#yes this is a reference to that shrek meme

[toomanycartoonswithnotenoughlove]

I watched that Playthrough of MyHouse.WAD, and had too many thoughts about Shrek. Yes, that’s the post

So, I’ll link the playthrough here, so those who haven’t yet and want to can experience this for themselves, but I had specific thoughts relating to Shrek that I thought it might be better to post here for posterity’s sake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wAo54DHDY0

OK, to nerd out about the freaking Shrek boss for a second, the fact that Shrek is included possibly as a reference to the meme still says so much 20 years after Shrek came out. No, I'm not kidding. Shrek, when released, was a subversive leap forward in a genre prepared for it by the past innovations laid out by former innovators. Though some of the plot is more real than most other animated family films were willing to go, at that time, it still adhered to the basic structure set forward by it's predecessor, with each subsequent sequel and spinoff (3 isn't canon, and I'll die on that hill) building and growing from this basic structure, while still being recognizably Shrek. Also, further adaptations are far more overtly queer (Shrek the Musical) than the original work was in a safe space to be at time of release. Ringing any bells? Also, the fact that, in the mod, it's included, possibly, for the meme points, adds the layer (ogre jokes ahoy) of being a simple idea many know about that one can use to communicate easily and quickly, with much more thought, research, blood, sweat, tears, and further points of exploration put in behind it. 

#myhouse.wad #house of leaves #i guess #Shrek

[drarry-with-a-side-of-harry]

You know what’s wild? How far Tony Stark has come between the first Iron Man and Endgame. Incredible.

#i watched endgame a couple days ago #and then iron man yesterday #and it’s amazing to see the man he has become #and yes i am speaking in present tense #because he is sTILL ALIVE DAMMIT #i thought he was an interesting complex character when i first watched iron man #and then you see EVERYTHING thats happened #and he is more layered than an onion when we reach endgame #*insert shrek meme* #and i just love him so much #wow #:’) #also it’s really nice to watch endgame #and then watch iron man #and cry at all the references watching iron man #the cheeseburgers #tony stark has a heart #i fucking cant #with a side of rambling #tony stark #iron man #im1 #endgame

[em-writes-imagines]

The Demon Bros and Shrek the Musical

A/N: This might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever written jsgskdh, inspired by the fact that Shrek the Musical is, for some godforsaken reason, a piece of comfort media for me, and I have to watch it every couple of months.

Lucifer

• For the love of Diavolo, do NOT introduce this man to Shrek the Musical. Please.

• Music is one of the few things he has left for relaxation. Please do not take that away from him. I’m begging you.

• You wanna watch it? Totally fine! Do not let him in the room. Do not let him watch or hear a single note.

• Is he gonna be curious? Yes. Stay strong. If you must, show him a still image of Shrek’s stage costume. That should be convincing enough.

• Lucifer, baby, I’m so sorry.

Mammon

• Show him the original movie first. He won’t get half of the pop culture references, but he’d still have a fun time watching it with you.

• Lowkey tears up during Hallelujah and “Fiona, you are beautiful.”

• Give him a few weeks before even introducing the concept of the stage musical.

• Turning it into a drinking game could be fun! Confusing, but fun.

• Again, lowkey tears up during “Who I’d Be”, finds himself relating to Shrek more often than he’d like 🤧

• He probably wouldn’t watch it again (it’s a little too long/slow for his attention span), but he had fun watching you sing along to the entire show.

Leviathan

• Has actually seen the original movie! Hard to avoid the memes when you’re on human social media platforms, even in his anime-focused circles.

• Has absolutely no interest in the Broadway adaptation.

• I mean, he’ll sit in the room with you and play games on his switch or his D.D.D. Occasionally glance up when there’s a particularly weird sound.

• Broadway just isn’t really his thing.

• He likes being with you, though. He especially likes listening to you sing, even when the lyrics are ridiculous.

Satan

• Will watch the original movie with you if it’s one of your childhood favorites (or all time favorites 😶).

• Can somewhat appreciate the humor despite having very little reference for all the pop culture jokes. More amused by your reactions/the way you quote lines in time with the movie.

• Like Levi, he doesn’t have much interest in the musical. However, he will pay attention while you watch it.

• To you. Loves watching you sing/dance along.

• Let’s hope you don’t want him to watch the screen, that’s a lost cause from the start. You can settle for singing some of the lines directly to him <3

Asmo

• I mean, you can put it on the TV, but he is not going to pay it an ounce of attention.

• Well, maybe during the fairy tale creature songs. Maybe. (Freak Flag does go hard.)

• He loves you, but he can only go so far… movies/musicals with more than a single fart joke are Too Far.

• Honestly might ask you to mute the volume during particularly gross humor-heavy scenes.

• Will do your nails, play with your hair, scroll through Devilgram, and eventually fall asleep cuddling you.

Beel

• Dude will watch anything as long as there’s snacks to go with it.

• Show him the original movie first, he’ll really enjoy it. His favorite scenes are when Shrek and Fiona bond over food. (You will have to talk him out of making bog food after this.)

• Is openly affected by the misunderstanding between Shrek and Fiona before the wedding, you’ll have to assure him things work out.

• Now, the musical isn’t something he’d normally be interested in watching.

• But hey, if you’ll cuddle and snack with him for two hours, he’s down.

• He really likes listening to you sing.

Belphie

• If you turn it into a movie night, he’ll probably stay awake for the original movie. Get Mammon, Levi, and Beel in there, they’ll be chatty enough to keep him engaged. (You may have to shush them during your favorite scenes.)

• The musical, however… that’s a lost cause.

• He’s already dozing off in the first few minutes. It’s not his fault the parents’ duet is so lulling! Especially with you cuddling him and singing along!!

• Shake him awake for the scenes you really like and he’ll pay attention for a few minutes, then it’s right back to sleep.

• Thinks it’s weird and will openly call you weird for liking it so much. It’s said with love. Mostly.

• But really, MC, every word? You memorized every word??

#lucifer x reader #mammon x reader #leviathan x reader #satan x reader #asmodeus x reader #beelzebub x reader #belphie x reader #belphegor x reader #beel x reader #asmo x reader #levi x reader #lucifer imagine #mammon imagine #leviathan imagine #satan imagine #asmodeus imagine #beelzebub imagines #belphie imagine #om leviathan #om beelzebub #om mammon #om lucifer #om satan #om asmodeus #om belphegor #om imagines #om x reader #om x you #om x mc

[alexandria-is-my-firstname]

More sketches,,,

- Image top left (black child that looks a bit like Frank from Donnie Darko):

Shrek 2 reference

- Image top right (the two bird persons):

Buzzfeed's Unsolved Supernatural (yes, i nicknamed them Ryan & Shane)

- Image bottom left (w h a l e):

Finding Nemo, Deltarune and Amphibia reference (i like too much things)

- Image bottom righr (woman yelling at cat meme):

Woman yelling at cat meme (and it happened in the manga,,, in a way)

#the girl from the other side #totsukuni no shoujo #illustration #art #meme #i like too much things

[springmagpies]

Ooooooh these are all so fun! Would you consider doing a Jemma and Daisy brotp for “Please get off the floor, we’re in public.” ☺️

Here you are sweet anon! I hope you like it!! 💛

The power was out at Jemma and Daisy’s apartment and had been all day. Luckily, Jemma--ever prepared--had plenty of flashlights, lanterns, and other in case of emergency power outage supplies. It being on the cusp of winter, the apartment did get awfully cold and so they had resorted to piling on plenty of layers and draping themselves in every last blanket they could find. What they didn’t have, however, was a source of entertainment.

Laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, Daisy had her sweatshirt hood over her head, the drawstring drawn tight, and three blankets around her: one wrapped about her, one below her, and one over the top. 

“I had no idea I was so reliant on technology,” she said blankly.

“Really,” Jemma replied, looking up from her book, “no idea?”

“Okay. Some idea. But, doesn’t mean I wanted to be confronted with my not very healthy computer addiction.”

“I thought your computer was charged.”

Daisy sighed. “Useless without the internet.” She turned her head as much as she could under her many many fluffy layers. 

“We could go to Fitz’s,” she suggested. 

Jemma put her book down and gave her roommate a sad look. “He’s out of town, remember.”

“Oh yeah,” Daisy huffed. “Lucky butt.”

“Did you just call my boyfriend a butt?” Jemma laughed.

“Yeah, the butt goes off to Scotland and leaves us to a power outage.”

“I don’t think he could have predicted a power outage.”

“Bet he could,” Daisy mumbled, giggling as Jemma threw a pillow on her face. Her arms pinned down by her wrappings, she had to shimmy to get the pillow from off of her. 

“What if we went and got a puzzle or something,” Jemma suggested suddenly, Daisy catching the light of inspiration on her roommate’s face once she had shaken off the pillow. 

“A puzzle?” Daisy said.

“Yeah! We could get chocolate--”

“And wine.”

“And wine! Ooh, and remind me to pick up some new winter gloves while we’re there.”

Jemma jumped up from the couch with a little bounce and moved to get her shoes.

“Hey, wait! Jems!”

“Yes?” she asked, stopping to look down at Daisy.

Daisy wiggled about in her blanket sarcophagus. “Can unroll me?”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry.”

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Upon arriving at Target, Daisy and Jemma both immediately spent far too long in the sales section. Daisy had found a clear bouncy ball with a triceratops figure in the center and had become obsessed. It was about the size of her hand and like the small child that every adult secretly is, she continually bounced it as they wandered about the rest of the store. It was warm at Target and back home the apartment was freezing, so neither roommate was in a rush. 

With Jemma’s gloves picked out, two bottles of wine in the cart, and a whole heap load of chocolate, crackers, and cheese, they made their way to the toy section. 

“You look down that aisle for the puzzles and look down this one,” Jemma said, already pushing the cart towards her destination.

Daisy shot her a thumbs up and bounced her bouncy ball to her chosen aisle. There were no puzzles on her row--the whole thing was filled with a bunch of transformers and minecraft swords--so she turned to go find Jemma. However, just as she swung to face the direction she had come, the bouncy ball slipped from her fingers and rolled under the shelf. 

“Dammit,” Daisy muttered, dropping down onto her knees to look under the display. However, not being able to see clearly, she ended up dropping all the way to her stomach. “Why did you have to do this to me Baby Bop?” Yes, she had named the bouncy ball after the triceratops from Barney and Friends. The ball was just out of her reach and even with her forehead banging into the metal display shelf, she still couldn’t grab a hold of the thing.

“Dais,” Jemma called, her feet clicking on the tile floor as she turned the corner into the aisle, “I got the puzzle. Didn’t you hear me--Daisy? What are you doing?”

Daisy’s reply was squished against the white and red linoleum. “I dropped the bouncy ball.”

“The bouncy ball?”

“The bouncy ball.” She huffed out a laugh. “We had a muffin man moment right there.”

“What?” 

“You know. Do you know the muffin man.”

“The muffin man?” 

“The muffin man!”

Jemma rubbed a hand on her forehead, looking down at her best friend with a mix of confusion and amusement on her face. “Did you just make me quote the movie Shrek?”

“Yes I did,” Daisy said. Her face was still partially under the shelving. “I just think it’s funny you know that reference.”

“It was a good movie even if it did become a meme,” Jemma replied, folding her arms. 

“I didn’t know you knew it was a meme.”

Jemma scoffed. “I am aware of the internet, you know. I’m not completely out of touch. Now will you get off the floor, we’re in public. And that tile is probably filthy.”

Daisy sat up into a sitting position and shot a quick puff of air to move her hair out of her face. “I gotta get that bouncy ball first,” she said. 

“Is this the same one with the dinosaur in it?” Jemma asked. 

Daisy nodded, leading Jemma to unfold her arms, dropping them to her side. 

“Well then scoot. I’ve got an idea.” 

Grabbing a minecraft sword from off the shelf, Jemma carefully kneeled down next to Daisy and swiped the long piece of foam under the display. The bouncy ball came flying out with a fury, moving quickly towards the gap on the opposite side. 

“Daisy!” Jemma half-screamed.

With quick reflexes, Daisy launched herself on top of the bouncy ball. “Got it!”

Without warning, Jemma burst into a fit of giggles.

“Why are you laughing,” Daisy chuckled. 

Jemma wiped a tear of mirth from the outer corner of her eye. “Because we’re two twenty-five year olds sitting on the floor of the toy aisle in Target celebrating the retrieval of a bouncy ball.”

“Yeah,” Daisy grinned. “Adulthood.”

Jemma smiled and got to her feet. She offered Daisy a helping hand. “Adulthood.”

Brotp Prompts

#aosficnet2 #prompt me #daisy johnson #jemma simmons #skimmons brotp #prompt #brotp prompt #maggie's fics

[guessmonsta]

Kuroo x Reader- Wingman

Inconsistency is key. Everything I write is for my dear friend Emily. Anyway, here’s some fun, low-key raunchy, high-key reference-y Kuroo content for everyone in quarantine rn. Stay safe and wash your hands <3

Kuroo was, at some point tonight, going to lose his mind. 

He knew showing up to Bokuto’s stupid little “house party” was going to get him in trouble one way or another. By “house party”, Bokuto meant he was going to try to cram the volleyball team starters, his roommates basketball friends, a couple of girls, and miscellaneous friends on the side into his college campus dorm room. 

