Clopin Trouillefou is a minor supporting character in the classic animated Disney movie The Hunchback of Notre Dame but is arguably the best and most important of them all. (And also the most attractive) He serves as the narrator for the film and is the first voice we hear. Without Clopin, there would BE no story of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. NONE.
Look at him. Yes, his clothes are poorly designed but that’s OKAY because his eccentric and radiant personality shines through the eye-bleeding attire and logic-defying mask. Seeing him on screen makes me so HAPPY because he instantly steals the show and makes sure that you know that he should have been the main character. Quasimodo? Never heard of him. Esmerelda? Irrelevant. Phoebus? Isn’t he from that Disney Channel show? One of the most memorable scenes of the movie is The Court of Miracles song. The imagery here definitely wouldn’t be allowed in Disney movies today (or most of Hunchback at all, really, but that’s for a serious post.)
The costume changes? Immpecable. If Clopin went to MSA it’s very clear he would be an absolutely phenomenal theatre. He shows such charisma on stage even when he’s about to execute the main characters. The contrast he shows at the beginning of the movie when he puts on a puppet show for children and when he is happily about to hang our protagonist is impressive. Truly, he is a man of talent. Not only is he a wonderful entertainer, he is also a talented swordfighter and master of disguise. Just by looking at him you can tell that he can do anything he sets his mind to. You can also tell that the rest of the Court of Miracles looks up to him as a leader, and it just adds to his list of many talents.
You’ve now witnessed the glory of the absolute best Disney character of all time. Graced by his presence, perhaps. You may not know that your life has been changed forever, but it has. You’ll never look at this shade of purple the same ever again. His dashing smile and eccentric charm will come to you in your darkest moments and lift you up. I sincerely believe that once you die, you are greeted by Clopin’s puppet show in the afterlife. It’s also almost morning and I’m staring at my reflection in my computer screen wondering how my life got to this point.
Hey guys! I can’t believe it’s March already 🙁 The juniors are becoming seniors and getting their stuff together. And the seniors….my babies….(sobs for a few minutes and sighs while wiping a tear away before pretending I’m fine) I’ll miss you so much.
It feels like just yesterday I went on a picnic with my new cool friends and met my favorite two people in the world. I remember when I hated this place. Boy, times really change.
I remember the first time Katie played the cello for me and we bonded over our shared interests and our dread of going to first block instead of sleeping.
I remember the first time Stephyne called me beautiful and meant it. She taught me to love myself and that everyone can use a little bit of kindness.
I owe so much to Maple, who invited me to sit with them that first day. And for the hour-long texts when I felt like I was drowning in this sea of students.
I thank my student body president who, even though she didn’t know me except for a ten-minute interaction months before, stayed on the phone with me for hours while I broke down daily.
I thank Azya for encouraging me to be myself and not to worry about everyone’s opinion all of the time.
I thank Bri for sharing my love of Pink Floyd and being so compassionate and empathetic even though she barely knew me.
I thank Morgan for showing me that I don’t need to conform for them to accept me.
I thank my beautiful juniors for creating this beautiful bond with me so I don’t feel so alone anymore.
I thank one of my beautiful best friends, Callie, for never making me feel ridiculed, for giving me food when I forget to shop (all of the time), for encouraging me to dress like Rob Zombie, for taking me thrifting for the first time and introducing me to Depeche Mode. You are so beautiful.
I thank Mrs. Sibley for being a maternal figure to me. For helping me unlock a part of my soul when it comes to writing. For being ever so lenient when it came to my late work.
Thank thank thank you Zayne for being my best friend. For staying up till four A.M. all of the time on FaceTime. For laying on my lap while I’m on the phone. For walking me up the stairs when we have to go to our dorms. I thank you for many more things. You are my rock. I love you and when you graduate, you’re not getting rid of me that easily. We’ll hang out. I don’t care if I have to drive four hours to see you. We’ll FaceTime, call, play games together.
I’m not ready for you to leave me, but I am ready for us to make new memories together. I love you all and I’m sure that this is just the first of many bittersweet blogs that no one reads. I can’t wait to continue to bond with you all. I love you guys so much!
