sash (research paper era)

📍new york city musical enthusiast, taylor swift stangirl, true crime fanatic, forensic psychology + spanish student i post the dumbest things imaginable twice a year. stick around for it :)

[thrifty-swiftie]

⋆｡°✩ sash's research shit ✩°｡⋆

a collection of the occasional research paper i post here, compiled into one post for your (my) convenience. happy reading! :)

wonka gate: an examination of the parallels between wonka (2023) and sweeney todd (2007)

a deep dive into cancel culture and the negative effects it casts upon on individuals and american society

othello: the line between love and lust

[thrifty-swiftie]

the effects of artificial intelligence on the entertainment and other industries

a bit of background: in my senior year of high school we were required to do a volunteer project to graduate. i, being the obnoxious theatre kid i was,

and so, i present to you my high school senior research paper circa may 2024 that may or may not have been heavily inspired by wonka gate (read here). in honor of that post's 2 year anniversary, i decided to post this! enjoy, happy reading!

within the past few years, programs based on artificial intelligence have skyrocketed in popularity, especially on social media. on apps like tiktok and x, it’s common to see videos of a.i. generated celebrity voices singing popular songs or pictures created entirely by a.i. displaying ridiculous scenarios. companies like google and notion are beginning to implement artificial intelligence within their programs, encouraging users to let a.i. perform tasks for them in an attempt to make activities like researching and planning easier. however, the rise of artificial intelligence has proved to be a threat towards the theatre and other entertainment industries. programs like chatgpt are able to write entire scripts and songs without any human assistance, threatening the jobs of writers and songwriters. additionally, as a.i. generated videos become more complex and realistic, the threat towards the jobs of actors becomes greater. overall, artificial intelligence has the potential to destroy industries that are based upon human creativity.

In recent years, artificial intelligence has been on the rise due to factors such as increasingly available technology and it’s ability to simplify tasks. On May 14, 2024, Google announced their plans to roll out their new A.I. program called Gemini. Elizabeth Reid, the head of Google Search, stated that “Google will do the searching, the researching, the planning, the brainstorming and so much more. All you need to do is just ask” (Abril et al.). The intentions behind releasing programs like Gemini may not be entirely negative, but the potential consequences these A.I.s may cause on our daily lives are. In a survey conducted by Virginia Tech Engineering, professors who are experts in the field of artificial intelligence discussed how A.I. negatively affects people’s decision making skills, could potentially cause displacement in the workforce, and, most dangerously, could be used for misleading propaganda (Goncalves et al.). These threats created by artificial intelligence outweigh the potential benefits a program like Gemini may provide to Google’s users and companies like Google must be careful not to allow their program to grow out of control and start threatening to overtake the jobs and decision making skills of humans. However, artificial intelligence programs are likely to continue developing and therefore, regulations will be needed to help reduce the danger the threats listed above create.

Prior to the 2023 Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, artificial intelligence affected the entertainment industries in several negative ways. Due to a lack of regulations surrounding the use of artificial intelligence within the entertainment industries, A.I. began to threaten the job security of writers, actors, and others involved in the entertainment industries. Artificial intelligence was being used to replace actors with CGI and the animators once in charge of this CGI with artificial intelligence. “Deepfakes,” or videos of a person’s face cut onto another person’s body, threatens actors by reducing the need for humans in front of a camera for films. Additionally, writing programs such as ChatGPT were being used to write scripts and other content, threatening the jobs of writers (Isidore). Without any regulations put in place, job security was a very important issue within the industries. Additionally, without proper regulations, theatrical works could have been taken over and created entirely by artificial intelligence, not by humans.

A recent example of a live theatrical production that was generated by artificial intelligence was the disastrous “Willy’s Chocolate Experience,” an event based around the various films featuring the character Willy Wonka, that took place in Glasgow, Scotland in February of 2024. The promotional material used to advertise the event was almost entirely generated by artificial intelligence, with the event organziers, a group called House of Illuminati, promoting areas like the “Twilight Tunnel” and the “Lemonade Room” to guests, which in real life turned out to be a nearly empty warehouse with minimal props and posters as backdrops. On the website originally used to promote the event, which has since been taken down, the artificial intelligence failed to spell several words within the advertisements Paul Connell, the actor hired to play the role of Willy Wonka, described how the event organizers usage of A.I. within the script affected the experience as a whole. When discussing the script, he stated “‘I soon realized it seemed to be AI-generated gibberish. My favorite line was, “There is a man. We don’t know his name. We know him as the Unknown. He is an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls,’” and later said “With its seemingly AI-generated script and seemingly AI-generated false advertising, the whole event seemed dystopian” (Connell et al.). When looking at the full script, it isn’t difficult to identify where House of Illuminati utilized artificial intelligence. A clear sign that the script wasn’t written by a human is the addition of pre-planned audience reactions, something that wouldn’t be possible to accomplish at “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” as the actors hired for this event performed in front of a live audience. Guests at the event were enraged by the comparison of what they were advertised and what was performed for them and eventually the police were called to the event to handle the angry mob of guests. This event proved that without the involvement of humans, live theatrical events generated by artificial intelligence are doomed to fail.

Beginning in May of 2023, the Writers Guild of America began to strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers due to threats that artificial intelligence posed towards their jobs. Shortly after, SAG-AFTRA began striking for similar reasons. SAG-AFTRA aimed to “secure regulations around how [A.I.] could be used in filmmaking as well as the use of past performances to train [A.I.] models” (Contreras). The strikes ended in November of 2023 and the future of artificial intelligence within the entertainment industries became one of the main points negotiated in the final terms. In September of 2023, The Writers Guild of America was successfully able to gain regulations regarding artificial intelligence in the screenwriting industry. They were able to gain regulations that would begin preventing companies from distributing work created by artificial intelligence without telling writers and allowing writers to determine when and where artificial intelligence can be used. SAG-AFTRA was also able to gain some regulations against artificial intelligence in the acting industry in November of 2023. However, SAG-AFTRA has stated that they plan to come back and negotiate for more regulations in the near future. These strikes were among the first revolving around the threats of artificial intelligence and paved the way for any future strikes centering on the same topic. The regulations that were gained from these strikes also may help influence future regulations on artificial intelligence in both the entertainment industry and various other industries.

