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ordinaryschmuck · 3 years

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Top 20 BEST Animated Series of the 2010s-4th Place

To anyone who plans on making a reboot of their favorite show in the future, you might want to take notes on this next pick. Because if you ask me, this next series that I'm going to talk about is the best example of how to do a reboot properly.

#4-Ducktales (2017-2021)

The Plot: Scrooge McDuck is the richest duck in the world, who made it big by also being one of the greatest adventurers of all time...ten years ago. Sadly, after an unfortunate accident with the family, Scrooge is forced to live the life of a normal businessman-er-duck. Up until Donald Duck asks Scrooge to watch over his nephews: Huey, Dewey, and Louie. What starts off as a single day of babysitting soon turns into a life of adventure as Scrooge gets back into the adventuring spirit to show his new family what the world really has to offer.

Now I want to make one thing clear: As of the moment of me writing this review, I have seen a total of zero episodes of the original Ducktales. That being said, despite my limited knowledge of the series, I still think it’s fair of me to point out how this is hands down the best reboot as of late (and I’ll explain more as to why that is later). And besides, from what I’ve heard from fans who have watched the original, Ducktales (2017) is a pretty faithful adaptation of the beloved franchise. The reason is that I believe this show remembers the two most important rules of making a reboot.

The first rule of a reboot is to try something new while still being faithful to the source material. Doing something like that is simple as a writer just needs to keep what the fans love and change what they hated. And trust me when I say that the writers of Ducktales (2017) knows how to do just that. For the most part, the show is about a family going on crazy globe-trotting adventures while still learning that family is the best adventure of all, much like the original. As for the characters, most of them keep their fun personalities. Scrooge is still a stingy miser with the heart for adventure, Launchpad is still the lovable idiot who can’t fly a plane, and Donald Duck still remains the one who gets stuck with all the bad luck. Then some characters have their personalities/roles revamped into something that improves upon the original. The best example is Fenton, who is still the wannabe superhero but is now a scientist in this show, wherein the old one was just Scrooge’s accountant. This way, both the hero and the man-DUCK-who’s behind the mask are equally capable of saving the day. There’s also Mrs. Beakley, who was originally a nanny that nagged Scrooge’s ear off for putting the kids in danger. In the reboot, she’s treated more as the anchor of reality to the more oddball characters, who also used to be a kick-butt super spy in her younger years. It is still the same role, but a different interpretation.

Now, some characters receive grand changes to their original personalities. But from what I’ve heard, those changes are made for the better. And there are no characters that need it more than the children. More specifically, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. This show does something that I’m eternally grateful for, and that’s giving each of these three their own distinct personalities and quirks. For years I couldn’t for the life of me tell the triplets apart. They had the same design, the same voice, the same personality, and the only difference people had to go off of are their different colors (which really didn’t do much to help). Here, they have different designs, voices, and now defining character traits for each of them. Huey is the smart and responsible boy scout, Dewey is the annoying attention seeker, and Louie is the best character in the entire show, and I WILL FREAKING FIGHT YOU ON THAT! And let us not forget the most appreciated change: Webby. From what I’ve heard, fans hated the original Webby, as she was nothing more than just the stereotypical girl of the group. Here, she’s given an actual personality and a fun one to boot. Webby is the ecstatic thrill-seeking adventurer who is skilled in combat training (thanks to her grandma) and is (of course) a socially awkward girl who wants to make friends. Like I said, this show took the idea that the fans hated and changed it into something that they’ll love. Which makes sense why the writers mastered this because they themselves are real fans of the show.

It is clear how much the writers are fans of the Ducktales franchise as they filled Ducktales (2017) with many references. And not just references to the original series but also references to the classic comics by Carl Barks and even the NES video game from the 1980s (seriously, this show will make you feel things about the “Moon Theme” you wouldn’t think was possible!). Even the show’s animation seems to be a homage to both the cartoon and comics. Not only do the characters and backgrounds have a more comic book style to them, but the characters also work on a mix of realistic and cartoony logic. And let me just say, it is refreshing to see characters in a Disney show have cartoon logic to them since Wander Over Yonder got canceled. And it’s not just Ducktales that the series reference, but even classic Disney movies (of course) and other shows in the Disney Afternoon lineup. And when it comes to these references, it’s more than just a subtle wink to the fans. The writers actually go out of their way to write a story around these beloved characters, so people who don’t get the joke won’t be one-hundred percent lost. For instance, without giving anything away, the writers found a brilliant way to reintroduce Darkwing Duck in this universe that feels right for this famous character. And if you ask me personally, these are the best ways to handle references for a reboot. Make them work within the story, even if you don’t fully get the joke.

This brings me to the second most important rule of a reboot: Make a quality product even though it is based on something else. Let us pretend that the original never existed. Would Ducktales (2017) still be as good as it is now? Personally, as a person who has never seen the original, I think it is.

This is another show that mixes slice of life episodes with adventure ones, similar to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. And just like Friendship is Magic, both are equally interesting because the characters themselves make them so. No matter what situation the Duck Family are in, the audience will care about it because the characters care about it. In fact, I think Ducktales (2017) handles the mix of slice of life and adventure much better than Friendship is Magic. In MLP: FiM, the adventure-based episodes force the characters to stick to their simple personality traits to move the story forward, and character-based ones help them grow. In Ducktales (2017), because the characters regularly go on adventures, they grow as characters no matter the situation. For example, my favorite episode is “The Great Dime Chase” where the main plot is Louie finding Scrooge’s #1 dime after accidentally spending it. While in that same episode, Dewey and Webby try to solve a mystery around the boys’ mom. We get a great lesson about the importance of hard work and a fascinating plot of an overarching mystery within the season, all taking place within the same episode. Both are interesting, neither feels as though it overshadows the other, and the characters develop along the way.