This has been your friendly neighborhood weirdo with a new blog.
The events following last year’s Spring break has traumatized an entire generation. My friends and I have been counting down the days and hoping…no praying that this spring break will not be a repeat. So, in order to distract ourselves from that trauma (distraction rarely helps with trauma, el oh el) we are looking on the brighter side of things. IT’S SPRING BREAK!!!
Spring is a season that I personally adore. The fashion, weather, the flowers coming back full blossom, what’s not to love? (maybe the allergies, but we’re being optimistic here) It’s the perfect time to reconnect with both yourself and nature. The days are extending and school is coming to a close end. Why wouldn’t you be excited? And for seniors, this is sadly the closing of one chapter and the opening of another.
Anywho…what are your plans for spring break? (oh, you haven’t decided and want me to go first?…ok I got you.) Well, since you so generously let me go first, here are my plans for a trauma-free spring break.
Firstly, the Friday leading into spring break I plan to get well-rested for the week ahead. The following Saturday, it’s time for a Spring glow-up. I plan on getting my hair done and then getting a pedicure following my hair appointment with my bestfriend. Later that Saturday we have a bestie date planned following Covid-19 guidelines of course.
Sunday, I plan on going to an afternoon painting picnic. The following Monday through Tuesday is pretty much free game. Wednesday, I have a movie date planned (following Covid-19 guidelines of course.) Thursday, is the day I plan on spending with two of my close friends. Friday is still up in the air and Saturday is a themed dinner. Sunday is the day I recharge to prepare for school following my spring break.
With Covid-19 present in today’s world spring break isn’t what would normally be. You can still enjoy and have fun. Just please make sure you are wearing a mask, sanitizing, and social distancing. If you do plan on meeting people, please get tested. I tested on Monday. Please take precautions and do what is safest and healthiest for you and everyone around you.
Oh, these men. The question of the day: how many times? There are certain people who just do it for me. Ya know? Almost any occasion, there they are.
The question though is HOW MANY TIMES WILL THESE MEN CURE MY SOUL?!?
Kim Namjoon! Kin Seukjin! Min Yoongi! Jung Hoseok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! BTS!
That’s the fan chant for anyone who didn’t know… Anyways, now that that’s out the way I can continue. I am what is considered a new ARMY, or new fan, of the group. When I joined you ask? I’m not quite sure myself.
I’ve realized they were always there. Looking back in my memory deposits I can trace remnants of them like butterflies in an expansive field. Whether it be just one song my brother would play in the car, or my friend had a poster. They. Were. There.
Last summer with the hit of COVID and a pandemic messing everything up, I think they showed up again. I swear it’s the oddest thing because I don’t remember the exact video or time I started becoming obsessed. It hit fast, it hit hard, and there was no stopping the transition. I realized they had actually left cocoons that had now developed and metamorphized into butterflies now. I went from oblivion to binging their reality show, catching up on every interview, watching all the YouTube edits and compilations, reciting the fan chant every waking moment, and watching performances and music videos since there debut in 2013. There was a lot of material to cover, and with the pandemic having everyone quarantined I had ALL the time.
What’s this? I wasn’t ready. A new era was on my doorstep whether I liked it or not. My new duties and responsibilities being part of the ARMY had to be executed to the best of my abilities. What are these duties you asked? I’ll let you read the news report yourself.
“BTS has broken the record for the top 24–hour music debut on YouTube, amassing a staggering 101.1 million views, a YouTube spokesperson confirmed to Billboard.”
This is just the top of the board not to mention the rest of the videos we have on the board. *flips hair* Many of us, me too, will stream their new video releases on repeat all day the first 24 hours with no interruptions. I keep the video queued and was able to stream my first a total of 300 something times on my laptop, and the tv, and my brother’s Nintendo Switch, even while I slept I made sure it kept going.
The thing is, BTS has gotten so many of us Armies through so much, so we do all and everything we can to support them and give them world recognition. BTS is always acknowledging their fanbase and other people just don’t realize how passionate we are in making these 7 angels receive every bit of success they rightfully deserve.
They literally performed in Grand Central Station in New York.
