#what was that era... flash mob

[cosmoseinfeld]

I FORGOT THEY DID THE HARLEM SHAKE

[keanusbabydoll]

longing

paring: peepaw!myers x fem!reader

warnings: 18+content, angst, mentions of murder, michael himself is a warning, smut, rough sex, no aftercare, choking, unprotected sex, vaginal sex, little to no foreplay, huge age gap, sadism if you squint

a/n: probably not the best smut i’ve written but it was 3am and i was tired :o

it was a chilly night in haddonfield, the air thick with an unsettling silence. the streets were eerily empty, except for the flickering jack-o'-laterns on porches and the occasional sound of children laughing in the distance. on one street, however, the atmosphere was anything but calm. a mob of angry residents had gathered, their faces set with determination and a hint of desperation. they were waiting, waiting for the moment of retribution against the shape that had haunted their town for decades.

among the mob were you, a young woman, confused and scared. you clutched a baseball bat that a stranger gave to you nervously, your knuckles white from the tension. you had lost friends to michael myers, the embodiment of pure evil, but you couldn't shake the feeling off that what those people were about to do wasn't right.

the mob's plan was simple: lure michael myers into a trap and end his reign of terror once and for all. karen, your best friend's mom, also daughter of laurie strode, was the one to set the bait, stepping out of the dark with michael's mask in her hand.

michael, unmasked and exposed, approached the trap with his usual silent menace. he reached down and grabbed his mask, pulling it on with a tight grip on his knife. the mob surged forward, ready to attack, but you hesitated. you let the bat fall from your hands and took a few steps back, your heart pounding in your chest. as the people descended on Michael, your eyes widened in horror. you knew this wasn't right. even after everything he has done.

a scream tore from your throat, halting everyone in their tracks. even Michael's blank, soulless eyes seemed to turn towards you.

"stop! this isn't right!" you yelled. "he's also just human!"

the people turned their hateful gazes on you, their faced twisted with anger and disgust. your words defending michael led to you being grabbed roughly, hands tied behind your back. you were thrown to the ground next to Michael, the cold pavement digging into your knees. you thought it was over, you would be slaughtered right next to the shape.

but Michael had other plans.

with a swift, brutal efficiency, he fought back, killing everyone who dared to attack him. blood splattered the ground, screams filled the air, but you were untouched. when the gruesome scene in front of you ended, Michael's cold eyes fixed on you. his knife still clung tightly in his hand. your breath caught in your throat as he approached, your body trembling with fear. you closed your eyes, expecting the end.

instead, you felt the tightness around your wrists disappear. your eyes snapped open in shock to see Michael standing over you, his head tilted in that unsettling way. you cautiously got to your feet, taking a few steps back. but Michael didn't move to harm you; instead he pointed at his wounded chest, silently asking you for help. hesitating, you nodded, your heart still pounding. in a flash Michael lifted you effortlessly, carrying you to an abandoned cabin on the outskirts of town.

the cabin was a relic of a bygone era, its walls creaking with age and neglect. you carefully tended to Michael's wounds, using whatever supplies you could find. you knew that this was incredibly wrong, but somehow it felt so right to you. feeling a strange sense of duty and compassion, you stayed with him. michael, for his part, was confused by your gentleness, your care. he was used to hate, to killing, not kindness.

over a few months, you and Michael settled into an uneasy coexistence. you both moved into your house, hidden away form the prying eyes of the world. you took care of him in every way that you could, cooking for him, buying him proper clothes. the shape was perplexed by your tenderness and your determination to protect him. he didn't understand why he allowed it, why he didn't kill you like everyone else. something about you was different.

as time passed, you found yourself falling for the masked man. you couldn't explain it, but there was something about Michael that drew you in. despite his cold exterior and violent tendencies, you believed that there was more to him. he was still a mystery, a cold, silent presence in your home. maybe it was his quiet strength, his stoic nature that intrigued you. michael, too, felt a strange pull towards you, though he didn't understand it.

months turned into a year, and your relationship became more complex. your feelings deepened, but Michael remained distant, cold. you wanted more from him, needed more. you had done everything you could to make him feel at home, to show him that he was safe with you, that he could trust you. but Michael remained closed off, distant.

he didn't allow you to touch him, rejected your attempts at affection. you obviously grew frustrated, longing for his touch, his love. you just wanted something in return. of course you understood it somehow. Michael was a lost, misunderstood soul, hated by everyone and he wasn't used to someone actually caring for him. but still you expected just a little bit of affection from him and the longing you felt for him grew stronger each day, and with it, your frustration.

Michael noticed your change in behavior but didn't understand the reasons behind it.

one night, you were sitting on the couch, a horror movie playing on the tv. you barely paid any attention to the film, your mind too preoccupied with the man sitting beside you. you glanced at him, his tall, imposing figure taking up most of the couch, his mask still in place. even with the mask on you found him so sexy, so attractive.

you couldn't take it anymore.

the need to feel him close, to know that he was real, that he cared for you in some way, was overwhelming. hell, you wanted his man to finally fuck you. you've been together for more than a year now and nothing sexual happened even in the slightest bit.

you scooted closer to him, trying to snuggle up against his side, but just as you feared, he pushed you away with slight force, a growl leaving his mouth.

as always.

"Michael..." you began, your voice trembling with a mix of anger and desperation. "I cant keep doing this."

he didn't respond, not even looking at you. his eyes kept fixated on the tv, but you could see the tension in his posture, the way his hands clenched into fists.

you stood up almost immediately, your frustration boiling over.

"you don't care, do you?" you snapped, tears welling in your eyes. "I've done everything for you! I've given you a home, cared for you, and I... I feel so much for you, but you just-" you broke off, voice catching in your throat. "I can't live like this, not with a relationship where I'm the only one who feels anything."

you turned to leave, the tears now spilling over, but before you could take a step, Michaels hand shot out, grabbing your wrist. you gasped, turning back to face him, your heart pounding strongly against your chest. he pulled you back, his grip firm but not painful, and for the first time, you saw something in his eyes that you hadn't seen before - a flicker of emotion, something raw and vulnerable.

then, to your shock, Michael reached up and slowly pulled off his mask.

your breath caught in your throat as you looked at him, really looked at him, for the first time. you had seen him unmasked before, on the night you met, but it was dark and everything happened so fast.

his face was scarred, rugged, and a white, trimmed beard covered it, but he was the most handsome man you had ever seen. there was a gentleness in his eyes that took you by surprise. you had expected coldness, detachment, but instead, you saw, regret, and something else - something that made your heart ache.

"Michael..." you whispered, voice trembling.

he obviously didn't reply, but the way he looked at you, the way his hand still held your wrist, told you everything you needed to know. slowly, cautiously, he pulled you even closer, until your faces where just inches apart. your heart raced, your breath coming in shallow gasps as you waited, your mind a whirlwind of emotions. you didn't fully understand what was happening and why Michael acted like that suddenly. but you weren't complaining in the slightest bit. that was exactly what you've wanted for longer than a year.

then, finally, he leaned in and captured your lips in a kiss. it was tentative at first, almost like he wasn't quite sure what to do, but when you responded, pressing your lips more firmly against his, he deepened it. the kiss was filled with a desperation, a need that had been buried deep within him for so long. one of his hands moved to your waist, pulling you on top of him, while the other one rested lazily on your thigh. and for the first time since you had met, you felt his warmth, his desire.

the heat began to pool in your panties, the whole situation was turning you on way too much. when his hand wandered from your waist to your ass and gave it a harsh squeeze, you gathered all your courage and began grinding down on him, feeling his bulge already pressing up into you. a muffled moan echoed off the walls, when your clothed clit rubbed deliciously against his erection. you could feel Michael tense up as well as his hand squeezed even harder and his breaths became heavier. you increased your speed and pulled away from his lips, head falling back in pleasure.

when you returned your hazy gaze back to him, he was already watching you like his prey. his expression was cold but his eyes were sparkling with lust and hunger. hesitatingly, you put your hands on his chest, slowly gripping the zip of his blue coveralls, pulling it down his chest. your hands felt the warm skin beneath it and held on tight to his shoulders.

but michael had other plans. he didn’t want to keep up your bullshit of preparation. with a tight grip on your waist he roughly manhandled you on your back. he crawled on top of you, grabbing the collar of your shirt as he tore it apart, making you gasp out in shock. he tossed it away before he quickly got rid of your bra. then, he ripped open your pants, adding it to the pile of clothes.

your heart was beating rapidly and the ache in your core started to get unbearable. you waited so long for this moment - too long.

