#so i was like 'what if we use all of the vocaloid but with different names'

[tsukikoayanosuke]

When you wake up one day and had the silly idea to give names for every virtual singer in Project Sekai (except the original and Aku no Taizai Series)

First Name Theme:

Leo/need: Constellation

MORE MORE JUMP!: Flowers

Vivid BAD SQUAD: Seasonal-themed names

Wonderlands x Showtime: Disney protagonists

25-ji, Nightcord de.: Member's center conflict or special skill

Surname Theme: Japanese writers, specifically from Bungou to Alchemist

And now with name meaning rambles:

Leo/Need

Miku: Virgo Ogawa

Virgo is the Western equivalent of the Babylonian "The Furrow" (ASBIN) and representing the goddess Shala and her ear of grain. One star in this constellation, Spica, retains this tradition as it is Latin for "ear of grain", one of the major products of the Mesopotamian furrow. For this reason the constellation became associated with fertility. Leo/need Miku's first event card is during "Singing Among the Cherry Blossoms" which mostly centers around Ichika in her attempt in being more confident. Starting that moment, Ichika flourish into the singer we know.

Ogawa is taken from Ogawa Bimei (小川未明), the writer of Red Candles and the Mermaid (赤い蝋燭と人魚), The Moonlight and the Glasses (月夜と眼鏡), Wild Rose (野薔薇), and A Telegraph Pole and A Weird Man (電信柱と妙な男).

Rin: Arye Miyazawa

Arye is another name for the Leo constellation, called by the Jews. The constellation Leo is the Western equivalent of the constellation was called the "Great Lion" (UR.GU.LA) in Babylonian astronomy. The bright star of the constellation, Regulus, is also knows as "the star that stands at the Lion's breast." and had distinctly regal associations, as it was known as the King Star. Leo/need Rin's first appearance is during "Unnamed Harmony" which centers around Saki's struggles in making song. However, as Shiho had said, Saki had been helping everyone by being herself and be the first one to figure out the feelings they want to say. Thus, making Saki the central "star" of the ban, similar to Regulus's status as "the star that stands at the Lion's breast."

Miyazawa is taken from Miyazawa Kenji (宮沢賢治), the writer of Be Not Defeated by the Rain (雨ニモマケズ), Night on the Galactic Railroad (銀河鉄道の夜), The Restaurant of Many Orders (注文の多い料理店) and The Wind Child Matasaburou (風の又三郎).

Len: Bishop Oda

Bishop is a masculine name of English and Greek origin, from the word epískopos, meaning "overseer". In Babylonian star catalogues, "The Overseer" or "The God Pabilsaĝ" (PA.BIL.SAG) has a Western quivalent; Sagittarius. Pabilsaĝ was a Mesopotamian god. Not much is known about his role in Mesopotamian religion, though it is known that he could be regarded as a bow-armed warrior deity, as a divine cadastral officer or a judge. He might have also been linked to healing, though this remains disputed. Leo/need Len's first appearance is during "Putting Feelings into Words" where Honami takes the role of "overseer", the first one who noticed Shiho doing things behind their back and overall being the one in charge in taking care to her bandmates.

Oda is taken from Oda Sakunosuke (織田作之助), the writer of Hurray for Marriage (夫婦善哉) and The Paradox of Youth (青春の逆説).

Luka: Inanna Kikuchi

Inanna or the "Lady of the Heaven" (A.NU.NI.TUM) is one of the Babylonian constellation that compossed the western Pisces, along with "the great swallow" (ŠIM.MAḪ). Inanna is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility. She is also associated with beauty, sex, divine law, and political power. In Inanna's Descent into the Underworld, Inanna perceives that Dumuzid, her first and primary consort, has failed to properly mourn her death and, when she returns from the Underworld, allows the galla demons to drag him down to the Underworld as her replacement. Inanna later regrets this decision and decrees that Dumuzid will spend half the year in the Underworld, but the other half of the year with her, while his sister Geshtinanna stays in the Underworld in his place, thus resulting in the cycle of the seasons. Leo/need Luka's first event card is during "Stella After the Rain" that centers around Saki wanting to do more for the band, especially after being sick for a long time. The change of the season in Inanna Underworld myth can represent her unstable health.

Kikuchi is taken from Kikuchi Kan (菊池寛), the writer of Beyond Love and Hate (恩讐の彼方に) and Madame Pearl (真珠夫人).

Meiko: Aquarius Natsume

Aquarius is identified as "The Great One" (GU.LA) in the Babylonian star catalogues and represents the god Ea himself, who is commonly depicted holding an overflowing vase. In Old Babylonian astronomy, Ea was the ruler of the southernmost quarter of the Sun's path, the "Way of Ea", corresponding to the period of 45 days on either side of winter solstice. Aquarius was also associated with the destructive floods that the Babylonians regularly experienced, and thus was negatively connoted. Leo/Need Meiko's first appearance is during "Don't Let Doubts Hold You Back" which centers around Honami standing up for herself. Her pacifist nature can be seen as both good thing and bac thing, whether becoming the middle voice of the group of seen as two-faced, similar to the nature of water used in irigation or bringer of floods.

Natsume is taken from Natsume Souseki (夏目漱石), the writer of Kokoro (こゝろ), Botchan (坊ちゃん), and I am a Cat (吾輩は猫である).

Kaito: Orion Akutagawa

In the Babylonian star catalogues, Orion is the Western equivalent to The Heavenly Shepherd or True Shepherd of Anu constellation (SIPA.ZI.AN.NA). Anu being the chief god of the heavenly realms. The Babylonian constellation is sacred to Papshukal and Ninshubur, both minor gods fulfilling the role of 'messenger to the gods'. Leo/need Kaito's first appearance is during "A Bright Future!!" which center around Ichika who wants to share her feelings through her lyrics, to be more confident in expressing through songs.

