#Diegetic music

[the-iron-shoulder]

Thesis: in the Mario universe, the characters can hear the background music

I firmly believe that the background music in the Mario games is diegetic, meaning that the characters can hear it. Here are four examples that support this.

EXAMPLE THE FIRST: in Mario x Rabbids Kingdom Battle, when you’re on the overworld as opposed to the tactical encounters, there are various musical things scattered around the world that appear to be playing the music. If you interact with them, you can turn them off and make them stop playing the music… and this causes the music heard by the player to be quieter.

EXAMPLE THE SECOND: in the New Super Mario Bros series, the Koopa Troopas, Goombas, and similar enemies famously dance, jump, or otherwise react to the little “ba-baaah!” musical cues, strongly implying that they can hear it. (And since this affects how they move, a player who doesn’t take this into account will misjudge where the enemies will be at any given moment, possibly causing Mario to get hurt or killed, and that’s somehow hilarious to me.)

EXAMPLE THE THIRD: this one is my favorite. In Super Mario RPG, in the special suite at the Marrymore inn, Mario can go into the bathroom and take a shower. While he does this, he loudly whistles the ground theme from Super Mario Bros. Now I ask you, reader, where could he have heard that song before? Exactly. It’s diegetic, I tell you.

EXAMPLE THE FOURTH: much like the third example, in Luigi’s Mansion, Luigi nervously hums along with the main theme. Where’d he learn the song? Why is he so on-beat? The music being audible in-universe is the simplest explanation.

This simply makes me happy in a geeky way.

[twosides--samecoin]

also, unsure if you ever read pokemon fic, but if you appreciate music informing the reader of a character's personality and diegetic music, you may enjoy "make you suffer" by girllikesubstance on ao3. i certainly did! it's written like an action movie but with solid characterization; i literally cannot recommend the author's work enough.

Oh, I have not, thank you for the recommendation!

"Diegetic music", for anyone who's never heard of it, refers to any in-universe music or lyric that is interacted with or acknowledged by the characters. The musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is entirely diegetic music, performed by the characters; however the intro theme of that show is not.

I consider music a main character in the fic. It started with choosing song titles for chapters and the fic title, then it snowballed into, "How do I indicate to the reader Music Is Happening in a natural way that doesn't always need me introducing, like, 'a guitar rang out/a solemn voice sang', etc?" How do you solve the characters hearing what the reader can only, well, read? Sure, I have some playlists on Spotify to follow along, but as Marshall McLuhan said, "the medium is the message". It must be clear in the writing that music is playing. A new voice has entered the room.

One of my favourite novels is Ulysses by James Joyce. He had a masterful talent for cacophony and onomatopoeia. Several threads of conversations and voices and thoughts all happening at you on one page. And he just goes for it.

I chose to solve the problem by having my own style guide. Lyrics just happen as though they're a person speaking, they're just italicized to indicate it's a recording. Here's an excerpt of one of the most successful examples of diegetic music I have written in the fic, from the chapter Thunder Road.

The radio DJ’s voice interrupted the silence. “Hi, it’s Delia, we got the weather monitor fixed. It’s only a few degrees below freezing tonight and I’m not in a sour mood anymore, so.. Here’s a favorite, for my favorite. Here’s Thunder Road.”  Olivia’s eyes widened as harmonica and piano played together. She turned towards the radio. “Are you serious right now?”  “What?” RJ asked.  "..The screen door slams, Mary's dress sways. Like a vision, she dances across the porch as the radio plays.." Jack smiled. He knew what this song was about and wondered just how well she knew it. He caught Olivia’s eye as she turned away from the radio. RJ saw Jack’s shit-eating grin and knew it meant he figured something out with her. A smile that could mean he was having fun, or he could checkmate you.  The same glance Olivia and Jack shared about him earlier. "..Roy Orbison singing for the lonely, 'Hey that's me and I want you only,' Don't turn me home again, I just can't face myself alone again.." “I- what, why are you looking at me like that-”  “Good song, huh?” he responded, smiling at her. "..Don't run back inside, darling, you know just what I'm here for.." RJ didn’t quite understand what Jack was getting at. The radio was low enough that he could hear the music, but the lyrics were harder to hear from across the room.  “Bruce fan?” Jack asked her. “Yeah, um.. I like him.” Jack’s heart melted. “My wife, Nora, was a huge fan. We have the first seven albums on one holotape,”  “Wait, no way-”  "..So you're scared, and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore.." “Yeah, way. How many Bruce albums you got in this vault, huh?”  “I don’t,” Olivia told him, looking almost apologetic. “I only get to hear Bruce when he’s on the radio.” 

