#I'm absolutely fascinated its songs progression

[papirouge]

King Kaleidoscope is refreshing in that they actually know what a SONG PROGRESSION IS

they have everything,

The VOCALS, the lyrics, the build up, the instrumentals, the ace

[vyl3tpwny]

why it ourple

ok.

i'm going to tell you the story of how purple became my favourite colour. and then, where the name vylet pony came from.

———————————————————

ch.1 the mace windu incident

once upon a time. I really liked star wars. i kind of still like star wars i guess. but when i was a kid, i REALLY liked star wars.

in my room, i had a mace windu poster.

i still can't find the exact poster. it looked something like this

mace windu was my fav star wars character for an inconceivably long time. with that, i also became fascinated with his purple lightsaber. nobody else had a purple lightsaber. i loved it. staring at that poster constantly made me really like the colour purple. ever since the poster started exerting its technicolour pressures and whimsies upon me, i became fixated on the colour purple. forever.

"hai!~ im mace windu and i loveee Videos!" - mace windu, star wars episode iii: revenge of the sith

———————————————————

ch. 2 the viny scratch era

fast forward like 7 years. i am in the my little pony fandom now. i am 13 years old. i really like vinyl scratch. she is pictured here:

my first online presence in the mlp community was as a vinyl scratch / dj pon3 roleplay account. for a good year, people called me vinyl and "vy".

however when it came time to start releasing music in the fandom, i couldn't go by vinyl scratch at the time. this name was already being used by the artist who currently goes by Scraton!

this is still one of my favourite songs by them:

anyway. i actually held a really insane, irrational grudge against scraton for being named "vinyl scratch" as a music artist before me. i got past that after a while, because i had to stop being 13 first. i stopped being 13 and eventually fell in love with their music and we became friends later after!

but it's 2013 and i can't be vinyl scratch anymore. people already called me "vy" because of being a vinyl scratch persona.

so.

———————————————————

ch. 3 it's vylet time-wait is that can opener? CANNI?

it started on december 28, 2012. i posted to my then-instagram account this image:

you may recognize this as my oc canni. here's their reworked look in the 2022 album (10 years later) can opener's notebook: fish whisperer (illustrated by @astroeden):

can opener's original name was "ultra vylet". their colour scheme was originally intended to be the inverse of vinyl scratch's, as a sort of strange protest to not being able to be vinyl scratch. i was like ok. well if i cant be vinyl scratch, i am going to make a character that swaps the main colours. within a few months of "ultra vylet" existing, i discarded the design in favour of a completely different one:

this would be the only time vylet consistently had purple in her design until 2018 or so.. lol.

then. on april 15, 2013, i posted this to my instagram:

i had essentially combined three things:

The fact the people called me "vy'

The fact that my favourite colour is purple (violet)

The fact that I wanted to be vinyl scratch (dj pon3) before

———————————————————

ch. 4 vylet pony ≠ vinyl scratch

that is to say, i never really put a lot of thought into "vylet pony" as a name. i just made it when i was 14 and now i am going to be 25 soon. will i keep vylet pony as a name forever? not sure. do i take great pride in its insanely snarky origin? absolutely.

after i had decided firmly on "vylet pony" as a name — after dropping the "3" from it — i made a new instagram account. the very first thing i posted to it was this:

illustrated by my friend, shade.

now that looks slightly vylet-like, design-wise, oc-wise. oh. but now she is grey and black? ok.

she stopped being purple from 2013-2018.

here is how her design progressed through the years:

the first one is by my then-partner sara. this is when vylet's cutiemark was still an upside down music note, reflected from "ultra vylet" / can opener's original design. i'll show how it became a puzzle piece next.

the second one is by shade

the third one is by chibadeer

the fourth one is by astroeden

———————————————————

ch. 5 the puzzle piece

to this day, i still cannot find the fanart in question. but over instagram, someone asked to draw fanart of my pony. in doing so, they misconstrued the shape of the upside down music note as a puzzle piece, like this:

i've been looking forever for the original fanart/fanartist that made this mistake. because ever since that art, i just stuck with it anyway. i like puzzles and puzzle games. i'm also a puzzling and enigmatic person. and the puzzle piece can go into so many different things. all sorts of problem solving is like a puzzle. music fits neatly into that category in my opinion. so because of its intrigue and ability to mean so many different things, i just went with it. i never looked back.

———————————————————

ch. 6 that is the history of the colour purple and vylet pony character design

i hope this answers the question "why it ourple"!

[seaofreverie]

Sparkstember Day 18: Balls (Bullet Train)

Sometimes (oftentimes) it's true that all you need are Balls. I personally absolutely love Balls. I'm a big fan! Ekhem. Today I'm using the help of (I mean, copying most of the passages from it) my earlier Balls rant that I have written down after my first listen of it back in January. I really love this album and I don't want to completely skip over saying a couple words on it at least but I really don't think I have the headspace to write anything very good for it today. I'll still try though!

So yeah, Balls. It's a great album, fun and chill (in my sense of what I call and consider chill anyway), consistent, as Sparks albums tend to be, and as I suspected / hoped it does fit this specific vibe of driving around at night somewhere city-like and illuminated. Or being on a train deep at night and looking at the world zooming by (if you'd even see much of it on a train at night anyway.....). And I do think that it's not so dissimilar to Gratsax (I'd say now that it's definitely darker and moodier than its predecessor...). So it's interesting to think about how it's considered to be one of the "weak" ones (by music reviewers at least) while Gratsax is so beloved in comparision.

I will admit, I don't really know what the big problem with this album could be. As I said, it's fun, it has the melodies, it has the energy, it has the theatricality (I like seeing how more and more orchestral instruments such as strings are being incorporated into the music, in a way the jump into Lil' Beethoven two years later doesn't come of as THAT much of a shock because of this. The evolution of sound here is fascinating!) I really like the intense beats, just as much as the more laid-back and moodier pieces. And there's lots of gold to be found in the lyrics department as always.

One more thing I wanna say is that at some point I wondered if this music sounds older than it is. Maybe it does? But then I remembered that this was 2000 and honestly when I think about it, there just IS something about this album that fits so well with the Y2K image and vibe and all. Sparks 2000 and all that.

Favourite songs (and other highlights):

Balls: I mean. It's Balls.