It ideally didn’t sound like much fun, but he was going to take whatever chance he got to get out of his dorm. As much as Kuroo got out in high school, in college he felt bound to chemistry textbooks and volleyball practice. He liked to joke around with his friends and say it wasn’t easy being smart, athletic, and sexy, but there really wasn’t anything sexy about under eye bags and lab goggles. 

He usually showed up to Bokuto’s dorm before anyone else did. His roommate was out of town, so it was just some volleyball guys and a few others for the night. Kuroo didn’t really mind, the basketball guys were too much to handle for him right now, anyway. A cluster headache started forming behind his right eye, and he must’ve made a stank face, because Bokuto started stifling laughter from the bed across the room. 

“Do you have to go take a shit or something?” He asked, picking up a pillow from the bed and chucking it at Kuroo’s head. 

“Nah. I’m just starting to think I peaked in high school.” 

“See? This is why you should’ve majored in business like me. I keep it cool, I keep it classy. I focus on three things, volleyball, whatever business majors do, and boobs.” Bokuto made a gesture as if he was flipping hair over his shoulder. Kuroo shook his head. 

“When I come up with a cure for stupidity twenty years down the line, you’re not getting any of it.” Kuroo stuck his tongue out, and Bokuto feigned shock. 

“I thought we were bros.” 

“Bros support bros. And you’ve gotta support me through fucking-” Kuroo took a deep sigh then exhaled, “Chemistry-y.” 

“Hey listen, you sound like a big major bum right now and it’s making me wanna hit you with another pillow.” 

“Do it, I dare you.” Kuroo grabbed the pillow previously thrown at his head, and spiked it back over at Bokuto, who dodged it. 

“I’ve got some cool people coming over though.” Bokuto exclaimed while contemplating on throwing the pillow back.

“Oh, like the guy who chugged three beers in a row last time and puked all over that one girls lap? And you had to calm her down from crying because All Star started playing from Shrek on the TV and we all were holding back laughter so she wouldn’t cry harder?” 

Bokuto made a face of disgust in response. “Absolutely not. It’s just gonna be me, you, Tendou ‘cause he’s got the goods, Ushijima ‘cause he makes me think god might just be a man, Yukie ‘cause she makes me remember god is actually a woman, a couple of Yukie’s girl friends ‘cause girl power, and __ too ‘cause she didn’t come last time and I miss her.” 

__ was Kuroo and Bokuto’s mutual friend they met in their first semester of college. She sat with them during their freshman orientation course, and they hit it off from there. She was a funny thing, always had bright eyes and a smile on her face. Kuroo noticed his cluster headache wasn’t as bad as he previously thought. 

There was definitely something about her that made Kuroo wish he had time for a serious relationship. Even then, he would make all the time in the world for her if he really could. He hadn’t seen her for a couple months- his only contact with her was sharing memes back and forth on Instagram. The thought of seeing her again made something flutter in his stomach. 

“Oh wait.” Bokuto must have noticed the look on Kuroo’s face, because he started laughing. “O-oh man I forgot you had a thing for __!” 

“I haven’t seen her in forever bro.” Kuroo looked up at Bokuto and fake pouted his lower lip. “Like if I could make that one puppy eye emoji face in real life I would do it.” 

“Awh, does somebody have a cwush?” Bokuto teased in a baby voice. 

“Yes.” He replied, in the same fashion. Then a smile extended on his face. 

“Du-ude if you told me __ was coming over I would’ve made myself look nicer. I’ve been wearing the same gray joggers for like, three days.” 

“College do be doing that to you, doe.” Bokuto got up, then flopped on the couch next to Kuroo. “Listen though, I’m your number one wing man. I gotchu.” 

“Do you mean that, bro?”

“Always, bro.” 

Without knocking, Tendou burst through the dorm door, holding a big brown bag of god knows what under his arm. 

“Your king has arrived.” He announced, and Ushijima awkwardly followed in behind him, muttering a respectful, “hello.” 

“I’m sorry, did I walk in on something… intimate?” Tendou glanced over at Kuroo and Bokuto, who were sitting closely together on the couch. 

“No bro, we’re just two bros, sitting on a dorm couch, one inch apart cause we’re comfortable with our sexuality.” Kuroo winked, and Tendou clutched at his heart in mock embarrassment. 

Yukie and her friends followed soon after, all carrying different bags of chips. 

“Just so y’all know.” Yukie announced, “All this food? It’s mine. None of you can touch it.” 

“Would you trade the bag of popcorn for a brownie?” Tendou winked. Yukie tilted her head, and nodded slightly. 

“I’ll see. Our offer still stands.” 

Another widespread conversation started, something about which movie to watch this time, or something along the lines of that. He heard “Bee Movie” and “Shrek 2”, but nothing more. All he could really think about was when __ was going to show up. He felt stupid for feeling nervous about seeing her again, especially when they were always so comfortable with each other. He had to stretch to try to calm the butterflies down in his stomach. 

Then there was a knock at the door. Bokuto quickly kicked him in the shin as a sign to stand up and get the door. Kuroo shot him a look, to which he only stuck his tongue out. Why the hell did he feel nervous getting the door for her? As far as he knew, they were only friends, just buddies, just bros. But god, even if he was dying to see her, he was sure hesitant to open that door. 

One he did, he was met with a bright smile and a playful punch to the forearm. 

“Aye!” She exclaimed, quick to then pull him into a quick hug. “I haven’t seen you in forever!” 

“I know! What happened, __? What have you been up to?” Kuroo was almost hesitant to hug her back, but allowed himself to for it. His hand creeped into her hair and he allowed himself to exhale deeply. Whatever was remaining of his headache from before vanished. 

“Man, it’s been the absolute pits. I’ve been swamped with work ‘cause of the new semester.” 

“Well, I’ve-” Kuroo caught himself quick before he could continue. “Bokuto and I have missed you a lot.” 

“Awh, really?” She chuckled. “I missed your dumbasses too.” 

She set her jacket down by everyone else’s, then was quick to take a seat next to Bokuto, who already pulled her into a hug and ruffled her hair. He was saying something to her, but Kuroo didn’t hear it. There was a quiet white static in the back of his mind that was dragging him in and out of reality. “The Road To El Dorado” was playing on TV. Who’s executive decision was this, again? 

Kuroo sat down next to __, and Tendou and two of Yukie’s friends sat down too. The couch was definitely too small for six people, but somehow they were making it work. Tendou was pretty much half a person, anyway. But what Tendou didn’t have, Bokuto definitely made up for.  Kuroo then noticed that he was right up against __’s body, and it took a lot of power in him to keep his cool. She had really nice thighs, really nice thighs that were touching his. He wondered if she knew that, that she had nice thighs. It was definitely a terrible day to be wearing gray joggers. 

Kuroo then quickly assessed the situation in his head. On one side of him, there was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. She was dressed in this cute little oversized sweater and she smelled like a mix of pretty girl and coffee shop. On the other side of him, was Tendou, who didn’t nearly have half the sex appeal as __, so it was a conflicting situation for Kuroo for sure. 

“To pop a boner, or to not pop a boner, that is the question.” Kuroo thought to himself, then immediately made a face at his own thought. “Tetsurou, you’re so weird. You’re acting so weird right now.” 

Kuroo then looked over at __, who was now watching the movie with what seemed like half interest, half confusion. 

She really did look like an angel. 

“Tetsurou, do you hear yourself? Do you even hear yourself?” 

She then leaned her head against his arm, and he heard Bokuto snicker quietly, and shoot him a look. He could see his face out of the corner of his eyes, but refused to look over at him. 

“Oh my god, Tetsurou, you’re gonna pop a boner. You’re gonna pop a boner because she’s touching you and she’s so pretty- Do I go to the bathroom? Should we go to the bathroom?” 

Kuroo noticed her look up at him, and he was quick to catch her eye. 

“Is this bothering you?” She muttered. 

“Nah.” He smiled. “I get it, chicks dig these volleyball arms.” 

__ giggled quietly, and her attention was directed back to the movie. 

“Chicks dig these volleyball arms? Are you KIDDING me right now?” 

A couple more minutes passed in silence. There was a quiet mumbled conversation between Tendou and Yukie about those brownies, but Kuroo toned it out quickly. Suddenly, __ announced. 

“Y’all know what? Honestly? Tulio could get it.” 

Kuroo watched as Bokuto quickly shifted, and cleared his throat to reply, 

“Don’t you think Tulio kinda looks like Kuroo?” 

__ lifted her head up from Kuroo’s shoulder and looked at him, to which he tried to hold back a smile. Bokuto might not have been the smoothest wingman, but he made it work. 

“Oh shit, you’re right. I can see it.” 

Kuroo then sat there, saying absolutely nothing. He knew if he said something his voice would probably crack. There was nothing sexy at all about being related to a cartoon character, but it was kind of sexy that she said that he looked like a cartoon character that could get it. In some fragment of his mind, he started thinking about how she could totally get it. One of his arms slowly and inconspicuously fell between his legs. With the other, he flashed a quick peace sign and made a kissy face. 

Oh my god, he was gonna die tonight.

“__, do you think Kuroo could get it too?”

“I, for one, definitely think Kuroo could get it.” Tendou announced. Well, there goes his pants issue. 

“Thank you, bro.” Kuroo managed to spit out. 

“Kuroo could get it.” Ushijima muttered from the ground, which was the most anyone had gotten out of him all night. 

“I dunno, he’s not my type. But in the perfect world he could get it.” Yukie laughed.

“I mean shit.” __ shrugged. He wasn’t sure if it was from the lighting, or what, but Kuroo noticed her face flush red. “Yeah Kuroo could get it.” 

And pants. 

There was a wavering silence for another half hour. He was still hyper aware of her leg touching his, and every other minute detail about his setting, despite the movie. What was the movie even about, anyway?  It was about halfway through, then __ announced, 

“I have to go pee.” 

“Thank you.” Bokuto muttered in reply. 

As she stood up, Kuroo found himself grabbing her hand. 

“Hey, lemme go with you.”

“To… to pee?”

“No this, this is a guys dorm. You don’t wanna get lost going down to the general bathrooms and get caught by somebody.” Kuroo stammered slightly, but followed her out of the room. “You never know what kind of guys there are out there.”

“Awh, are you protecting me?” She cooed, bumping into his side lightly.

“Yeah. I am.” He shot her a quick smile, then looked away. His heart was pounding in his chest. This was the perfect opportunity to back her up against the wall and just kiss her, or something, but he couldn't find it in him to do it. 

People always liked to say he was the sexy friend. The attractive friend. The lady killer. The sex god. He had absolutely none of that, and it showed. 

“Hey, uhm, I hope you didn’t think it was weird when I said you could get it.” 

“Hey, hey, no offense taken.” He chuckled. “I’m just offended you weren’t serious.” 

The moment he said that, he quickly regretted it. She started laughing, but was quick to stop. 

“Wait, are you serious?” 

Kuroo then stopped walking and sighed, almost dramatically. 

“Listen.” 

“Listening.” 

He noticed her clasp her hands together underneath her baggy sweater sleeves. He inhaled sharply, then exhaled. 

“You’re really important to me. As a friend and as a human being.” Kuroo watched her sniffle, and her face go red. “I would use a stupid pickup line on you right now but I’m way too nervous. I really like you, __.” 

He watched a goofy smile spread across her cheeks. Her face only got redder as she looked down at her feet, then back up at him. 

“I never knew if you liked me or not cause you jokingly hit on everyone.” She smiled. “I like you too. I thought I made it pretty obvious.” 

“Oh my god, come here.” Kuroo then scooped her up in a hug, and placed a soft, tentative kiss on her lips. She stumbled a little bit, and he backed her up against the wall. He pulled away for a brief second to chuckle, then kissed her again, his heart slamming against his rib cage. He couldn't believe he actually did it, after all this time of pinning and waiting over her texts- 

__ then pulled away, but not before planting a soft kiss on his nose. 

“I like this a lot, Kuroo, but I still have to pee.” 

#haikyuu!! #haikyuu!! imagines #haikyuu!! headcanons #haikyuu!! x reader #Kuroo Tetsurou #kuroo tetsuro x reader

[katatty]

Hi! For the ask meme: 6, 10, 11, 16, 23, 41, 47, 50, 60, 71, 73, 91. Don't worry if this is too much, just cherry pick if you don't wanna answer all of them.

Hey! Thank you for sending me stuff, I might trim a few questions if the answers are boring, lol.

6. What’s your lucky number?

I don’t know about “lucky” but my favourite number is 3! It does have kind of a magical feeling about it what with it’s use in fairy tales & witchcraft stuff, plus I really like the whole rule of three thing in writing.

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I actually checked my closet for this and it turns out i have... 12? Which feels like a lot, I should probably get rid of some. I did make a list just for my own reference as I was counting, for anyone curious lol:

dickies steel-toed working boots, they’re not rly very fashionable but they’re comfy and i walk a lot so most cute shoes i buy wear out super quickly, they’re the real MVPs in that they havent fallen apart yet

some very cute dark red boots I wear in fall

KOI moon boots, tbh the sole has cracked on one of them and they probably need throwing away but I keep thinking maybe I can fix em up with some glue or something lol

KOI mary janes

T.U.K. creepers (my favourite shoes i own)

cheap flip flops

knockoff crocs someone bought me as a joke, i like them actually

basic oxfords in navy blue, these are my “job interview” shoes lol

some funkier oxfords with a chunky heel, party shoes

snow boots (not sure why i own these, we don’t get enough snow here to justify it)

running shoes

some very cheap gold wing shoes, honestly i can’t pull them off and they don’t even match my aesthetic but i love them

16. Favorite movie?

I have quite a lot!! But my favourites are probably Thelma & Louise, Kill Bill & Run Lola Run. Also Shrek & The Hunchback of Notre Damme.

