of obsession is Normal so she doesn’t see anything wrong with turning out the same way

since her mother is like . obsessed with chris & stuff that’s probably what would bring sierra to watching total drama in the first place and i personally feel like she’d fixate on it because it was a group of teenagers her age, people she would like to be friends with if that makes sense? i can imagine she’d be a pretty odd child without many friends so that’d maybe be a reason for her to latch onto total drama, maybe why she latched onto cody too because like. she thinks he’s cute and they have things in common (like theyre both pretty geeky) so she gets pretty parasocial about it because, as mentioned before, her mum being obsessed with chris is just Normal to sierra so she thinks it’s normal for her to be obsessed with cody (spoiler alert girl: it’s really not)

while she’s on the show i feel like she doesn’t change / gets worse because chris sees her exhibiting Mental Illness and just… actively encourages her behaviour? and the other contestants do nothing to stop it, like how most of the time (e.g. paris) team amazon get mad at cody for sierra’s behaviour instead of helping him out for some reason??? no one tells sierra her behaviour is wrong so she just. Continues to get worse until shes out of the competition😭

this is where im gna interrupt with a canon divergence because like . personally i think in the episode where votes were revealed and cody was revealed to have voted sierra Every Single Time, sierra shouldve gotten over him!!!! it was the harsh truth she needed to hear, the dose of reality that cody is NOT interested in her and she needs to move on. she couldve had good character development, building her relationships with other characters and showing off her skills. maybe she’d still be eliminated in drumheller because she made cody that birthday cake as an apology and then kaboom or whatever idk just some way to keep her elimination the same

going down this train could’ve made her character in all stars Actually Interesting ! we couldve seen a side of sierra that kept some of her old eccentric vibes but had her head in the game this time instead of being focused on a boy, especially since cody isnt even in that season

and of course lastly i just wanna say i’m not excusing her weird actions or her creepiness at all, she has some Extreme Flaws and all the stuff she did was absolutely not okay, i just like rotting and seeing maybe why she acted the way she did and i wanted to drop my own two cents on interesting avenues her character couldve went down :3 i know everyone in td is some form of stereotype and sierra was an obsessive uberfan but she couldve still been that after getting over cody, in fact im disappointed that she knew SO much about the cast yet didnt use any of their weaknesses to her own advantage, she couldve dominated the competition😭

so uhhh yeah thats my thoughts on sierra, i probably over-read her to filth but shes very complex to me and i wish certain aspects of her character were done differently, she had a lot of potential especially in all stars but um Everyone had their potential destroyed in all stars so i’ll overlook that

[foreos]

the bad kids rated by how much they would like sonic the hedgehog

a sequel to my hatchetfield version

- riz gukgak: 1/10 i don’t think riz even touches video games. i can’t imagine riz having any strong media interests because his life is so busy all the time so i doubt he would think about sonic the hedgehog at all. if he ever played a sonic game though i think he’d be like unnaturally good at it because he’s got great reaction times and it’s not hard for him to intuit what the best routes are. he’d probably only play in like a social situation though.

- kristen applebees: 10/10 kristen grew up playing sonic games with her brothers and she likes them. sonic is very very good for adhd brains and i think she likes running around really really fast. fucking AWFUL at the games though she has a dexterity score of four. she has never passed a quicktime prompt in her life but that does not stop her from booting up the games and playing the first three or so levels. doesn’t really engage with the media past the games but that’s just because if she had a comic book she’d lose it and while she watched some of the cartoons as a kid, it’s been a long time. probably hasn’t played in years.

- adaine abernant: 10/10 she did not know what sonic was until freshman year and at first she did not see the appeal. she’s never been allowed plain and stupid fun in her entire life and when confronted with it she’s just like…why? but i think as time passes i could actually see adaine really fucking enjoying it if she decided to suspend her disbelief and embrace it. i think in another timeline adaine is much geekier but much like the other bad kids she currently does not have time for that. there’s an alternate universe where adaine is a comic book nerd with sonic opinions but i don’t think any of us are ready for that. there’s probably other franchises she would possibly like better but i think she could get really into it.

- gorgug thistlespring: 0/10 video games frustrate him. his fingers are too big for the buttons and sonic moves way too fast. like kristen he cannot get past the first few levels and so he and sonic don’t really see eye to eye. he wouldn’t say he hates the guy or has anything against the franchise but he would probably rather do, like, anything else.

- fig faeth: 10000/10 i think fig would like it. while it does not match her aesthetic i think she definitely grew up with sonic games as a kid and is pretty good at them. definitely had to beat video game levels for gilear growing up. as i said earlier with kristen, sonic is very good for adhd brain and i think she likes to build as much speed as she can, plus sonic music is fucking dope and i think fig is a fan of stupid fun. sometimes fig finds herself wishing that he would go even faster, though.

- fabian seacaster: -100000/10 he’s scared of rodents and obsessed with being cool fabian does not like sonic. yes, i know sonic is not a rodent but like. fabian does not care that is a walking talking blue rat with one weird eyeball that has two pupils and he is wearing NO clothes. plus, sonic is considered deeply lame by the general public, especially high schoolers, so fabian would not be caught dead in even the same room where sonic-related activities are occurring. fabian goes out of his way to avoid any and all sonic media, which is a shame because when fabian was a kid bill seacaster impulsively bought Every Video Game so there’s probably a completed sonic collection somewhere in fabian’s house. like i think fabian owns sonic chronicles and tails’s sky patrol and sonic labyrinth and he has no idea. in another life fabian is a shadow fan.

BONUS:

- ragh barkrock: 1/10, like gorgug and riz he’s just not really a video game guy.

- ayda aguefort: 1000000000/10 she would fucking love it. she would love it so so so much. much like adaine i think ayda would be extremely geeky in another, less stressful life and i think if fig introduced her to it she would be all fucking in. comics tv shows video games, all of it. i think ayda would eat that shit up.

- cassandra: 10/10 blaze reminds her of kalina and she thinks it’s fun and i am desperate for cassandra to have fun.

- aelwyn: 0/10 absolutely not. she agrees with fabian that sonic is creepy and should wear clothes. she tries not to think about it, ever.

