#andres pop culture talk

[batmandarkknightuniverse]

Loki(2021)Ep 1:Andres Pop Culture Talk

[beautifulpersonpeach]

As promised here, I'm continuing a series of posts on NewJeans and why I think the group holds real potential. What I want to briefly talk about this time, is the quality of their music.

Credit: @/haerin1sta

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Not exactly sure how this is going to come across, but the truth is very few groups in k-pop give me a quality sonic experience. I mean, for a lot of groups, I get no joy from playing them out loud in my space. BTS is one group where the music is so dynamic, textured and layered... I know this probably sounds pretentious, but BTS's music is the perfect blend of cohesive + complex + simple to suit my taste. I enjoy sitting back in my living room, dimming the lights and drawing the blinds, to hear Dis-ease play over my Bowers & Wilkins 800 D4 speakers. It feels like an actual pleasure. I get this with BTS, nearly every time. There's a handful of other groups whose songs I sometimes feel this way about, but there's been no other group that consistently gets me this way lately more than NewJeans.

At least I'm pretty sure there's no other group that gets me to break out a subwoofer more than NewJeans, after BTS.

All their songs have such a deep and rich bass.

It's almost sickening. Listen, k-pop has done R&B for years. The sound isn't new to the industry by any means, but the way NewJeans does R&B you can tell whoever makes their shit, cette personne a eu le cœur brisé par une personne noire.

Take for example a song like ASAP. That moment the bass comes in at 0:40, during the chorus - it sounds heavenly on my speakers. The whole song feels kinda magical and odd, like Christmas in July, and I suspect one reason why is the chord progression which I recognize to follow that of many Christmas hymns... and the deep heavy bass.

You might not hear it right in this clip because of how Youtube compresses their sound, but I think one can still tell the pitch shifts slightly. The tweaky game-beat percussion that fills up the rest of the song feels disorienting but that's also the point. By the time the second chorus comes in, the contrast it creates feels like you're diving into a pool of cool water on a hot day. It's so good. It's like that weird genre-mix thing SM likes to do in their songs, but with NewJeans it's so much more effortless, weirder, and cooler.

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This is Minji.

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This is Danielle.

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This is Haerin.

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This is Hyein.

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This is Hanni.

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All five girls have clean, clear vocals and very distinct vocal colours. One reason their music is so good, is because all their songs put an emphasis on their vocals. For example, listen to the pulled stems for Hurt.

The first 2 minutes and 50 seconds is pure acappella heaven, and then you realize it's placed in the center. The mix is so full and centered, it's perfect. The other stems in the video from 2:50 too are such a delight to listen to.

The sense of easy excellence is everywhere in NewJeans' sound and concept. They don't need to force anything, they don't need crazy ornamental riffs, or ridiculous beat switches to capture and hold attention. All the harmonizing that needs to be done is already in the music. It's simple and for that reason, good. Hurt for example is just a well made song.

It's so fun to play in the car. It sounds like a joint Andre 3000 would produce.

Another song that absolutely blows me away when I play it, is Cookie. Can you even try to imagine what the intro on Cookie sounds like with subwoofers?

It's mad.

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Ador encourages the girls to fully participate in several aspects, from songwriting (the members have been writing their songs since debut and 4 out of 5 members are credited on their songs so far), to making their choreography, to applying their ideas towards their marketing. It's really remarkable for a rookie group, but I also feel this is a culture HYBE has been trying to create at all their sub-labels.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to more music from NewJeans. Get Up was a solid treat - my ranking of the songs on it so far:

New Jeans

Cool with You & Get Up

ASAP

ETA

Super Shy

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(Haerin - dancer and vocalist)

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(Danielle - dancer and vocalist)

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(Hyein - dancer, vocalist, and maknae)

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(Hanni - dancer and vocalist)

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(Minji - dancer and vocalist)

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(I don't have a bias in NewJeans. And that's the first sign for me that this is a solid group.)

[cyanoscarlet]

Actors/Behind the Scenes AU, in which FF16 is a duo/trilogy of movies, and the characters are actors in said movie -

Headcanons that inspired Peppermint and Chocolate Chip (aka, that one Actress!Benedikta fic).

Outside of FF16, Clive is a dork. A quiet but nice guy who likes games. He’s a fan of the FF franchise, and his fave is FF8. (Inspired by Ben Starr talking about his FF experiences. Also I'm projecting.)

Joshua’s two actors are totally attached at the hip. They’re not related but everyone is astounded at the resemblance, no wigs were needed even! And Adult!Joshua adores Kid!Joshua and protects his mini-me with his life. (I'm actually thinking of them both having Joshua as a middle name! Something like Andre Joshua and Allen Joshua. Btw, Adult!Joshua is Clive's actual brother.)

Jill is an indie pop singer. Sometimes busks. She loves everybody! She baked sugar cookies for the cast and crew once. She still burns the oven sometimes, though. Also she takes up kendo to improve her stage action scenes but tells no one of her rank because it’ll scare them (and they’ll make her teach everyone else on set, and that’s a pain). Her favorite FF is 10...... 2.

