Senior Literary – Page 2 – Literary Arts Blogspace

Maybe, I am Batman…

The Batman Meets The Dark Knight - YouTube — Robert Pattison (Left) Christian Bale (Right)

I didn’t know what I wanted my last blog to be. I have so many saved drafts that are never going to be anything because well, it’s over. I feel like two years have never gone by so quickly before. People always said that high school would fly by, but man they really meant it. Anyway, I had a blog draft named “Robert Pattinson Vs. Christan Bale’s Batman.” So, effortlessly, I will be showing how someone can be so similar yet so different, and while doing that, explain how these two years have changed me in so many ways. So, let’s start with Christan Bale’s, or I guess Christopher Nolan, who is the director.

A Complete Guide to Watching Batman Films in Order

Christan Bale was the Dark Knight. He did an amazing job playing Batman and Bruce Wayne, and I guess I can say this is the adaptation of both Batman and Bruce Wayne people tend to enjoy the most. Unfortunately, I did not watch Batman Begins. I got the DVDs from my grandma and that one didn’t work but just know it’s when he becomes Batman. Now, I don’t know much about that movie, so anyways. The Dark Knight!!

Bruce Wayne The Dark Knight

We don’t see Batman until ten minutes has passed in this movie. IN this universe, there are people who dress up as Batman to help fight, but they use guns, which Batman is strictly against. The main antagonist of this movie is the Joker. Christian Bale’s Batman has this more defensive fighting style, while still being aggressive and scaring his opponent, but he makes very quick work of getting them down! Though he does tend to get overly aggressive when angry, as seen in this scene with the joker.

The Dark Knight Interrogation Scene Explained (with Free Script PDF) — the joker has love interest held hostage…

He also has a very close father-son like relationship with Alfred, and in the third movie Bruce fakes his death to stop being Batman, and when Alfred finds this out, he is SO happy. Also, in the third movie we meet Catwoman, who ends up getting with Batman because love interest Racheal dies in the second movie… Glad he moves on, I guess.

Bruce Wayne The Dark Knight Rises — That is Selina Kyle (Catwoman) with her back turned!!

Okay!! Bruce Wayne. This Bruce Wayne is the one everyone knows. He always has a woman on his arm, he’s an airhead, and like however else you can explain him. In the Dark Knight movie, Joker puts a bounty on a man’s head. If he does not die, he will blow up a hospital. So, people were trying to get him, and when someone was about to crash into the car the man was in, Bruce intervenes driving his car in between them, saying he was only trying to catch the light, which I thought was funny. Also, in the Dark Knight, Harvey Dent is there, and Harvey makes Bruce want to quit. He believes that Gotham needs a hero who doesn’t wear a mask. Harvey Dent becomes Two Face after half of his face burned in a fire, and he flips this coin to decide whether or not his victim lives or dies. Harvey ends up dying in the end of the movie after falling, and Batman tells Gordon to never tell anyone, in fear of the hope Harvey put into the city will disappear if they find out what he did, which was kill like three or four people.

The Batman Posters 2022 Wallpapers - Wallpaper Cave

I LOVE this movie. So, this Batman is newer, only doing this for about two or three years now. The movie takes place on Halloween, and it begins with a very emo Bruce Wayne monologuing about Gotham, and how just because he hasn’t been doing this long people are still afraid when they see the Bat signal. The antagonist of this movie is the Riddler, but the biggest thing about it is Batman going from a symbol of fear to a symbol of hope. The Riddler is ruthless, and continues to leave notes to Batman, who is working with Gordon despite the police wanting to arrest him, and I LOVE Gordon in the movie. The Dark Knight Gordon sucks, and is lowkey the real villain… Anyway, in this THREE-HOUR movie, Batman figures it all out, obviously, while going through so much, so why is this Batman different? I’m not completely sure what comic he’s based on, but I do know that this Bruce Wayne is a recluse. He does not leave the house unless he needs to. He’s awkward and everyone knows him because he is still the prince of Gotham, but in a way that’s like Thomas Wayne was so goated, and Bruce is just his son.

Will The Batman Suffer Another Delay? Warner Exec Responds

Battison is SO aggressive, like he really is an act first, ask questions later kind of guy, like genuinely pushing people downstairs type of guy. There was a scene where Gordon is like, “Okay punch me and run so you can get away” and Batman punches him so hard and runs, and later Gordon is like, “You did not have to do it that hard.” Batman pretty much just shrugs his shoulders bruh he’s so funny. Not even joking, they’re lowkey besties in this movie.