“please michael.” you whimpered out as you pushed your hips up, signing him that you need more.

he grunted in response, getting up from the couch and pulling down his coveralls and boxers. your eyes almost fell out when you saw his length. it was thick, long and veiny. something so big you’ve never seen before. with the blink of an eye he was on you again. his hands grabbed your thighs, spreading them as wide as possible. you curiously propped yourself up on your elbows, as you watched him pushing your panties to the side.

as he saw your wet, glistening pussy, you could have sworn you saw him licking his lips. michael put both of his hands beside your arms, trapping you, before he lined his cock up with your entrance. your eyes searched for his and when he finally looked at you, he plunged his whole length inside your hole with one harsh thrust- his dick filling you to the brim and stretching you to your limit. a scream tore from your throat and your eyes were shut at the stretch. waves of stinging pain cursed through your whole body and your walls clenched tightly around him.

but michael wouldn’t let you get used to it. he isn’t that type of man.

as soon as he felt his tip kissing your cervix, he began to rut into you with a fast pace, never planning on going gentle. loud moans and cry’s filled the air as you tried to get used to his size which was almost impossible because of his harsh pounding. his hips just moved faster and faster, almost making you see stars.

“slow down michael.” you choked out as you lay back down again. in reply, michael surged forward and wrapped a calloused hand around your throat tightly, almost cutting off your airway. your eyes shot open at the sudden lack of air and you looked at him with pleading eyes. but michael didn’t show mercy. how could he have? he’s the shape of haddonfield. nobody gets to tell him what to do.

in a matter of seconds, michael had you up in a mating press, the new position allowing him to go deeper, his tip pressing against your g-spot deliciously. “oh fuck! you feel so good michael.” you yelled out, hands gripping on his arms for support. by now you were used to his size and all you experienced was pure pleasure. the both of you moaned out as he went in and out of your tight cunt. the hand that squeezed your throat now wandered down to your breast and kneaded it roughly, only adding to the intense sensations he’s giving to you.

michael let out a low growl, his thrusts becoming more desperate, chasing his own release. your nails dug sharply into his flesh and you slowly felt your orgasm building up. with his pelvis constantly clashing against your puffy clit, you only reached your high faster. “please michael let me come.” you pleaded, eyes rolling to the back of your skull.

suddenly he pulled out of you and before you could even comprehend it, he threw you on your stomach, ass up in the air. immediately, he reentered you, his thrusts just as harsh and fast as before. your face was mushed up against the couch, whimpers and high pitched moans leaving your lips. michael’s hands found their way to your hips, pulling your body roughly back, meeting his own thrusts.

this position made him go even deeper, rougher and when you felt his tip constantly brushing against your sweet spot, you tripped over the edge. a pornographic moan rang through the room as you came with such a great force, almost passing out from the intensity.

your orgasm made him go feral and he began to pound into you with an animalistic pace, inhuman even- to a point were it began to hurt. his hips snapped so harshly against your ass, you couldn’t take it anymore.

“too much. s-stop.” you begged, voice just above a whisper. with an answering growl, he aggressively gripped the roots of your hair and pulled your body up, forcing you to arch your back uncomfortably. a string of loud cry’s came out of your mouth and tears started to pour down your cheeks uncontrollably.

the loud sound of skin slapping against each other and the heavy smell of sex that lingered in the air, made your brain dizzy. your arms threatened to give out but michael pulled you now fully up against him, pressing his chest into your back.

the squeals and cry’s that came out of your mouth turned him on even more and the fact that you were experiencing pain, made him go crazy. if he would have known before that he could use you like this, he would have fucked you months ago.

after a few minutes of his relentless pounding you noticed his breaths getting louder, the grunts and growls he would let out here and there were also getting more intense, signing you he was almost reaching his high.

“cum inside me michael.” you managed to squeal out and in reply michael fucked into you with all his strength, hands grabbing your tits and teeth biting into your shoulder. with an animalistic growl, he finally let go and painted your walls with his white liquid. he continued to push in and out of you, fucking his cum deep inside of you.

you could barely hold your eyes open and your body was feeling like jelly. but then michael pulled out of your hole and you immediately fell back on the sofa. exhausted breaths came out of your mouth, trying to calm down from the intense fuck.

you felt his weight shifting on the couch and heard him getting dressed again. your eyes were still closed when he suddenly gripped your hair again and pulled your head up. he was bent down to your level and you saw something in his eyes you’ve never seen before.

“good girl.” he faintly whispered before releasing his grip and walking away. your mouth opened at his words and your brows furrowed.

you thought you were dreaming. for the first time ever michael spoke to you.

[probablyasocialecologist]

Many on the right have sought to depict the protesters as extremists, but the sheer scale and regularity of the protests and actions are in fact a sign of how mainstream pro-Palestinian feeling is within British society. The question, assuming the movement succeeds in ending the Israeli assault, is where does it go next? What becomes of movements when they stop moving? Traditionally, social movements went through phases of emergence, coalescence, institutionalisation and decline, followed by dissipation and co-optation by mainstream parties. This usually took decades, the classic case being the US civil rights movement. Yet the era since “Occupy Wall Street” in 2011 has been one of so-called “flash movements”. From Black Lives Matter to the gilets jaunes, movements have coalesced around hashtagged slogans with astonishing celerity, producing deep political crises – and then subsiding. The Gaza campaign resembles a flash movement. It didn’t come out of nowhere. Palestine has been a cause of the international left since the six-day war in 1967, and the UK has seen repeated protests over Israel’s flattening of the West Bank, invasion of Lebanon and serial bombardments of Gaza. There is a network of organisations doing the groundwork, such as the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War. But the turnout for these protests shows the virtues of the flash movement: it can rapidly mobilise masses of people, tolerate a diversity of tactics and keep focus on a simple, morally obvious demand. In many respects, it is succeeding. In the UK, despite efforts to demonise the protests as “hate marches”, and the then home secretary Suella Braverman’s inept provocation of the far right against the protests, the demonstrations brought up to 800,000 people to the streets on 11 November. This was the largest such demonstration since the invasion of Iraq. Nor was the UK alone. There have been mass protests everywhere from Tokyo and Kerala to Cairo, Washington DC and Rio de Janeiro. In France and Berlin, protesters have defied official bans. In the US, the Jewish left has led the movement and often engaged in the most militant tactics,including blockading Manhattan Bridge. The embattled Israeli left has also staged protests, despite a climate of police repression and mob violence. The movement has done what successful movements do: win over public opinion, catalyse cracks in elite consensus and expose divisions in the state. These splits were visible in the form of staffer dissent in the US state department, frontbench resignations in Labour over Keir Starmer’s refusal to support a ceasefire, protests by Dutch civil servants and EU employees, Macron’s ceasefire demand, and recently the call from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, three of the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing coalition countries, for an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire”. Only the US now vetoes UN ceasefire resolutions.

[breannasfluff]

Don't Touch

Whump Rating: 3.5/5

TW: Ear injury, but it's fully healed

The newest group of heroes were…touchy. Not temper-wise, but physically. They slapped each other’s backs and nudged each other when walking. Wild and Twilight wrestled. Wind stole Warriors’ scarf—often by yanking it off his neck.

It was weird. Hyrule keeps a healthy distance from all of it. They try to draw him in by reaching out, but he’s adept at ducking incoming hands. A few inches to the side removes him from the range of nudging. A quick redirect can send the more excited members to someone else.

Over time, the Chain leaves him alone. Sky sends the odd longing glance, but he doesn’t push his hugs and cuddles. Hyrule slowly relaxes as they prove they won’t surprise him with touch. What no one asks, though, is why he doesn’t like it in the first place.

They are in his era and approaching one of the towns. Hyrule leads the way, although his shoulders are rising to meet his ears. Time slides in next to him, careful not to bump him. “Is something wrong?”

They’ll find out soon enough. “The people in my era don’t like me. Sometimes they can be a little…harsh.” Harsh is a kindness they don’t give him, but he keeps that to himself.