[book-girl4evaaa]

❝ How Very <3 ❞

𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴:

"beautiful"

01:57 ━━●─────── 08:39ㅤ ㅤ

◁ㅤ ❚❚ ㅤ▷ ↻ ♡

First of all rp blogs so you know who I am 😭 @ask-the-great-heather-chandler @athenas-weirdo-daughter

☆ Matching pfps with @manically-depressedd-psychopath ☆

@ book-girl4eva -> @ book-girl4evaaa

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

{ is it just me or is this looking aesthetic as heck? }

Call me Bea or Eva (I like Bea better tho) ⸙ minor ⸙ libra ⸙ geeky ⸙ Athena Cabin ⸙ overuses the ✨ emoji ⸙ book lover ⸙ bilingual ⸙ ace most likely ⸙ free Palestine 🍉 ⸙ British, unfortunately (🥄) ⸙ major Gracie Abrams fan ⸙ Infp-t personality ⸙ ambivert ⸙ African pride ⸙ theatre kid ⸙pepper soup enthusiast ⸙ writer ⸙ artist ⸙ religion is.... complicated but leaning towards agnostic⸙ singer (sort of) ⸙nerd ⸙dancer ⸙ fangirl ⸙sport-lover ⸙ daydreamer ⸙ hopeless romantic ⸙ future designer ⸙ glasses gang ⸙ arsonists ⸙ tag me in poetry! ⸙ green, blue and purple>>> chaotic good ⸙ in a world of heathers be a Veronica ⸙ my sexuality is "?!?!!!!?????" ⸙

I'm always ready to make new friends (no creeps, please) so please talk to me!

Dislikes/Dni: Zionists ☄ creeps ☄ misogynists ☄ sexists ☄ racists ☄ homophobes ☄ transphobes ☄ bigots of any kind ☄ eating mushrooms ☄ geography ☄ mean people ☄ Monday mornings

Nicknames: Beatrice (by Turtle I miss her :() Beanie (by Shree) Belle (by Tina) Bee (by Myna and Fishy) Bea Bee (by Loife) Bumble Bee (by Ife mi <3333 (archivist)) Bear (by Kitcat) Beezus (by Riyana) (Bea)utiful (by Leta)

If you need someone to blurt random facts, rant about life, or just yap then I'm your girl! Feel free to give me nicknames and chat about random stuff :)

Also, send me asks, please :)

Moots!

Fandoms I'm active in: Pjo, Tpq, Kotlc, Gilded, Hamilton, MCU, agggtm, Amari and the night brothers, the hunger games, six of crows, the folk of the air, heathersssssssssssssssss and many more!

I can speak English, yr 9 level Spanish, tiny bits of Hindi (don't ask) and a few insults in yuroba

DNI if you are: a Zionist, a creep, a misogynist, sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, or just mean/disrespectful.

personal tags: #bea updates - any random og post • #[Bea reblogs] - reblogging a post • #[Bea's on the line] - answering an ask • #bea's wip - self explanatory

"Guess I picked the wrong time to be a human being,"

Side blogs:

@book-girlswhispers (idk Im just vibey and writey on there)

@step-into-my-candystore (my heathers/musical blog)

@she-used-to-bea-mine (my vent blog)

So have a good day, be kind, and love yourself<333

This blog supports Palestine

If you don't, please leave me alone :)

Don't forget your daily clicks!

Byeee! <333

All images from Pinterest, dividers by me :)

I hope you enjoyed my ✨ extremely aesthetic ✨ intro post!

(Veronica Sawyer photo dump underneath because I love herrrr)

Credits to @westerburgresidence for the user boxes!

[bookoftheironfist]

    In which all of the comics fans who spent this whole episode going “Heal her, dummy! Heal her!” are finally rewarded! What a great reveal this is. I mentioned in an earlier post that this season did not dig very deep into the Iron Fist power-set, but it did give us two key components: the punching and the healing, and since the healing is much less famous than the punching, it was hugely exciting to see it spotlighted in this climactic moment. 

    In the comics, pre-Immortal Iron Fist Danny was, relatively speaking, an untrained Iron Fist-- which is to say that he didn’t know about a lot of the things that the chi of Shou-Lao could do. This wasn’t really his fault, as his predecessor, Orson Randall (who we will get to next episode!) took with him the source of that knowledge, the Book of the Iron Fist, when he ran away from K’un-Lun. Both 616 and MCU Danny are forced to learn a lot of the business of being the Iron Fist through lived experience, trial-and-error, and sometimes just by accident. 

The circumstances in which Danny discovers his healing powers in the comics are different than in the MCU, but equally desperate: he gets caught in a collapsing building and finds himself trapped in the rubble, dying from his injuries. On the edge of unconsciousness and hallucinating, he receives some vital information from the image of his uncle, Nu-An, the Yu-Ti of K’un-Lun: 

Nu-An: “Save yourself, young dragon!” Danny: “H-how?!” Nu-An: “The power lies within you, as it always has, nephew. The legacy of Shao-Lao can heal as well as kill... The Iron Fist is not a weapon--it is a force of will...and used properly, it can accomplish...miracles.” Iron Fist vol. 1 #4 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Janice Cohen, Frank Chiaramonte, and John Costanza

    Danny’s first healing experience is extremely painful and exhausting, but it works. He survives. Over time, he grows more comfortable with using the dragon chi in this way, and after his power-up in Immortal Iron Fist he is able to do so casually, whenever he needs to, for both himself and others.  

Lei Kung: “Daniel?” Danny: “Hunh...I healed without even thinking of it. And I don’t feel drained at all.” Immortal Iron Fist #8 by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja, and Matt Hollingsworth

Danny: “Your doctors did most of the hard work weeks ago... All I’m doing...is focusing your chi a bit...” Dakota: “...Whoa...” Danny: “...To speed up your natural healing process.” Daredevil vol. 2 #111 by Ed Brubaker, Clay Mann, Matt Hollingsworth, Stefano Gaudiano, and Chris Eliopoulos

    MCU Danny is at much the same state of training as pre-Immortal Iron Fist 616 Danny, and I love that his effort at healing Colleen is clearly painful for both of them, reflecting that early power level and lack of experience. And the fact that Danny just passes the heck out afterward and is unconscious for the rest of the episode means a lot to me.  

    (There is a great issue of Heroes for Hire volume 1 in which a desperate, pre-Immortal power-level Danny heals Luke from life-threatening injuries and nearly kills himself in the process. Obviously, this is not on the same level as that, but it has a similar flavor.)  

