#t eric monroe

[underground-hip-hop-affiliated]

[warhead]

[soupy-sez]

2Pac, 1994, © T. Eric Monroe

[summerongrand]

All Of The Girls You Loved Before (Tim Bradford Has a Type)

Chapter 1: Every Dead End Street

Tim Bradford has a type—but what exactly is it? Through a series of relationships, from pre-Isabel to beyond Lucy, Tim’s preferences become clearer. So, what is Tim really looking for? It might not be what (or who) you think.

For Lucy, watching Tim date another white woman was difficult on two levels. First, there was the social construction behind it. Growing up, Lucy had too often seen men like Tim—attractive, strong, the quintessential “leading men”—end up with white women in every movie, TV show, and magazine cover. It was the same tired narrative, recycled endlessly, woven into the fabric of society: the white partner, the ultimate prize. And it hit a nerve for Lucy. It made her feel unseen, not just as a woman, but as an Asian woman with zero representation in this regard, erased by the narrow standards that society still upholds. Seeing Tim date his “type” was yet another reminder of how women of color were often overlooked, their beauty, value, worth and desirability pushed to the side for women like Ashley. And even though she didn’t want it to, this kind of repeated exposure throughout her life led to Lucy losing her own authenticity. She recalled how the way she referred to her grandmother felt like a subtle form of washing away her own culture. In a documentary, Lucy called her grandma Anna "Nana," a term that, while endearing, wasn’t true to her nor her culture. It served as a reminder that, in an effort to appease the general public, there was a tendency to adopt language that fit a more user-friendly narrative, leading to her obscuring her own identity in the process. So even though Lucy could, in theory, alter her appearance, she would never do that to fit someone else’s narrow ideal of the kind of girl who "belongs" with a guy like Tim. It wasn’t just about changing her looks—it was the insidious message behind it that being herself wasn’t enough. The idea that, to be with a man like Tim, she would have to conform to an impossible and toxic beauty standard that erased her own identity was dangerous. It implied that to be seen, to be accepted, she’d have to strip away the very essence of who she was. And even if she tried, she would still be Lucy Chen. She would still look like someone from her own culture. Pretending to fit a mold that was never meant for her wouldn’t make her feel more seen—it would only deepen her sense of invisibility, making her feel like she was disappearing from herself. And there was no way in hell that Lucy Chen was going to whitewash herself for Tim, or for anyone else.

Read the full chapter here.

[creativelywise]

Photo by: T. Eric Monroe

[averyqueerhalloween]

Horror & Thriller Books with Queer characters: 🏳️‍🌈🎃

The Girls Are Never Gone by Sarah Glenn Marsh

Ace Of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Sawkill Girls by Claire Legrand

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

Interview With The Vampire by Anne Rice

The Coldest Touch by Isabel Sterling

Murder Takes The High Road by Josh Lanyon

A Dowry Of Blood by S.T Gibson

The Taking Of Jake Livingston by Ryan Douglass

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

Catherine House by Elizabeth Thomas

Manhunt by Gretchen Felcker-Martin

The Honeys by Ryan La Sala

A Lesson In Vengeance by Victoria Lee

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Her Body And Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado

The Route Of Ice And Salt by José Luis Zárate

The Dead And The Dark by Courtney Gould

The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros

The Picture Of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

Tell Me I'm Worthless by Alison Rumfitt

Queen Of Teeth by Hailey Piper

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield

Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon

What Moves The Dead by T. Kingfisher

The Cabin At The End Of The World by Paul Tremblay

It Came From The Closet by Various Authors

House Of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

What Moves The Dead by Ursula Vernon

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall

Night Of The Living Queers by Various Authors

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

They Drown Our Daughters by Katrina Monroe

Graveyard Of Lost Children by Katrina Monroe

The River Has Teeth by Erica Waters

Hell Followed With Us by Andrew White

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth by Andrew White

Dead Flip by Sara Farizan

The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya Macgregor

Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca

Everything The Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca

Into The Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

White Is For Witching by Helen Oyeyemi

The Promise of Lost Things by Helena Dunbar

Prelude For Lost Things by Helena Dunbar

My Dear Henry by Kalynn Bayron

All The White Spaces by Ally Wilkes

As I Descended by Robin Talley

This Is Where We Talk Things Out by Caitlin Marceau

[icyfetish]

Destiny's Child photographed by T. Eric Monroe, 1997

[mlmshipbracket]

SECOND MLM SHIP BRACKET OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT MATCH UP'S

The Second MLM Ship Bracket Tournament has its match-up's

OFFICIAL POLLS BEGIN TODAY AND will last until Tuesday, September 19th.

