silly

Never Have I Ever Urban Fantasy MC Edition

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Hi Readers,

I saw a list of Never Have I Ever retro things and I thought it would be fun to make one for Urban Fantasy main characters.

Give your MC 1 point for everything that applies:

  1. Been haunted by their past
  2. Had a family member or close friend betray them
  3. Fall for someone who wasn’t quite human
  4. Gotten into a fight they couldn’t win
  5. Pissed off someone important/dangerous
  6. Died, seemed to die, or faked their death
  7. Travelled somewhere otherworldly
  8. Experienced a power curve that’s practically vertical
  9. Lost their memory
  10. Owned a store, restaurant, or other business
  11. Taken on an apprentice/squire/intern
  12. Given in to carnal desire after a fight
  13. Was nursed back to life by their enemy
  14. Got a magical tattoo or other body modification
  15. Had more than one love interest vying for their attention
  16. Dealt with a prophecy
  17. Quoted pop culture during a fight
  18. Poisoned, cursed, kidnapped, or enslaved
  19. Discovered your dead parent was keeping secrets
  20. Time travelled

Our Results

How do your favourite main characters add up?

Éric

Deadpool – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2016 film Deadpool.

Story

The story is extremely simple while doing a great job of lovingly mocking the superhero formula.

Score: 0.5

Characters

The cast is nice aand small, giving lots of room of Wade’s emotional journey. The cast that we do get to know are interesting and varied.

Score: 1

Dialogue

The dialogue is next level, mixing meta references, fourth wall breaks, and general silliness.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The budget shows with the digital effects but the fight choreography and practical effects are spectacular.

The soundtrack is excellent and filled with great songs and a fun score.

Score: 1

Fun

This was the third time I’ve seen it and despite a few crude moments that I didn’t like, I find it a lot of fun. There’s a joyfulness to the character that’s refreshing.

Score: 1

Overall

Deadpool is often treated as a joke and this leans into the jokes while still having a lot of heart. The action is top-notch and Ryan Reynolds is perfect in the role.

Final Score: 4.5 Stars out of 5

Help! I think I’ve been wearing snow pants wrong for 40 years

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans,

Here is a picture of snow pants:

At the bottom of the legs of snow pants is something called an Internal Boot Gaiter. It has a texture like splash pants and an elastic on the bottom. There’s also the Boot Zipper or External Leg.

Now, for my whole life, I’ve been putting the Internal Boot Gaiter inside my boots, tightening my boots, and rolling down the Boot Zipper outside. I thought this created a sort of airlock.

On Saturday, my wife told me she stretched the gaiter over the boot to create a seal over the boot.

I was so shocked that I immediately googled it. It seems like all the sources I can find agree with Jen or seem to be agreeing.

So please tell me what do you do?

Do you put the Inner Gaiter inside the boot or outside?

View Results

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Be kind and stay safe,

Éric

Top 5 Insults that are kinda silly

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Hello Thinking People,

What a long decade… Wait, it’s only the third year of this decade? Damn.

One of things that I’ve noticed lately is that there’s a lot of insults flying around on the internet. Not all insults are made equal and sometimes they just completely miss their mark.

Nothing will beat the man who said I was argumentative and headed toward divorce. That was really entertaining.

The following insults have been used on me in the past few years and honestly, they just don’t bite as much as people think.

5. Brainwashed

a forcible indoctrination to induce someone to give up basic political, social, or religious beliefs and attitudes and to accept contrasting regimented ideas

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brainwash

I hope they used good soap.

This is honestly the closest to being used properly, but yelling at someone on the internet that they just don’t understand because they’ve been braiwashed…. It’s silly. Feels like a teenage tantrum.

4. Radical Leftist / Antifa

a person or group actively opposing fascism

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/antifa

I am unequivocally against fascism.

Somehow this became tangled up as an opposite version of Nazis. Does anyone who uses this as an insult, truly love fascism? I really don’t get it.

The radical right wants to kill people, the radical left wants to kill inequality, hate, and poverty. I don’t see those as equal.

3. Woke / SJW (Social Justice Warrior)

aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/woke

There’s a lot of talk about science fiction becoming woke, or woke politics. It’s another way of saying, “Hey, that person there wants social progress.” When someone calls me woke, I want to tell them thank you.

All joking aside, I think being attentive to the inequalities and issues experienced by others is important. We all have our own colonial, racist, and normative baggage to deal with and keeping an open mind is important.

2. Cuck

So this one is a shortform for Cuckold which means. “a man whose wife is unfaithful.” It’s taken the same meaning as beta-male or soy boy. Effectively, it means effiminate and useless man.

It’s a favourite with the incel movement and really just makes me laugh. There’s something delightfully silly about a bunch of whiny men using a word that is so close to cock as an insult.

Beyond the fact that there’s nothing inherently wrong or weak about being effeminate, it really is a borrowed antique word that is near meaningless.