The Batman: 10 Best Jim Gordon Scenes — I heart Black Gordon

Seline Kyle is also in this movie. Another villain besides the Riddler is Carmine Falcone, who apparently killed the Wayne parents. Allegedly, said by Alfred who took a bomb to the face AND LIVED. Speaking of Alfred, their relationship is different. They clearly care for each other, but it’s less of a father-son and more of an Alfred is just a butler. Like Afred and Thomas Wayne were close, but he’s not really sure what to do with Bruce, but they do have a sweet moment when Alfred is hospitalized, after, I repeat, taking a bomb to the face.

Alfred Pennyworth (The Batman Saga) | DC Database | Fandom

This is getting long, let me wrap it up. Selina Kyle ends up being Carmine Falcone’s daughter. Batman helps her arrest him but before he can get arrested, the Riddler snipes him. They find the Riddler. The city floods because he blew up the dams because he has this odd following of people who are orphans and upset. Thomas Wayne promised a trust fund to orphaned children but after he did, all the other rich people took all of that money, which left the orphaned children angry. Batman saves a bunch of people and becomes a symbol of hope after realizing his messed-up city needs something to look towards.

The Batman Debuts New Image of Catwoman and the Dark Knight — OH, I love her so much. She apparently auditioned to be Catwoman in the Dark Knight, but I’m glad she got this one.

10 Riddler Comics Which Batman Fans Can't Afford to Miss — Does he know…

Anyway. I think both of these Batman’s (Batmen??) are amazing, and I think superheroes can really make you reflect on yourself, which is something I’ve talked about before. Both of them made big sacrifices and changes to help Gotham. Christian Bale’s Batman risked his reputation, which was already lacking, just for the city to have hope. Battison gave up this persona who everyone should be afraid and changed into someone people want. I think it’s important to make sacrifices and lose people, and it’s important to grow and meet new people. Meeting Selina Kyle was like the best thing that could happen to happen to them and that’s beautiful. I do have to wrap this up, sorry, it’s so long. Remember that change is a wonderful thing and sometimes bad things happen, and even though it can’t always be resolved, sometimes you just have to climb out a really big hole.

Why The Dark Knight Rises Is The Best Of The Dark Knight Trilogy — Dark Knight Rises. Bruce Wayne escaping from a very big hole after being left hopeless

I believe that I’ve learned a lot about myself over these past two years, and that I have lost but also gained so many people in my life. I’ve realized that I can be more than who I always have been, so I will. Maybe I’m not giving a whole city hope, but I am giving it to myself, who always struggled to have it before. Thank you.

In Summary: A Retrospective of My Time at MSA

For my final blog, I wanted to give a semi-autobiographical look into my life these past few years, and how I got to where I am now. I hope that you will find some similarities through my experiences, as well as inspiration from my journey. I also want to take a minute to thank each and every one of you reading this, literary students or not. You have supported my art and my journey, and I can never repay you for that gift. Thank you and please enjoy.

From Pre-K 3 to 10th grade, I attended St. Andrews Episcopal School. I grew up at that school, around those people, and I learned so much. I am eternally grateful that my parents cared enough about my education that they sent me to such an expensive school. Even with financial aid, St. Andrews still costs an arm and a leg. Their education is top tier and easily worth every penny spent. My academic journey was supported every step of the way and St. Andrews is where I found my love of learning. I fell in love with English and writing through the curriculum there. I took Latin classes for multiple years, which further supported my interest in non-modern pieces of literature. I was supported by the teachers, who appreciated my commitment to my classwork. The only thing I lacked at that school was community.

I had friends at my old school, some of which I still talk to today, but I felt out of place for the longest time. It wasn’t till my last year at St. Andrews that it truly felt like a home. I felt like I had to hide so much of myself just to fit into the status quo and the standards set up by everyone else there. I felt like a complete outsider for years, and I struggled to maintain a social life. My grades were perfect but my mental health was not. I knew I needed an environment that supported my creativity just as much as it did my academics. Then, like the universe could hear my thoughts, I was sent a letter.

I don’t remember exactly when I got my letter about MSA, but I remember that it immediately piqued my interest. I had never heard of MSA before, even in my years of researching art school. Funnily enough, I had plans in eighth grade to apply to an art school in New Orleans, though I never went through with it. But in tenth grade, I got a letter in the mail and that was my sign to try again. I completed the entire application process by myself, only once requiring my mom’s assistance. I remember going to get my letters of recommendation from my teachers at St. Andrews. My advisor (he had been my history teacher in ninth grade as well) was saddened by the idea of me leaving but was excited to see where I would go in my artistic journey. My counselor was similarly supportive and talked to me about how she had heard good things about MSA and was excited for me to apply. My creative writing teacher was the only one who put up a fight.

