Inside by Bo Burnham. Pt.2

1. Don’t Wanna Know 1:03

This song starts with Bo asking a bunch of questions and then saying he doesn’t want to know the answer. That’s about it! He starts to have a crisis asking if anyone else is out there, saying he thought it would be over by now but there’s still a while to go. “Never mind, I don’t wanna know.”

All 20 Songs in Bo Burnham's 'Inside' Special, Ranked

(Skipping the next song!! It’s just Bo talking about feeling like poop.)

3. All time low 0:54

In this song Bo talks about his mental health and how it is approaching and ATL. He says he’s okay when he sleeps, but as soon as he wakes up, he has a feeling deep inside. “A few things starts to happen. My vision starts to flatter. My heart, it gets to tapping, and I think I’m gonna die.”

Bo Burnham’s Inside: Millennial Music Man with a Movie Camera | Page 4 ...

4. Welcome to the internet 4:35

One of the most popular songs in this whole album. Bo sings about the internet and everything you can see and do! There’s a duality from calmer things to more drastic incidents that can occur. From straining pasta to someone dying, there’s everything! It’s everything, all the time and there will only be more the more people feed into it. He speaks about how not even that long ago everything was different until the newer generation who was exposed at such a young age. The younger people who were easily drawn to iPads and phones. At first it was meant to be a breakthrough, we were meant to be in power, but we’re just controlled by our devices. “Apathy’s a tragedy and boredom is a crime.”

Here’s a look at every song in Bo Burnham: Inside • Flixist

5. Bezos II 0:45

Unlike the first song, Bo doesn’t really talk about Jeff Bezos, all he does is say his name over and over with little adlibs like. “You did it!” and “Congratulations!”. “Jeffery Bezos”

See the source image

6. That funny feeling 5:01

In this song Bo sings an acoustic song about a funny feeling. He uses many statements explaining what this feeling can be. Some things more serious than others like “Obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V” or “A book on getting better hand delivered by a drone.” Bo sings about how we were overdue, but it’ll be over soon. “There it is again, that funny feeling.”

That Funny Feeling -- Bo Burnham (from "Inside") - YouTube Music

7. All eyes on me 5:02

Bo starts this song by singing and telling everyone to put their hands up and get out of their seats. All eyes on him. He starts asking the listener questions. If they’re nervous or having fun. Bo then talks to us about how he quit five years ago due to having panic attacks on stage. He spent his time improving to get better and says that he did. He decided to preform again in January of 2020 but “the funniest thing happened”. He continues to sing saying it’s almost over, but it just begun. He tells the listener don’t overthink it. But then goes on to say the ocean is rising and the world is ending. For the rest of his song, he repeatedly says get your hands up, get out of your seats, all eyes on him. “You say the whole world’s ending, honey, it already did.”

Bo Burnham's 'Inside' Ending Analysis: the Power of 'All Eyes on Me ...

8. Goodbye 4:09

In this song Bo starts off bidding his farewell. He talks about how hard it is to joke with no one laughing in the background. Is this how it ends, he asks before he promises to never go outside again. He talks about losing power, how time is passing by slowly. He tells the listener next time they should be the one entertaining and he’ll sit on the couch and watch. He wants to hear you tell a joke with no one laughing in the background. He feels like he’s even crazy, he feels like he’s right back where he started. All he ever wanted was a little bit of everything all of the time. He goes back to the song comedy, saying if he wakes up in a house that full of smoke he’ll panic. So, call him up and tell him a joke. Is this really the time for jokes though? “Well, well, look who’s inside again.”

Bo Burnham :: Goodbye [slowed + reverbed] - YouTube

9. Any day now 0:57

A short song of him saying it’ll stop any day now. That’s it! “It will stop any day now.”

Any Day Now - Inside, Bo Burnham (Full Credits) - YouTube

That’s concludes inside! I may do the outtakes if I dare to rewatch it and not cry from the chicken song.

So You Want to Make Your Own TTRPG…

If you’ve ever participated in a tabletop roleplay game, listened to a podcast of a campaign, or simply read through a TTRPG handbook, you’d understand the vast and limitless worlds within these stories. Maybe you’ve thought it’s simply too hard or time consuming to try and create your own TTRPG. I’m here to present you with an easy-to-follow guide for how to create your first TTRPG experience, no matter your skill level.