    While this is all very exciting for geeky reasons, it is also a major plot point. After being teased as Colleen’s mysterious sensei earlier in the season, here Bakuto swoops in to save the day...much to the annoyance of Madame Gao, who is pissed that he’s muscling in on her Iron Fist manipulation efforts. And not only does Bakuto help, he knows about the Iron Fist-- including details that even Danny doesn’t know. That is hugely significant, a mystery that leads us directly into the next episode...

[I’ve been going through and providing in-depth commentary on Iron Fist season 1. Look here for all of the posts so far!]

[prismaticpichu]

🔥 for Sephiroth fan fiction and shipping (This is meant as how his character is treated more than anything else)

Ohohooo!! You got it!!!

~

Alrighty, full disclosure, folks: I love Sephiroth, and I love reading almost anything he’s in, love almost all interpretations and angles bc he’s such a complex character and people do such an amazing job exploring that….. but I really, really do NOT like when people treat adult Sephiroth like some kinda hermit crab who doesn’t know the basic things about the world around him. What do I mean by that? Give this man a chocolate chip cookie, and imo, he should know what a chocolate chip cookie is. Just bc he spent his childhood under Hojo’s cookieless thumb does not mean he doesn’t know that desserts exist. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what a hug is. Yes, he may not have ever had a cookie or many hugs (thanks, Glenn <33), but this man was still in the outside world fighting a war and then spent years in ShinRa with the exposure of SOLDIERs and two relatively-adjusted best friends. This man is INTELLIGENT—not just in swordscraft or mathematics or like advanced astrophysics or whatever obscure college textbook he got his hands on. He knows about the little things in life, and I’m not the biggest fan when his ignorance is drummed up to that extreme of a level. That said, there are ofc ways and stories that exist that treat this with care and follow Sephiroth’s friends helping him assimilate/introducing him to these little things in life that he never got to experience. They exist, and they’re wonderful <333 It’s just not my first choice for a cuppa tea. Sephiroth is abnormal in a LOTTA ways; I think letting him know what a cookie is how we know he’s human lol.

(That… that was a really passionate geeky ramble I am SO sorry.)

Anyywhooo as for shipping—well… I do not enjoy shipping very much period xD I really ain’t into romance and prefer stories following close platonic friendships and bonds rather than relationships. However, if I had to give a few words about it in regard to Sephiroth, well…. shipping him with Cloud is prolly at the bottom of my interest rate whehshw. I do not have ANYTHING against fic writers who do and artists who draw them���you’re amazing and wonderful and talented <3 But for me…? The ship just really rubs me the wrong way. I don’t wanna elaborate bc I don’t wanna sound like an ass or anything to the people who enjoy the dynamic. It’s just not for me for a lotta reasons.

*scampers away and hides in a box. Duct tapes that box. Bubbles wraps that box. Puts box on a rocket ship and launches off into the safe and secure domain of space*

[fairytale-poll]

WORST MODERN ADAPTATION! SEMIFINAL ROUND, MATCH 1 OUT OF 2!

Sydney White (2007) is based off Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; Beastly (2011) is based off Beauty and the Beast.

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Sydney White (2007):

Sydney White has lived rent free in my head for the last 17 years because the levels of bad it reaches is unprecidented. It was only when I forced one of my friends to watch it recently that I found out what makes it stand out. Yes, it's dumb. Yes, it stereotypes geeky guys to a level only rivaled by The Big Bang Theory. Yes, everything about its premise makes negative sense. No, college does not work how this movie thinks it works. But the main problem is that it does not commit to the level of absurdity it needs to make any of that work. Sydney White is a movie that should either take place in an alternate universe, or it should commit to realism. It does neither. It is a movie that expects us to accept that university student counsels have any sort of power, let alone complete control over university discretionary funds. It expects us to believe that a MySpace poll of which girl is the hottest matters in any way whatsoever. (This movie came out in 2007). It's a movie that expect us to accept that any college would allow students to live in a building that is in no way up to code, and that would let a female student live in a house with seven male ones and not expect to get sued into oblivion. Which would be fine if it was set in an alternate universe. An urban fantasy, or a dystopia, or literally any world that would justify its premise. But it isn't. It's set in our real, modern-day world, trying to make the audience believe that anything that happens in it is in any way realistic or reasonable. Add a villain who gets off with minimal consequences (her only punishment is being kicked out of her sorority and off the student council, things that literally will not matter in the long term) and a cast of extremely boring and one-note characters, and it's a terrible movie that I can never, ever forget. (This is the cliffnotes version of a video review I'm writing on the subject.)

Beastly (2011):

Just watch Jenny Nicholson's Beastly video but some key points Vaguely racist and ableist Nonsensical Plot Little Chemistry between lead actors I hear the book is better tho

*gestures vaguely at the whole movie* just, all of it.

There's a Jenny Nicolson video that details why it's a Terrible modern adaptation

[bookshop]

A correct amount of words about wang yibo

I keep trying to indoctrinate the good people of Post.news who have the misfortune to follow me into joining the Wang Yibo fandom. And that's hard to do given that this is a whole-ass sea of like white Gen X MSNBC liberals who probably only think about China as politics, but I am doing my LEVEL BEST, and the result is this absolutely enormous post about Yibo that most people reading this on Tumblr don't need to know, but which I am going to put here anyway, because I need to feel Seen.

I wish to talk about Yibo's beautiful New Year's Eve performance, but first some context.

actually no, first, a picture because isn't he lovely

Over the last four years, this has become a holiday tradition: Eagerly awaiting Wang Yibo's release of a huge song on December 30 — his only single of the year — that he then performs live on an annual New Year's Eve concert the next night. Every year, when he does this, it's a huge deal and the songs always become the bestselling single of the year on the last day of the year, which is the kind of massive flex that compels me to yell about it a lot.

So in 2019 he released "Wugan" (which he wrote) on 12/30, and it became the bestselling single of 2019. At the end of 2020 he released "Rules of My World," which he also wrote. That then became the second-bestselling single of 2020. (More on the single that beat him in a minute.)

The next year, he released his 2021 end-of-year single "Nian" completely for free, probably in response to the Qinglang restrictions I wrote about here, in which, among other things, China banned multiple mass sales.