Dr. Smith was my creative writing teacher in tenth grade. Creative writing had been the artistic elective I had chosen that year. In my freshmen year, it hadn’t been an option and I had doubled in Journalism and Graphic Design instead. My sophomore year was Dr. Smith’s first year of teaching creative writing in quite a long time. He was an AP English teacher and had taught creative writing at colleges in the past. He was the best teacher I’ve ever had. He supported my writing, encouraged my work, and never held back on feedback. He taught me so much and I am eternally grateful for him. When I told him I planned to switch schools, he wasn’t pleased. He was honest and told me that he didn’t want to see me go. He had hoped that I would’ve stayed in his creative writing class for my junior and senior years, and that I would’ve applied to his AP English course as well. He understood my desire to surround myself with creatives and seek out a more supportive environment, but he still wanted me to stay. I nearly broke down, telling him about how I loved his class but, for my mental health, I needed a new environment. He understood.

Audition day was nerve wracking, but I still had so much fun. I have so many pictures with my parents from my first time on campus. I met so many wonderful people and immediately felt welcomed. When I was accepted to MSA, I was ecstatic. I had applied to both literary and theater, as I am just as much of an actor as I am a writer, but I chose literary. I am so grateful that I did. While I would’ve been just as happy as a theater student, the MSA literary department has supported my artistic journey as an author in ways I cannot even begin to thank them for. I’ve gotten so many opportunities thanks to Dr. Alexis and all of her support. I’ve gotten amazing feedback from my peers and have met so many talented authors in both my junior and senior years. I have grown as an author as well as a person.

My time at MSA has truly been more than I could’ve ever asked for. I’ve made some life long friends at this school, met some insanely talented people, and learned so much about myself. I never would’ve become the person I am now without the support of this school and the community. Even when things were hard, I had friends from MSA to keep me sane. I am eternally grateful to this school. I am excited to graduate nonetheless. It will be sad to say goodbye to my juniors, as well as my senior friends who are going out of state for college, but I’m prepared for that sadness. This isn’t goodbye, this is see you soon!

last blog

Over the past two years, I’ve found my home. Now, I’m not going to be mushy, but I do think that my last blog post here at MSA should be a recap of my time here and what I’ve learned. I want to talk about some of my favorite pieces of writing I never would’ve known about had I not come here, along with some of my favorite works of my own.

Starting off, I want to talk about Girl by Jamaica Kincaid.

Girl is a short story set in the second person, representing a conversation between a mother and daughter. This story depicts societal expectations and the relationships between mothers and daughters in such a creative way, using a tutorial form as a way to protect the daughter and shield her from societal judgement and bias.

Next, one of my own works, sphynx.

I wrote sphynx as a triptych poem. Inspired by the threefold form of the most well-known sphinx riddles, I decided to put my own spin on it. The original riddle goes like this: “In the morning I walk on four legs, in the afternoon I walk on two, and in the evening I walk on three. What am I?” In the original greek myth, Oedipus answered “Man, we crawl as a babe, stand on two feet as adults, and must use a cane as elders.” I was very interested in how this threefold could apply to emotions and time of day, and based my poem on that. Here it is below.

this morning I am anger. i have opened up the insides of an oracle to hear the cries of my people. i crack apart the digital ribcage to gnaw on the bleeding heart prostrating itself in efforts for more oxygen, begging me for more time even as the beats run out. her sand is slipping through the hourglass of my hips. stuck between my toes, it becomes significant as i tread the forever desert.

this afternoon, i am sadness. left with little limerence to spare for the love of my life, I crumble. limestone pillars cannot bear the weight of my insecurity and lack of affection. cannot hold the broken body, bare and bloody, begging to be mine. bring his love to me and let me feast, lap up every lisp and wisp of passion, cosmic feline drinking up the moon.

tonight, I am joy. when the final lamplight dims, my face will split open, and the asteroids of my teeth will travel all the worlds inaccessible to rockets. my body will aflame and burst apart, the stardust of my soul splintering off like the split seam of a tree being.

When I applied to MSA, I was told there was no way I could make it, but I’m graduating in under a month’s time, and I’m so happy that I got to be here right now.

The Final Showing

Well guys, it’s been a long, rocky road with hundreds of sharp, spikey rocks at the bottom, but we made it somehow, and that’s great. For me personally, this experience has been an experience. I’ve had relationships, I’ve hated people, I’ve made one or two friends. Enough about that; I’d rather discuss the positives that this school has brought me.

A New Environment

This school has given me a new environment compared to my old one, where it’d be clouded bathrooms engulfed in smoke, classrooms full of sleeping teachers and kids, kids teaching students, or teachers telling kids about their “nightlife.” “I know it’s shocking but true. This place gave me a real education. While I do wish I had more science classes, it still has given me a good place to learn and grow as a person.

Friends

I know I’m a pretty cool guy. I mean, I’m funny, smart, humble, and awe-inspiring—some pretty good qualities if I do say so myself. But at my last school anyone that wasn’t affiliated with a gang or group was fodder, and I wasn’t the type of person to join one of those groups if you catch my drift, so I was alone for my middle school and high school experience, but here there wasn’t anything like that, and even with my crippling anxiety and my Asperger’s, I was able to overcome it and made 2 friends.

