#theory can only get you so far

[sloshed-cinema]

Oppenheimer (2023)

For all of the hype built up over the leadup to its release, Oppenheimer is a very ordinary movie about an ostensibly extraordinary figure. That this is for much of its three-hour runtime a series of conversations public and private, men and women meeting in Senate hearings or secretive kangaroo court tribunals, laboratories or house parties, is not a bad thing in the least. But that this is getting such a rhapsodic popular reception for a film which, for all of its pomp and self-important bluster still has all of Christopher Nolan's usual flaws and shortcomings as a screenwriter, is disappointing. Nolan is best leaving the writing to someone else. His typical mode as a screenwriter is to crystallize what he determines to be his thesis into one repeated phrase. In Interstellar, it's Michael Caine reciting Dylan Thomas poetry, in The Dark Knight, it's Morgan Freeman musing that one man shouldn't be able to universally surveil, and in Dunkirk, it's Kenneth Branagh wistfully saying 'home'. In Oppenheimer, there are twofold statements to cover the disparate arms of the narrative: scientists remind or admonish that theory can only get you so far, and Strauss speaks of controlling the political narrative to get ahead. That these phrases exist aren't so bad in and of themselves, but the issue comes more in the frequency with which they are used. It becomes a relentless sledgehammer that slowly beats away all subtlety and nuance, creating the impression once again that Nolan doesn't trust the audience to "get" it if he doesn't drive home the point time and again.

Jumping between the Manhattan Project and hearings which sought to bring the Father of the Atomic Bomb to his knees, Oppenheimer considers the man and the legend. The man isn't given as much attention as far as his emotional interiority is considered: for being so long, the opening act rushes through character beats like flash cards. Key players introduced and dismissed in bullet point scenes while Oppenheimer accumulates trauma. Oppenheimer's greater existential concerns vis à vis the Bomb are more important. This inert atmosphere pervades much of the film, feeling cold rather than cerebreal as it might have hoped to be. The political angle of the film was dull, barely more than a typical Red Scare playbook which has been hashed through a million times before: fear of Communism created an ironically repressive attitude toward free thought. This is commonly dealt with in the form of public humiliation by hypocritically un-American Kafkaesque show trials and rah-rah conformism. I wish this had dug more into the gnarly, knotty scientific conversations taking place in the Manhattan Project, laying bare the human error potential in such conversations as Great Minds meet. This is more of a long trailer for a concept rather than a sincere and honest dissection of it, but he shot it on IMAX so let's all laud it!

THE RULES

SIP

Someone says 'bomb'.

Oppenheimer looks like a pet in one of those Sarah McLachlan SPCA videos.

The film shifts to or from black and white.

BIG DRINK

tHeOrY cAn OnLy GeT YoU sO fAr

Black dress moment.

ANXIETY SOUND DESIGN

[gingerswagfreckles]

Well they caught him. If he wasn't the exact kind of person tumblr loves, the conspiracy theories about this being a random person being framed would have continued to spread. But he's an attractive 26 year old white man who was caught carrying a manifesto about corporate America and has an internet history that matches up with tumblr's general politics. So everyone is going to get excited about how he's a martyr and go back to acknowledging reality in that there isn't a conspiracy to frame the wrong guy.

The discussions over whether or not this man should be lionized as a hero are honestly not as relevant as the comfort with which people are going to drop the conspiracy theory they would have been fully committed to if this man's politics turned out to be nuts. The ease with which the userbase of this website switches between realities based on whether or not they confirm their biases is really alarming. I just hope people understand how weird it is to claim a random person is 100% going to be framed by the FBI on one day, and then drop that by the next day when it becomes clear that the person being "framed" is the exact kind of communist you had hoped.

[lemonduckisnowawake]

Over the Garden Wall is SUCH a fascinating show to me for a myriad of reasons. But one of the things that stuck with me was the symbolism of the Woodsman and his lantern. TW for discussions on grief and unhealthy coping mechanisms (that I might get wrong, just as a warning).