Benedikta is actually an awkward bean. She IS the hottest thing right now, an it-girl if you will. But she IS an awkward bean off-set, and reality shows exploit this for all they can. Oh, and she’s a big eater. -> This is what became the actual Benna fic

Hugo’s a comedian, actually. He’s also an amazing cook. He and Benedikta get along well. They’re cool besties. He often invites her to his YouTube channel to cook for her.

Barnabas Tharmr: A-list actor. Everyone’s beloved leading man. Very versatile, hot, in-demand. He’s perfect, oh, and he sings too. Confusing af love life. -> Referenced in the Benna fic

Dion’s probably following in Barnabas’ footsteps career-wise. That recent boy-next-door role he played had all the teenage girls want him as a boyfriend. They don’t know that he takes cues from real-life experience, and a real-life boy-next-door that captured his heart. 👀

Oh, Cidolfus Telamon: where to begin? Also another A-list actor, like Barnabas. Action films are his specialty, although you also see him in heavy dramas. All his works are guaranteed hits, no questions asked. His relationship with Barnabas, although professional, currently leaves much to be desired. Rumors abound that he used to have a thing with Benedikta, although both sides deny it. Also The Original Troll on set. He's fun to have on talk shows, but that's only when he feels like showing up.

Terence is Dion's best friend from theater. The original boy-next-door, and Dion's real-life partner. Knows just enough pop culture to get by, so he doesn't understand how he got this role, but if anything good comes out of this it's getting to work alongside Dion again. Greagor knows how long ago their last production together was ever since his love shot to fame on TV/Film. (Oh, if only he knew who suggested him to the director, because "he's good at his craft." 👀)

Sleipnir's that one cocky archetype co-actor you usually see in these kinds of cast ensembles. He's actually nice, though! Just innocently insensitive at times. Terence hates him with a passion, but Sleipnir likes to believe they're Vitriolic Best Buds. (And they actually are. Dion agrees but doesn't dare say it to his bf's face.) He's a horrible troll, just like Cid.

Jote's an adorable Tonberry rookie actress! She briefly had ensemble/swing stints in another theater troupe (Adult!Joshua's, actually), before landing this role. She loves posting pictures of sunflowers. Laments her dark clothes. Looks up to Benedikta despite their only scene together being a violent one. -> Referenced in the Benna fic.

There MAY be a part 2 of these headcanons. If I feel inspired, maybe even an actual fic featuring another character in the same vein as the Benedikta one. Will probably make it an AO3 series when that happens!

[edwardalbee]

you know that part of my dinner with andre when wallace shawn is going on about how "fascistic" The Little Prince is and it's supposed to be a parody of a toothless faux profound lib pop-culture critique. well that's literally how i sound talking about Life of Brian

[crabmaiden]

✨ hello talk abt inside job please i binged the first 8 episodes today which is actually v impressive for me which is to say. i am enjoying it

i have no clue where to start, there is so much to say!!! well, first off i’m glad to hear that you started it and are enjoying it so far! that’s good pacing too, i think, iirc rey and i watched part 1 in one day and part 2 the next? i could be wrong but it is a fairly short watch so it shouldn’t take too long though it SHOULD be longer! sucks ass that netflix cancelled it, the show is/was successful? sure it’s not as "big" as smth like stranger things but you’re not giving it the chance!!!!!!! i’ve heard rumors about adult swim potentially picking it up so it can be renewed for a s2 and with the panel that’s supposed to happen this week(?) for upcoming hbo max and adult swim projects and announcements i am HOPING for smth inside job and/or infinity train related!!!!!!! a girl can DREAM OOGGHHH inside job fr is so good, it’s so different from your typical adult animation? it’s NOTHING like s*uth park or f*mily guy (censoring so this doesn’t end up in the tags LOL) whereas it doesn’t rely on "shock value" or gross shit which i appreciate and the references to pop culture on top of other things? god SO GOOD it’s literally the reason rey and i watched akira too AND I’M SO GLAD WE DID I ENJOYED THAT MOVIE AS WELL i love the balance between humor and serious topics too? i won’t spoiled much since you haven’t gotten to those episodes yet but inside reagan and appleton are genuinely so well written imo (even if i have personal gripes but they don’t at all affect the overall perception of the episode(s)!)

the characters too omg. there are very minimal characters i can point to and say i genuinely hate them. glenn might be an obvious one and a couple others but i don’t want to sound like a hater LOL my point is i LOVE the cast the characters are generally so well written? reagan is some of the best autism rep i’ve seen ANYWHERE i just really wish they didn’t refer to her with aspergers. brett too obviously i am him fr fr fr but he’s generally so relatable even rey has said before they relate to some of his traits. i love how he’s so open about his (social) anxiety yet isn’t portrayed in the stereotypical "shy introvert" way. gigi i feel like she’s so underrated she deserves more love 😭 i wish we knew more about her too? again i won’t spoil but idr them really going into her deeper as a character or anything. andre and myc are both so funny too. i LOVE myc’s comebacks and i also love how they managed to make him so expressive without actually having a face? fun fact i only recently learned he shared an actor with murray stranger things but after that it ALL made sense i kept trying to figure out why his voice sounded familiar. oh and reagan’s va is janis mean girls! and rand is jd heathers. crazy how that happens! what a small world. anyways this was way longer than i thought it would be even after saying "idk where to start" LOL ofc if you ever want to know my opinion on anything and/or just talk more just let me know!!!! my inbox / dms are always open for you <3 thank you so much !!!!!!