Scheherazade: absolutely LOVE this one and I had the strangest impression of it sounding very familiar when I first heard it. Months later I found out that it was just briefly featured in TSB so I think that explains it (I will talk more about my TSB viewings on TSB day. EVERYTHING has to be explained in excruciating detail, lmao)

The Calm Before The Storm: bugsonas 4ever. Song itself is amazing too

How To Get Your Ass Kicked: how can a song about getting your ass kicked be so pleasant and relaxing, it always keeps cracking me up, how perfect that is actually

Bullet Train: I love it how introducing the topic of the song with a "It's the [topic of the song]" is a reoccurring theme on this album. Thank you Sparks for this ode to technology and art (these lyrics always have me giggling). And also it just goes hard as heck

It's Educational: a perfect fusion of / sequel to I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car and Progress (it's mostly the vocal delivery that reminds me of the latter)

The Angels: such an odd one here but I still like it a lot, I apparently said that it sounds "surprisingly mainstream for Sparks but somehow in a positive way". It's very sweet and I absolutely love how Russell sings here, it's so different from what we're used to but that only makes it hit you even more in the feels, lol. And I actually prefer the alternative version of this song that's featured as a bonus track, and I do think that's in big part because you can hear Russell better on it (or that was my first impression of it at least and it kind of stuck)

[fuck-you-upmusicbracket]

Love Like Ghosts (Lord Huron)

I don't feel it till it hurts sometimes/Oh, go on baby, hurt me tonight/I want ours to be an endless song/Baby, in my eyes, you do no wrong/I don't feel it till it hurts sometimes/So go on, baby, hurt me tonight/All the spirits that I know I saw/Do you see no ghost in me at all?

"The use of ghosts as a metaphor for ghosts is just. so good. The idea of being haunted by your pasts love/seeing yourself as a ghost because of love is such a fascinating idea like?? Referring to the concept of love with "what ain't living can never really die" is really interesting because the love was "never living" meaning....that the love wasn't real? that the love was one sided? that they were never in love at all? it could mean a thousand different things and the entire song is skewed from the perspective of the narrator. The character narrator's of LH songs are....notoriously unreliable to put it lightly, and this one could be viewed in the same way. The narrator is adamant that the person they're singing to doesn't truly love them, but doesn't want them to leave her, but we have no way to know that for certain. She implies that the person is lying to her and doesn't truly want her with the line "You don't want me baby, please don't lie" but again, we don't know if thats true. It leaves this song is such a weird state of leaving the listener guessing and walking away with their own meaning of the song."

Against The Kitchen Floor (Will Wood)

And I swear! I will die trying!/I'm still in the process, but I'm making progress; I promise I honestly wanna prove improvement's possible, I swear!/I'm so fucking sorry! I'm not a good person, I'm barely a person at all, But someday I'll be perfect, and I'll make up for it all!

Less rare than scarce, less diamond then rough/Unlikely to be more than just the coal you failed to crush

I'm catatonic in your arms, crying, "How did I cause so much harm?"/I'm down pounding my head against the kitchen floor/Apologizing for my life and ever entering yours

The vertex of my redemption arc/I’m searching on that virgin heart

"The raw emotion! And I strongly relate to desperately wanting to improve for someone you love. I belt out this song when I feel really hopeless"

"my one OC. also me. also it's just a really good song. one of will's best imo. screaminbg"

"Literally hits almost all of my self-esteem issues. Feeling like people only care about you for your body? Check. Not understanding why anyone would want you? Check. Thinking that all you do is hurt people? Check. I don't cry very often but this song DEFINITELY made me teary"

"one of those if u aren’t paying attention to the lyrics ur like this is nice but once u hear them its an OW holy OW and guilt and I’m sorry feelings"

"Just. Loving someone but not feeling like you’re good enough and trying to improve."

"Not only does this song have lyrics that are deeply relatable to me, but this song also feels very deeply personal to the artist and I feel that anyone who listens to it for the first time has that same feeling of getting punched in the gut. Just the lyrics and the melody and Will Wood’s incredible vocals make this song an absolute masterpiece and I cry every time I hear it."

"One reason I'm attached to this song is because my friend sent it to me and said "I'm kin assigning you this song" and ruined my life (/j) It messed me up because I've always had a hard time in my life figuring myself out and dealing with my emotions, and for what feels like the first time, this song has been able to near perfectly describe how I feel about myself and my impact on other people, and it always just meant so much to me that my friend who sent it to me knows me better than I know myself and shared the song with me and I love them dearly."

Love Like Ghosts submitted by @danidoesathing

Against the Kitchen Floor submitted by @pixopolis + others

[bunnakit]

Since you were looking for asks I was wondering what you thought about Hush-Hush since I don't think I've seen you mention it yet since it came out? I'm usually skeptical of collabs but when it was announced I went back and watched a bunch of Be:first's stuff to see what kind of stuff they did and I hit Mainframe and Masterplan and, like, obviously they're commentary on Japanese salaryman culture on the face of them. But from a loretiny-lens I was like 'ohhhhhhhh these would fit seamlessly into the Z universe'. And then Hush-Hush itself came out and I was absolutely delighted by it. I was sitting there vibing along with the song, knowing that there were always supposed to be more members of the resistance than just the the Black Pirates and I was like 'ok, if Be:First wants to be part of the Japanese wing of the resistance in the Z universe, I am actually completely cool with this'. I also thought the connection to Wonderland with the Escher Stairs, and the (potential) tie in to whatever event fractured off the Halazia universe with the strong use of the eclipse distortions effecting gravity were super interesting. All the line references in the song to being undercover which could potentially tie into Work and its one mention of hiding from (android) guardians. I'd be really interested to hear what you thought about it.

hey anon sorry it took me a bit to get to this, my health has been in the shitter.

for my basic lizard brain thoughts on hush-hush:

i find your lore theories fascinating. i can absolutely see the direction and think it's such a fun idea to play with. personally, i don't tend to apply collabs to lore just because i don't want to take away from the other group's message or whatever theme they run with (this is my first exposure to BE:FIRST but i'll def be looking into them more.)

i'm also very much one of those people that doesn't think all of ATEEZ's MVs apply to lore - some may have nods to the lore but don't really progress the narrative (Youth, IT's you, Everything, MATZ) so i don't dwell on them too much story-wise. Hush-Hush is a bit like that for me, i think they did what Chung Ha did and applied some homages to ATEEZ lore as a little respectful nod but i don't know that it was anything so intentional as to tie into lore - but again, i really like your thoughts on it and think that's such a fun take on it and such a fun playground to play in!

i do think your mention of Wonderland is also very very interesting because i noticed a few things as well - i'm so sorry, i'm about to be so pretentious and annoying. i haven't commented on this a lot publicly because i feel like it's very much me being overly analytical and all of it could be a coincidence but i'm starting to think it's absolutely not.