Polls will begin with one 24 hour preliminary round (Monday, September 11th), before the full Round One begins (Tuesday, September 12th).

INFO

DISCLAIMER: All match-ups were randomly generated using a randomizer to ensure a higher likelihood of randomness as ships were pitted against one another.

Polls posted will include previously submitted propaganda (with edits for length/clarity). Feel free to include your own propaganda (in the reblogs, comments, or tags) for which ships everyone should vote for and hype up your favorite ship if you want them to win! Feel free to add text, art, or videos to your propaganda as well!

Remember, get those votes in people. Reblog, comment, tag. Get as many others to vote and get your favorite ships to Round Two!

With that out of the way-

PRELIMINARY ROUND

1.Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley/Captain John "Soap" MacTavish vs. Lestat de Lioncourt/Louis de Pointe du Lac

2.Dorian Gray/Basil Hallward vs. Steven Stone/Wallace

REMAINING OFFICIAL MATCH-UP'S ARE BELOW THE CUT!

ROUND ONE POLLS

SIDE A

1. Charles “Charlie” Spring/Nicholas “Nick” Nelson vs. Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley/Captain John "Soap" MacTavish 2. Shawn Spencer/Burton Guster vs. Stolas/Blitzo 3. Rihito Sajou/Hikaru Kusakabe vs. Chad Danforth/Ryan Evans 4. Kieren Walker/Simon Monroe vs. Achilles/Patroclus 5. Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin/Sir Ballister Boldheart vs. Alexander Claremont-Diaz/Prince Henry Fox-Mountchristen-Windsor 6. Kotetsu T. Kaburagi/Barnaby “Bunny” Brooks Jr. vs. Enjolras/Grantaire 7. Steve Rogers/James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes vs. Victor Frankenstein/Henry Clerval 8. Saitama/Genos vs. Victor Nikiforov/Yuuri Katsuki

SIDE B

9. Clark Kent/Bruce Wayne vs. Dorian Gray/Basil Hallward 10. Eric “Bitty” Bittle/Jack Zimmermann vs. Akira Fudo/Ryo Asuka 11. Mikage Souji/Mamiya Chida vs. Tanaka/Ohta 12. Kazuki Yasaka/Enta Jinnai vs. Jean Valjean/Javert 13. Zuko/Sokka vs. Shizuo Heiwajima/Tom Tanaka 14. Kenzo Tenma/Wolfgang Grimmer vs. Kim Kitsuragi/Harry Du Bois 15. Shouma Takakura/Yosuke Yamashita vs. Galo Thymos/Lio Fotia 16. Kazuki Yasaka/Toi Kuji vs. Captain James T. Kirk/Spock

RULES [HERE]

>>> NEXT ROUND (ROUND 2) POLLS (ENDED) [HERE]

SECOND MLM SHIP BRACKET WINNERS [HERE]

MLM SHIP BRACKET MASTERPOST [HERE]

[rebelgodking]

Emilie Smith’S RP PLOTTING CHEAT-SHEET

Want new-and-exciting plots for your character? Long to reach out to more of your followers, but don’t know where to start? Fear not! Fill out this form and give your RP partners both present and future all the of juicy jumping off points they need to help you get your characters acquainted. Be sure to tag the players whose characters YOU want more cues to interact with, and repost, don’t reblog! Feel free to add or remove sections as you see fit. Template here.