[ ask game ]

[leakywright]

{ JONATHAN DAVISS, 21, CISMALE, HE/HIM } Is that MALIK ‘LEAKY’ WRIGHT? A SENIOR originally from CLEVELAND, MS, they decided to come to Ogden College to study ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES on a ATHLETIC SCHOLARSHIP. They’re THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK on campus, but even they could get blamed for Greer’s disappearance.

been traveling these wide roads for so long...

NAME: malik ‘leaky’ andre wright NICKNAME: leaky, leaks, wright BIRTHDAY: october 16, 2002 ZODIAC: libra sun, sagittarius moon, virgo rising SEXUALITY: bisexual RELIGION: practicing christian (baptist) THREE POSITIVE TRAITS: generous, adaptable, playful THREE NEGATIVE TRAITS: flaky, scatterbrained, cheap THREE SKILLS: trained mechanic, jazz piano, math ENNEAGRAM: 2w1 MYERS-BRIGGS: istp EXTRACURRICULARS: varsity football team: tight-end. vp of recruitment pike, sports show host for student radio station, undergraduate student council.

AESTHETIC: gold rings, early morning runs, sunsets on the river, front porch sweet-tea, tailgating, kisses from grandma, cheers on top of tables, high fives, cheesy grins for photos, BeReal

CHARACTER INSPO: teddy flood (westworld), peeta mellark (the hunger games), matt seracen (friday night lights), pop tate (riverdale), charlie young (the west wing), sam obisanya (ted lasso), gregory (abbott elementary)

LIKES: making playlist, late night jams, fresh sunday mornings, making people laugh, warm summer sun, the changing of leaves, soft blankets, historical fiction, holidays DISLIKES: the past, winter, unsweetened tea, ripped jeans, cold weather, people talking during movies, doing the dishes

FAVORITE MOVIES/TV: ted lasso, friday night lights, new girl, atlanta, teen wolf, outer banks, nope, knives out, do the right thing, waves, if beale street could talk, abbott elementary FAVORITE BOOKS: the vanishing half, seven days in june, the hunger games, harry potter series, possessing the secret of joy, the fire next time FAVORITE ARTISTS: b.b. king, leon bridges, tank and the bangas, lizzo, zach bryan, lawrence, j. cole, abraham alexander, tierra whack

FAMILY: mother - adelaide wright (naomie harris) father - andre wright (omar sy) younger sister - haven wright (marsai martin) younger brother - amai wright (danny boyd jr)

pinterest here, playlist here

MOMMA’S WORDS REOCCUR TO ME:  

growing up in cleveland mississippi meant that leaky had access to the only grammy museum outside of la. but really it meant that leaky grew up with humble beginnings, in a one story house that was full of love, laughter, and inspiration. andre and adelaide wright had been high school sweethearts, with andre giving up his dreams of being a full-time musician when they found out adelaide was pregnant, to then instead be the town mechanic. she was a nurse, he a mechanic during the days and blues musician at night, and though life was hectic. it was good.

leaky was taught all the necessities by his father, piano, bass, basic mechanic skills. he wanted his son to be well-rounded and thrive in the world. to build him up. and, like every southern town, high school football became the heart of the wright household. and early on they discovered that leaky was talented. he was good, he had promise for the future. and that he had.

so between practices, gardening, picking on his younger siblings, jamming with his father, and everything else in between, leaky looked at the future with hope, with optimism. and it seemed promising.

junior year of high school, leaky committed to alabama for football, full-ride, tight-end. play time wasn’t promised for him as a freshman, but nick saban personally mentioned his name for future championships. and to make everything better, his best friend jackson and girlfriend iona were accepted their senior year. they had plans to make tuscaloosa their home.

SURRENDER TO THE GOOD LORD: (tw death)

his freshman year was exciting, and a bit overwhelming. the golden boy of the town lost his way, getting caught up in the culture of college and partying. jackson, iona, and him were having the time of their life. and sure leaky wasn’t playing as much as he wanted, but it was enough for the time being.

and then tragedy struck, beginning of second semester of his freshman year, the three of them had been out one night, leaky felt he was on top of the world. but soon it fell into darkness, he remembered sliding into the backseat of the car, pressing a sloppy kiss to iona’s neck, and the next thing he was waking up in the hospital receiving the worst news of his life. jackson and iona were dead.

and then things continued downhill, ogden had attempted to recruit leaky as well, and reached out with a new offer. full playing time, full ride, and a fresh start. leaky couldn’t turn it down. it might be kissing his chance of the nfl behind, but he couldn’t turn down the stellar education ogden was offering him.

so after finishing his freshman year, leaky moved to portsmouth, summer training and all, began his life at ogden, this time taking a side role in his life. no longer the big fish in a small pond like his life in mississippi, he found his place easily. but he doesn’t talk about his freshman year, he doesn’t visit home, and though he seems to be a vibrant and stellar young man, he holds his cards close to his chest.