1. Blueprints.

Here is where you will be asking yourself the big questions: Where is this campaign taking place? What sort of creatures might the players encounter? Is there a lore-based storyline you want to implement, or is it just a go-with-the-flow sort of story? I suggest writing down some rough notes about the themes you want to include, settings, monsters, and major goals of your future players. As for building your new universe, I suggest creating a Pinterest board with images of locations and monsters to help you visualize where the players will be and who they will encounter. Linked below are some of my own inspiration boards.
Monster Inspiration/Sheets or Inspo Board for a specific campaign.

2. The Base.

Now that you’ve got the outline of your campaign, let’s start filling in the structure. Now is when you will develop a storyline. You have a plethora of options; you could use your character’s backstories to build a plot, base your world around mythology or pre-existing stories, or create a plot-less campaign that’s left up to the player’s control. Regardless of your structure, you’re going to need to plan out the monsters/fights that your players might encounter. These fights will serve as the major climax events in your storyline. The build up events can be anything from gathering supplies, interacting with townspeople, exploring the unknown, or sitting around playing card games. I suggest drawing out a simple plot diagram- even if you don’t have a concrete end to your story yet. Map out the events you know for certain you want to include, and get inspired by other campaigns or stories to help you fill in the rest.

3. The Floors.

You’re going to need some non-playable characters to fill up the empty space in this new campaign. They can be important figures who will return time and time again to help the player, or they can be random one-off characters who you throw in for one campaign and then kill off. For the more important characters, I suggest creating a very simple character sheet. You don’t need to know their exact stats on everything, but class, race, and health level would be important. As for your one-off characters, a brief bio is enough. Here are some NPC examples from my own campaigns.

Around this time you’re also going to want to consider creating a map for your new universe. I am not a fan of maps myself but they can be helpful, especially when handling monsters with specific attacks. There are a plethora of online map builders- I will add, most are difficult to use, or cost money to work effectively, so I highly suggest creating your own map on paper. For my most recent campaign, I created one large map of the entire town within the universe, then a handful of smaller maps that zoom in on the buildings within this town. The players were able to create their own paper player figures as well. Once again, maps are not a necessity, but they can be a helpful tool during battle.

4. The Walls.

Next is easily the most fun and most difficult aspect of building a campaign. You need to compile your monsters, note down their stats, special moves, and other important battle information. I suggest making a small reference bio to keep in your notes so you don’t have to carry around an entire character sheet for each monster your players will encounter. Here’s an example of one of my mini bios for a monster my campaign fought:

Ancient White Dragon
300 hp, claw atk 2d10, tail atk 2d6, breath weapon (targeted atk) 3d10
stealth bonus (+6), armor class 20, dodge hits 12≤

Something like this will help you keep track of the important information you’ll need in the middle of an intense battle. You can find this sort of information in most dungeon master handbooks or on the D&D Beyond website.

5. Electrical and Plumbing.

Setting a chapter or act based pace for your campaigns will help you tremendously with writing your story. For example, in my first campaign as a DM, we would only have about 2 hours for each session. This is much shorter than most campaigns, thus confining my players to a shorter quest for that act. My general structure for these short sessions was to start with giving the players a chance to roam/explore their surroundings, discuss events from the last session, or search for the next pivotal point in the storyline. After that, we would have 1-2 monster encounters depending on the strength of the beast. For example, if they were fighting a large monster who’s defeat would be a pivotal plot point, that would be the only fight of the session. If they were to fight less powerful monsters, perhaps in search of weapons or bonus items, there would be multiple battle opportunities for the players to gain more bonuses.

It’s important that you also propose options to your players. While having a clearly set storyline is good, it’s also vital that your players have the opportunity to use their creativity. Depending on your story structure, these options might be the main gimmick of the storyline (a sort of butterfly effect story). Most of my campaigns have an even split between options and set plot lines as my players (my parents, my younger sibling, and my sibling’s friends) aren’t entirely comfortable with making many choices during sessions. It’s important that you are able to change certain aspects of your story to cater to your players’ needs. If you’re playing with experienced players, it’s likely that they will ask to do/attempt something that you never considered. Always expect the unexpected and be prepared to meet their suggestions with enthusiasm.

6. Furnishing and Decor.

These final details will be almost entirely up to you. It is your responsibility to determine the number range of skill roll results that will allow a character to complete an action. There are dungeon master handbooks you can follow for advice on these details, but my general structure is to cater certain options to certain players and leave others up to luck. For example, If I know one of my players has a high dexterity modifier, I might include an interaction within the game where players must make a dexterity roll of 15 or higher in order to receive a bonus. Another and much more common example is when players are exploring a new location. If that location has plot relevance, it will be up to players with high history, perception, or even arca modifiers in order to roll high enough to identify the important details within an area. For instance, my first campaign followed closely with Norse mythology. In order to learn more about the history and lore of their town, players had to roll high in history, perception, investigation, and arcana. Make sure that the story will be able to continue, regardless of if your players are able to make high enough rolls. Not every piece of information needs to be vital!

