A boring post, but a happy one.
That's right--I'm happy. Well. Not happy, maybe, but definitely not so depressed that I want to curl up in the fetal position, so I think it counts. You're surprised, aren't you? But it's Friday, midterms are done, and I have Monday and Tuesday off. Plenty of time to unwind, mangle some ponies, do a little roleplaying...
I was, I think, far more amused by the cannibalism curse at Poly than I should have been. It's so... SyFy channel. I watched this one movie the other weekend that involved cannibal hillbillies, and the whole day reminded me of that. Not to make light of cannibalism, of course, but I think that, in many cases, the curse was handled in a funny cheesy-horror-flick manner, which delighted me to no end. Angsty curses aren't fun; cracky cannibalism is. Thinking so probably makes me a bad person.
But I had a lovely time with Justin's post. See? Cannibalism is perfectly normal in some societies, so calm down and try not to eat anyone you might regret eating. I particularly enjoyed this, so thank you, Chelle. <3 I wonder, though, if I shouldn't have had Justin act slightly more concerned? But he's so good at accepting that curses are curses and, sometimes, people just go and eat each other. Come to think of it, that's not the healthiest mindset. Besides, I had a good time using the icons in which MP is eating himself. The opportunity to use them doesn't come up every day.
Penny wasn't as fun. It's strange when the cheery character has more angst than the mopey teenager character, and I'm having a hard time keeping Penny appropriately Pennyish (and, consequently, sympathetic and moved by the pain of others) while remaining true to canon. I mean, she's from a campy musical. Even though Penny's the normal person in DHSAB, I feel that she should be written with a certain amount of lightheartedness. Lighthearted is difficult when people are eating each other. It's... I'm not sure. As an empathetic person, Penny needs to be upset about Bad Things... just not too upset. I don't know if I'm hitting that balance between camp/realism properly.
Not that I should be too concerned about realism. It's a game, after all. And realistically? I'm not sure that someone like Penny could make it in the City without having some kind of breakdown. She might exhibit emotional strength in canon, but large-scale suffering can do a number on a person. Although I still think that willfull ignorance is Penny's favorite coping mechanism.
In short, I suppose, please let me know if Penny seems off? Same goes with Justin. I can accept crit, I promise!
Curses for the rest of the month, though... hmn. After the cannibalism thing, I'm rather reluctant to hit either of them with anything unpleasant, and neither of them strikes me as rock star material (although that could be potentially lulzy with Justin, if I approached it right). The curse-of-rampant-badness on the 29th is tempting. I think I would leave Justin out of it (not that he wouldn't find a death trap or being burned as a witch interesting, but the fact that neither one of those events would phase him much freaks me out a little), but it would almost be nicer to Penny to throw her into trouble instead of having her sit around worrying.
Grag bag weekend? I'm thinking there needs to be some fun, non-angsty cursing. If anyone wants to make plans, I'm more than game for something funny. Soap opera dramatics? Or I've been thinking about hitting Penny with the We Did That? curse. Nice characters like her don't typically admit to having sex lives. It could be funny. But we'll see.
Now, apps. I've been waffling on picking up a third character ever since I dropped Carl, and I should really commit and go for it before apps close for November. Predictably enough, the characters in top running are Drusilla, Mag, and Uther. Drusilla would be the easiest; I have my old application for her, and all I would have to do is modify it a bit. My biggest reservation with her is the fact that I've played--and dropped--her at Poly twice before because I didn't feel like I had her voice quite right. She's fun to play, but she's also very easy to write poorly. Mag wouldn't be difficult. I have Repo! all but memorized. The problem with Mag is that I don't think she lends herself to roleplaying, really--not in a place like Poly. And there's Uther, of course. The community with Arthur clips hasn't approved me yet, so I can't review canon at the mo'. I'm not as familiar with him as I would like to be, but I think he could be fun to play.
I also think it'd be a riot to play Luigi or Pavi from Repo!. Usernames... teh_smarist and lovethepavi? Oh, the crack that would ensue.
And that's that.
