sooosketchy

[sooosketchy]

”Miku hidden dormant inside a clock and key” are the words I searched in hopes of finding the name of this forgotten Miku song I wanted to revisit again. 

It’s been years since I last listened to this song and it took me WAY too long to find it again. Soooo I was on Youtube listening to my personal Vocaloid playlist and saw that a lot of the videos I had saved have been either removed or put on private. This makes it so hard to go back and look for the song elsewhere since youtube no longer keeps the title of the video at least. After listening to Melody by Miku it hit me! “What was that song where Miku was hidden in a grand clock and had a keyhole on her back?” I searched EVERYWHERE and nothing, clockwork clown kept coming up instead but then I entered a combination of Clock Girl Miku and there it was. Just by looking at the thumbnail I knew this was the video I had watched years ago and loved everything about it. The lyrics, story, illustration, and sounds made it such a great Miku song. Definitely up there as one of my top Vocaloid songs. 

The story is so captivating that I’m surprised no one has made a fan-made comic inspired by this sad story which we only get a watered down version thru the MV. Reading some of the comments makes me even more eager to learn about this world and its characters. Commentors speculate that the clock maker had been hired to create a massive clock and some other secret technology. This project was only known by a select few and once he was done with the job he was no longer needed and ordered to be killed. Miku is a doll like companion who does not age and has been there for the clock maker since he was a young boy, and it looks like they both have a thing going on. Another theory is that it seems like he was ill and weak when he was young and with the help of Miku he was able to regain his health back and became quite the talented engineer. Because of this talent he was hired to build a time machine. This brought the attention of the cloaked figures which some speculate to represent death. He was almost killed during the first encounter with the cloaked figures but was blinded until the next encounter left him helpless to defend himself. Miku sings how cruel time is (get it, Cruel Clock) and no matter how much she wishes for time to stop it only keeps going. In her last desperate attempt she runs to destroy the clock he had been working on hoping time will stop and give her a chance to enjoy the company of her friend again. This is where she also feels emotions for the first time and starts to cry, questioning if “these drops are what they call tears”. 

There is a ton of opportunity to dive into this world and explore Miku, the clock maker and the cloaked gang some more. Who created the Miku doll? How is she able to not age? Who locked her in the clock and where did the key come from? Did the clock maker inherit the key? Where is his family now? Did he propose to Miku and give her the ring she was holding? Whats up with the ending, did they survive and meet up or is this some sort of afterlife meeting? So many questions that I would love to see answered in a comic.

Chris the illustrator is on pivix and twitter but has not expanded on the story yet. And the producer Kounan-P  has since passed away, not sure if this is true or not but RIP legend. Your music lives on and continues to inspire people like me.

[sooosketchy]

My Nintendo Switch Screenshots 2019

Time for another batch of screenshots! Looking back at these they bring me back to a time where I had way more time to consume longer sessions of gaming and I miss that. Even if it was just a year ago, so much has changed. But one thing hasn't changed for sure, I’m still playing BotW! 

More Breath of the Wild

As you can see from previous screenshots and the ones below, BotW was a game I took MY TIME with. There was this feeling that I had never seen every inch of the world in front of me and wanted to soak it all in. So it took me three years to finally feel like I had accomplished it all and was finally ready to let it rest after finishing the expansion pass content. Now all that is left to do is to wait for Breath of the Wild 2 to release...... still waiting for more info on it but I’m sure well get something this year.... maybe in 2020.

This challenge right here. Trail of the Sword. Yeah, it was pure torture. A lot of it I have suppressed and forgotten but I do remember how important it was to sneak up on the fairies in between each challenge to gain back some hearts. And the fish in the ponds as well. 

The group of monks at the end of the pathway after completing the trail is a nice visual touch and made it feel even more epic. Took the time to look at the many little details embezzled around the walls that depicted each champions landmark and what seemed to be constellations decorated above the champions. Seeing the monks together at last had me zooming in and noticing any subtle differences between each other. It’s like a game sort of, pointing out the similarities and changes in their poses, accessories or hair style. 