If you have any remaining questions or concerns, I’ve added two of my campaigns that follow very different structures. Neither are complete, but the information is still a relevant example. Remember that your notes do not need to be the ultimate formal writing- Make them legible to you! I struggle to follow dungeon master handbooks because of how convoluted they tend to be structured, so always feel free to adjust things in a way that makes the most sense for you.

Norse Mytholofy D&D Campaign Download

Hiddenbrooke- TTRPG Campaign Download

Netflix Series Rankings: Umbrella Academy

Overview

This series is about a Netflix tv show called umbrella academy that recently came to an end and I’m mad about it so I’m going to rank my favorite characters and powers.

Rough summary

so, the show begins with 7 kids being born on the same day while their mothers weren’t pregnant at the time they still gave birth to them. they then gave said children to Reginald Hargreaves and he raised them to become superhero’s, but they abandoned that career when they became older. they are all brought back when their foster father died, and their missing brother comes from the future to warn them of the coming apocalypse.

1. Klaus (Seance)

Klause Hargreaves, or number 4 is a member of umbrella academy after his time in the spotlight at being a hero his power terrified him so he began to take drugs and acholic so he wouldn’t see the ghosts anymore. his powers include Spirit possession, hovering, speak to the dead, manipulating ghost, telekinesis and immortality. he is the strongest in his family in both comics and show and he was so annoying that neither heaven nor hell wanted him.

power 10/10

character 10/10

Victor Hargreaves

Viktor Hargreaves number 7 was a member of the academy but was perceived powerless by his father so he never gave him a spot on the superhero and was essentially the black sheep of the family. since he never went on missions he never had a good relationship so when they all split up he wasn’t as affected by it. he later went on to become a author when he wrote about his exprinces as the black sheep. Powers: Vocal destruction, energy manipulation.

Character: 6/10

Power :9/10

Allison Hargreaves

Allision Hargreaves number 4 is a member of umbrella academy and was a member of their superhero team. After the disbandment of the superhero team she became a renoune actor with a husband and daughter after using her powers on her daughter her husband divorced her and got custody of her daughter. (she also r- her brother)

my opinion: she’s a terrible character with no real motivation and is completely selfish and disregards everyone’s want or needs.

power (voice reality manipulation ) 9/10

character 2/10

sorry this blog isn’t so good I’ve been sick all week long and have been trying to handle that. i will be doing a part 2 at a later time

A Note on Suicide…

The following is an article I wrote for MSA’s school newspaper, RISE. I am one of the co-heads of the Health & Wellness section. Please go check out the entire paper and help support Journalism in schools.

TW: Information about suicide.

Suicide Helpline numbers will be included at the end of this blog post.

In honor of the end of Suicide Prevention Month, I am writing a post on suicide. This is a very grim topic, and I apologize if this is uncomfortable for many of you, but this is something that is a very real threat to our lives. Nobody is completely protected from the causes of suicide, but by talking about it, we can be more aware of it and make it less of something to be hidden. Hiding these feelings, normally called suicidal ideations, is how they go unnoticed. This is dangerous for reasons that I shouldn’t even have to explain.
Suicide, by definition, is the act of harming oneself with the intent to kill. Suicidal ideation is the continued thought of this act. Suicidal ideation is incredibly hard to diagnose or prevent, given that we cannot monitor thoughts. We can monitor behaviors, but if the affected individual is adept at hiding these behaviors, then it can be nigh impossible.
We can look for warning signs, though. These are some of the most common warning signs of suicide: speaking about killing oneself or wanting to die, talking about feeling trapped or hopeless, acting anxious or agitated; being reckless, increased use of alcohol or drugs, extreme mood swings, self-isolation, drastic change in sleep such as sleeping too little or too much, displaying increased aggression, rage, or seeking revenge, and finally, searching for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online, buying a gun, or commonly buying an excess of sleeping pills.
These signs are easily dismissed as being a teenager, and sometimes the sudden influx of hormones do share the signs, but recognizing these signs in family, friends, or children is paramount to their safety. I’m not asking that my readers be constantly vigilant, but somewhat. If anyone you know has had a drastic change in mood, personality or behavior, please check up on them.
This is a topic that is difficult to even write about, much less discuss, but I implore you, dear readers, to be careful. If you notice these signs in yourself as well, please talk to someone about it.
Suicidal thoughts can arise during long periods of excess conflict, change, high local suicide rates, or loss of relationships or a job. Cultural and religious beliefs can also increase the likelihood of suicide by bringing a stigma to the discussion of it, or by making a person believe that it is a noble solution to a personal or interpersonal problem. This is highly incorrect.
Dear reader, if you are struggling with these feelings, I have something I would like you to know. I don’t care if you feel that you have nothing to offer the world. You do. You may not see it, but I know for a fact that you have things to offer the world and others around you. Your smile is beautiful, even if you may not show it, and you have the ability to brighten the day of the people you meet. Even just in a passing smile, or general compliment, you can make someone’s day so much better. You could prevent someone else from feeling the same way you do.
This article is intended to be both a warning and a message to those struggling with suicidal thoughts or those who believe they are completely unaffected by them. Nobody is completely invulnerable to anything, but if we as a society can move past the stigma about suicide, we can make this a world worth living in. I believe that everyone has something to offer our world, even if they do not see it themselves. With that, I will leave suicide hotlines at the bottom of this article. If you need help, do not be afraid to seek it. You deserve all the help that you can get. You matter.