Yibo is known primarily as an (extremely good) hip-hop dancer, so since "Nian" was more of a power anthem everyone was anticipating something more upbeat for his end-of-year song this year. Instead, Yibo surprised us all with a gorgeous love song, "Like the Sunshine" (像阳光那样)", which immediately became not only the bestselling single of 2022, but the first single to top 2 million sales in China since the CCP banned mass sales 18 months ago.

And then he paired it with this incredible modern dance performance at Dragon TV's new year's eve event.

Please watch it; he cut his hand and his feet while dancing barefoot on stage but kept performing, and this gives you such a good glimpse of what a heartfelt and mesmerizing performer he is.

What you wouldn't know just from watching this is that Yibo has rarely if ever danced modern dance before onstage, only hip-hop and other dances blending modern dance elements, but never anything like this. And yet he looks completely at home and in his element. The climax and fully the last 60 seconds show so much control and power, combined with his ability to be completely immersed in the flow and feel and emotional dynamics of of a song — which you get both from his movements and his vocal expression. He's just. So good. All the time.

It will be three years at the end of this month since I first discovered Wang Yibo, and I still feel every day like I just discovered him for the first time, because I'm continually blown away, not only by how tremendously talented and gifted he is at whatever he picks up, but by how unapologetically passionate and pure-hearted he is about loving dance and loving acting and music and racing and competition and all his geeky quirky little hobbies, about loving people and loving life.

Everyone who works with Yibo just winds up raving about about how talented he is, whether it's his acting or dedication or dancing or singing or that time he just fucking did this what the fuck, and you can see so clearly from all of this, and especially this new NYE performance, that it's not just that he's incredibly talented and skilled enough to master a totally new skill in weeks, but that he goes full-throttle in every performance, makes himself completely raw and vulnerable. Yibo eschews method acting, is arguably not neurologically suited for method acting, but instead has this wonderful ability to slip in and out of character, become whoever he's asked to become in any given moment. And when he's dancing as himself on stage, he consistently shows us his heart and his pure emotion, whatever it is.

He is just, above all things, a consummate entertainer: He prioritizes the mood and the moment of the art he's creating, and he delivers that consistently, each and every time. Case in point: let's enjoy him performing "Pick Me" for Produce 101 in 2019, when he served as dance mentor to women competing for a spot in a girl group. Every time Yibo gets asked to dance "cute" dances — and probably the reason he keeps getting asked — is that he commits to the cuteness without any posturing or machismo and just, again, lets his performance serve the dance/song without letting his ego get in the way.

Or! Or! This next song! I love this performance because it's completely inexplicable at a glance but SO fun and just, happy. What's happening here is: He's a special guest on a variety show where the object is (wait for it) to SING SONGS WHILE SPINNING ON A LITTLE SPINNY THING.

And one of the judges of this show is Da Zhangwei, who's both a well-known like, comedy/variety songwriter and Yibo's good friend (they hosted a variety show together for years). So Yibo makes a surprise appearance to perform one of Da Zhangwei's own songs, "Pop Rocks Candy," while spinning around on a little spinny thing!!!! (China!!!!)

And this should be absolutely absurd, like, cringey beyond belief, over-the-top excess, right. But because Yibo is so committed to this performance, without a hint of embarrassment, it somehow just becomes this joyous, endlessly delightful gift of Wang Yibo performing one of his friend's songs and turning it into a celebration of fun and whimsy.

OR! here he is being dragged into a silly dance battle in 2018 while filming the rom-dram Gank Your Heart. Nothing at all going on, he's just hanging with the other cast and dancing for fun, except Yibo is just so excellent that the camera eventually gives up following the other cast members and just zooms in on him. Everyone always winds up zooming in on Wang Yibo.

To return to 2020: Yibo was second in song sales that year only because the top spot went to his best friend Xiao Zhan's song "Spotlight," which was/is the biggest selling single of all time, as in, in world history, as in this song outsold both the Beatles and "White Christmas". You will assume I must be exaggerating until you click that link and learn that this is actually a well-verified fact.

The reason you have never heard "Spotlight" is because the combined impact of the CCP's isolationist tendencies and the tendency of other countries to treat China like a sealed vacuum means it's easy to ignore/write off whatever's happening in China, even while entertainers like Yibo and Xiao Zhan are making major inroads and breaking through international culture divides.

But I think that might be changing sooner rather than later, and Yibo is a big part of the reason. In Q3 of 2022 his studio, Yuehua, was preparing to go public (they eventually withdrew) basically fully on the strength of Yibo's popularity: They released an investor report claiming he was responsible for 80% of their overall revenue in 2022. (I saw a later claim that in Q4 that # jumped up to 90% overall but I couldn't find a source. I believe it, though, because YIBOOOOO.)

Yibo has three films coming out in 2022. One of them I've already discussed in this Post post (lol), without mentioning the fact that in the scenario where Born to Fly is China's version of Top Gun, Wang Yibo is Tom Cruise as Maverick. (At age 24, by the way — just a year older than Cruise when he first played the role.)

The other two are equally eye-catching. One is One and Only, a street dance movie created and scripted entirely around and for Yibo, clearly inspired by what an absolute phenomenon he has been as a captain on Street Dance of China. This movie won the Weibo award for most anticipated movie of 2022 (back when we still thought it was coming out in 2022, sob). The director stated on the awards red carpet, "If there's no Yibo, then there's no movie." Brb sobbing into my tea.

The final film drops on 1/22 and it's called Hidden Blade (previously titled Anonymous) and he stars alongside Tony Leung, YES I SAID TONY LEUNG, and it's also one of the most anticipated films of the year. And, listen, I would go a long way just to watch Tony Leung, but the trailer, along with the latest just-released poster, each make it clear that Yibo is every bit the co-star:

Sooooo this movie will probably land on the international radar — hell, it already has — and if I know Yibo, he won't be easy to overlook.

Because that's the thing, always: Eventually, no matter the context, you always wind up zooming in on Wang Yibo.

[ask-codeearasure]

Ouija and Sarco's Master-Post for Character Design.

Struggling with character designs is a bitch, so here is a master post full of resources for you to help you bring your character designs to the next level, I shall also have some text that will elaborate on why I linked the video (and sometimes the channel) for you to understand why.