Mun name: Monroe OOC Contact: either inbox, or tumblr I.M., I don't have a discord

Who the heck is my muse anyway:

👑 💀 In a nutshell, Emilie is a pure demon, meaning she is (aside from other old ones ,and a small percentage of old demons) the top of the food chain. Created by magic rituals ,and a sacrifice of the bloodline, a Cressida Flora Priest , The plans of making perfect hosts for the old ones failed. ++ Emilie is over 10,000 years old, the equivalent of a young adult, in (old one ) demon years. Aside from her age, she is the Illyria's blood, (and the decedent of Fjölnir Freyrson ). ++ She's a demon that plays by her own rules. And cares not for what other demons think of her. *her Owl & Knight version is different, in a small, but noticeable way

Points of interest:

Other supernatural beings could feel confused,etc by her appearance, since she smells like an old one ,but looks very human. Though ,some ,at first might not feel like shes a threat. Since she never hides she's a demon, and shes too lazy to put on any aura of being a threat. ++ She smokes, but never around children, mothers, and anyone whos's trying to quit. ++ Her "punk" attire, and as well as her devil may care/un afraid manner

What they’ve been up to recently:

++ Post the show, she's either still not sure how to spend her time. Her lifespan is infinite. She splits her time with investigating supernatural stuff. Or just doing nothing to traveling. It depends on which main verse, btvs, bprd, or owl & knight

Where to find them:

pre-sunnydale: varies since she was kicked out of a few high schools after her big fight with Eric Dragomir btvs season 1 - 3: Sunnydale,CA btvs s4+/angel s1 - 3: L.A , CA, USA misc: The Whistler 'sanctuary' manor/house (location varies), B.P.R.D. buildings (bprd verse) , at the Inferno Bar, Caritas , Hyperion Hotel, -

Current plans:

++ Truthfully ,I've never thought of events from post btvs to her 'feared & revered' verse. Which is more than a 1,000 years after an apocalypse. In which she is one of the ruling demons ,and a god to some humans' (and maybe some non-human beings) ++ She's mainly procrastinating going though the stuff she inherited from the Whistler House in Sunnydale, which is something I also what to thread out.

Desired interactions:

++ Just Emilie flirting with other ,single, demons, or other supernatural beings (have you not seen her type tag). She prefers demons to humans. Also friends, colleagues getting after, or teasing her about flirting with demons. Basically not huge on the enemies relations. but I am big on found family. My one endgame ship is with Eddie Hope, this is still an idea. Not sure who's her "endgame" ship. ++ Slice of life stuff, hanging out , late night research into some supernatural mystery ++ Going on cases ,with other agents, either in her Hellboy verse or owl and knight verse

Offered interactions:

++ its a running gag is anything supernatural ,at least once, smells Emilie. Either cause she looks way to human to smell like a pure demon, or some other reason. ++ Just this plot, like jumaji but more elf, DnD type thing. I have starter call for it,and a tag ++ Her just actually being her her demon form, even if humans, and most beings can't understand what she's saying in that form.

Current open post/s:

(Insert links here, if you have any). open starters || memes | bingo meme ||

Anything else?:

I use the weekends to take a break from all things R.P. And focus on relaxing or work on any projects I have. And it takes me a while to open up, cause the whole OC thing. As well as an oc who's related to a canon

Tagging: @bewitchingbaker , @parainvestigate & @giftedeath (plus anyone who would find this usefull) (tagged by: @obscurushydrae )

[numinous-queer]

I keep telling myself that we’re living in Sola’s childhood, not her court case. That said, tomorrow is a court hearing and I am scared stiff as usual. The agency never shares information with us, so court brings with it the terrifying possibility that we learn her permanency plan will suddenly change and take her to more distant relatives in New Mexico or something else we can’t even guess yet. We can’t live every day in that world of wondering if we’ll have to say goodbye so I try not to dwell, but it gets really hard to do around court dates.

In order to give myself something happy and good to focus on, I’d like to take a minute to share some cute and happy moments with Sola recently!