Dial 911 if you are in immediate danger.

Suicide Lifeline
Dial or Text 988 for Hotline
Or, visit chat.988lifeline.org to chat online.

Dial 211 if you are in crisis and need emergency referrals to social and community services but are not currently experiencing a life-threatening emergency

The Youthline specializes in teen-to-teen crisis support, and can be reached from 4-10pm PST for peer services by texting ‘teen2teen’ to 839863, otherwise, it is staffed 24/7 by adult crisis responders at (877) 968-8491

The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ and questioning youth
1(866) 488-7386

What the Clue?

After a short intermission, we’re back to the regularly scheduled program of ruining your childhood television shows and movies. In this installment we will discuss the TV show Blue’s Clues.

If you have not seen this TV show (how in the world have you not?), here is a brief explanation of it for you: Blue is a dog that loves to leave clues around the house for her owner, Steve, for what she wants to do that day or what she is feeling. There are talking inanimate objects in the show, like other kid’s shows. Steve writes all of these clues in his “handy dandy notebook” as the objects around the home help him figure out what Blue is hinting at. This goes on for around the entirety of the 30-minute episode as Blue puts a blue paw print on an object in the house or in the front/backyard to hint towards what she wants or is feeling. Around halfway through the episode, our adventure is interrupted by the mailbox flying into the house to deliver a letter. Steve sings the “we just got a letter” song and opens the message. We are greeted by children somewhere in the world who ask Steve an educational question. He usually answers it in 2 minutes, and we go back to our scavenger hunt.

One thing that I have learned from this show is to not tell someone what you want up front, to string them along with clues and make them figure it out themselves. Or at least that’s what Blue does throughout the entire series. She makes Steve and the other characters involved speculate what she actually wants instead of voicing it. If the inanimate objects like the salt and pepper shakers can talk, so can the neon blue dog.

Image result for salt and pepper blues clues

Another thing that didn’t sit well with me was the mailbox… how in the world did he get into Steve’s house every episode with a letter from children, does he go in through the door or window? How did the children have Steve’s address? Why are these kids mailing a grown man a letter? There are so many questions I have that could lead into categories that might get out of hand.

Another question I have is, why does Steve own so many child-like things. A pail and shovel for his backyard, a tire swing in the front? It just concerns me considering that he is a full-grown man. Maybe a family owned the house before and that explains the swing, but not the toys.

Also, why doesn’t Steve have a job? He spends every day figuring out what his dog wants and talking to inanimate objects instead of being a regular adult. Why does he make conversation with his dog, spices, soap, shovel, bucket, ducks, mailbox, and other objects every single day? How has no one questioned this man’s mental state or even had him evaluated? He’s at least in his mid-twenties and all he does is sit at home and talk to objects. Anyone know if Steve is actually ok?

“It’ll Get Better.”

Content warning: loss of a loved one and heavy emotions.

It’s been four weeks since I received the worst news of my life. That’s a month since my great aunt passed away. It’s still a soft subject for me, I don’t know why I talk about it this much. I’m constantly upset because I’m thinking about her, and then I do things that make me think about her even more.

My life was nearly perfect before. I was attending my dream highschool, making new friends, finding out about myself and my personality. I was even losing weight and my acne was clearing up. I was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life. Then, my only mother figure was ripped away from me.