At their first performance at an American Awards show for the Billboard Music Awards of 2017 the fanbase had the loudest reaction over any other fanbase for the American artists.
We do this all this because this group really just wants to spread positivity throughout the world through their music and influence. That is why Armies try so hard to spread the word of BTS because becoming a fan of BTS was one of the best things I have ever done, even for my mental health. They want people to find happiness in themselves as they are and went as far to start a campaign called Love Yourself. This was during the era, Love Yourself. When the Black Lives Matter movement was affecting America BTS donated money 1 million dollars to the foundation and then Armies matched that in a total of 2 million dollars for the movement. This is just once instance of them doing what they preach. The main leader encourages the fans a lot to study and try an do good in school, and the pressure of him somehow realizing a bad grade I get motivates me to try hard for him. They may have just been 7 kids with a dream, but their impact is still reaching people of all ages globally.
Here are some videos to correlate with the emotions they can relate/ help get one through. It’s best to use English subtitles to really be able to connect to the song if Korean is a foreign language for you.
PRIDE
When I am feeling my BTS nationalism I can listen to what I believe to be the anthem of the fanbase. ( Oh lord we cry every time. ) They made this song that reflects on the journey they’ve been on and how they only started as seven and now they have the world with us.
“We are not seven with you.”-BTS
It is such a powerful song if you truly love the group and have seen moments of their beginning and end this is it right here. It really is :}
SELF-LOVE
Sometimes I feel like doo doo about myself, and have no confidence. These videos give me the confidence I need to keep going. They make me realize I am golden, and a bhaddie.
This one has Nicki Minaj and I live for that as well. Shout out to the Barbs!
SADNESS
BTS are here for you and me even through the tough moments. You better believe it. When life sucks and everything seems to be exploding around you, and it gets hard to keep going, they’re here. They feel you and want to help…
That cover of Coldplay’s “Fix You” really hit different.
JOY
Sometimes BTS just wanna be there with you to be bright and happy. They want to shine alongside you and keep your mood elevated with them. Fun dance breaks or when you just have the universe on your side.
This song was their first in all English and stayed at the number one spot for weeks. It released this summer when we all needed a reason to dance and be happy the most.
This only scratches the surface with their capabilities and talent level and the range of emotions they cover. BTS is truly, as I said before, one of the best groups I have ever supported and loved. They just wanna make the world a better place in the ways they know best. They are constantly breaking records and have gotten all kinds of awards. Right now, they are the first fully Korean group to be nominated for a Grammy. We have only a couple more weeks to see if they can be the first to win one too. Fingers and toes crossed. I hope you can find any of their music enjoyable, the rappers come out in some songs and really turn it out if the more upbeat pop isn’t your style. Just saying….*wink*
Maybe “UGH!” or “Mic Drop (Steve Aoki Remix)” I mean even my straight brother vibes hard to that one… just sayinnn *wink*
Oops! How’d that get there?!? Anywaysss, I wish you found something on this post that could tickle your fancy. This all may seem like I have a wild addiction and this behavior isn’t normal, but I am only one of an entire ARMY of millions. Thanks and please have fun, be wild, and be happy
P.S. At this point I’ve dropped so many video links one more wouldn’t even be that much. I just wanted to showcase their talent with one of their recent performances that blew me away. Every time. America ain’t got NOTHING on this group when it comes to the quality, visuals, and pure entertainment and here is just one more example why. Please enjoy
So, this Tuesday (yesterday most likely as you read this). My basketball team heads to the final four. Semifinals is the game this Tuesday, if we win then we go to the finals on Friday. Being close to something so great can be very nerve-racking. You may taste greatness, or you may fall into failure just before you can touch that beautiful hope. My team is amazing, and I do not doubt our abilities; in fact our biggest hindrance I believe is the tendency to get sloppy because of pressure. The times we seem to make the most mistakes are in difficult situations, and obviously this is a very normal reaction. I haven’t getting much playing time as I haven’t been able to go to practice on school days because of my schedule, which has not helped me in emotional and physical ways. We have had some Sunday practices recently, and I can at least make them.
