When you’re in this game as long as we’ve been, you get used to the ebbs and flows of meme production. While recent weeks this fall may have felt a bit dry, this week was exceptionally fruitful, thanks in large part to a leak of alleged Game Freak data that included some saucy ideas for Pokémon lore.
We also have more surreal machinimas on TikTok, a goofy reaction image, the revival of Broad City and KSI cringe turning into a copypasta. Let’s get into it.
Game Freak Gigaleak
“Gotta Catch ‘Em All,” as the old saying goes, and that’s what Know Your Meme attempted to do this week by documenting every noteworthy thing in the Game Freak Gigaleaks.
If you want in-depth explanations of the eyebrow-raising Pokémon lore drafts, we have you covered here, here and here, but the basic gist is this: scrapped ideas for Pokémon lore found Pokémon mating with humans in the style of old folklore and mythology.
The language isn’t saucy, but some human/Pokémon hybrid children come of it. The implicated Pokémon are Typhlosion, Octillery, Slaking, Rapidash and Lapras. Memers, naturally, had a field day with the leak as it went massively viral this week.
Examples
Shaq Time Out
The ever-memeable Shaquille O’Neal added another fine template to his collection this week by participating in the “#TimeoutAgainstHate” campaign run by major sporting leagues. His promotional photo shows him giving a timeout signal and making a Very Serious Face.
Shaq’s face proved to be a highly lucrative reaction image for memers, as his dour expression lent itself to posts where Shaq gave his exaggerated disapproval.
Examples
In Da Clerb, We All Fam
Broad City made a somewhat stunning return to memedom this week after essentially disappearing from the zeitgeist after 2016. The scene in question finds the character Ilana Wexler saying, “In da clerb, we all fam.”
The very “Broad City” scene saw a resurgence due to lip-dubs on TikTok, thanks in part to a clip of pop singer Sabrina Carpenter dubbing the scene herself. It simultaneously became a wholesome meme and a format about feeling out of touch.
Examples
@sabrinacarpenter
any fan of mine is a fan of mine ♥️
♬ original sound – Maggie Winters
@erikatitus we all fam @adeline ♬ original sound – Maggie Winters
@saggiesplinters 🫶 @Connor Wood 🐸 ♬ original sound – Maggie Winters
From The Screen To The Ring To The Pen To The King
YouTube man KSI released his rap song “Thick of It” earlier this month, and not many people have seemed to like it judging from the reactions online. As for why, the key reason is the perceived cringe lyrics, and the lyric singled out as the cringiest reads, “From The Screen To The Ring To The Pen To The King.”
@marquitos.g Ksi fall off needs to be studied💀Took inspo from @natalie tran ⭐️ #ksi #music #thickofit #rapper #trending #trend #cringe #fypage #fyp #xbcyza #meme #funny #viral ♬ original sound – Unreal HipHop
The lyric inspired a copypasta and bevy of memes mocking KSI, though the rapper did enjoy some love when MrBeast rented out a movie theater to listen to “Thick of It,” among other things.
Examples
@timonsdream From the screen to the ring to the pen…😏😝🤪 #ksi ♬ original sound – TimonsDreams
Finally, we have another funky machinima after Parkour Civilization, also made in Minecraft. This is the wild world of Minecraft College Football.
@luke.pro.minecraft Its that time of year again #pennstatefootball #pennsylvania #pennstateuniversity #pennstatewhiteout #edit #minecraft#football#collegefootball #mobamba ♬ original sound – Luke
The parody “college football season” taking place among Minecraft creators is yet another wacky alternative reality made entirely in the video game, showcasing how Minecraft has evolved from a game to a canvas of artistic and humorous creativity.
Examples
@minecraftcfb THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL THE GAME OPENER #fyp ♬ original sound – MCFB
@jacksonex Thriller in the village bowl!! #minecraft #fyp #cfb ♬ original sound – Noah Kahan
@pigstateofficial WE ARE PIG STATE #minecraft #olemoo #pigstate #football #minecraftsports ♬ original sound – pigstateofficial
@minecraft_cfb Chicken state upsets Ole moo in a thriller to start off the season!!! #minecraft #collegefootball #fyp ♬ original sound – Minecraft_CFB
We’ll be back next Friday with another edition of our Weekly Meme Roundup series, so stay tuned!