I'm sure this has been said before, but to me it's just such a fascinating representation of how we unintentionally keep despair alive by clinging to our overwhelming grief of those we lost. Maybe I'm misinterpreting something or looking too deeply into it, but it's just. The lantern that the Woodsman keeps lighting in the hopes that his daughter's soul will be kept alive through it is, in actuality, keeping the Beast alive. And in a similar way I've read tales and actually studied grief theories about how people keep the memory of their loved one alive; at first, it's a good thing, and it can take however long or short you need to it be since grief seems to be something that generally never really goes away.

But there can come a point where all you live for is the dead, which is what the Woodsman was doing in laboring day and night to keep the lantern alive. And in doing so, you start to poison yourself and, rather than keeping the person you lost in living memory, you start to keep alive the despair and darkness. You start to keep alive the Beast rather than the soul of your daughter, in other words. Sometimes, it's intentional, though. "If I let go of this despair and anguish of mine, doesn't that mean I'll forever lose that person I loved?" And sometimes, it's unintentional.

The conclusion of it is that you have to let them go...you have to let that despair (not grief, but the poisonous and hopeless grief) go. Maybe, like Wirt did, through unflinching practicality and sheer knowledge rather than emotion. Or something else. But maybe, then, you'll find that when the lantern of your despair is gone, it'll be dark at first but you'll slowly start to see a grander light. And maybe, you'll find that your daughter is still alive anyway, in the light rather than in the darkness.

[cheruv-ii]

Summary:Ben has spent the last seven years plagued by nightmares, and he can't take the sleepless nights any longer.

Rating:General

Tags:Ben Pincus Needs a Hug, Gay Ben Pincus, Ben Pincus-centric, Hurt Ben Pincus, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Childhood Trauma, Mental Breakdown, Trauma, Post-Canon, Comfort, Fluff and Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Angst and Feels

(Me when I speedrun a fic and lowkey cook w it)

[sundayinthcpark]

adore "transmasc" and "lesbian" in ur bio (unironically). i recently came out as transmasc and genuienely it was the final straw that made me say "fuckall" to trying to decipher my own sexuality, as i think that being trans just. the concept of my relationship with a woman definitely makes me label that idea as lesbian. and yes i am trans at the same time.

WOO IM SO HAPPY FOR U !!!! i take great pride in my labels and i know they’re not always correct on ur first go (i’ve used so many different labels over the years) and sometimes u even figure smthn out about yourself later too and that changes things and y’know what that’s cool !!! but i’m so glad that you’re figuring out your relationship with gender and sexuality. i wish i had a lot of advice for u but all i can say is keep learning !!! four years ago, i was 100% sure that people who use he/him pronouns couldn’t possibly be lesbians, and six years ago i thought there were only two genders. i’m still learning things about peoples’ gender expression and especially how gender and lesbianism are tied together and not only is it all very interesting, it also helps me learn and understand more about myself and the people around me !!!

[ghostlyboysstories]

My sleep schedule is mostly nonexistent, so I usually write in depth analytical responses to people in discord about why people are fascinated about certain characters, or why people are interested in certain shows. I could be writing my novel in that time, but instead I’m a nerd who loves nerd things. Like torturing people with their own anticipation while I type out a response for thirty minutes.

[angy-grrr]

There is gonna be more than that coming from the poll, but whatever it is vote Kacchan/Deku for best hero. Idc who wins i just need them to be together again

if they just announced it today without saying anything before, I would probably immediately do it.

Right now im just bitter because of the hype -I thought it would at least slightly relate to the actual story (adaptations of other stories, extra content for the volume which once again may I remind everyone is extremely short, almost half what a manga volume usually looks which is a huge problem).

This disappointed me extremely, as its not even related to any content from the manga beyond the characters it uses. I get that many ppl will work on this, and that artist will get excited over being able to get the spotlight, some will be able to ask specific questions, and a character will get a statue and a movie.