There's very little going on that isn't related to roleplaying or customizing. I'm a little surprised by the number of pony commissions I have piling up, but pleasantly so. And immersing myself in ponies and pretendy-fun-times is a lovely way to ignore real life, which isn't as nice as I would like. Yeah, Real Life... I'm ignoring you. How does that feel?
I had slightly more intelligent things to say, I think, but they've left and it's already time for class. Should any of those thoughts return, I'll get back to you at two after Irish lit. Anyway! Sorry for essentially saying nothing. I hope everyone's having a nice Friday and taking care. <3
ETA
Whilst poking the internet, I found a list of the 10 Most Overrated Young Actors. Not too surprisingly--well, I was a little surprised, since I thought he was too obscure to be on such a list--I found Michael Pitt. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't think he's a very good actor. I loved him in "Murder by Numbers," but I've been unimpressed in the bits of other films he's been in (I haven't watched any of the others through, but I think pieces can say a lot). This is what the poster had to say:
"He was like a lifeless doll in Murder by Numbers. While co-star Ryan Gosling made waves onscreen and off, Pitt remained in the pit (literally)."
Gosling is a brilliant actor--I will give you this. I'll reiterate it, even, because he's one of my favorite actors ever. But--and someone tell me if I totally messed up my interpretation--I thought Justin was supposed to be like a lifeless doll (or if he wasn't supposed to, I think it certainly worked for him). Maybe I'm giving the film too much credit, but the juxtaposition between Richard and Justin (fire and ice, action and thought, aggressiveness and passivity, and so on and so forth) seemed quite deliberate and was one of my favorite part of the movie.
I'll admit that I watched "Murder by Numbers" because Gosling was in it. I'll also admit that Richard was the character I had the most interest in initially, and I would never have chosen to play Justin over Richard if the roleplaying situation at the time had been different. Having said that, though, I'm rather fond of playing Justin now; I think that, had I played Richard instead, that muse would have fizzled out by now. Of course, there's every chance that my interpretation of Justin is off. He might not be an interesting character at all (which makes me wonder if I imagined everything I've attached to his personality--I thought I was supported by canon, but perhaps not), and... I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't worry about it. It's not as if anyone watches that movie, right?
But the article! I read through the comments, too, and one person saw fit to stick up for Mike Pitt (who was also bashed for saying inappropriate things):
"Michael Pitt is a great young actor who abuses far too many drugs, so you putting him on here is absurd."
I was more amused by this comment than I should have been. Abusing drugs justifies everything somehow? (For the record, I don't think there's been any proof that Pitt has substance abuse issues, but he's not a very pleasant person in interviews and the like.) And "great"? No. Pretty? Yes. Does he have potential talent? Maybe. Has he shown it? I don't think so. I can't say this fairly, since, as mentioned, I've only seen him in other films in clips here and there, but I honestly don't think he's a "great" actor. Heck, I don't even like him much as a person. True fact: Everyone on my 'favorite' list seems to be a more-or-less decent person on AND off camera so far as I can tell. I have a horrible prejudice against actors/musicians/anyone else who seems like a jerk. But great!
I'm sorry if anyone out there likes him. As I said, I haven't watched his other films fully. And my overall opinion hasn't affected my fondness towards Justin; if anything, I feel more sympathetic towards Justin than Richard now (again, though, I could be seeing things in the movie that aren't there). This doesn't make MP a good actor--it makes him a good Justin.
Anyway. The original poster of the list replied to the above with this, which was also funny:
"Perhaps, if the role is someone who suffers from a mental breakdown and is catatonic, he might be convincing,"
It's mean. It's probably not far from the truth. I laughed inside.
Actors probably shouldn't be taken too seriously, though. Neither should roleplaying (dur, self) or character interpretation. I kind of question my sanity; I'm playing two characters who are poorly fleshed-out in their respective canons in spite of their significance to the plot. Worse yet, I like it. Does this mean I'm afraid to play characters who are more established and definite? Could I play a character without relying primarily on self-interpretation? If I picked up a character who was well-known with a definite personality, would I get called out for poor roleplaying?