(more thoughts below the read more, just trying to keep from clogging people's dashes too much lol - i'm also sorry if the photos don't load side by side, tumblr sure likes to fuck me on formatting sometimes)

Hush-Hush is very, very similar to Wonderland in the way that it uses shape language to back up the message conveyed by the lyrics and overall theme.

'the fuck is shape language?' okay so shapes in media actually hold symbolic meaning - there are different interpretations based on culture, themes, etc. but here are the themes and meanings i generally look out for.

you'll see a lot of use of squares/rectangles throughout both Wonderland and Hush-Hush ↴

squares/rectangles can be used to represent oppression, imprisonment, control, and similar ideas. you'll see it rather blatantly in Hush-Hush as they directly say 'too late to notice, you can't capture us' while framed in a square train cart and going so far as Sota making a square gesture with his fingers. an overt message conveyed in Wonderland is Wooyoung quite literally chained and confined on a square pedestal.

another shape that links the MVs is the use of triangles ↴

in a stark contrast to squares, triangles can represent rebellion, dissent, strength (tho this is shared with several other shapes,) and truth (which will tie into the final shape i'll address.) it's pretty obvious how this ties in with almost everything both BE:FIRST and ATEEZ represent and in my personal opinion it is very fun to keep an eye out for triangles throughout ATEEZ's media.

the final shape i've noticed a lot of is circles ↴

circles can be used to symbolize unity, truth, wholeness, harmony, enlightenment. this is obviously apparent in Wonderland where the lyrics repeatedly reference finding the truth, the door to the truth, etc.

all these shapes used in conjunction with each other create a blueprint narrative of ATEEZ's lore - overcoming oppression and control through rebellion and strength of self in the pursuit of truth and harmony. i imagine you can apply the same theory to many of BE:FIRST's videos (it'll be very fun for me to look through later and see if this is true) but Hush-Hush definitely has very obvious nods to this message.

this symbol is also shown in the beginning of the MV and i'm not entirely sure what it's supposed to be, if it's something related to BE:FIRST, a map of this metaphysical city, or something else entirely, but you'll see it incorporates all of these shapes as well.

if we want to touch on the hexagon in the center hexagons can be used to convey coherence, cooperation, connection, and balance.

the message of cooperation and connection is very interesting when applied to Hush-Hush as there are a few gestures throughout the MV that nod to a connection and cooperation between BE:FIRST and ATEEZ (which lends even more credit to your own theory anon!)

you'll see in this screenshot BE:FIRST holds their hands out, palms down, towards ATEEZ while the ATEEZ boys hold their hands palms up, as if to meet BE:FIRST's in unity.

here you can see Ryuhei??? and Mingi nearly forming a direct connection through touch (and perhaps a very loose 'Creation of Adam' reference if we want to squint and tilt our head 90 degrees?)

there are also continual references to escape and freedom which is backed with the visuals of several modes of transportation; cars, planes, the train, etc. this combined with the lyric 'we're living in a metafiction' (artificiality, parody, imitation) really solidifies the desire for escape and freedom from whatever force is oppressing them and keeping them in this warped reality.

and then we have the Escher stairs you mentioned being a theme between the two ↴

the sharp angles can also be a reference to shapes, especially in the case of Wonderland, but to me the stairs have always represented the uphill battle in front of them. sometimes following the truth, pursuing your goals, and holding to your own personal morals can be a struggle that seems insurmountable.

there's no one definitive meaning to Escher's 'Relativity" but many sources mention an altered or warped perspective, a loss of gravity (as you mentioned,) and an infinite labyrinth. regardless of the meaning, i do think they're also a great visual used in conjunction with the idea of a metafiction or warped reality.

if you wanted you could maybe also attribute ATEEZ's break through the glass as an escape from this reality or a separate reality that kept them isolated from BE:FIRST.

idk these are all just my own reads and interpretation of things, i truly think all takes are valid and i think that's the beauty of ATEEZ and videos like this. we all have different ideas and theories but at the end of the day they almost always lead us to the same conclusion, the journey there just looks a little different.

if you read this far i'm kissing your head. please anyone ALWAYS feel free to ask my thoughts on MVs, even old ones. i'm always looking to babble about lore and symbolism and shit.

[fireolin]

HI I'M SORRY I JUST NEEDED TO TELL YOU SOMETHING

Everytime I listen to Florence + The Machine, I can't help but think of The Wishing Hunt. Everything started with Drumming Song, that you included on chapter 8 lol Whenever I listen to that song now that whole chapter comes to mind (not complaining). And suddenly Florence + The Machine's songs make me think of your fic (not complaining). Forget about lyrics, the whole vibes for some reason make me think of your fic

By the way, I still can't get over the last chapter. Still screaming about it. I think you broke me

Hahaha, I LOVE that! And I am absolutely fascinated. I am gonna have to go listen to a whole lot more Florence + The Machine now. (Which is no bad thing.)

Actually, I have to credit my beta reader, @autumnxsunflower for suggesting that song and discussing its synergy with that chapter. It was perfect!

And about the last chapter - ahhh, Gon is really going through the wringer! I'm so pleased you found it moving <3 It seemed to leave a lot of people shattered. To be honest, I really enjoyed the challenge of exploring Gon's jealousy. It wasn't easy, but I wanted to share his experience as deeply as I could.

I'm hoping of course that they'll have a breakthrough as they go forward. I'm making decent progress with the next chapter, I think, though I never write as fast as I'd like (partly due to exploring a multitude of directions before I find the one that convinces me most). I really hope you enjoy that when it arrives. Thanks a million for your encouragement. I hope you have a wonderful day!