Another thing this show mixes well is comedy and drama. A lot of shows recently tried way too hard to find that perfect mix. Ducktales (2017) is one of the few examples that nails it. The comedy is hilarious, the drama is endearing, and neither feels like it’s prioritized over the other. The show starts off with this mix as well, where others that I’ve talked about seem to start off as purely comedic only to take themselves more seriously later on. That isn’t entirely a bad thing, but I feel as though Ducktales (2017) is the best way to go about the method. That way, fans won’t be complaining about how much “better” the show used to be in its first batch of episodes, much like Star V.S. the Forces of Evil.

Unfortunately, while I recommend this show, it’s not without its fair share of issues. Or rather, issue, as there really is only one problem I have with it. And that problem can be summed up with one name: Dewey Duck. For the most part, I dislike Dewy. Because he’s nothing more than a Ben Schwarts character. No disrespect to Ben Schwarts himself, but lately, it feels as though he only plays the one character from time to time: The egotistical attention seeker slowly and surely learning to be a better person who realizes that not everything is about him. That’s the character he plays in both Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Sonic the Hedgehog (2020), and it’s the character he plays here. And the thing about these characters is that they’re not as lovable as Ben Schwarts thinks they sound. In fact (and, again, I mean no disrespect to the actor. I’m sure he’s a lovely person in real life), every single one of these characters comes off as kind of annoying rather than as the lovable rapscallions I’m sure they’re meant to be. However, there is one thing worth mentioning about Dewey. While he’s portrayed as annoying when used for comedy, Dewey is surprisingly a compelling character when used for drama. The thing is, he’s rarely used for dramatic moments and is meant as a source of comedy. Hence why I said I disliked him for the most part.

Other than that, there aren’t really that many problems with the show. Well, there are, but they’re mostly nitpicks that the series more than makes up for. Is it weird that the kids are voiced by adults? Yes, but the actors do a great job at being sincere and have great comedic timing than any kid could have. Are there changes to characters that fans might not enjoy? Probably, but I have yet to have seen anyone that has annoyed me as much as Dewey has. Are the villains just evil for the sake of being evil? Yes, but that’s not really a big deal. In fact, a villain doesn’t need a heartbreaking backstory as to why they’ve become so evil. They just need to have a great personality that’s fun to watch, which every villain in the show has (aside from season two’s antagonist who’s basically a Disney surprise villain. And I hate them with a fiery passion). Does it feel as though the show suffers from “too many characters” syndrome? It sometimes does, but each character has such a fun and unique personality that I find it hard to forget most of them.

So really, Ducktales (2017) is the best reboot in recent memory. This is crazy, seeing as how lately it feels as though Disney doesn’t even know how to properly reboot their own movies to save their lives. This is why I feel as though people should take notes on what Ducktales (2017) does if they ever feel like rebooting something they loved as a kid. Because this is more than just a retelling of the same story that people know by heart. This is a fantastic show with even better characters, stories, and tone. Whether you’ve been a fan since the beginning, or a part of the new generation of viewers, odds are you’ll be screaming Whoo-Ooo with every episode.

(Also, a word of warning to those who haven’t watched the show yet: Beware the theme song. Trust me when I say it’ll be stuck in your head until the day you die)

#top 20 of 2010s #ducktales #ducktales 2017 #what i thought about

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mooosicaldreamz · 5 years

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please do a song by song review of lover i beg u

oh......u didn’t have to beg!!!! i’ll give it to you 4 FREE.

I FORGOT THAT YOU EXISTED: what i enjoy about this song is that it is fun and not especially mean, just like, shrug emoji. i think sometimes when ur in a relationship that is not especially amazing and you reach the point where you forget that you dated someone is the funniest thing and its such a strange moment. it’s a good tonesetter for the album, bc its so fun and chill and like, whatever. it has the same energy that i think we are never getting back together wanted to have. i LOVE the “i just forget what they were” breakdown. what a fun, bouncy song. easy listening to start the album. calvin harris rip.

CRUEL SUMMER: i love jack antanoff vERY much and have liked his work with fun. and as bleachers, and i think his production on lorde and taylor’s albums has been so wonderful. this song just reeks of him and it’s so like, ascendent, how it builds up and up into the chorus. i think it’s interesting that she reaches so high on the chorus. “summer’s a knife/i’m always waiting for you to cut to the bone/devils roll the dice/angels roll their eyes.” the breakdown is once again wonderful abt crying in the back of the cab on the way back from the bar - i feel like this album and its concept brings a much more natural version of taylor that i think has largely (and perhaps rightfully, considering the evolution of her fame and craft) been in hiding since probably red but maybe even since speak now. “I LOVE YOU AIN’T THAT THE WORST THING YOU EVER HEARD // HE LOOKS SO PRETTY LIKE A DEVIL” while she’s screaming it is more exuberant than ANYTHING on 1989 or rep (and i love both of those albums).

LOVER: i love how sleepy soft this song is, i love how simple it is, and it’s made me cry like, six times. the wedding band sound is just, so fun and beautiful. it really makes me feel like i’m drunk, happy, and dancing really slow on an emptying dancefloor. i’m going to assume that was the vibe. it’s so soft. god it feels like a cloud. i enjoy how simple the lyrics are in this song, and how the words get to breathe and simmer. they take on a lot of meaning bc of how much space they’re given by the echo and by pacing. it’s so nice. i’ve gone back and forth on whether i like the wedding vows thing, but i think it might be nice. i love “swear to be overdramatic AND TRUE! to my lover”

THE MAN: the bumpy sound of the bass beat is really fun, and i think the song is a good bop, but it doesn’t say anything i don’t already know - but i think taylor bringing up the back end on the Woke train, trying to reach all those people who still aren’t totally sure about the gays or feminism but also think trump is terrible and are now reconsidering their life choices is a fine enough goal for her social justice initiatives. also i just realized she says “getting bitches and models” which she already does, you don’t have to pretend taylor