Akutagawa is taken from Akutagawa Ryuunosuke (芥川龍之介), the writer of Rashoumon (羅生門), Hell Screen (地獄変), and Cogwheels (歯車).

MORE MORE JUMP!

Miku: Narcissa Yamamoto

Narcissa is a girl's name of Greek origin, meaning "daffodil." Daffodils symbolize new beginnings and rebirth–two characteristics that perfectly represent the new year.  MMJ Miku's first event card is during "The Tomorrow We Hope For". The name can represent MMJ's whole journey; Haruka, Airi, and Shizuku having a renewal/rebirth as a new group idol along with Minori and her endless hope.

Yamamoto is taken from Yamamoto Yuuzou (山本有三), the writer of Towards the Truth (真��一路), A Woman's Life (女の一生), and A Stone by the Roadside (路傍の石).

Rin: Lily Tokunaga

Lily had two meanings: one as a sign of purity and magnificent beauty, and the other as a symbol of rebirth or resurrection. MMJ Rin's first event card is during "Time to RE:START!" which focuses of the group trying to find a way to get into the idol industry (you can say for their 'rebirth).

Tokunaga is taken from Tokunaga Sunao (徳永直), the writer of The Sunless Street (太陽のない街) and The Whole Family Works (はたらく一家).

Len: Lilach Takamura

Lilach is a version of the word "lilac". It is stronger and more masculine so it works well as a boy's name. Although lilac flower stands for renewal and confidence overall, each color of lilac has its own specific meaning. White lilacs represent purity and innocence, while purple lilacs symbolize spirituality. If the blooms edge more on the blue side of the color wheel, they symbolize happiness and tranquility. Magenta lilacs symbolize love and passion. MMJ Len first appearance is during "Happy Lovely Everyday!" which focuses on Airi's view on her past and present and how Airi from back then and now is really is the same.

Takamura is taken from Takamura Koutarou (高村光太郎), the writer of The Journey (道程) and Chieko's Sky (智恵子抄).

Luka: Amaryllis Kitahara

Amaryllis flowers are believed to mean pride, strength and determination as they stand tall above all other winter blooms. Amaryllis is also a Greek name which means 'to sparkle'. MMJ Luka's first appearance is during "My Color!" which focuses of Shizuku standing up as her own self instead of what the public wants to see.

Kitahara is taken from Kitahara Hakushuu (北原白秋), the writer of Paulownia Flowers (桐の花), Heretics (邪宗門), and Platinum Top (白金の独楽).

Meiko: Lavender Shiga

Lavender flowers tend to have a soothing effect on the surroundings. Lavender brings peace and harmony to the interactions between loved ones and is often considered a symbol of happiness, love, devotion, and protection. MMJ Meiko's first appearance is during "You Deserve It! Break Time!" which focuses on Shizuku in finding ways for Haruka to take a break, but this can also represent Haruka's love and devotion toward MMJ which is why she's working hard for them and managed to find "harmony" in her times.

Shiga is taken from Shiga Naoya (志賀直哉), the writer of Dark Night's Passing (暗夜行路), At Kinosaki (城の崎にて), Reconciliation (和解), and The Shopboy's God (小僧の神様).

Kaito: Aciano Dan

Aciano is a unique name that means "cornflower" in Spanish. This Mediterranean native flower represents natural beauty and the circle of life, and is often used to symbolise positive hope for the future. MMJ Kaito first appearance is during "MORE MORE Making Christmas" which centers Minori and her hope to get even better and spreading hope to the world as idol.

Dan is taken from Dan Kazuo (檀一雄), the writer of Man of a Burning House (火宅の人) and Dazai Osamu: The Novel (小説 太宰治).

Vivid BAD SQUAD

Miku: Trixie Kobayashi

Trixie is a name of Latin origin meaning "she who brings happiness." VBS Miku's first event card is during "Sekai Happy New Year". She's the only one who has no direct relation to a season, however this can be taken as each season can bring a certain happiness toward different people. This also represent VBS and how each and one of them brings happiness toward each others in their pursuit of their one dream.

Kobayashi is taken from Kobayashi Takiji (小林多喜二), the writer of The Crab Cannery Ship (蟹工船), The Absentee Landlord (不在地主), and Life of a Party Member (党生活者).

Rin: Florence Sakaguchi

Florence is a feminine name of Latin origin that comes from the word florentius which means "blossoming," "flourishing," and "prosperous," making it a wonderful choice to inspire good fortune for baby throughout their life.  VBS Rin's first event card is during "Awakening Beat" which focuses in Kohane (whose name is related to the spring season) gaining more confidence in singing.

Sakaguchi is taken from Sakaguchi Ango (坂口安吾), the writer of Professor Blowhard / Professor Wind (風博士) and Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees (桜の森の満開の下).

Len: Epiphany Nakahara

Epiphany is a typically masculine name of Greek origin that means "bringing light," "manifestation," "striking appearance," or "vision of God." The name comes from the Greek word epiphaneia, which means "a sudden realization or feeling." In Ancient Greece, epiphanies were usually representative of visions of gods and were normally reported during troubling times. VBS Len's first event card is during "Nocturne Interlude". Looking for a name related to the winter season for Touya, this name can represent to Touya's shift to street music, but also represent the realization his and his father's love for music albeit in different ways.

Nakahara is taken from Nakahara Chuuya (中原中也), the writer of Poems of the Goat (山羊の歌), Songs of Bygone Days (在りし日の歌), and Upon the Tainted Sorrow (汚れつちまつた悲しみに…)

Luka: Iclyn Naoki

Iclyn is a name of Welsh origin that comes from the word ice and means "compassionate".VBS Luka's first appearance is during "Same Dream, Same Color" which mostly focuses on Touya (whose name is related to winter season) and his bonds with his friends.