As you can see from the chalk drawing above, kiddo is getting really into Monsters Inc recently! Specifically, the sequel Monsters University where Mike wears a baseball cap like this:

Since getting into this movie, she has decided to “share” Grandpa Eric’s baseball cap by taking it home with us one day after a visit. (He doesn’t mind!) She wears it constantly while pretending to be “Mama Mike,” and won’t be parted from it even to go to sleep. The only way I can get her to leave it behind is to say that one of her stuffed animals would like a turn:

Sola has always ALWAYS been obsessed with the color yellow, and Lexie recently bought her a linen dress that is bright goldenrod. Kiddo LOVES it, and keeps saying “I’m sunshine! I’m the sun!” while twirling around. She figured out that if she stands over the heating grate it makes the dress fly up Marilyn Monroe style, which makes her laugh and laugh!

Kiddo is best friends with our big placid labrador Nacho, and I love listening to her talk to him. The other day he was sniffing her face extra aggressively after she had finished her syrupy pancakes, and she giggled for a long time before squeaking out, “I’m flower!” I tell her stories about the golden retriever named Lemon that Nacho says hi to in the park sometimes, and she is invested in their doggy friendship to a point that would make your blorbos jealous

We go to this wonderful community event called Foster Parent’s Night Out once a month, where a group of volunteers puts together a huge fun event for the kids with a nice dinner every month, and gives their caretakers four glorious hours to rest and do chores. This month’s theme was “PARKOUR” and Sola was so wiped out afterwards that she fell asleep in the car holding her favorite stuffed T-Rex in one hand and a piece of pizza in the other. Living the dream, little lady, living the dream!

Her new favorite game during bathtime is to pretend that the toy basket is a shark that’s eating her leg, and she needs to get saved by one of her dollies. Once you obligingly save her, she gleefully puts the shark in time out, including telling Alexa to set the timer for three minutes. Sometimes the dollies go to their cave (behind the bath curtains) and have loud disagreements that remain a mystery to me, and then the loser is ejected into the tub to her uproarious laughter. There’s a splash zone, but she’s having the absolute time of her life!

[underground-hip-hop-affiliated]

[styleofdiamandis]

PHOTOSHOOT: MARINA FOR NYLON MAGAZINE

Marina did several photoshoots for NYLON throughout her career, with this one being the first to promote her album "Froot" in early 2015.

Photography by Eric T. White, styling by Paolo Nieddu, makeup by Daniella Shachter using NARS Cosmetics, hair by Siobhan Benson using Oribe, respectively.

Darling, have you heard? Marina stepped out in a white double-breasted blazer and tie-waist wrap jumpsuit by MANGO, and she's giving us all a lesson in "How to Slay Effortlessly 101."

This pop sensation knows how to turn heads, and she did it again by showing that white isn't just for summer. No, no, it's a year-round vibe when Marina's in the picture. In this ensemble, she's making us forget all about Labor Day fashion rules.

She accessorized the look with this eye-catching Lanvin Spring/Summer 2015 round crystal pendant long necklace with black silk ties...

...and the Charlotte Olympia Monroe black satin pointed-toe pumps.

This Naeem Khan Fall/Winter 2015 satin frock with cowl neck and 3/4 sleeves perfectly falls in line with the clean, long approach of dresses that follow the "Froot" era styling. Also, Marina is definitely a jewel tone kind of girl.

The gold-plated brass bracelet is signed by Jennifer Fisher.

Unfortunately, this outtake isn't credited at all so I'm only able to tell you something about those shoes. They're the Bay asymmetric panelled black & white grid pumps with sheer mesh by Bionda Castana.

[soupy-sez]

A Tribe Called Quest, 1993, photo by T. Eric Monroe x

[hourlyhiphop]

Rare And Unseen Moments Of 90’s Hip-Hop with T. Eric Monroe

Rare And Unseen Moments Of 90’s Hip-Hop with T. Eric Monroe

[marcmarcmomarc]