[on-the-shelves]

on my shelf: soundtrack to MA year 3 - winter

welcome back to my bi-annual music roundup! my goal is to be done with uni This Year so i'll have to start thinking of what else to do with this concept (like that's the biggest life-problem i have to solve this year lol). anyway. even though i only took 3 classes this semester, one of them took up ALL of my time: typography. much like it's hard for me to watch movies normally now, i'm now looking at all kinds of written text in a completely new way which is equally fascinating and annoying. but you could say that for most of what i've learned at uni. what wasn't annoying, was the music i listened to (ey? ey?), so let's get into it:

RM: Indigo (2022)

RM's music over the years has spanned many different themes and genres, from hardcore (?) rap on his first mixtape to more vibey stuff on mono to all the many different things he's done on BTS' songs. Indigo continues this principle of diversity but by making the entire album so varied yet so cohesive. He touches on subjects like what it means to make art and to be a person, love and loneliness, navigating friendship. He's also developed quite the vocal skills, showing off his warm deep tone on several songs. While the comfort that mono was in its sadness, it's greys, the sound of rain and the melancholy of it, Indigo's comfort comes from a warmer place. It feels more grounded (despite the hectic genre switch-ups, like: "Closer" into "Change Pt. 2"?! Insane! But it works!) and the ever-present hopefulness feels more graspable. In general, the melodies on this album are also just so good that I can't get enough of them and I'm excited for my vinyl to arrive in June!!

fav: No. 2 (but seriously, all the songs are SO good)

Epik High: Strawberry (2023)

First of all: I recently saw Epik High live for the first time and it was like 100/10 amazing. Besides the songs being amazing, they're all just really funny?! It was half standup half hip-hop show and I was LIVING. Anyway, so Strawberry starts off with an instrumental track that would fit perfectly on Spotify's Dalkom Café playlist (which I love) and then goes into two insanely catches songs featuring Jackson Wang and Hwasa, respectively. Perfect choices. Iconically, the first lyrics you hear are "I'm on my way / I'm on my villain arc / I'mma need you to shut up for a minute" but on a really chill lo-fi beat. Beautiful. That's also how their live show started which is truly iconic. What fascinates me the most about Epik High's music is the melodic sensibility they bring to every song, even the ones that sound like freestyle rap. There's always a melodic heart to it, combined with really good lyrics.

fav: Catch

Paramore: This Is Why (2023)

They're finally back!!! If you can't tell by my profile picture, Paramore's After Laughter (2017) is one of my absolute favourite albums of all time. And of course I love all their older albums too. I think This Is Why is a perfect follow-up to all of these: it ties in all the different sounds we've heard before but in a new way. It feels like they're still inspired by the same things, but they've gone deeper into them, if that makes sense. The sounds and themes of the album also just feel like a perfectly natural progression after Hayley's two solo albums, which the other band members also helped out on. You can hear and feel how much all of them have matured and grown musically, skills-wise, and personally. It's such a pleasure just letting all the sounds wash over you or singing along aggressively. There's a lot of aggression on the album, even in the love songs. But it's a good aggression? Maybe that's not the right word, but there's a power and a force, as opposed to a defeatedness throughout all the songs. Especially considering everything we've all been living through since the last album, I think this is a perfect response.

fav: Running Out of Time

NewJeans: "Ditto", "OMG" (2022/2023)

It's all hits, no misses so far with these girls. "Ditto" was released a bit earlier in the winter and perfectly encapsulated the wistful melancholy of the grey and wet days while still being insanely catchy. The melody has this very specific kind of melancholy, nostalgic undertone that the music video emphasises, but paired with a drill drumbeat that gives the whole thing an edge. "OMG" might sound more upbeat in direct comparison at first, but it also has some more somber undertones, especially when you take the music video (which left me confused and intrigued after my first watch) into consideration. I like that NewJeans songs can absolutely appeal to teenagers (their peers) easily but even older listeners can genuinely enjoy them without feeling like they're listening to a Disney Channel soundtrack and it's not really for them. There's a clear groundedness in these songs that is lacking in a lot of music for and by teens these days (especially looking at you, TikTok...). All of their songs are literally the most tenacious earworms, yet I'm not annoyed to have them camp out in my mind.

Le Sserafim: Antifragile (2022)

At first, I didn't like Antifragile as much as Fearless because the track sequencing is just not as good: the mood changes from track to track don't feel as smooth. But all of the songs on their own are absolutely on par with their first EP's and add new textures that I enjoy. Particularly "No Celestial": it's heavily rock-influenced with a great melody and message, and the girls' vocals work very well with this style of music. Considering that their whole thing is being fearlessly themselves in the face of adversity and embracing supposed flaws, rock is the perfect genre to express this with. Even on Fearless, a song like "The Great Mermaid" had somewhat of a rock sensibility but not traditionally executed. For "No Celestial" they brought in the guitars and melody of a 2000s/2010s pop-rock song that just makes so much sense for them. The title track "Antifragile" is also really fun to listen to, going in directions I didn't expect (especially in the chorus). In general, they manage to make empowering songs that don't feel cheap and fake, which is difficult to pull off.

fav: No Celestial

Tomorrow x Together: The Name Chapter: Temptation (2023)

How does TXT manage to do something different on every album and have it still sound so quintessentially TXT? Every new album my first reaction is "Oh? This is different... hmm......." and then I get obsessed and loop the album for weeks. Temptation has been exactly the same. Title track "Sugar Rush Ride" is the most seductive they've ever been, with the way they use their vocals especially, which suits the theme of the album. It deals with the temptation to ignore all your responsibilities and just stay "Happy Fools" (eyy) but in the end, they realise that you can't live like that forever, and have to say "Farewell, Neverland". Something about the guitar and melody on that song specifically feels so familiar to me, but I can't pinpoint it... The biggest surprise to me was hearing an instrumental for "Devil By The Window" and finding out it's just a sparse beat for most of the song, with their vocals being the only thing to make the song sound full. They keep doing new and interesting things and I just need them to finally come to Europe on tour now...

fav: Farewell, Neverland (but seriously, all of them though)

Jin: "The Astronaut" (2022)

As a massive fan of both Coldplay and Jin's music, this song is everything to me. It's the perfect collaboration, especially considering they're fans of each other too and have both explored a more space-y theme in their recent music. Of course, this song is Jin's last release before he had to go do his compulsory military service, so it being full of so much love and melancholy makes it bitter-sweet in all the right ways. Did I go see Coldplay's Argentina concert in cinema just to see Jin perform this song? Yes, and I cried a little.