AND HE’LL WIPE YOUR SLATE CLEAN:  

leaky is enjoying ogden, two years in he’s making friends, a star player, doing what he can. and yet there’s a nagging guilt, of not going home when he knows his family misses him, of not visiting iona and jackson’s families, of moving on. but he can’t face it, not yet. maybe one day he’ll be able to return home.

in fact that was the original plan, after his education, to return to cleveland and continue to build up his beloved city. like his father, leaky let’s his passions stay that way, it’s easier to keep the creativity without the pressure of it all. and instead he chose environmental science, something he hopes to be an asset for his community. leaky grew up gardening with his mother, and shares a deep love for the environment, and figures this is the best way to move forward.

GREER:

the two were casual friends. he’d see her at parties, and at school events. it’s hard not to notice the golden girl, especially with how visual leaky is on campus, always involved with an event or being seen in the advertising for the school. they got along fine, having friendships that crossed-over. he never knew her really well, but he respected her enough and enjoyed her presence. whenever she needed help or had a favor, leaky was more than ready to aid a hand. though it never seemed the two got below a surface-level friendship (to those who witnessed them anyway).

THE TRUSTY SIDEKICK:  

you need a wingman? leaky is your guy. he’s charming and pleasant and can talk anyone up. need a favor? leaky is there easily fulfilling it as if it’s nothing to him. the guy is a confidant, a hype-man, a volunteer, he can transform himself into whatever you need and it never seems to bother him. and despite being a gifted football player, and smart guy, and seemingly everywhere on campus, he doesn’t steal the spotlight. he’s not the one you think of when you think of ogden, he lets others take the popularity, the jealous looks, the whispers. despite always being there, you might sometimes overlook him, maybe because he’s always there. but he seems to be a good guy, always offering a kind smile and nod of his head on campus, willing to help tutor you in math, and then lets you have all the glory when you ace the test. it almost seems like leaky is making himself out to be the pedestal that everyone sits on. the support that uplifts the hero, and yet still disappears in the crowd, never seeking glory for himself.

extra:

previous tasks found here

he’s always wearing a jacket because he can’t stand the cold 

he wears a gold chain that was given to him by iona, he never takes it off

junior year recap:

found a note/torn out paper seemingly about greer during the haunted house

got drunk for the first time in years at the new year's party - holds guilt for penny ending up dead

found a bloody glove when looking for firewood

g told him to find penny's file in the dean's office

broke in with link and took a picture of it - haven't told anyone else

g put nova and leaky together before the rave and gave nova hints about leaky

surprisingly didn't sustain any injuries during the fire

logan confronted him afterward about the text she received about him

stayed in town for the summer to work at a farm and garden, left a few times to visit sassa

[nerdsworld]

Anyone still collecting Funko Pop?

Is Funko slowly turning into the dreaded "Beanie Babies"?

I started collecting back in 2011 when barely anyone knew about them,then went through the "boom" of collectors,as well as flippers from 2014-2017 getting on long lines at retail stores for exclusives dropping for Comic Conventions or Funko itself.

Pretty much I had finished The Walking Dead collection with "Talking Dead's Chris Hardwick" San Diego Comic Con exclusive.

I've also finished collecting all the "Deadpool".

Well, the ones that I was interested in,with my grail being the 7/11 exclusive which I found at a local comic convention for $10.00 in 2018. A big price drop from flippers asking for a price of $75.00 when it first came out,since you could not find one at 7/11.

I did pick up Andre The Giant and Hulk Hogan TargetCon exclusive,just sitting at Target last week and only because I didn't pick up Andre The Giant pop when it came out years ago.

I grew up watching wrestling when it was the WWF,which came on at midnight after the half hour horse race.

Superstar Billy Graham,Bruno Sammartino,Ivan Pulaski,The Iron Sheik,Capt Lou Albino.

My favorites were Mil Mascaras and Sgt.Slaughter .

Fast Forward to 2023 and it seems Funko might be in some trouble. I haven't done any "hard core" collecting since 2018.

As of March 2023 there is more shifting with the original Founder returning as CEO.

Layoffs on the horizon.

Destroying (too much) inventory.

New York Comic Con 2022

Exclusive pop culture event videos on YouTube.

Thursday

03.02.2023

L.George

[marvelpluschannel]

Caddyshack(1980):Andres Pop Culture Talk

[sin-sidejob]

i saw that funky "ship" thing post as i was looking for fanart. would you mind doing it for me, as well? my pronouns are he/him, and i'm homosexual/gay. i have tan skin and shaggy, short, black hair. i'm short, with a slightly slim body. my style consists of downtown, skater or grunge. i'm confident, loud and sarcastic, but i can listen pretty well when i feel like it. my personality could be easily be compared to rainbow dash, eda clawthorne, etc. i'm sorry if this was unclear!!

I’d love to! (And you’re perfectly clear — no worries honey) so, without further ado

I ship you with Andre Lee!

I feel like he’d love your sarcastic humor and bond with you over shit talking and gossip. He’d also love the fact that he’s taller than you, not by much, but just enough.

Andre would love your confidence and being around you, your ability to make anything bearable and enjoyable with your personality and humor and general presence. When he’s had a long day, he knows he can come to you when the drugs don’t work or he’s just so tired that he needs the comfort that only you provide.