THE ARCHER: this song is sonic perfection the rolling synths the dreamy voice, the awful awful breakdown at the end of “they see right thru me / can you see right thru me / i see right thru me” “help me hold onto you” i just ... can’t handle this song. it’s perfect. i like the implication throughout this album that taylor is in Love, the big real kind, and i support her and joe bc i think it’s obvious their relationship has totally like, taken her to a new and good emotional space. anyway i like the implication that taylor fell in real, big Love and realized that love is still a fucking mess, like it doesn’t solve all the problems. “ALL OF MY HEROES DIE ALL ALONE” i mean come on. i hate her

I THINK HE KNOWS: this song is a bop “i think he knows his hands around a cold glass make me wanna know that body like it’s mine” is a stn move. the rumbly noise in the chorus and the synthy breakdown is a beast, it owns itself. there’s a real comfortable self-confidence that i, once again, maintain has been missing from taylor’s music up until now. also that moaning noise distracts me every time. “hand on my thigh/we can follow the sparks/i’ll drive” tAYLOR! inappropriate. i’ve seen some takes on this song that it’s not a fave, but it’s a fun song and people are wrong. there’s not one song on this album that i’m like this is bad in the way that i DO NOT like some songs on rep

MISS AMERICANA AND THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE: the first thing i thought when i heard this song is that it sounds like lana del rey. give it a re-listen, it does. sounds just like idk, “high by the beach” but it also rings a bell for me of electra heart era marina and the diamonds (like “teen idle”). i like this song a lot, even though it’s relatively oblique in my opinion on what it’s.....actually about. “you play stupid games / you win stupid prizes” is a great lyric in masterful taylor swift fashion bc it looks stupid when u write it on paper. i like the shouting breakdown thing that happens on the back end of the song with go/fight/win (OH I JUST GOT that, it’s like cheerleaders shouting). i’m a fan of it, but it’s an oddball on the tracklist.

PAPER RINGS: this song rings with a lot of red’s chaotic energies but with the adult sensibilities that she’s rolling with on this album. i love the sort of down-home shouty stuff happening on the verses, and the “kiss me once / kiss me twice / three times” bridge. it’s a good one. “i hate accidents/except when we went from friends to this” is a fun and good lyric. i LOVE the key change i LOVE the “wrap your arms around me baby boy” for some reason very much.

CORNELIA STREET: i mean obviously this song is wonderful. i’ve seen much Discourse about this song being related to Kaylor which seems plausible. it’s clear that taylor wrote some of these songs in the present tense when they’re in the past, which i think is really interesting. i LOVE “jacket ‘round my shoulder is yours” what a good inversion of the phrase. i love the way that the phrase cornelia street breaks up the lines in a really weird way, because of how its syllables run. it’s a good song. it’s a soft boi

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS: early frontrunner for my fave song!!!!! love the opening repeating noise, and the simple guitar plucks initially. taylor’s voice takes up front and center bc it isn’t especially altered/layered/echoed like it is in some other spots on the album. it has an amazing rolling pace on its verses that’s followed by the slower pace on the chorus. “i ask the traffic lights if it’ll be okay and they say i don’t know” i am certain that this song is about karlie kloss and i will not accept any other possibilities i know she said it was about a movie but i don’t care. “my hips my heart my body my love / tryna find a part of me you didn’t touch” wow taylor god what a gifted lyricist i hate her

LONDON BOY: this song is fun. “i saw the dimples first / then i heard the accent” i love the rising effect on “walking on the afternoon” resetting with the horns. it’s just a song that makes you bob your head. she does sound like she’s throwing out as many english references as she possibly can which is amusing and i don’t know what the legs are on this song bc of that - it could come across as somewhat kitschy. but! also i’d like to start some discourse bc i think it’s CLEAR that taylor isn’t afraid of using pronouns or even very direct references to who she’s with (this song is basically an I LOVE JOE ALWYN shirt), and it makes it even more clear when she’s avoiding using pronouns or direct description. the two songs before this don’t do that in the same way that this song does. 1989 barely uses pronouns at all. i’m just saying. taylor is bi is what i’m saying.

SOON YOU’LL GET BETTER: obviously this song is sad and it makes me cry i have no further commentary except that it’s a wonderful, simple song that has an excessively odd placement on this album following after london boy

FALSE GOD: this song is sexy! and interesting. the horns come back again, which is good and her voice is lower. honestly the line “the altar is my hips” is just..........a lot for me to compute. “i’m golden when you touch me / hell is when i fight with you” the bridges are really fun, sexy, soft. this song is like when lover ends and a song with a little more of a sultry feel comes on but ur still drunk so its a little sloppy.

YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN: obviously this song ruined my life. it sent me to the heights of elation and then i sort of had a hangover on it but i’m back around on it guys! it’s a fun, fun, summery song. that chorus with the oh-oh is just .... pop perfection. the bumpy synth noise that goes ba-duh-duh-duh like it’s reverberating is absolutely perfect for the pacing of the song. it’s excessively well-crafted to the point of slickness. it should have been the lead single but what do i know about anything

AFTERGLOW: i know that i wasn’t supposed to be into i pinned your hands behind your back but i was so. this is a continuation of the theme of like, i’m in love but i’m still a mess!!! sorry :) i like this song but it does not inspire me.

ME!: i don’t know why the exclamation point is there and it sounds much more like a brendon urie song than a taylor song, but it’s fun! i don’t hate it! i can see why it was picked as a lead single - to really illustrate the tonal change from rep to here, but still. spelling is fun, tho.