Naoki is taken from Naoki Sanjuugo (直木三十五), the writer of Chronicles of the Peaceful South (南国太平記), Battle (合戦), and Kusunoki Masashige (楠木正成)

Meiko: Aine Ozaki

Aine is a traditional Irish name that is tied with the Celtic goddess of summer and prosperity, means 'happiness and success'.  VBS Meiko's first event card is during "Singing in Sync" which focuses on An's (whose name related to summer season) and her view of the 'success' in being partners which becomes their crisis and later evolve to how An see her own crisis of looking for 'happiness and success' when she was feeling left behind.

Ozaki is taken from Ozaki Kouyou (尾崎紅葉), the writer of The Golden Demon (金色夜叉), Tears and Regrets (多情多恨), and Love Confessions of Two Nuns (二人比丘尼色懺悔)

Kaito: Hunter Murou

Hunter is an English name, meaning 'pursuer.' This name reflects the age-old role of the hunter and gatherers.  VBS Kaito's first appearance is during "Stray Bad Dog" event which focuses on Akito (whose name is related to autumn season) and all of his hardworking attempt in fulfilling his dream after a lost.

Murou is taken from Muroo Saisei (室生犀星), the writer of Lyric Pieces (抒情小曲集) and Love Poem Collection (愛の詩集)

Wonderland x Showtime

Miku: Snowdrop Edogawa

Snowdrop is one of the translations of the Snow White's name. Snow White from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) is the first Disney Princess, the first main character, and the first heroine of a Disney animated feature. Snow White is well known for her kindness and optimism — both of which act as her greatest strengths, as they've guided her safely through the various hardships faced throughout her life. She can also be assertive, with the authoritative nature of a mother. In addition, she showed leadership potential when guiding the animals around the house during their cleaning session, successfully instructing them on how to best clean the house and various items inside. WxS Miku's first event appearance is during "Run! Sports Festival! Committee Rush". Emu, being one of the main star of the event, is shown to have the skill to influence people with her cheerfulness, big heart, and love of smiles. Her optimism in a way is similar to Snow White for they always find a way to reach their goal, even if it's as simple as "finding a safe place to stay" for Snow White or "making a festival filled with smile" for Emu.

Edogawa is taken from Edogawa Ranpo (江戸川乱歩), the writer of The Case of the Murder on D Hill (D坂の殺人事件) and The Fiend with Twenty Faces (怪人二十面相).

Rin: Pleiades Tayama

Pleiades, or The Seven Sisters, is the name of seven star cluster close to the constellation Taurus. It is also the middle name of Jim Hawkins, the protagonist of Disney's Treasure Planet (2002). Jim is an adventurous young lad; rebellious, strong-willed, brave, caring, and loyal. A bad boy with a heart of gold. However, he has his insecurity, wondering if he can't do anything right. Finding treasure planet is his calling to finally fix something. WxS Rin's first Wonderland x Showtime centric event appearance is during "Wonder Magical Showtime!" where Tsukasa put aside his desire to win the whole PXL's competition in order to make Emu's dream come true. Tsukasa and Jim is almost similar, from their desire of something more (Tsukasa with his future star dream and Jim desire for adventure) but has insecurities and pulled them away from truly expressing themselves.

Tayama is taken from Tayama Katai (田山花袋), the writer of The Quilt (蒲団) and Country Teacher (田舎教師).

Len: Briar Dazai

Briar (Rose) is an alias for Princess Aurora is the titular character of Disney's Sleeping Beauty (1959). Aurora is a kind, elegant, graceful, angelic, loving, and gentle person, as well as a hopeless romantic. At first, she is seen as a slightly shy, playful and carefree young woman as a result of being sheltered for most of her life. Aurora is very loyal and honest to her "aunts" and usually obeys their rules respectfully, even though she may disagree with them. WxS Len's first event appearance is during "Smile of a Dreamer" which focuses in Emu and her attempt in making her grandpa's vision. Both Emu and Aurora are dreamers even though the situations push them down (Emu with her brothers, Aurora with her royal status), but in the end both of their dream comes true with the help of many. Coincidentally, Emu's event song and Sleeping Beauty's theme song is titled "Once Upon a Dream".

Dazai is taken from Dazai Osamu (太宰治), the writer of No Longer Human (人間失格) and Run, Melos! (走れメロス).

Luka: Rapunzel Hori

Rapunzel is the protagonist of Disney's Tangled (2010). A dreamer at heart, she's a spirited and determined young woman. Because of her sheltered up bringing, she can be rather anxious and having a low self-esteem. However, that doesn't stop her from stepping out her comfort zone and take on the unknown for the sake of experiencing her dreams. Despite being fearful and at times hesitant, she pushes herself forward to pursue her ambitions. WxS Luka's first Wonderland x Showtime centric event appearance is during "Mermaid Admiration". Both Nene and Rapunzel stepping up to finally fulfilling their dream, and now they're looking for a new dream.

Hori is taken from Hori Tatsuo (堀辰雄), the writer of The Holy Family (聖家族), The Wind Has Risen (風立ちぬ), and Naoko (菜穂子).

Meiko: Ursa Mushanokouji

Ursa Major is a constellation in the northern sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Ursa Major is primarily known from the asterism of its main seven stars, which has been called the "Big Dipper", "the Wagon", "Charles's Wain", or "the Plough", among other names. In particular, the Big Dipper's stellar configuration mimics the shape of the "Little Dipper". Dipper is also the name of the main character in the Disney TV Series Gravity Falls (2012-14). Dipper is a adventurer, clever, curious and may be a bit short-temperament. Throughout the series Dipper becomes more confident in himself, has learned to have hope in the doubtful times, and become stronger when facing his enemies to stand up for what he believes in. WxS Meiko's first appearance is during "On This Holy Night, I Sing" where Nene slowly grows confident in herself once again on stage, similar to Dipper's growth.