He’d also love the fact he can steal from your closet and you can vice versa, sharing dresser drawers full of worn tshirts covered in bands and pop culture references and silly jokes you both wear down until there’s holes. You can easily fit in his jackets and his favorite thing that you can fit into has been his lab coat. Especially with nothing underneath it ;)

[lifeduringwar-time]

PLEASE talk more about ren & stimpy if you’d like to!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH It genuinely means a lot. Where do i even begin

american animation had been in like a complete dark age (save for a few bright moments) from like the late 60s through most of da 80s. at least in television: i don’t think there’s a lot of ways to create a great animated tv show bc the production process is so rigid and asks for boatloads of content to be released one after the other after the other. artists had to take a lot of shortcuts to keep up with the strict deadlines that were inherent to the very medium they were working in, and i think it rlly did a number on the quality of american animation. combine this w the fact that by the 80s Every tv cartoon was just an advertisement for a toy + animation had garnered a reputation of being for kids, and it rlly did look like the future of television animation was just dead

But then…… mighty mouse the new adventures 😼 created by THE ralph bakshi who made the first adult american animated film (fritz the cat is like a #1 favorite film of mine I love it to bits 😁), and was supported by a shitload of younger animators who had enough of working in what they saw as a hopeless medium. they let a lot of their anger and frustration out through the show, and they all kinda bonded through their shared cynicism and boredom lol. 3 of them, including the senior director of the show Who was also like. kinda bakshi’s protege (john k), decided to form their own studio, and the studio hereby declared as spümcø formed a couple years later through the addition of a final 4th co-founder

so like a little while after spümcø was created, a small company known as nickelodeon was looking for animators to create their own original cartoons. Some of the higher-ups at nick wanted to reach out to a large younger audience, and they noticed the manufactured state of television animation and thought that it was terrible entertainment for these potential viewers. nick held meetings with a lot of aspiring creators, and spümcø was one of the last of them: they got lucky as all hell, and before they knew they had one of the 1st nicktoons on their hands

Why did i tell you all this lol???? bc ren and stimpy was very much a product of its time And i think that made it so timeless: the anger and cynicism that essentially created the studio absolutely bled over to r+s and it absolutely shows. the creators have gone out of their way to clarify that its a show for kids bc of how controversial its content was, but i really dont think that was the case And i mean that in the best way possible. it was more a show for them: they got a chance to make the cartoons they had been waiting their whole careers to make, and they took it. the look of the show wears its inspirations on its sleeve, harkening back to early hanna-barbera tv shows and bob clampett’s warner brothers cartoons that the animators had grown up on (which is actually another reason why i think the show is cool… They purposefully avoided the artistic shortcuts i mentioned earlier!! This method definitely had its faults but it created a really beautiful looking show that appreciated that it was animated ya know); there were jokes and pop culture references, but they were in the form of non-sequiturs to old kirk douglas movies and burl ives songs that no 10 year-old was ever gonna understand; there were real emotions on display, but they werent overly syrupy happiness and the like, there was like genuine discomfort and horror at times. Im not fucking joking Heres a quote i found that sums up what i wanna say here its from an eric andre interview of all places

(side note i first learned abt ren and stimpy because john k’s in the new year’s eve spooktacular. Small world)

this weird ass show came from a place of pure anarchy. It was very much a reaction to all the ways television animation had been wronged in the past, but it created this edgy and counterculturist show that helped bring life back to a medium previously considered dead, and it opened the gateway to countless other shows like it. for example, ren and stimpy also aired on mtv (which is so weird to think about. A nicktoon was on mtv) and the shows success was a reason why the channel agreed to produce mike judge’s short “frog baseball” into a full series, which obviously became beavis and butt-head. And without beavis and butt-head we wouldnt have like the past 30 years of adult animated television so there ya go

but also like! going back to that eric andre quote, that style of uncomfortable comedy mustve influenced a lot of modern comedies, at the very least because r+s helped make that style more mainstream. not to mention the shows gross-out humor, which was seen as sooooo controversial back in the day

I think im gonna stop here bc this is already long as is But this is only scraping the top of the barrel imo this show is so so crazy. its literally shaped the past 30 years of american pop culture imo but i feel like bc its a nicktoon nobody ever really acknowledges it, hopefully this like changes your mind idk I hope my ramblings make a semblance of sense

Anyways heres a quote about john k keeping horse teeth under his pillow as a kid

[orngejunkie]

I FINALLY MADE AN INSIDE JOB OC!!! :D

her name is Billie Burnhand, her pronouns are she/her and she is pansexual

she has been dating Brett Hand for about 1 year now

her birthday is September 24, 1993

(this oc is based in 2022 where Brett is 30 and Billie is 29 :3)

she is the head of the animation department of Cognito inc

she hangs out with The Gang™️ a lot, but when she’s not with them, she’s in her office animating, character designing, or reviewing what the other animators made and editing it slightly (with their permission of course)

her parents divorced when she was 10, she tells herself that it didn’t affect her that much, but she has abandonment and commitment issues that she doesn’t know about (she shows signs of them, but doubts that she actually has those issues.)

her best friend is Reagan, but she also talks to Gigi and Andre about pop culture moments

Glenn, Myk, and Rand make her uncomfortable

she’s not close with J.r

yippee!!! i love having an OC for this show cause now i can draw her and brett so much i’m actually going. crazy hooray!!!!