IT’S NICE TO HAVE A FRIEND: this song is simple and so, so so sweet. i love the childhood friends to lovers narrative, and i just. like it. so much. it’s so sweet. and then obviously the horns come back for this one, but don’t overwhelm. this song is a good palette cleanser after the bombast of me!

DAYLIGHT: i tweeted about this but this song reminds me of clean and long live (particularly long live, it for some reason really sounds like that in my head). but i like that it really relates a feeling that i feel sometimes of like, my life was a mess and sometimes still is a mess but bc i’m in a stable and good relationship, things feel approachable, like, if everything goes wrong again, i’ll at least know for sure i have this, and i think this song sort of shows that off with the “I don’t want to think about anything else.” it’s nice. it’s calm. i read an oral history today about the kanye storming the stage moment at the vma’s because it’s been 10 years since it happened - and i feel like this album and this song, in many ways, are a plateau on the meteoric catapult of taylor’s relationship with fame that really had started to run before that moment but certainly started rolling after that. i think this song is a demonstration of the growth that she’s gone through over the last ten years that we’ve all watched with such close attention. it makes me feel happy for her. i hope she gets to keep this the way it is. i’ve read that she thought for the longest time that this album would be called daylight and i’m honestly? not sure it shouldn’t be. but the vocal note at the end sort of draws it back thru.

it’s a good album. i think the back half of it doesn’t hang as tough all the way thru as the first half, but overall, i think it’s overall quality is better than reputation even though i think reputation, as a concept album, works very well. it’s a great evolution and a real, authentic thing. very impressive that she’s managed to produce four very different albums successively where as many artists don’t change that much from album to album. but i think that’s evidence of the work that’s gone into them, to be honest. death by a thousand cuts is my early fave.

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theswiftarmy · 5 years

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#13 – The Porter Pyramid Sonic Sound Trip

“Do you guys feel anything?” Ariana asked.

“No. I don’t think so.” The Biebs sat on the edge of the goliath beanbag chair mesmerized by the extra large one-hundred-inch displays showing the waveform of the pure Porter Pyramid egg sound.

Scott shook his head. “You shouldn’t feel anything yet. The first time takes a little while; at least it did for Taylor and I. Boy, that was a long time ago—My how time flies. The first time we tried egg we didn’t feel anything, it wasn’t until the second time we did Porter Pyramid that it really kicked in—But wow, THAT Porter Pyramid sonic sound trip was out of this world.”

“I think I feel something, Scotty boy.” Ariana responded. “Yeah, I definitely feel something.” She breathed in filling her lungs to capacity inhaling deeper and deeper and exhaled, full Ujjayi breath. “Everything Zen.” She said in a slow, almost monotone voice. Her eyes opened wide.

“Whoa, she’s right, I definitely feel it too. It’s like… I just want to shout out to the world ‘YOU ARE AWESOME’ for no reason. Like, I can feel, joy, right here in my chest.” He pointed to the middle of his chest and made a little heart symbol with his fingers.

“Yeaaaaaaah, Justin is right. It’s just a funny feeling inside, spreading all over, like, I love it—Oh my god, I LOVE it soooooooo much. I don’t even know what IT is, but I just want more. MORE!”

“Faaaaar out.” Scotty B added, finally feeling the egg hatching inside him, “This is kicking in so much faster than I’ve ever experienced any of the times before—Oak, you’ve got one heck of a sound system there buddy! OH man… OH man!“

Oak smiled. “It’s a peculiar sort of sensation, yes. I don’t think I yet have words to describe it.”

“Fizzy Lifting drinks maaaaaan, just let the floating happen.” Scott began leaning to one side letting himself fall into the comfortable couch, he shifted onto his back, “Just don’t let the fan get ya!” He pointed up at the ceiling.

They all looked up at the spinning ceiling fan.

“Whoa. What if we get sucked into that fan—” Ariana asked. “We become a fan of the fan? Does that even make sense? Whoaaa…”

They all stared at the spinning ceiling fan. Watching its blades rotate above them.

“That would suck.” Oak said. Then smiled. “Get it? Because we would get sucked into the fan…”

Scooter began to laugh.

“What are you laughing at?” Scott said, kicking Scooter with his foot. Then he too began to laugh.

Eventually the whole group joined the laughter. A small giggle here, a chuckle there then Justin fell to the floor bursting out loud in a full roll back and forth on the floor. He curled to one side. “GUYS STOP! My side hurts! I got a cramp from laughing so hard, guys, I can’t breathe!” Everyone pointed at Justin on the floor and laughed even harder.

“I can’t… I can’t! I’m laughing so hard I’m crying now! Oh my gosh you guys…” Ariana pulled her feet up into Sukhasana, the seated yoga pose, legs crossed in front of her, hands on her knees with her index fingers touching her thumbs, she was careful not to knock her phone as it sat beside her secretly recording the egg sound. “I need to Zen out… Oooohhhhhmmmm…” She suddenly sang out in full yogi style.

Everyone locked on her voice. They stopped laughing immediately. “Whoaaaaaaaaaa. That was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.” Justin said.

“I still hear it echoing, a reverb chamber brain—Like it’s bouncing off the walls inside of my mind, a cathedral of pristine sonic singularity.” Oak said poking at it with all his knowledge trying to pin down the exact nature of this egg sound.

Ariana Grande sat up taller, “My mind is on FIRE! My desire, I’m feeling a Pranayama breath of fire singing out in full choir. My inner Mockingjay is here to stay!” Ariana proclaimed.

Justin let his entire body relax into the floor savasana yoga pose, hypnotized by the sound, the Ohhhmmm reverberating through his entire body. It was like amplifying the end of a Vinyasa yoga practice by a thousand, no, a million times—no, infinity. “Ariana, you rhymed fire with fire in that sentence… But it still sounded absolutely freakin’ amazing.”