1. Simp

The word used to mean simple, basicly another abelist slur toward mental disabilities. It’s lately evolved into a verb meaning to do too much for a person you like.

The first time I was called this, I had to check urban dictionary (shudder) and just couldn’t believe that being a loving and attentive romantic partner was considered an insult.

I’ve even seen people use gifs of Gomez Adams to say someone is a simp.

I’d gladly be compared to Gomez… A loving father and husband who thinks of others and works towards the betterment of his family.

In all honesty, sometimes these things get to me. Mostly because I have trouble understanding how people can weigh a human life as less important than money, or just not listen to those that are affected.

I’m not perfect and I’m still trying to learn, but I’m fairly sure calling me silly names on the internet won’t help your cause.

Stay safe and be kind,

Éric

Young Frankenstein – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1974 film Young Frankenstein.

Story

Shockingly close to the actual novel, possibly with more quotes from it than most movie adaptations. The story was pretty much a remake of the novel with a lot of Mel Brooks spin. It toes the line from serious to absurd and I personally wish it went further into the absurd.

Story: 0.5

Characters

Then entire cast was having a lot of fun and you can tell. They often over do it in the most delightful way, but at times the jokes fall flatter than I’d like.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Oscillating between dick jokes and monologues about beauty that could be pulled from the novel, the dialogue was all over the place and I mean that in the best way. The contrast is what adds an extra level to the humour.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The filming style is a perfect match for the old monster movies, which was a little discordant when I saw the background actors with seventies hair styles.

The music was like the dialogue, all over the place. Not sure it worked as well though.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I have a feeling that I could watch this movie yearly and enjoy it on my own. However, it is a very slow-paced and very talky movie sometimes to a self-indulgent level. The kids were bored, but I expected that.

Score: 0.5

Overall

There are glimmers of genius in the comedy of the movie, but it tries too hard to be too many things. Personally, I prefer Brooks when his movies are more absurd and frantic.

Final Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

George of the Jungle – JenEric Movie Review

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How This Works – Read Other Reviews

Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1997 movie George of the Jungle.

Story

The story is riddled with puns, fart jokes, 4th wall breaking, and silly slapstick. Some of that is good, some of that is bad. It’s a story that doesn’t take itself seriously but has some interesting things to say as subtext. Great moments where the script flips the tropes on their heads, especially those of toxic masculinity and ignorance.

Score: 0.5

Characters

George is a lovable idiot with a better understanding of how to respect others then the rest of the characters.

Ursula was the stand in for the every man-character and bland because of it. The rest were a mixture of tropes and silliness.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue in this, specifically the narrator, makes me laugh every time. Despite the silliness, the movie does a great job at not overdoing the dialogue. It’s not perfect but it’s certainly quotable.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals were okay. Scenery was pretty and the special effects held up well.

The music was so 1990’s it hurt. Even the theme song was a punk rock late 1990’s cover.

There was nothing special here but nothing terrible.

Score: 0.5

Fun

I have fond memories of this movie as a kid. Brendan Fraser is charming (as always) and the movie still has some of my favourite gags, but also has a lot more crotch punch and fart jokes then I remembered.

Score: 0.5

Overall

This is a fun movie, not great, not terrible but definitely fun. It has less awkward sexism or racism than a lot of movies from it’s time, and even has some good feminist messages.

Final Score: 2.5 Stars

Top 5 Silly Things all Parents Do

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Every child is different and every parent is also just as different, but there are some things we share.

5. Attempt Escape

Everyone has days that they just want a few seconds of quiet where no one is asking to climb you. Kids are awesome, but they’re draining and sometimes you just need to hide. I’ve been known to take my phone into the washroom and maybe spend a little extra time.

4. Hear a Boom and Freeze

You’ve been there. The child just falls, hits something, knocks something over, or goodness knows what. You freeze and wait for the scream, cry, shout, or other loud reaction.

It’s a “do I need to intervene” or “should I wait for them” kind of moment.

3. Not Sleep

Yes, kids like to stay up and wake you at all times. Some are worse than others, but that’s not always why we’re tired as parents. Sometimes you wake up early to get some work done or go to bed late to watch something without having to name each jelly bean’s colour and flavour.

2. Cringe

This is doubly dangerous. Everyone knows kids love to repeat things. One “What the Heck” and they’ll be chanting it for weeks. We went to a party where one of the adults peppered their speech with the F word in the way that I like to spread peanut butter. Dragon walked around for three days chanting “Fok fok fok”.

What people rarely tell you is that it works both ways. They’ll use a turn of phrase or tone and you’ll suddenly be saying, “Oh, yes!” to the waiter. I’ve been told it only gets worse.

1. Secret Snack

There you are with a warm ball of energy on your lap and you’ll want a cookie. You can share your favourite cookie or you can sneak one the next time they leave the room. It’s not just that you don’t want to share, it’s probably not good for them, it’s messy, and gosh darn it they’ve had enough sweets.

My cookie!…

Did I miss anything?

Éric