[batmandarkknightuniverse]

Venom The Last Dance(2024 Film):Trailer Reaction Andres Pop Talk

[soulc-hilde]

Game Shakers / Ch. 2

from the river to the sea, palestine will be free 🇵🇸 READ: this account stands with palestine, and so— i require everyone who interacts to educate themselves, and support/donate. READ THESE; 1 and 2, HELP HERE, BOYCOTT. silence is complicity, do not scroll past this.

Pairing: Eminem x OFC

Warning(s): Cursing, Drug Abuse, Racial Discrimination, Sexual Assault, more may be on the way as the story progresses

Summary: 2000s is quite the highlight between the fashion and rise of pop culture. Seemingly the new faces of shock value, rapper Marshall Mathers and rockstar King Woods finds a common ground amongst the unnecessary bullshit.

A/N: Sorry for the late update! I'm rediscovering my urge to write as I work back to back and get paperwork ready to prepare for college. It feels like life is slowly coming together, I just need a damn car. Y'all got chapter 1 to 32 likes and 3 reblogs... is my writing that good or are we all in desperate search for Eminem fanfic? Much love, though!

Standing on the carpet of the VMAs, Marshall and an excited Deshaun pose beside of the rookie's mentor, Dr. Dre. Finishing a couple of photo-ops, they were guided down the carpet. As Marshall clenched on his gum, anxiety gnawing at his mind, Deshaun was studied the face of every celebrity he knew.

"Yo, Doody, this is crazy man," he laughs. "I can't believe that we're really here." Marshall hums, "I can't believe how crowded this bitch is." Dre shakes his head, "don't stress, this will all end soon once we get inside the venue."

Deshaun looks down at the now bleach blond rapper, "you think those girls are gonna be here, man?" Marshall kisses his teeth, "they have to be, I read on the call sheet that they were listed to perform or some shit."

Andre raises an eyebrow, "who y'all whispering about, looking like some mean ass gossip girls?" Marshall smirks, "you ever heard of that new band, The Hydez?" The older rapper's face scrunches at the band name, "uh... who?"

"It's a band with these five girls, only one of them is white, and are covered in tattoos--" Andre's face drops in recognition, "oh! Nevermind, I know. I know who're talking about now. What, you got a little crush or somethin', Slim?"

Deshaun laughs, "more like that boy's in love with the lead, King. Once they talked during Warped Tour, he was hooked on her." Rather than snapping back, Marshall side-eyes his friend.

"Fuck both of y'all, man," the blond rolls his eyes, walking down the carpet. The others following, throwing out a joke here and there, when a reporter strikes her mic out desperately.

"Eminem, quick question," she blurts, "are you and The Hydez leader, King Woods, dating? What of your wife?" The three rappers freeze, flabbergasted at the onslaught of questions.

Marshall clears his throat for a second before stepping closer to her, "excuse me?" The woman repeats herself, "are you and King Woods dating?" The blond raises a brow, "no, we ain't. Where'd you get that from?"

"Well, just a few minutes ago, I had simply asked her and the rest of The Hydez about you and they just, like, flipped out on me," she snorts, "I don't know why she became so defensive over me asking about you, but it was a little suspicious, wouldn't you say?"

Marshall hums, "yeah... yeah, um, what was it that you asked them about?" A bit of irritation was rising in the back of his mind, he didn't expect a lot of positives to come from the whole spotlight shit but he at least thought that King and her friends were genuine people.

"I just simply wondered if you were the person others say that you are, you know like violent towards women, vulgar," she lists, "I was just asking the real questions. It was them who kept calling you all types of names like skittles and tiny ass--"

Marshall shakes his head, "le'me stop you right there, sweetheart. You was just sniffing around, asking questions about me to other people and they flipped. How about you do your job and ask about people's career instead of digging for dirt, have a nice night."

The three walk away, leaving the woman in disbelief. Deshaun looks back at the woman with a confused smile, "the fuck was that all about?" Marshall shrugs, "turns out everybody wants to know if I'm as vulgar or violent as my lyrics."

"And what does that have to do with The Hydez?" Andre glances at him in confusion as well. Reaching inside the venue, Marshall smiles, "King chewed that curious bitch the fuck out." Andre and Deshaun share a knowing glance.

Andre rubs at his forehead, "and she does know that you're married, right?" Marshall nods, "sure does. Besides, she told me that she's not interested in anything outside of her music. I can't say I blame her."

"Damn straight, you can't," Deshaun sasses as they find their seats and sit down.

The award show begins, the venue going dark as the stage lights set off. Throughout the show, he watched as stars strutted across the stage presenting awards and performing for the masses. Faces he's seen on the television from the kitchen of his old job and new ones that were scheduled to officially debut, much like him.

Every time his face appeared on the massive screen as a nominee for a selection of categories, his jaw clenches with anticipation. If he thought signing with Dre and putting out the EP was a nerving wreck, it doesn't compare to his first award. If he could win at least one award, he could take it as his moment of truth to flash his winning in the face of those who lacked faith.

So far, he's won Best New Artist which was unreal to him. "Was this supposed to happen?" He questioned in the mic, unsure that his name was chosen and written on the card.

Getting his name etched into the award, he returns to his seat with an exhilarating tremble in his step. Sitting down, he meets eyes with a smirking King who simply sent a nod his way before turning to face the stage once again.