While artificial intelligence has greatly impacted the entertainment industries, it has also impacted industries such as the education industry, which has been challenged by programs like ChatGPT that allow students to let artificial intelligence do their work for them. Teachers have begun to use detection softwares to prevent students from using artificial intelligence on classwork and homework, as programs like ChatGPT allows students to cheat on assignments incredibly easily. Additionally, the usage of artificial intelligence within the education system can threaten a developing child’s thinking skills as a dependence of artificial intelligence to complete tasks for them can cause the child to fail in developing critical thinking skills. Artificial intelligence can also take away from students interacting with one another, limiting the amount of human connection two students may have (Madhi). This lack of human connection was also a concern expressed in the Virginia Tech Engineering survey. If it takes on a greater role within schools, artificial intelligence may damage the growth and development of students from future generations, which can then reduce these future students’ quality of life. Artificial intelligence has proven itself to be a threat within the classroom, but has also proven itself to impact the entire education industry. Since artificial intelligence threatens those involved in several different industries, regulations should be put in place to order to restrict the amount of power it can over humans in all aspects of their lives.

Some may argue that artificial intelligence has greatly benefitted our current society as it can aid in completing tasks at a more efficient rate than a human being. However, the quality of these tasks completed by A.I. are significantly lower than those completed by humans, as seen with “Willy’s Chocolate Experience” in Glasgow. Artificial intelligence lacks the creativity that humans possess, which hinders programs from making coherent and heartfelt works. Artificial intelligence, as it currently works, is unable to produce a script or performance that rivals a humans. However, the rise of artificial intelligence in society’s daily lives become seemingly more inevitable with every technological development. Therefore, it is extremely important to preserve the art forms that humans are essential to.

Although A.I. has the potential to take over the various entertainment industries, if regulations are put in place then there is a chance that artificial intelligence may not impact these industries so heavily. Creativity is one of the attributes that sets humans apart from computers and artificial intelligence, it is something that a program cannot accurately replicate and therefore something that must be protected for future generations.

works cited

abril, danielle, and gerrit de vynck. “google i/o 2024: the biggest announcements from gemini, ai and search.” the washington post, 14 may 2024, www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/05/14/google-io-announcements-2024/.

connell, paul, and elena nicolau. “i played willy wonka at the viral glasgow event. i feel just as scammed as everyone else.” today.com, today, 28 feb. 2024, www.today.com/popculture/glasgow-willy-wonka-experience-controversy-rcna140893.

contreras, brian. “screenwriters secured a new deal for ai. for actors, the fight could be even harder.” los angeles times, los angeles times, 28 sept. 2023, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2023-09-28/screenwriters-secured-a-new-deal-for-ai-for-actors-the-fight-could-be-even-harder.

goncalves, florence, et al. “ai-the good, the bad, and the scary.” engineering | virginia tech, 6 nov. 2023, eng.vt.edu/magazine/stories/fall-2023/ai.html.

isidore, chris. “ai is a concern for writers. but actors could have even more to fear | cnn business.” cnn, cable news network, 18 july 2023, www.cnn.com/2023/07/18/business/ai-actors-strike/index.html.

madhi, siena. “the effects of ai on education.” los angeles times, los angeles times, 13 feb. 2024, highschool.latimes.com/newport-harbor-high-school/the-effects-of-ai-on-education/.

[thrifty-swiftie]

chugged an unfortunately insane amount of coffee today (6 shots of espresso.) and of course inspiration strikes at 4am during my all night caffeine suffer binge. this will either be the greatest or worst research shit i ever post. expect it this weekend. oh fucking boy.

[thrifty-swiftie]

othello: the line between love and lust

one of my more recent research endeavors, january 2024. considering i learned the top ten reasons why men vs. women have sex in my psychology class and it has become my roman empire, a fun little ditty on love and lust seemed appropriate to post in it's place. enjoy!

in shakespeare’s play othello, love and lust are the driving forces behind many of the characters’ decisions. beginning in act ii, othello is manipulated by iago into believing that his wife, desdemona, is having an affair with his lieutenant, cassio. as he seems to be smitten by desdemona, othello is driven mad by the alleged betrayal and in act iv he and iago devise a plan to kill both his wife and her lover. if othello truly loves desdemona, why does he choose to kill her over any other option? furthermore, the audience is unable to experience aristotle’s theory of catharsis after othello carries out his plan due to the dramatic irony laid by iago’s soliloquies. even if othello loved desdemona at one point in time, the choice to kill her was a decision based in lust, not love.

in order to best understand the motives behind the decisions of the characters in othello, it is important to understand the difference between love and lust. at its very simplest, love is defined by the concise oxford dictionary of current english as “warm affection, attachment, liking, or fondness…of, for, or towards person or to thing…” (fowler 486). however, according to francis fergusson, shakespeare utilizes a specific type of love in his stories. this type of love is called romantic love, which fergusson describes as a type of love that is “confined to…the ‘gentle’ or ‘noble…’ [and] demands total commitment and obedience” (fergusson 2-3). additionally, romantic love is also unique in that “when it first appears it always strikes its victim as a mystery” (fergusson 3). in contrast, lust is defined by the same dictionary as “sensuous appetite regarded as sinful; animal desire for sexual indulgence” (fowler 490). in othello, feelings of lust can be applied to othello’s need for power rather than need for sexual indulgence. the clear differences between the definitions of love and lust are vital for recognizing where the characters in othello make their decisions from and how they are feeling at different points in the play.

at the start of othello, it is made very clear that othello truly loves desdemona. upon meeting brabantio in act i scene iii, othello tells the story of how he and desdemona fell in love. He tells brabantio, desdemona’s father, that desdemona fell in love with him after empathizing with his stories from war, saying “she loved me for the danger i had passed, / and i loved her that she did pity them” (i.iii.194-195). even when facing charges of witchcraft from brabantio, othello defends his matrimony with desdemona wholeheartedly. as romantic love requires, othello is completely committed to desdemona. one event that shows his commitment to their relationship is when he gives her one of his most prized possessions, a handkerchief that once belonged to his mother. john a. hodgson wrote that “one of the most comfortably settled assumptions of othello criticism is that desdemona's handkerchief symbolizes true and honorable love” (hodgson 1). othello values this handkerchief greatly, even believing it possesses magical powers, and by giving it to desdemona, shakespeare shows the audience just how much desdemona means to othello. othello’s feelings for desdemona at the beginning of the play fit the description of romantic love and for the rest of act i, his actions towards desdemona are made from a place of love.