Nintendo movie casts

The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2

Chris Pratt as Mario

Charlie Day as Luigi

Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach

Jack Black as Bowser

Keegan-Michael Key as Toad

Jack Dylan Grazer as Yoshi

Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong

Ginnifer Goodwin as Princess Daisy

P!nk as Rosalina

Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong

Kevin Michael Richardson as Kamek

Eric Bauza as Diddy Kong

Danny Trejo as Wario

Neil Patrick Harris as Waluigi

Khary Payton as Penguin King

Juliet Jelenic as Lumalee

Sebastian Maniscalco as Spike

Cassandra Lee Morris as Dixie Kong

Mae Whitman as Toadette

Kevin Afghani as Mario’s Dad

Jessica DiCicco as Mario’s Mom

Karan Soni as Chunky Kong

Eric Bauza as Koopa Troopa Soldiers

Eric Bauza as Toad General

Jessica DiCicco as Yellow Toad

Rino Romano as Uncle Tony

John DiMaggio as Uncle Arthur

Jessica DiCicco as Aunt Marie

Brian Hull as Mario’s Grandpa

Denis Leary as Swanky Kong

Jessica DiCicco as Mayor Pauline

Frank Todaro as Blue Toad Guard

Tru Valentino as Yellow Toad Guard

Anna Brisbin as Mario’s Niece

Richard Ayoade as Banktoad

Wallace Shawn as Mailtoad

John DiMaggio as Boom Boom

Cassandra Lee Morris as Pom Pom

Carlos Alazraqui as Toadsworth

Cristina Vee & Maitreyi Ramakrishnan as Lumas

Kdin Jenzen as Birdo

Christina Aguilera as Perry the Parasol

Ice-T as Funky Kong

Rosario Dawson as Candy Kong

Terry Crews as Rambi

Zac Efron as Enguarde

Brian Hull as Squawks

Maurice LaMarche as Goomba

Ben Diskin as Koopa Paratroopa Soldiers

Brian Tyree Henry as Sledge Bro

Scott Menville as Dry Bones

Grant George as Hammer Bro

Nate Bihldorff as Shy Guy

Dee Bradley Baker as Snifit

Dee Bradley Baker as Bob-omb

Frank Welker as Piranha Plant

Todd Womack as Spiny

Jason Liebrecht as Buzzy Beetle

The Donkey Kong Country Movie

Seth Rogen as Donkey Kong

Fred Armisen as Cranky Kong

Oscar Isaac as King K. Rool

Eric Bauza as Diddy Kong

Cassandra Lee Morris as Dixie Kong

Karan Soni as Chunky Kong

Ice-T as Funky Kong

Rosario Dawson as Candy Kong

Cristina Vee as Tiny Kong

Jennifer Coolidge as Wrinkly Kong

Cristina Milizia as Kiddy Kong

Jordan Peele as Lanky Kong

Denis Leary as Swanky Kong

Terry Crews as Rambi

Zac Efron as Enguarde

Brian Hull as Squawks

Tim Blaney as Rattly

Kevin Michael Richardson as Squitter

Paul Tibbitt as Expresso

Justin Rupple as Winky

Torbin Xan Bullock as Clapper

Cheech Marin as Glimmer

Sloane Murray as Ellie

ExoParadigmGamer as Perry

Mr. T as Klubba

Jess Harnell as Klump General

Stephen Stanton as The Brothers Bear

Rob Izenberg as Very Gnawty

Alex Hirsch as Master Necky

Cree Summer as Queen B.

Jerry DeCaupa as Really Gnawty

MacInTalk as Dumb Drum

Greg Baldwin as Master Necky Snr.

Alan Tudyk as Krow

Matt Chapman as Kleever

ProtonJon as Kudgel

Steve Carell as King Zing

Steve Purcell as Belcha

Ian Hecox as Arich

Jeff Bennett as Squirt

Danny McBride as Bleak

Cheech Marin as Barbos

The Kirby Movie

Kate Micucci as Kirby

John Mulaney as King Dedede

Antonio Banderas as Meta Knight (in English & Spanish)