Hyrule loves what his era could be, buried beneath the angry townspeople and monsters. There are others out there who will offer help if you look hard enough. He fights for them, not those who hate him.

People glare, but the addition of the other heroes keeps them from approaching. The group splits up; the others will have a better time buying supplies. Even strangers are more favorable than the local hero.

Hyrule sticks to the alleys and side streets, doing his best to keep out of sight while also continuing to move. It’s dangerous to stay in one spot for too long. Even with the precaution, though, they find him.

“Goddess-damned hero!” The shopkeeper throws his can of garbage at Hyrule and he skitters back. Rotting vegetables streak his arm where he wasn’t quick enough to dodge.

“Hero! In our town?” Another door opens and a man exits, hefting a wooden staff. The cries continue and soon Hyrule is surrounded.

“Get out!”

“No one wants you!”

“Piece of filth!”

The words hurt, but the stones hurt more. Hyrule yelps as one lands solidly against his shoulder. The growing mob shouts and dives in around him.

Dirty fingers claw at his skin, leaving raised lines. Something—probably the staff—is slammed into his gut and he folds, arm raised to try to protect his head. Someone stomps on the fingers braced against the ground. His scream stutters as metal flashes in someone’s hand; there’s a knife.

“We’ve had enough of you!”

“Yeah! Make sure he never comes back!”

Someone grabs his head, turning it to the side. He thrashes, shouts—anything to get free. Panic has his heart hammering double time and all he wants to do is get out of here. Arms tighten around his ribs, crushing his arms in place.

“Hold him steady!”

A hand grabs his ear, pulling and pinching. Hyrule thrashes harder, but he can’t get free. The man with the knife steps forward. Rage twists his face into a snarl. Like this, it’s hard to tell the monsters from the hylians. All they want is an outlet for their pain and the hero is the closest they have.

The knife slices through skin. Hyrule screams and thrashes harder. It’s too dull to cut cleanly so the man saws as he cuts, slicing and reslicing sensitive flesh. Blood pours from the growing wound, dripping onto his tunic.

Somewhere below all the pain, a thought drifts by—Warriors is going to be pissed about the bloodstains.

His head is on fire and his ear, nerves still mostly intact, is sending wild signals he cannot act on. Hyrule begs and wails, but they don’t care. They never care. How many times of the people of his realm beat him to a bloody pulp and leave him to die? One of his fingers is permanently short where someone cut it off.

Touch in his era only means pain and agony. Anything else is only a lie to cover the truth. Sooner or later, someone will hurt you.

“Let him go! Now!”

There’s a roar of sound—or maybe it’s the growing buzzing in his other ear—and suddenly the hands holding him are disappearing. The knife vanishes and as soon as he’s free, Hyrule clutches his ruined ear. It hangs; mostly cut off. Gently he cradles it. The smallest movement seems likely to rip it off completely.

The heroes are a blur of rage as they fight off the townspeople. They scatter with shouts of their own. A few don’t get up from where they’ve fallen. Unconscious? Or dead? The traveler can’t bring himself to care.

“Hey, let me see, Hyrule” That’s Time, crouching in front of him. His hand hovers near where the traveler cups his bleeding ear.

It’s childish, but he shakes his head and scoots backward. When did he end up on the ground? He doesn’t want anyone to touch him. Not now. Not like this.

“Please, we want to help.”

No. No, no, he’ll deal with this on his own. Just like every other wound he’s gotten.

Then Legend is replacing Time. He pulls out a knife and Hyrule flinches, but all the vet does is press it into his hand. “Here.” Then he puts his hand flat on the ground and positions the knife over it. “Now, you’re going to let Time check your ear. And if he does anything you don’t like, or you think we’re going to hurt you, you stab that dagger into my hand, okay?”

Despite the burning agony, Hyrule gapes at him. Why…why would he offer something like that? It must be a trap. Warily, he presses the dagger down slightly. The tip pricks the skin and a drop of blood wells. Legend doesn’t flinch; doesn’t pull away.

“Time? Any day now.”

The hero moves forward and slowly, Hyrule uncovers his ear. The hiss from the others is off-kilter from only one ear. Time touches it carefully and it’s all the traveler can do not to pull away, or hurt Legend out of fear. What can they do? A red potion might help, but those are important. They need them for traveling. He might be able to heal some of the damage, but—

The tinkle of a fairy cuts off his thoughts. Hyrule’s eyes widen as the creature swirls around his head, dusting him with magic. The wounds from the mob vanish and his ear is good as new. He flicks it, just to test.

Through it all, Legend never moves his hand.

“You wasted a fairy on me,” he breathes. He pulls the dagger away and hands it back.

“It’s not a waste if it was worth it. Keep it. Till you feel safe.” Legend curls Hyrule’s hand around the handle.

The vet’s fingers burn hot where they touch his. Maybe…not all touch has to mean pain.

[creeping-kommando]

Rebuild’in Wot Woz Skrapped.

Boss Kommanda Grimgrod

Burgeoning Warboss of the Segmentum Solar:

“Ain’t nothing left but to start over. Lotta you runts fink we’re done, that without Da Kaptin, we’re good as ded. Well, I’m ’ere to tell you sorry gits that you’re wrong. Sure we mighta lost our Dakka, our Kroozerz, and ‘ell, we may ‘ave even lost the battle. But, we’re ORKZ Zog it! You good for nothing grots must’ve forgotten, that we ain’t ever beaten! We’re gonna come back bigger, better, and smarter than before, and show those bugs that they ain’t won yet!”

|Rules|

Height: 10’3”/ Age: 20-25 Years/

Grimgrod had always been seen as a joke to his superiors, and even to some of his inferiors. Many Orks would’ve heard stories of the infamously bad luck that tailed the Nob like a loyal Squig, and found it easy to bully him into jobs no one else wanted to do. So during the brutal tyranid attack that wiped out the Circuit Jawz, Grimgrod had survived by being made a lousy messenger. To tell the tale of good ole Kaptin Zagbad Grimgul.

It was only after he first regaled the death of his mighty Kaptin that Grimgrod finally decided he had enough. Something in the young Nob finally snapped, and from then after his misfit mob and him flew through the stars, tackling former Circuit Jawz, absorbing them into the fold, and brutally assaulting lost territories. This new tribe was dubbed the Doom’eadz, with Grimgrod as their Warboss. Only time will tell what plans he has for the former allies and enemies of Zagbad.

Occupation: Mercenary, Tactical Consultant, Part-Time Freebootah

Skills: ‘Diplomacy’, Close Quarters Combat, Amateur Mek Know How, Tracking, and Sneaking.

Goals: To pick up where Zagbad left off, but instead of being a measly pirate, Grimgrod wants true domination. He wants to prove every git who doubted him wrong, and crush the Hivefleet who did in his Kaptin first as a demonstration of his superiority. Not to mention a need to show that Blood Axe thinking is right.

Allies:

The Heg Ravens

Da Gear-Klaws (Begrudgingly)

Da Mad-Kapz

Appearance:

Standing at 10 feet and 3 inches tall, Grimgrod is much smaller than his former Kaptin, but still a hulking behemoth. Lightly armored, the heaviest implements the Ork carries are his taloned cybernetic legs and arm, while the rest of his attire is military wear based upon imperial foes. His helm holds a skull like visage, a visor hiding everything but the monster’s gleaming red eyes. Across his form, is a color of blue and black, a camouflage pattern with a bit more subtly to it than the average Ork would care to wear. Around his neck is a flag turned scarf taken as a final farewell from his Kaptin, which Grimgrod now uses as a sign of his era and the passing of the torch.

His shoulders meanwhile are armored by a typical checker patterned plate and a looted astartes pauldron. It’s been outfitted with spikes to present a more fashionable appearance, one befitting greenskin sensibilities.

Equipment

Snik & Snakk: Two overly long knives that Grimgrod keeps on his person at all times. They’re great for slitting throats, picking locks, and generally giving anything a good stab.

Da Hush Hush Stabba: Grimgrod is a Blood Axe, and Axe Boyz never play fair. Within his bionic arm is a secret blade he can extend from underneath his palm, and then cleanly retract. Some gits need that extra nudge to understand that they’re deceased.

Da Final Say: A large revolver that Grimgrod uses when he realizes the time for words and headbutts are over. Snagged off a Beast Snagga who gave him lip, Grimgrod’s put the weapon to far greater use than its previous owner.