similarly, shakespeare makes it clear that desdemona reciprocates all of othello’s feelings in the first act. in act i, scene iii, when othello’s love for her is questioned, desdemona expresses her love for othello to her father. she says to him: "and so much duty as my mother showed / to you, preferring you before her father / so much i challenge that i may profess / due to the moor my lord (i.iii.215-219). this statement of devotion is the first we hear from desdemona, but she repeats similar sentiments throughout all five of othello’s acts. desdemona’s reciprocation of feelings with othello is an extremely important addition to the story. by showing the audience a loving relationship between othello and desdemona at the very beginning of the play, shakespeare allows the decline of the relationship to devolve in a clear and dynamic way over the next four acts.

desdemona shares a purely platonic relationship with othello’s lieutenant, michael cassio, but with a lack of context it could appear to a person that the two are engaging in a romantic affair. the two are seen throughout the play having innocent conversations regarding cassio’s work under othello but are often close to each other during said conversations. iago uses this lack of context to his advantage by convincing othello that their companionship may secretly be an affair. in his soliloqy at the end of act i, iago tells the audience: "after some time, to absue othello’s [ear] / that he is too familiar with his wife. / he hath a person and a smooth dispose / to be suspected, framed to make women false (i.iii.440-444)." iago’s grand scheme to manipulate othello is revealed in these four lines. if his plan is successful, by transforming othello’s feelings of love towards desdemona into feelings of lust, iago will be able to obtain the power he craves so desperately throughout the play. iago’s soliloquies are arguably the best tool in the play to help the audience understand his motives, and by extension, how his manipulation influences the decision making process behind their own choices.

iago is able to use othello’s feelings of love towards desdemona in the early acts of the play to manipulate him into believing that she is engaging in an affair with cassio. Like othello, iago has an unhealthy obsession with power. he tends to talk more about his lust for power rather than any love he holds for her wife. his plan revolves around taking cassio’s position, manipulating othello, and portraying desdemona as an unfaithful wife. one way of interpreting this scene is to believe that Iago may be projecting his own feelings onto othello because he is suspicious of his wife, emilia, cheating on him with both othello and cassio. in his rant to the audience, iago says “for that I do suspect the lusty moor / hath lept into my seat—the thought whereof / doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards” (ii.i.317-319). additionally, one other theory by warren staebler suggests that Iago manipulates othello because he is sexually attracted to desdemona. staebler says “if iago's motivation is sexual–and if this fact means that he is drawn sexually to desdemona–then the fact must also be the reason why he hates othello. his hatred floods his mind and is stamped on almost everything he says…” (staebler 297). the presence of these multiple ways of thinking regarding iago’s manipulation are very telling signs of iago’s feelings regarding love and lust, but all of the theories argue that iago doesn’t actually feel any sort of romantic love with emilia, like othello and desdemona do, he only has feelings of lust.

after consulting with iago, othello begins to look at his wife in a different light and the feelings of love he once had for her begin to fade. the moment that most clearly shows this switch in demeanor takes place in act iv, scene ii. in this scene, othello lashes out at desdemona, both by slapping her and telling her “i cry you mercy, then. / i took you for that cunning whore of venice / that married with othello” (iv.ii.103-105). when contrasted with his actions and feelings from act i, the way that othello during this scene is the polar opposite. othello’s actions towards desdemona in act iv, scene ii are cold, dismissive, and extremely cruel. at this point, the audience witnesses othello’s lust for power finally overturning any feelings of romantic love that may have still existed within him during this scene with desdemona. joan m. byles explains that “othello is both a narcissistic and idealizing lover, but in the end it is his idealism which defeats him. his love of self cannot outlive the scorn and self-contempt his superego pours on him” (byles 83). from this scene onwards, othello’s decisions come from a place of lust and are chosen solely to benefit himself rather than the people he surrounds himself with. othello has abandoned the ideas of romantic love, embracing his need for power instead.

in contrast, desdemona continues to express her love for othello several times throughout the play. one of the most poignant examples of this occurs in act iv, directly after othello lashes out at desdemona. when she and emilia return back to desdemona’s bedroom in act iv, scene iii, they begin discussing the morality of infidelity. desdemona firmly states that she would never cheat on othello, no matter the circumstances. despite emilia’s opposing viewpoint, desdemona tells her “beshrew me if I would do such a wrong / for the whole world” (iv.iii.88-89). unlike othello, who gives into his desires for power and loses sight of the love he once had, desdemona remains completely committed to their marriage. even when she is tested by outside forces, such as emilia’s temptations and othello’s own vile actions, desdemona values the love she has for othello above all else. it can be argued that desdemona is the only character at this point in the play that still has romantic feelings for their partner, as emilia had stated she would cheat on iago, iago refuses to trust emilia, and othello decided to kill his own wife. desdemona’s faithfulness towards othello is especially jarring when compared to how she was just treated by him one scene prior.

aristotle’s theory of tragedy is an important literary tool that explains why the audience reacts to events during a show in the way they do. aristotle defines his theory of tragedy as “...the imitation of an action that is serious and also, as having magnitude, complete in itself; in language with pleasurable accessories, each kind brought in separately in the parts of the work; in a dramatic, not in narrative form; with incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to accomplish its catharsis of such emotions” (aristotle 2320). catharsis is an extremely important part of aristotle’s theory of tragedy and an audience’s successful catharsis is the ultimate goal of a play.

shakespeare utilizes dramatic irony throughout his play, but the use of this technique becomes especially tragic during the final scene. the most obvious way that shakespeare uses dramatic irony are through soliloquies. throughout the play, iago utilizes a series of soliloquies to directly inform the audience of his malicious intentions. other than iago, the audience members are the only people aware of the true intentions of his plan. this literary technique allows the audience to witness iago’s manipulation of othello in real time and also gives the audience a better understanding of the thought process behind othello’s deadly decision. by the finale, the audience is aware of exactly how the scene will play out, making it all the more tragic when nothing can be done to aid desdemona in her final moments alive. however, othello is also given multiple soliloquies throughout the show. these soliloquies show othello’s descent into madensss, but also display his reasoning skills at different points throughout the show. iago’s and othello’s soliloquies may differ in their main purpose, but both have a shared use as well. the dramatic irony in othello’s soliloquies helps to make the characters’ lust-based decisions more obvious to the audience, as the soliloquies from iago and othello often reveal the motivations behind their twisted decisions, with these motivations almost always being based in lust.