41. Are you a good liar?

No, not at all lol! I’m the type of person who admits they’re lying before I can even finish whatever the lie was supossed to be, lol

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

Probably my big-ass winter coat, it’s kinda velvet-y with a big hood and a high-fantasy-ish vibe. It’s not super expensive but I mostly never buy things over like £50 so for me this was a splurge - when it gets cold in winter I wear it almost every day though so it was super worth it.

60. Do you talk to yourself?

Yes, a lot! It helps me think. I used to be self concious about this habit but i dont give a fuck these days lol

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

I do always want to lol, I try to bite my tongue in most situations though since nobody likes unsolicited critique lmao. Luckily I’m a QA tester so calling people on their mistakes is my actual job, gets it out of my system

91. Do you like your own name?

I like my first name a lot (Katrina!) but I’m not very fond of my surname, haha. I won’t post it for privacy reasons ofc

[meinposhbastard]

Author meme!

lAuthor Name: meinposhbastard (on AO3, too)

Fandoms You Write For: Good Omens, spideypool (though I haven’t been active for a while now, since GO is my main focus now)

Where You Post: only on AO3. Tried crossposting here, too, but the tumblr-publicity thing never stuck to me because I always forgot to do it

Most Popular One-Shot: 

By hits and kudos:  It's 'meow-meoow' not 'meow-meeow' (spideypool, T-rated, 7k+)

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story:

Second in place by kudos and hits:  With a bite (spideypool, E-rated, 20k+ split in two chapters)

Favourite Story You Wrote: 

From the SPN fandom:  Hápax legómenon (E, 36k+) because I had so much fun researching the etymology on ‘magic’ and build that world and make the rules of the magic. I still look back at that story with awe, thinking that I won’t ever be able to reach that peak no matter what I do. From Spideypool:  Rattle your chains if you love being free (63k+, E-rated). It’s a retelling of Shrek... but I went off the script and made something new. This was the first fic that I scraped the initial 20k of it and rewrote everything. I liked how I weaved the characters into the story, the wizard, Peter B. and Miles, Gwen, MJ, Harry. And am impressed with myself at the amount of references I made there. From BotW to We Free Men (or rather Women), to Matrix, and I can’t remember what else (they’re all in the tags) From Voltron:  Sharp corners and curves (E-rated, 65k+). At the time I finished this, it was the longest fic I had ever written. Again, I’m impressed at the worldbuilding and the dynamics between Shiro, Keith and Lotor (yes, it’s a threesome, triad, trinity, call it what you will but smut happens between these three consenting parties and it’s awesome! but so hard to coordinate in bed holy hell!!!). I also like the little details I managed to place with the characters, Keith in particular since the story is told from his POV.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:

I think that would be my first ever fic, which was:  Before we dwell on it (00Q, T-rated, 5k). But after that... not so much. I took to writing fic like duck to water. After the first posted fic, the rest simply felt natural. Never nervous if people might like it or not.

How Do You Choose Your Titles:

I sometimes use lines from poetry or songs, other times I use some words or lines from the fic itself (like with With a bite), and sometimes I manage to cook up a title that’s unrelated to the above and best reflects the fic (oh shoot, that reminds me that I have no title or outline for my current PacRim wives...)

Do You Outline:

I’m trying to, okay? But I end up forgetting what I put in the outline and go off-track. It’s like the outline is my nemesis. I don’t remember ever sticking to it, even to the broader ideas. But I’m trying to get better at this. After all, an outline helps a lot when you write long fics.... (though my long fics have all been written with little to no outline shhh)

Complete: 44

In-Progress:

Um, that have scenes written and not just ideas of what I want: 5

Only ideas: 8

.... okay, I wasn’t aware I have so many WIPs. RIP.

Coming Soon/Not Yet Started:

Hopefully the PacRim Ineffable Wives, since my muse seems to be dead set on adding scenes to it. Currently (26 March 2020) it’s sitting at 9k and counting.

Do You Accept Prompts:

I don’t know? It’s a foreign concept to me. I’ve seen it happen, I’ve prompted other people, but outside of gift exchanges, I’ve never had people come into my inbox and prompt me. Besides that, my works have a tendency of going overboard in wc and that takes time, so unless my WIP stash is depleted and I have no idea what to work on next which prompts me to ask for prompts then... no, prompts don’t work with me.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write:

The current Ineffable Wives... oh, and the Tribe AU in the Spn fandom.

Tagged By: @ximeria

If interested, tagging: @godihatethisfreakingcat, @trickster-archangel, @lovelybydecay  and anybody else who’d like to tag along.

#author meme #fics #writing #questions #get to know my fics #and fandoms

[dinnerkingdedede]

A rough outline of my Splatoon 3 dream campaign (Long post inbound!):

| SYNOPSIS/PROLOGUE |

-The game takes place 3 years after the events of the second game. -Chaos had won the final Splatfest, and order has fallen. -You start the hero mode with a little prologue mission set in Inkopolis (renamed Pearlepolis). -This mission involves the player stepping up against Pearl, the self-made queen of Pearlepolis. -The two of you then engage in personal combat. -You best her in this fight, but afterwards Pearl breaks out her Killer Wail and obliterates you. -Cut to the campaign's world 1 hub, which is a small outpost where the Squidbeak Splatoon fled to after chaos took hold. -You wake up injured. With blurred vision, you notice a figure standing in front of you. -As you eyes start to regain focus, the figure turns out to be Marina in her Team Order outfit. -She takes a note from Keanu Reeves in Cyberpunk 2077 as to what she says next before you officially start. -"Wake the heck up, agent... We have a city to take back."

| PLOT ELEMENTS |

-Cap'n Cuttlefish has sadly passed away sometime between the final Splatfest and the 3rd game. -Along the journey, you have to save Agents 3 and 8 from the clutches of whatever crosses your path. -Being as clumsy as she is, Callie somehow gets herself brainwashed again. But this time she's wearing a crown. -You have to fight her at some point on your journey in some form while a dark reprise of Bomb Rush Blush (with bits from Nasty Majesty thrown in) plays in the background. -Once you win this fight, Callie will join you in your cause. -Of course it wouldn't be a Splatoon campaign without everyone's favorite deliverer of spicy wasabi beats, DJ Octavio. -This time around, Octavio has become Pearl's second-in-command (a king for her queen if you will) and is seen wearing a crown just like the one Callie was wearing earlier. -You have to fight him in the square before you can climb the Pearlepolis spire to apprehend Pearl once and for all. (Yes, Pearl left the spire alone) -The level where the final spire climb takes place would be called something like "Acid Hues Collide! Your Nasty Majesty Awaits..." -The climb works much like the latter end of the Octo Expansion. -At the very top, Pearl reveals that she turned her Killer Wail into a superweapon capable of wiping out the entire planet. Why? BECAUSE SHE CAN. -And it's powered by none other than the Great Zapfish (You can't have a Splatoon campaign without that either). -Marina and the rest of the crew appear before the big fight. -Marina walks up to Pearl and attemps to stop her insanity by playing the Calamari Inkantation on her phone. -Pearl ends up taking the phone, dropping it on the floor, and crushing it with her heel. This will show that the Inkantation cannot change everyone's heart. -She then pushes Marina off the spire, and the impact of the fall renders her unconscious for the rest of the game. -The ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny (heh, ancient memes) then ensues with a dark reprise of Nasty Majesty playing in the background. -This rematch will not be as hard as Inner Agent 3, but it will be very tough.

| LEVELS |

When it comes to the levels themselves, it should mostly be a trip down memory lane. -World 1 would be the new Squidbeak outpost, the introductory portion of the journey. -World 2 would be Octo Canyon, where the aforementioned brawl with the twice-brainwashed Callie awaits at the end. -World 3 would be the Spawning Grounds. Here, Agent 3 gets in trouble with the mother of all Salmonids. Maybe we could see Mr. Grizz in the flesh for the first time here. -World 4 would be the Deepsea Metro. Agent 8 returns to find that the sanitization was never truly gone... -World 5 would undoubtedly be the city of Pearlepolis, torn apart by chaos. -Oh, and since this is Splatoon we're talking about, we gotta cram as many pop culture references in the level names as possible.

| COMIC RELIEF |

If you think this whole thing sounds too dark for a family show, that can be countered with some lighthearted comedy. -Pearl would have a different crown for every mood, much like Rumpelstiltskin had a wig for every mood in Shrek 4. -When Marina lands head first from the spire, all the other Inklings and Octolings below pile on her and start brawling in a cloud of dust like they do in cartoons.

| TL;DR |

It’s basically about taking Inkopolis back from the clutches of queen Pearl and her forces of chaos after Team Order lost the final Splatfest.

That’s all I can come up with for now. The rest is up to your imagination.

#Splatoon #Splatoon 2 #idea #scheduled post

[l1ve2r1se]

Today is a....rather special day in cinema because it is 𝐒𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐊’s 20th anniversary; yes, THAT SHREK. You’ve all seen the story, you know the jokes, you’ve heard of the memes, you’ve gotten familiar with the phrase “Shrek is love, Shrek is life” so it’s popularity has not died down an inch even with defunct news of a possible Shrek 5 or reboot. But I’m getting ahead of myself; if I put aside my 20 year biased love for the movie, does this DreamWorks instant classic still hold up?⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ I’m honestly surprised at how well this holds up. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ While I normally find the story my favorite aspect of any film I watch, this film almost won me over by its brilliant mix of satire and dark humor alone. It is merciless in its comedic elements, targeting everything from fairy tales to Disney films to narrative clichés to bad puns, giving the typical fantasy story a few modern twists and turns to deliver a strangely original unoriginal story with original unoriginal characters (if that makes any sense) and as old, new, borrowed and blue the plot and the moral of the story is, all of it is executed superbly. From learning to slowly open yourself up again, never judge a book by its cover and keep your heart open in hopes someone will love you for YOU, every bit about this story within itself is a comprehensive subversion of the classic fairy tale that Disney wishes it could have. Dreamworks constantly spit in Disney’s face every chance it gets with a ridiculously fast, brisk pace that never falters and a tightly knitted but densely packed structure that never betrays its own foundation, it’s battle sequences are fast-paced and exciting, its characters are witty and inventive, all the reference gags still hits their mark and feels fresh, directors Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson marshall the collective energy from their voice actors and integrate it into a surprisingly heartfelt story about love, appearances and acceptance and the less I say about this nostalgic, energetic fun soundtrack, the better I can refrain from loudly screeching THAT song from the rooftops because if this soundtrack is gold, then All Star is its alluring glitter.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ (Continued in comments) (at Shrek's Swamp) https://www.instagram.com/p/CN_S8WZl4uk/?igshid=1exvbr79gg0v5

[itsprussiasgooglehistory]

Temperaturen play , furries , ddlc ? ddlg/ddlb ? monika ? satan ? lingerie ? strip dancing ? france ? england's eyebrows (yes its a kink) ? potato ? germany ? lord DOITSU (SHINE BRIGHT LIKE DOITSU~ ) ? shrek ? uganda knuckles ? pepe ? kermit ? dat boi ? airhorn ? mlg can can ?

1. Prussia and Admin: Kinksame2. Prussia and Admin: Kinkshame3. Prussia: Kinksame; Admin: Kinkshame4. Prussia and Admin: KINKSHAME5. Prussia: Kinksame; Admin: Kinkshame6. Prussia and Admin: Kinksame7. Prussia and Admin: Kinksame8. Prussia and Admin: Kinksame9. Prussia: Kinkshame; Admin: Kinksame10. (Eyebrows, for reference) Prussia and Admin: Kinkshame11. Prussia and Admin: Kinksame12. Prussia and Admin: Kinkshame13. Prussia and Admin: KinkshameFor the rest: Prussia and Admin both KINKSHAME (good memes except knuckles and mlg can can but not kinks lol)

[redbeantofu]

keith for the character writing meme !!

thank you!! keith is one of my favourite characters to write. i particularly like writing him from an outsider’s pov. there’s just something enthralling about learning who he is through someone else’s eyes and seeing past those initial layers.. anyway, let’s proceed before i turn this into a shrek reference

1. he is fiercely and unwaveringly loyal - both to his beliefs, and to the people he loves. when he feels, he feels deeply. it takes a lot for him to care about something, but once he does, he’ll never stop. he’ll die for you.

2. he has a strong inherent moral code. keith is always trying to do the right thing, whether it’s for the “greater good” (i.e. being the only one to talk about sacrificing allura for the sake of the universe, getting angry at pidge for putting her family above the universe), or simply for the people he cares about (i.e. stepping aside to let shiro/kuron lead because he thinks it’s best for the team). 

3. he’s smart. not in the technical way that pidge and hunk are, nor in the “mature leader” way that shiro was. he’s very in tune with his instincts, which are almost always right. (s1e1, anyone?) he acts rashly, but i don’t think we’ve ever seen him be wrong about something. and yes, he may be a little socially clueless (”vol…tron?”) but that’s more due to social inexperience than anything else.