Da Kultural Exchange Bouquet: Grimgrod has an assortment of throwable weapons and explosives in his arsenal, and when in a real pinch, will decide to use all of them. Flash Bangs, Stikkbombs, 'Sploding Squigs, and Tankbusta Bombs are all deployed in a wired ‘Bouquet’, usually as a parting gift courtesy of the Doom’eadz.

Studguf’s Kustom Nanites: After Zagbad was deemed dead, Grimgrod attempted to replicate the past Ork Kaptain’s strange ability to both harden his skin and weapons to a steel like quality, a technique the Kaptin failed to teach him. After months of tensing his muscles and concentrating really hard, Grimgrod abducted and forced a Mek to instead make him an artificial copy. When faced with a knife to the throat, Studguf obliged, and Grimgrod was gifted with a similar ability to Zagbad. It’s still a sore spot however.

Credit Notes

The first image was drawn by @/rowscara

The second image was drawn by @/ChumiiCham

The third image was drawn by @/hydroxianchaos

[hotlantis-regular]

Splatoon Music Catalogue Volume 9: Ink Theory

Okay, Ink Theory is one of my favorite bands, I mean I got a backstage pass to their upcoming concert, I’m that much of a fan. But since this is a catalogue I’ll be looking at them from an unbiased lens since that’s what I do here. Up to speed? Then here we go.

Ink Theory is an all female 6 member jazz band, the band’s founder Karen said she was inspired by Hightide Era when founding the band, and they have a rivalry with Bottom Feeders on account of their similar styles and debut times.

The band is composed of:

Yoko on trumpet(who gets nervous in large performances)

Karen on piano(the founder of the band who graduated from a famous music university)

Zuzu on kazoo(who due to her beauty gets the most attention from the flash mobs)

Oonie on bass(who grew up in a strict household with her famous musician parents)

Maya on percussion(who does play mainly for Ink Theory but does do some freelance work for some other bands)

And Kitamura on drums(she’s the band’s mascot)

My favorite song of theirs would have to be Broken Coral, it sounds like a mishmash of odd tastes at first, but it grows on you.

Goodbye for now, see you all next catalogue!(and maybe you can spot me at their next concert)

[sunmuted]

Flash Mob Culture Through Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" Music Video

In the late 1990s, a unique cultural phenomenon emerged, blending spontaneous performance art with the power of digital connection. Flash mobs, characterized by groups of people assembling suddenly in a public place to perform a seemingly pointless act and then spreading out, captivated the imagination of people. One iconic representation of this era is the music video for Fatboy Slim's "Praise You," directed by Spike Jonze and Roman Coppola.

Released in 1999, the "Praise You" music video offers a quirky, and cute portrayal of flash mob culture. Set in front of the historic Fox Theater in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, the video captures the essence of spontaneity and community-driven creativity that defined the era.

The video begins with a title card announcing a "Torrance Community Dance Group Presentation," immediately setting the stage for what unfolds next. What follows is a delightfully amateurish yet charming dance performance by a fictional group of dancers. Led by Spike Jonze himself and members of the renowned Rock Steady Crew, the routine is intentionally unpolished, adding to its quirky appeal.

We can see some examples of flash mob culture in that era’s TV series. Modern Family and Glee had flash mob scenes with En Vogue’s Free Your Mind, and Glee with The Safety Dance by Men Without Hats.

What sets the "Praise You" video apart is its incorporation of real-life reactions from unaware people. As the dancers break into their routine, the camera captures genuine responses from pedestrians, with various emotions visible. This element of authenticity adds a layer of unpredictability and excitement to the performance, blurring the lines between art and reality.

Throughout the video, the dancers interact playfully with their environment, incorporating elements of improvisation and spontaneity. They wave at observers, engage with the camera, and even pause their routine to acknowledge the crowd. This sense of community and connection demonstrates the spirit of flash mob culture, where individuals come together to create moments of shared joy and spontaneity.

As the performance climaxes, the crowd outside the theater applauds the dancers, culminating in a heartwarming display of appreciation and camaraderie. The video's feel-good ending reinforces the notion that, despite its seemingly frivolous nature, flash mob culture has the power to bring people together and uplift spirits.

In retrospect, the "Praise You" music video serves as a nostalgic snapshot of an old era, capturing the essence of a cultural phenomenon that defined the late 1990s and early 2000s. It celebrates the spirit of spontaneity, creativity, and community that made flash mobs a memorable and cherished part of our cultural landscape. And like the dancers in the video, we can't help but join in the joy of it all.

[urbanthreads]

Rhythmic Echoes: The Evolution of Rap Music

Photo by Antoine J. on Unsplash

Introduction

Rap music has captivated audiences worldwide with its vivid wordplay, powerful rhythms, and messages. From the gritty streets of the Bronx to the star-studded Los Angeles studios, rap has evolved into a diverse and influential genre. Let’s take a walk down the memory lane and explore how rap music has evolved over the years.

The Roots: 1970s - Early 1980s

Rap music originated in the African-American communities of New York City in the 1970s. At block parties, DJs would play funk and soul records and isolate the percussion breaks to create a continuous beat. This technique, called “breaking”, inspired MCs (Master of Ceremonies) to speak over the beats, narrating stories or rhyming words. Pioneers like DJ Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, and Grandmaster Flash are often credited with laying the foundation for rap music.

Golden Age: Mid 1980s - Early 1990s

The mid-1980s ushered in what many consider the “Golden Age” of rap. Rap music became more complex and sophisticated as artists like Run DMC, Public Enemy, and N.W.A addressed social and political issues, shedding light on racial tensions and police brutality. The storytelling aspect became prominent with the likes of Slick Rick and Big Daddy Kane. The East Coast – West Coast rivalry also emerged, setting a competitive atmosphere that fueled creativity.

Diversification: Mid 1990s - Early 2000s

The 1990s saw rap music splintering into various sub-genres. The East Coast, led by artists like Nas, Jay-Z, and The Notorious B.I.G., focused on lyrical sophistication and jazz-infused beats. Meanwhile, the West Coast, with artists like Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, and Dr. Dre, favored funk samples and catchy hooks. The Southern rap scene also rose to prominence with Outkast and Goodie Mob pioneering the ‘Dirty South’ sound.

Commercial Boom: Mid 2000s - Early 2010s

Rap became a commercial juggernaut in the 2000s. Mainstream artists like 50 Cent, Eminem, and Kanye West achieved massive commercial success. Production value skyrocketed and collaborations with pop artists became commonplace. The genre diversified further, with the rise of alternative hip-hop acts like Kid Cudi and Lupe Fiasco.

Internet Era: Mid 2010s - Present

The Internet revolutionized the music industry, and rap was no exception. Platforms like SoundCloud and social media allowed independent artists to release music without a record label. This led to the rise of artists like Chance the Rapper and Tyler, The Creator, who built their careers online. Trap music, characterized by its use of 808 drums and hi-hats, also became a dominant sub-genre, with artists like Migos and Travis Scott at the forefront.

Contemporary Evolution: 2020s

As we move into the 2020s, rap music continues to evolve. The genre is becoming increasingly international with grime in the UK, drill in Australia, and various other styles around the globe. Additionally, the lines between genres are blurring, with artists like Lil Nas X and Post Malone blending rap with country and rock.

Conclusion

Rap music’s journey from the streets of New York to a global phenomenon is a testament to its adaptability and the raw power of rhythm and wordplay. As rap continues to evolve, it remains a voice for marginalized communities, a playground for experimentation, and an ever-changing reflection of society. Whether through poetic storytelling or pulsating trap beats, rap music is, and will continue

[dirt-piper]

On the origins of Not So Seecret Saturday, and its future

When I first found Minecraft I was roughly 10 years old.

I can’t precisely identify how I found it - through some kid at school, or a friend of my sister, or randomly on the internet - but I remember falling in love with it.

I loved the aesthetic, I loved the dopey Minecraft music parodies, I loved the let’s plays, I loved the classic multiplayer servers, I loved the dumb jokes the community made, but most of all - I loved the game itself. It was weird, beautiful, simple, terrifying, serene, and hilarious, all at the same time.