this dramatic irony in the final scene of othello couples with aristotle’s theory of tragedy to garner a certain reaction out of the audience. since the audience is fully aware of iago’s manipulation when othello kills desdemona, they will not be able to fully experience aristotle’s theory of tragedy. since the very first act, the audience has been exposed to each character’s decisions, even when other characters haven’t been informed. the audience has heard every interaction that led up to desdemona’s murder and know that in reality, desdemona did nothing wrong. shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony eradicates the audience’s potential for experiencing catharsis, therefore ruining their potential emotional release. if othello hadn’t given into lust, then perhaps othello would have allowed it’s audience to experience some form of catharsis.

in the end, othello’s decision to kill his wife was a decision made out of lust, not love. when othello makes the decision to kill his wife in act iii, scene iii, he has abandoned all commitment towards her. his animalistic need for power overshadows the love he once felt for desdemona, culminating in the deadly act v, scene ii. love and lust play equally important roles in shakespeare’s othello, but in the end lust triumphs over love. othello chose to ignore everything that desdemona had done to show her devotion to him in favor of supporting his own best interests. lust is the reason for desdemona’s death and the motive behind the majority of decisions othello makes in othello, but it is also the most influential outside force for characters like iago.

no edits! a paper in it's original form, a shocker for this page. this may not be the strongest essay i've ever slapped together on here but it certainly did get me a passing grade in college english, so i'd consider it a win. this likely will be my last research paper post of the year (unless i decide to go against the masses and stress write something on the wicked movie), so i'll see you in 2025 with some fun new topics (hybristophilia, artificial intelligence, all the works)! thanks for reading!

works cited

aristotle. “poetics.” the complete works of aristotle, ed. jonathan barnes. princeton: princeton university press, 1984.

byles, joan m. “'the winter’s tale’, ‘othello’ and ‘troilus and cressida’: narcissism and sexual betrayal.” american imago, vol. 36, no. 1, 1979, pp. 80–93. jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26303359. accessed 17 jan. 2024.

fergusson, francis. “romantic love in dante and shakespeare.” the sewanee review, vol. 83, no. 2, 1975, pp. 253–66. jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27542963. accessed 16 jan. 2024.

fowler, henry watson and francis george fowler. “the concise oxford dictionary of current english” oxford university press. https://archive.org/details/TheConciseOxfordDictionaryOfCurrent/page/n5/mode/1up. accessed 17 jan. 2024.

hodgson, john a. “desdemona’s handkerchief as an emblem of her reputation.” texas studies in literature and language, vol. 19, no. 3, 1977, pp. 313–22. jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40754492. accessed 17 jan. 2024.

shakespeare, william. othello from the folger shakespeare. ed. barbara mowat and paul werstine. folger shakespeare library, 16 jan. 2024. https://folger.edu/explore/shakespeares-works/othello/

staebler, warren. “the sexual nihilism of iago.” the sewanee review, vol. 83, no. 2, 1975, pp. 284–304. jstor, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27542965. accessed 17 jan. 2024.

[soapyspurnell]

random questions<3

ೃ⁀➷ hiii hi here’s just a random question form ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav color

: ̗̀➛ how long have u been on tumblr for

: ̗̀➛ wheres a place u always wanted to travel to

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav clothing brand(s)

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur fav singer/band(s)

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur current phone lockscreen

: ̗̀➛ most recent/current hyperfixation

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur relationship status

: ̗̀➛ what’s ur dream job

: ̗̀➛ outside of tumblr, fav social app

: ̗̀➛ do u have pets

: ̗̀➛ if u do have pets, what kind/how many

: ̗̀➛ do u prefer tea or coffee

: ̗̀➛ whats ur fav ice cream flavor

: ̗̀➛ tag at least three other tumblr accounts

my tags: @nyoclosmom @stuckysimp @cherikdogfood @xxqueenofdragonsxx @carpentrz

anyone else ofc feel free to fill out :) ˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚

[thrifty-swiftie]

oh boy, let's go. tagged by the wonderfully evil @orfisheus

-sage green. i am a green girl.

-a glorious few years (no fucking clue)

-greece!!!! mamma mia summer!!!!!

-i fear a solid chunk of my closet is tiktok shop. the other chunk is taylor swift merch. and the last chunk is amazon. so...

-and with that wonderful segway, lets go through my spotify wrapped top 5 artists from last year: taylor swift, the 1975 (oh how those two did not age well next to each other), phoebe bridgers, boygenius, and fleetwood mac. (i want to be stevie nicks in the 1997 warner brothers studios silver springs performance.)

-me and some friends :)

-dancing with the stars oh my god i can talk about this show for HOURS. i force my family to vote for joey and jenna, i force my friends to vote for joey and jenna, and now dear reader YOU must vote for joey and jenna every tuesday.

-perpetually single, too many celebrity crushes to count.

-dream within reach? forensic psychologist. dream as in literal dream? actress.

-i am a tiktok addict its horrendous. i spend like far too much time on that app.

-my BABY! her name is daisy she's a dachshund she's 9 and she is my favorite thing ever.

-i have been battling a coffee addiction since middle school and have been happily losing said battle.

-mint chocolate chip and the ben and jerry's topped caramel chocolate cookie dough UGH i love them both too much to choose just one.

-cheating! i tag @daily-pat because you are my only friend <3

bye bye enjoy this shitpost in the sea of my random essays :)

[thrifty-swiftie]

a deep dive into cancel culture and the negative effects it casts upon on individuals and american society

a research endeavor from may 2023. i had nothing planned to post this fall but figured due to the whole "beyoncé is killing people!" thing on the internet going on these past few weeks, i may as well bring this baby back. enjoy, be kind!

in recent years, the term “cancel culture” has risen in popularity on social media. the act of “canceling” somebody can be traced back as early as 1949, with rodgers and hammerstein using the term cancel in their musical “south pacific”. on the surface, cancel culture can seem like a beneficial tool to help inspire change. however, cancel culture breeds on mass negativity and toxicity, especially online in our newfound "digital age." although some people believe that cancel culture is beneficial because it promotes a modern way of thinking and punishes those who cling to antiquated and potentially negative ideas, cancel culture truly is toxic and the victims who cannot defend themselves against the masses are left to suffer the lasting mental health consequences.