Another problem is every time I try to move about I start hacking my lungs out. It isn’t COVID, so if you hear me coughing don’t run in terror. I had this same type of thing before earlier in the school year of just coughing up gunk, it wouldn’t go away until 2 full rounds of antibiotics, and the fact it came back makes me a bit worried. I also have had a lot of sinus pressure, assuming that is from the same thing. The sinus pressure is really bad for me because I can do nothing to fix it in my dorm room as I do not have the proper sink, and my sink doesn’t get warm. It causes intensity in my migraine pain and I have tried taking medicine for it and it has little to no effect.
So, my coach is nice enough to not kick me off the team, but no one is going to let someone play when they have no clue what is going on. So I just sit there anxiously on the bench, I do get in if we are winning by a good margin or at the very end sometimes, so at least I get some time touching the floor. I’m not a post player but one of my teammates is 6’4ish, me standing at 5’10, which is very tall for a female I might add, just can’t compete with that. Even though I had more skill she could block peoples shots by just standing there and letting them run into her. I don’t consider her a rival though, she’s actually a really nice friend to have, even if it is a bit weird having to look up at someone.
I have felt so excepted as a member of this team besides me just coming onto it as a Junior and not really going to their school, not to mention I am the only white person on the whole team and staff, I don’t mind this it just makes me stick out a lot. But still, I feel like they are very accepting of me. The whole team just has a much more positive attitude than my one back in Picayune. At Picayune, I was basically the slaughter goat, if something went wrong it was my fault, didn’t matter how, or even if I was in the general place it was happening. Someone threw a pass ten feet over my head? I’d be expected to catch it and if not I would get yelled at. I was the tallest on the team, that doesn’t mean I’m an Olympic high jumper. The coach there let this sour attitude go unpunished, so it continued. They would always find ways to be mean to me or exclude me from things.
Overall, I am just much happier here, so I am really excited, but also nervous.
As we edge past the corner of 2021, climate changes are rapidly chipping away at the integrity of the planet we call home. Evidence to support the existence of climate change is unequivocal; from global temperature rise to sinking ice sheets, scientists are making note of it all, as well as how living things on Earth are being affected by it. Though many argue that the urgency surrounding climate control is foolish because it is caused by natural processes, they are incorrect. Climate change happens due to a combination of both anthropogenic and natural factors, but research shows that human activity starting in the mid-21st century has significantly increased the rate at which these natural changes are occurring.
The greenhouse effect is the natural warming of Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and water vapor are reradiated skyward, and because they are excellent absorbers of radiation, provide Earth with enough warmth to sustain human life. Human activities that produce things like fossil fuel emissions have drastically increased the pace at which carbon dioxide rises into the air. In accordance with climate models, scientists predict that temperatures are likely to increase by 5 degrees Celsius by the 2100. If this is not addressed and regulations are not put into place, the Arctic could become ice-free, sea levels have the potential to rise 1-8 feet, more droughts and heatwaves will occur, and hurricanes will become much stronger.
It would be easy to convince ourselves that there is no point in combating climate change, that we are already too far gone to undo the damages, but the only thing that decides if we’re too far gone is the actions we take today. As a country, the United States needs to enact a plan that will set us on the path to decreasing our greenhouse gas emissions to net zero. In 2018, we produced the second largest amount of carbon dioxide greenhouse gases: 5.4 billion metric tons. The first change our country needs to make would be to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, which we formally left in November of 2020. Globally, all countries need to work to cut emissions in order to avoid the worst consequences. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, we would need to stop deforestation, find a means of using a newer, more efficient transportation system, and drastically alter the way we use and produce electricity.
We cannot stop climate change, but we can slow it. We can give our planet and future generations of life a chance of survival, but only if all countries take part. Taking action in the United States would help significantly in the reduction of carbon emissions; however, it is the combined efforts from many–if not all–that will give us a fighting chance at saving our world from the destruction we have brought upon it.
If someone were to ask you about yourself what would you say? Perhaps, your name might be the first thing to slip your tongue. Maybe, where you grew up, number of siblings, or what you do in your free time might come next. But, what does the person already know?