These are inspirations for Sarco and I and I wanted an excuse to share them. Okay, I wanted a huge excuse to share them.

1.) TB Skyen (Tumblr account @ohnoitstbskyen ) and his video "What's the Deal with Kindred?"

Why TB Skyen and this video in particular?

TB Skyen is a wonderful YouTuber and Artist who can look into the art of League of Legends and pick it apart and critique it in the context of being from a multi-billion dollar company, but also in the context of the story that the character is from.

His critiques can go from color scheme, body type, pose, and even animations that show you just how detailed those animations can go (watching his animation breakdowns is wonderful and hilarious at how geeky he is! If you want an excuse to have a dumb as hell smile on your face, watch his animation breakdowns and how much fun he has going in depth on it. Trust me!).

This video is my personal favorite because he goes into detail about the character's voice lines and how Lamb and Wolf talk as though they are in a play. Going very heavily into the writing of the characters because character writing is extremely important in the very design of the characters.

Every video he has on character designs shows how far you CAN push your character designs.

HOWEVER, you SHOULD NOT hold yourself to the standards of billion-dollar companies. I need to remind you, that he is actively critiquing a multi-billion dollar company and is pushing people to have higher standards for these companies.

DO NOT destroy yourself for not being able to push yourself to such standards. You should push yourself, but don't push yourself too hard. Remember, as an artist we all start somewhere, and stepping out of your comfort zones is wonderful, but you cannot do it all the time to the point of burnout.

TB Skyen doesn't even hold himself to that standard fully with his Building a Better series.

Art should also be enjoyable for the artist.

2.) Subjectively and their video "Redesigning League of Legends' Boring Champs: Zyra"

Subjectively actively have been making videos about Pokemon and League of Legends along with their ever-famous Apoctober concepts and stories.

If it's not obvious, I'm a League of Legends fan girl, and it's true. Sue me.

Subjectively, like TB Skyen, have been redesigning League of Legends champions, and critique Riot Games' shitty design philosophy when it comes to Female Champions.

With this video, you will find how sometimes character designs can go in many different directions and how you don't need to restrict yourself when it comes to being "human-like".

Yes, sex sells, but I'm honestly tired of every single female character having the same face and same body type and every female character having to be put in the "conventionally attractive seductress" box.

We should also have monster women who look monstrous. We should also have women who are buff, muscular, and terrifying.

Speaking of sex selling...

3.) NickyBoi and his video "Riot Refuses to Rework Cassiopeia... So I did it for Them."

It is no surprise that when it comes to women in the videogame industry as a whole and even in comics and movies, women are not allowed to be anything but conventionally attractive without having a reason for it. We often hear the “But why can’t women be powerful aaaaand conventionally attractive?” argument that isn’t really an argument. Being attractive should not be the ONLY part of our power fantasy.

Men can be anything from hideous monsters who can bite the head off of a motherfucker, to someone who is built like a Greek god with biceps on top of biceps with biceps as a cherry on top with 12 pack abs that you could cut a steak on.

If men can have a diverse set of power fantasies to choose from, then women should get just as much diversity with that.

Which is why I bring you to this video.

Sexuality and seduction are just as much of a power fantasy but it needs to have a purpose. So when it comes to the redesigning of this character Nickyboi had to legitimately overhaul a small chunk of her story: the fact that she was supposed to be terrifying to her fellow Noxians.

She was supposed to be considered “scary” and unworthy of civilization. But Nickyboi was not satisfied with his monstrous design for her, so he wondered that if being a seductress is supposed to be a part of her past and is supposed to get her magic from the ascended, then perhaps, he could combine both sides of the story and make her a villain that won, thus leaning into full-on fanservice.

 When designing your characters, you must take their past into consideration, and this is why Cassiopea was such a terrible design at first. Simply overhauling her story and actually taking into account the region she was born into and the one she stays in allows her new design to actually fit her as a character and keeps everything intact.

But when coming from scratch it can be hard but simply looking around and starting with the story can allow you to keep a level head and ensure that you are able to work within your means. But that means we have one last thing to address…

Character Writing:

When it comes to writing characters there are some people who want to say that there is no wrong way to write a character, but there is a VAST majority of people who will grab you by the shoulders and tell you, that there is a correct way to write a character and will give you a long list to go through to get you started.

However, I will tell you the truth: It depends on what you’re writing.

When I start creating a character I sometimes have to take a step back and prevent myself from jumping into a pit.

I am sure that you’ve noticed within mine and Sarco’s writing, especially when it comes to the Ocs, they are devastatingly dark.

But I’m going to level with you here. The majority of those characters are mine. Edelweiss, Sketch, Klezmer, Katagma, Izanagi, Occultatum, Cyberberry – they’re all mine. But we’re going to focus on one here in this exampleI am going to give you, and that’s Sketch.

Before I made Sketch, I had another character that was basically made during my childhood, and was a silent wish of mine. I didn’t want to have emotions anymore.

And there are times when I still wish that, and that is one of the reasons why Sketch is like that. He is that power fantasy. Unlike Ink, he has the ability to be completely emotionless and function as such. But when it comes to exploring that fantasy, it has its downfalls. And it is fascinating because as an adult I realized that that wish is not a wish – it is a curse. That isn’t to say that people with ASPD, or even just low-empathy are sick, or broken, or anything of the sort.

They have struggles. Real actual struggles. So when it comes to exploring such a concept is finding those struggles and figuring out how to humanize them. I had to take a step back and ask myself, “How would this be interpreted logically, with little to no emotion in it?” and I had to sit there for a fucking hour trying to answer that.

It was only after that Sarco informed me that little to no empathy is not indicative of little to no emotional basis whatsoever, so I had to start back at square one. Sketch having absolutely no emotion would not mean he has ASPD. With a complete lack of emotion, that is something else entirely. Plus, assuming those with little to no empathy have no emotional experiences at all is ableist, so I’m learning better from that. The psychology field is fucked, let me tell you that much. Each and every single mental illness can overlap with each other or trigger one another like a fucked up domino effect. But when writing Sketch, I learn more about him oddly enough, and even then I learn how he could be healed as a person while still staying the same person, not being rebooted, not just flipping a switch and making him “good” again, or “resolved”.