Mushanokouji is taken from Mushanokouji Saneatsu (武者小路実篤), the writer of Good-Natured Person (お目出たき人) and Friendship (友情).

Kaito: Eliseo Satou

Eliseo has the meaning "God is my salvation", which is in line with Elizabeth that means "My God is an oath" or "My God is abundance". Elizabeth itself can be derived into Elsa, which is a name of the deuteragonist from Frozen (2013). When she was little, Elsa was still quite playful and used her magic to have fun and goof off. However, after accidentaly hurt her sister, she became terrified of losing control and chose isolation for other's protection. WxS Kaito's first event appearance is during "It's On! Wonder Halloween!" where Rui's robot accidentaly hurt Tsukasa, thus he hold back with his more daring idea, similar to Elsa. It was only after Tsukasa reasured Rui that Rui can return as his confident self, in a similar way how Anna tells Elsa that she loves her that Elsa can return summer.

Satou is taken from Satou Haruo (佐藤春夫), the writer of Melancholy in the Country (田園の憂鬱) and The House of a Spanish Dog (西班牙犬の家).

25-ji, Nightcord de.

Miku: Calypso Shimazaki

Calypso is a name of Greek origin meaning "she who hides". Niigo Miku's first event appearance is during "Imprisoned Marionette", a Mafuyu focus event. The meaning of "shw who hides" can means of Mafuyu hiding her emptiness from her mother and the public behind her smile. However, she no longer hides when she was with Niigo. In addition, this can also means she no longer "hide" under her mother's shadow, slowly realizing her trueself even when her mother always trying to keep her hidden.

Shimazaki is taken from Shimazaki Touson (島崎藤村), the writer of The Broken Commandment (破戒), A New Life (新生), and Before the Dawn (夜明け前).

Rin: Aurora Izumi

Aurora is girl's name of Latin origin meaning "dawn". Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of sunrise whose tears turned into the morning dew. She was said to renew herself by traveling from East to West across the sky, announcing the arrival of the sun each dawn. Aurora is also associated with the scientific term for the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis. Auroras occur when charged particles (electrons and protons) collide with gases in Earth's upper atmosphere. Those collisions produce tiny flashes that fill the sky with colourful light. As billions of flashes occur in sequence, the auroras appear to move or " dance " in the sky. Niigo Rin's first appearance is during "Insatiable Pale Color", an Ena focus event. Aurora or the Nothern Lights is known for its beautiful colors which is in-line with Ena and her painting. Similar to the creation of Aurora, there are may collision in Ena's journey with her painting talent, many ups and down, but with her brush dancing on her colorful canvas, one day she will create something that she can finally call "beautiful".

Izumi is taken from Izumi Kyouka (泉鏡花), the writer of The Holy Man of Mount Kouya (高野聖) and A Woman's Pedigree (婦系図).

Meiko: Penelope Hagiwara

Penelope is a feminine name of Greek origin. It translates from its original tongue to "weaver" and can be traced as far back as the Ancient Greeks as depicted in Homer's Odyssey. Niigo Meiko's first appearance is during "Secret Distance", a Mizuki focus event. Mizuki is known to be the one with the cute appearance, especially in fashion, hence the "weaving" meaning. However, this can also reflected in their journey of weaving their identity and new relationship with the rest of the cast, starting with Niigo and Rui, and expanding to many.

Hagiwara is taken from Hagiwara Sakutarou (萩原朔太郎), the writer of Howling at the Moon (月に吠える), Blue Cat (青猫), and Icy Island (氷島).

Luka: Aria Niimi

Aria is an Italian name that means "song or melody" while also translating to the word "air," for a light and breezy. In opera, arias mostly appear during a pause in dramatic action when a character is reflecting on their emotions. Niigo Luka's first appearance is during "Carnation Recollection", a Kanade focus event. Kanade is the composer of the group, thus has created many of their song. Especially in this event, when Kanade is struggling to make a song for Mafuyu, she reached for for her feeling from back then. So, you can say that this song is Kanade's aria.

Niimi is taken from Niimi Nankichi (新美南吉), the writer of Gon the Little Fox (ごん狐) and Buying Mittens (手袋を買いに).

Len: Diggory Kume

Diggory is a French name that means "lost one". Niigo Len's first appearance is during "Guiding a Lost Child to What Lies Beyond", a Mafuyu focus event. We can take this for Mafuyu, feeling lost and conflicted because of her mother. This can also reference to the feeling she lost before but slowly return by being with Niigo.

Kume is taken from Kume Masao (久米正雄), the writer of Notes of a Student Examinee (���験生の手記), Shipwreck (破船), and Father's Death (父の死).

Kaito: Brio Ishikawa

Brio is an Italian name translated directly to "vivacity, zest." In music, the term is used to describe a piece with brilliance and energy; often Mozart's pieces contain "brio." Niigo Kaito's first appearance is during "Immiscible Discord", a Kanade focus event. While the event doesn't have an explicit "brilliance and energy" is does turn a new page in Mafuyu emotion, some more fiesty in Kaito. This can also refer to Kanade's interaction with Mother Asahina, how she stood up for Mafuyu's sake, a spark of protective energy because Kanade cares for Mafuyu's well-being.

Ishikawa is taken from Ishikawa Takuboku (石川啄木), the writer of A Handful of Sand (一握の砂) and Sad Toys (悲しき玩具).

[wildflowercryptid]

*leans back in my chair with steeple fingers* i just realized how well lower fits the "true" timeline for my villainess characters...

[odysseyeurobeat]

Literally just me gushing about eurobeat

Y'know what? Tumblr, you get a little treat. I don't have much better of a place to post something long-winded like this, so here we are.