“OAK! PLAY THE SONG!!!! I NEED TO HEAR THE SONG!!!” Ariana commanded.

The rest of them joined in, “YEAAAAAH!!!!! OAK! PLAY IT!!!! WE NEED TO HEAR MUSIC, NOW! OH MY GOD, WE NEED MUSIC RIGHT NOW!!!”

Oak reached around to the custom keyboard and pushed play on the track they had just created.

Everyone’s eyes rolled back in their head, they closed their eyelids and let the sound travel from its source—the high fidelity speakers—and out into the intimately illuminated studio space, it poured from the woofers and tweeters then raced across the room. The sound waves flowed through the air molecules, moving each tiny molecule in a domino effect—One molecule bouncing into another, the waves undulated and warping the air in the room. As the low bass frequencies and high highs hit their eardrums, it was like fireworks exploding in one’s mind. A full rainbow spectrum of musical notes exploded inside their brains— Synesthesia times infinity across every cell of their entire body.

“Oh my god. OH MY GOD. TURN IT UP!!!!! OAK, I NEED MORE!!!!!!” Ariana yelled out. “OHHHHHHHHH WOOOOOOOOOOOW.”

“Uhhhhhhh yeah… oh damn. That’s some good stuff.” Justin rolled back and forth on the floor.

“FAR… OUT… MAN…. THIS IS SOOOOO GROOVY.” Scott held is own head between his hands to keep it from shooting off his body. Obviously his head was firmly attached, it just felt as though it would pop off any minute.

Scooter sat at first unable to speak, then, he uttered out, “This is quality stuff. This is the good stuff, bro. Guys… This Bill porter guy is… he’s the… The Eggman!”

“Whoa. Like, I am the walrus, I am the Eggman…Eggman?” Justin asked.

Ariana began making motions as though she were swimming through water, “If Bill Porter is the Eggman, then who is the Walrus?”

“I am.” Justin replied.

“Nooooooooooo. No you’re not Juuuuuustin!” Ariana argued back. “I AM!”

“Nooooooooooo. Because you’re The Mockingjay!” He said back, his eyes closed, feeling the pure joy of the Eggman sound.

“DAMN RIGHT I AM!” Ariana yelled out, standing up on the beanbag chair holding her hand in the air and waving it like she did care then jumping up and landing back on the chair.

“I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together…” Scott recited the lyrics to I Am The Walrus by The Beatles in an even slow tone.

The room fell silent.

“I am he-ungry.” Ariana said. “Oak! Call your friend Alessia back and tell her to bring those deviled eggs. I want deviled eggs SO bad right now.”

“I just thought that same thing!” Justin boomed, yelling up to the ceiling, his back on the floor—his words hit the fan and were chopped apart into bits and pieces.

“Maybe this sound makes our minds all connected. I am he… As you are he… As you are me… And we are all together.”

They fell silent, pondering The Beatles lyrics.

“Oak?”

“Yes, Ariana.” He replied, his voice containing just a hint of Siri mixed with Alexa.

“Can we pretend like we’re in a yellow submarine?”

“I am happy to grant your wish.” He replied in the same transfixed tone.

Oak pressed a button and the room lighting changed to a yellow hue with blue spotlights creating circles on the walls. Projected fish swam in and out of the blue circles making it appear as though they were under water traveling in a yellow submarine.

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaassssssssss.” Ariana began to dance to the beat. “This is FREAKIN’ awesome!!! I want to live in a submarine for real. Or maybe a chocolate factory.”

“Me too. Like Charlie, how Wonka gives him the factory at the end of the movie!” Justin said back up at her from the floor. He shifted to make eye contact with her.

The lawyer chimed in, “I’d just like to point out that Charlie doesn’t actually own the factory, he’s a minor, so he can’t legally own the factory as he can’t legally sign a contract, minor’s brains aren’t developed enough to know what they are actually signing so, he would need an adult to sign the papers after they read them and decided that what he was signing was indeed in his best interest, but continue on with your day dream.“

“So who owns it then?”

“Well, logically his parents would sign, But Grandpa Joe technically sign could assuming he got legal guardianship of Charlie from Charlie’s parents. What he really should do is create a trust and then—”

“Maaaaaan… You’re making my brain hurt.” Scott interjected.

“Sorry, I just, I love this stuff. I am a lawyer you know.”

“Oh, we know, brooooooooooo.” Scooter said pointing his finger at the lawyer and then winking one of his eyes at him over and over while holding out his finger and then making circles with the finger around the lawyer’s head.

“It’s like Taylor landed on a chocolate factory when she found this sound.” Ariana looked down at her phone, remembering that it was still recording. She felt a rush of excitement, the kind you feel when you find a great pair of new shoes that go absolutely perfect with an outfit you already had, or vice versa. “She’s Charlie!” I want to be Charlie, she thought.

“That kind of make sense… Because she’s with Joe and all.” Bieber commented.

“Wait, but that would mean she’s dating her grandpa.” Ariana replied.

“Ewwwww.” Everyone uttered.

They burst out laughing. After another minute they calmed down again into Zen.

“If Taylor is Charlie and Big Machine is her Chocolate Factory… Who’s Slugworth?” Justin asked.

Scott pointed to the Carlyle Lawyer.

“Oohhhhhh… Yeah that kind of make sense too.” Everyone nodded simultaneously in agreement.

“Whoaaaaa, you just said what I said at the same time what I was going to say what I said…” Justin trailed off, not quite understanding what he was trying to say.

“What is your name anyway?” Ariana asked.

“Carl. Carl Lawyer. Carl Lyle Lawyer.” He spoke as though he were stating his name to take the witness stand. “But I prefer The Carlyle Lawyer.”