a controversial part of cancel culture is the lack of a set of standards to be upheld. while many people online engage in cancel culture, the severity of the canceling differs drastically from person to person, especially when factors like gender, race, and fame are introduced. recent examples of cancellations that demonstrate the unfair standards come with the cases of whoopi goldberg, an actress and television personality, and joe rogan, a popular podcaster. in early 2022, goldberg was canceled for making an anti-semitic comment during an episode of the view, a talk show she currently co-hosts. In response to goldberg’s comment and the swift backlash from the jewish community, abc suspended goldberg from appearing on air for two weeks. around the same time, joe rogan was called out for making racist comments and bringing covid-19 skeptics onto his podcast. unlike goldberg, rogan was not punished by spotify, the streaming service that still holds his podcast. instead, spotify stated that they would be standing by rogan and did not remove him or his podcast from the platform. rogan took down the episodes under fire and continues to make new episodes under spotify. although both rogan and goldberg made insensitive comments towards a specific community of people, only goldberg suffered consequences for her actions. lara schwartz, a professor of civil discourse, says that “[w]e all have a line we don't want people to cross, but you can suddenly find you are the one on the other side of someone else's line,... [i]f we're interested in finding a definitive answer for any of these cultural cases, we are bound to be disappointed (della cava and ali).” the unfair standards and lack of rules within the world of cancel culture cause a lack of appropriate punishment towards people who have committed wrongdoings.

inconsistent standards between celebrities can also affect how they take accountability for their actions.one question brought up frequently when discussing inconvenient standards is when is it okay to cancel somebody? according to lara schwartz, “american society is "very punitive," and that consequences for all kinds of mistakes are high (olivier).” in this article, written by david olivier, the cases of chrissy teigen, chris brown, and harvey weinstein are used to demonstrate different levels of severity in regards to why the celebrities were canceled. teigen was called out for mean tweets she had made many years prior, brown was accused, but not convicted, of abusing different women in his life, and weinstein was blacklisted from the entertainment industry for being a convicted sex offender. each celebrity was canceled, but concern arises when you look at why they were canceled–one was a convicted criminal, and the other simply said something mean. rayven vinson, a policy analyst, stated that "[w]e have to understand that there's a difference between having different opinions on something like what movie should have won best picture at the academy awards and, say, what someone else's fundamental human rights should be…(olivier)." this begs the question: although celebrities like harvey weinstein have apologized for their actions, should they be forgiven in the same manner as someone like chrissy teigen, or should they be forced to take more accountability since they committed a more severe wrongdoing? inconsistant standards can lead to victims of cancel culture either taking accountability for situations where it is unneeded or not taking enough accountability for serious wrongdoing.

a huge part of cancel culture that is often overlooked is how sexism plays a role in the effectiveness of a cancellation. an example of this is sexism in the music industry, where men have long dominated the industry. In recent years, claims of sexism within the music industry have skyrocketed, leading to cancellations against those accused of promoting gender imbalance. in january 2022, damon albarn, the lead singer of english rock band blur, was canceled for making sexist comments about american pop singer taylor swift. albarn claimed that since swift co-writes many of her songs, it does not count as writing her own music and she should not be called a songwriter. the biggest issue with this claim was that albarn himself used co-writers on all but two of songs on his most recent album. The hypocrisy albarn displayed towards taylor swift during this conflict led many notable figures in the music industry, such as eight-time grammy winner jack antonoff and guitarist aaron dessner, both of whom have collaborated with swift on recent albums, to call out albarn for sexism. The consensus of many was that “...at worst, albarn simply can’t believe swift writes her own songs because she is a young woman – and young women who are both beautiful and successful couldn’t possibly be talented enough to do so… (richards).” swift is no stranger to gender imbalance, specifically within the music industry, having previously explored the topic in her 2019 single “the man”, in which she sings “i'm so sick of running as fast as i can / wondering if i'd get there quicker / if i was a man” (swift). the gender imbalance within cancel culture also causes women to face more severe punishment and backlash for their actions. in 2016, taylor swift experienced one of the most notable cases of cancel culture, when she was canceled for allegedly lying about her allowance of a crude lyric about her from her longtime rival, kanye west, in his song “famous,” referencing the stunt he pulled at the 2009 video music awards when he jumped on stage during swift's acceptance speech for the video of the year award and claimed beyoncé should have won instead. “west claimed swift had ok-ed the lyrics during a phone call. swift's people said she had actually cautioned him about releasing a song with such a ‘strong misogynistic message’. the [music] video was even worse, depicting a swift lookalike in bed with likenesses of donald trump and george w. bush (and west himself) (hall).” even though years later the full call would be leaked, proving swift’s innocence, the internet came to west’s aid and a mass bullying campaign against swift was launched, reaching it’s height on the social media platform twitter (now x). swift was bullied relentlessly both online and in person and was unable to leave her home without facing harassment for nearly a year, as shown in her 2019 documentary entitled “miss americana.” swift suffered a massive career loss, with her next two albums not receiving any major award nominations. while albarn only faced verbal backlash for his sexist comments, swift suffered a much harsher punishment for an action she did not even commit. the role of sexism in cancel culture is not one that is often discussed, but perfectly exemplifies the flaws within the system.

the longest lasting effects of cancel culture are the mental health effects that victims may face after a cancellation, caused by a combination of the factors described in the previous paragraphs. returning back to taylor swift’s 2016 canceling, swift documented her struggles with her mental health in “miss americana.” she stated in the film “[w]hen you’re living for the approval of strangers…one bad thing can cause everything to crumble (swift).” the mental consequences of cancel culture don’t only affect celebrities, but also affect average people. psychoanalyst erica komisar recounted a patient of her’s daughter’s experience with cancel culture. the daughter, a college student, had told a racist joke to a friend of hers and although she was quickly forgiven by the friend, the joke was overheard by another student. komisar then recalls that “[t]he eavesdropping student posted about the joke on social media, and other students bullied my patient's daughter online so severely that she ended up in the emergency room with a panic attack (komisar).” the daughter was also removed from a student leadership position on campus and was threatened with expulsion. even without millions of people bullying the girl at once, the harassment was at such an extreme level that it drove her to have a mental health crisis. another example of the “common man” being affected by cancel culture is the case of artist mary prudie. prudie was falsely accused of plagiarism and stealing other artists’ work to use in her own. prudie stated that this affected her greatly, as she “had just finished cancer treatment, and there were 100 people in my dms every day telling me to kill myself (chalise and shrestha).” the problem of quickly assuming that people are guilty of wrongdoing without knowing the full context behind those accusations is paving the way for future mental health issues in victims, as seen with the cases of taylor swift, mary prudie, and the college student.

