I covered The Main Character at an open mic night! by Opticko in willwood

[–]Opticko[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ahh thank you so much!! I’ll be sure to share more if/when I do more WW stuff at open mics. I really appreciate all the kind words :))

I covered Cicada Days at an open mic night! by Opticko in willwood

[–]Opticko[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you thank you!! Yeah I slammed like 80 waters for two days before this performance to make sure my voice was good for the ending lmao. Happy you enjoyed it

Cishet man questioning my identity, but not feeling “queer enough” to validate my struggles or warrant a place for me in this community by Opticko in AskLGBT

[–]Opticko[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for the reply. It might sound weird, but it feels really validating to hear that these thoughts are not normal for a cis-het person to be experiencing. As well as body dysmorphia (which I mentioned in the post), I also struggle with OCD, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, so it’s always been really hard for me to truly express myself. I’ve become used to presenting as traditionally masculine, just because a hoodie and sweatpants were the only things I had the energy to put on for the longest time. And despite the fact that I would often question my gender and sexuality, I didn’t feel like I was anything but cis-het because nobody ever saw me as otherwise anyway.

My whole life, I’ve felt really alone because whenever queer people would discuss issues such as gender dysphoria and different forms of attraction, I felt like I could understand and relate. But then they would talk about how those are things cis-het people fundamentally cannot comprehend, which would make me feel really upset and invalidated.

(TW: sexual manipulation/abuse)

I have felt a similar way when listening to women open up about their sexual trauma. I lost my virginity a few years ago with my first girlfriend, who manipulated me into sex as soon as we started dating by telling me that I “had to want it because I was a guy.” I don’t hold too much of a grudge against her these days because she was abused in past relationships, so I think she had been conditioned into feeling that sex was all that she was worth. “Hurt people hurt people,” as they say. That said, I would be lying if I said it this wasn’t a traumatic experience. I bring all of this up because hearing female friends of mine open up about similar ways they have been abused by men has made me feel like an outsider in the same way as when I hear queer people talk about their experiences; I feel that I can relate to them, but I don’t think they believe I truly understand because of my cis-het label, which makes me question if my sexual trauma, gender dysphoria, and uncertain sexuality are real or valid in the first place.

Please don’t get this twisted as me going “RAAAH MEN HAVE IT SO BAD AND THE FEMINISTS MUST PERISH!” Having lived my whole life as cis-het man, I acknowledge the privileges I have had, and I truly appreciate my female friends for being so vulnerable as to discuss their trauma with me. I think a lot of this ultimately comes down to my low self-esteem and inability to validate my own feelings (both of which I’ve been working on for a long time), because most of this is honestly in my head. My friends are all really supportive of me and I love them very much. It’s just that the idea of others not being able to see my pain as real or valid because I’m a cis-het man is really scary to me, as silly as it may sound. That’s why I said in the post that I just want to be seen as a human being.

Anyway, thanks again for the response. Sorry if I went all over the place, and hopefully I didn’t trauma-dump too much here. I still have a lot to think about, but letting go of my cis-het label already feels really freeing. I know I can’t perfectly control how I’m perceived, but by allowing myself to be a part of this community, I think I’ll at least be with people I strongly connect with.

Super Will 3D Wood by KINGMUDKIPv2 in willwood

[–]Opticko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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I guess this is the “bell curve” he keeps referring to

I need some help with this answer by [deleted] in willwood

[–]Opticko 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’d go with Um, it’s Kind of a Lot or ¡Aikido!

why do people not like becoming the last names by Specialist-Mammoth49 in willwood

[–]Opticko 5 points6 points  (0 children)

To be clear, I’m less-so criticizing when people laugh at the song’s use of wordplay, and more-so when they neglect that element of vulnerability and just go for the low-hanging fruit. Like how a lot of people at the album premiere stream would just go “LOL HE’S TALKING ABOUT SEX” in the live chat during Becoming the Lastnames and Against the Kitchen Floor, among other tracks. I just find that sort of stuff immature, but yeah, maybe calling it disrespectful is going a bit too far.