It was all so sudden. She was 84 and I understand that, but she was so healthy. She did everything she could to make sure of it. To most people, she looked nowhere near her actual age. I had seen her a day prior to her death and everything was perfect. It was Sunday and we went to church together, like we always did. We didn’t do much that day, just enjoyed each other’s company. I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

During the first week, my mind was quiet while my heart felt like it had been physically pulled out and ripped apart. If I wasn’t crying, I was asleep and if I wasn’t asleep, I was crying. It was a vicious cycle that I’m glad I was able to get out of. I was waiting to come back to MSA, I knew I would be happier there. I hate that quiet, empty house where everything reminds me of her, but I love my dad and my dog with all my heart and I’d do anything for them.

“It’ll get better” is something that I used to tell myself all the time. A few years ago, I hit rock bottom. I lost a lot of my friends, failed half of my classes, and hated everything. I promised myself that things would be better and, with time, they did. I found new friends that showed me real friendship and love, my grades excelled, and (for the first time) I loved myself. After a year, I hit rock bottom again. I lost some friends and got caught in highschool drama and I was miserable. This time was different, though. I remembered how I pulled myself up out of the lowest point in my life and I didn’t have to promise myself anything anymore because I knew it would get better. And it did. I came to MSA and I was happier than ever for just 2 weeks.

I keep telling myself that it’ll get better. When I think it does, it all comes crashing down again. The first week back at MSA was great and I thought things were looking up. Then the second week was just awful. The third week started to look better, and now, I’m back in the dumps.

An entire month has passed and I don’t know how to feel. I’ll be completely honest, I’ve never been more disappointed in myself. History is repeating. I think I’ve already lost a few friends, I feel like my grades are dropping, and I don’t feel the same love I had for myself anymore. I tell myself it’ll get better, I know it’ll get better, but right now, it’s so hard to believe.

When I came back to MSA, I was swarmed with love and support and I couldn’t be more grateful. My friends helped me stay distracted from the heavy feelings and my teachers gave me grace while I struggled with motivation and fought to stay focused during class. Dr. Blauw helped in so many different ways, I can’t thank her enough. With this amount of love around me, I’m hopeful for the future and thankful for everyone in my life. This wound will heal with time and I know it’ll get better.

The fashion history of the beloved Morton salt girl

One key factor that companies and businesses like to consider when formulating an advertisement is the influence of trends and fashion. We see examples of this at Mattel for Barbie or the evolution of IOS. Brands use the world around them to design their products in a way that is most likely to sell. Barbie stays popular with hair trends and latest fashion designs, and Apple collects data from most sold models to fuel their newest make. One company that uses the influence of trending fashion to expand their economy is Morton Co. and the Morton salt girl.

The Morton salt girl is one of the most famous staples in American history. You might have seen her on the cover of your salt container while cooking or trying to kill a slug. She first appeared in 1914 on the all- blue container along with the old slogan It Pours. This was advertised because the company valued the free-flowing quality of its salt. Other renditions of this quote were ‘it never rains but pours’ and “flows freely”. It was decided that ‘When it rains it pours’ advertised these qualities best and from then on, the Morton salt girl and famous slogan appeared together.

Through the decades the look of the Morton salt girl changed a lot. When she first appeared, the Morton salt girl was drawn in black and white (no color), had curly short hair, held a large umbrella while standing in the rain and was dressed in the casual wear of kids in the early 1900s. The whole illustration reminds me of an early depiction of the character ‘Annie’ (1982). And the fashion statements were (in my opinion) Non-existent.

In the 1920s, They changed her hair from curly, short and blonde to short, straight and brown hair. One important factor to consider was the roaring 20s. Bob cuts were popular and extravagant bows were a statement. Morton Co didn’t dive deep into the roaring 20’s, but we can promptly hit at the influence of the Era.

In 1933, The staples hair went from straight to, once again, curly or puffy. The color of the umbrella was a little darker and the pour of the salt flowed easier compared to any of the pictures before it. Though these changes were still subtle and easy to miss, one could infer Morton Co’s goal was to improve the overall illustration of the picture. But she’s still in her Sunday’s best and trudging through the dreadful weather.

1941: Instead of her usual Annie vibe, she’s given pigtails along with the surprising addition of a bright, popping yellow. Her Sunday best has undergone a few important revisions. There are Polka dots everywhere and puffy arm holes that show the growth of Morton Co. tremendously (It adds to the happy atmosphere of the child.) I think out of all the versions, this one considers the aspect of a kid a lot more. She’s happier and her outfit shows it!