One of the things that truly inspired me when it comes to writing characters with mental illnesses, with “points” that don’t exactly make them good people, but people who believed that they are doing good, is Arcane.

If you haven’t watched Arcane, I highly suggest you do it. Get a Netflix subscription or find a way to pirate it. It is something that will make you think. And that is what I like to do when it comes to writing.

I want to make my readers think, even if they don’t realize that they’re thinking about it.

I have one question that I have to ask when I write Sketch, every single day I write him, even when I’m not writing him but rather coming up with future arcs that will involve him:

“How will this affect him in the future?”

And it breaks me.

It makes me sit back and realize that I’m the cruelest creature alive, and I grin like a maniacal villain who has caught the idiotic hero in a trap that was years in the making that they have no chance of escaping.

This question is there because every story beat that is supposed to be truly hard-hitting and even traumatic towards the characters is supposed to be addressed, it is supposed to be something that affects them. There is a reason that the Negativity Venom that is running through Dream’s veins in the story that Sarco and I are writing is stated to have a permanent effect on him. There is a reason that it is described as something that swings a door open and it can never be shut because that is what trauma is.

Trauma, mental illnesses, character arcs, what have you – they are things that cannot (should not) be undone.

Unlike Pandora’s Box, there is no way to put all the problems back. There is no shutting it. There is only finding a way to adapt.

When writing, you are adding a piece of yourself. You are opening yourself up and really introspecting, even if you don’t realize it. You are ripping a small chunk out of you and putting it to words. It’s one of the reasons why writing is so emotionally draining sometimes. But that is what makes good stories. They can be so incredibly human.

Or if not human, settle for alive, meaningful nonetheless. Make the characters living forces, something with a motive and a struggle. The characters don't even have to literally be alive, it’s just gotta be something that moves the reader. A lot of elements in storytelling are so impactful because some part of them was inspired by reality.

Character writing has just as much importance as visual design, because writing is just design in a different form, and there is no shame in reshaping it time and time again until the concept fits what you’re going for.

But most of all, you have to put in effort, thought, and research. I went on a rant once about how much I hate it when people do not put in effort into their designs or writing because it becomes so incredibly evident so easily. But when you put in effort. When you try your best, it becomes so incredibly obvious to all of those who have an invested interest.

Just do your best and have fun while doing it. While there are some very important concerns with writing the heavy and complicated stuff, there is no right way to write your character. To start, you are supposed to experiment. Don’t let “perfection” be the enemy of good enough.

[ruby-thursda7]

untitled cat cartoon personalities + voice hcs

lisa lewis (she/her) -awkward, anxious and socially inept -sad, slightly wavering voice, voice cracks often

bobby boyd (she/her)

-bold, assertive, no bs attitude also a conman -LOUD, boisterous, deep voice with new york accent

raven reid (she/they)

-creepy. strange and off-putting -monotone, quiet voice

mindy murphy (she/her)

-DORK, geeky, bubbly and sweet -sweet, goofy, nerdy voice, kinda nasally

helix (he/they/she)

-curious, optimistic and very clueless and gullible -bubbly, kind, voice maybe slight southern accent (coughcough jack mcbrayer)

cosmo collins (he/they)

-pathetic, unstable and awkward lol -ZENO ROBINSON???

lucas lewis (he/him)

-endless ball of energy, annoying -literally just a child

barry boyd (he/him)

-reliable, kind, compassionate -very genuine and kind, deep voice with ny accent

paige perkins (she/her)

-cutesy, gentle, kind, and patient -slightly higher pitced but soft, sweet voice

robin rowley (they/them)

-extremely chill and level-headed -raspy, australian accent (sometimes unintelligible)

sidney sable (she/her)

-self-serving, manipulative, mean -slight valley-girl accent, deceptively sweet voice

sandy sable pre-arc (she/her)

-loyal, kinda stupid, dependent, unkind -deeper voice with slight valley-girl accent

sandy sable post-arc (she/they)

-loyal, still kinda stupid, chill, helpful

svetlana smirnov (she/her)

-mean, snappy, acts high-class -stern thick russian accent, slightly broken enligsh

thea thorton (she/they)

-cranky, rude, an asshole -grumbly, kinda annoying, angry voice, growls often

penny peterson (she/her)

-kinda boring, smart as hell, helpful -well articulated, kind, slightly "nerdy" voice

ellie edwards (they/them)

-weird, socially inept, insecure -awkward, rambling voice, stutters a lot

[samasmith23]

How Ms. Marvel: Crushed metaphorically discusses serious issues of rape-culture and consent

Having recently re-read much of G. Willow Wilson's classic run on Ms. Marvel last year, it was interesting revisiting much of the original Kamala Khan stories and noticing interesting themes and nuances that I missed on my first read-through. This was especially true in regards to the Crushed arc wherein Kamala falls head-over-heels for her first crush Kamran, whom at first glance turns out to be everything Kamala believed her parent's would want for their daughter due to him also being a Pakistani-American Muslim, as well as someone Kamala could also relate to as a geeky nerd who recently acquired Inhuman superpowers. But 2/3rds of the way into the arc, Wilson pulls back the rug to reveal that Kamran is actually an abusive and manipulative scumbag who kidnaps Kamala in order to try and force her to join a group of Inhuman extremists and supremacists that he's a member of (basically the Inhuman version of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from X-Men).

The twist of Kareem's sinister duplicitous nature effectively underscores what the Crushed arc is ultimately truly about: a metaphor for serious topics like rape-culture, abusive relationships, and consent.

While on the surface, Crushed is about Kamala suffering heartbreak by learning her first crush is actually an Inhuman extremist, G. Willow Wilson stated that “[She] wanted to talk about consent in a fun, accessible way, without making the world into a terrifying place.”

And those themes are on full display in the arc, as Kamran not only subtly manipulates Kamala’s feelings towards him to get her to join Lineage’s gang, but he also lies about riding her to school in order to get her into his car before zapping her unconscious and kidnapping her to New Attilan against her consent. Most disgustingly of all however, Kamran outright victim blames Kamala, gaslighting her into believing that she’s to blame for her kidnapping and falling in love with Kamran.

So while it’s presented in a family friendly manner, the parallels to rape-culture are definitely apparent here.