I spent hours not only playing the game itself, but also watching videos about it, reading forum and blog posts, and poring over the Minecraft wiki - my favorite articles of which were the ones regarding the removed, unused, and planned features - aspects of the game that I could know about but never experience for myself.

Over time the game I fell in love with started to fade away - the aesthetic changed as biomes were added (though not that much, and it still looked nice), the gameplay began to suffer (a fast travel hell dimension with nothing to do in it, beds that let you sidestep the entire challenge of the game), but it was still largely the game I loved.

After Beta 1.8, the game I loved ceased to exist.

Okay, that’s a bit too dramatic. I still played the hell out of the game during the early release era - but I notably stopped playing survival singleplayer altogether after Beta 1.8. Multiplayer in any game is fun, and the newly added creative mode gave me hours of mindless entertainment blowing things up with TNT and making useless redstone contraptions. But to a large extent I stopped playing the game itself - survival singleplayer - and every time I did I found myself having a very hard time enjoying it.

Now, kid me didn’t really know why I suddenly lost all interest in this game I loved - I could kinda grok that stuff like the new hunger system and terrain system were less than stellar (likely helped by the fact that everyone seemed to hate these two things at the time - the massive open letter to Mojang begging them to add beaches back to the terrain generator springs to mind), but the nitty gritty specifics of what exactly made the game less fun for me were not yet apparent.

Luckily for kid me, I managed to find something to help me alleviate the problem - Exalm’s OldDays mod. This mod allowed you to tweak Minecraft’s features to your own preferences, literally undoing changes from various updates on-the-fly to permit you to hand-tune your personal “perfect” version of Minecraft. I used it to tear out all the changes I didn’t like - gone were the biomes, hunger system, nether, sprinting, new terrain generator, stackable food, potions, enchanting system, etc. Now, suddenly, I could play (and enjoy) singleplayer survival again - and this was the ‘default’ way I played Minecraft up until the mod stopped getting updated in 2013, around release 1.6.4.

By this time a brand new Minecraft launcher had released which allowed you to (officially) go back and play previous versions of Minecraft - with OldDays gone, I picked the version of the game closest to my hand-crafted ideal and dove right in. Thus, the primary version of Minecraft that I played became Alpha 1.1.2_01.

Flash-forward 5 years to July 18th 2018, and I’m not a kid anymore. I’ve just graduated high school, and I’m on vacation with my family in Long Beach Island, New Jersey. It’s a rainy day, so I’m playing Minecraft on my laptop. By this point I had a singleplayer world with damn near everything a player could want in 2010 - an automatic cactus farm, a mob grinder, a minecart system, vast underground mines, an automatic boat dispenser, a hulking storage room - you name it. But deep within I felt a twinge, a feeling that something was missing. I don’t remember what originally set me off, whether it was being by the ocean, or the nascient release of the update aquatic, or a memory of Minecraft classic, but somehow I started getting a bit upset that sponges were unobtainable in the version of the game I was playing.

Very conveniently, I had taken a class on Java my junior year of high school.

I dug up an ancient version of the Mod Coder Pack for a1.1.2_01, decompiled Minecraft and started poking around the codebase. After a bit of digging, a realization slowly began to dawn on me - why stop at sponges? Why not fix more things? Like fix axes not breaking workbenches? Or redstone ore taking an eternity to mine? Or boats exploding when you sneeze on them? Or, better yet, fulfill my childhood fantasies by implementing all the removed/unused/unimplemented features I used to spend hours reading about on the minecraft wiki. Realizing I could use some guidance, I asked my friend Vulpovile (creator of Minecraft Classic Creative Revived) if he might like to help me out with my new project.

side note: I planned on adding the ambient loops a full two years before getting around to implementing them... and my method was essentially the same as what I schemed up on the first day. Most NSSS features bounce around my head for a year or two before I finally implement them.

We managed to get sponges done within a day, and banged out the rest of the little QoL fixes I wanted not too long after. Soon we began going haywire - adding singleplayer commands, trying to fix the outrageously janky alpha multiplayer, optimizing the game, making food stack, making trees drop apples, underwater dungeons, whatever we wanted to do, we did it. We had already numbered our new ‘fork’ of Minecraft as ‘Alpha v1.1.3’, but didn’t actually have a name for it - the original working title was “Minecraft Redone” - a very literal description of our goals, but not that catchy. After 4 days I finally coined the name.

By the 28th, our first release was out: Not So Seecret Saturday’s Minecraft Alpha v1.1.3. We ended up released one update every other week straight on into october - in 1.1.4 we tried to beat the server code further into submission, in 1.1.5 I reimplemented the score system from survival test and added floating worlds, in 1.1.6 I tried (and failed) to improve mob AI and made sponges redstone-sensitive, and in 1.1.7 we polished our work a bit and added two more world types. Then September hit and Vulpovile and I were sucked right back into college. During winter break we managed to release some more patches to 1.1.7, as well as 1.1.8 to add McRegion and running... before the first gap.

‘The gap’, as I’m dubbing it now, is a fairly common occurrence in NSSS development - it’s happened roughly 3.5 times now, and each time it’s the same thing:

Development on NSSS is interrupted by something IRL (at first this was always college, but now it’s health conditions and other boring responsibilities of being an adult. And a bit of depression.)

I don’t get right back to working on NSSS.

I spend a lot of time thinking about the then-current state of NSSS. A LOT of time.

The more I think, the more I determine needs to be done to NSSS before I’d be satisfied enough to do a new release.

Every time I open eclipse I either get so overwhelmed by the massive backlog of work that has to be done that I either only manage one tiny portion or I give up and do something else.

Steps 2-5 are repeated ad nauseum, until...

A sudden, miraculous wave of motivation occurs. I get everything I’ve been planning over the past [weeks/months/year(s)] done in the span of 2 weeks, release the update, and finally return to making semi-regular NSSS updates.

This routine is so predictable to me now that I can nearly time my watch to it. But that first gap after 1.1.8 was special - as I sat and thought about NSSS, and what I really wanted to do with it, my goal slowly shifted. At first I had just wanted to ‘fix’ Minecraft alpha by cramming a bunch of shiny toys and knick-knacks into it to satisfy my inner child, but now I wanted something... more. I didn’t just want to make a better alpha than alpha, I wanted to make a better Minecraft than Minecraft.

Let me preface this by divulging that I’m a massive fan of Team Fortress 2.

The development history of TF2 is utterly fascinating, and if you’re at all interested in game development I urge you greatly to play through the entire TF2 developer’s commentary, but the relevant parallel is this:

The original Team Fortress was a mod of quake made by a trio of Australian teenagers who went hog-wild with QuakeC, the super powerful Quake scripting language, to invent the class-based shooter in 1996. At first they were just adding things to have fun, but over time started paying more and more attention to the actual design and balance of the game they had created. Eventually, the entire team was hired by VALVe in ‘98, and after porting Team Fortress to GoldSrc as ‘Team Fortress Classic’, they got right to work on Team Fortress 2.

Team Fortress 2 didn’t release for another 9 years.

During that time, TF2 went through a multitude of totally different designs and ideas, at some points being nearly unrecognizable gameplay-wise to the original Team Fortress, until ultimately VALVe decided to stop trying to invent something wholly new and unknown and instead to improve on what they knew - and so they essentially rebuilt Team Fortress for the third time, now in the Source engine, and with a cartoon-ier art style. And then they started playtesting.

VALVe had learnt from making half-life that playtesting often and early is utterly invaluable as a tool to aide game design. After all - how do you know how something is gonna play until you’ve played it? And how will it play for people who are totally unexposed to it? A developer already knows all the game’s mechanics and how they work - how would a lay-person discover them all for themselves? Which mechanics would a normal player use in ways the developers never intended? There’s no way to find this stuff out until you hand your game off to a stranger and wait to see how they break it.

And so VALVe, through constant playtesting, tweaking, and fiddling, honed TF2′s design and gameplay to a point where, while not totally perfect, was absolutely better than the original Team Fortress. And aside from the new artstyle, the omission of grenades and bhopping, and the medic becoming... well, an actual medic, very little had changed of the core gameplay beyond little tweaks and nudges.

That’s what I wanted NSSS to become.

I wanted to make Minecraft into a better game than it already was through little tweaks and nudges - an adjustment here, a rebalance there, and a few new features where a gap exists to justify them.