skeptics of the negative side of cancel culture claim that the technique is used for more good than harm, using examples like the passing of same-sex marriage. in 2008, lgbtq+ rights activist fred karger and his group californians against hate began to protest proposition 8, a state amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage within california. karger focused on people and corporations who were donating to anti-gay campaigns like proposition 8. karger initiated a series of boycotts against these donators, protesting to buy their products or visit their locations. the most notable of karger’s boycotts was the protest against the grand hyatt hotel chain and it’s builder doug manchester, in which manchester tried to bribe karger into dropping the boycott. karger refused and manchester was eventually forced to sell the hotel due to major economic loss from those protesting his old-fashioned views on lgbtq+ rights. the majority of karger’s boycotts were successful and “[b]y the time marriage came to four states’ ballots in november 2012, it was clear activists had succeeded in making it ‘socially unacceptable to give vast amounts of money to take away the rights of a minority,’ as [fred] karger put it. only five individuals, none of them well known nationally, contributed over $100,000 to any of the anti-gay-marriage campaigns in 2012 (issenberg).” while in this instance cancel culture was used to prompt californians to abandon antiquated ways of thinking, cancel culture is not often used with good intention. as explained previously, those who engage in cancel culture often have a lack of clear standards and typically don’t have the full context behind why they are canceling someone in the first place. although some good has come out of cancel culture, the overwhelmingly negative aftereffects it has on its victims proves that cancel culture is not a necessary evil, but instead a modern method of mental torture.

overall, cancel culture fosters a negative headspace for those chronically online, and with a lack of standards, gender bias, and long lasting mental health consequences, the only way social media can become a safe space for everyone is to cancel cancel culture altogether. this can be achieved by using the power of mass cancellation for good, like fred karger did for the lgbtq+ rights movement, instead of using it to bully others into submission. by creating a safe space online where people can learn from their mistakes in a way that won’t give them lasting mental health issues, the toxicity that currently comes with cancel culture may be eradicated in favor of a system that allows for old-fashioned ways of thinking to be eliminated while also forcing those who commit serious wrongdoing to be held accountable for their actions.

i wanted to keep this paper mainly in it's original form, with minimal edits to phrasing. however, the main reason i felt like posting this today is because of the wild shit i've been seeing this week on the internet regarding people defending kanye west's actions against taylor swift at the 2009 vmas, claiming he "saved her life" from beyoncé, who the internet is currently obsessed with claiming she kills her competitors.

first of all, this may be the wildest statement i've ever heard.

secondly, why do we think it's okay to defend a person who, very openly, has been just a terrible person? in just the past year, west has been accused of being racist (even having a lawsuit opened against him just this past april) and, more famously, antisemitism. when a person is so openly hateful to others, online and in person, where do we draw the line between what is and isn't acceptable?

it is not okay to give anyone a public platform where they can spew hatred. it's worse to continually give someone a platform that we already know will likely not be used for good.

thank you for reading! comments are always welcome, but let's remember to always be kind on the internet and do some fucking research before claiming crazy things about celebrities and giving them platforms.

works cited

chalise, aashima and shrestha, saisha. “point, counter-point: does cancel culture work?” kathmandu post , 04/17 2023. gale in context: opposing viewpoints , link-gale-xana.orc.scoolaid.net/apps/doc/A745881005/OVIC?u=nysl_li_bocesnas&sid=sru&xid=002ee8c1 . accessed 24 apr. 2023.

della cava, marco, and ali, rasha. "rogan, whoopi and awkwafina are still talking. is cancel culture.." usa today , 02/21 2022. proquest; sirs issues researcher , https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2639090214?accountid=37563 . accessed 26 april 2023.

hall, james. “taylor swift is the woman the music industry needs; when damon albarn said the us singer 'didn't write her own songs', it unleashed a furious backlash in her defence - and rightly so, says james hall.” daily telegraph , 01/26 2022. gale in context: opposing viewpoints , link-gale-xana.orc.scoolaid.net/apps/doc/A690476880/OVIC?u=nysl_li_bocesnas&sid=sru&xid=55395bcc . accessed 24 apr. 2023.

issenberg, sasha. "cancel culture works. we wouldn't have marriage equality without it." new york times (online) , 06/05 2021. proquest; sirs issues researcher , https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2549393498?accountid=37563 . accessed 26 april 2023.

komisar, erica. "cancel culture's mental-health toll." wall street journal , 10/14 2021. proquest; sirs issues researcher , https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2619298943?accountid=37563 . accessed 26 april 2023.

miss americana. directed by lana wilson, netflix, 2020. accessed 8 may 2023.

oliver, david. "it's time to cancel 'cancel culture.' call it 'accountability...'." usa today (online) , 06/25 2021. proquest; sirs issues researcher , https://explore.proquest.com/sirsissuesresearcher/document/2549393505?accountid=37563 . accessed 26 april 2023.

swift, taylor. “the man”, lover, republic records, 2019. spotify, https://open.spotify.com/track/3RauEVgRgj1IuWdJ9fDs70?si=i6TWbFUmThu9ReNsXuHjf. accessed 3 may 2023.

richards, victoria. “sorry, damon albarn, but your comments about taylor swift sound a lot like sexism to me.” the independent (online), 01/27 2022. https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/damon-albarn-taylor-swift-songwriting-row-b1999972.html accessed 4 may 2023.

[daily-pat]

@thrifty-swiftie voice reveal?!?!????????!!!!!

in celebration of 100 followers, as promised, her ¢100 (even though she forgot the name)

[thrifty-swiftie]

Help Me Out With an AP Government Poll!

hi everyone!!

i'm conducting a poll for my ap government class and i need 100 responses minimum, so i would really appreciate it if you could fill this out and share it with your friends! it's completely anonymous and super quick. it's open to literally anyone, it's not restricted by age or location, thank you in advance!!

AP Government Poll

Please help me complete this poll for my AP Government class! This poll is completely anonymous and should not take you more than 5 to 10 mi

this poll centers around celebrity name recognition, specifically taylor swift, and the impacts it has on voter registration. again, thank you in advance for helping me out!!