I love eurobeat music. Big surprise from the girl with it in her handle, right? But I don't just love one kind of eurobeat. No, I'd go so far as to say I love it all. This genre becomes an absolute buffet of delightful, energetic, silly fun when you forget about trying to look for ways it "doesn't count", and try to look for the ways it does.

I love early eurobeat! I love the stuff that's indistinguishable from early Italo Disco, the formative things where the tempo was still low and the disco vibes were still high! That's Eurobeat and the first few volumes of Super Eurobeat are great for this!

I love later eurobeat, too! Even if some of the sounds aren't always my favorites, I love that folks were trying new things and dabbling with new sounds, experimenting in ways that in previous years seemed prohibited! Comparing some aliases who have been going for multiple decades from this period to when they started is also super fun!

I love traditional eurobeat, if I could pick a name for it! Faster, more rave-influenced, whether or not it's still got some disco elements in it, themes about nightclubs and love and loss and betrayal and that ever-ubiquitous fire! Maharajah Night has some great examples, leading into the bulk of pre-200 Super Eurobeat volumes!

I love J-Euro! It turns out, folks in Japan have different ideas and tastes and approach the genre VERY differently than the folks in Italy do, and I love how it sounds! I love how the sound design is so different and the speed jumps a little higher!

I love indie eurobeat! I love hearing how new and amateur producers take a crack at the sound, and seeing what folks do as the tools for making it grow and evolve! Even virtual versions of the synths the masters used to use are available now, and it's fantastic to hear how those things sound in new hands! I love the ways indie producers bend, break, and work around the rules of the genre and still deliver a uniquely "eurobeat" experience! Without this category, I would never have found DJ Command, DJ Bouche, Turbo, Vikas Beatbox, the Galaxian Recordings crew, and so, so many more!

I love happy eurobeat! The nature of the genre makes it so straightforward to pair its signature energy with joy, delight, empowerment!

I love sad eurobeat! That very same energy that powers joy and happiness can be just as powerful for driving home sorrow and sadness, and some lyrics even carry strong emotional weight (we're well past the days of eurobeat being only about Burning Love Car Baby Fire Desire Tonight Drift Tokyo, y'know)!

I love fandom eurobeat! Yup! Vocaloid, Touhou, MLP:FiM, Vtubers; whatever you may be a fan of, chances are good there's a eurobeat remix out there (or even an original) that suits your fancy!

I love Initial D eurobeat! How could I not, right? The classics are classics for a reason, and eurobeat and drift racing are a uniquely fantastic pair. Of all the things eurobeat could be about, it's one of a few that really knock it out of the park!

I love feminine eurobeat! Masculine eurobeat is great too, but it already gets a lot of love in the other categories, so I want to celebrate those eurobeat songs that feel quite the opposite while still being perfectly eurobeat! Eurobeat is broad enough to express feelings like this, too!

I love songs that aren't quite eurobeat, but have elements of it! And I love eurobeat songs that heavily include elements from other genres, too! Eurobeat is like any other genre-- it has not always had the same chances to rub shoulders with other sounds in the dance space, but when it does, some wonderful things happen! And the whole music world is enriched for that cross-pollenation!

I love the songs I used to dislike! To think I'd go from vastly disliking Norma Sheffield's discography, to adoring it so fully! Disliking "Higher Higher More and More" to seeking it out from time to time! Not being fond of SAIFAM/BBB's style, to knowing some of its songs by heart!

And most of all, I love that I get to MAKE this stuff for a living! I do not take the fact that this could've not worked out trivially, and I hope I've rewarded your patiences well with a lot of new favorites and starting points for diving deeper into the genre over the last... almost 20 years, now!

And that's just the tip of the iceberg! I understand some eurobeat isn't to everyone's taste, but I think if you haven't tasted all that there is out there, you owe it to yourself to see how you feel about it. You might be pleasantly surprised!

[whywoulditho]

can you all stop and listen to me rant about Eve for a bit because what the hell is he even doing and what did we ever do to deserve him??

if you're confused I'm talking about the japanese singer Eve. but he's not just that, is the thing. he's not simply the japanese singer Eve, he's a singer and a musician and a producer and a song-writer and an author and a mangaka and also just a guy that streams video games. he makes japanese alt rock, but he also has a super cheesy song about valentines day. he makes cute little vocaloid covers but also makes songs about parental trauma and love and betrayal. he's got dozens of amazing songs but for most people he's the guy that made jujutsu kaisen's opening theme.

but above all else, what i love so much about him is that he's an author before he's a musician. he drops a new universe with EVERY SONG. like, real plotlines with a whole cast of characters and he hires animators to turn their story into a music video for every one of his singles. he has like a hundred different characters at this point and all of them have their own fucking lore. he made a LANGUAGE just to put little messages on his MVs. he put messages in fucking MORSE CODE in his songs. not the MVs, the song itself, he put like patterns into the instrumental. WHAT THE FUCK??? he's not just making music, he's actively trying to say something EVERY FUCKING CHANCE HE GETS. he's the author of a reward nominated novel in japan. and it's kind of just a fact to know about him. he writes a manga as a hobby on the side. what was the first thing he did with the fame and money? MAKING A MOVIE. it's on netflix and it's called Adam by Eve which is a title you could interpret as a million different things and you could be correct but he will NOT confirm. he has a beautiful mess of a mind and he still has so much to show the world and i have an ungodly need to sit down and talk with him for DAYS.

i've been watching this guy for years, okay. from his first albums to where he is now, i've watched him grow into his music style, also grow famous and get the recognition he's always deserved. his voice has matured and he can actually afford paying for good animation now but in my eyes he's still the guy that was posting covers on his youtube channel and getting just a few hundred views. he's an anime and manga fan, he's a gamer and he's genuinely so funny like even though my japanese is only intermediate if you squint i used to laugh so much at his streams. and now he's so huge that he goes on asia tours and has millions of monthly listeners but he's still so authentic and original with his music and everything else that he creates. the only thing he did with all the fame he gained was to grow even more into his unique style and get even more creative while still making the kind of music HE likes making. i'm just so glad he exists because i know he still has so many stories to share with the world and i'm so excited to see all of them.