During the first gap I did manage to release some moderate patches to 1.1.8, fixes for things like the busted FastRender port and proper textures for all the dye colors, as well as the first release of the NSSS launcher. But all of these were just tide-overs for what I really wanted.

In summer of 2020 the first gap-and-a-half concluded with the release of 1.1.9, which added Creative mode, Sponge Armor, and Ambient loops. All of these features were things I had spent years brainstorming, tweaking, and revising before I was finally happy with them - and when they finally released to the public... they were good. By now NSSS had started to accumulate some following, and the positive feedback to 1.1.9 was notable - it turns out that people like things that are carefully thought-out and designed! Two weeks later I released 1.1.10 to patch over some more things and finalize gold touch, and then I set my aim on the largest hulking problem NSSS has faced since day 1:

Multiplayer.

The original ‘legacy’ NSSS server was accidentally based off of a version of hMod for Alpha 1.1.2_01, but our problems with it would have occurred regardless; the Alpha server SUCKED. Within a day of poking around the code Vulpovile and I came to the conclusion that Notch had taken the Classic server and stapled infinite worlds onto it to create a horrible abomination.

Mobs would randomly turn invisible, Redstone would only work at certain Y levels, Doors would open halfway, you would randomly die of fall damage for no reason, you couldn’t eat food unless you were looking directly at the floor, if you checked a furnace while it was smelting something it’d break the timer and waste fuel, you could dupe items in chests by clicking on them fast enough, tools could be repaired by dropping them on the ground and picking them back up - it was a nightmare.

Vulpovile and I both, quite rightly, came to the conclusion around 1.1.8 that the legacy server was unworkable. We started trying to write our own , new server from scratch, but that went nowhere - too much of an uphill battle. Once 1.1.9 came along, I decided to do it ‘the easy way’ and just take a later version’s server and downgrade it to alpha - the winner was beta 1.7.3. I had hoped to finish by 1.1.10, but found myself in a deeper hole than I expected, so 1.1.10 was shipped with no multiplayer and I made 1.1.11 into the “fix multiplayer” release.

1.1.11 took over a year to finish.

God what a nightmare. It did not take me very much time to get simple interoperability between the NSSS client and the Beta server, but certain bugs quickly emerged as gordion knots: if someone sneaked they would crash all connected clients, opening a chest crashed the game, crafting recipes were one slot to the left, your armor would shift one slot down at random times, and vehicles were possessed by demons. The sheer amount of bugs I had to work through to get this update out was mind-boggling, to a point where I actually opened 1.1.11 up to a limited group of playtesters for several months before full release just for the sake of trying to eliminate every bug possible. Ultimately, the pre-planned release date of September 18th, 2021 (exactly eleven years after Alpha 1.1.1, the first seecret saturday) snuck up on me, and I panickedly released what I hoped was a relatively bug-free 1.1.11: it wasn’t! While multiplayer was far, far better than it had been in 1.1.9 and prior, singleplayer had become riddled with bugs, namely pertaining to inventories and creepers. I quashed most of them in later patches, but the armor shifting bug still isn’t totally fixed in multiplayer - if you die and relog without completely closing and reopening the game, your armor still shifts one slot down. I have no clue why the hell this happens.

Something that started happening during 1.1.11 that would foreshadow the next 2 years of NSSS’s development was a trend wherein I would gradually feel more and more trapped by the feature set of the update I was working on, and would increasingly wish I was working on the next update instead - this sucked for motivation and made 1.1.11 take even longer. That next update was going to be one that would add Seasons and Dynamic Weather to NSSS - an update which has been in progress for almost two years.

1.1.12 is still coming along, don’t worry, but I can guarantee you that once it’s out, I am never doing another massive, year-long-wait update for NSSS every again. Updates will return to being smaller and more frequent - the way it should be! Expect further ranting in a later post.

-DirtPiper

[rookie-critic]

Babylon (2022, dir. Damien Chazelle) - review by Rookie-Critic

Babylon was overlong, overstuffed, and over-everything. This is a textbook example of how to jam-pack so much into your movie and make things so non-stop wild that it just becomes a bumbling mess by the time the movie is over. With contradicting messaging and the romanticizing of an era that is really probably not worthy of romanticizing, by the time the movie was even at its halfway point (which is about what the runtime of the film should have actually been) I began to question what exactly Chazelle was trying to get across. He loves movies, but I guess likes the mid-to-late 20s silent film era the most? Perhaps. Although, maybe it's a general love for the art of film making we're seeing, and Chazelle just decided to have a large portion of the film dedicated to showing how soulless and robotic early talkies were? Like I said, the movie falls over on itself constantly, and if the goal was to show how magical making movies is, then he straight up failed, because it looks like a nightmare and shit show (also incredibly deadly, apparently). There are a handful of great ideas here, and maybe if the film had focused up on telling a great story about one or two protagonists instead of four or five, as well as cut its runtime in half, we might have had the best thing he's made since Whiplash on our hands. The best scenes in the movie are the ones that calm everything down and allow two characters to have a genuine moment of connection, and we learn things about the characters that I'm way more interested in than whatever the next absolutely cacophonous madhouse that awaits in the next scene is.

I can't deny that there were things about it that I did like, and the things I liked, I liked quite a bit. Diego Calva is a fantastic actor, and I love seeing big directors like Chazelle give lesser known actors like Calva a chance to really shine and have that breakout performance, of which this is most definitely his. Jovan Adepo, for what little screen time he does get, is also one of the highlights, and I wish the movie had taken a little bit of the runtime away from the less interesting protagonists (Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie's characters) and given it to Adepo, because I feel like he could have quite possibly been the most interesting character in the entire film had the time been invested in him. I don't mean to say that Pitt and Robbie do a bad job in the film, they're two masterclass actors and do a great job as their characters, I just personally didn't find their characters that engaging or interesting in the first place. Also, for as much as I have been rallying against the "muchness" of Babylon, one of my absolute favorite sequences in the entire film is the scene involving Tobey Maguire's mob boss character. It is one of the most genuinely unsettling and freaky pieces of any film I've seen this year and it's not even in a movie that could kind of be considered a horror film. Maguire oozes deplorability and absolutely steals the entire movie away from anyone else every second that he's on screen. The things that happen during that sequence are things I have not really been able to make leave my head since leaving the theater and, god, I wish I could.

I'm sure Chazelle wanted Babylon to be considered his magnum opus, that's definitely how the film reads, but it really just comes across as a movie that tries way too hard to keep the audience engaged, when it didn't really need even a quarter of the amount of flash and wildness that it had in order to accomplish that. Calva's performance alone would have been enough, and the parts of the film that worked would have just been bonus points. However, as it stands, Babylon just feels like a movie reveling in its own excess, and none of the sentiment it throws out in its final act is enough to save it from all of the unnecessary pieces that preceded it.

Score: 6/10

Currently only in theaters.

[meanwhileinstasiville]

Wondering if people vote

While I'm out in the deep end of social media. Tumblr erotica blogs. Do they vote; do they have jobs. Nightblogging livejournalers before that. Do you vote? Anonymous on old days 4chan; flash mobbing websites takes *a lot of people*.

What's a single issue candidate that any of these people would vote for?

Even the super on point *government sponsorship seeming* political commentary blogs; because government agents vote too. It seems like hunting or even fishing for people who've never done it; you aim high and miss because you don't want to shoot something, you're not sighted in, even if you manage to take something; that doesn't turn it into food.

Fish over the campfire? Did you forget that you don't want to eat the guts?

Since I like an abundance of sexy deviant things here; the same thing applies that there's real life adjacent to the stuff. Stuff that's logistically impossible is a regular thing. Notably where no one gets used to things in a committed sexual relationship, and yet there's coercive stuff but with implicit somehow previously negotiated trust.

Things that seem really interesting until you start doing them; driving a car. You know racecars and effortless "sitcom" driving and how hard can that be. Except that you can't do one and the other one is nothing like real life.

And so, I'm wondering how the people who have specific knowledge of these things, pornstars for example, find themselves looking at some of these things looking to reenact them while musing "seems legit".