Red Velvet: The ReVe Festival 2022 - Birthday (2022)

Continuing the theme from their previous album of interpolating classical pieces into poppy tracks, "Birthday" uses a George Gershwin piece but makes it go all kinds of places in a very (recent) Red Velvet style. These days, some of their songs are a little much at first listen, but their vocals always, always, always tie everything together so well that I can't help but enjoy listening. The other songs on the album are a little less quirky and more classic Red Velvet with great vocals and interesting melodies. But I do keep wondering one thing: what does "oops we are on a ride" mean? How are you accidentally on a rollercoaster?? Or is it a metaphor for how life is a rollercoaster............. Anyway, of course I had red velvet cake on my birthday this year while listening to this album and it felt great.

fav: Zoom

Fujii Kaze: Help Ever Hurt Never (2020)

I found this album through such a weird way: Suga of BTS posted black-and-white photos of himself on his Instagram with his long hair in his face and people on Twitter said it reminded them of the album cover of a song that recently blew up on TikTok - Fujii Kaze's "Shinunoga E-Wa", so people started making Suga edits with that song. I liked the song and checked out the album and loved it and it's been on repeat ever since. Something about it reminds me so much of Jamie Cullum but if his songs were a little more interesting or at least his albums were a bit more diverse... Kaze's voice has a very soothing and rich tone and that coupled with the great melodies and instrumentation of his songs just makes me want to endlessly loop the album.

fav: Sayonara Baby

Seulgi: 28 Reasons (2022)

I honestly did not know what to expect from Seulgi's debut album but although it goes in several directions, it stays cohesive and suits her perfectly. It's dark in a different way than her album with fellow Red Velvet member Irene, Monster (2020), with a certain alluring quality. Most of the songs are very brash with Seulgi showcasing her vocal prowess, which makes the two songs right in the middle of the EP, "Bad Boy, Sad Girl" and "Anywhere But Home", stand out more, as they seem more understated, showing a different, less aggressive vocal style. Especially the latter is very reminiscent of a certain style of dance songs from the 2000s like Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder On The Dancefloor" and Estelle's "American Boy" which I very much enjoy.

fav: Anywhere But Home

Adora: Adorable REbirth (2022)

I have been waiting for Adora's debut album since I first heard her voice in 2019 on Suga's "Seesaw" and then found out she's had a hand in making so many of my favourite BTS and TXT songs. Her first singles in 2021 and 2022 showcased her specific brand of quirkiness paired with stunning vocals, perfectly paving the way for this first EP. The single is literally called "Magical Symphony", which really encapsulates her vibe. Although she only produced about half the songs on the EP, they all sound so quintessentially her and showcase her vocal skills exactly like I'd always hoped. I'm excited to hear whatever she's cooking up next.

fav: CBGC

[voroxpete]

100% true. House of Leaves is a very extreme example of this; it not only needs to be a book, it needs to very specifically be a printed, physical book to tell the story its trying to tell. Even as an audiobook or ebook the effect is ruined.

ARGs are a fascinating form of storytelling that haven't been explored nearly enough. I firmly believe there are things you can do with an ARG that cannot be done in any other medium. Look up the Nine Inch Nails Year Zero ARG for an example of the form at its best.

Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy started out as a radio play, and each subsequent change of medium has had to radically reinvent the story to work. There's a lot of humour in the original that just does not work in text or in video. It relies firmly on the lack of both visual depiction, and narrative description. The characters react to things that we cannot see, and those reactions paint the world. I'm absolutely certain that there exist stories that have explored this same idea for horror, doubling down on the Blair Witch idea of removing access to information as a way of creating terror.

Life is Strange is beautiful and haunting specifically because it asks you to make choices. It could easily be turned into a TV show, but the effect would be lost. It's not only the choice Max makes in chapter 4 that destroys us; it's the fact that we are forced to make it. That the game literally will not progress until we decide between one of two appalling options.

But beyond these examples that illustrate the more extreme cases, I think it could be fairly argued that it's not "some" stories that can only exist in one medium; it's every story.

Stories do get adapted, yes, and some get adapted really well. In a few cases, the adaptation may actually be the superior story. But it is not the same story. Lord of The Rings the books are not Lord of The Rings the movies. In a very literal sense the story was changed, characters' roles expanded, reduced, or outright removed, whole sections excised. But more than that, at a fundamental level it is not being told in the same way. The cadence, the metre, the rhythm of the thing is completely different. The movies are fantasy movies and they are the product of decades of media that effectively created the fantasy genre out of the seeds Tolkien planted. The books are not really "fantasy" at all, they are a saga. They are written in the traditions that Tolkien understood, and in doing so he created the traditions that we understand. A saga would make a terrible movie, because it's this vast meandering thing that's meant to take in the entire breadth of a world down to its food and its art. The songs are there because they are part of what a saga should be. They create the world. When songs are used in the movies, it's too underscore moments of pathos and drama. They serve the story. In the books the story serves the songs, because the story serves the world and the songs, are part of the world.

Every version of every story has a medium to which it is best suited. When things go right, a version and its medium meet, and get to exist together.

I firmly believe that some stories can never be translated into a different medium and that's okay

[conceptalbummultiverse]

You ever make a playlist for your writing project-in-progress? How about making a playlist for your OTP? I did both at the same time, and because I no longer have any shame, I'm going to share it here for everyone's enjoyment. Click above to listen, click below to read through what songs are on it.

"Love to Be Loved" by Peter Gabriel

And I let go.

I can let go of it.

Though it takes all the strength in me,

And all the world can see

I'm losing such a central part of me,

I can let go of it.

You know I need it!

You know I need it!

I recognize how much I've lost,

But I cannot face the cost,

'Cause I love to be loved.

"Love Like You" by Rebecca Sugar

I always thought I might be bad.

Now I'm sure that it's true.

Because I think you're so good,

And I'm nothing like you.

Look at you go, I just adore you!

I wish that I knew

What makes you think I'm so special.

"One Caress" by Depeche Mode

When you think you've tried every road,

Every avenue,

Take one more look at what you found old,

And in it, you'll find something new.

Oh, girl,

Lead me into your darkness!

When this world is trying its hardest to leave me unimpressed,

Just one caress

From you, and I'm blessed.

"What Can I Do For You?" by Rebecca Sugar (I think... I know she wrote a lot of the music for Steven Universe but idk about this song specifically)

Human man, you are so much fun!

I hadn't planned on finding you quite so entertaining.

I like your band, I like your song.

I like the way human beings play.

I like playing along!

"Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" by U2

You're an accident waiting to happen.

You're a piece of glass left there on the beach.

Well you tell me things I know you're not supposed to,

And you leave me just out of reach.

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?

Who's gonna drown in your blue sea?

Who's gonna ride your wild horses?

Who's gonna fall at the foot of thee?

"Judas" by Depeche Mode

You can fulfill your wildest ambitions,

And I'm sure you will lose your inhibitions.

So open yourself to me,

Risk your health for me,

If you want my love.