[thrifty-swiftie]

wonka gate: an examination of the parallels between wonka (2023) and sweeney todd (2007)

i saw wonka (2023) approximately 10 hours ago and since then i have been plauged by the film's nearly exact parallels to sweeney todd. over the past 10 hours, i have employed the help of my friend @orfisheus and we have successfully deconstructed every similarity between wonka and sweeney todd, though this post will specifically focus on the 2007 tim burton adaptation.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR BOTH FILMS. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!**

the simplest place to start is to introduce whom each of the wonka characters is trying to replicate. in my opinion, the most recognizable of these characters are mrs. scrubbit, portrayed by olivia colman, and mr. bleacher, portrayed by tom davis. these two are obviously trying to replicate sweeney todd/benjamin barker and his counterpart mrs. lovett. these two are recognizable by name alone, with "scrubbit" sounding extremely similar to "lovett" and "bleacher" sounding similar to "barker." however, the personalities of scrubbit and bleacher are nearly exact replicas of lovett's and sweeney's personalities. both sets of characters run "shops" that aim to harm the people coming in. one character, lovett in sweeney todd and bleacher in wonka, lures their victims in while the other, sweeney and scrubbit, do the actual harming. even from a non-theatre fan standpoint, the similarities between these characters is undeniably recognizable.

now, you may be asking "if scrubbit and bleacher are meant to represent the main characters from the original source material, why aren't they the main characters of wonka?" to that, i propose that we look at wonka as if it's the story of sweeney todd told by another character: anthony. timothée chalamet's wonka is almost a 1:1 copy of sweeney todd's anthony. both characters are dreamers and see the world in the best light possible despite all of the tragedy surrounding them. if you choose to view wonka as a story told through an anthony-esque character's perspective, the fun, colorful atmosphere of wonka feels less out of place than it did upon my initial viewing of the film. in a society where law enforcement and religion is corrupted by corporate greed, willy wonka still chooses to see the good in the world and the people in it, hence the film's upbeat and colorful atmosphere.

no anthony can be complete without a johanna, which willy wonka finds in noodle, the film's female lead played by calah lane. noodle, a supposed orphan (although, like with sweeney's johanna, the viewer finds out the true parentage of noodle later in the film), was taken in by the film's antagonists and is literally caged in by said antagonist. this directly mirrors johanna being trapped by turpin, sweeney todd's antagonist.

though the characters do not take a romantic interest in each other (which, let's be real, would be illegal) wonka and noodle form the same kind of bond that anthony and johanna did in sweeney todd. wonka rescues noodle from her cages multiple times throughout the film, just like anthony freed johanna. the duos care more about the wellbeing of their partner rather than the rest of the world and at the end of both films, the two sets characters both have happy endings.

in terms of minor characters, i would consider wonka's trio of chocolateers to be an extension of judge turpin, while keegan michael key's police chief character takes on the role of beadle.

as for plot parallels, the two films share many similar vital plot points, including quite literally opening in the exact same way. tim burton's sweeney todd film begins with anthony singing on a boat, while paul king's wonka opens with willy wonka singing on a boat. both sing about similar topics too, with wonka singing "after seven years of life upon the ocean... the city i've pinned seven years of hopes on lies just over the horizon... i've got twelve silver sovereigns in my pocket and a hatful of dreams" and anthony singing "i've sailed the world, beheld it's wonders... but there's no place like london." right off the bat, the viewer is exposed to the dreamer's perspective before the rest of society is shown.

not long after, wonka is brought to the shop of mrs. scrubbit and bleacher, where bleacher then attempts to club wonka. this could potentially serve as a callback to sweeney and his razors.

we meet noodle right after this. although noodle is most definitely the johanna stand-in of wonka, an argument could also be made for her representation of sweeney todd's toby. in the 2007 film, mrs. lovett takes toby in both out of usefulness and emotional attachment and she puts him to work in her shop as an assistant. like toby, noodle is taken in by mrs. scrubbit and put to work. however, mrs. scrubbit feels no emotional attachment at all towards noodle, hence why her name is scrubbit, a pun regarding her profession, rather than lovett, a name that professes why the character takes toby in.

as the wonka film progresses, we see more and more parallels with burton's sweeney todd. firstly, bleacher lies about his identity for a large portion of the film, just like sweeney does, and in both films the audience is made aware of these lies before the other characters find out. another parallel can be drawn between sweeney and wonka as both characters go "underground" to escape arrest, although wonka literally uses the underground sewer system while sweeney conceals his identity from the people who used to know him as benjamin barker. additionally, both wonka and sweeney utilize their stores to evade police capture.

at the very end of the film, we see our last two similar plot points. first, noodle is reunited with her mother. johanna meets her own mother at the end of the film, but while noodle is able to obtain a happy ending and live the rest of her life with family, johanna doesn’t realize it’s her mother, and is unable to reach that same fulfillment. johanna’s ending is much more tragic than noodle’s, however wonka is a children's movie, so what can you really expect? finally, in the post credits scene, we see justice delved out to mrs. scrubbit and bleacher as they are arrested for their wrong doing, similar to how mrs. lovett and sweeney die at the end of their film. once again, they're not killing people in a children's film, so this is the best we can get in terms of a parallel ending.

after breaking these similarities down with @orfisheus, i am completely convinced that wonka is a cleverly concealed parody of sweeney todd, but in the end, the movie represents a genre that is critically underappreciated in today's society. musical theatre should not have to be concealed to be enjoyed by all and theatre should not be relegated to the stereotypical shakespeare dramas. at the end of the day, who can really say if wonka is secretly a replica of sweeney todd? all that truly matters is the knowledge that allows us to appreciate wonka's worth. more than just a children’s film, it builds off of the foundation of two great works to become something that both pays tribute to and evolves the stories of willy wonka and sweeney todd.

[thrifty-swiftie]

it's all come full circle now, can confirm i still stand wholly by wonka gate and everything i said in that essay.

[thrifty-swiftie]

wonka gate: an examination of the parallels between wonka (2023) and sweeney todd (2007)

i saw wonka (2023) approximately 10 hours ago and since then i have been plauged by the film's nearly exact parallels to sweeney todd. over the past 10 hours, i have employed the help of my friend @orfisheus and we have successfully deconstructed every similarity between wonka and sweeney todd, though this post will specifically focus on the 2007 tim burton adaptation.