The more content unraveled from the expansion pass was just the icing on the cake for me. After all the hours put into the game while progressing through a story line that had all the champions dead it was nice to spend more time seeing their personalities in past memories. Even though all the extra screen time were moments from the past, it exposed sides of each champion we have yet to see or confirmed feelings the player already sensed from the relationship shared between the champion and the hero. It would've been a nice ending to bring the champions back to life but I knew from the get that their deaths were permanent. Yet I so desperately wanted to bring them back somehow. 

Learning more about each champion in the past made their deaths more understandable and important to the story. That sacrifice was heavy which made me feel pretty much alone during my journey. Now looking back I appreciate that there is no option to bring the champions back. It sets a heavy tone that you have to carry throughout your journey as Link. Each time you look out into the distant, you can’t help but notice the legacy each champion left behind. Reminding you how fragile the state of Hyrule truly has become with the loss of multiple figures that meant so much hope for each of their respective villages.

OK, enough about dead champions.

Kass is back!

My fav accordion playing birb! I was always looking froward to hearing his tune change each time I would see him again at another stone hedge location.Going from a simple tune to the final masterpiece: The Champions’ Ballad. His rendition of each champions theme is Perfect. Links below. Probably my all time favorite tracks in the whole game. 

Urbosa Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSEwNX0Y-Y0

Daruk Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJNq7gL2Q8Q

Revali Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyPdBS2DUY

Mipha Theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BATJGuMlJo

I was hoping he would magically appear next to each divine beast after defeating ganon blight v.2 just so I could hear him play Urbosa’s theme again. But no. He no longer ventures out of Rito lands. You can now find him playing on a ledge at his home town. And if you get there at the right time you can watch him sing along with his daughters, a show I find myself turning on my Switch for the sole purpose of listening for a couple minutes cause man, I love hearing him play. 

Happy New Year 2019!!!

Mario Odyssey

I’m that Mario player that zooms through each level to see how fast I can beat it. Not many screenshots but mexican mario was the best.

[sooosketchy]

My Nintendo Switch Screenshots 2018

Wow. Its been a while since my last screenshot post but I’m back! Seeing as I have run out of things to do at home while self-isolating I thought today would be a great day to finally finish posting the rest of my screenshots. I wanted to do this sooner but animal crossing came out and 100% of my time now revolves around my new island life :)

Woomy

The next entry to my Switch library was one that has also taken up all my spare time in 2018, and its called Splatoon 2. This was my first time playing Splatoon since I skipped grabbing a copy for the WiiU. Everything about the game was so much fun and new to me. Shoot’em games have never been something I enjoyed to play for a long period of time. But man Splatoon just had that extra something, to the colors, fashion, character design and the various combinations of weapons you can customize, its all there. Even though each match only lasted a few minutes it’s still very addicting and satisfying finding the opposing team members, splatting them and covering the turf as quick as you can. There’s way more strategy and technique but I leave that to the pro players, which by the way are terrifying when you find them on turf, or when they find you. 

Splatfest events were a ton of fun for many reasons. One reason was getting to meet and play along with some pretty cool people. I was seeking to team up with others to league and found out that the Splatoon community has some of the most creative and welcoming players. With a few memesters sprinkled throughout.

Squad Photoshoot

Tried to get artsy fartsy shots of the squad.

Splatoween

My favorite Splatfest ever!

Breath of the Wild

Still came back to the world of Hyrule seeking more mysterious treasures and hidden secrets I have yet to stumble upon. And finding all those pesky koroks. At this point I was still very much absorbed into the story with a goal to complete every side quest, find all the shrines, and leaving Ganon for last. Check out this funny glitch below. Didn’t know Link found the cloak of invisibility.  

The highest I had ever managed to climb around Hyrule castle without getting beamed out of existence. Oh and look, a korok.

This SPOT right here is one of, if not my most favorite spot to visit. Makes me wonder how it looked like before the great calamity.  

This is what you see after taking down calamity Ganon. The silent princess is still so mysterious and has little benefit to Link besides being an upgrade material and glowing in the dark. Pretty and very symbolic to the game but I feel there was lost potential since the flower holds no real significant purpose to the game/story. 

[sooosketchy]

Perfume at Hammerstein Ballroom, New York

My experience and review (sorta) of Perfume 4th World Tour FUTURE POP at Hammerstein Ballroom, New York, NY, USA

Saturday March 30, 2019

Having gone to their previous shows in NY I knew I couldn’t miss out but this time I changed things up and purchased seated tickets on the balcony. The show started at 8PM and ended around 9:50PM. 