As the show moves on, he solely tunes in whenever his name or the band, The Hydez, were mentioned. So far, the girls won their second award of the night for Best Rock Video and Best Group Video. They also took home the awards for Best Editing and Best Special Effects.

Closer to the last few minutes of Britney and NSYNC's performance, a stagehand signals for The Hydez to follow after her. Perking up in his seat, his eyes were attentive to the stage as the night was reaching its final round. Stone Cold Steve Austin introduces the band and the lights dimmer more than before.

"You excited to see your girlfriend?" Proof teases. Marshall simply side-eyes with a smirk.

The starting piano plays for 'In The End,' a green light takes over the stage as Harley starts to rap her verse in the mic as King sings her adlibs. In contrary to their carpet outfits, the group appeared far more casual while dawning their usual black get up.

The redheaded leader bounces across the stage alongside her members as the lights flicker every time the chorus hits. Engaging with the audience, the crowd of fans belt the lyrics. Marshall slightly nods his head along with the music, enamored by the abrupt energy shift from the likes of the pop star barbies.

The lights complimented her barely finished sleeve tattoo and burnt orange curls, the sliver piercings that accessorized her face created a tug in his gut. She was just ethereal and dark, it intrigued him. Once Marshall becomes interested in something, he never lets go.

2019 - Interview

"Would you say that the VMAs was the start of the infamous Eminem and King pairing that we know of today?"

Marshall nods, rubbing his shaved chin, "yes. Meeting her at Warped Tour, I saw her as this crazy friend but seeing the trance she could put people in with her music, I guess I had developed a bit of an admiration for her."

"Did you expect yourself to fall in love with King? How did you deal with shifting from being married to being single with those thoughts?"

Marshall leans forward to grab a bottle of water, "I more so dreamed than strived to fall in love with her. I believed that she was far out of my league and divorcing from Kim made it a bit harder for me to see myself as boyfriend material for her."

Taglist: @slytherinroyalty16

Series Masterlist

[jcmarchi]

Why It's Okay That Someone Hasn't Played Your Favorite Game

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/why-its-okay-that-someone-hasnt-played-your-favorite-game/

Why It's Okay That Someone Hasn't Played Your Favorite Game

At the end of every year, gamers are faced with an undeniable fact: far too many video games are released in a 12-month span for anyone to reasonably play them all. It’s literally my job to play video games and I bet someone could fill a reasonable top ten this year of titles I didn’t even get time to touch. But even as it’s a universal, undeniable truth, the revelation that you missed out on something popular is always met with the same incredulous statement.

“You’ve never played this?”

I understand the impulse. For instance, Baldur’s Gate 3 took up so many hours of my 2023 that it’s hard to fathom what the year would be like without it. This sentiment extends well beyond GOTY talks, though – some games are so fundamental to our taste or upbringing that it can be hard to process that people who did it differently exist. There are people who have never played a Zelda game or a Halo game, and I bet if you asked a middle school crowd, plenty of them have never played Wii Sports. But personally, any shock I experience is quickly overwritten by excitement. If someone I’m close to has never played one of my favorite games, then I get to do something even better than replaying it; I get to watch them experience it for the first time.

The earliest examples of this are undoubtedly tied to my relationship with my younger brother, Andre. A 6-year-old can’t play games as well as an 8-year-old, so sometimes it would be a few years before he would experience a single-player game. While I probably initially watched him because he was playing games on the only TV we had, it eventually became a fun way to reexperience games I held near and dear to my heart.

Fast forward ten years or so. As I’m about to go to college, I buy a PlayStation 4 to have in my dorm room. Later that year Spider-Man (2018) was released, and after so many hours of playing Spider-Man: Web of Shadows with my brother, I knew he would be excited to play this far superior version. So, I took the console home on the weekends and watched as he played while essentially getting a second playthrough myself. It scratches the same itch as watching a Twitch streamer, but it’s far more personal and interactive.

My gaming relationship with my partner is another great example. After we had been dating for a while, she decided to get a Switch of her own so we could play Animal Crossing together. Of course, once she had the console, she wanted to know what other games to try and wound up messing around with Breath of the Wild.

POV: It’s April 2020 and you’re on an Animal Crossing date with your girlfriend

One of the most common things you hear fans of Breath of the Wild (or other huge open-world games) say is, “I wish I could play it again for the first time.” I’m here to tell you – watching someone close to you try it out is the next best thing. Seeing the ways she would discover locations or enemies I was familiar with helped me to see them in a whole new light, and even though I had well over 150 hours in the game, I was shocked by how often she discovered things I missed.

I love video games, and because of that, there’s no better feeling than introducing someone to a game they end up loving. I got my Minecraft-obsessed friend to try Fortnite, and now it’s literally all he plays. In a few weeks, my partner’s mom went from being confused by my Marvel Snap lingo to complaining about the latest meta decks. And it’s always a joy to bust out Snipperclips at a party and watch people leave and consider getting it for themselves.

Here’s my advice. It’s going to sound preachy, but I mean it. Next time you hear someone say they haven’t played one of your favorites (or vice versa), don’t look at it as a failure in their pop culture experience. Look at it as an opportunity to connect with this person and learn or share exactly why this game is so important to warrant that reaction. Watching my friends play games has led to some of my favorite memories – maybe you can make some too.