Should I stop being paranoid? Yeah. The answer's definitely yes there, but I can't help but wonder.
So I'll stop thinking and leave you with a cute picture of Felicia Day.
I was, I think, far more amused by the cannibalism curse at Poly than I should have been. It's so... SyFy channel. I watched this one movie the other weekend that involved cannibal hillbillies, and the whole day reminded me of that. Not to make light of cannibalism, of course, but I think that, in many cases, the curse was handled in a funny cheesy-horror-flick manner, which delighted me to no end. Angsty curses aren't fun; cracky cannibalism is. Thinking so probably makes me a bad person.
But I had a lovely time with Justin's post. See? Cannibalism is perfectly normal in some societies, so calm down and try not to eat anyone you might regret eating. I particularly enjoyed this, so thank you, Chelle. <3 I wonder, though, if I shouldn't have had Justin act slightly more concerned? But he's so good at accepting that curses are curses and, sometimes, people just go and eat each other. Come to think of it, that's not the healthiest mindset. Besides, I had a good time using the icons in which MP is eating himself. The opportunity to use them doesn't come up every day.
Penny wasn't as fun. It's strange when the cheery character has more angst than the mopey teenager character, and I'm having a hard time keeping Penny appropriately Pennyish (and, consequently, sympathetic and moved by the pain of others) while remaining true to canon. I mean, she's from a campy musical. Even though Penny's the normal person in DHSAB, I feel that she should be written with a certain amount of lightheartedness. Lighthearted is difficult when people are eating each other. It's... I'm not sure. As an empathetic person, Penny needs to be upset about Bad Things... just not too upset. I don't know if I'm hitting that balance between camp/realism properly.
Not that I should be too concerned about realism. It's a game, after all. And realistically? I'm not sure that someone like Penny could make it in the City without having some kind of breakdown. She might exhibit emotional strength in canon, but large-scale suffering can do a number on a person. Although I still think that willfull ignorance is Penny's favorite coping mechanism.
In short, I suppose, please let me know if Penny seems off? Same goes with Justin. I can accept crit, I promise!
Curses for the rest of the month, though... hmn. After the cannibalism thing, I'm rather reluctant to hit either of them with anything unpleasant, and neither of them strikes me as rock star material (although that could be potentially lulzy with Justin, if I approached it right). The curse-of-rampant-badness on the 29th is tempting. I think I would leave Justin out of it (not that he wouldn't find a death trap or being burned as a witch interesting, but the fact that neither one of those events would phase him much freaks me out a little), but it would almost be nicer to Penny to throw her into trouble instead of having her sit around worrying.
Grag bag weekend? I'm thinking there needs to be some fun, non-angsty cursing. If anyone wants to make plans, I'm more than game for something funny. Soap opera dramatics? Or I've been thinking about hitting Penny with the We Did That? curse. Nice characters like her don't typically admit to having sex lives. It could be funny. But we'll see.
Now, apps. I've been waffling on picking up a third character ever since I dropped Carl, and I should really commit and go for it before apps close for November. Predictably enough, the characters in top running are Drusilla, Mag, and Uther. Drusilla would be the easiest; I have my old application for her, and all I would have to do is modify it a bit. My biggest reservation with her is the fact that I've played--and dropped--her at Poly twice before because I didn't feel like I had her voice quite right. She's fun to play, but she's also very easy to write poorly. Mag wouldn't be difficult. I have Repo! all but memorized. The problem with Mag is that I don't think she lends herself to roleplaying, really--not in a place like Poly. And there's Uther, of course. The community with Arthur clips hasn't approved me yet, so I can't review canon at the mo'. I'm not as familiar with him as I would like to be, but I think he could be fun to play.
I also think it'd be a riot to play Luigi or Pavi from Repo!. Usernames... teh_smarist and lovethepavi? Oh, the crack that would ensue.
And that's that.
There's very little going on that isn't related to roleplaying or customizing. I'm a little surprised by the number of pony commissions I have piling up, but pleasantly so. And immersing myself in ponies and pretendy-fun-times is a lovely way to ignore real life, which isn't as nice as I would like. Yeah, Real Life... I'm ignoring you. How does that feel?