And for anyone who actually reads this and wants to know, I grew up in Ashland which is a tourist town that happens to *present itself from all angles* like a Garrison Keillor story. Shakespeare brought some of the highest quality actors *in the world* to live here. Set designers. Costumers. The whole thing. And absolutely none of it was ever real. Some of the most jaded and cynical (myself included) people, were the ones that I went to school here with. Seriously. We're all Berkeley Muse joke acclimated.

Barak Obama comes along and said change and everyone is going to be rich. Trump followed him and said the 80s were coming back. We keep electing people on these things (Obama private wars with drones), Trump appoints people like they did in the 1980s; so people complain about electoral college but then, appointees outnumber any given elected official 100 to 1. Trump had thousands.

Obama changed press secretaries like underwear. Real life is really happening in there behind the scenes. Dilbert's "technical divide" was a *long time ago* and we don't have the *rich person rich car* *poor person poor car* *same road*.

There are "people who work at olive garden" like the onion talked about at the height of the dot-com era. And then there are people with dick tracy watches living in secure highrises.

[church-capital]

Guerrilla Marketing Agencies in Nevada

Unleashing Creativity: Guerrilla Marketing Agencies in Nevada

In the vast desert landscape of Nevada, where the bright lights of Las Vegas flicker against the night sky, creativity thrives in unexpected places. Amidst the glitz and glamour, a different kind of marketing agency emerges, one that thrives on unconventional tactics and out-of-the-box thinking. Welcome to the world of guerrilla marketing agencies in Nevada, where innovation meets ingenuity to captivate audiences and leave a lasting impression.

What is Guerrilla Marketing?

Before delving into the realm of guerrilla marketing agencies in Nevada, it's essential to understand the concept itself. Guerrilla marketing is a strategy that relies on unconventional methods and low-cost tactics to promote a product or service. It's about thinking outside the box, disrupting the norm, and creating memorable experiences that resonate with consumers on a deeper level.

In a state known for its boldness and willingness to take risks, guerrilla marketing finds a natural home. From the bustling streets of Las Vegas to the quieter corners of Reno, Nevada's marketing landscape is as diverse as its terrain.

The Rise of Guerrilla Marketing Agencies

In recent years, the demand for guerrilla marketing services has surged as businesses seek to break through the noise and connect with audiences in more meaningful ways. Traditional advertising methods are no longer enough to capture the attention of today's consumers, who are inundated with messages from every direction.

Enter guerrilla marketing agencies, the creative minds behind some of the most innovative and memorable campaigns in Nevada and beyond. These agencies specialize in thinking outside the box, leveraging unconventional tactics such as street art, flash mobs, and viral stunts to generate buzz and drive engagement.

Nevada's Unique Landscape

Nevada's unique landscape provides the perfect canvas for guerrilla marketing agencies to unleash their creativity. In Las Vegas, where the neon lights of the Strip draw millions of visitors each year, guerrilla tactics blend seamlessly with the city's vibrant energy. From guerrilla projections on iconic buildings to immersive pop-up experiences on the bustling sidewalks, the possibilities are endless.

Meanwhile, in Reno, known as the "Biggest Little City in the World," guerrilla marketing takes on a more intimate and community-focused approach. Here, agencies leverage local events, street art installations, and grassroots initiatives to connect with residents and visitors alike.

The Power of Creativity

At the heart of guerrilla marketing is creativity – the ability to see possibilities where others see obstacles and to turn everyday moments into extraordinary experiences. In Nevada, where the stakes are high and the competition fierce, creativity is the currency that drives success.

Guerrilla marketing agencies in Nevada are masters of their craft, combining strategic thinking with artistic flair to create campaigns that captivate, inspire, and ultimately drive results. Whether it's a guerrilla stunt that goes viral on social media or a guerrilla art installation that becomes a local landmark, these agencies are constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

Conclusion

In the dynamic world of marketing, guerrilla tactics are more relevant than ever, and Nevada's guerrilla marketing agencies are leading the charge. With their unparalleled creativity, strategic thinking, and fearless approach to innovation, these agencies are redefining the boundaries of traditional marketing and paving the way for a new era of engagement and connection.

So, the next time you find yourself wandering the streets of Las Vegas or exploring the hidden gems of Reno, keep an eye out for the unexpected. You never know when you might stumble upon a guerrilla marketing campaign that leaves you inspired, entertained, and eager for more.

[chancecity]

Rocky

“Life isn’t a tragedy; it’s a comedy! And you know as well as I do, Fi, that the two aren’t all that different.”

THE BASICS:

Gender: Trans Man

Orientation: Bisexual

Pronouns: He/Him

Age Aprox.: Early-Thirties (Younger than Fiona)

Skills: Chemistry, Guitar, Dance, Pyrotechnics

Reviews from People in Their Life:

“Annoying at first, but grows on you. Kind of like a fungus, but if fungus just wouldn’t stop singing and giving you unwarranted advice.” -Fiona, best friend/former nemesis

“Can he please stop smiling at me? It’s freaking me out. Why won’t he stop dancing? There’s not even any music playing?” -Intracloud, vaguely-terrified hero coworker

“Fella knows how to have a good time, that’s for certain. A little more destructive than I’d chose, but it ain’t my place to judge, y’know? ‘Specially when he ain’t judgin’ none in return. …The volume can get a bit much.” -The Coyote, criminal cowboy contact

“Oh, he’s a genius for sure. If he could reign in his attention a little more, he would be unstoppable. Unfortunately, he is also a Dog.” -Sunny, mad scientist buddy/Right-Hand Henchman

Known Locations: The FeelGood Compound (home/lair, an abandoned mall), The Grey Area (local underground bar, frequented by local villains/criminals), various Banks and Large Corporate Headquarters

Basic About:

In a flash of fireworks and a boom of upbeat classic pop and glam rock, a normal outing to work or the bank becomes an involuntary flash mob. Joy is all that fills your head as your muscles respond only to The Beat. Distantly, you can feel and hear people trying to get through, trying to stop this feeling, but all you can do is close your eyes and move to the rhythm. As the dopamine crashes, the music gone and the authorities in a panic to find out what happened, you can only sit and wonder the same thing.

The government isn’t sure what Rocky is or how he manages to create a flash mob wherever he goes as a cover for his escape, but the answer is much more simple than their theories of “a trickster god made mortal” or “the result of yet another vat-related incident”.

Rocky is a chemist, a sort of Musical Mad Scientist who specializes in a homemade concoction he calls “The Beat”. An overwhelming flood of dopamine and endorphins that makes your body respond to rhythm, before ending in harsh lows after it passes (which takes about a half hour).

But recently, he has taken on a slightly different routine: Using his vast connections to the criminal underground network to help the Hero Corps catch a villain that has evaded the knowledge of even their most elite members. It’s something fun, something new, and the idea of seeing the inner workings of a bureaucracy he doesn’t respect just can’t be passed up.

THE PHYSICAL:

Eyes: Grey, Bright yet Slightly Manic

Hair: Sandy Blonde, Long and Full of Product

Height: 6’3” (6’5” in his heels)

Style Favorites: Glam Rock/Metal, though he would wear just about anything from the 70’s-80’s eras of fashion (masc or femme, doesn’t matter to him)

THE VIBES:

Top Song: “Magic Dance”, David Bowie

Voice Headcanon: Alex Brightman (Dewey Finn, “School of Rock: The Musical”)

Themes and Inspiration: Anti-Authoritarianism, Fire, Stars, Escapism, Club Culture, Drugs/Addiction, Rebirth, Signal Highjacking (The Max Headroom Incident)

PERSONALITY: Bombastic, Dramatic, Anti-Authority, Affectionate, Friendly, Energetic, Outgoing, Obsessive, Confident (often Overly), Scientifically Intelligent, Zero sense of boundaries (or occasionally just an active disregard for them), Reckless

Rocky, Normal Human Guy

Despite the government being fairly uncertain of Rocky’s inherent nature he is biologically an average human, just one with a PhD in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

He was raised in the North-Midwestern US by two loving and very sweet parents along with his two older brothers and his younger sister. He had a fairly comfortable middle-class upbringing, but struggled amongst his peers who all didn’t seem to see in him what he saw in himself. They all saw some nerdy loser freak; he saw spotlights, sequins, fireworks, and a screaming crowd.

He got that, in his own way.

[carmenvicinanza]

Debbie Allen

Debbie Allen è l’attrice, ballerina, coreografa, regista e produttrice televisiva, conosciuta in tutto il mondo per la sua interpretazione dell’insegnante di danza Lydia Grant nella serie culto degli anni Ottanta Saranno famosi.