Opportunities

At my last school the only opportunities you get are always shot down by defunding and no adult supervision. For instance, there were no clubs because what type of adult would want to stay with the same twerps that whine and moan all day, and who would want to fund a school where a lot of the students are toting an AK or a Glock everywhere? It’s not fair, but that’s what it is like. The state won’t try and help schools like that, whereas here there are clubs, funding, trips, and scholarship opportunities, and schools won’t look right past you when you’re applying to colleges.

I know there aren’t that many reasons, but I only needed one to come here, and if I had to do my life over again, I most likely would still want to come here even though it has its faults, but we humans do too. I hope whoever’s reading this gets the same opportunities as me and can hope for a brighter future. Signing off forever is Quentin McClinton

It’s March! Let’s Talk about My favorite Christmas Movies

I never really had a show or movie series that I was passionate about when I was growing up. Though, I was raised by adults who had a heartfelt love for movie culture. I have watched all the Tyler Perry movies, every edition of Friday, Coming to America, and every good and bad version of Barbershop. I didn’t have a lot of control over our family remote.

Although the movies mentioned above now hold a special place in my heart, back then they didn’t really resonate with me. The only time I got to watch movies I liked was around Christmas, whether it was a romantic comedy or a beautifully animated cartoon, I always took to seasonal movies more. Since nobody can ever really turn down a good Christmas movie, one of my first memories is watching The Nightmare Before Christmas with my grandma on Christmas Eve. In today’s blog, I want to talk about a few Christmas films that first resonated with me.

Polar Express:

Even though I’m still young and building what I will consider my “youth” one day, I consider the most prominent points of my childhood to have been around 2010-2018. Polar Express came out in 2004. This movie caught my eye because I never saw a film that was animated like it was. It has a realistic 3D animation type, and although that’s pretty common to see these days, it was not common to six-year-old me.

I didn’t recognize the feeling back then, but when I first saw the film, I got a deep sense of uncanny valley. I was really drawn to the plot, which is basically a kid leaving his house in the middle of the night to catch a train and discover if Santa Claus is real or not. It sounded a lot more adventurous when I was a kid, but I can probably watch this movie at any point in my life and still love it with all my heart.

Edward Scissorhands:

My first time watching Edward Scissorhands was more recent than one might think. By recent, I mean last year. Some of my friends introduced it to me once they heard I’d never seen it before. I’m interested in anything that’s made by Tim burton. I love all his films and admire the way he uses his creative freedom. In this movie, and a few of his others, he uses color in an interesting way. I like to describe it as everything being a different color, but in the same shade or hue, and it creates this since of parallelism.

I love movies that interact with color like this, because it signifies the universe of the movie is unique from our own. Or at least that’s how I think of it. I know some people like to argue that this is a Halloween movie, and I can totally see how that comes to mind, but this film has always felt like a Christmas movie to me. Even though the plot might seem like a good Halloween movie, there are a lot of aspects of the Holidays here, so I really disagree with that.

Gremlins:

Though Gremlins is considered a less-cuddly type of Christmas movie, it has always been one of my favorites. I watched it when was a little older, around my pre-teen years, so I was mature enough to not be terrified of the microwave scene (ifykyk). Gremlins came out in 1984, and it was popular before I even watched it. It’s about this Gadget Salesman that purchases a pet for his son at a sketchy shop, and the store owner give him very specific instructions to keep the pet from basically turning into a monster.

The guy buys it anyway, gives it to his son for Christmas, the son doesn’t adhere to his dad’s instructions, then the pet turns into a monster and procreates little versions of himself. So now, the entire town is full of furry, sharp-toothed Gremlins running around and terrorizing people on Christmas. It’s a lot funnier than it sounds. I also like this movie because the plot was really unique to me at the time, since I’d never seen a holiday movie mixed with horror before. I really encourage you to watch this one if not anything else.

Overwatch and how the story is progressing

As we all know, I love Overwatch, but I can admit that the game had been in a rough state. But Overwatch went big, removing the 2, and going back to just Overwatch. This change brought us a brand-new season one with FIVE new characters being added at once, and ten by the end of the year. The last time more than one hero was released at a time was right when Overwatch became Overwatch 2 releasing Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko. The five characters added were Anran, Emre, Mizuki, Domina (Vaira Singhania), and Jetpack Cat (Fika). These characters have brought with them stories to add into the Overwatch Lore.