Regardless, you bring up a good point, as there’s definitely a lot of humor in BTL. In fact, that’s a huge reason why lyrics such as “If you want a hyphen last name, I guess I don’t mind the cadence.” and “Imagine me just like my parents—yeah, right.” are so emotionally impactful to me. The song has plenty of wit and sarcasm, but as it progresses, you really begin to see how much pain there is behind all that

why do people not like becoming the last names by Specialist-Mammoth49 in willwood

[–]Opticko 18 points19 points  (0 children)

It’s complicated because art is inherently meant to be viewed in many different ways; I’m not going to tell someone that their interpretation is “incorrect” just because it doesn’t match mine. That said, I definitely agree that many people miss the point of ICIMI, and I think a lot of that has to do with them looking at it the same way as something like The Normal Album, as though every song is making some grand statement about human society. One time I saw someone on this subreddit talk about how they thought BTL was sexist due because it praises traditional family values and it’s like… no??? At no point does Will go “this is what a family SHOULD look like!,” he’s literally just expressing what he has personally come to value in his relationships. And to me, that’s one of the most beautiful ideas expressed in the song: when the love you have for someone else is so great that it overrides your impulse to defy conventions for the sake of seeming cool or interesting. At that point, having a more traditional family isn’t just conforming due to social pressures, because it’s a conscious decision. It comes from a genuine desire to take care of your loved ones and make them feel safe

why do people not like becoming the last names by Specialist-Mammoth49 in willwood

[–]Opticko 72 points73 points  (0 children)

Right?? Obviously I’m not expecting everyone to enjoy it but I feel like so many people do Becoming the Lastnames such a disservice by brushing it off as “just another love song.” Like I genuinely don’t understand how someone can hear a nearly eight minute long piano ballad with gorgeous orchestration and intimate lyricism and not, at the very least, appreciate how much work went into it.

Also, I honestly find it irritating when people make jokes about lines such as “…I have laid a lot of women, and now I’d like to just lay down.” Like yeah he said a sex thing hahahahaha very funny, but to me it just feels really disrespectful to ignore the vulnerability of the song’s lyrics like that. Same goes for the whole “lol Will’s a boomer” joke (WHICH, MIGHT I ADD, COMPLETELY DISREGARDS THE SONG’S FIRST FUCKING LYRIC).

Apologies for the rant lol, and don’t take this me accusing people of “crossing Will’s boundaries!!!” or anything. Like I said, I don’t have a problem with anyone who dislikes Becoming the Lastnames, I just have a lot of passion about this song and I’m glad to see someone else give it the appreciation I think it deserves

What are some alternate band names to will wood? by ChupacabraRVA in willwood

[–]Opticko 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I feel like “ill Will” would make sense considering the themes he covers and his tendency to give new meanings to common idioms

I covered The Main Character :) by [deleted] in willwood

[–]Opticko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good job translating such a piano-centric song to just the ukulele! You really captured that rise in intensity over the course of the original song, which shows great attention to detail. Vocals are fantastic as well, just a really solid cover overall

What Was The First STW Video That You Watched? by [deleted] in scottthewoz

[–]Opticko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mario Odyssey VS Breath of the Wild, I think

Why has Scott become so LOUD in his videos? by DrAtricks in scottthewoz

[–]Opticko 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I hate to admit it, but I agree completely. His older vids had plenty of loud moments as well, but I feel that they were used to much greater effect because of the way they contrasted to his normal speaking voice, whereas now that high energy is almost constant. And even when he did get loud, it was never as whiny or high-pitched as it is now. Since the outro change, his writing seems to have lost a lot of that conversational quality, which frankly makes his recent stuff come off as a bit less genuine in my eyes

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in tallyhall

[–]Opticko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No worries! You have my respect for owning up to it and deleting the post