Additionally, Wilson effectively counters the harmful patriarchal narratives of victim-blaming that are so commonplace in our society by having Kamala resist and stand up to Kamran, acknowledging to herself that he’s the only party who’s in the wrong in this situation. Essentially, Kamala learns from this experience that teen love can sometimes be deceptive. Despite Kamran’s surface-level qualities of being a handsome Pakistani-American Inhuman with similar interests & experiences as Kamala, underneath it all he’s nothing more than an abusive & manipulative jerk.

While some critics have argued that Kamran’s villainous portrayal unintentionally reinforces Islamophobic stereotypes about Muslim men being inherently violent, I feel this is not only counterbalanced by the positive depictions of Kamala’s Abu & older brother Aamir, but later issues of Ms. Marvel further illustrate Wilson's (as well as fellow Muslim editor, Sana Amanat’s) ability to effectively commentate and critique issues within their own community and culture as Muslim women themselves, so Kamran’s villainous portrayal feels more genuine than stereotypical IMO.

So overall, Crushed is an incredibly interesting and nuanced early arc of Ms. Marvel due how it effectively balances lighthearted elements of teen drama & romance with darker elements of rape-culture, consent, abuse extremism, and heartbreak.

[cadyrocks]

"Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" is a bonafide masterpiece. A glorious parody of hagiographic biopics, we follow Al through a fictionalized version of his life and rise to stardom. At every turn, the degree to which it is fictionalized gets weirder and more extreme, until, without meaning to spoil too much, it reaches a glorious extravaganza of action and violence.

The movie was produced in part by Funny Or Die, and I guess they'll live another day, because Weird is very, very funny. Along with the typical silliness and absurdity you'd expect from a movie like this, it's also riddled with hilarious in-jokes and references to Al's career and to famous moments in rock history that provide a deeper layer to the comedy. That said, even if you know very little about those moments, the surface-level jokes more than carry the film. It's a laugh a minute basically from minute one.

The movie uses Al's music in pitch-perfect ways. We get to see (a highly fictionalized version of) him writing and performing some of the big hits of his career, and these scenes are consistently incredible. I took away a new appreciation for every one of those songs - the moment he whips out "I Love Rocky Road" feels downright transcendant.

Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al Yankovic is inspired casting. I didn't get it, and then I saw the movie, and I immediately got it within two scenes of him showing up on screen. He perfectly fits the weird, geeky nature of Weird Al, but has no problem rolling with the punches as the fame gets to him and he spirals wildly out of control. Absolutely perfect for the kind of larger than life vibe this movie is going for. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a sucker for Radcliffe (if you haven't seen Guns Akimbo, you should see Guns Akimbo) but he is impeccable in this. As is Riann Wilson giving an aptly demented turn as Doctor Demento. Evan Rachel Wood's Madonna is another gloriously ridiculous performance.

More generally, name a quirky actor or musician you love seeing in movies, and odds are they have a cameo here. Jack Black's turn as Wolf Man Jack is of particular note, in case you needed a reminder that Jack Black is an extremely sexy man who effortlessly owns every scene he's in. Small part, but the charisma on display... Woof. Also, Patton Oswalt shows up for a cameo. I just love seeing that guy in movies.

The lighting and cinematography also deserves special mention. It's all lit and shot in ways to make things look larger than life and surreal, with bright, flashy colors. It's not realistic, but it's not supposed to be. The overall vibe is incredibly effective.

This isn't a perfect movie. There are plot beats involving Al's family that, while needed for the story arc, don't mesh well with the rest of the tone or pace. The way it handles certain beats, while hilarious, are kinda problematic (most notably, it does Madonna pretty dirty and she was not consulted). But when I think about the movie, I don't think of that. I think of the absurdly funny and cathartic "My Bologna" scene, or how much of an incredible heel Madonna is. I think of Pablo Escobar. I think of the wealth of obscenely funny one-liners.

Weird is a comedy treasure. The end credits song notes that it's "technically eligible for Oscar consideration", and frankly, just give Weird Al Yankovic a fucking Oscar, he deserves it. If you like comedy, Daniel Radcliffe, Weird Al, or classic rock history, you owe it to yourself to catch this one.

[phlve]

IT(N) — Introverted Thinking supported by Intuition

Analytical, interested primarily in the underlying principles, organized in relation to concepts and imagination. Perceptive, not dominating, decisiveness of thinking only shows within intellectual matters. Quiet, reserved, detached and usually aloof. Inclined towards shyness. Won't be convinced by anything except intellect - reasoning, explanation and theoretical logic. Serious and usually focused on the dark, sad side of life. Pessimism can achieve a state of reactive depression. the idea of working in a slowed. in conversations almost does not participate. occasionally interiects. serious mood. serious ethical position. Passivity in activities related to the charges seriously, timidity, indecisiveness, no carelessness and gaiety, a strong perception of heavy experiences, sometimes tearfulness. A sense of inferiority, fluctuations in the choice of fields of activity, passive in life, calm, apathetic, lack of energy and activity, honesty, kindness, slowness, clumsiness, not laughs heartily, neat clothing, difficulty in making decisions. Tries to see and create from everything a system of some core level natural laws and patterns, frameworks and structures of directed thinking, impersonal rationality. Has many interests and much knowledge, but don't like to advertise this fact and be in the center of attention. In their essence, they are precise and pedantic, not only in the way of thinking but also in how they relate to the world around them. You will scarcely meet a person believing in miracles and trusting in luck among representatives of this type. Consistency, reliability, ability to stick to their word - all of these are typical of representatives of this type. Generally excessively extensive knowledge of most philosophical principles, mathematical logic and theories, formulas etc. He knows how to dig to the essence of things, to reveal their internal structure. He sets for himself very high requirements, specific orders and devotion to an idea or a set of rules, varies on manifestation. Unless somebody else takes care of him, he can easily drive himself to starvation. Usually he even does not notice the quality of his clothing. He does not tolerate orders. He does not show much initiative, is reclusive and silent. "Sorry, I'm too scattered to learn about politics. I just learn about math/engineering.". This type often carries around a childish, autistic personality. "The world is the way I see it. If you have evidence that it's not the way I see it, too bad for the world. Anyway it is not my business; just keep your opinion to yourself. I think the world should be exactly how I see it".