[jfk-blown-away-blog]

I was just thinking that if I ever made a video game, I would make all the music in it diegetic. That then made me think there has got to be at least a few games that have done that already.

[afannishknitter]

“Hard Times Come Again No More”

...they just *had to* use that song. REPEATEDLY. Three different singers, two diegetic. (The one in the cold open sounded like Rob Benedict on vocals?)

A song about how as we sit here in our pleasant parlors singing together we should remember that there are folks who do not have pleasant parlors or the opportunity to sing in them.

In an episode (in a series) about getting out of hunting, and not getting out of hunting, and what it costs you to get into hunting in the first place and why you do it anyways. 

(and the episode was ABSOLUTELY NOT MEANT TO BE REMINISCENT OF SPN 15X07 NOT AT ALL)

and taking the moment of joy before you go back to the grind, the grind’s not going away but you need to recharge your own spirit.

(for another twist: “hard times come again no more” seems to be what Dean is ultimately attempting?)

(...also Jojo Fleites is a gift, my initial urge to protect at all costs remains.)

[baroquepopcorn]

Anyone really like a song but it’s made up for a movie or something

I’m not talking about film scores or covers in a movie or songs from a musical

I’m talking about actual diegetic songs that were made for the story

Like “black sheep” from Scott pilgrim has been stuck in my head for the past week. It’s genuinely a good song

And aside from the fact that it’s a video game reference “The Clash At Demonhead” genuinely sounds like it’s the name of a band that exists, and it’s a really cool name

Like it’s sad that this isn’t really real because I would totally stan envy adams if she was a real musician

Also

There’s this shitty British Christmas movie called nativity 2: danger in the manger and in it there’s a Christmas song contest

And there’s some genuinely good ones in there

(Not the main kids’ though, they’re cringe and basic)

Like

Who the fuck is this kid — fucking iconic

Literally a great Christmas song, gorgeous

And the main villains’ number

Holy shit these kids are talented, this is like some classical Christmas song shit

And also

This fucking rankin bass song (I know it’s a musical song so I’m breaking my own rule but it’s so different it can stand out from the narrative and dammit this is MY post)

This makes me feel like an empowered career woman in the 1970s and I fucking love it

And don’t forget

MY JAM LMFAO

Also the video game we happy few made an entire album’s worth of songs by “the make believes”

Not my favorite but genuinely impressive

Anyway, if anyone else has any favourite diegetic songs I’d love to hear about them

[sudoscience]

So, has the Pokémon Center's music always been diegetic, or is that new in Generation IX? And since we know the Team Star theme is also diegetic, what about all the other songs in the game?

[b777-36n]

Are you a big fan of portal? What about video game music? How about an analysis of how the diegetic music of Portal 2 makes the painfully mechanical facilty feel alive? Well, boy have I written the piece for you!

[inspectorspacetimerevisited]

It seemed as if the ominous music viewers heard in ‘The Inferiority Complex’ was just in the background,

until the Inspector tried to turn off the record player, which simply scratched and kept on playing.

[v0id-of-thought]

If I Loved You gets 10x funnier when you consider they haven’t left Beanies and Paul was standing there the whole time like

[kbsd]

"flying a b-17 is a lot like playing jazz" —rosie rosenthal, probably

[dandelionjack]

saw this on the forbidden app could not resist reposting because it’s true. “the one who waits is almost here” is lazy LAZY writing. stop dangling lore in front of our faces… make it SUBTLE. show not tell…

did russell go to the chibnall school of bad screenwriting before his return because these episodes do genuinely feel like they’ve been created by a different person entirely than the emotionally intelligent, thoughtful showrunner who gave us the first four series

[socialistexan]

[twosides--samecoin]

Bruce Springsteen and a whole lot of music is canon in my fic. I wrote Long Time Running with the express intention to include music and aspects of culture that exist outside the realm of 50's atomic nostalgia and jazz. I found ways of writing in diegetic music so that it is clear that song lyrics are heard on the radio. I have Wu Tang Clan and Rush and AC/DC and The Tragically Hip in my fic. Alexisonfire and Title Fight and pieces from the Kill Bill OST and Chicago's original cast recording and Hole. I have in-universe radio stations that I created that have different music to reflect the fact that not all locations in North America post-war had the same recordings saved. Music is by all means a character in my fic, just not a person. And it is one of the proudest things I have done with the Fallout IP.

