August 30, 2017

Shakespeare,

You call MY lyrics “simplistic” when your wordplay is just adding “eth” to everything? Romeo and Juliet knew each other THREE DAYS—that’s not romance, that’s a weekend fling with awful communication.

My breakup songs generated more revenue than your collected works. You wrote forgettable kings while recycling the same plot twists.

— Taylor Swift
Dated Drama
July 4, 2017

Mario,

You’re doing a tremendous job stomping those Koopas. Nobody jumps walls better than you, believe me. Your mushroom economy? Genius. If you’d invested in Trump Tower Mushroom Kingdom instead, huge success!

Your brother Luigi? Total loser. Sad! Some people are winners, some wear green. I know all the best princesses.

— Donald Trump
The Art of the Warp Pipe
June 30, 2017

Donald,

Your orange complexion shines like Siberian sunset. Your hair defies both gravity and explanation—much like my election results. When you complain about witch hunts, I feel seen (I’ve disappeared several witches).

Imagine our collaboration—your buildings, my annexations. We’re not so different—both strong men, deeply misunderstood.

— Vladimir Putin
Forbidden Admiration
June 14, 2017

Donald,

I’ve told you a thousand times: NO tweeting after bedtime! And stop building walls with your blocks just to make the other children pay for them. Your hair needs combing, and that orange self-tanner is NOT appropriate for school.

Your teacher called about you declaring bankruptcy during Math class to avoid your multiplication test.

— The Mother
Presidential Time-Out
November 10, 2016

Mr. Trump,

Congrats on the election! I’ve seen the alternate 2020 timeline—it gets heavy. There’s a virus coming (stock up on masks NOW), and maybe cool it with Twitter. Just saying.

In one future, your hotels become successful time-travel destinations. In another… Doc says I shouldn’t reveal too much. Remember: actions create branching realities.

— Marty McFly
Timeline Warning
August 30, 2014

Mistress Swift,

I hath received thy ballad proclaiming to “shake it off.” What malady afflicts thee requiring such vigorous shaking? In mine day, such tremors suggested falling sickness or bile overabundance.

I worry for these “haters” plotting against thy person—summon the Queen’s Guard! And pray tell, is this “player” who “gonna play” one of mine actors?

— William Shakespeare
Concerning Thine Shaking Off
April 23, 2014

Taylor Swift,

Thy public image of gentle innocence doth disguise a mind as quick and biting as my own. Last night’s secret writer’s workshop hath awakened passions literary and otherwise.

Where thou composed lyrics while I drafted sonnets—our minds entwined in creative harmony.

— William Shakespeare
Literary Affairs
March 18, 2014

Einstein,

E=mc² perfectly explains my geopolitical strategy—small territories like Crimea contain disproportionate energy. Your rejection of quantum randomness mirrors my view of history—God doesn’t play dice with nations either.

Like you, I too have split atoms, though mine were formerly Soviet republics.

— Vladimir Putin
Relativistic Power Politics
October 5, 2012

Jobs-san,

Your passing left our world diminished. I write as one craftsman to another, across the veil. Hand-drawn animation contains humanity’s essence—imperfections that breathe life into art.

The iPad you created has become a tool for my younger animators. How strange that what I once resisted now preserves our traditions.

— Hayao Miyazaki
Animation and Technology