We headed down to the Hammerstein Ballroom around 5PM and the end of the line had already reached the parking lot. The line grew quickly so it was a good idea arriving at least 2-3hrs before the show. After talking to people around us most of them had floor tickets in hopes of getting as close to the stage as possible. There are a couple restaurants across the street in case you get hungry and a CVS down the road. 

I had a seated ticket on the second balcony without assigned seats so I was worried how far back I would be and really wanted to nab a first row seat. The previous concerts I went to at the Hammerstein I bought GA floor tickets and realized that I can’t see anything because of how short I am! I’m 4 feet 9 inches tall and could barely see the artist(s) faces on stage unless they were high up on a stairway/prop. I could try to get to the venue earlier and be close to the front of the stage but that never works out. So I told myself to never get floor tickets and try the balcony next time.

Right before walking into the entrance some guy passing by the line yelled out “This place has RATS!” Without hesitation a fan behind me yelled, “and PERFUME!” Those who heard him in line laughed back and cheered on. He was probably looking for a reaction, but NY is known to have rats everywhere so this wasn’t alarming news. The passerby repeated his statement and then kept it moving.

Once inside we were allowed to bring in shopping bags as long as they were checked, as well as bags, and book bags. We all had to walk through metal detectors and were asked to show digital tickets this time with the barcode. Once you walk through the detectors and grab your bag you could either get in line for merch or head to your seat. The line for merch wasn’t bad so if you do have an assigned seat or you already have a friend reserving your chair go for the merch first because after the show the lines are way too long and not as monitored or controlled. After finding a seat and having a friend hold it for me I went back down to buy merch. Finding the line was a hassle but the staff had started to devise a plan to have the line for merch wrap around a stairway going down a level. The only problem was that the stairs were located in the main floor level. Someone could easily leave the line and pass into GA but the staff was ready and had several people heavily monitoring the line. You had to show your ticket again going back into GA or the balcony, so they were ready to turn people back around if they did not have tickets on them so don’t forget your phone!

Merchandise for the Future Pop tour was lacking. Nothing caught my eye and was disappointed with the t-shirt designs. Out of all the t-shirts only the white one had tour dates for the 4th World Tour, but the font size was microscopic on the back of the shirt. The front image on the white shirt was nice with all three members in a stylish pose printed in black and white ink. I would have liked the other shirts to have dates, but I went for the simple FP logo shirt with the 7th tour dates on the back. I liked the shade of blue for the katakana t-shirt. There was also a $50 t-shirt with the word Perfume on the front and an invitation to the fan club but I passed because of the dark blue t-shirt color. Tote was not as sturdy looking as the comic explorer tote, but fit the $15 price tag. The towel had an interesting design covering most of the surface and the words Future Pop on the center-right corner. What I was looking forward to the most was the pin blind bags! They were only $5 and you had a chance of getting 1 of 67 pin types. Here’s a link with all the items you can get during the tour. https://www.perfume-web.jp/eng/news/individual.php?id=172 

The stairway to go up to the balcony was to the left, but before walking up you had to show your e-ticket to the staff member. After walking what seemed like an endless stairway, I finally made it to the second balcony and I was early enough to get front row seats. Not in the middle of the balcony, more to the left side but the view was great. The seats are cramped together, but I’ve experienced worse so it wasn’t as stuffy for me. I was also front row so I had room to stretch my feet and room in front of my chair and underneath to place my bags. The seats on the first row are elevated significantly from the floor so be careful getting off and on, hold on to the chair so you don’t fall down. I saw people lose their balance stumbling off their chairs a couple times so be aware of the dip. 

As time passed the seats were filling up faster. One thing to look out for is beams when picking a seat. There are seats positioned right in front of beams and block your view completely. So get there early and avoid those seats. There was a couple looking for seats right before the show began and found two empty seats behind us on the second row, but one seat was facing a beam. They took it anyways since it was close up and it looked like all the seats were taken up in the back. 