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As each character is released, lore is added to the story automatically, but Overwatch has actually taken a step at moving it along. Back in the day, animatics were made for characters, which soon went to just short stories and comics, with the occasional animated short. Many people complained, and Overwatch listened. Recently, a character named Vendetta (Marzia Bartalotti) was added. To summarize her story, her father Antonia Bartalotti was killed by Blackwatch, a secret group that Overwatch had, when she was a little girl. She was kicked out of her home and lost everything and has now grown to get revenge. Vendetta takes over Talon after fighting Doomfist (Akande Ogundimu), and that’s where we are now

Overwatch |OT| The Reign Of Talon OT | ResetEra — she walked in, served, and killed one of the most powerful people in lore

Many people didn’t like this though. Doomfist is arguably, the strongest person lore wise in the game. Akande fought hard and took many lives to get to his position as the Doomfist, like to become the Doomfist, you have to kill the current one and take the Doomfist (how many times am I gonna have to type Doomfist??). He has almost beat Overwatch countless times, and I think he didn’t because THEY ran. He got arrested, walked straight out of jail took over Talon, then got overthrown by the random angry woman who no one really knew until now (well because she just came out in game but also, she’s pretty young). But the thing is. He isn’t really dead.

Overwatch - Doomfist Origin Story Trailer - YouTube

I can’t find pictures of his fall but look at him. He’s so evil, everything he has done is for unexplained reasons, he just starts chaos just because he’s able to. Anyway. While him and Vendetta are fighting, he falls out of the building. We never see his body. In game map changes have shown that the news is looking for him. He’s still alive… There are many theories about this. Some thinks he did die, others are convinced that he allowed Vendetta to win just to see the chaos unfold, others just hate Vendetta idk. Anyway, she’s making big moves, and three members of Talon have left because they don’t want to work with Vendetta. Too bad that doesn’t matter because every organization in the game is evil, except Overwatch and the Wayfinder Society, and they all work with Talon, except like null sector and like the deep-sea raiders. I was gonna do a blog on all the organizations, but there’s too many…. Moral is, Overwatch is making big moves, story and gam wise, and I’m so excited for what’s to come.

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Dead Poets Society in Retrospect

Released in 1989, Dead Poets Society is a cult classic movie about boyhood, creativity, and mental health. The screenplay was written by Tom Schulman and the movie was directed by Peter Weir. The film starred popular actors in their youth, such as Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, and the late Robin Williams. There are many topics that the film handles extremely well, which is why it has become such a cult classic and fan favorite through multiple generations. However, there are still many issues with the film that have been ignored and looked over in its popularity. In this blog, I will be discussing the successes and failures of this movie, as well as how I personally would change things up.

For those who may not know, Dead Poets Society is about a group of wealthy, white men who are in their senior year at a prestigious private boarding school. The film also takes place somewhere around 1959-1960, which is another aspect of context that I find particularly important. The film discusses a number of themes, though the central focus is around these young men breaking out of the status quo and seizing the day, so they might seize their whole life.

Many of the main characters feel bound to the expectations of their fathers- other rich white men with successful careers. Multiple characters express the dread they feel, knowing their future had been completely orchestrated by their parents and they’re cursed with following in their father’s footsteps. For characters like Neil Perry (played by Robert Sean Leonard), this expectation is too much. Neil has dreams of pursuing theater and acting, as he has a strong love for the arts. However, Neil’s father forbids this life and expects his son to follow after him.

Neil’s character is a perfect example of the successes of Dead Poets Society. Neil Perry is a creative, light hearted, and extroverted person. He is brave enough to go against his father’s wishes and audition for a local production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Throughout the movie, Neil is shown to be happy and carefree. He is caring and kind toward his friends, he does well in school, he gets along with others. When he gets to perform in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Neil is shown to be truly and completely happy. His friends attend the performance and get to enjoy it with him. However, Neil’s father is also there. After the play, Neil’s father takes him home and threatens him with military school. Neil feels stuck. He truly believes that he’ll never be able to live his true self, because of his father. This realization and subsequent dread leads Neil to suicide.

Neil Perry is a uniquely perfect example of what depression and suicidal ideation can look like in people. The movie does an excellent job at showing how free Neil feels on stage and pursuing his love for acting, as well as the horrid contrast of the life his parents have forced upon him. The movie shows what is truly at stake for Neil if he follows after his father. Neil’s rebellion- acting in the play, starting the dead poets society- has true purpose and meaning within the film and his character.

The other characters in Dead Poets Society are not nearly as well rounded. For example, Charlie Dalton is more or less the comedic relief of the movie. He is crude and charismatic. He wants to rebel against his dad and against the higher ups at his school, but he doesn’t truly pursue that rebellion. There is nothing truly revolutionary about Charlie’s beliefs. In fact, he’s pretty racist and misogynistic. He only cares about breaking the status quo when it suits him.