Karan Soni as Bandana Waddle Dee

Eric Bana as Rick

Dee Bradley Baker as Kine

Steve Buscemi as Coo

Henry Winkler as Chef Kawasaki

Richard Ayoade as Taranza

James Arnold Taylor as Magolor

Richard Horvitz as Daroach

Mela Lee as Susie Haltmann

Max Mittelman as Marx

Fryda Wolff as Gooey

The Star Fox Movie

Jason Schwartzman as Fox McCloud

Bill Hader as Falco Lombardi

Liam Neeson as Wolf O’Donnell

Blake Shelton as Peppy Hare

David Spade as Slippy Toad

Martin Short as Andross

Ed Harris as General Pepper

Kevin Michael Richardson as Leon Powalski

Bruce Campbell as ROB 64

Brian Hull as Pigma Dengar

Lin-Manuel Miranda as Andrew Oikonny

Jason Isaacs as James McCloud

Bonnie Hunt as Katt Monroe

Bobby Cannavale as Panther Caroso

Ariel Winter as Fara Phoenix

Carolyn Lawrence as Miyu

Deneen Melody as Fay

Anairis Quiñones as Krystal

EarthBound

Marissa Lenti as Ness

Amber Lee Connors as Lucas

Fryda Wolff as Paula

Issac Ryan Brown as Jeff

Roger Craig Smith as Poo

Cristina Vee as Kumatora

Frank Welker as Boney

Pikmin

Timothy Dalton as Olimar

Kevin Michael Richardson as Louie

Red Van Buskirk as Alph

Christopher Wehkamp as Charlie

Tati Gabrielle as Brittany

Keston John as President

Hajime Wakai as the Pikmin

Brian Sommer as Bulborb

Animal Crossing

Kimiko Glenn as Isabelle

Dee Bradley Baker as Tom Nook

Jason Liebrecht as K.K. Slider

Marc Maron as Mr. Resetti

Splatoon

Emichuu as Squid Sister Callie

Cristina Vee as Squid Sister Marie

EmuEmi as Marina Ida

Casey Lee Williams as Pearl Houzuki

Amalee as Shiver Hohojiro

Arryn Zech as Frye Onaga

Caleb Hyles as Big Man

The ARMS Movie

Peter Von Gomm as Spring Man & Springtron

Utada Hikaru as Ribbon Girl (in English & Japanese)

Tadanobu Asano as Ninjara (in English & Japanese)

Mena Massoud as Master Mummy (in English & African)

Dilraba Dilmurat as Min Min (in English & Mandarin Chinese)

Romi Dames as Mechanica (in English & Japanese)

Eva Green as Twintelle (in English & French)

Thomas Doherty as Byte

Doug the Pug as Barq

Miyu Irino as Kid Cobra (in English & Japanese)

Frank Welker as Helix

Kellen Goff as Max Brass

Rose McGowan as Lola Pop (in English & Italian)

Brian Tee as Misango (in English & Japanese)