Having a seat was great and the view was amazing but standing up was going to be an issue. I didn’t want to block anyone’s view behind me so I stayed seated. Of course I struggled to not jump up during Fake It but I stayed down and waved my hands back and forth instead, awkwardly. Suppressing my excitement around others who weren’t as hyped was a huge downer when sitting on the balcony. There’s space in front of the seats, a wide walkway, between the ledge and first row, but staff was sending back anyone who stood behind the railing, even children. This was going on during the beginning first two songs but people got the message and no one else on my side tried to stand behind the railing. HOWEVER, there was a women who sat right behind the railing in front of us for the entire show, she was just the right size and was able to peer over the bar. Because she was sitting I guess none of the staff bothered her or didn’t see her at all. She didn’t stand up not once and was pretty chill scrolling through her phone while PERFUME was preforming live in front of her. o__o

The 1st balcony seemed to have assigned seating but I have no idea how people even got seats down there. When I purchased tickets, only GA floor and BALC2 was available. I was probably too late when purchasing tickets. Side balcony was where it was at! Each one had about 12 seats but most of the people in it were standing up. I’ll probably aim for side balcony seats next time.

 Setlist 

Start-Up: Used the entire stage space to project what seemed to be a screen in thin air, counting down their previous performances leading up to their 4th World Tour and setting the mood for what was to come next, Future Pop!

Future Pop: the crowd was full of energy seeing Perfume back in NY and you could feel it during this song.

Electro World: First throwback song and a perfect follow up to Future Pop. Everybody’s hands were in the air clapping along for this one. A-chan was clapping along as well. Seeing this live was such a treat!

If You Wanna

Chourairin

FUSION: The choreo and silhouette effects were mesmerizing. Hearing this song gets me so amped up but the crowd wasn’t crazy for it. Loved it!

Tiny Baby

Butterfly: Not gonna lie, I lost it for bit hearing this song at first. Didn’t expect this song at all and loved every minute of it. I also appreciated the subs for the lyrics typed out on the back screen. Now everyone can sing along!

Secret Secret: There was no need for subs since the crowd had no problem signing back. Its was nice hearing the crowd sing in unison.  This was another song I needed to control myself and not jump out of my seat. Didn’t focus much on what was going on behind on the screen but the audio was off a bit.  

Not sure what to title the following track. It was a medley of a couple songs with a trap like beat and the trio rapping the lyrics to what sounded like Tokyo Girl. I didn’t move at all but just watched the chaos of glitched distorted visuals flicker on the screens trying to make sense of what was about to happen next. I liked it. More please. 

TOKYO GIRL

Pick Me Up

FAKE IT: Died and was revived back to life. No jumping for me this time around. The pit looked out of control!

FLASH

Polyrhythm: Ahh, Polyrhythm. This is Perfumes anthem. Somehow this song just brings us and Perfume closer together during the performance and feels like we’re all up there on stage with them. But then we’re slowly brought back to reality. Always brings tears to my face seeing this song performed. 

Encore - Magic of Love and Mugenmirai: didn’t take long for them to come back on stage. Not a fan of Mugenmirai in the encore but Magic of love left a lasting impression. 

 PTA Corner / MC / talk: Introductions! A-chan left for a few minutes and passed it over to Nocchi and then Kashiyuka. Nocchi calling out Kashiyuka while she was brushing her hair was funny. A-chan came back with what looked to be a cold ice pack wrapped around her neck, I hope she didn’t pull something.  Pamela representing Dominican Republic did a great job translating (so lucky). Story time! Perfume points out that pizza slices in the USA are bigger than they expected and surprised that just one slice of pizza is larger than thier face! Then asking the crowd how many slices fans usually eat, 1 slice or 2 slices? I spotted someone holding up 4, 5 fingers. Perfume saw it too and couldn’t help but smile. They also shared their visit to the new Hudson Yards, questioning why there was a train leading somewhere to Hudson Yards? And while they were taking a photo at the weird stair case building, looking upwards, rain droplets were coming down and A-chan exposed the smiles in that photo were fake. The crowd was then split in groups. Right side CRISPY! Left side Pizza~! A-chan also taught us a catchy tune about brushing your teeth with dance moves using your hands to brush the lower teeth, upper teeth, back and front teeth. Less crowd interaction during the talking segments than the last shows I’ve been to.  Lots of thank yous at the end. Now we wait for Perfumes comeback!