Similarly, Knox Overstreet is another character who falls flat in his revolutionary beliefs. He objectifies women and gropes a girl he allegedly is in love with, while she’s in a relationship with someone else. He also completely abandons his friends to try and pursue a girl who wants nothing to do with him. On top of all of that, he doesn’t seem all too interested in rebelling against the system at all. He is aware of how the world serves him, as he is a wealthy white man, and he’s content with keeping it that way.

There are characters who, while not detrimental in their characteristics, fall flat and could’ve been much more compelling. Stephen Meeks and Gerrad Pitts (I put them together because they are inseparable in the movie and in how they’re written) are both extremely smart and have a lot of opportunities open for them because of that. Pitts talks about possibly going to Yale. He and Meeks engineer an illegal radio so they can listen to music and dance in their free time. They are both supportive of Neil’s dead poets society and avidly participate in meetings. However, we don’t get to know much more about them besides these things. In my opinion, these two could’ve provided a whole different perspective to the revolutionary beliefs shared throughout the movie. The two characters inspired one of my own short stories, specifically the radio that they created and the implications of this creation. I truly feel these two had much more potential, but they were washed to the background by Knox and Charlie.

Similarly, Todd Anderson is a wonderfully written character who struggles with anxiety, family issues, and the expectations of him to become just like his older brother. He also grows extremely close with Neil Perry, to the point there is speculation about the nature of their friendship. The two were extremely close and, after learning about Neil’s death, Todd is lost and distraught. Throughout the movie, we get to see Todd embrace his talent as a poet and become more and more confident in himself. However, we don’t get to know much more about him. To some extent, we only really see him through how he affects others. We see how he cares for and assists Neil Perry. We see how he inspires their teacher, Mr. Keating. We see how the other dead poets society members appreciate him. We don’t get to hear how he feels or what he wants. His character could’ve provided much more to the plot as a whole if we got to hear more from him and his perspective.

While a controversial character, I also feel that Richard Cameron could’ve provided more to the story. I appreciate the inclusion of a character who is anxious or simply against his friend’s desire to rebel and break the rules. I wish there was more to why he feels this way though. He is shown to be a teacher’s pet and a snitch, but we don’t get to know why. I wish we could’ve learned more about him and his motives.

So, how would I change things? For one, I would rewrite Knox and Charlie’s characters in their near entirety. While I completely understand and agree that some characters can and are racist and misogynistic, especially in stories that are meant to mirror the real world. However, I don’t think those characters are needed in this story. In fact, I think they draw away from the entire message and moral of Dead Poets Society. I would add more to the other characters I’ve mentioned and expand more on their beliefs and motives.

Generally, I feel that this movie is missing a lot of motive. Neil is the only character where it’s clear why he wants to rebel and break the rules. He has a true, life or death reason. The other characters sort of just fall in suit behind him, because he’s their friend. I wish we got to learn more about each of the boys, even if it was just small bits of characterization, so we could understand why they want to break the rules. Similarly, they love to complain about becoming doctors and lawyers like their dads, but they never talk about what they really want from life. Neil and Todd are the only ones who seem to know what they want from life. Everyone else just seems angry for no reason, and it makes everything else in the plot seem similarly weak.

On top of all of this, this movie takes place in the late fifties/early sixties and follows a group of privileged white men as they complain about the extremely privileged and fortunate life that they’re being “forced” to live. While I understand the basic idea that’s being conveyed here, I feel like it fails to properly portray it. It’s hard to sympathize with these characters because they have it so good, yet that’s not good enough for them. Again, this would feel a lot different if we got to know more about them and got to understand what exactly they’re missing out on in life. But we don’t. So it all just feels … meh.

Anyways, I haven’t watched this movie in a couple years. I used to watch it all the time, back in middle school. It meant a lot to me back then and I still love it now. It has inspired a number of my short stories and poems and is the whole reason I got back into poetry in 8th grade. However, it has its faults. I wanted to reflect on said faults, while also reflecting on the aspects of it that I did enjoy. Don’t let this blog fool you, I do love Dead Poets Society. I’m just viewing it with a more skeptical eye, now that my rose-colored glasses have lifted.

analog bags and lack of will

A new trend has surfaced on my feed. I felt like it was a good subject for a blog post because it relates to a past post. Analog bags. An analog bag is basically an expensive bag filled with devices and knick-knacks meant to keep people off their phone. Even though I have employed somewhat of the same idea myself, I believe it is blatant over-consumption, packaged up in a pretty bow of feigned superiority.