4. he vastly undervalues himself. see #2 - he’s a little too willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. the reckless behaviour he displays (charging in headfirst to take down zarkon, lotor, etc.) is often at the expense of himself. during the BoM trial, when holo-shiro tells him ”you’re only thinking about yourself,” he’s not surprised, even though that’s not something shiro would ever say to him. this is something he believes everyone else thinks about him. lance appears to see keith as cocky, yes, but that’s really more of a projection of lance’s own insecurities onto keith. however, keith likely thinks lance dislikes him, given that he volunteered to stay far away from lance in s2e5. bottom line - beyond his role as a defender of the universe, keith doesn’t really see his own worth as a friend and as a person.

5. he is not an asshole. my greatest pet peeve is to see him mischaracterized as someone who is constantly throwing childish “temper tantrums,” or worse, deliberately taking part in malicious behaviour. anger is not a part of his personality - it’s the way his emotions manifest themselves because he never learned how to deal with them in a healthy way. having been orphaned at a young age, he has had neither a good example nor anybody to communicate his feelings with. the first person who was ever really there for him got taken away. twice. that’s really traumatizing, and it’s no wonder that he has trouble connecting with others without lashing out.

i don’t know how this turned into a character analysis. i just. have all these feelings for keith and i don’t know what to do with them?? i love him.

#keith kogane #vld keith #voltron #meta #vld meta #character writing meme #asks #otasucc

[leio13]

I Was Tagged (Twice)! It’s Miracle!

Thanks @catsbythegreat and @fraink5!

Rules:

1. Post the rules

2. Answer the questions given to you by the tagger (in this case 22)

3. Write 11 questions of your own

4. And tag 11 people

Catsby’s 11 Questions:

1. Do you want any pets in the future? What kind? 

PLEASE. YES. ANYTHING FLUFFY THAT I CAN PET AND CUDDLE. PREFERABLY CATS, BUT I’M GETTING DESPERATE.

2. What would you consider one of your hobbies?

My hobbies include procrastinating, getting addicted to games that involve some kind of collecting of sorts (like LLSIF, FEH, etc.), procrastinating, writing garbage, crying over my life, procrastinating, sleeping when I should be working, uh… that’s about it, I think.

3. What kind of music do you listen to?

Japanese music mainly.  

4. How do you feel about milk? 

CHOCOLATE MILK IS MY LIFE. 100000/10. Drinking it right now. Whole milk is pretty lit too.

5. If you could go to any country that you’ve never been to, which one would you go to?

Japan!

6. Do you like the ocean? 

The ocean looks nice…? That’s about it. I’m not stepping in there. I am not risking stepping in seaweed, on crabs, on sharp rocks and sea shells, getting eaten by sharks… 

7. Do you prefer sweet things or savory things? 

Sweet things, I think. I don’t think about it too much. I just kind of like what I like (which isn’t a lot of things).

8. What is the best food your family makes? 

Only one? Cheesecake.

9. What’s your favorite season? 

Winter! I love snow!

10. What is your favorite city in the country you live in? 

New York City! I haven’t really been to many…

11. What’s your favorite kind of weather? 

Warm but with a coolish breeze where the sun is shining, and the grass looks the brightest it’s ever been, and you just want to run and jump and spin like Maria in the beginning of the sound of music.

Now Mina’s 11 questions:

1. What is the greatest unsolved mystery in your life?

uh… I don’t know. Maybe that one time every one of my siblings and I had a dream that ended in some one shouting “we’re all stupid!” Still not entirely sure what that was about…

2. What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen today?

What did I even do today…? uh… maybe that post I just reblogged about Fullmetal Alchemist…

3. If you casually adopted one anime character’s wardrobe, whose would it be?

Kirigiri or Yosano because I want to look as cool as these two butt-kicking ladies.

Also, I think Q looks really adorable, so if I ever felt like dressing like a little preppy boy, that would be the way to go for me.

4. On a scale from HATE to would-bite-into-like-a-fruit, how do you feel about bell peppers?

I like bell peppers, but you will never catch me biting into one of them like an apple. Have you seen the insides of those things? eww… nah, man. My peppers gotta be hollow and minced.

5. Do you play (or have considered playing) FGO?

Hell yeah, I do! 

6. What is the rarest pair you have ever shipped?

I don’t really ship rare pairs… In order for me to ship something, it has to be smothered in cheesy shoujo manga romance tropes… that or apparently lots of pixiv art can do it for me soukoku. so yeah…

7. How do you feel about sick fics?

👌👀👌👀👌👀👌👀👌👀 good shit go౦ԁ sHit👌 thats ✔ some good👌👌shit right👌👌there👌👌👌 right✔there ✔✔if i do ƽaү so my self 💯 i say so 💯 thats what im talking about right there right there (chorus: ʳᶦᵍʰᵗ ᵗʰᵉʳᵉ) mMMMMᎷМ💯 👌👌 👌НO0ОଠOOOOOОଠଠOoooᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒᵒ👌 👌👌 👌 💯 👌 👀 👀 👀 👌👌Good shit 

8. What is something you reference excessively?

Shrek. 

Also, “alone at last”

9. Saddest moment in any media (book, movie, anime, etc) you have consumed?

Dark Era… When everything changes in Minagoroshi-hen… Iskandar (bless his heart) vs Gilgamesh (screw him)… the end of Assassination Classroom… drowns in tears

10. Best/worst one-liner from a movie?

Do I have to choose? There are so many good quotes. I for some reason can’t stop thinking of christmas movies, so… “Grace? She died years ago.” A true classic any time of the year.

11. What would you make the last question to this questionnaire be?

Do you know Oyashiro-sama?

My questions

1. Do you know oyashiro-sama?

2. Do you like york peppermint patties?

3. What’s your favorite joke?

4. What would a combination of your favorite and least favorite tropes be like/

5. What’s the rom-com-harem-light-novel title of your life?

6. On a similar note, pick 5 members of your harem

7. What is your favorite meme?

8. What character unexpectedly grew on you? Why?

9. What would you do if you had the powers of Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo?

10. Now what if your hero partner had Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo’s powers; what power would you have in order to complete their ability?

11. On a scale of 1 to how-high-are-you-Rika?, how would you rate these questions? (By the way, I’m not high)

I’m going to tag @hatterchan, @gureshin-trash, @leroleero (why won’t the tag work???), @vettiecakes, @soragakitakato, @naoamaya, @xxene, @this-is-gospel-for-us, @somanyguys, @wanderesslluna, and @daniellelyle! If you don’t want to answer my weird questions, don’t feel pressured to do so! If you do want to answer my weird questions but were not tagged, I tag you now!

#original content #I was tagged! #wild man

[cakertaker-101]

Yet - a story (I bet you read that as Yeet)

I can write only nonsenses.

Might as well make them sound interesting:

The Adventures of Yeetus Fetus; the Angsty girl. Because being an MC makes everyone special.

Once upon a time there was a teen called Yeetus Fetus. A very angsty teen. The kind that spews meme and hobbit references when she gets the chance. She’s not very Interesting. This made her sad. But she didn’t really care and all was good.

One night she was visited by the god of ye(e)t in a dream and said unto her, “I’ve heard your cries and you shall be the main character”. And *poof* she was!

“I didn’t cry or ask for this,” The teen cried.

Yeetus Fetus was eating mushrooms and started seeing weird things. Turns out they were Limbo beans! She was now able to see the weird world of the Limbo world.

Upon a exploring the unknown world Yeetus found herself spawn in, she could help but find her eyes laying upon a small creature perched on a tree branch near by. He was starting at her too. It was a Blue girthward

The blue girthward, a creature born of Lilith’s fetus and tiny as a thumb, perched himself on a twigy branch. His Shrek green skin and Barbie doll eyes could enchant any passing retard with in a 18 mile radius. He fluttered his plastic eyes without blinking and swayed his tiny figure like a stick as he approached the angst filled teen with interest

She had to crane her neck down like a giraffe and squint really hard just to see him.

“Hey there (b)ass,” he said in a southern accent. “I can see an air of filth about you. You must be the chosen one, by God Ye(e)t?”

Yeetus was flabbergasted. “How do you know him? And that’s probably my axe deodorant over my gym sweat.”

Girthward pinches his nonexistent nose, “Ew. no I mean your angst.” He danced around her like an occultist, poking her legs. “But, it’s just what we needed for our ritu- Warding festival. The god is truly one that keeps his words.” He peered at her without a hint of emotion which made Fetus’s skin cry.

The teen stepped back against a tree in confusion, and asked, “Wait, so I’m not the main character? I’m just some peace offering?”

“Yes, ofc you are. But just because you’re the MC doesn’t mean the creator can’t kill you off.”

She almost chocked on her chicken bone at the word ‘kill’. “I’m gonna die?” She asked eerily in a calm tone making the girthward pause in his tracks. “Well not persay ‘die’ but rather reborn - as one of us.”

That made Yeetus throw up her chicken dinner. “Fck! I’m out! Some adventure this is. See ya, you Sequel-spawn-of-Shrek!” She yelled, rolling downhill and it’s her sketchers wheelies.

Once she was out of sight, the small creature tore his skin off revealing the goddes of yetus. She chuckled and sighed, “YOLO! (I wonder where Ye(e)t gets these strange ideas from. Making a hormonal teenager as the main character, classic!” She stared in the direction Fetus had gone. “She’s a weird one, I’ll give him that. Oh well, someone’s got to show her the way out” before she catapulted herself into the sky.

Moral: You’re the MC of your own life

And shrek is a great movie UwU

And I can’t write ._.

[stillkillinmehollis]

ya killin me Hollis... so for that 1-98

99 Gay-ish Asks [x]

1) how tall are you?

like 5ft 3in. not tall at all

2) what is your body type?

I’m not sure if i fall under the “husky” category? 

3) what is your favorite part about your body?

my legs are pretty solid and pretty brolic, so I guess we can go with that.

4) is your current hair color your natural hair color?

Negative.

5) are you more outgoing or more shy?

Definitely shy. But at work, I can sometimes fake the “outgoing” pretty okay

6) are you more femme or butch?

…. uhh… butch..ish… i guess?

7) are you tol or smol?

hella smol

8) wine mom or vodka aunt?

i mean.. I don’t drink so… neither…

9) weird habit?

I crack my knees

10) favorite meme?

oh man, too many to decide

11) do you sing in the shower?

not really anymore.

12) ever used a bow and arrow?

Merida has shown me a thing or two

13) are/were you a theatre kid?

never

14) have you ever seen a broadway musical?

In no particular order, I’ve seen: Wicked, Beauty & The Beast, Grease, and Mamma Mia

15) do you think musicals are cheesy?

i’m neutral

16) have you ever been a part of a protest or a march?

I did do the March For Life in high school (my stand on the situation has since changed).

17) favorite Cards Against Humanity Card?

it has been so long since I’ve last played CAH, that I don’t actually remember

18) last movie you watched?

Shrek.

19) behind the camera or in front of it?

i live behind a camera.

20) favorite tv show?

Bob’s Burgers is the show I currently watch most, so we’ll go with that. 

21) meaning behind your url

it’s line from Carmilla

22) reason you joined tumblr

I think an at the time Buddy of mine told me about it and I should sign up. and i was like “aiite”

23) who’s your closest tumblr friend?

Zach, Laura, Kelli, Sky

24) what’s something most people love that you hate?

being the center of attention

25) have you ever taken narcotics?

I’m not big on drugs to any capacity… and avoid taking any if I don’t need to… and idek what actually is considered “narcotics”… so i really have no idea ?

26) have you had sex?

I have not.

27) have you ever gotten caught sneaking out or doing anything bad?

nothing “bad”, I don’t think. idk, I was never that “bad” of a kid.

28) worst/funniest lie you’ve ever told?

i’ve never told this story to anyone before, but i completely forgot about it until right now. So in college, I told a professor that my (i think it was a final?) had gotten ruined by rain that got in my bag, and I tossed the papers. In truth, either I hadn’t done it or i hadn’t finished it. 

29) describe your passion without mentioning it.

what am i even passionate about these days ?

30) describe your best friend.

His name is Zach, he was one of my college roommates. He’s the Felix to my Sarah, my baby brother in every way possible. He’s always there when I need him, and my personal cheerleader and biggest supporter. He’s also patiently impatient about me getting a girlfriend :p 

31) give us one thing about you that no one knows.

please refer to question 28.

32) how do you feel right now?

I’m getting kinda sleepy… It is 3:35am after all. and I’m only not even a full 1/3rd of the way through these questions 

33) what is your biggest fear?

Bees. Needles. Being Abandoned by people. Feelings.

34) what’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Ocean Avenue, by Yellowcard. I have no idea why, but it gets me so hype while I’m driving, and gets me to pull my windows down and blast my music.

35) what is the best decision you’ve made in your life so far?

applying for the Disney College Program one last time.

36) have you ever tried your hardest and then been disappointed in the end?

haven’t we all at least once ?

37) something you fantasize about.

having an awesome girlfriend some day

38) last time you cried and why

a few days ago I cried out of frustration as I’m trying to figure out my living situation

39) what was the last thing that made you laugh?

the fact that you sent me as many questions as I sent you

40) do you really, truly miss someone right now?

it’s been five months since I lost my Pup, and I truly painfully miss her on the daily

41) who do you feel most comfortable talking to about anything?

Zach.