Still extremely disappointed because of the "special project will be announced on the 5th *wink wink*".

I can't feel excitement over it as, in my mind, I lost something that felt better -more content related to the story. So at best this would be "oh cool I can try it", a feeling pretty similar to the other announcements -not my favorite thing in the world, but I wont reject it and try to see what comes out of it.

This isnt at best to me right now

[italianpersonwithashippersheart]

Things I Want from the Next Ep of Only Friends

At least two scenes with Nick and Sand being friends. We didn't get enough, I want more of the two of them!!

Related, I kind of want a scene with Nick and Ray. I want to become weirdly close friends and both Boston and Sand finding a little weird (not in a jelous way, more in like I am not sure how I feel about this way).

The start of a storyline for Chuem and April (I have some ideas of possibilities)

Any hints about Top and Sand backstory (seriously I need answears!!!) @respectthepetty Looks like we will have to wait at least until the next episode or more to know why these two hate each other!!

SIDE NOTE: I have a new theory, what if they were both dating the same person for a while? Like Sand was in an open relationship and the person he was dating was also sleeping with Top??

Anything that can help me understand why Mew is willing to be be Top and ingore all the red flags. Seriously this man has avoided all relationship so far, why is Top special, why ignore all the signals that Top is not the one for him. Why Top???

[nobodybetterlookatme]

I've never heard of emts working only at events? What's that like for you if you don't mind my asking?

Yeah, there are ambulance companies that staff certain events, but there's some event specific companies out there lmao. For me specifically, it's almost entirely college events, whether it's happening on a campus or not. It's not great, usually pretty boring, but it's better than being on an ambulance or in a hospital. We do get actual emergencies sometimes, but usually it's just getting drunk people to the tent or giving out water and bandaids lmao. Again, boring as fuck, but I chose this over working on a 911 rig, so that's on me 😔 if I'm being so real tho, other than my coworkers, the best part of the job is the food lmaoooo it's so good and all the food trucks/food booths give discounts or free food to us depending on the location and event. And there's almost always a ton of downtime, so I basically just get paid to sit there and vibe for the most part

[i-appear-misssing]

I just had the horrible thought that I need to fall in love because having devastating crushes on beautiful, competent, authoritative women that I desperately want to please is exhausting and I need it to stop

[nightofmiracles]

You know how whatever Summer's mission turned out to be it's very likely that it went just as good as Qrow & Clover's ordeal in v7 did?

And how Qrow's weapon, a symbolical part of himself, was used that night?

I was thinking through an idea I had on how that could be translated into Raven's situation - where a part of hers is turned around to hurt her & someone she cares/cared about - and, well, what is also a representation of the self?

A Semblance.

The literal manifestation of her bonds might have been turned against her.

[unproduciblesmackdown]

fr both taylor's quants as mirrors to themself. rian Seen as so meritous and deserving and talked to and tasked with and advised and considered but apparently rian's whole thing is going "huh. wha" and having wendy's level of self-reflection (none). winston who is begrudgingly allowed to sit in his corner and ignored b/c he's undeserving so he can't really be meritous and nobody would look in that mirror b/c it's gonna be So not their reflection. while he just won't stop cassandraing and having all these insights and perception and observations nobody even asked or told him to have and is peak taylor understander and just like taylor: isn't guided by a paper-thin ego but also will take criticism / blame / mistreatment Too Much for his own good

[arolesbianism]

There's a well 🎉

[exopelagic]

why do applications feel like your soul is being lightly roasted at 180C

[creature-wizard]

Okay y'all, going forward, this is what we're doing.

Shit's scary, I know. But we absolutely cannot afford to surrender to that fear, because that benefits the GOP. They want us to feel powerless, because they know we are not powerless. That's why they have so many shills and bots discouraging people from voting.