The person already has a sense of who you are by what they first physically see…
First impressions of me are usually that I am a short, black, girl with impeccable fashion sense. (Yes, I’m tooting my own horn there.) Others may say that I’m shy with a chill personality.
…but, really, how do they see you?
Here is how I see myself and my truth. I see myself as Bisexual Black Girl living in an America that doesn’t deem me fit for the society they portray. I am myself, loudly and proudly and I am never afraid to speak my truth no matter how much I know it doesn’t want to be heard.
I have been told multiple times that I’m not “black” enough. I have been told that I don’t act “bisexual”. Does that change the fact that I am most definitely both black and bisexual? No, it does not. All I’m trying to say is how others see you really shouldn’t matter. All that matter is how you see yourself.
If you choose to see yourself in a negative light, ask yourself why you only choose to see your flaws and imperfections instead of the true beauty I know you possess. If you choose to hide who you truly are, ask yourself why that is. Is your environment not safe enough to bask in your truth? Or is it simply you not yet knowing your truth?
If you find that you stumble over telling who you are to someone, you may not yet know your true self. And that’s ok. Take time to get to know you. Take time to love everything about yourself. Because how can you possibly give the honest answer of who you are if you haven’t got the answer yourself?
Self love and Exploration, Friends
-A bisexual black girl who is still learning herself 🙂
Content Warning: Eating Disorders Sexual Harassment
In 1977, in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Vivian Horner created the first Nickelodeon series: Pinwheel. The creation of this pre-school show jumpstarted the massive TV network that we know today, and at the hands of corrupt directors and producers, it was all downhill from there.
At the ripe old age of 14 years old, actress Jennette McCurdy was signed to a lead role in Nickelodeon’s upcoming show: iCarly. The majority of Nickelodeon shows run for a limited span of four seasons, but iCarly stayed along for an extra two seasons. According to ScreenRant, it contains 97 episodes – 32 more than their rival network Disney Channel’s maximum.
Jennette played the role of Sam Puckett, whose most prominent traits are aggressiveness, loyalty, and a love for food. Her character’s tendency to eat and overeat is shown throughout the entirety of the show, manifesting itself as an obsession with fat cakes, fried chicken, bacon, smoothies, root beer, and tater tots. This doesn’t seem like such an egregious trait – especially for such an eccentric character, but when inspected a little bit further, it brings a necessary microscope onto iCarly’s producer: Dan Schneider.
Schneider worked for Nickelodeon for 24 years, before parting ways in 2018. He was fired “at a natural time,” but coincidentally, soon after coming under fire for sexualizing the feet of teenage girls, specifically those who were under his lead in television. Amanda Bynes, for example, who was recruited by Schneider at the age of 9. She joined the cast of “All That” – a comedy sketch for children. Amanda Bynes is thought to be one of the first subjects of Schneider’s perversion and abuse in 1996, and Jennette McCurdy is supposedly one of the last, parting from Nickelodeon in 2014 at the abrupt conclusion of iCarly’s spinoff Sam and Cat.
Aside from the sexual harassment and abuse, Nickelodeon took a toll on Jennette and her self-image. She disclosed in an article written for HuffPost that she knew she would get more roles if she maintained a child-like figure. In a moment of realization in the car with her mom, who assisted in Jennette’s disordered eating, the actress knew she was too far in to stop. She had booked 6 roles in the year, all younger than her real age.
After being cast to iCarly, Jennette’s habits began to spiral more and more. The constant pressure of always being in the public eye, either by social media or by the growing popularity of her TV show, really took a toll on her. There’s a gap in the HuffPost timeline, but rumors circulate that iCarly and Dan Schneider’s direction only exacerbated Jennette’s disorder. As previously mentioned, Sam Puckett’s most identifiable trait is her love for food. It’s not a stretch to assume that Schneider was aware of Jennette’s struggles and chose to ignore them. A source cited by many as proof of Schneider’s abuse is the following picture of Miranda Cosgrove, visibly distraught by the presence of Schneider near her.