**SPOILER ALERT FOR BOTH FILMS. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU DO NOT WANT SPOILERS!**

the simplest place to start is to introduce whom each of the wonka characters is trying to replicate. in my opinion, the most recognizable of these characters are mrs. scrubbit, portrayed by olivia colman, and mr. bleacher, portrayed by tom davis. these two are obviously trying to replicate sweeney todd/benjamin barker and his counterpart mrs. lovett. these two are recognizable by name alone, with "scrubbit" sounding extremely similar to "lovett" and "bleacher" sounding similar to "barker." however, the personalities of scrubbit and bleacher are nearly exact replicas of lovett's and sweeney's personalities. both sets of characters run "shops" that aim to harm the people coming in. one character, lovett in sweeney todd and bleacher in wonka, lures their victims in while the other, sweeney and scrubbit, do the actual harming. even from a non-theatre fan standpoint, the similarities between these characters is undeniably recognizable.

now, you may be asking "if scrubbit and bleacher are meant to represent the main characters from the original source material, why aren't they the main characters of wonka?" to that, i propose that we look at wonka as if it's the story of sweeney todd told by another character: anthony. timothée chalamet's wonka is almost a 1:1 copy of sweeney todd's anthony. both characters are dreamers and see the world in the best light possible despite all of the tragedy surrounding them. if you choose to view wonka as a story told through an anthony-esque character's perspective, the fun, colorful atmosphere of wonka feels less out of place than it did upon my initial viewing of the film. in a society where law enforcement and religion is corrupted by corporate greed, willy wonka still chooses to see the good in the world and the people in it, hence the film's upbeat and colorful atmosphere.

no anthony can be complete without a johanna, which willy wonka finds in noodle, the film's female lead played by calah lane. noodle, a supposed orphan (although, like with sweeney's johanna, the viewer finds out the true parentage of noodle later in the film), was taken in by the film's antagonists and is literally caged in by said antagonist. this directly mirrors johanna being trapped by turpin, sweeney todd's antagonist.

though the characters do not take a romantic interest in each other (which, let's be real, would be illegal) wonka and noodle form the same kind of bond that anthony and johanna did in sweeney todd. wonka rescues noodle from her cages multiple times throughout the film, just like anthony freed johanna. the duos care more about the wellbeing of their partner rather than the rest of the world and at the end of both films, the two sets characters both have happy endings.

in terms of minor characters, i would consider wonka's trio of chocolateers to be an extension of judge turpin, while keegan michael key's police chief character takes on the role of beadle.

as for plot parallels, the two films share many similar vital plot points, including quite literally opening in the exact same way. tim burton's sweeney todd film begins with anthony singing on a boat, while paul king's wonka opens with willy wonka singing on a boat. both sing about similar topics too, with wonka singing "after seven years of life upon the ocean... the city i've pinned seven years of hopes on lies just over the horizon... i've got twelve silver sovereigns in my pocket and a hatful of dreams" and anthony singing "i've sailed the world, beheld it's wonders... but there's no place like london." right off the bat, the viewer is exposed to the dreamer's perspective before the rest of society is shown.

not long after, wonka is brought to the shop of mrs. scrubbit and bleacher, where bleacher then attempts to club wonka. this could potentially serve as a callback to sweeney and his razors.

we meet noodle right after this. although noodle is most definitely the johanna stand-in of wonka, an argument could also be made for her representation of sweeney todd's toby. in the 2007 film, mrs. lovett takes toby in both out of usefulness and emotional attachment and she puts him to work in her shop as an assistant. like toby, noodle is taken in by mrs. scrubbit and put to work. however, mrs. scrubbit feels no emotional attachment at all towards noodle, hence why her name is scrubbit, a pun regarding her profession, rather than lovett, a name that professes why the character takes toby in.

as the wonka film progresses, we see more and more parallels with burton's sweeney todd. firstly, bleacher lies about his identity for a large portion of the film, just like sweeney does, and in both films the audience is made aware of these lies before the other characters find out. another parallel can be drawn between sweeney and wonka as both characters go "underground" to escape arrest, although wonka literally uses the underground sewer system while sweeney conceals his identity from the people who used to know him as benjamin barker. additionally, both wonka and sweeney utilize their stores to evade police capture.

at the very end of the film, we see our last two similar plot points. first, noodle is reunited with her mother. johanna meets her own mother at the end of the film, but while noodle is able to obtain a happy ending and live the rest of her life with family, johanna doesn’t realize it’s her mother, and is unable to reach that same fulfillment. johanna’s ending is much more tragic than noodle’s, however wonka is a children's movie, so what can you really expect? finally, in the post credits scene, we see justice delved out to mrs. scrubbit and bleacher as they are arrested for their wrong doing, similar to how mrs. lovett and sweeney die at the end of their film. once again, they're not killing people in a children's film, so this is the best we can get in terms of a parallel ending.

after breaking these similarities down with @orfisheus, i am completely convinced that wonka is a cleverly concealed parody of sweeney todd, but in the end, the movie represents a genre that is critically underappreciated in today's society. musical theatre should not have to be concealed to be enjoyed by all and theatre should not be relegated to the stereotypical shakespeare dramas. at the end of the day, who can really say if wonka is secretly a replica of sweeney todd? all that truly matters is the knowledge that allows us to appreciate wonka's worth. more than just a children’s film, it builds off of the foundation of two great works to become something that both pays tribute to and evolves the stories of willy wonka and sweeney todd.

[thrifty-swiftie]

school officially starts in 3 hours which means it's time for me to listen to nothing but this is me trying, mirrorball, and the archer for 10 months straight 🙃

[jesus-said-chill]

It’s time babes

[thrifty-swiftie]

it is 4am. i have not slept. i have an ap essay due tomorrow. am i watching ride the cyclone instead?

absolutely.

[thrifty-swiftie]

i don't know who dream is but he looks like fruity pinocchio lmao

[thrifty-swiftie]

my favorite hobby is sobbing to talia because it's always "wyd" and never "mdt, wiliyaeidnstbia, btmimbtpy. iwttaotpfysaitpfomhtiifj. iwttyhbtcrawauawtyamw. awssadadatiswiye, lrrwoltbd. mpt, ilmmataoym."

[orfisheus]

I thought I was gonna be disappointed without the lack of Ryan saying, "... will remain... unsolved" at the end of the episode, but "can be locked away... in the ghost files" completed my need. My crops have been watered, my skin has been cleared.

[thrifty-swiftie]

omg stan