[tsururoach]

can you give a recap on the cupsleeve event?

Absolutely! Though there's only so much I can say as cupsleeve events are primarily just for fans to meet with fans, though I have a few photos!

Here's Me! We just set up the tables at the event, arriving two hours before time! Luckily we finished right before event start...!

Wait woah... Whos this!?!?

It's Big Al and Oliver! Ready to take pictures with you!

Big Al was drawn and designed by the lovely @mystsaphyr !! And he stands tall!

And next to him... part of the PowerFX family... It's (drum roll) Oliver! Designed and drawn by... the one and only ... Me!

But that's not all folks....!

To your left you'll see....

Ta-Da! It's the (condensed) AHS family! Starring SF-A2 miki, Hiyama Kiyoteru, and Kaai Yuki! Designed and drawn by @.untramentaro on twitter and bsky!

Here's a shot of all of them! (oops I'm sorry I cut off a bit of Miki...) ...

Wait... What's this? We have a lovely cosplayer to help us give a tour?

Ta-Da! It's Sam Oliver!

He wants to show us... The poster in front of the counter!

The owner had the poster up in front of the counter! She's the sweetest person ever... If you're interested in more So-cal events (general) you should follow @.4seasonsteacafe on instagram!

She was the life of the party and the perfect host!

Not only can you take pictures with our life sized standees, we had three different stations you could hang out at: The Doodle station where you could leave a message, The Deco Station so you could decorate your own top loaders, and the beading station so you could make your own kandi!

But that's enough excitement inside, it's getting busy! Lets take you back outside!

What the-!?!?!?! Miku you parked your car so badly!!!! Miku!!!!!!!! 10000000000$ Parking ticket to you!!!

Just kidding! That's our special itasha guest: @.andexinspi on instagram! Here to show off his special car wrapped with racing Miku!?! Isn't that cool!

"What's those tables in the back?" I'm glad you asked!

It's our Vendors! We couldn't have an event like this without them!

First off tabling to your left is... Cozytune ft. Ranagain!

Starring the cutest merch you'll ever set your eyes on from hairclips to mini-figures !?!?! Huh!?!? Isn't that way too cool!?

They weren't lying! The vibes are so utterly cozy with those desk buddies!!

Next up is the organizer table!

What's this?!? There's a treasure hunt!!! I wonder where all 5 of them are... (Genuinely don't know)... maybe someone could tell me........

Here is where you'd redeem the activies and pay for my co-organizer's side of the merch!

You see the things to the right?

That's the raffle, to help fund this (and future events)! We aren't just taking donations though... there's very real prizes! From the Big ALbum to lovely donations from our vendor Lady Pau... and standees? That's pretty cool, those acrylic standees are fancy enough-

WH!?! Life-Sized!?!? How would you ever fit that in your car!?!?

No. seriously how do you?

Oh. 😨

Uhm... very street-legal driving aside, let's go back to the vendors!

Ta-Da!

Me and @ladypau shared a table! Isn't her merch way too cute!??! It took my all not to pre-emptively buy everything!!!

...and the fact i forgot to bring cash...... (BOOO!!!!!)

.... I wish i indulged and got some before the event... Lady Pau was the absolute delight to have and had an amazing selection of merch! I hope to see her again soon!

Hi Sam! Hi Charlie! Hi Me! That's my merch!

I didn't announce it but I was also selling touched up postcards.... why did no one tell me I misspelled Ibuprofen until the event..........

uh... is it obvious I forgot to take close ups of my own booth....?

The Venue was also playing songs sung by the focus vocaloids... It felt so cool listening to Oliver singing on the big speakers!

But the event starts and... surprise to no one... I got busy with running my table and such!

(NOT MY OLIVER) but I got to hold his REAL original physical box.... Isn't that so cool... That was the craziest thing in the event...

And yeah... Rana ended up getting freed from her cage!

If you're curious at what people made at the Kandi and Deco stations, check on twitter or bsky to see what people psoted, since @.socalloid rted everything we were tagged in!

However we do have a picture of the end of the day doodle station!

Wow... so cool! Synths as far as the eye can see!

We even had two cosplayers! Sparkle On Longya! And a lovely Kaai Yuki!

So uhm.... I bet you're wondering now who got my Oliver standee...

Well... Uh...

Good night!

[channelinglament]

Hi! I saw your ask as open and I wanted to request something for the Self aware Project Sekai AU you made :)

May I request how the Vocaloids react to the player? Like, how would they become self aware? We’re they self aware to begin with? Thank you :)

How vocaloids react to player ✨️

(Sorry everyone for being gone for so long, I was just emotionally exhausted and had a few angsty teen thoughts)

Platonic/Romantic - tbh idk? Depends on how u take it :^

Let's start off with the fact, that they all know know that they're not exactly their original counterparts

Yes, they are vocaloids, but..different? They're in game, nothing new for Miku- but it seems like it's their first time being alive. They know it's their voice, their songs but it just..feels weird?

- though this mostly applies to Miku, as she's the first one to greet us and has her..original form?

She knows it's her, but different her.

- I wanna say that I see all sekai vocaloids as different people, BECAUSE during April fools, THEY MET EACH OTHER and uhm- I'd recommend watching that video to understand what happened. They kinda became friends, and 25ji Rin liked wxs Kaito's (or what Kaito that was?) head pats. She was waiting for her Kaito to arrive.

SO that means they are ALL different.