“Woooooow.” Ariana sat staring at her frilly pen. “It’s like, there in front of your face, but you don’t even know it—Like fine print in a contract that you can’t see because you’re too busy being distracted by the frilly pen you are signing it with.”

The lawyer nodded. “That’s why I bring my own everywhere I go.”

“That’s smart.” Ariana said softly to herself.

They sat there zonked out on the Wonka feeling, feeling the fizzy lifting twisting around inside them, they listened to the song playing, and became one with the music.

The meditative moment was broken by Justin’s phone ringing.

“What is that?” Ariana asked sleepily from the chair.

Justin picked up his phone. He looked at it and sported a confused look, “Wait… Taylor’s calling…” Justin fumbled with the mobile device barely able maneuver his fingers in order to tap the buttons.

“No she’s not! You’re funnnnnnny Justin BiEEEbeeeer.” She threw her frilly pen at him.

“It’s okay. I just hit NOOOOOOO on the phone anyway.” He put the phone down beside him. “I was like… No phone home!” He laughed at his own joke.

“YOU TELL HER HOW IT IS! JUUUUUSTINNNNN!” Ariana said in a grand voice.

Scooter Braun pulled his baseball cap over his head to cover his face and kicked back relaxing himself. He let the fizzy feeling wash over him. It felt good to momentarily step back from all of this, even if it was only temporary. As long as they stuck together as a team he was sure they would be fine. Scooter dozed off with his baseball cap covering his face.

Justin peeked at the phone again seeing a missed call notification from Taylor Swift. A text message soon followed with a photo attached. Justin brought the phone close to his face and after several tries opened the message to a photo of both his cats staring back at him, Taylor’s face between the two. Taylor smiled smugly in the picture. The text message read…

How about a trade? We’ve both got something we each want back.

His heart jumped as he gazed at the photo of Sushi and Tuna. In his sonically hypnotically high state he replied…

Okaaaay, but nooooo tricks, Taaay.

He replied after much effort.

Swiftie Scout’s honor.

She replied and then sent two cat emojis with a heart between them. She could tell by his texting that he was on a sonic sound trip—Soon, she would have it back in her hands, her plans were coming together perfectly.

Justin placed the phone down, locking the screen. He looked around the room to see if anyone noticed. Everyone now subdued, drowsy, taking sips of water from fancy glasses that a hydration Defender was handing out from a tray as he made his way around the room. Justin took a glass and drank it all, quenching his unbelievable thirst.

The lawyer sat with a pair of noise canceling ear buds in his ears that he had in the whole time. His arms folded across his chest. Ariana looked over at the lawyer, noticing that he wasn’t under the egg sound spell. It was only now that she could see the ear buds protruding from his ears ever so slightly.

“Buuuuuuuuut don’t you want to join us?” She asked.

“I don’t generally partake. But thanks for the offer.” The Carlyle Lawyer replied, his face stoic. “I decided to sit this one out.”

“Join us… Join us…” Ariana said, sleepily melting into the beanbag chair, it was the most comfortable chair in the world right now, she pressed her body against its softness, “I LOVE this chair… I LOOOOOOVE you chair.” Her eyelids grew heavy and she fought to keep them open. After losing the battle, she drifted off to sleep.

When she awoke, she noticed Justin was gone. She pushed herself up, dizzy, looking around the room at the other occupants snoozing. The Lawyer too had drifted off to sleep. The silver egg case containing Taylor Swift’s masters was no longer in the place it was before—it too missing along with Justin. It was now officially a case of the missing egg case.

@taylorswift

#taylor swift #justin bieber #music is my drug #swifties #ariana grande #taylors masters #theswiftarmy

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marvelandponder · 7 years

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I don't think you've ever said before (if you have, I apologize), but what got you into MLP in the first place? How did you become a brony?

If I’ve said it, it’s been long enough that even I forget whether or not I told the story, so you’re good ;)

It was back in 2011, and I would’ve been a freshmen (9th grade) in high school at that point. The first time I heard about anything to do with Pony was around the lunch table at school. I remember my friends at the time (some of whom are still my friends now) bringing it up like a news story, like did you hear about these adult guys who watch My Little Pony?

I remember thinking it was probably an ironic thing. Back at some point (I wanna say 2004-2009ish?) there were all sorts of video edits, Youtube Poops for example, that used any kind of clips and edited them together to make them funny. I used to bond with my brother a lot when we were young that way, watching videos in his room. Anyway, I was sure I’d seen plenty that used kids’ shows (like Sonic Sat. AM.), so this was probably just the same thing.

So at some point later, when I was in the mood to laugh I guess, I looked up some clips. I remember in particular watching a few clips from A Dog and Pony Show (yes, the whining one) and still not being entirely sure whether or not people only watched it for the lols. But I think what interested me in giving it a chance is that these were unedited clips that were surprisingly funny.

Later I had a science project that took some time to put together (it was sort of a craft thing, I had to put a physical book together on all the planets in the solar system and make it pretty), so I decided to put it on in the background. And found myself binging season 1 a little.

And, surprise surprise, enjoying it on a genuine level. I think what helped me is not knowing what to expect. Sure, I knew a fandom existed on some level, but because I wasn’t sure if they really liked it, there was no huge hype that made me go in expecting something incredible.

I got to go into it expecting a little little kids show, and be genuinely surprised at how it tackled things from that perspective. My mum runs a daycare of 1-3 year olds in my house (has since before I was born), so I’m sort of vaguely familiar with the... hard to tolerate territory.

It was simple, but charming. Threw in some surprising concepts here and there (whether that be actual mythology or darker moments like Philomena dying in front of Fluttershy’s eyes), and turned a lot of well-established character tropes on their head. I wouldn’t say I was obsessed with it until I got to season 2, but I can admit it had me hooked.

