I wish more fanartists would put their work on AO3. Just followed an artist who organizes their work by making a series for Fandom X, and within that, they have multi-chapter works for different ships & gen. Every new chapter is just their latest image for that subject.
It's been so delightful not to have to wade through social media algorithms and endless ads.
I feel like everyone is sick of those stupid soyjack vs Chad "my opinion is good and based and correct, your opinion bad and wrong and stinky" memes by this point, as they're some of the lowest forms of current internet 'humor.' But precisely because those memes are so bad and also everywhere, I feel it's worth giving some credit to the fact that the original "The Virgin Walk / The Chad Stride" was actually a brilliant meme.
"The Virgin Walk" image showed up first, and it was standard 4chan stuff - which is to say, highly negative. Just a whole bunch of random small traits that people can have, bundled together in an accusatory way to try and make people insecure about them having "virgin" posture, by the kind of people who genuinely worries about being an "alpha male" (Or possibly pointing out their own flaws as a form of self-hatred, flip a coin when it comes to 4chan)
And then, on another thread, someone made the Chad Stride edit to go along with it.
It's a great piece of satire by how simple it is. Just by taking the traits listed in the original image, then inverting and exaggerating them, the result is an absurd caricature of a man who does not (and should not) exist. Through exaggeration, it demonstrates how the people who constantly worry about seeming 'Chad-like' are chasing after behaviour that is utterly unhinged and disconnected from reality.
I think this gif demonstrates it perfectly by putting it in motion:
Virgin is a normal, if insecure dude. Chad is an absolute fucking maniac. (Not to mention all the references to violence in the image)
So, while it did degrade into those awful soyjak memes we all know and hate because that is the nature of the internet, I feel like it's worth remembering that in the original image that spawned this entire trend, you're supposed to laugh at Chad. You shouldn't want to be Chad, because he's the menace to society [ credit to the gif's creator: https://x.com/art_miguelito/status/1107313740033212417 ; thanks to @softwaring for linking it ]
I’m so glad that things like survivorship bias and statistical outliers became memes I wish more critical thinking skills would become widely-understood this way, I’m not kidding let’s get on this
Did everyone somehow just forget that Russia was the one who started the war on Ukraine? That Russia invaded Ukraine apropos of nothing, and has been doing everything it can to steal what it can and destroy what it can't? That Ukrainian kids are being stolen by Russia for russification? That Russia is actively trying to suppress Ukrainian language, culture, and national identity? That Ukraine is just defending itself and is literally just asking for Russia to fuck off and leave them alone? Did everyone just forget that??
Like I'm the nuance guy, and folks: there's no nuance here. There is no justification for this invasion. There is a clear aggressor and a clear victim. This is about as clear cut as it gets.
Russia started the damn war, and now wants it to end and is negotiating with the US (not Ukraine??) to get there. This is literally just wrapping up Ukrainian surrender to Russian imperialism in a pretty bow and calling it "peace."
I feel like I'm losing my mind.
This nothing to do with "efficiency" and everything to do with making it easier for the rich to evade taxes.
The Innovative Visual Style of 2000AD and how it birthed SF Comic Book Mania.
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The fact that this is 80 fucking years ago but still just as relevant is terrifying.
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Crow Time - Statue 1
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It brings me joy! It validates my bird obsession!
[Holy crap there's a Part 2??]
[PART 3!!!!]
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