Now, that we finally sorted out what was important, we can finally make some content

Hatsune Miku(s)!

The Miku that greets us:

She knows she is Miku, but she doesn't have knowledge of stuff outside the game. She is a sekai keeper, and keeps hopes and dreams of every vocaloid producer. But...She is unsure if this true. Some stuff happened before she even existed! (Games existence)

So she knows she isn't exactly the first Miku. But Miku anyways.

She was staying there all alone, for so long.. (game downloading)

Yes, she loved watching over sekais, but..it's not like she has anyone..

So when she first meets you! She is so excited to make a friend! She says you're a sekai watcher like her, because you two "sang" (aka you playing tutorial)

Whether you played bad or good didn't matter. She liked it.

She didn't wanna lose you, but it's not like you're leaving her. Your presence is always near her when you play and read stories/events.

She doesn't see you often, unless you're pulling for characters or there's an event/sth she needs to explain to you.

She's such a little tease, not giving you card you want if she knows you have more pulls. Don't worry, she will give you it, but just pull one/few more times please.. she doesn't want to be alone anymore.

First though when she met you: I am not alone anymore?

Sekai Mikus

As long as you won't harm others she's fine!

She is very cautious when it comes to [band's name]. They're her 1st priority.

At first she thought you are just there to watch over them, but she noticed you actually help them improve (I hc that by playing their songs, decorating sekai, grooving their cards and kizuna level you can make them better and improve them)

Aww, thank you so much! You are a great help!

.

.

.

.

.

Overtime all vocaloids became kinda obsessive over you? They want you to play their band's songs and care mostly, if not ONLY about them and their band! Yes, they're grateful you helped them improve, but they will bring you into their world, and you will make it real. Not just a game, but a R E A L, LIVING WOLRD. NO NPCS, NO GAME CODE

Until then, everyone is just a piece of cra- I mean, code. Your word also seems so dangerous... that's why they need to protect you from world's harm!

Not gonna lie, EVERY other vocaloid acts this way, so I'll end it here, sorry ^^; (Maybe I will make a part 2?)

But trust me, beware of Niigo and MMJ the most.... both, vocaloids and group

^ them when u interact with other groups

(Also beware of Tenmas, and Shinonomes. You can kinda trust Hinomoris)

[pokekaito]

You know I don't think Because You're Here by PinocchioP quite counts as a "response" to Sand Planet/DUNE by Hachi/Kenshi Yonezu in the way that Blue Planet, HERO, or Jackpot Sad Girl do, but I do feel like its message feels like it was made in response to, at least in part, the same atmosphere that created Sand Planet.

Sand Planet notoriously made A Little Bit Of A Stink™ in the Vocaloid scene on account of one of the biggest, most talented producers making a song about how the Vocaloid world had "dried up" and then straight up leaving. I feel like there's nothing to say about it that hasn't already been said but I do feel like it's important to clarify: this song really STILL feels like a massive elephant in the room for any discussion of Vocaloid TO THIS DAY.

I think this song just left a lasting discomfort for a lot of the community, a resounding feeling that the music we love is fleeting in some way, as if Hatsune Miku herself was going to somehow die. It's a scary thought, especially for people who feel they've found so much community and love and understanding in the Vocaloid fandom.

I feel like this 'fear-of-lacking' also really shows in the sound of Sand Planet itself. I absolutely think Hachi nailed the sound of "dryness," the way Miku's vocals stay monotone and unexcited until exploding in the chorus, as though she's manifesting Hachi's final cries as a Vocaloid producer, the undertone of vocals looping inscrutably, as if they're searching exhaustedly for something that just isn't there, and the way the song ends on a note that doesn't really feel satisfying or resolving, despite the song being really intricate and unique, it all just points to something lacking in some way.

Enter, Magical Mirai 2020, and the release of Because You're Here by PinocchioP.

Now I won't pretend that this song shifted the opinions of the Vocaloid community entirely, that DUNE-shaped elephant is very much still in the room, but I absolutely think PinocchioP offers the perfect insight on the state of the Vocaloid scene that the community really needed.

Like I said before, I don't think Because You're Here is a DIRECT response to Sand Planet but they ARE both songs made for Magical Mirai, both made with ultimately the same goal of saying something important about Vocaloid in some way.

But, where Sand Planet is scratchy-sounding and harsh, Because You're Here is soft, melodic, and celebratory. A piano play peaceful, introspective melodies before Miku's voice sings a cascade of joy until the first verse, where she meditates on the nature of her existence before an explosion of celebratory drumbeats and electronic melodies erupt in the chorus. Despite serving the same purpose as a Magical Mirai song, it almost couldn't sound any different from Sand Planet.

And nothing shows this more than in the lyrics, where Miku proudly states that even if she's not loved, she'll still stay as herself. As long as she can sing for us, Miku will never die, she will live on in the songs we make and the community we've built.

And that's... Wonderful. So wonderful I feel like I can finally let the DUNE-shaped elephant out of the room and see Vocaloid for what it is: good music and a community that both make me happy, and that will both continue to make me happy well into the future.

MAYBE the Vocaloid world is "drying up," but really, what's changed? Vocaloid went from niche to... Slightly more niche, so what? PinocchioP is still making bangers, to say nothing of all the other talented producers still very much in the game.

I love Hatsune Miku, I love Vocaloid music, so just as Hatsune Miku will stay as Hatsune Miku as long as she can sing, as long as I can hear Miku sing I will stay as a Miku fan.