1956: We get the 50’s vibe here. There is a thickness to the dress that reminds me of a ball gown. I read about this tool called ‘candy canes’ that was used in the 50s to give dresses a ‘ballroom’ look. It was a handy tool used by women to make their dresses look fashionable for events and such. The edges of her wardrobe are decorated with the simple yet favored style of the 1950s. Personally, these revisions don’t show much development from 1941, but I suppose the most important rule of business at that time was to stick to the trends. However, the yellow feels rejuvenating and fresh. And I love the new design of the dress.

Which Spider-Man is the Best?

For a long time, this question has been floating around regarding the live action Spider-Man movies. So, in this blog I’m going to sort them from worst to best. But when I say worst, I still think he’s good, just not the best one.

Tom Holland

I still really love Tom Holland. I love the movies and everything that this Spider-Man is in. I just don’t think he holds up like the other two. I feel as if his story was rushed a little too much. I see what they were trying to do with not showing his origin, but everything else about it was just strange. It felt like he never got to go through the big struggle of Spider-Man due to everything being given to him by Tony Stark. Yes, he still had to learn how to be a better hero and deal with his mistakes, but other than that, there wasn’t much for him to learn with him basically getting spoiled. The second movie shows him without Tony, but he still used a bunch of Tony’s equipment and had Happy to guide him. The third movie is where I think he does start to really start to feel like Spider-Man with the help of the other two. They did set it up for him to be more like the comic Spider-Man at the end of that movie, thankfully. But recent leaks show that he may still be on the huge multiversal stuff in the next movie rather than street level fights. Hopefully, this isn’t the case.

Tobey Maguire

Tobey Maguire’s portrayal of Spider-Man is pretty comic accurate. He is a really good Peter Parker. He really does encapsulate the nerdiness of Peter. But his Spider-Man, though extremely courageous and a really good hero, just doesn’t give off the Spidey energy. Spider-Man normally has really funny quips that are meant to be corny on purpose. The purposeful corniness of them is what makes them funny. Tobey’s Spidey is really serious a lot. Of course, he does joke around throughout the movies, but it seems like he’s actually trying to be really funny, but they just come off as corny in a bad way. Other than that, he is a really good Spider-Man.

Andrew Garfield

This one may be really biased due to him being the Spider-Man I grew up with, but I just really like him as Spider-Man. He doesn’t give off the nerd vibes, but he does give off the loser vibes of Peter Parker. He’s really awkward and gets bullied a lot. He normally keeps to himself like Peter does in his early years. When he is Spider-Man, he is really funny. He is pretty corny but does add in some real humor to it. I love seeing him beat up villains and mess with them in the process just to annoy them. His movies weren’t written the best story wise, but he seems to me to be an amazing Spider-Man. I also think the villains in his movies are pretty cool. I feel like they were some that most may not have thought to make a movie out of, but they did, and their stories were pretty cool.

Inside by Bo Burnham. Pt.1

Inside is an album that came out in 2021 made by Bo Burnham. It captured the attention of many young people who were trapped in their home due to quarantine. I will be talking about the songs from it as someone who is a huge fan of all of his work!! This will only be disc 1. I’ll do the rest another time.

Bo Burnham Releases 'Inside (The Songs)' As An Album: Stream

1. Content 1:36

Content is the first song of the album where Bo speaks on being back online after disappearing for years. He starts off saying that he didn’t expect to be inside of his home all of the time. He talks about not being able to leave and being a bit depressed about it, doing little things to get back into the swing of things. “I’m sorry I was gone, but look I made you some content.”

10 Times Bo Burnham's Inside Was Absolute Perfection

2. Comedy 5:19

Bo Burnham starts this song off saying how everything is changing, and no one knows what’s happening. Everything is happening all at once. Politics and climate change are overwhelming and it’s getting harder to be a comedy in such serious times, who wants to joke at a time like this? He wants to make a change but feels like comedy isn’t something that can make a change. He says he should use his voice, but also says that white men have had the stand for at least four hundred years so maybe he should just step out of it. But no! Bo wants to help without standing on the sidelines, even though he really knows he can’t. “Should I be joking at a time like this?”

Here’s a look at every song in Bo Burnham: Inside • Flixist

3. Facetime with my mom (tonight) 2:20

In this song Bo starts by saying he’s dropping everything to FaceTime his mom. He speaks about their conversations and dynamic. His mom is clearly an older woman who enjoys The Blacklist. He speaks about the odd relationship between him and his dad, the two barely talk with one another. His mother covers the camera with his thumb and Bo gets frustrated, we see him literally yelling at the phone. We never see his mom or dad. “I’ll waste my time facetiming with my mom.”