42) the last time you felt broken?

a few nights ago, due to something that was said in a one on one with my leader

43) are you starting to realize anything?

slowly…

44) are you more dominant or more submissive?

I don’t think this applies?

45) i’ll only date you if _____. (fill in the blank)

you can accept me, from my sarcasm to my mental health (or lack there of), everything in between and beyond

46) do you prefer to date people the same age as you, younger, or older?

I’m here more for your maturity level then your actual age

47) describe the person you’re in love with/have a crush on in great detail.

I’m definitely not “in love” with anyone, and I avidly avoid the 5 letter C word. 

48) do you have any kinks?

getting a good night’s sleep

49) first thing you notice in a person?

between their smile and their eyes

50) how can someone win your heart?

sarcasm

51) been rejected by a crush?

ugh, i hate the C word but yes, yes I have.

52) have you ever had feelings for someone who didn’t have them back?

sure have !

53) would you have sex with the last person you text messaged?

nope

54) is trust a big issue for you?

huge.

55) did you hang out with the person you like recently?

nope.

56) is confidence cute?

extremely

57) what would you say if the person you love/like kissed another girl/boy?

i wouldn’t say anything… like if someone else makes them happy, i’m not gonna come between that

58) would you be able to date someone who doesn’t make you laugh?

no way

59) does the person you have feelings for right now know you do?

………..moving on

60) ever embarrass yourself in front of a crush?

my entire existence is generally embarrassing to anyone, so .. yeah lol

61) do you want to get married?

I’d like to.

62) worst thing you’ve ever done?

i have no idea what the number one worst thing is… and honestly I don’t even want to know

63) three things that turn you on.

when someone can confidently take charge of the room, a cute laugh, and sarcasm. (also, just want it to be known, none of these are “sexual” turn ons, but things that can turn me on to a person)

64) who do you hate?

that’s a story for another day

65) favorite term of endearment?

Dude (thats an endearing term, right?)

66) who was your celebrity/fictional gay awakening?

ohman… i’m not sure. Natalia Livingston (Emily Quartermaine, GH), maybe? Eva LaRue (Maria Santos, AMC)? Tamara Bruan (Carly Corinthos, GH)? 

The soap ladies were/are pretty, and I was a wee gay, okay ?

67) intimidating girls or kind girls?

in fairness… i feel like all girls are intimidating to some degree or another.

68) what do you look for in a possible partner?

someone who makes me smile and laugh, someone who keeps me on my toes, someone who pushes me to be better. someone i can have fun with, be sarcastic with, and someone who can be sarcastic and witty back at me.

69) do you tend to like more masculine, feminine, or androgynous girls?

the personality behind the girl speaks volumes… also has a MAJOR affect on if i find her attractive or not.

70) are you good at flirting?

not even a little bit

71) who was the first person you came out to?

Tiffany.

72) do you have any friends who are wlw?

thankfully, most of them are !

73) is your crush wlw?

i hate the C word, but every girl I’ve had my eye on for one reason or another has turned out to be WLW.

74) last person to make you reconsider your sexuality?

i’ve honestly always been ace, whether I knew it or not.

75) write a short love poem to your crush/self?

i’m as good of a poet as I am expressing my feelings

spoiler: I’m not.

76) do you fall in love easily?

Situation depending, I can fall in LIKE or INFATUATION easily. but definitely not love.

77) is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about?

what’s a gay without some past trauma

78) are you good at hiding your feelings?

depends on the person and the feelings (but mostly, yes, I think so.)

79) are you a forgiving person?

For the most part, no. but it also depends on how bad you messed up… I can be, for the right person and the right circumstances.

80) what is your “type?”

idk if i have a strict “type”. 

81) fall asleep in her arms or rub her back until she falls asleep in yours?

the secret third option: play with her hair until she falls asleep in mine

82) tall girls or short girls?

yes

83) hugs or kisses?

i’m not always the greatest at physical contact, and the idea of my first kiss scares the actual shit out of me … so i guess hug for now?

84) twirl her around or get twirled?

please just me play with your hair

85) tummy kisses or thigh kisses?

uhhh… tummy ? i guess ? like i’m not out here trying to get in your thighs

86) hairline kisses or neck kisses?

is a hairline kiss the same a forehead kiss ? 

87) play with her hair or stroke her tummy?

i refer you back to #84

88) making out or soft kisses?

soft

89) hugs around the neck or hugs around the waist?

i’d probs prefer waist… i guess?

90) how confident are you in your sexuality?

110% confident i’m not sexually attracted to anyone

91) when you like someone do you blush or get butterflies in your stomach?

my dude. Pal. Bro. your boii gets the whole damn zoo in a stampede-that-killed-Mufasa style, and it turns her stomach upside down, inside out, all around, and breaks it into a million pieces. 

92) have you ever liked a friend as more than a friend? did you tell them?

yes I have, and yes I did.

93) how old were you when you realized you were into girls?

i was littttttle

94) most embarrassing thing you’ve done in front of a cute girl?

exist

95) do you have a favorite lesbian ship? is it canon?

Laura/Carmilla. and yes.

96) what is the most aggravating thing someone has said to you about your sexuality?

No One really has ever said anything too aggravating to me about asexuality. 

97) when was the last time a girl made your heart flutter?

last night (Tuesday; July 23rd, ‘19)

98) what is love to you?

Love is… all the songs making sense (throwback reference, I couldn’t resist). Love is “whats mine can be ours”. Love is working together to give it your all.

#askbox #sn0wblinded #- that last question was hard #idk that much about love #tbh though... a lot of these were kind of hard. #Mandii Talks In Tags

[obtusemedia]

In Ascending Order: Top 50 Songs of the ‘90s

The ‘90s have become sort of an idyllic period that many Millennials and Gen Xers look fondly upon. It makes sense — the economy was good, Seinfeld ruled televisions, we weren’t worried about either the USSR or North Korea nuking us — but if there’s one thing that has really kept the ‘90s beloved, it’s the music.

There’s something for everyone at the end of the 20th Century, from grunge to gangsta rap to boy bands to Britpop. The ‘90s featured rock’s final years of pop relevance, as well as the blossoming of its underground movements. Hip-hop became a massive cultural force. And although pop wasn’t as strong as it was in the ‘80s, it did have a nice bounce-back period near Y2K.

Capturing the essence of the wildly-divergent ‘90s in just 50 songs is difficult, but I took a swing at it anyways. Let’s dive in:

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

> “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam (1992): Since I’m a Puget Sound native, I should love Pearl Jam more than I do. But sorry, I’ve never been able to muster too much love for the iconic grunge act. That said, “Even Flow” has a great, energetic groove that goes nicely with Eddie Vedder’s bellow.

> “Not If You Were the Last Junkie On Earth” by the Dandy Warhols (1997): By 1997, Nevermind seemed like a century away, as bright-and-shiny pop tunes took over from Alt Nation. So how did indie rock respond? By making a snarktastic, uber-catchy power pop jam about how “heroin was so passé,” complete with a music video featuring dancing syringes. The ‘90s were wild, guys.

> “Crash Into Me” by Dave Matthews Band (1996): If Greta Gerwig gets to admit that this song is actually good despite the oddly skeevy lyrics at times, then so do I. Just forget about the time they dumped 800 pounds of poop in the Chicago River and let Dave’s froggy voice whisk you away.

> “Metal Detektor” by Spoon (1998): America’s most consistent indie rock band wouldn’t reach their heights until the early 2000′s, but “Metal Detektor” is a solid lo-fi preview of the groovy, nervy tunes to come.

> “All Star” by Smash Mouth (1999): Forget the memes and Shrek and remember that this song is iconic for a reason. Did it age badly? Absolutely. But that’s part of its dorky, wonderful charm. And like every young Millennial, I know every word by heart. HEY NOW

#50: “Inbetweener” by Sleeper (1995)

One thing I love about Britpop is its fondness for character vignettes. Pulp were masters of this, and Blur occasionally dipped their toes in that pool, but even the B-listers knew how to nail a depressed-suburbanite character study.

“Inbetweener” tells the story of a married couple who settled for each other. They weren’t each others’ first-choices, they were just supposed to be “inbetweeners.” By the time they’ve settled into adulthood, their lives have descended into complete boredom, but they’re also too lazy to change anything. It’s the black hole of mediocrity.

Sleeper does a stellar job making the story pop, with a sunny sound to balance out lead singer Louise Wener’s deadpan vocals. In a way, it’s a bit ironic that a pop-rock song with a chorus this anthemic would be about the most boring lives imaginable, but I imagine that was sort-of the point.

#49: “When I Come Around” by Green Day (1994)

Bay Area legends Green Day went 100 percent into the pop side of pop-punk with the infamous graduation anthem “Good Riddance.” But I’ll always prefer their earlier, snottier side, which balanced the two genres perfectly.

“When I Come Around” is a song so maddeningly catchy that it doesn’t even matter that drummer Tre Cool utterly fails to stay on beat, occasionally slowing down and speeding up. Thank god for Billie Joe Armstrong’s timeless melody and crunchy guitar tone, both of which keep this song afloat, along with a solid slap-bass. 

Honestly, the amateur vibe of “When I Come Around” is endearing nearly 25 years later, when most mainstream rock feels aggressively focus-grouped. Even Green Day would become much more polished later on (not that this was always bad), so it’s nice to see the youthful energy and passion on display.

#48: “Jesus Freak” by DC Talk (1995)

There were many subgenres that peaked in the ‘90s that I’ve already mentioned, but there’s one more movement that had its prime years in this era: Christian rock.

...wait, wait, don’t click away yet! I’m not trying to proselytize here — some ‘90s Christian music could pass as the real deal. A few, like Jars of Clay, even notched a mainstream hit. But no Christian rock band was bigger among the youth-group set than DC Talk, who never really crossed over to secular audiences. And their signature song, “Jesus Freak,” is absolutely ridiculous — and that’s what makes it great.

Christian music in the ‘10s is mostly bland and focus-grouped to death. If you can tell one Hillsong or Lauren Daigle tune apart from the next, you have better ears than I. But “Jesus Freak” was a strange beast. Instead of joy or thankfulness, its primary emotions are defiance and rage. They even worked with the same music video director as Nine Inch Nails! Amy Grant would never. (although she certainly had her mainstream pop sellout moment in the ‘90s)

Does “Jesus Freak” have some embarrassing lyrics about John The Baptist’s belly? Of course. Does it blatantly rip off “Smells Like Teen Spirit?" Definitely. But, most importantly — is it a banger? HELL (err...heaven) YEAH.

#47: “Vapour Trail” by Ride (1990)

Shoegaze is definitely a sound that I respect more than I actually like. Personally (as you’ll see later on this list), I prefer its more structured, catchier cousin, dream pop.

But Ride managed to find the sweet spot between My Bloody Valentine and top-40 with their sweetly melancholy “Vapour Trail.” It definitely has all the hallmarks of shoegaze — it’s very spaced-out, the lyrics are both romantic and depressing, and there’s a definite wall-of-sound feel to it — but there’s also an actual hook. Thanks to its jangly guitars and orchestral coda, it almost feels like The Smiths’ take on the subgenre.

#46: “Enter Sandman” by Metallica (1991)

Why yes, I am that loser that’s never been able to get into metal, yet loves the simpler pleasures of “Enter Sandman.” What can I say — it’s a total jam and the hooks are plentiful.

It’s honestly kind of hilarious that this song became a massive success right as R.E.M. and Nirvana were rapidly shifting what popular rock sounded like, because “Enter Sandman” leans much heavier towards cheesy, over-the-top hair metal than grunge. I can’t get enough of James Hetfield hamming it up on the mic, literally cackling like a Disney villain at a few points.

For me, the corniness is part of the fun here, along with the raw energy that the band brings to the song. “Enter Sandman” let the masses headbang along with the metalheads, and for that, I’m grateful.

#45: “...Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears (1998)

Here’s proof of how massive Britney Spears’ debut single was: I was in preschool when it was released, and I knew it just as well as the Sesame Street or Arthur theme songs at the time. “...Baby One More Time” was a staple of Radio Disney, which was my main exposure to non-Christian music before elementary school (that, and Thriller, of course). Those opening piano stabs were etched into my brain from a very early age.

There’s a good reason it’s stuck with me: Britney’s breakthrough smash is a pop classic. “...Baby One More Time” captures the passion of a teenage crush better than almost any song from its era. And Max Martin’s crystal-clear, melodramatic production is untouchable. Frankly, it might still be Britney’s best song, over 20 years later.

#44: “Animal Nitrate” by Suede (1993)

One of the first major Britpop anthems, “Animal Nitrate” is a swaggering, cocky ode to the UK’s finest glam rock. Marc Bolan would’ve killed to write something this seedy and catchy.

In a way, it serves as sort of the mid-point between Blur and Pulp’s winking snark and Oasis’ hard-charging stadium-fillers. Just add a nice dose of sleaze. Suede weren’t able to keep up the momentum from their landmark debut, but at least they have classic singles like “Animal Nitrate” that cemented their legacy as pioneers.

#43: “Born Slippy .NUXX” by Underworld (1996)

I’m not normally a fan of super-long electronic songs. In fact, this will be the only representative of electronica — a fairly popular scene in the late ‘90s — to show up on this list.