Maia Mitchell as Dr. Coyle

Sonic the Hedgehog

Ben Schwartz as voice of Sonic

James Marsden as Tom Wachowski

Colleen O’Shaughnessey as voice of Tails

Idris Elba as voice of Knuckles

Tika Sumpter as Maddie Wachowski

Nicolas Cage as voice of Shadow

Megan Hilty as voice of Amy

Natasha Wothwell as Rachel Handel

Adam Pally as Wade Whipple

Shemar Moore as Randall Handel

Lee Majdoub as Agent Stone

Tom Butler as Commander Walters

Melody Niemann as Jojo

Sarah Surh as Faucet

Jesse McCartney as voice of Silver

Lake Bell as voice of Rouge

John Mulaney as voice of Vector

Bruce Campbell as voice of Espio

Kaley Cuoco as voice of Charmy

Cristina Pucelli as voice of Cream

Eva Longoria as voice of Blaze

Ella Purnell as voice of Sticks

John C. Reilly as voice of Big

David Spade as voice of Jet

Jessica DiCicco as voice of Wave

Bobby Cannavale as voice of Storm

Ryan Reynolds as voice of Mighty

Jake Johnson as voice of Ray

Peter Weller as voice of E-123 Omega

Lindsay Jones as voice of Cheese

Jason Isaacs as voice of Metal Sonic

Gaten Materazzo as voice of Chip

Jack Black as voice of Mephiles

Hamish Blake as voice of Infinite

Chloë Grace Moretz as voice of Sage

Hugh Jackman as voice of Orbot

Marc Maron as voice of Cubot

M.C. Gainey as voice of Zavok

Andy Samberg as voice of Zazz

Diane Guerrero as voice of Zeena

Dennis Quaid as voice of Master Zik

John Goodman as voice of Zomon

Ryan Potter as voice of Zor

Frank Welker as voice of Chaos

Cherami Leigh as voice of Omochao

McKenna Grace as Maria Robotnik

Khary Payton as voice of E-102 Gamma

Anairis Quiñones as voice of Tikal

PAC-MAN

Jesse McCartney as Pac-Man

Andy Samberg as Blinky

Kaite Crown as Pinky

Spike Jonze as Inky

Joe Mantegna as Clyde

[thisaintascenereviews]

Hardy - The Mockingbird & The Crow

There isn't a genre that's as divisive as country music, but I understand why, especially within the last decade. Florida Georgia Line released the single "Cruise" back in 2012/2013, and it took the world by storm, but not in a good way. Well, sort of, because a lot of people loved it, and it's one of the highest selling singles of all time, but it also ushered in a new era of country music, being the "bro-country" era.. Only now is the genre breaking out of that "phase," and a lot of artists have either disappeared completely, or they've pivoted away from that sound and into something better and interesting. My last review, which was on Tyler Hubbard's debut self-titled album, talked a bit about that. While t was a decent album, it was an album that sounded like Florida Georgia Line, albeit less obnoxious and annoying; It was almost like the album was composed of FGL B-sides, or songs were left on the cutting room floor when the duo went their separate ways. I bring this all up because part of the issue with the bro-country movement weren't the artists themselves, it was a lot of the Nashville songwriters trying to capitalize on that. If you didn't know, a lot of pop music, regardless of the style, don't write their own songs, or if they do, they get co-writers. Eric Paslay, Ashley McBryde, Chris Stapleton, Ashley Monroe, and many more very popular artists  have gotten their starts writing for other artists, but one of the biggest songwriters turned artists themselves is Hardy.

Born Michael Hardy, Hardy has been writing songs for the last decade or so, if not longer, and it shouldn't be a shock that he had a hand in writing "Cruise." He's written a lot of songs for artists, such as Morgan Wallen, Blake Shelton,  Florida Georgia Line, and many others, but he's finally been making a name for himself as an artist. He has a few albums under his belt before his newest one, those being two volumes of the "Hixtape" series that's meant to be a mixtape for up and coming country artists, or established artists, to feature on songs. They're decent records, but they're very messy and scattershot. In 2020, he released his debut solo album, entitled A Rock, and it's fine. He didn't really get recognized as a solo artist until he released the single "Wait In The Truck," featuring Lainey Wilson, another up and coming artist that does seem to have a good future in the genre. He released a couple more singles, but he finally released his second solo album, The Mockingbird & The Crow, back in January. This album, despite its really bad artwork, is an allusion to the two "sides" of Hardy, those being the "mockingbird" and "the crow." The former half of the album is a straightforward country record, whereas the latter is a hard-rock record. The idea behind this album is very interesting, and I don't know what compelled me to listen to it, but I randomly decided to listen to this record a couple of weeks after it came out, and I'll have you know that I couldn't stop listening to it for a few weeks after that. I really enjoy The Mockingbird & The Crow, although this record has some major issues.