Rant

Recording was strictly prohibited and was not encouraged at all during the show. I get it, they use WiFi to control certain lights and devices on stage, but I should be allowed to use my phones camera to record while on airplane mode. That way I’m not interfering with the stages WiFi connection. This tour is all about the future and technology and the possibilities we have with them and being told not to use it doesn’t make sense. 

Merchandise was not appealing to me and could use a few more variations of color and the addition of dates of the 4th World Tour in larger font. I’m grateful for what we got but I know they can do better. Maybe bringing back a gallery exhibition like the one during Cosmic Explorer tour can allow fans to purchase merch earlier and have more options in t-shirts, dvds, cds, and other items. 

This one is more personal, on our way to the train station we stopped at a pizza restaurant to grab a quick bite before our train arrived. You could see who else just came from the concert. Some held their merchandise for all to see, Perfume cosplayers, or wore a Perfume concert t-shirt. Unfortunately we bumped into the wrong group of people who also came from the concert that said some pretty unnecessary and hurtful comments about someone in our group.  All we did was ask if they were in line, got weird glances in response and the comments started. I don’t want to go into detail about what they said, just that it was wrong and that night proved Perfume fans are a group of some of the most diverse, creative and dedicated individuals. No one has the right to say who can like what and I hope they realize that soon cause Perfume is going to continue to inspire and attract all kinds of people from different walks of life, so deal with it. 

So how was your FUTURE POP Tour experience? Did you get a blind bag, and which one did you get? Did anything strange or different happen at the show you attended?

[sooosketchy]

My Nintendo Switch Screenshots 2017

Backed up most of my screenshots off my Switch and wanted to share a few of my favorite moments I captured during the first year (2017) playing breath of the wild (botw). My 2018 and 2019 collection will go up in a separate post. Botw was the only physical game I owned the first year having the Switch and was completely immersed in the world of Hyrule in a way I had never experienced with any other video game.

Very First Screenshot

Kass

First time encountering Kass was such a memorable moment. You’ll be minding your own business traveling new areas and scoping out the territory, then all of a sudden you hear this distant sound. You think to yourself, “am I just hearing things, did I just pass the source of the sound, am I heading the right direction?” Until the sound gets closer and you head towards the direction faster looking for where the sound is coming from and then you see him, Kass. This big blue bird, holding an accordion, playing a pretty sweet song and placed in spot where you least expect to find him. Finding him is one of the reasons why I loved this character, he’ll be located in spot across Hyrule you just don’t expect, And once you hear a snippet of his song your’re compelled to stop what your doing and find him and solve his puzzles. First time meeting him I spent a few minutes appreciating his catchy tune and made it a goal of mine to find every single spot he was stationed at. I was invested in his story and wanted to learn more about him along my journey. He reveals hidden shrines so its worth putting time aside to find him since it helps complete all the shrines anyways. Getting him home was gonna take some time but I loved bumping into him during my lonely travels and hearing him play. I wanted more background and story out of Kass and luckily we got a bunch more through the Champions Ballad expansion pass. Yay!!!

Korok

Till this day I’m still trying to track down each Korok. And getting to the Great Deku tree was still one of the toughest puzzles to figure out. But its worth the trouble. Gazing up at the night time sky underneath the Great Deku’s branches make for some really pretty shots. 

Meeting Sidon

Mipha was the first champion I meet along with her family and the Zora people. I realized how complex and tedious it was going to be to actually look through every nook and crevice in each town/village. I spent two days exploring the Zora domain and all the surrounding area to complete the Zora outfit.  

Dragon

First time seeing a dragon was from the edge of Lake Hylia and after that I had no clue of what they did, how to get close to one and how many more there were. Atop Mount Lanayru was where I met my first dragon.I spotted it from afar while climbing up the mountain and thought it was some kind of glow in the dark octopus but it wasn’t. Awaking it and bringing it back to its former self was fun to do and seeing it fly away happy and not sick with the ganon flu was nice. Wonder why the remaining two dragons didn't have a side quest where each one was unlocked? Does anyone find it wrong that in order to collect scales, horns, nails or whatever other drops the dragons leave behind, you have to shoot an arrow at it? Ouch!