But “Born Slippy” is special. First off, to be completely honest with y’all: I’m a bit biased, since the track was famously featured in Trainspotting, one of my favorite ‘90s movies. So it was always going to have positive connotations for me. Beyond that, “Born Slippy,” more than any other classic electronica song of its time, is bonkers. After a long, atmospheric intro, it’s essentially five and a half minutes of rambling, drunken chaos over a thudding drum beat (with one little break in the middle).

It’s both minimalist (a good chunk of the song is just a drum machine and chanting) and maximalist (IT’S SO LOUD). “Born Slippy” is the audio equivalent of losing your mind, and I love every second of it.

#42: “Groove Is In The Heart” by Deee-Lite ft. Q-Tip (1990)

And here’s a dance song with the complete opposite vibe! While Underworld turned their thumping beats into cold, confusing chaos, Deee-Lite only has one mission with their classic one-hit-wonder: to soundtrack the greatest party of all time.

“Groove” just about succeeds in that goal, too. The bassline and clattering percussion are untouchable, the lyrics are pure nonsense in the best way (more dance songs should throw in Dr. Seuss references), and the group even snagged funk legend Bootsy Collins to throw in some random ad-libs here and there. 

Q-Tip, a budding legend in his own right, contributes a nice verse, but the real draw here is Deee-Lite’s aggressive quirkiness. Where else will you find a dancefloor filler that includes slide-whistle solos?

#41: “This Is How We Do It” by Montell Jordan (1995)

New Jack Swing — the subgenre that mixed R&B smoothness with hip-hop beats and attitude — might have peaked in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, but its best track came way after its pinnacle.

“This Is How We Do It” will always be an effective crowdpleaser. Somehow, Montell Jordan found a way to balance street smarts with a squeaky-clean jam perfect for a Bar Mitzvah. He essentially perfected Will Smith’s formula, but Jordan had an extra advantage: his golden vocals. Yeah, his rapping is a bit corny, but you can’t deny that voice.

The ‘90s had plenty of gangsta-lite party jams like “This Is How We Do It,” but thanks to Jordan’s charisma and a deathless chorus, this one stands above the rest.

#40: “Movin’ On Up” by Primal Scream (1991)

If you’re going to rip off the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” you might as well go for the jugular and only steal its massive ending.

“Movin’ On Up” is absolutely shameless in that regard, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t effective anyways. This gospel/classic-rock pastiche is four minutes of straight euphoria: Uplifting lyrics! Jazzy piano! Soaring guitar solos! And of course, a gospel choir so powerful that their voices break through the noise like the Kool-Aid Man. 

Primal Scream were smart enough to let the choir take over the second half of the song, just letting the vaguely-religious vibes ride itself out. Because of this brilliant decision, “Movin’ On Up” is somehow more danceable than the rest of its album, the acid-house landmark Screamadelica.

#39: “Just A Girl” by No Doubt (1995)

Riot grrrl, an aggressively feminist brand of indie rock, was an important ‘90s subgenre, but rarely a commercially successful one. Still, there were some acts that polished up that style of angst and packaged into something different yet still great, and one of them was No Doubt.

Although Gwen Stefani might be more well-known to most millennials for teaching us all how to spell bananas, her best song might still be “Just A Girl.” It’s a pretty simple concept — woman is righteously upset by how society coddles her because of her gender — but Stefani sells with her flexible vocals and loads of personality. She shifts from an exaggerated Betty Boop pastiche to a Californian alt-rock wail within seconds.

The rest of No Doubt are able to keep pace with their frontwoman, bouncing back and forth between the springy verses and mosh-friendly, speedy choruses. It’s a good fit for Stefani’s manic energy, and a nice burst of bright energy to bring a close to a dreary era of rock.

#38: “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” by DMX (1998)

Forget shiny suits: If I’m listening to late ‘90s hip-hop, I’ll take the rawer pleasures of DMX every day of the week.

On his breakout hit “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem,” DMX began to hone his now-legendary untamed style, although it’s a bit more subtle than how he would sound a few years later. It’s not quite as bombastic, but in some ways, that makes this feel a little more like the real X. It literally sounds like a mobster making threats, and it just happens to rhyme and be over a killer beat.

There’s all the ridiculous lyrics you’d expect from DMX here — highlights include the wonderfully emo couplet “All I know is pain/all I feel is rain” and a coda that’s simply a machine gun firing and X yelling “TALK IS CHEAP, MOTHERFUCKER!!!” But for the most part, it’s proto-DMX, and it’s interesting to see a larger-than-life figure somewhat grounded.

#37: “Friday I’m In Love” by The Cure (1992)

The first couple years of the ‘90s are flooded with awkward ‘80s leftovers, but one wonderful (and very ‘80s) song that snuck into the next decade is “Friday I’m In Love,” The Cure’s final hit.

It’s shocking that something this bouncy, simple and optimistic came out the same year Nirvana and Pearl Jam dominated the airwaves, but great music can succeed at any time. Robert Smith’s nursery-rhyme melodies and lyrics are so simple that it’s shocking that this song wasn’t actually written ages beforehand.

And it’s refreshing to hear a band famous for getting angsty pull out a happy-go-lucky love song tailor-made for romantic comedies. At some point, Smith had to write an upbeat song, right?

#36: “Everlong” by Foo Fighters (1997)

There’s an argument out there that “Everlong,” written by Foo Fighters frontman and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, is better than any Nirvana song. I cannot remotely agree (spoiler: Nirvana places much higher on this list), but I can understand why “Everlong” has such a strong reputation.

Easily the best Foo Fighters song, “Everlong” is everything you’d want in a radio-friendly alt-rock single. It’s catchy, but still has some legitimate grit and bite. Propulsive and anthemic, yet still angsty and relatable. Grohl somehow took a grimy post-grunge banger, added romantic lyrics, and made it work. I certainly can’t imagine Bush or Everclear pulling that off.

#35: “Wannabe” by Spice Girls (1996)

In less than three minutes, five British women kicked down the doors of alt-rock and birthed the late-’90s bubblegum pop boom with one song. And what a glorious burst of energy that song is.

"Wannabe” might be the most purely fun song on this entire list. From the springy piano beat to each of the five girls showing off their bold, feisty attitudes (except for Posh Spice...sorry, Victoria), to Scary and Ginger Spices’ cheeky rap breakdown at the end, it’s impossible not to like. The song is a bit repetitive, yes, but when you have nuclear-grade weapon hooks like these, you might as well use them. ZIGAZIGAHHH

#34: “Fake Plastic Trees” by Radiohead (1995)

And now to the exact opposite side of British music!

Not to be that annoying contrarian, but I’ve never been able to get into Radiohead. A lot of their music is too cerebral for my tastes — I don’t mind thoughtful lyrics or experimentation, but I need a hook or a groove to grab onto.

Still, I do have a fond spot for their early years. And “Fake Plastic Trees,” my favorite song of theirs, is the perfect midpoint between grunge angst and sweeping Britpop balladry. 

The lyrics are abstract, yet Thom Yorke’s yearning, cracked vocals convey more than any words could’ve. Like one of my favorite modern acts, Japanese Breakfast, his voice acts simply as another instrument to convey the heartbreak. Match that with a slow-burn power ballad fit for a rom-com credit roll, and you’ve got an instant classic. It’s really too bad Radiohead got bored with this sound...

#33: “It Was A Good Day” by Ice Cube (1992)

Ice Cube is not normally a happy guy in his classic songs. Whether he’s pissed at the cops or his former bandmates, he’s usually in a bad mood for some reason. But for his most beloved track, Cube imagines what a day with no problems would be like, and it’s sublime.

He nabs a triple double on the court without trying. He gets to bang a chick he’s been trying to have sex with since high school. He seemingly wins every game of bones and craps he plays. And most importantly, the police and gangs didn’t hassle him.

Many gangsta rap songs are about turmoil and chaos, but “It Was A Good Day” shows that even the toughest thugs just wanted some peace and to have a good time.

(although if it was a really good day, the Supersonics would’ve beaten the Lakers...)

#32: “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog (1991)

This song is so Seattle that the CD single probably came with a complimentary damp flannel, a Dick’s deluxe, and coffee stains.

It’s a bit surprising to me that there hasn’t ben any Seattle artists on the list proper yet, seeing as the city was the epicenter of ‘90s culture. Obviously, grunge played a role, but this was also the decade when Starbucks, Microsoft and Amazon blew up; the decade when the Sonics and Mariners had superstars like Gary Payton and Ken Griffey, Jr. (the Seahawks had to wait another decade to hit their stride); the decade where the Emerald City’s reputation changed from South Alaska to one of America’s iconic locales.

And before Nirvana and Pearl Jam took led that charge, “Hunger Strike” was the first grunge breakthrough, and for good reason. In a way, it’s sort of the Watch The Throne of grunge, with Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder exchanging vocals. The chorus, when Vedder sings the hook while Cornell bellows “I’M GOING HUNGRAAAAAAAAAAAY” like a madman, gives me goosebumps every time. 

Honestly, I like this lighter-waving ballad more than any of Pearl Jam or Soundgarden’s actual songs. Not sure why this connects with me more — perhaps it’s the four minutes of raw emotion and wailing vocals over gorgeous harmonizing guitars. Vedder and Cornell work shockingly well together, too. I wish the duo made more music.

#31: “Connection” by Elastica (1994)

There is no Britpop song that’s cooler than “Connection.” While most of the subgenre is all about wink-wink cleverness or gigantic classic-rock riffs, Elastica dispenses with both of those for Justine Frischmann’s snarling attitude.

Elastica kept things very simple on their most iconic single. There’s a rudimentary guitar riff (which yes, they stole from Wire, but who cares), a steady beat, and Frischmann rolling her eyes over the whole thing. “Connection” is not a song that needs a lot of explaining: one listen, and you’ll instantly understand why even American teens couldn’t resist the snark.

#30: “Alison” by Slowdive (1993)

Slowdive’s masterpiece, Souvlaki, might have been a bit late to the shoegaze party by 1993, but it and its iconic leadoff track, “Alison,” have stood tall over the movement regardless.

My favorite shoegaze song, “Alison” is a hazy soup of distorted guitars, hypnotic drums and hopelessly romantic lyrics about a druggy (and possibly imaginary?) relationship. About half of the lines are about drugs and confusion, and lead singer Neil Halstead describes the titular woman as his anchor through the chaos of life. It’s a slow-dance made for a goth prom, and it lingers in your brain long after it’s over.

#29: “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-a-Lot (1992)

“Baby Got Back” has unfortunately become sort of a punchline by this point. Not because it’s a clunker —I think most people seem to love it as much as I do — but because of its constant feature in kids’ movies (I first heard it in Shark Tale as a child...the early ‘00s were a strange time) and the fact that the song has been boiled down to just a few lines. 

“I like big butts and I cannot lie.” “Oh. My. Gawd. Becky, look at her butt.” “My anaconda don’t want none unless you’ve got buns, hon.” Those moments define “Baby Got Back” more than anything else.

Which is a shame, because it’s a masterpiece of trashy fun. Seattle icon Sir-Mix-a-Lot somehow found out how to make solid punchlines about booty for four minutes — you try coming up with that many iconic moments in a short timespan! And the dizzying production, with its sharp horn bursts and super-tight bassline, is no joke.

"Baby Got Back” might be a goofy novelty track, but there’s actual effort put in. It’s a formula more artists should strive for.

#28: “California Love” by 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman (1995)

Yes, this is the cliché 2Pac choice. But “California Love” is difficult to resist.

Backed by a rowdy Dre beat (and a great opening verse from the Dr. as well), Pac’s comeback single after being released from prison is truly timeless. You go to any L.A. party or sporting event and it’ll inevitably be played (partly because it’s strangely clean for a gangsta rap anthem). And 2Pac is game to shout out the entire state — he even gives Sacramento props over 20 years before Lady Bird!

Pac has some deeper, more introspective songs than “California Love.” But sometimes, the basic pick is the right one.

#27: “Summer Babe (Winter Version)” by Pavement (1992)

Pavement has always been the cool kids’ ‘90s band. While the massive alt-rock acts put their raw, bleeding-heart emotions on display, Pavement kept things sardonic and snarky. They were willing to poke fun at The Smashing Pumpkins. They’re essentially the Jim Halpert of rock — kind of lazy and self-removed, but with too much charisma to ignore.

Yet, for all their snarky bonafides, my favorite song of theirs is one of their more emotional. “Summer Babe” still features Stephen Malkmus’ famously flat, dry vocals, but the song has some real heft to it regardless. The deep-fried guitar shredding its way though the track and the noisy drums work well amongst the sloppy-but-charming sound. It’s meandering, but when Malkmus puts some juice in his vocals for the final minute, it still strikes a chord. 

#26: “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre (1999)

By the late ‘90s, punk icon Kathleen Hanna had already moved on from her massively influential riot grrrl band, Bikini Kill. Distorted guitars were so 1992. What was next? ‘80s nostalgia, of course!

“Deceptacon,” by Hanna’s other famous band, Le Tigre, is a sizzling slice of new wave perfection. With its proudly-analog synth stabs and dance beat, the song perfected the indie-band-goes-disco formula 10 years before everyone else tried it. Seriously, this sounds way more like 2009 than 1999, and it’s shocking that its somehow from the 20th Century.

But “Deceptacon” isn’t purely a Duran Duran tribute — there’s still that same fury that Hanna was famous for. Her raw vocals make for a strange, yet captivating combination with the poppy beat. It’s a punk song you could dance to, just like the Ramones always wanted!