We will not demoralize ourselves and each other by doomposting in our moments of panic. If we have a panic attack, that's okay. But we are not going to spread that fear to other people in public. We will save our most scared thoughts for our private journals and close friends. And we will support our friends who are feeling hopeless.

We will remember that spreading awareness of Project 2025 and Agenda 47 has been hurting Trump. And we will continue to do this.

We will remember that right now, our only option is Biden, because without ranked choice voting, getting a third party candidate in is simply impossible. We might not like it, but that's why we're going to push like hell for ranked choice voting once we get his pruny old ass in to office for a second term. (And thank God, he can't have more than a second term; the Democrats will have to find someone else afterward.)

We will not spread conspiracy theories. Conspiracy theories are the weapon of the enemy. We don't need them.

We will not publicly mock Trump in all of this. Making Republicans feel even more victimized is a losing strategy. "But it's my blog-" I'm sorry, are you playing for political keeps or are you just here to fuck around and put everyone's life in even more danger?

We will emphasize the ways that Project 2025/Agenda 47 will hurt everyone. And we will keep talking about it.

We will remember that the UK and France have already avoided far right takeovers in their elections.

All right? You got that? Because we got this if we stick together and keep at this. Shit's bad right now but that doesn't mean it has to be bad forever. We got each other, and we can do this.

[falesten-iw]

Nothing can truly show you the reality of what's happening in Gaza, not a picture, not a video, and not even words. The truth is far worse than anything an image can capture. Families are not just enduring genocide, they’re being erased. Their history, their homes, their existence, wiped away like they were never there.

What’s left behind? Bits and pieces. Fragments. A scrap of fabric here, a shattered memory there. People are still trapped beneath the rubble. Some are alive, their voices weak but desperate, pleading for help that will never come. There’s no rescue equipment. No teams to save them. And anyone brave enough to try is met with drones, striking down anyone who gets close.

Those who’ve managed to survive aren’t just hungry, they’re freezing. Imagine huddling in a makeshift tent, shaking not just from fear but from the biting cold that seeps into your bones. The wind tears through everything, ripping apart whatever tiny bit of warmth you’ve managed to cling to. Inside the tent, there’s no comfort. Only the sound of bodies rustling as they try to stay warm, muffled cries of grief, and the haunting sound of people buried beneath the rubble, their faint cries for help echoing in the dark.

The cold doesn’t care. It doesn’t spare anyone—not children, not parents, not the elderly. It sinks into everyone, leaving them numb, both physically and emotionally. Hunger takes what little strength they have left, and the cold takes their hope. This isn’t some tragic story from the past—it’s happening right now. These are my people. This is my family.

A single line can hold the weight of an entire story, and a single choice can save a life. What if you skipped that extra coffee, brush pack, or subscription and put that money toward rescuing lives in Gaza ? One small sacrifice from you could provide food, warmth, or even survival to my family who’ve lost everything.

You might wonder, “Does it really matter? Can I make a difference?” The answer is yes. Every dollar you give is a line of hope, a stand against the darkness. Don’t let this story fade. Don’t let Gaza disappear into silence.

Please help us and donate now if you can, and reblog this post to spread our story.

Vetted and shared by @90-ghost: Link.

Verified and shared by @el-shab-hussein: Link

Listed as number 282 in "The Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser Spreadsheet" compiled by @el-shab-hussein and @nabulsi : Link

Listed on the Butterfly Effect Project, number 957: Link

Additionally, Al Jazeera News has documented apart of my family's case: Link

If, for some reason, you couldn't donate via GoFundMe, you can donate via PayPal instead.

Donate on GoFundMe: Link

Donate on Paypal: Link

Please keep the conversion rates in mind when donating through GoFundMe. Every 250 SEK is equivalent to 25 dollars, and 506 SEK equals 50 dollars and so on. Note: There’s even a raffle for a handmade Palestinian thob if you want to participate : Link

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