I had slightly more intelligent things to say, I think, but they've left and it's already time for class. Should any of those thoughts return, I'll get back to you at two after Irish lit. Anyway! Sorry for essentially saying nothing. I hope everyone's having a nice Friday and taking care. <3
ETA
Whilst poking the internet, I found a list of the 10 Most Overrated Young Actors. Not too surprisingly--well, I was a little surprised, since I thought he was too obscure to be on such a list--I found Michael Pitt. Now, I'll be the first to admit that I don't think he's a very good actor. I loved him in "Murder by Numbers," but I've been unimpressed in the bits of other films he's been in (I haven't watched any of the others through, but I think pieces can say a lot). This is what the poster had to say:
"He was like a lifeless doll in Murder by Numbers. While co-star Ryan Gosling made waves onscreen and off, Pitt remained in the pit (literally)."
Gosling is a brilliant actor--I will give you this. I'll reiterate it, even, because he's one of my favorite actors ever. But--and someone tell me if I totally messed up my interpretation--I thought Justin was supposed to be like a lifeless doll (or if he wasn't supposed to, I think it certainly worked for him). Maybe I'm giving the film too much credit, but the juxtaposition between Richard and Justin (fire and ice, action and thought, aggressiveness and passivity, and so on and so forth) seemed quite deliberate and was one of my favorite part of the movie.
I'll admit that I watched "Murder by Numbers" because Gosling was in it. I'll also admit that Richard was the character I had the most interest in initially, and I would never have chosen to play Justin over Richard if the roleplaying situation at the time had been different. Having said that, though, I'm rather fond of playing Justin now; I think that, had I played Richard instead, that muse would have fizzled out by now. Of course, there's every chance that my interpretation of Justin is off. He might not be an interesting character at all (which makes me wonder if I imagined everything I've attached to his personality--I thought I was supported by canon, but perhaps not), and... I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't worry about it. It's not as if anyone watches that movie, right?
But the article! I read through the comments, too, and one person saw fit to stick up for Mike Pitt (who was also bashed for saying inappropriate things):
"Michael Pitt is a great young actor who abuses far too many drugs, so you putting him on here is absurd."
I was more amused by this comment than I should have been. Abusing drugs justifies everything somehow? (For the record, I don't think there's been any proof that Pitt has substance abuse issues, but he's not a very pleasant person in interviews and the like.) And "great"? No. Pretty? Yes. Does he have potential talent? Maybe. Has he shown it? I don't think so. I can't say this fairly, since, as mentioned, I've only seen him in other films in clips here and there, but I honestly don't think he's a "great" actor. Heck, I don't even like him much as a person. True fact: Everyone on my 'favorite' list seems to be a more-or-less decent person on AND off camera so far as I can tell. I have a horrible prejudice against actors/musicians/anyone else who seems like a jerk. But great!
I'm sorry if anyone out there likes him. As I said, I haven't watched his other films fully. And my overall opinion hasn't affected my fondness towards Justin; if anything, I feel more sympathetic towards Justin than Richard now (again, though, I could be seeing things in the movie that aren't there). This doesn't make MP a good actor--it makes him a good Justin.
Anyway. The original poster of the list replied to the above with this, which was also funny:
"Perhaps, if the role is someone who suffers from a mental breakdown and is catatonic, he might be convincing,"
It's mean. It's probably not far from the truth. I laughed inside.
Actors probably shouldn't be taken too seriously, though. Neither should roleplaying (dur, self) or character interpretation. I kind of question my sanity; I'm playing two characters who are poorly fleshed-out in their respective canons in spite of their significance to the plot. Worse yet, I like it. Does this mean I'm afraid to play characters who are more established and definite? Could I play a character without relying primarily on self-interpretation? If I picked up a character who was well-known with a definite personality, would I get called out for poor roleplaying?
Should I stop being paranoid? Yeah. The answer's definitely yes there, but I can't help but wonder.
So I'll stop thinking and leave you with a cute picture of Felicia Day.