Outfits

My favorite outfit is the Dark Tunic. The whole set gives you night time speed when you walk. And it scares the pants off of anyone who lays eyes on you. You get some interesting reactions from different NPCs and enemies. 

Picasso... I mean Pikango

Always took the time to see how his paintings looked whenever I’d find him at a stable. I want to recreate a few of his paintings and put my own spin on it. 

Gerudo Town

Eeeeeeeeee! Yup, my reaction was the same as Villa’s. I still see Link in the traditional Gerudo outfit on my timeline and I can’t lie, Link looks pretty cute in it. It was funny seeing him all shy in it and was a nice change of mood from the usual fight evil, save Zelda, tough knight vibe. Gerudo town was quicker to explore and interact with all it had to offer since it was in the middle of a huge sandbox. There was still a lot of ground I had left to cover outside of Gerudo town that I have yet to go back and explore. Its that big! Meeting Riju and seeing her hidden softer side was a great addition to her character and left me wanting to know more about her. So I had a bit of a sleep over at her place and got to see her act her age for once and read through her journal as well. I have an entire collection of shots following her around but that will be up on another separate post. There is so much you can learn from a character by just following them and seeing what they do on a daily basis. You see certain sides of them that you won’t normally see if they’re in specific areas or in front of other figures. Its amazing how they incorporated so much of their personality into the game by simply showing small mundane things they do around town, at their homes, or out in the open. Shes my favorite next gen champion and I resonated with her story more than any other character.  

Bolson

This man made me my dream home. I wish I had this home in real life. And hes always out in the front of the house rocking his sick threads. If you complete his requests he’ll furnish the home with all the things a home owner should ever need. Terry used to work for him in the beginning but hes a whole other side quest that’s worth checking out too. I keep all my rare gear safe and sound hanging on my walls including a few of the champions gear. I come visit the house from time to time to either switch gear or change an outfits color.

Lynels

I don’t go anywhere near them unless I absolutely have to. It is not a fun time. There’s different shades of Lynel; blue, gold, silver and drop powerful gear like arrows, swords and ingredients too.

Shrine Monks

These guys look so creepy! Are they dead, mummified, or just dehydrated and decrepit. One interesting detail that I didn't realize until a couple shrines later was they all have different poses and props they use. Makes me wonder how powerful and knowledgeable the Sheikah were many years ago. They must have ruled back then because of all the advanced technology they created. Now the Sheikah tribe comprise of just a few members in a small quite village. Some have even gone rouge and become part of a new tribe called the Yiga clan. I can see why Purah stays the way she is cause Sheikah don’t age to well. Poor Impa.

Death Mountain

The center city where you’ll find most of the Gorons is small and didn’t take a whole lot of time to see everything, but outside of it takes time. There a few side quests peppered beyond the hardened volcanic border,in the pools of lava, as well as around the town heading up to the volcano. I advise you to bring your flame resistant outfit; you can get from Goron city, and max it out with the help of the fairies. 

Scenery

This game is SO BEAUTIFUL. Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a puzzle or walking down a hill and all of a sudden ill get a glimpse of the surrounding, then I end up staring at it and zooming in with the camera. Truly breath taking. 

What was I suppose to be doing again..... oh yea, Zelda. 

Memories

These were so tricky to figure out but finding one was so satisfying. I saved most of them till the very end, right before entering Hyrule castle. I would start by looking at an image and pinpointing areas in the background and guessing how far the picture was taken by looking at the foreground. 10/10 would do it all over again. 

[sooosketchy]

It's almost that time again.

December is just around the corner and the pressure is on. I have two classmates who helped me so much through the semester and I want to thank them with the coolest gifts ever! But I can't find anything! I think I'll just get a card and stuff it with money instead. Everyone likes money right.

[sooosketchy]

[sooosketchy]

@thornsap help me.

[sooosketchy]

The remaining amiibo I'm still hunting for. I can't wait to have bayo in my hands!

[sooosketchy]

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my team, my girl !!!

[sooosketchy]

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Man how do people work in retail for like 3 years. I admire them for that because 6 months of this has been hard enough mentally.

[sooosketchy]

I added new charms to my store! Imoutos now available + restock on Aqua/Takumi/Leon!! *u*

Please come check them out here!

[sooosketchy]

; n ; there's no more left.