The decentralization of phones is something I wholeheartedly subscribe to, it’s the lack of actual behavioral change that irks me. Most of the time, when we reach for our phones, it’s to satisfy our brains. The quick hits of dopamine that come from endlessly scrolling on Instagram or TikTok have become a way to destress or to avoid something. It’s difficult to break out of this cycle, but it makes it even harder to get out cold turkey when we simply replace it with things that don’t produce a similar reaction in our brains. This lack of dopamine often brings us back to the cycle within days or weeks, and that expensive bag of other devices or items that you bought specifically for getting away from your phone is now forgotten and relegated to a dark corner of disinterest. And most of the time, people are only doing it to tote their “chronically offline” lifestyle as a medal of honor to hold over people’s heads. It feels like a taunt when the ones who are actually doing the work to move away from social media and the slot-machine-from-hell that is the algorithm get lumped into this group. When self-improvement stems from disingenuous intent like this, it makes other movements seem just as fabricated. It also adds to the over-consumption that plagues the globe when influencers create a trend that is so heavily supported by the buying of new things. Most videos I’ve seen have recommended buying from the Amazon storefront linked in their bio, when it would be so much easier to take an old bag and buy from thrift stores and rent books from libraries. These endless pits that we throw our money into won’t improve us no matter how much we spend if we don’t do the work to improve our behavior. You have to do the work to change the habit or it will just lead you to seek that dopamine from other, maybe worse sources.

Marvel Rivals Rant

The new season of Marvel Rivals coming tomorrow has left a lot of fans feeling mixed. I personally get why some are angry, but at the same time, it feels weird to criticize Marvel Rivals for adding lesser-known characters first and then adding more popular characters. How else are people going to find out about these obscure characters? Marvel Rivals is giving them a chance to shine, which in turn makes more people want to write about them. That’s one of the better things about Marvel Rivals; it’s given characters like Angela, Jeff the Land Shark, Elsa Bloodstone, and many other character variations time to shine in the spotlight. Now, if we want to criticize Marvel Rivals, there are so many other things, and I’m going to list them.

Blatant racism

Marvel Rivals has this problem in spades, and every time someone brings it up, they say, “Well, erm, actually Marvel Rivals is a Japanese company; they don’t have to do more for Black people.” You should be lucky in the game at all.” Now imagine that voice in like half the player base. It’s infuriating how people act like Japanese people are toddlers when these are full-grown, able-bodied men. News flash, genius. Everyone knows what racism is. They know what actions are racist and what they say is racist. And adding this on Black History Month is insane, and it feels like they are laughing at us.

Also, the fact that all the Black people in the game are constantly neglected—like, when was the last time Blade, the character that was teased for 2 seasons and was chained up for all the players to see, got anything substantial? Now I can excuse all the free Storm skins mainly because she’s the least picked DPS in the game, but tell me why she and Black Panther had free wedding skins when all the other couples had event-based skins and actually had to be paid for. It’s weird. Also, another thing people associate Black people with disco, you know, because we are the people that made it. So tell me, why did not a single Black person get a disco skin? But Thor, the person not even from Earth, has one.

Toxic Players

Every so often when I load up on Marvel Rivals, I get a really bad teammate that plays for the vibes, and it’s so infuriating that it makes me want to shove my head in a tuba and scream, but not even that will mask the sounds of the dread and rage I feel. Marvel rivals, please do better.

underscores: My Absolute Favorite Artist

Since mid-September of 2025, a new artist has found their way into every single one of my playlists. Unlike all my other favorite artists and bands who are past their prime or have most of their discography released before I was even born, underscores’ career is extremely active and I see it prospering more in the future than ever before.

underscores, real name April Harper Grey, is a 25-year-old hyperpop artist that started out by making dubstep on SoundCloud in 2013. She has two official albums, fishmonger (2021) and Wallsocket (2023). On Spotify there’s also boneyard aka fearmonger, that shows up as an album but it’s an EP, that’s a companion piece to fishmonger. She also has tons of singles, some of them being promotional songs for albums or collaborations. Unfortunately I don’t know much about her early career since, I’ll admit, I’m a newer fan. I also just don’t know much about albums, singles, and EPs, or anything about the technical side of music careers. There’s nothing I can tell you that wouldn’t be better said in, like, a Wikipedia article.

I found underscores one night in the middle of September while I was cleaning. I was watching an archived live stream when the Wallsocket album was briefly mentioned as an “emotional rollercoaster”, or something along those lines. I had never heard of this album or underscores before so out of curiosity and boredom, I decided to listen to it while I mopped the floor and it wasn’t what I was expecting at all.

I had been out of the hyperpop scene for 4 years at that point, so hearing “Cops and robbers” for the first time was somewhat shocking. But even in the moment, I remember really loving it. “Cops and robbers” was actually the first song that made it off of the album and into one of my playlists. “Locals (Girls like us)” was even harder to wrap my head around for the first time listening. I remember really enjoying it after getting used to it, though. Then “Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh” started and I realized the heartbreaking majority of what this album would be, and I finally understood what the streamer I was watching meant.