"Song For Someone" by U2

You let me into a conversation,

A conversation only we could make.

You break and enter my imagination.

Whatever's in there, it's yours to take.

I was told I'd feel nothing the first time.

You were slow to heal,

But this could be the night.

"Cosmonauts" by Fiona Apple

When I met you, I was fine with my nothing.

I grew with you and now I've changed.

What I've become is someone I can't be without your loving.

Be good to me; it isn't a game.

Now let me see, it's you and me,

Forgive a good God.

How do you suppose that we've survived?

Come on, that's right, left, right,

Make lighter all the heavier,

'Cause you and I will be like a couple of cosmonauts.

Except with way more gravity than when we started off.

"Someone Who Loves Me" by Sara Bareilles

Surrender's just a word 'til you try it out,

And see how hard it is to hurt with someone else around.

I'm the worst I've ever been,

Afraid of almost everything.

The skies are clear, but storms are always coming.

Your gift to me is just to be

Bracing for the winds I always summon.

My home, my heart- thank God you are

Someone who loves me!

"Absolute Beginners" by David Bowie

I've nothing much to offer.

There's nothing much to take.

I'm an absolute beginner,

And I'm absolutely sane.

As long as we're together,

The rest can go to hell.

I absolutely love you,

But we're absolute beginners.

With eyes completely open,

But nervous all the same.

"All That" by Sparks

All the smiles and all the frowns

And all the ups and all the downs

And all the fears that you would soon be gone.

You ignore my gaping flaws,

And I see you, and I'm in awe.

And look outside, it's very nearly dawn.

I can't believe my luck in meeting you!

Hey, help me out, I can't find my left shoe.

[jazzymusicorn28]

8 and 19 for the ask game if you will?

8. Favorite other character?

Oh, definitely Hooty! His lore will forever fascinate me, and his possible origins. He's absolutely hilarious, his friendship with Lulu is adorable, and he canonically got Lumity together! And his lines are just so iconic!! He's just perfection, what can I say! And Skeleton Hooty will forever haunt us all :)

19. Favorite piece of music from season 2?

I'm going to have to go with the music from Amity vs. Hunter from Eclipse Lake, that music SLAPPED. I listened to that song for days on repeat after the episode aired, and I still listen to it sometimes today. The chord progression is amazing (and how it's in the same key as TOH theme song!) and it is just so good ahhh!!! Season 2 had some of my favorite music in the series; other favorites of mine include the amazing music from the Lumity cheek kiss scene from Through the Looking Glass Ruins, and the music from Hollow Mind, which had vibes that perfectly fit the episode and really contributed to its eerieness.

[colour-outside-the-liness]

Hi Colour! How are you doing today? I don't know about doing meaningful things with my life, feel like I've just been surviving this entire time lol. However I am trying to figure it out and working on building the life I want to live and hopefully I will be able contribute to this world in some way.

I don't think I've ever played a game of trivial pursuit. Have never been to a pub either, not like the ones you have in the UK anyway. Just been to very dirty bars where me and my friends used to drink as much as we could afford, shared questionable food that could potentially make us sick the next day and there were no quizzes or games really haha. So your exp sounds way more fun! 😂

I'm glad you're giving the song a chance! Only Spotify knows how many times I've listened to it lol. I reckon Hozier's going to be my artist of the year for 2021. I love attributing works of art to Dani x Jamie, have a whole ass Pinterest board full with images of paintings, poetry, music and anything that I think relates to them really (yeah I know, I have a problem).

I love everything you've said about how Dani, Viola and the lady in the lake are alike, I hadn't really thought about their similarities before, but everything you've said makes perfect sense. I always saw Viola as a narcissist, even her drive to protect her child felt selfish in a way, don't know if you know what I mean. And when she fades away and becomes the lady she's just pure (almost animalistic) instinct while on auto pilot, bc she only remembers rage and abandonment, she takes anything on her path aggressively unless they're a child. So what she sees in Dani is not processed logically, right? It's pure instinct and emotions, so what she recognizes in her when Dani invites her in is the desperate need to protect this child, so she sees her as deserving. Perhaps she also saw in Dani and opportunity to escape this nightmare. Despite all her faults she didn't deserve what happened to her either.

And don't get me wrong, Jamie is so, so strong and solid and she is my favorite mostly bc I identify with her personality more than Dani's. But we know Jamie is all that even before we learn her story, and I feel like it is expected that she'll be the strong and brave one bc she's had to be that her entire life albeit unwillingly. But Dani? We expect her to break at any given point, I mean she is reaching her limit after all that's happened, with all the weight she's carrying. I remember thinking "Jesus, this girl needs help" when I first watched the show hahaha. But she fights every damn time, she doesn't run away and that's why I find her so fascinating. That's why I thought this song was so fitting. Even if Dani would never see herself that way. But it's Jamie's perspective (and fire signs tend to exaggerate everything 😂) so it feels fitting that she thinks so highly of her baby haha. Ugh I just wanted them to stay together forever. 🥺

Omg yes! I love how you refined this idea, good thing you're a writer and I'm not hahaha. And yeah I'm absolutely here for sapphics with weapons like holy shit imagine Jamie fighting with a sword? 🤤 I'm weak. Hahaha would be cool to see them in a pirate AU too! Maybe someone's already done it? Idk. But aaaah I want to see them in every possible universe hahaha. Makes me want to get back into drawing too. 😩

Aww you two sound like you have a lovely bond going on. Your niece sounds like the coolest! I started out drawing anime too when I was a kid and ended up doing graphic design for a living! How did learning how to draw anime style go for you today?