His role in Nickelodeon’s network, and the length of time he was allowed to remain employed there speaks volumes about the industry and its priorities. Schneider was never held accountable for his actions, and it’s paving the way for past, current, and future abusers to get away with it. Hollywood does not take care of its people, and it’s up to the public to hold the industry accountable for the way its children are treated.
Content Warning: addiction and dependence, drug culture
Dr. Feelgood, Kickstart My Heart, Same Ol’ Situation, Livewire, and my personal favorite…Shout At The Devil.
I have heard a few Motley Crue songs I didn’t like, but they are one of my favorite ’80s metal bands. Hair metal was crazy, not gonna lie. Def Leppard, Iron Maiden, Dokken, Ratt, Guns N Roses, Warrant, Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Twisted Sister… I could go on forever.
The point is, all of these bands were crazy. Ozzy literally bit the head off of a real live bat onstage (granted he didn’t think it was real.) The drugs mixed with the booze, toxic masculinity, money, lack of restrictions, and groupies shouldn’t have made the band that much wilder than the rest of the popular hair metal bands of the ’80s; but these guys went nuts.
One time Sixx dared Ozzy to snort a trail of ants… and he did it. These guys were the baddest of the bad. And while there were a lot of bad times for the band, the things they did were memorable.
To watch my idol play guitar in his prime? No brainer. I can just see it now… leather pants, fishnet sleeves, leather jackets, hair that’ll catch fire if a lit match is twenty feet away. I’d be jamming backstage cheering on Tommy Lee while he’s drumming spinning in the roll cage. Or watching Vince be almost attacked by groupies onstage. Or idolizing Mick Mars as he does complex guitar solos while scoffing at his immature bandmates.
Sure, there were some bad times, really bad times. Like when Razzle died, or Vince’s daughter died from cancer, when Nikki overdosed and everyone thought they were going to lose him forever, and my personal favorite (sarcasm) the band replaced Vince with Corabi. Thank goodness it wasn’t for long because it wasn’t working. Finally, they (with Vince not Corabi) made amends and started playing together. They got sober over and over again and it didn’t seem to work. But, after Vince came back, sobriety seemed to stick for them, and they continued to perform until their last show in 2015.
Since the ‘80s, rock hasn’t really been the same. In the ‘90s, grunge was all the rage. Self hatred, deprecation, and broodiness seems to be the style of millennials. Because the last time they were happy was the nineties. Early 2000’s was about more of the same thing from the nineties but mixed with a bit of screaming and pop. Now, we mix Ozzy with Post Malone.
maybe i should stop trying to make everything symbolic. it’s just snow. it’s not the universe’s way of telling me that something or someone is fading from my life, it’s just snow. it’s just a dirty puddle in the middle of my parents’ driveway that my sister’s car used to hover above, and it’s just an angry result of our ongoing climate crisis. nothing else,
and i wish that i could keep speaking those things into existence, but there’s always going to be a part of me that dies a little bit inside when i see the pinecone on my bedside table. it’s not a physical reflection of the final trip home before everything went to hell; it’s just a pinecone. it is prickly, not even pretty, and sometimes it hurts my fingertips when i go to pick it up, because it’s… a pinecone. i avoided them as a kid, and now i can’t even bring myself to dispose of one properly, because it’s symbolic,
but i should stop making everything into something it’s not. i should stop seeing memories in the window of my local trading post, because it’s just a gas station. it’s my first stop on the way back to school, and it’s my favorite place to get breakfast from in the morning; it’s not the first place we went in my hometown, it’s just a trading post. i keep telling myself that,
but there are still tire tracks in the dirt beside my house, and i don’t think they’ll come back any time soon after the next good rain. i’m sure my sobbing didn’t help the impressions such a small car was denting in my driveway, but i couldn’t help it. while i’ve been trying to reduce my metaphors to something less philosophical, i don’t think you can withdraw philosophy from the idea that the physical representation of my suffering contributed to the permanence of it,
but it snowed last week. and i haven’t been back home, but there are two parts of me right now. one of them is hoping that the weather has preserved all that’s left of a vehicle’s presence. the other is hoping that the melted tragedy takes the tire tracks with it, because it cannot bear to look at them any longer.