Why yes, I am going to to remind everyone talking about Fallout about TOOL being canon in Fallout 1 and 2 until Bethesda comes to my house and tells me to stop.

Y'all really need to chill on culture being stuck completely in the 1950's and realize that even in an alternate universe, COUNTER CULTURE EXISTS. THIS IS ALSO SUPPORTED IN FALLOUT NEW VEGAS.

[kiralamouse]

"I thought that was non-diegetic!" is now my VERY FAVORITE leaning-on-the-fourth-wall line ever.

[infriga]

Gear 5 Luffy when he sees an enemy:

[lonelyroommp3]

*please read the explanations below the poll options before voting*

was thinking about this on my coach home and naturally had to make it into an overcomplicated poll

explanations, disclaimers, etc. under the cut:

until tumblr enables polls with infinite options there is no way for me to account for the entire breadth of human experience here. the categories provided and the examples thereof will not be, and are not intended to be, exhaustive. if you can't find the exact thing you do listed here or you think it falls into more than one category then please use your best judgement to select whatever answer is closest. only choose "something else not covered here" if there is actually nothing even close to what you do listed in the poll (and please elaborate in the tags if this is the case! i'm curious)

i really wanted to include "guy running alongside the moving vehicle you are in" but ran out of options. sorry

if you feel you do two or more of these things in equal measure just pick whatever one answer you want based on vibes

music video: anything you imagine as a standalone, prerecorded visual to accompany the music. this may feature musical performance elements, dance, a narrative, or any combination of the above. if you're imagining your little scene as if it's intended to be viewed on MTV, youtube, etc as the official visual complement to the music, it probably comes under this category

a music video mainly featuring somebody else: this could be you, your blorbos, your self insert OC, another artist you'd like to see cover the song, random actors/celebrities you would cast in the video, etc. whether they are performing the song within the video or not. if the bulk of the "running time" of your daydream is taken up by people who aren't the artist who originally performs the version of the song you're listening to, pick this one

a live performance: this could be in concert (whether a concert version that already exists e.g. imagining taylor swift's eras tour staging when you hear cruel summer, or a version you would like to see), at karaoke, at an open mic night, your acoustic cover that goes viral when you post it on youtube, busking on the street, performing to the other passengers on the bus, etc. could apply to dance as well as singing/music!

a diegetic use in narrative context: imagining the song being performed as a musical number by people in a story that exists beyond the scope of this one song in order to accompany or advance said story. this might be imagining the song being performed as one of many musical numbers in a stage or movie musical, or it could be a performance that takes place in universe (like the performances in glee, or scott pilgrim vs the world)

non diegetic narrative use: imagining the song as the soundtrack to a scene in a story that exists beyond the scope of this one song, but it is not being played/performed/heard by the people within the scene. for example, you imagine a fight scene in a movie taking place to this song, or perhaps it would play in the background during your OTP's first kiss if your favourite fanfiction was adapted into a netflix original tv series.

AMV/edit: a video compilation of existing* scenes from a piece of media, put together by a fan and set to music. (*existing might be taken loosely; e.g. you might be imagining an AMV of scenes from a book with no actual visual media adaptation. the main distinction is that here you are imagining the actual editing process of splicing scenes together as a fan project, as opposed to the music accompanying one continuous scene or sequence of scenes - which would come under "non diegetic narrative use" - or the clips being intended as the official visual accompaniment to a song, which would come under "music video".)

an abstract or lyric based visualiser: 2000s core windows media player visuals, a lyric video, anything that focuses more on objects, scenery, abstract patterns, words moreso than People/Fictional Characters/Animals/etc Doing Things To Music