I don’t aim to do an album review of Wallsocket. There are plenty of those made by people that know way more about hyperpop as a genre and music in general that could do a much better job than me. But my first time listening to Wallsocket is a core memory that I can recall better than half of my other most essential moments. I also kept listening to that album while I mopped for weeks after I did it the first time.

After falling in love with Wallsocket, I decided to check out underscores’ other stuff. I really love fishmonger and boneyard aka fearmonger, which I now know is an EP. fishmonger is actually closer towards the hyperpop I originally got into back in 2021, specifically “Spoiled little brat” and “Your favorite sidekick”. I somehow never discovered underscores back then though, but ultimately I’m happy I found her when I did. I also really love Wallsocket (Director’s Cut) which is the deluxe version of Wallsocket, “CCTV” has such a special place in my heart.

Since September, I would say that Wallsocket has saved my life 3 separate times. Obviously not physically, but probably mentally. It might sound like I’m giving this album too much credit, but when my life was at its lowest, I had this album to find comfort, joy, and inspiration in. In a social media post from December that I ended up keeping in my drafts, I described Wallsocket as “an album that just so happened to find me at the right time in my life so I could attach and base my whole personality off of it and use it to cope with things I was never taught how to handle.” So that’s a little harsh but I wouldn’t say it’s not true. I’ve additionally tied Wallsocket to what I imagine parts of my future to be like by constantly daydreaming about it while listening to the album. This is a completely new experience and I’ve surprisingly never done this with music before. Also, this is the only album I’ve written a poem after and I think that alone says enough about how much this album means to me.

I’ve tied my identity to underscores’ music so heavily and I think without it, I wouldn’t be anywhere near the person I am today. I feel like since I first started listening to Wallsocket, I’ve gotten closer to who I truly am and who I want to be. It’s really great that I’ve discovered this part of me right before my 18th birthday, it just feels really special. There are seriously so many layers to what her musical actually means to me. In countless underscores songs (not just from Wallsocket), I feel so deeply represented in ways that I have never felt before in any kind of media. Also, I’ve noticed that underscores’ music and her as an artist has given me a strange amount of confidence in my identity and my looks. Since getting into underscores I’ve also discovered a world of new music that I am so grateful for. I’ve gotten into Jane Remover, kmoe, Tiffany Day, Ninarichu, and I’m having so much fun finding more artists.

When I used to listen to older artists and bands, I used to occasionally feel a lot of dread when thinking about how music that was released a long time ago would never be recreated. I mean, you can’t really make 70s music in 2026 (I think I just miss ABBA right now).

underscores is actually releasing a new album on March 20! 4 days before my birthday and 1 day before prom! The album is titled U and 3 out of 9 songs have been released as singles — “Music”, “Do It”, and “Tell Me (U Want It)”. I love all of these tracks so much. I’m so unbelievably excited for U, because I almost know for a fact that I will love all of the songs, if not, learn to love them. I’ve never actually anticipated new music before. Even when I was into Chappell Roan as deep as I was, I wasn’t dying for “Subway” or “The Giver” to be released. This is almost completely new to me.

Also, underscores is going on a North American tour to promote U! Even better? I bought tickets to one of the concerts! This will be my first concert ever and it’s for my favorite artist. I’m unbelievably excited and I already know this experience (U being released, my birthday, and the concert) will be so special to me in the future.

In the social media post I mentioned earlier, I also described how it felt “disgustingly intimate” to recommend Wallsocket to anyone because “I held it so close to my heart”. I’ve definitely been able to distance myself at least a little bit from an album that one, I do not own and two, millions of people have listened to. Now I can proudly say that if you like hyperpop or electronic music or if I just interested you in how passionate I am about underscores, I would recommend that you listen to Wallsocket. And then U when it releases.

Wow, I’m really proud of myself for not mentioning my big fat crush on underscores and keeping myself focused on her music. She’s literally so gorgeous.

I didn’t look hard enough to find a spot for this small section I really wanted to add last minute, so I want to talk about my favorite underscores songs here. From fishmonger, my favorite songs are “70%”, “Second hand embarrassment”, and “Dry land 2001”. And from boneyard aka fearmonger, my favorites are “Girls and boys” and “Heck”. Out of the new songs in Wallsocket (Director’s Cut), my favorite is “Stupid (Can’t run from the urge)”, even though I mentioned “CCTV” earlier, it’s not my favorite but it is really special to me. From U, the songs that have been released are all great, but my favorite is “Do It”, I just think it’s a perfect track. And if I had to choose one song from Wallsocket even though I really can’t pick a favorite, I would choose “You don’t even know who I am” and I’m not elaborating.

Anyway, stream U on March 20, have fun at prom, happy early birthday to me, and catch me with my fishmonger lightstick at an underscores concert this summer!!!