#25: “Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix)” by Mariah Carey feat. Ol’ Dirty Bastard and Puff Daddy (1995)

There might not have been any ‘90s popstar bigger than Mariah Carey. She racked up 14 number-one hits, including “One Sweet Day,” a monster R&B collaboration with Boys II Men that is still tied for the longest stay at the top of the charts (if only it was a better song). 

However, she’s never been my favorite — overwrought R&B ballads really aren’t my thing. But she did release one single that I unabashedly love, and that’s partly due to an assist from one of hip-hop’s weirdest stars.

I’m still not sure why the powers that be felt that Carey, a super-polished pop balladeer, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard, a rapper who sounded and acted like a homeless man on bath salts, was a good combo. But it worked beautifully! ODB’s weirdo charm proved to be a nice balance to Carey’s more sanitized sound. And the pop structure reigned in ODB just enough — although that didn’t stop him from spending the first 45 seconds just shouting out random places (“JAPAN ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE?!?”) and later quoting Donny and Marie Osmond. The man was a maniac.

But arguably what makes the song work better than either artist’s contribution is that sparkling production. The remix of “Fantasy,” helmed by Bad Boy mastermind Puff Daddy, strips back the original song’s heavier sampling of the ‘80s classic “Genius of Love” to just the groovy bassline for most of the song, letting the synth burbles wait until the chorus to pop. The result is one of the few truly great American pop songs of the mid ‘90s.

#24: “Blue Jeans” by Blur (1993)

Despite their relatively low placement on this list, Blur are my absolute favorite band of the ‘90s. They helped create one of its prominent movements, Britpop, with their 1992 single “Popscene,” and went on to dominate the subgenre. And when they got bored with that sound five years later, Blur proved they could do angsty, distorted alt-rock just as well as the Americans. (And five years after that, lead singer Damon Albarn started a fun little side project — you might have heard of them.)

But my favorite song of theirs doesn’t really fit into either Blur’s eras. Technically, “Blue Jeans” was released on their first Britpop album, Modern Life is Rubbish, but it doesn’t really have the same witty, uber-English vibe as their hit singles from that time. Instead, it’s a low-key, almost dream-pop song that’s simply about being content in a relationship. 

Sounds a bit boring, until you actually listen to the track — Albarn’s melody here is stunningly beautiful, yet down-to-earth, and the quaint music backing him matches the vibe of the song exactly. And his lyrics nail the early stages of love — “I don’t really wanna change a thing/I wanna stay this way forever.” There’s few songs that capture the simple joys of a romance like “Blue Jeans,” particularly in the honeymoon period.

#23: “Forgot About Dre” by Dr. Dre feat. Eminem (1999)

The defining sound of West Coast hip-hop — the squealing synths and trunk-rattling bass of G-Funk — was mastered by one man in the early ‘90s. Dr. Dre’s The Chronic was a landmark for the genre in 1992, and his iconic style can be heard from MCs throughout most of the decade.

But by 1999, things had changed. The biggest names in hip-hop sounded nothing like Dre’s signature sound, from Puff Daddy’s sample-heavy pop-rap to the chaotic Southern twang coming from No Limit Records. Dre was seen as a has-been, a relic.

However, “Forgot About Dre” ended Dre’s slump that year. The funky Chronic beats were supplanted by a sharper-edged, metallic production over which Dre publicly shamed the world for ignoring him and his legacy. It’s a ballsy move to already anoint yourself as a legend just 11 years after you burst onto the scene, but with Dre’s track record, he could afford to do so. And although he’s not the greatest rapper technically, he spits with enough force and charisma to sell his snarling lines.

Dre also had a partner to give him a boost: the then-newbie Eminem. A lot of Em’s big 2000′s hits have aged badly in my opinion — the production is awkward and there’s too much homophobia — but he sounds sharp as hell on “Forgot About Dre.” His verse is arguably the song’s highlight, as he unleashes a rapid-fire, charmingly random verse with endlessly quotable lines.

“Forgot About Dre” cemented Dre’s status as a titan of the industry who could seemlessly create new trends and stay afloat through multiple decades. And with it being one of Eminem’s breakout moments, it also proved Dre could be a kingmaker.

#22: “You Oughta Know” by Alanis Morissette (1995)

The ‘90s were the decade of angst. So what better climate was there to release a scathing takedown of an ex, who may or may not be one of the dudes from Full House?

Okay, so it’s never been confirmed that “You Oughta Know” is actually about Dave Coulier. But that doesn’t lessen its rage and impact. Morissette is seething with rage about this breakup, writing all-time classic lines like “Does she know how you told you’d hold me until you die/’Til you die, BUT YOU’RE STILL ALIVE” and of course, “Are you thinking of me when you fuck her?!”

Morissette perfectly uses the era’s classic quiet-loud dynamic shifts to her advantage, creepily whispering at the start of the verses, and slowly growing louder and angrier until she’s screaming her lungs out by the chorus. Her ragged, off-kilter vocals perfectly capture the blinding emotion she feels. It’s a karaoke staple for those who’ve just been dumped for a good reason.

#21: “Big Pimpin’” by Jay-Z feat. UGK (1999)

That Timbaland beat. Dear lord. How can it sound so good against three radically different flows?! The man is truly a genius.

Yeah, Hov and Bun B and Pimp C all deliver here too, but let’s not pretend that beat isn’t the reason why this is a top-shelf Jay-Z single.

#20: “Larger Than Life” by Backstreet Boys (1999)

Yeah, it’s better than “I Want It That Way.” Not by a lot — they’re both perfect — but I’ve always preferred upbeat boy band songs to ballads.

“Larger Than Life” was named accurately. From the second the thumping beat kicks in, the song is a stadium-filling anthem, the kind arena-rock bands would’ve written a decade prior. Does it have a chorus that’s easy to scream along to at concerts? Check. Does it have a beat you can awkwardly groove to? Check. Does it have a bad-ass guitar solo thrown in? Shockingly, yeah.

Boy bands were the true rockstars of the late-’90s (apologies to, uh, Matchbox 20?), so it would only make sense to have one of them create a bonafide rock anthem. And when you match the Backstreet Boys’ sugary hooks with a roaring atmosphere worthy of Def Leppard, you’ve got a classic on your hands.

#19: “The Fly” by U2 (1991)

‘90s U2 is the best U2. I love Joshua Tree and Unforgettable Fire as much as the next guy, but I’ll take their weirdo, aggressively-ironic decade over their more earnest years any day.

Perhaps no song encapsulates U2′s ‘90s ethos better than “The Fly.” It’s got a slinky, nocturnal feel to the music, with The Edge’s guitar distorted slicing through like a machete. The swirling, tripped-out guitar solo here might be his greatest ever.

But like many U2 songs, “The Fly” belongs to Bono. In it, he plays the titular sleazebag from hell (literally — the song is about a crank call from down there), whispering sweet nothings into the listener’s ear. Do the lyrics actually mean anything? Honestly, I’m still not sure, but they still somehow sound transgressive and witty, if a bit corny. But you’ve got to expect a little corn when U2 is involved. And when Bono duets with himself on the sublime chorus, both as The Fly and in a piercing operatic falsetto, it’s one of the best hooks of the band’s career.

“The Fly” was the world’s introduction to the new U2 in 1991, and although it might have shocked people expecting another “With Or Without You,” it’s aged beautifully over 25 years later.

#18: “Heaven Or Las Vegas” by Cocteau Twins (1990)

Cocteau Twins are usually held up as dream pop’s forefathers, helping create a distinct, hazy sound that would inspire future artists from The Cranberries to Beach House to Washed Out. One listen to “Heaven Or Las Vegas” proves why the Scottish trio was such an inspiration.

“Heaven Or Las Vegas,” the title track to Cocteau Twins’ flawless 1990 album, is one of the most immaculate, gorgeous songs of the decade. Invoking both heaven and Las Vegas was accurate: the track is graceful, yet also drenched in neon synths and glitz. It perfectly toes the line between holiness and kitsch.

And here’s where I admit that, like most people, I can’t make out 90 percent of what vocalist Elizabeth Fraser is singing. Beyond belting out the title of the song in the chorus, the rest sounds like French, or speaking in tongues. Regardless, her ethereal alto is a perfect compliment to the swirling keyboards and gauzy guitars floating around her in space.

#17: “All The Small Things” by Blink-182 (1999)

In the classic video for “All The Small Things,” Blink-182 spends the entire runtime clowning on the TRL-era boy bands of the time. Here’s the ironic thing about that video: “All The Small Things” is secretly the greatest boy band song of the ‘90s (yes, that means *NSYNC didn’t make the list...their best songs came out in the early aughts, sorry).

Blink-182 are technically a pop-punk band, not a boy band, but you wouldn’t really know that from their most iconic, and best, hit. “All The Small Things” is direct, punchy and has a monster sing-along chorus. Sure, Tom DeLonge’s nasal whine isn’t a typical teen heartthrob voice, but young Justin Timberlake had an unusual voice too (“IT’S GONNA BAY MAAAAE”). 

The fact that “All The Small Things” is basically a bubblegum Trojan horse for Hot Topic kids is exactly what makes it so great. Chugging guitars can peacefully coexist with a TRL-ready melody and surprisingly romantic (if simple) lyrics. 

#16: “Gin & Juice” by Snoop Doggy Dogg (1993)

Nowadays, Snoop Dogg is probably more known for his intense love of weed, unwillingness to turn down collaborations, and friendship with Martha Stewart more than any new music. But Snoop’s earned the right to ease into being a hip-hop elder statesman, thanks to his landmark album Doggystyle and its standout single, “Gin & Juice.”

The young Snoop (only 22 at the time!!) had already nailed down his trademark, chilled-out drawl by 1993. He uses it to great effect on “Gin & Juice,” describing a wild house party filled with sex, drugs and alcohol like it’s just another regular day at the office. You can practically hear his knowing smile in the verses, and the chorus sung by D-Ruff is infectious as hell.

Of course, major credit has to be given to Dr. Dre’s G-funk production. It’s my favorite beat of his from this era, and its dog-whistle synths and shuffling beat perfectly fit the early-’90s California party vibe. 

#15: “Semi-Charmed Life” by Third Eye Blind (1997)

This is probably the only song in history to take heavy lyrical influence from the Doug theme song and simultaneously be about crystal meth.

It shouldn’t be hard to explain why “Semi-Charmed Life” is a classic, right? It turned an insanely bleak topic into one of the sunniest, most propulsive jams of all time. The rap-singing in the verses is a blast to keep up with, and that falsetto “goodBYYYYYYYE” in the chorus is the ‘90s equivalent of the high note in “Take On Me”: often-attempted in karaoke, with a very low success rate.

The late ‘90s had no shortage of great, weird pop jams, and “Semi-Charmed Life” is near the top of the pile.

#14: “Say It Ain’t So” by Weezer (1994)

My favorite ‘90s album will always be Blur’s Parklife. But my second choice would probably be Weezer’s self-titled “Blue Album,” a nerdy power-pop masterpiece. It’s an angstier mirror of The Cars’ 1976 debut, also self-titled; appropriate, seeing as Cars frontman Rik Ocasek produced Weezer’s first album.

The record’s centerpiece is the heartbreaking “Say It Ain’t So,” a perfect power ballad. The band nails the quiet/loud/quiet dynamic shifts from the mumbling verses to the supercharged chorus. There, Rivers Cuomo scratches his vocals, displaying his emotional wounds after alcoholism tore apart his family. 

For a band known for very silly songs like “Buddy Holly” and “Beverly Hills,” the passionate bridge, where Cuomo first wails away vocally before making his guitar do the same in a fiery solo, is truly heartbreaking. “Say It Ain’t So” proved that California dorks could pull off sadness just as well as the flannel-wearing Seattleites, if not better.

#13: “My Heart Will Go On” by Céline Dion (1997)

Earlier this year, Avengers: Endgame moved past Titanic on the all-time box office charts. As much as I enjoyed Endgame, this feels wrong. Sure, Marvel is a big deal, but was Endgame as much of a phenomenon as Titanic? No. Frankly, it’s not even a top-5 Marvel movie (although it is better than Avatar, which Endgame could pass soon for first place). 

Why has Titanic cemented itself in pop culture history? Part of that is because the movie is a stone-cold classic, featuring a frothy romance between two of a generation’s greatest actors that ends in unspeakable tragedy and heartbreak. But I believe there’s another aspect to the film that’s helped keep its legacy strong: its unsinkable theme song.

“My Heart Will Go On” is one of the greatest movie themes of all time, precisely because it mirrors its movie. Like Titanic, Céline Dion’s signature song starts as a tender, soft romance, before bursting into a dizzying climax that pummels the audience into submission, forcing tears.

I don’t think I need to emphasize that Dion is a fantastic singer — there are very few singers that could nail both the cooing opening and the Whitney Houston-esque belting at the final chorus. But “My Heart Will Go On” is still occasionally considered a punchline, and that’s just wrong. Any song with this much emotional heft and force cannot be taken lightly.

#12: “What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” by R.E.M. (1994)

Two of Gen X’s longest-lasting and most important acts, U2 and R.E.M., switched roles in the ‘90s. U2 shifted their image from overly-earnest arena-rockers to weirdos dabbling in underground sounds. Meanwhile, their American counterparts went from mumbling college rock jams to radio-friendly ballads.