Hey I'm doing great thank you I hope you are too? I know that feeling because I feel like that's how I have made it to 27 just surviving (barely) and taking things one day at a time to get me to this point and hopefully I can contribute in some way even it its just a small way... so I totally get that feeling but I am sure you contribute so much without you even realising it!! Oh it's great but depending on how competitive the people you're playing with are it can get pretty heated... I've been in some heated games of it before because people just refuse to believe I know the answers to some of the questions and they think I've been cheating and have all but demanded I have another question asked instead of the one I got right... and pub quizzes can be fun again depending on the team you're in and how seriously you wanna take it I have been in teams where its been a serious thing and we have all desperately wanted to win and then I've been in teams and we've just had fun with it... all the pubs I go in are dirty bars too but sometimes they have pub quizzes... I have had many nights where I have drank what I can afford... one night me on my roommate went over board though and we ended up spending ALL our money even our taxi fair and we had to walk home in the dark along country roads with hardly any lights to guide us... because of how drunk we were it too us around 3-4 hours and I fell over a road sign and ended up in a ditch... I've had a lot of fun experiences but some really stupid ones as well... your experiences sound great though!! I would love that!! I listened to the song and I loved it so much!! I don't even wanna know what my most listened to artist will be this year... my money is on it being the Six musical soundtrack... probably All You Wanna Do from that musical I'll be surprised if it's anything else. I would love for it to be someone like Hozier, but ever since I have done my Spotify wrapped thing it's always been a musical of some kind that's been my number 1 song / artist haha I love doing the same thing. If I can make something fit Dani x Jamie I will like it doesn't even matter what it is haha... I don't think you have a problem I think that sounds so cool!! I have nothing like that. I just have a head full of random ideas screaming to be let out I agree Viola is definitely selfish and narcissistic and everything she did came from a place of anger and rage over the things that happened to her she fell in love and got married and had a child and saw her sister try and take that from her while she was ill and in the end her sister killed her. Like yeah, I do feel sorry for Perdita with the way she was treated but I do think everything Viola did was out of frustration over what was happening to her. Like you said she acts on auto pilot and only knows rage until it comes to children- because all she knows is she is looking for a child so when she saw Dani so selfless sacrifice herself for a child she saw a little bit of herself in Dani she knows Dani is a good person and she can relate to that protective streak and I think she did see Dani as deserving I definitely agree with everything you've said here. Viola might have had faults and flaws and who doesn't? But I definitely think she had it rough and did deserve better than she was given. I agree, you can tell looking at Jamie that she is strong and brave while Dani comes off as the exact opposite. But I think you see fully how brave they both are when Dani sacrifices herself for Flora and when Jamie offers to keep Dani company and loves her despite knowing she won't be able to love her forever. I love Jamie but definitely relate to Dani's personality more, there are a lot of things Dani does that I see myself in her because I have done those types of things myself and the whole beast in the jungle speech resonates with me so much and every time I watch the last episode and hear that speech I am a crying mess from that point on. It's funny that you thought that about Dani when you first watched it, because me and my sisters got my mum to

watch it and she said the same thing about Dani "she needs help" but then once told me she liked Dani because she reminded her of me that was an interesting conversation to be a part of "Dani needs help... but I like her she's like you." I was like "Thanks?" I agree this song is definitely more how Jamie would see Dani, I think Dani just has a very blasé view of herself, like I don't think she's self conscious or self deprecating in anyway but I think she sort of walks around like "this is me and this is just how I am" where as Jamie just sees Dani for how brave and strong and amazing she is- maybe even if as a fire sign she exaggerates a little bit haha Jamie just thinks Dani is the most amazing person in the world and I just know that Dani saw her the same way!! I really wanted them to be together forever... I am never going to emotionally recover from Bly Manor. Your idea was incredible and I think it would be a great story to read honestly that's the type of thing I live for!! OMG Jamie with a sword is just 🤤 🥵 I am all for sapphics and weapons of any kind!! There's this pirate AU which is absolutely amazing!! I don't know if you've read it or not but iamalekza writes some really great fics!! https://archiveofourown.org/works/28631598/chapters/70179306 ^^ Pirate AU I really wish I could draw I would love to be able to draw scenes from fics I have read and even ones I have written but I just don't have the skill set for that!! I would love to see other fan arts though I think drawing is such an incredible talent to have and I am in awe of anyone that can do it!! Me and my niece have a great bond, she's like a little mini me (despite almost being as tall as me). She is honestly such a cool kid I have a hell of a lot of fun with her- I'm looking after her again tomorrow and I have no idea what we're gonna do but we will figure something out... she's such a good drawer she's only just started doing it at the beginning of the year and she's really progressed with it... I however have not so I am definitely gonna need more practice. That's so cool that you started out doing anime drawing and then ended up going into a career in graphic design. Again that's a talent that I am just in awe of because it's just something I have never been able to do!!

[scattered-winter]

no but I'm gonna get INTO this actually because it's so interesting for music nerds like me-

RWBY's soundtrack score is one of the few I can think of that has, from the very first episode, built comprehensive themes and motifs for nearly every character, place, and idea that crosses the screen. you could even argue that the themes and motifs began before the first episode, since Jeff and Casey's music (as featured in the character trailers that aired before the first season) are an intrinsic part of the developing themes! we hear songs like Red Like Roses, Mirror Mirror, and From Shadows in the character shorts, and when the characters are introduced in the show, the corresponding melody from the songs is played with different instruments that take each character's established theme from her trailer and connect it to specific instruments that, as the show and score progresses, come to represent each character as a whole. for example, Ruby comes to be known not just from the Red Like Roses melody, but also plucked string instruments like harps or guitars that oh so often present her motif. Blake is often characterized by the gorgeous piano riffs that were born from the heavy piano in From Shadows and have since developed into those riffs (as heard in the volume 1 nevermore battle and the volume 4 sea dragon battle, which are the two instances of the riff that immediately come to mind). Weiss often has piano or strings (bowed, not plucked) in her motifs, while Yang usually has brass and/or electric guitar for hers. it's really quite fascinating to listen to their separate motifs because once you know them, you hear them everywhere. you can almost listen to only the score and still be able to follow the story because the story is echoed and reflected through the music.

and my personal favorite thing that the score does is establish motifs that appear over and over again throughout the volumes, until they're easily recognizable to anyone, and then Jeff and Casey sing a song with the same tune. Forever Fall, from the volume 6 soundtrack, is the Arkos motif that was introduced and developed since volume 1. 6 volumes after its introduction, a song with the same tune is released. idk about y'all but when I heard the Arkos theme set to lyrics for the first time, there were TEARS. another instance is Qrow's theme! he (and the motif) were officially introduced in volume 3 (there were mentions of him in earlier volumes but I can't remember if his motif accompanied the mentions or not) but Bad Luck Charm, the song that puts lyrics to the tune, didn't drop until the next season, volume 4. it's a very interesting method of introducing motifs that I like to think of as baiting a fish hook: dropping the tune whenever the character is onscreen until viewers start to associate that motif with that character, and then dropping an absolute banger of a song that only solidifies the motif as belonging to the character. it's a lot of words to say that I just really think it's cool as fuck.