Bo Burnham: 12 Best Songs in Netflix's Inside

4. How the world works 4:15

This song takes the view of a show that is clearly meant for the children. He speaks about how the world works and that it can only work when everything works together. He speaks of thing in a very childish way, speaking about animals mostly and how they all give and get what they need. He then pulls out a sock puppet named “Socko”. The sock is more realistic than Bo, the way he speaks of things is devastating. Bo asks, “What can I do to help?” Socko tells him to educate himself and Bo makes a statement saying that he’s the one in control here. Socko argues against this but is almost pulled off of Bo’s hand. He begs to not go back to where it is he is when he’s not on his hand which is a state between not being dead, but not alive either. They end the song normally, but Socko gets taken off his hand anyway. “Remember who’s on whose hand here.”

10 Best Performances In Bo Burnham: Inside

5. White Woman’s Instagram 4:00

In this song Bo talks about just what the title is! In the song he names out very simple things. An open window, a novel, and avocado. Nothing that we all haven’t seen on Instagram before! The song is mostly repetitive, but in the video, we see Bo doing many poses of pictures I know I’ve seen on there before. At the end it gets a bit sad, speaking of the prospective from this woman. Apparently, both of her parents have passed. A lot of people think that it’s Bo’s actually story. I’m not very sure the condition his parents are in, but Bo made a bunch of jokes in the past about his parents being deceased. “Is this heaven? Or is it a white woman’s Instagram.”

10 Best Performances In Bo Burnham: Inside | ScreenRant

6. Unpaid Intern 0:34

In this extremely short song Bo sings about being an unpaid intern, running around and not having any time for yourself at all. Questioning how most of the people there can even work there, but who cares? You’re just an intern. “I’m an unpaid intern.”

Unpaid Intern- Who's in the glasses?! : boburnham

7. Bezos 1:58

This is one of out the five Bezos song Bo Burnham made and I’d say it’s the most the popular one. He tells us that Jeff is an entrepreneur, and he was born 1964. He’s above them all! Zuckerburg and Gates and Buffet can suck it, he says! Also has a crazy piano riff. “C’mon Jeffery, you can do it.”

10 Best Performances In Bo Burnham: Inside

9. Look who’s inside again 1:23

It might seem like it, but this isn’t the most popular songs! Almost everyone has heard this title before, but it actually comes up in a latter song, singing the part we all know and love. Bo talks about how it is to be funny while being stuck in his home. How hard it is to make a joke and feel funny without an audience in front of you. “Trying to be funny and stuck in a room.”

The 30 Best TV Shows Of 2021

10. Problematic 3:13

So, before Bo Burnham disappeared from the internet, he had a bit of controversy attached to his name. During the times of 2020 we had people using their voices for things no one really needed it for, a lot of people who didn’t even have the authority to cancel him did try to! It didn’t go too far after those two years. He speaks about how times are changing. Is anyone gonna hold him accountable? He talks about the awful jokes he made when he was younger, but he isn’t using his age as an excuse. He did those things, but he does regret them. He ends the song saying sorry over and over “Isn’t anybody gonna hold me accountable?”

See the source image

11. 30 2:34

In this song Bo talks about how he just turned thirty. We his birthday pass as we watch him make this series. He talks about how he got used to being so young, but now he’s thirty. He also speaks on how his granddad did so much at the age of 30 and he’s not doing anything, and everyone is having children except him. “Now I’m turning thirty.” (Not putting a picture. He was half naked for like most of this album, man.)

How Stranger Things Ruined a Character and then Killed them Off

Spoilers for most of Stranger Things, especially season four.
Minor trigger warning for mentions of character death/injury. Read mindfully and take time for yourself to relax if need be! :]

October of 2017 saw the release of Stranger Things Season two, arguably the best season of the entire series (and this is coming from someone who’s favorite character is Eddie Munson). Season two expanded on the character growth that began in the first season, tackled strong emotions around family trauma, abuse, and mental health, and presented a boat-load of new characters. One of the most notable being Sadie Sink’s character Max Mayfeild. Max is presented as a tomboy-ish new student, straight from sunny California with her mom, step-dad, and older (step) brother. The main cast of characters, all teen/preteen boys, are immediately intrigued by her boy-ish personality and video game skills. Her introductory season reveals Max to be someone comfortable in her identity; she prefers masculine clothing, stays away from makeup and dresses, and enjoys hobbies that (especially in the 80s) were categorized as ‘for boys’. She is even noted in her first ever on-screen scene to prefer the name ‘Max’ to her birth name, ‘Maxine’. Most of this is unimportant to this specific blog post, but I mention it to point out that she was a perfect representation for possible transgender or gender non-conforming representation. Given the show’s history with queerbaiting, I’m not surprised they deciding against giving her a queer plot line.