Not to be a total snob, but I’ve always preferred R.E.M.’s jangly ‘80s sound over their blockbuster early ‘90s albums. But the lead single off their underrated 1994 record Monster might be my favorite song of theirs.

“What’s The Frequency, Kenneth?” sounds like very few other R.E.M. songs. There’s no mandolins, and Michael Stipe’s lyrics are much clearer (although they make little sense). Instead of being bouncy and light, the guitars are a blast of crunchy distortion, not far off from a typical Smashing Pumpkins song.

In fact, Peter Buck’s guitar work here is what makes “Kenneth.” His echo-y sound adds a raw texture to the tune. And although the lyrics are a bit cryptic (apparently it’s about Boomers trying to advertise to Gen Xers? I have no clue), Stipe’s melody is on-point, as usual.

Although the sound of alt-rock had long passed by R.E.M.’s original style, “Kenneth” showed that the Georgia legends were more than able to keep up.

#11: “Steal My Sunshine” by Len (1999)

This sunburnt ode to being young and dumb in the gloriously young-and-dumb late ‘90s is the greatest summer anthem of all time. And the greatest one-hit-wonder of all time.

“Steal My Sunshine” is the soundtrack to driving with the windows down, goofing with your friends and pretty much any positive aspect of summer. Gloriously dumb and kitschy-fun summer songs like this are perfect examples of why the late-’90s was a golden age for pop.

#10: “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” by Shania Twain (1997)

While we’re talking about that late-’90s pop boom, how crazy is it that the era’s best single is technically a country song? 

Of course, “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” is barely a country song — yes, there’s some violins and slide guitar buried in the mix, but there’s also a thundering synth riff and Twain barely has a Southern twang (makes sense, seeing as she’s Canadian). And there’s no mention of any country tropes like pickup trucks or whiskey in the lyrics.

What “Man!” does bring to the table is a tongue-in-cheek, groovy pop-rock jam that’s just as easy to love as it is to make jokes about. Sure, it’s corny as hell — see the obvious joke in the song’s title — but Twain is clearly having way too much fun to care. And in a decade filled with angst and irony, a super-cheesy pop jam like this probably seemed like a needed salvo.

And the Mutt Lange production on this has some serious oomph to it. Before his extensive work with Twain, his then-wife, Lange was arguably best known for mastering the roided-out arena rock sound of the ‘80s, assisting on classic tunes from The Cars, AC/DC and Def Leppard. He even gave us this beautifully ridiculous Billy Ocean track, which might be the greatest song ever written. Lange brings some weight to “Man!”, making Twain’s female-empowerment anthem an actual anthem.

Listen, if this song isn’t for you, I get it. But for those of us who have the prerogative to have a little fun, “Man! I Feel Like A Woman!” is the pinnacle of one of pop’s greatest eras.

#9: “Check The Rhime” by A Tribe Called Quest (1991)

A lot of ‘90s rap hasn’t aged well, even if it’s still a ton of fun. Albums from Dr. Dre and Puff Daddy and even Jay-Z can sound like time capsules. But that’s not a problem that A Tribe Called Quest has, as their smooth jazz-rap still sounds timeless and perfect.

“Check The Rhime” is the Queens group’s brightest highlight off of their 1991 magnum opus, The Low End Theory. It’s a simple setup: MCs Q-Tip and Phife Dawg introduce the other rapper by reminiscing about freestyling on street corners back in the day. Then, both Tip and Phife get their own verse, each stuffed with playful lines and life advice — Industry Rule 4080 still holds to this day.

Unlike a lot of ‘90s hip-hop that was trying desperately to either be menacing or cool, Tip and Phife ooze effortless charisma on their verses in a playful, almost childlike way. Phife starts his verse reminding everyone “how nice I am” (before proclaiming that he flips off “punk MCs”). Tip even seems to diss MC Hammer by saying “rap is not pop/if you call it that then stop,” but apparently, this was meant as a defense of the then-megastar. Maybe.

“Check The Rhime” works partially because of its funky, minimalist production, but also because the Tribe’s two rappers were born to spit non sequiturs and awkward brags over a jazz-rap beat until the end of time.

#8: “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone” by Sleater-Kinney (1996)

I’m not sure how flamingly hot of a take this is, but I’d say Sleater-Kinney is the greatest band in Northwest history. Yes, better than Nirvana. 

1997′s Dig Me Out is a flawless masterpiece, and there’s not a single dud in their eight-album discography. Unlike many of the major Washington acts from this era, the Olympia three-piece never lost relevancy, releasing some of their strongest work in the 2000′s.

But Sleater-Kinney’s best single, “I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone,” is actually from one of their early albums. And it serves as a thesis statement for the decades of great music to come.

Legendary guitarist Carrie Brownstein takes over vocals here, nailing both the sardonic verses and the thrilling, off-kilter chorus. “Joey Ramone” tackles an interesting subject: how almost all of indie rock’s heroes up to that point had been male. So when Brownstein wails about wanting to be Joey Ramone or Thurston Moore, she’s placing Sleater-Kinney in the pantheon of rock greats. And this was just their second album.

Luckily, Sleater-Kinney had the goods to back up their chutzpah, and “Joey Ramone” became prophetic.

#7: “Supersonic” by Oasis (1994)

Just a couple months after Kurt Cobain’s death, two unibrowed guys from Manchester (and the rest of their band) completely upended the rock world with their band Oasis’ debut album, Definitely Maybe. After a few years of gloom-and-doom dominating the genre, it, along with fellow hit albums from Blur and Pulp, helped usher in the brighter world of Britpop in the mid-’90s.

That album’s first single, “Supersonic,” is still the greatest thing Oasis ever produced. (Yes, it’s better than “Wonderwall.”)

“Supersonic” is a blast of rude, snotty rock-n-roll cranked up to 11. In an era of irony and sarcasm, lead singer Liam Gallagher was spouting out nonsense lyrics like they were the most important and coolest thing in the world. And for the four-and-a-half minutes of this song, they probably are.

Everything about “Supersonic” is boneheaded perfection, from the thunderous drums to the dual guitars, one crunchy, one soaring; all the way to Liam’s sneer. This is prime Oasis, the band running on all cylinders. Based on how ramshackle this sounds, it’s no wonder the band only stayed great for two albums. But at least we’ll always have that legendary start.

#6: “1979″ by The Smashing Pumpkins (1995)

On the opposite end of the cool spectrum as Oasis and Sleater-Kinney, you have Billy Corgan — singer/songwriter/control freak of The Smashing Pumpkins and alt-rock’s most weaselly, petty figure. But say what you want about him as a person, Corgan wrote some incredible alt-rock pop nuggets.

“1979″ is a major outlier in the Pumpkins’ discography. It’s not an angsty shoegaze/grunge banger or an orchestral power ballad. It’s a low-key, skeletal new-wave track that perfectly captures the boredom and aimlessness of youth.

While many songs about being a teenager capture either its euphoric highs or angsty lows, “1979″ is one of the few classic songs that nails the in-between moments. It’s the feeling of walking to the 7-Eleven with your friends, cracking jokes that you’ll probably forget the next day. It’s about sitting in a parking lot and just waiting to leave your hometown.

"1979″ isn’t a grand gesture, but in a backwards way, that makes it even more profound. And from a band who typically dealt in soaring, intensely emotional songs, it was a brilliant change-of-pace that will no-doubt be relatable to teens for a long time to come.

#5: “Rebel Girl” by Bikini Kill (1993)

Two massively important alt-rock movements came from the Puget Sound in the early ‘90s. One is grunge. The other is riot grrrl, centered around a group of furious, political women-led bands in Olympia. And although Sleater-Kinney may be the subgenre’s longest-lasting act, its brightest moment came in 1993 with Bikini Kill and their incendiary single “Rebel Girl.”

Lead singer/songwriter/punk icon Kathleen Hanna is the focal point of “Rebel Girl,” wailing away on the microphone about an unnamed woman who is just the absolute coolest. The woman is described as a confident, revolutionary lesbian figure who would serve as an inspiration for angsty teens across the globe.

And oh yeah — “Rebel Girl” absolutely shreds. It sounds like there’s maybe 18 guitars going at once on the track, and Tobi Vail’s drum work is fearsome. Just to give more rock cred to the song, it was produced and features guitar work from Joan Jett. The rock legend and Bikini Kill made a great pairing, creating a song that sounds angry, with its distorted guitars and punk drums, but is actually a triumphant feminist anthem for the ages.

#4: “Linger” by The Cranberries (1993)

In an early-’90s rock scene filled with distorted guitars and raw angst, The Cranberries broke out in 1993 with a song that sounded nothing like the crowd. And over 25 years later, their stunningly gorgeous single “Linger” has aged far better than most of the grunge and alt-rock it was surrounded by.

The Irish four-piece took inspiration from Cocteau Twins’ and Galaxie 500′s dream pop and just made the hooks even more bulletproof and melancholy. “Linger” is the kind of ballad that’s a perfect fit for a longing prom slow dance and for crying with a tub of Ben & Jerry’s on the couch after a break up.

The late Dolores O’Riordan’s lilting vocals are a miracle here, able to express both hope and resignation. Her heavy Irish accent helps the vocals become another instrument in the band’s sweeping wall of sound, alongside the jangly guitars, marching-beat drums and orchestral swells.

It’s the most beautiful song of an ugly (in a good way!) decade, and arguably the greatest dream pop song ever written. The Cranberries would later adopt the heavy guitars of their Seattle peers, but “Linger” is still a high-water mark for the subgenre.

#3: “Juicy” by The Notorious B.I.G. (1994)

The first verse alone could’ve gotten “Juicy” into this list’s top 10. It’s one of the most-memorable and quotable verses of all time, exquisitely detailing The Notorious B.I.G.’s rise to fame. And then we get two more stellar verses?! 

“Juicy” is frequently cited among one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time, and it’s deserving of that reputation. Biggie penned the definitive rags-to-riches story in just five minutes (honestly, more like four, as he and producer Puff Daddy let the beat ride for a bit at the end) and then blessed it with his silky-smooth, commanding flow.

What separates “Juicy” from other come-up anthems is the vivid detail Biggie gives us, both about his impoverished Brooklyn upbringing (“We used to fuss when the landlord dissed us/No heat, wondered why Christmas missed us”) and his stunning rise to fame (“Girls used to diss me/Now they write letters cause they miss me”). He even brags about owning a Super Nintendo AND a Sega Genesis, which was the biggest early-90′s flex possible.

Of course, knowing the tragic ending of Biggie’s story, “Juicy” has a bit of a bittersweet feeling to it now. But its ‘80′s-retro beat and infectious glee can still bring a smile to my face every time I hear it.

#2: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991)

Well, duh.

There is no song that encapsulates an entire decade and generation like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” does for the ‘90′s and Gen X. It famously changed the entire rock landscape nearly overnight from sleazy hair metal to grimy alt-rock. It’s one of the most famous and iconic songs ever written. And shockingly, it still retains all of its revolutionary power nearly 30 years later.

How does “Smells Like Teen Spirit” pull off the balancing act of being a time capsule, yet still sounding remarkably fresh? I believe it’s because it captures the raw feeling of visceral rage and confusion better than nearly any song. Most angry songs have a target, whether its racist politicians, stuffy adults, or even a crappy ex. “Teen Spirit” has no tangible reason for its angst. Kurt Cobain’s lyrics are famously nonsense. And that’s what makes the song so brilliant.

Because the song is so emotionally powerful in a visceral way, it really doesn’t matter that the lyrics are meaningless. All you need to love the song is to connect with the anger buried deep, and start moshing the moment Dave Grohl’s instantly-recognizable drum fill meets the clanging guitars. It’s a total banger.

Cobain might not have had the intent of creating a generational anthem that would last beyond Gen X. But as long as people feel “stupid and contagious” alongside a creeping rise of angst, waiting to burst, “Teen Spirit” will remain relevant.

#1: “Common People” by Pulp (1995)

For a subgenre entirely built around a particular country’s culture, most major Britpop acts surprisingly refrained from politics. Oasis never sniffed the subject, and while Blur got close, songs like “Parklife” or “Stereotypes” were more winking jokes than bold statements.

Then there’s Pulp. Their most beloved track, “Common People,” is a scathing attack on the British upper class who indulge in poverty tourism, unaware of how the other half really lives. And it’s the best song of the ‘90s.

There are few things I love more than a perfectly executed story-song, and lead singer/songwriter Jarvis Cocker gives listeners a doozy here. “Common People” is about a rich woman talking to, well, a common person, and she decides she wants the poor guy to show her how to “live like common people.” Cocker’s songwriting is very literary, going into detail about the woman’s history and her botched attempt to act poor while shopping for groceries, as well as all the lower-class problems the wealthy will never understand. As Cocker bluntly puts it, “If you call your dad/he could stop it all.”

“Common People” is just as furious as “Teen Spirit,” but Cocker has clear targets here: the one-percent, and the misguided idea that poverty is somehow cool. The song starts calmly, almost at a whisper, but by the final, heart-pounding climax, Cocker is wailing away, condemning the upper-class with gusto.

The swelling disco-rock groove channels this anger into an absurdly catchy tune — an odd combination of musical tone and lyrics, but one that’s effective. It’s a giant middle finger that you can sing along to.

Britpop might have ended, but the sentiment of “Common People” is still fresh today as a righteous anthem for the trod-upon. 

#90s #rock #pop #indie #alt #hip-hop #britpop #grunge