it's also fascinating how the motifs introduce and develop ideas! the best example I can think of this is Pyrrha's "becoming a maiden" arc in volume 3. it starts out pensive and unsure, and as she grows to accept her future, melancholy and reluctant. and then in the climax of the volume and her character arc, the maiden theme plays once more during Pyrrha's final battle against Cinder. except this time, it's driving and heroic--until Pyrrha is inevitably defeated.

one of the most obvious motifs comes when the score instrumentalizes the already existing music from the Willams. while it isn't as emotionally impactful as putting lyrics to an already existing motif (in my opinion, for what it's worth) as was the case with Arkos and Forever Fall, it still adds a touch of flavor to the score! it's always fun to be watching a Blake and Yang scene and hear Bumbleby in the background :]

there's a guy on YouTube who organizes all the motifs into separate videos for each character/concept that is represented and I highly recommend checking them out because they're super interesting to follow! it's where I've drawn a lot of conclusions about the score and how it develops with the characters, and they're also super fun to listen to while studying :]

tldr: the RWBY score is insanely good at creating and building on motifs in various ways and if you're paying attention, you can almost follow the entire show just by listening to the score because each motif is so extensive.

RIP to people who don't pay attention to the score in RWBY while watching it but I'm different. What do you mean you didn't notice Nevermore playing for a second while Blake told Nora that she shouldn't forget about the rest (while talking about Ren)? What do you mean you haven't listened to Protecting Each other and that you haven't been able to tell what leitmotif was playing at every moment? What do you mean you can't tell when Such Arrogance plays and you didn't get nervous when you heard it again in v8?

[gireferig]

Top 5 videogames

HELLO FIRST OF ALL This is going to be a wall of text because videogames are arguably my favorite thing on this hell hole of a planet. Here are my top 5 games in no particular order

1.) BAITEN KAITOS ORIGINS

Baiten kaitos is a short series that consist of like… two whole games. The story is set place in this fantasy world where people have wings baised on their spirits and can get around using them its quite the party. My favorite of the two games however is origins for its amazing soundtrack (the battle music is always a bop for me), Amazing combat system which felt SO satisfying once you finally mastered it, and underrated voice acting (even as a kid i recognized how well bein’s voice acting was). Overall the writing in origins is much better and makes for some very lovable characters you get attached to throughout your adventure. This is one of my childhood classics and it has tons of replay value for me due to the fun combat system and insanely difficult boss fights. (I actually just… recently beat the full game because I couldn’t for the life of me do it as a kid) Its for game cube and if anyone can get their hands on at least origins I highly recommend it.

Another reason this game is my favorite is guillo, just.. everything about them they’re great.

2.) PHANTASY STAR EPISODE I&II PLUS

Ironically, I never enjoyed this game to its full potential since by the time I started playing it the “online” part was no longer an option as they disconnected the servers. But this game was still an insanely big part of my childhood and I easily sunk at least 500 hours into it. Phantasy star is a dungeon-crawler esque game about some humans attempting to colonize a foreign planet. Something goes wrong with the first ship they sent down to explore so of course they send you in to investigate, WHAT CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG!?!? The game progresses and you get deeper and deeper into the chaotic wildlife of this planet and discover there’s more to disappearance of the original colony than previously thought! Once you beat the original story a hard mode is unlocked, which allows you to fight tougher enemies and get better weapons, scaling all the way from hard, very hard, to ultimate, which is where all the enemies completely change and the chance of getting legendary weapons skyrockets. This was a very fun co-op game again with a ton of replay value (replay value means a lot to me in a game cause WE WERE VERY POOR KIDS) 

Even looking at this opening sequence for the game is giving me major nostalgia, I might crack it open again after this actually.  

3.) POKEMON

tHESE FUCKERS WERE BOUND TO BE ON MY LIST EVENTUALLY

Pokemon has been such a vast influence on my gaming life and if I could pick them all to be in my list I would. I’m going to have to pick one specific pokemon to be on this list though…

POKEMOOOOOOOOOON PUZZLE LEAAAAAAAGUE

no but really my favorite is pokemon platinum 

Pokemon platinum was the pinnacle of the series for me because it improved on the classic that was gen 4. Gen 4 is my favorite gen for many reasons, namely adding tons of great evolutions to previously forgotten pokemon (I love you roserade and mamoswine) Also paired with the absolute jamz that were the elite 4 battle music and Cynthia’s theme, it was absolutely amazing. Plus Dahlia is probably one of my favorite pokemon characters ever and she came in for platinum!

4.) The Legend Of Zelda: Majora’s Mask

NOW I'M GOING TO SPEW TONS OF BIAS HERE SO BEAR WITH ME

Majora’s mask is probably one of the most hauntingly beautiful games nintendo has made in their entire history as a company. Really painting with broad strokes here I know. What really sells this game to me is the intricacy of the little details scattered throughout the game. The way an ever-present threat is not constantly thrown in your face but is ever looming, the way the game handles serious and harrowing topics like death in a macabre yet beautiful manner, the interesting events that happen in the game that are not necessary to the story but add to the lore. All of this adds just a level of polish to a game that was originally considered a scrap project of Ocarina of Time. I suppose in this last point I should also give credit to Ocarina of Time, but these two games also prompted my fascination with music. Both games loaded with amazing songs throughout their soundtrack Really improve the immersion experience of the player and add more substance to an already beautiful story. 

5.) The World Ends With You

I really racked my brain around about what to include in this final spot, but none of the games I was thinking of honestly had quite the impact on me the way this game has. The World Ends With You is a jrpg from the perspective of this mopey guy named Neku who hates the world and everyone around him woe-is-me boo who. Neku DIES (Get shit on Neku) and winds up being trapped in something called the reaper games. The reaper games give you another shot at humanity if you win, but to enter you must offer up your most valuable possession. (If you win you could also become a reaper, the opponents of players in the game but thats uh, thats a whole nother thing)

This game had a completely unique fighting style where you had to control two different characters to fight enemies simultaneously on the DS’s dual screens. It was insanely difficult to master but once you could the game becomes incredibly addictive and fun. Throughout the entire game and Neku’s quest for humanity you discover what people really love and what it truly means to be human. Even the villains in the game offer amazing insight and philosophies on life that just kinda… stick with you? (I still remember that bullshit ass boss ho screamed ENJOY THE MOMENT every time you died) I guess it taught me to not take everything so seriously and just enjoy your life while uh, you’re, you know… alive. All while packaged into a neat fun game of course!

WOW THIS WAS A JOURNEY If you’re still reading this bud thanks, this was a joy to write!