Ha lavorato a più di 50 film e produzioni televisive collezionando una bella sfilza di premi tra cui un Golden Globe, cinque Emmy Awards su venti nomination, due Tony Awards e dieci Image Award. Nel 1991 le è stata dedicata una stella sulla Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Come coreografa detiene il record per il maggior numero di vittorie e nomination agli Emmy.

Ha fatto parte della Commissione Presidenziale della Casa Bianca per le Arti e gli Studi Umanistici.

Un altro suo personaggio passato alla storia delle serie tv è stato la dottoressa Catherine Avery in Grey’s Anatomy.

Il suo nome completo è Deborah Kaye Allen ed è nata a Houston, il 16 gennaio 1950, sua madre è Vivian Ayers Allen, poeta e attivista culturale autrice di Spice of Dawns raccolta poetica nominata al Pulitzer e sua sorella è l’attrice e regista Phylicia Rashad, che è stata la famosa Clair Robinson nella sitcom The Cosby Show (in italiano I Robinson).

Debbie Allen, che danza da quando era una bambina, è laureata in letteratura greca alla Howard University e ha studiato recitazione alla HB Studio di New York.

Dopo anni, la sua università l’ha insignita col dottorato honoris causa così come la University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

Ha debuttato a Broadway nel 1970 e, dopo diversi musical e serie tv, è stata nel cast in un altro film televisivo che ha fatto epoca: Radici.

Nel 1980 ha ottenuto la prima candidatura ai Tony Awards come protagonista di West Side Story vincendo il Drama Desk Award. La sua prima volta al cinema è stata nel 1979, ma il ruolo che l’ha resa famosa è stato sicuramente quello di Miss Grant in  Saranno famosi. Oltre a recitare era anche la coreografa. È stata l’unica protagonista a lavorare nel film del 1980, diretto da Alan Parker, nella serie tv, girata tra il 1982 e il 1987, che le è valso due Emmy Awards e un Golden Globe (prima donna nera a vincere come miglior attrice per una serie tv) e anche nel remake del 2009 in cui era la preside della scuola d’arte.

Dopo diversi film e spettacoli a Broadway, ha diretto e prodotto 83 episodi della fortunata A different World serie spin-off del Cosby Show.

Ha anche inciso due dischi da solista Sweet Charity (1986) e Special Look (1989) e continuato a recitare, dirigere e creare coreografie per film, musical e numerose serie tv. Ha anche prestato la sua voce per diversi film d’animazione.

Come coreografa ha ricevuto 10 nomination agli Oscar, delle quali consecutivamente dal 1991 al 1994 e per Motown 30: What’s Goin’ on!  dedicato ai 30 anni della Motown che le è valso un altro Emmy per il segmento African American Odyssey.

Nel 1997 ha co-prodotto il film di Steven Spielberg Amistad, che le è valso il premio Producers Guild of America.

Nel 2001, a Los Angeles, ha fondato la Debbie Allen Dance Academy organizzazione no profit per incoraggiare giovani talenti.

Non ha mai smesso di dirigere musical e serie di successo come Scandal, Le regole del delitto perfetto, Empire e altre ancora, quasi tutte hanno come protagonista una donna nera.

Nel 2020 ha diretto, prodotto e curato le coreografie di Natale in città con Dolly Parton, che le è valso la quinta statuetta per le coreografie oltre al Governors Award 2021. Premio per meriti artistici accumulati o straordinari al di là delle candidature degli Emmy. Tre mesi prima era stata festeggiata ai Kennedy Center Honors.

Debbie Allen non ha mai mancato di dare il suo contributo in cause contro razzismo e violenza sulle donne, ha composto la coreografia del famoso flash mob mondiale One Billion Rising e marciato contro le politiche misogine di Trump.

Una carriera lunga cinquant’anni la sua, accompagnata dalla partecipazione sociale come artista e come singola cittadina per rivendicare diritti non ancora raggiunti o in continuo pericolo. Una vera forza della natura.

[beingbigbrother]

Week 3 Writeup: The scariest thing about the Halloween twist was ITV's baffling production choices

While I'm not part of the confused, frenzied Twitter mob who, at time of writing, are still yelling about the Dark Days of Big Brother being back - I did find a lot of ITV's decisions baffling this week.

With 13 Housemates left, and only three weeks to get rid of them all, it wasn't surprising to find out we were getting a, um, surprise Halloween eviction during the week.

And the eviction process itself sounded great - one Housemate would become "possessed" on Sunday, giving them the sole power to nominate three people for eviction. Then, the flash eviction vote and the eviction itself would take place during Monday's Big Brother Late & Live.

What they didn't tell us is that "during Late & Live" meant "it will happen at the same time as Late & Live", not "it will happen on-air, as part of the Late & Live show."

In other words, ITV had gone crazy and would be keeping the eviction outcome secret until Tuesday's Big Brother highlights show.

For the sake of having something "spooky" to air on Halloween night, Big Brother's producers decided to:

Cancel Monday night's Live Stream to keep the eviction secret, angering core fans (and, presumably, ITVX Premium customers).

Carry out a "back-door eviction" - a controversial staple of Big Brother's Channel 5 era that deprives evictees of their moment in front of the studio audience.

Black out the glass doors leading from the Late & Live set to the production gallery, meaning Monday's BBLL lost its usual feeling of immediacy.

Image credit: ITV/Initial, via Alfie on X

It seems laughably obvious that the eviction should've happened as part of Monday's Late & Live. It would've meant getting to hear the audience's reaction (albeit a small audience), and we would've gotten a proper, "raw" eviction interview, instead of one 24 hours after the event.

It would've given people more of a reason to watch Late & Live, which I doubt most people do, outside of the most hardcore fans. It would've given us a night of real drama to watch on the Live Stream - as it is, we won't get to check in with our Housemates again until they've already had a day to recover from the eviction.

And it would've created a huge buzz on social media, rather than the small-but-vocal wave of pissed off fans and fansite owners they unleashed tonight.

I suppose ITV would argue this is all to get people to watch the main show, but... that's already the bit that everyone watches, y'know? I just find it completely baffling that they've done it like this, rather than feeding into the multimedia, multiplatform home they've built for Big Brother - and using it as a chance to showcase its lesser-known sister shows.

[diniidjarin]

thanks for the tag @nocasdatsgay! alas i'm once again in my "forgot music is a thing" era so this is mostly going to be a mix of stuff i heard, came across, or thought of and paused what i was doing rather than "13 songs i Have Been Listening™ to" 🤭

the season 5 overwatch main menu theme gave me pause, nice stuff

speaking of overwat, the shambali monastery theme is probably my favorite track in the entire game

still in soundtrack zone, i have listened to this arrangement of the how to train your dragon themes a number of times now. dragonology kids know how it is

oh right i did put on england to fall asleep to a couple days ago.

Neptune, in the same vein. also where my blog title hails from so honorary mention

and now for something completely different, you know i've been into the northern boys lately,

thanks, of course, to disco elysium

man what else. uhh this mashup of intro x wolf like me is never far from my heart

virtue is a great ep to loop on long car drives. justice is my favorite part but hits best listened with everything else

which reminds me woodkid doesn't miss even if i haven't played the cds i have in a long while. hope i can catch the paris olympic games opening ceremony live if he's scoring it tho

oh actually there IS a song i've been replaying a lot recently because i am a simple herd animal not immune to the power of an ode to joy flash mob. alle menschen werden brüder, bitch. also unbelievable that i can't find a multilingual recording, what do you mean nobody ever got a choir to sing every verse in a different language. it's the eu's anthem for fucks sake

thats it that's all the music i know :)

aactually no volcano (warning for intense flashing lights in the video) keeps haunting my recommended because it FUCKS. the part where the drummers take the thrust stage makes me insaaaaane. every time

oh wow last one and suddenly i have two candidates? it's ok i can do whatever i want forever so i'm gonna list both paranesian circle and jee veerey for a nice bit of tonal whiplash to leave you with >:)

tagging. ach fuck i'll do it later. or you, dear follower reading this, can beat me to the punch and tag yourself, yes you are welcome to i'll write you in here soon as i remember

love u, have a good day