Many idiosyncrasies, distinct lack of emotional maturity; he can only love or hate, his feeling doesn't come with nuances. Fails to understand social interactions, disconnected from ambients - social ineptitude. Eccentric, may have problems understanding the law, the common sense. Some manifestations of the type are more immature, more bizarre. Can be stubborn, won't stand being interrupted, hates when people argue with each other, can't live in a place where people are always discussing. "I won't perform plebeian tasks such as driving!"; extremely "anti-social" in a sense. Doesn't realize at all how he affects other people, thinks that he is always right, that he has a right to do what he might do. Assumes things about people, accuses people and expresses "anti-mainstream" preferences. Geeky, nerdy, not very adult, more like a teenager or a kid. Uses difficult, complicated language, tries to explain things in very solid and tangible terms, tries to show the structures and principles, oriented to dissect all multiplicities; creator of concepts, philosophical, a person of many ideas, theories. Carries with him personal conclusions able to explain and analyse the world. His logic is one of identifying order in apparent chaos, a parallel, polymorphic, multi-leveled logic, logic of contradictions and paradoxes, explaining the complicated. Justifications and assumptions from different viewpoints. Points out differences and inconsistencies in everything. Anxious, paranoid indecisiveness, prone to overthinking. Intolerance of uncertainty, black and white thinking. Focuses on probability, tries to isolate, abstract, the pure substance of things; won't accept changes in his behaviour or world. He sharply reacts to reprimands, but sometimes hides his irritation under an artificial smile. Does not second-guess, his decisions aren't based on intuitions, tries to avoid using faith. Uses premises. intellect, a set of forms of reasonings, logic. "My state is always adequate to the external world, and my inner person is standard." "Why bother studying your inner self if building a world of harmony is so much more interesting and acute?", he typically chooses one of his standard states and dwells in it most of the time. The "inner core" is made by ethical norms and principles, which secure the integrity of their internal world. Likes puzzles and riddles, axiomatic work. Many manifestations of this type will seem robotic, have problems with social adaptation, social relationships, sexual relations and intimacy. Fears human contact, struggles with duty and jobs, washes his hands as often as he can, out of phobia concerned with sensations. Worried about the food he eats, wonders if something's healthy or not. Very inclined to hypochondriasis or immoderation; he doesn't know how much to eat, needs to rely on logic and systematization.

His deficiency Is human relationships, which sometimes results in uncertainty and sadness in emotional evaluations o other people. This becomes especially evident in unfamiliar circumstances. Watching others, he tries to understand what is accepted in this company, what is favored, and what is rejected. But he cannot always adapt to other people and to new social situations. He may be cheerful or sullen out of place. Due to his weakness in differentiating emotional nuances, representatives of this type often see people in black and white colors: good or bad, kind or unkind, friend or foe. They are also sometimes viewed as stubborn and hard to persuade. They cannot stand untruth and falsity, and can be very firm and solid like a rock in matters of principle to them. Some versions may have a lack of genuine identity - they do not know themselves, everything "depends". Context is always important, they need all the details and information. Would answer 'neutral' or 'I do not know many times if asked about his own personality and character. "I understand everything better than others" - some manifestations think too much of themselves, egomaniac, may argue about intelligence (IQ, mathematics etc) and demonstrate to people his intellect, "intellectual superiority", tries to correct people's illogical behaviour. He loves positive emotions of other people, as if they charged. Moves towards the reigning "most positive" emotions, positive emotions and avoid places of high concentration of negative. He dislikes situations of intrigue, scandal-mongering, since in such a situation can become a victim of their own. Therefore it is always bad refers to the "whispering a secret", seeing it as evil intentions. The relationship people always have to be open, honest, kind. Word about the relationship must always coincide with the chores, or - there is something wrong. Saying that you love a person - this has to be seen and, in fact, and if in fact it is not visible - it means it's not true. Very suspicious in regard to himself and others, suspecting some "zapodlo", even if it's some tiny little thing, already strives either immediately break off relations, or exclude a person from the number of "friends", relatives of people currently, reducing contact with him to a minimum. Therefore, it may sometimes be known as a traitor, finding those who belong to it better is out there and to relocate, considering it is a strong argument for changing the "range". It may become a victim of "sycophants".

[villanesus]

So since I really liked your self-aware answers (which btw were not at all self absorbed) here is another one, not from a meme but just out of curiosity:

Are you happy right now? If yes, what is it to make you happy or if not (entirely) what would you need to be happy/happier you think?

Haha, wow, that is a question. And you are going to get the weirdest, most elaborate answer, friend.

I guess I can speak to this two ways: subjective measures and qualitative observation.

Subjective Measures

I actually track my well-being very closely. My family has a complex relationship with mental health, so I am very self-aware about how I'm doing. I am also just geeky and I really like the concept of the quantified self, so I keep data on almost all aspects of my life.

Here's my self-reported mood as tracked daily for the past three months:

Now, that may not seem amazing, but it's probably the happiest I've been in my adult life.

For comparison, the same three-month span in 2022:

And here's probably the lowest tracked period I have data for:

Qualitative Observation

What does it actually mean to be happy? I have a lot going on in my brain: treatment resistant depression, generalized anxiety, C-PTSD, autism (affectionate). For me, being happy is waking up with enough energy to engage with the world and if something makes me forget how exhausting that is, it might as well be a party.

I am Eeyore incarnate.

But, I derive a lot of joy from things in my life despite my baseline gloominess. Having my favorite candy bar or snack makes me really happy for about five minutes. Someone telling me I'm funny makes me happy for probably an hour? Rabbit-holing on a special interest (e.g., this blog) also provides a lot of incremental units of happiness.

I also do a lot of proactive things like take medication, go to counseling, workout, eat relatively well, drink water, etc. to help keep the baseline at a reasonable level.

I experience a lot of cognitive dissonance about feeling happy (or my happiest) within the larger climate of chaos and horrible happening in the world. For my part, I have an extremely privileged life—over-educated, well paid within the context of the nightmare that is late-stage capitalism, other privileged characteristics I was born into, and so on.

I'd be happier if I didn't have to work to maintain my lifestyle. It would genuinely make me happiest if people were not jerks, wealth was distributed more equitably, and everybody had time to hang out and pursue their interests.

tl;dr

I am pretty happy even though my happiness may look very different from others' happiness. And I'd be happier if we all had the option of free time and candy bars whenever we wanted them.