Talking about this album is sort of strange, because there are two albums in one, essentially, so I guess the best way to talk about this album is to break down both halves individually, starting with "the Mockingbird." This is the half of the album that I prefer least, but I have to give Hardy credit for writing some solid mainstream country songs. Every song on the first half are more mid-tempo, such as "Red," "Wait In The Truck," "Drink One For Me," and others, but they're not bad. If anything, it's just kind of generic, but that doesn't always mean something negative. Hardy's got a good voice, at least for this style, and he's got a knack for writing good hooks (although that is kind of a problem in itself, but I'll talk about that later on), and the lyrics on this record are relatively inoffensive, despite being about various country / southern cliches. "Wait In The Truck" is easily the best song on the first half, and it' also the most interesting lyrically (not even on the first half, but on the whole album), because it's a murder ballad that shows Hardy finding a woman on the side of the road that's been physically abused by her boyfriend or husband, and he goes to their house to kill him. That's the story of the song, and honestly, it kind of works. Other songs really lean into cliches that are inoffensive enough, but are still overdone, like the "kids these days are on their phones too much" song "Screen," the "we all bleed red, so we should get along" song (that also features Morgan Wallen, for some reason) "Red," or the album opener, "Beer," which is about beer being personified and sees Hardy reflecting on all the good and bad times he's had with it. The only other song that is slightly more interesting lyrically is "Drink One For Me," that is told from the perspective of a guy who passed away and he's looking down on his friends from the afterlife, ultimately wanting them to enjoy their lives and drink a beer for him.

Lyricism aside, however, the songs themselves on the first half are just generic country songs that don't necessarily offer anything interesting to the table, but if you enjoy that kind of country, you'll enjoy it just fine. I didn't talk about the music itself on that side much, because there isn't much to talk about. It's on the title track where things get interesting, although there is the song "Here Lies Country Music," and that's a strange song that has Hardy complaining about how different country music is now. It's strange because Hardy helped to make country music what it is now, so I don't know why he's complaining about an issue he caused within the genre, but I digress. On the title track, he starts off by talking about how he's just the mockingbird and he sings what people want him to, all the while utilizing another mid-tempo country sound that doesn't do much for me, but the song suddenly switches to a really heavy guitar riff and that's when "the crow" side begins. This is definitely the better part of the album, but I wouldn't say it's anything more unique. Hardy wanted to make a "rock" album that wouldn't be able to played on the radio, although the funny thing is this is the exact type of hard-rock you'd hear on the radio. This is very much in the vein these metalcore bands that cross over to the hard-rock scene, such as Beartooth, A Day To Remember, Wage War, and all of those types of bands. These songs are a lot louder, filled with heavier riffs and breakdowns, along with some screams from Hardy on a few songs. The hooks are still just as good, if not better, since this half of the album has more energy. Songs like "Sold Out," ".30-06," "Truck Bed," and "Radio Song," which features ADTR's Jeremy McKinnon, are some of my favorite songs on the album, even if they're also nothing special. The lyrics are a bit more obnoxious here, such as on songs like "I Ain't In The Country No More," where Hardy marvels at the fact he's in a city, or "Kill Shit Til I Die," which is about him killing animals for food, I guess, and the closing track, "The Redneck Song" feels oddly like a parody, because he just lists stuff off that stereotypical rednecks like.

As you can probably tell from this very long review that I did not intend on being this long, I have mixed feelings on this record. On the one hand, I really enjoy it, and I was playing it a lot for a couple of weeks after I heard it, because it has some really good hooks, and it doesn't feel its length. With both halves, the album is about an hour exactly, but I tended to just play a few songs on the mockingbird half, and then just play the crow half. The whole record is fine, but it's when you try to look deeper into it that the problems of this record rear their ugly heads. The lyrics aren't very good, especially on the second half (which is funny, because I like that half better, but the lyrics are worse), and even when they aren't bad, they're bland and not that interesting. The hooks are great, although every song on this record feels like it was written around its hook, versus having any time to breathe and grow. That's my biggest issue with this record, and one of my biggest issues with Hardy as a whole, he just seems to write the hook of a song first and then writes the rest of the song around it. This album will do nothing to change the minds of people that hate modern country music, because to be fair, this album is riddled the same problems that Hardy is trying to speak out against. He had a hand in writing a lot of the songs and albums that made country music so bad for a long time, and he's doing it here, especially on the first half, so why didn't just make a rock album? If he doesn't like making that kind of country music anymore, just make rock, or country-rock, so him writing songs of what he goes onto criticize doesn't make much sense to me, but as it stands, this album is good. I enjoy it a lot personally, but don't look too deep into it. Every time I think about this album, I don't like it, but if I "turn my brain off" and enjoy the songs for what they are, I really get into it.