It’s like when you’re trying to get someone into a show, and you tell them ‘it gets better, stick with it’ except I didn’t have any pressure to get into whatsoever. I was just continually more charmed by it as it went along because I could enjoy it for what it was, without the hype.

Now, I think I became a brony/MLP fan when I caught up to wherever we were in season 2 (it was early season 2, somewhere). More specifically, when I saw that there was this gigantic fandom (which was totally at the peak of its growth) and as the show just seemed to get better and better.

I always liked the characters, but that’s probably when I got obsessed with RD---especially her part in Return of Harmony.

And, you know, before all the infamy and the fandom ‘drama’ (which I think first exploded big time with the reveal that Twilight was going to have a brother that we hadn’t previously heard about), the whole “love and tolerate” motto felt extremely good. And the charities! And the massive explosion of creativity and kindness---to insane degrees sometimes. I remember loving Everfree Radio, which did podcast style episode reviews and were always on the whole pretty positive.

Even after all this time, and now that I can’t pretend this entire ginormous fandom is full of positivity, creativity, love, and tolerance, I still see that spirit. The people in the fandom I’ve met both online and in real life have all been kind (and for the record not creepy or anything like that). We’re none of us perfect, but still, lovely people that I’d totally vouch for.

It’s far from a perfect fandom, and we’ve changed a lot in the past (closing in on) 7 years. I think it’ll be interesting to see what’ll happen when the movie is publicized more and the general public realizes bronies are still a thing. How people in the fandom will act, how people will act toward the fandom.

Most of the population won’t care, a few will make a joke or two, and hopefully whatever bad press (whether earned from a few members of the fandom or not) will pass quickly.

But even when we’re back in the limelight briefly, I’ll be totally proud to be a brony/MLP fan. Proud because I’ve got people like you who I know are as good-hearted as they come. Proud because I can make the kind of content I want to see. And proud because I know the stereotypes of it being some sexual/fetish thing aren’t necessarily true, and I can treat this show like I do any other cartoon I love.

I can be the kind of fan I want to be and enjoy the show how I want to enjoy it.

And that’s how Equestria was made.

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

Audio

SAM HUNT - DRINKIN' TOO MUCH [5.33] What've we got here? Why, it's a CONTROVERSYBOMB!

Ramzi Awn: A bold experiment with a few good ideas, "Drinkin' Too Much" employs dark moments of candor to highlight a muddled mix. [5]

Olivia Rafferty: The heart and soul of country music is storytelling, which is why this track works so well. "Drinkin' Too Much" shifts the typical country subject of alcohol abuse to the context of sad man R&B, aka Drake's genre. The spoken verses contain a rawness that could only be conveyed with that style of delivery, and the lyrics themselves are so vivid. Lay this over a subtle blend of 808s and slide guitars, and you have a solid attempt to influence the direction of country music. Let the genre-mashing begin. [8]

Anthony Easton: John Prine, in a recent Rolling Stone cover story, spoke about how Dylan's Nashville Skyline broke apart country music for him (he was a folkie at the time): "Man, there's something there where their two paths crossed. My stuff belongs right in the middle." This is also in the middle: between soul and hip-hop, between the drinking and heartbreak of Nashville and the fame-wasted ennui of Kanye and Drake. But it's also at the bottom: the bottomed-out production, how Hunt trips over details, how he extends stories, how he never quite brags about his money, how his self-loathing bubbles up like swamp gas. It's the opposite of all those party songs, the opposite of Moore and Eldredge and Gilbert. It has a singular voice -- a songwriting voice, but also how he sings, a gravelly push that reinforces his production choices. It is the smartest thing he has done, and maybe the most heartfelt. [10]

Alfred Soto: I'm no country corn pone. I like electronic whooshes and the kind of manipulation of space more common on Drake or "Climax"-era Usher, but Sam Hunt can't even talk-sing without his sockless boat shoes tripping on his ill-lettered cadences. He comes off like a lunkier Chainsmoker, in the market for any hook that'll get him on the radio and laid -- two of his more admirable virtues. Find better songs, dude, and don't try so damn hard. [4]

Thomas Inskeep: This non-single posted on SoundCloud is the audio equivalent of a viral video, and like many viral videos, it's also essentially a journal entry set to music. Frankly, it's not up to snuff: this is him doing his rhyming couplets (he loves rhyming couplets) with a woozy rhythm track from Pro Tools or whatever. It also sounds a lot like a demo for Justin Bieber. Most of all, this is slightly creepy oversharing; I want a Silkwood shower after listening to it. [0]

Elisabeth Sanders: Everything about this is deeply embarrassing, and that's why I love it. While I can't pretend I like this as much as anything off Montevallo, it makes up for it with "I wish you'd let me pay your student loans," and I'd like to submit this as a great entry into a music category I'd like to call "voice-memo pathetic-wave." (The other artist in this genre is Mike Posner with his great, deeply pathetic album At Night, Alone.) The song approximates, sonically and with almost nauseating accuracy, the feeling of being just too drunk enough that the room is spinning a little, being very sad about something that might be your fault in a crowded place at 2 in the morning. BEEN THERE, SAM. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: In which Sam Hunt pens a letter to Montevallo's Courtney From Hooters On Peachtree and proves himself to not be country music's Drake, but rather its Mike Skinner. The hook is the weakest part; it doesn't resolve Hunt's thoughts but elides them. (The austere "8pm" take works better and is worth a point or two more.) There is frisson in a lyric that pushes too far past the fourth wall, threatening to combust as it reaches the event horizon -- for the non-country, non-rap examples to which "Drinkin' Too Much" draws nearest, look to emo acts like Cursive's The Ugly Organ or Say Anything's "Every Man Has a Molly." "Hope you know I'm still in love," Hunt closes, except it's a correspondence that is only intimate the way a performance is, and so his words are combustible as well as heartfelt. The sour sense that this song bears too much truth is its most compelling point but also its most repellent; Hunt is too casual in his exhibitionism. [5]