Do you have any fond memories of introducing people to games? Let us know in the comments!

[ajepyx]

André Joseph on The Silver Phoenix Happy Hour

Raise a glass each Thursday @8pm ET with Blaze Kelly Coyle & Ken Smith as they talk about everything entertainment, pop culture, sports and lifestyle related during their podcast, The Silver Phoenix Happy Hour! On this weeks episode, Blaze and Ken welcome Writer, Actor, Producer and Director, Andre Joseph (Dismissal Time, Vendetta Games, The Saxophonist) to the show! Blaze’s beachcombing…

[ecoevoexo]

i hate the ai art debates so i dont wanna get too involved but like, ive studied art a lot, and ive been an artist my whole life. as a very disabled person i was trying to start making art my career last year, since its one of the few things i can successfully do, & im sort of giving up bc at this point it feels like a dead end.

ive also used AI art thingamabobs a bunch. its fun. its fun that you can say "femboy osama bin laden funko pop" and get something that looks like that back. at times it can be a useful way of playing around with composition, value, and palettes.

only... it's all kinda the same. because of how it works, it aggregates trends and turns them into norms. you end up with a lot of normative bodies in heroic poses in the well-lit center of a tableau.

and that's a genuine problem. not just because it weakens the visual culture & its variety, but because some of those elements (normative heroic individual) are a characteristic of conservative and fascist art.

now the question of the politics of aesthetics is a difficult one to pin down, but it's foolish to act as if aesthetics never has a political character. when i spend a lot of time engaging with AI generated images i start to have an uncomfortable nagging feeling i also get when i spend too much time looking at propaganda. i don't think this is intentional on the part of AI creators. my real worry is that it's a functional inevitable result of how AI works. the flattening of cultural output into certain unitary trends has an underlying politics, i think that can't be avoided, and that politics shows up in the content it produces.

this isn't my only problem w using AI generated images as art output, but it's one i haven't really seen people talk about. when people critique, for example, "bigtiddyanimegirltrendingonartstation" aesthetics, i notice that they rarely mention the fact that the composition of those pieces is uncomfortably uniform, and follows the same basic "heroic portrait" aesthetics one might expect from a painting of a US president, if he had big anime tiddies.

now the artist Andres Serrano is most known for his infamous work Piss Christ, but i personally find his entire output to be fascinating, because he's essentially engaging in a constant détournement of the heroic aesthetic in art. part of why Piss Christ is effective is because it is beautiful, because it shares the aesthetics of so many faithful loving representations of jesus. if you want to see what i'm talking about with fascist aesthetics, look at the pieces from Serrano's series named Shit. it's nothing but heroic photography of literal shit, and i think it's great because it enables us to examine the heroic form bereft of everything but its visual symbology.

now, there are times i quite like the heroic form. it has its place in scifi, fantasy, even in antifascist political art. i've been experimenting with using this imagery and symbology a lot in recent years while representing queer feminine otherness, as a contrast to the patriarchal world i normally find in art. the problem that i have is that our current totally-not-fascist-wink-wink era there's enough heroic art out there to dilute the reference pool. which is to say, when an AI is training, it is disproportionately exposed to art that can frequently have compositional aesthetics with a fascistic bent, and because those aesthetics are all shared (a "norm"), it will be more reinforcing on the AI's internal model than the many other potential compositional aesthetics. with a human, i can conscientiously choose to disregard the norm and try to make something different--and that's hard! it requires willpower. with an AI, everything is infected with norms.

and this doesn't just mean compositional aesthetics. it means body types, skin color, etcetera. the way these AIs currently work, at least, you have to be very skilled with your inputs to not get very normative outputs. you can see this, for example, in the nature of Loab, which essentially shows how an AI is learning to model the idea of disgustingness, and to give it a human face.

now normativity has always been a problem with art. but as we pass the creativity of the artist on to a process without conscious supervision, the risk increases.

i think some of the best most interesting AI art are failure pieces. stuff where the algorithm gets confused and limbs pop out of walls and a head is coming out of the ground, phantasmagoric morph scapes. these are things that are going to be increasingly lost with time, as AI gets more skilled. we should celebrate and explore them instead, it might help derail the machine of normativity.

i also think it's very interesting to do creative explorations of AI's internal reality, such as Loab. that's cool, genuine, creative stuff. that is, in my opinion, a good way to engage with these tools, exploring their internal structures and limits.

but i of course share concerns about the effect on artists--and it's bullshit to act like art directors won't preferentially use AI works over paying actual creatives, it's already begun to happen. the idea of the artistgeoisie that some people have is utterly out of touch with the precarious nature of creative labor in the 21st century. for more, read the book Capital Is Dead, Is This Something Worse?

i also have these aesthetic concerns. i've found most aesthetic concerns about AI to be, frankly, stupid. i don't care if it's soulless or ugly or if there's too many fingers. all those can be interesting. but i do worry that, like a lot of algorithm-based mechanization, it can function as a self-reinforcing echo chamber of some of the worst social constructs of our society.

and it raises an important question: what does it mean to bring an algorithm or a simulated neural net into the process of social construction? what are we doing to our society when we give up the reins to something that is a glorified mechanism?