Season three completely overrides all of Max’s previously stated character development. To be fair, season three did this with many characters, not just Max, but Max’s is easily the most noticeable. Season three portrays Max as much more feminine, something that feels much more uncomfortable given that this is the season where she officially has a boyfriend. Her relationship with Lucas is another thing that season three does extremely dirty. They are shown arguing and ‘breaking up’, only to get back together days later. This joke-y and gimmick-y relationship completely undermines the intense emotional bonding that they two characters shared in the first season. In season three, there is no relationship tension between Lucas, one of the few black characters, and Max’s extremely racist brother Billy. Lucas and Max no longer share any heart-to-heart bonding moments like they did throughout season two. Their relationship is turned into a sit-com adjacent plot device in a matter of minutes.

Another fatal flaw in season three is the almost satirical ‘feminism’ that Max’s new personality displays. She and El become close, specifically bonding over their shared hatred for annoying teenage boys. This would possibly make sense with any other two characters, but given their previous motives, this is senseless. Max had been categorized as a loner who found community within the main friend groud of the show. She enjoyed their company and wanted to spend time with them. She didn’t mind their ‘teen boy’ humor- in fact, she acted the same as they did. Similarly, El saw the main friend group as some of the only real family she had. She was arguably emotionally attached to them to an unhealthy point, which only further skews the season three plot. In season three, both El and Max suddenly want nothing to do with the main friend group who they had previously devoted most of their lives to. On top of all of this, Max and El are continuously objectified throughout this season as simply presenting as ‘nagging girlfriends’, foils to the main male characters.

The ending of season three is one I still cannot fully comprehend myself. The way it is so easily swept under the rug come season four is baffling, but I could care less about season three as a whole. The only important thing to note is that Max’s abusive step-brother Billy is killed by the end of season three. Season four Max is extremely disturbed by this, and her mental health takes a clear nosedive. She is once again portrayed through the more masculine and standoff-ish loner personality which she was presented with in season two. She is clearly affected by Billy’s death, as well as some vague nightmares and visual hallucinations which seem to be plaguing her and other characters throughout this season. Season four redeems a lot of the qualities that were lost in season three. Max and Lucas’ relationship is still messy, but now the reason for that is clear. Max is isolating herself from everyone she cares about because of her mental health struggles and clear depressive episodes. Lucas is devoting most of his freshmen year towards the school’s basketball team and is thus missing out on a lot of important events. As season four progresses, Max and Lucas have more of those familiar heart-to-heart moments that they shared in season two. They continue to bring out the best in each other and support one and other through even the most gut-wrenching parts of the season.

Most of season four was spent reworking all of the character development that Max had lost in season three. Because of this, a lot of her mannerisms and plot points felt repetitive. Despite being the main focus of season four, it seemed like the plot was happening to and around her, rather than Max herself affecting the plot in any major ways. This is just another disappointing example of Stranger Things’ weak writing post-season two. While it’s not clear what was causing these notable writing shifts, one can find it easy to assume it had something to do with the wide spread interest in the show and their excessive budget growth.

While the end of season four is unclear, is easy to assume Max’s fate. After her unfortunate battle with Vecna, nearly all of her bones are broken and she is left blind and possibly deaf. According to El in the end of the season, Max’s soul is also seemingly absent from her body as well. While I wouldn’t be surprised if season five pulled out some insane plot devise where Max is magically cured, I wouldn’t be happy about it. As much as I love Max’s character and everything about her, I feel that with the trajectory of the show, she has unfortunately served her purpose. With the creators clearly unsure of how to properly wrap up her character arcs, she is instead completely immobilized and reduced to a catatonic state. Not only is this a sad ending, it’s also disappointing. I like to rewatch season two and imagine a world where the creators furthered her character with important plot devices centered around her mental health, her abusive step-family, and her relationship with her mom. I imagine they pursue a queer-focused plot with Max’s character and show how Lucas helps her through the confusing questions she has about her identity and her gender. I imagine her and El forming an actual friendship that passes the bechdel test each time they interact. Unfortunately, I am not the one writing Stranger Things.