Will Adams: It feels right; we've reached the level of bleakness in our pop music that songs can now just be actual shitposts with first draft choruses tucked in. [3]

Katherine St Asaph: Did we need another country "Marvin's Room"? In every country review I keep harping on artists telling the same generic story addressed to the same imaginary sorority girl, but here's a lyric and addressee that are certainly not generic or imaginary, and I'm not sure what to think. If Sam Hunt's byline didn't scare off the traditionalists, the first vocoded note is almost deliberately scheduled to shoo away the rest (none of the subsequent vocal is so blatant), leaving a smaller audience of fans and an explicit audience of one specific, named girl. There's something inescapably creepy -- voyeuristically creepy for the listener, manipulatively creepy for the artist -- about this, this couple chords and a tirade. Most of his target demographic will hear this as romantic, but for those unfortunate enough to have been stalked, the details are so familiar as to be textbook: presenting her with his un-rebuttable imagination of her life, in which she stages the Everytime video every time she wants to cry, in which there's nowhere else in Georgia she can buy peaches, in which everything reminds her of him, or at least does now; reminding her of her debt while holding Montevallo money over her head; apologizing for boosting her profile while writing her name into a huge triumphant chorus; pondering "whether it's OK to lie" while careful to mention none of the indiscretions that got him there -- merely their consequences, which now seem unreasonable. Better to address this as fiction, then -- like most "autobiographical" songs by celebrities, somewhere between songwriting exercise and publicity stunt, because you don't cross over into pop and stay without some dating drama. What's left is slapdash: accurate-sounding candor spewed over a couple identikit country choruses, each piece well-crafted but only assemblable by a real-life happy ending. Which is the point, and the problem. [5]

Megan Harrington: Too much of my instant dislike of "Drinkin' Too Much" hinged on the preposterous way Sam Hunt apologized for (more or less) doxing his then ex-girlfriend, now fiancé Hannah Lee Fowler on his debut album Montevallo, only to turn around and close the song by singing her name. In case there were any straggler fans out there who hadn't quite put her identity together, I guess. It was incongruous in a way that grated on me until I realized that it was the perfect synecdoche for the song, one that indulges overwrought production as 40 as it was country and several different singing styles, including plain old talking. It's right there in the way he names her his first fan and then cheats on her, the way he dismisses her sisters as "matchmakers" but hopes her dad still prays for him. Real life is messy and filled with leaps forward followed by half-steps back, relationships are chaotic and confusing, and Hunt captures all of it, ending hopefully with a (sort of, he hopes) romantic pledge to win her back. And it (sort of, I think) worked? [7]

Crystal Leww: The first time I heard "Drinkin' Too Much," I did not like it. I did not like the 40-esque production, the sad sap lyrics, the way that Hunt called out his ex-girlfriend. Then I listened to the 8pm version, stripped of the production flourishes, and figured that it was just the production that was bugging me. The lyrics were sad, but they were so specific: peaches in Pelham, a hotel room in Arizona, and that devastating, heartbreaking "hope your dad still prays for me," a reminder that breakups are the deaths of families, too. I've never liked the comparisons to Drake -- Drake is someone who has clearly never been in an adult relationship with a real woman rather than a built-up image of a woman, but Montevallo and "Drinkin' Too Much" feel like they're about real adults who have genuinely loved each other and created lives together. I still like the 8pm version more, but I've come around on the full version. It's dramatic, but I appreciate the attempt to appeal to a broader audience, and it highlights that Hunt's lyricism shines through anything, even snaps and strings. [7]

Josh Langhoff: A prof used to tell us, "People who are sorry weep bitter tears." I don't buy Sam Hunt's sorrow. Nor do I buy that this song has a melody or a beat, that it has any connection to country or R&B, that this is the same Sam Hunt who did "House Party," or that picking peaches is anything but the pits. More schnapps! [3]

Katie Gill: Look, I'm sorry, I can't hate this. With the exception of that "I hope your dad still prays for me" bit, the verses are awful, not singing but the Sam Hunt Spoken Word Poetry Hour. They swing between endearingly hokey and the awful Nice Guy sort of patronizing that was the entirety of "Take Your Time." But the chorus is AMAZING. It's so silky and smooth, perfectly mixed, and Hunt shows that he has a halfway decent R&B(ish) voice. But the two never really meet. The transition between verse and chorus is awkward every time, as the buttery-smooth chorus butts up against the not very smooth speaking voice of Sam Hunt. [6]

Joshua Copperman: I keep singing this title to the tune of Twenty One Pilots' "Ride", attempting to remember what little melody this song has ("I've been drinking too much, help me..."). Until the bridge -- which would make a better chorus -- nothing is worth remembering: not the strings, not the drum machine, and especially not the single strum of guitar to signify that it's still country. What made "Marvin's Room" work was the honesty and subtextual self-loathing that Drake would spend the rest of his career distilling. This seems less stream-of-consciousness and more trying to write stream-of-consciousness, which rarely works as well and results in lines like "I wish you'd let me pay off your student loans." The dramatic piano ending makes clear Sam Hunt's lack of shame in copying Aubrey, but that just makes him sound even less authentic, even though the backstory contains more than enough drama for something genuine. [3]

Edward Okulicz: The first time I misheard the line as as "I'm sorry for making the album Montevallo," but this sketch wouldn't be a repudiation even if he were sorry for that. And it's really not that much more than a series of lyrical fragments and a chorus, but I find myself nodding along at some parts, and being frustrated at the lack of detail in others, and going to the "Personal life" details of his Wikipedia article to see the resolution. So that means it's fairly compelling for its limitations. [7]

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#Sam Hunt #Drinkin' Too Much

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