[dittydipity]

what is kagepro? - a quick guide

you may be seeing the word "kagepro" around a whole bunch, especially during august, but what the hell is it?

you may have heard or seen something from kagepro without realizing it! you know that vocaloid song, kagerou daze, about the kids who get hit by a truck and are stuck in a timeloop of saving each other? that's actually one of the songs from kagepro.

kagepro, short for the kagerou project, is a series created by vocaloid composer jin (also known as shizen no teki-p). it's a mixed media series that has music, manga, an anime, movie, a radio talk show, books, etc but i’ll try to keep it simple!

basic premise: people who die on 8/15 are taken to another world called the kagerou daze and if they return to the real world, they will have gained a “snake ability” that will turn their eyes red when used. a group of teens that have these abilities form a little gang but are thrown into an endless timeloop.

THE MEDIA

if you want to get into it, there’s a bunch of different ways you can do it, but do keep in mind: each form of media is NOT just a different adaptation of the story.

kagepro is a timeloop story, and each form of media is actually a different timeline (or “route”). the music videos, the anime, the manga, the books - each one is only a piece of the whole story. that’s why many people may have seen the anime, mekakucity actors, and gotten super confused because the anime is actually one of the last routes haha.

but the order of media that has been generally agreed upon to be the most coherent is music videos -> manga -> light novels -> anime

a lot of kagepro media, esp the light novels and manga, are hard to find since they’re almost entirely out of print, but there’s translations or e-book versions of them available, or if you skip them there’s summaries that people have made. you can also ask me if you want :]

music videos

i’ve actually made a couple playlists for the songs! one is in release order and the other is in story chronological order (mostly).

release order: - i tried to get all the original ia/miku versions of the songs with the original pv if there was one - a couple might be a little out of order since some songs came out together in the same album

this is the order that fans got the music, so if you want to try to figure things out and put things together the way we did you can go with this order!

chronological order: - tried to grab some english covers where i could, but if you don’t like eng covers there are plenty of noneng covers or you can use the videos from the other playlist. there's plenty of really great covers out there! - exceptions to the “chronological”: children record acts as the cover/opening song for the series and summertime record is the ending song for the series - some songs aren’t in here bc they’re not part of the music route (they’re mostly from the newer albums and are kinda like ‘epilogue’ songs after the ending of the anime/good ending or are songs made for the anime)

THE STORY

if you don't want to go through all the media yourself, here’s a video explaining the whole story by breadbox/david toth! he also has other really great kagepro videos

[a bit of an extra] a very common misconception about the story/mechanics: people do not have to die in pairs or with somebody else on 8/15 to enter the daze. i didn’t realize this myself until super recently

all in all, the kagerou project is a story about finding strength and support from the people around you, moving on to look towards the future, and overcoming trauma.

there’s definitely other people who have also made guides or summaries or videos that are much better and cover much more than i did, but i hope this was a decent introduction!

feel free to reach out and/or ask me anything! i'm sure there are also plenty of people who would be willing to help newcomers understand kagepro as well :]

happy kagerou day!

[vampire-meta-knight]

I swear, some of these "goth is whatever you want it to be" people act like telling them they're not goth means the Federal Bureau of Goths is going to break down their door and confiscate all their black clothes.

Loves, no one is gatekeeping what you wear. No one is even gatekeeping goth events! You can still go to goth clubs as a non-goth--you just may not enjoy it as much if you don't like the music. All we ask is that you not use the label, which is shorthand for "fan of goth music," to describe yourself if you are not, in fact, a fan of goth music.

We love seeing your cool outfits and gorgeous makeup and flawlessly-dyed hair, and we love sharing aspects of our subculture! But the second you try to redefine it and take away the ONE requirement, we get protective. Darkly-inclined is a wonderful label--use it! Use alternative! Don't use goth, emo, punk, or grunge if you aren't fans of the corresponding music genres. Can you imagine if I, who's never listened to K-pop, only heard of two K-pop bands, and couldn't name a single member of BTS called myself a K-pop stan? (Punk is probably the only one here that's a little more flexible, since it's also rooted in a political movement and protesting, but it still found its birthplace in the music--music which then led to post-punk and goth rock, might I add).

Subcultures have to have a barrier of entry to be a subculture. There has to be a way to set apart the people who are in it and those who aren't. Saying someone isn't goth is not an insult! We don't look down upon you. We get annoyed with poseurs, but not someone who's just into the fashion and makeup aspect and doesn't try to redefine what a goth is. I guarantee there's probably a spooky, black-clad non-goth that I've followed a makeup or DIY tutorial from, and I think that's wonderful. I love that we have this shared interest, even if we have different taste in music.

We're not trying to be mean when we enforce the one rule to be a goth (there is a second unspoken rule, to not be a bigot, but that's a rule that goes without saying for most groups--please know that when you see a so-called "goth" spewing racist bullshit or other kinds of hatred, the rest of us are NOT in agreement with them and want them evicted from our subculture). We love welcoming new people in, and we love seeing the goth scene thriving. It's just that our subculture means a lot to us, and although fashion is a big part of it, it has always truly been about the music. The music came first (watch old videos of 80's goth clubs--hardly anyone there looks recognizable as a goth today!), and it's the backbone of goth. When you call yourself goth, you're telling fellow goths "we like the same kinds of music." I want to get music recommendations from you, dang it, and share some of mine! I've had so many people insult the music I like and tell me my taste is shit, so it's nice to find someone who likes the same sounds and connects with the same lyrics, you know? Music is the strong glue that holds us together and unites us all. It brought us together in the 80's and has kept us together up until now. So when you try to take that away, to mold the goth label into whatever it takes to fit you because you didn't fit it, that's when we've got a problem.

And if you're into the fashion but don't like goth music now, do not despair, because that doesn't mean you'll never be a goth! Give it a listen. Check out different subgenres and bands. You might like what you hear. Synth and EBM were what bridged the gap for me. I started off being super into the fashion, but would be hard-pressed to name a goth band other than Bauhaus or Siouxsie and the Banshees. I was listening to Halloween Vocaloid songs and Lady Gaga, for the most part. I tried a few goth rock songs and didn't like them. And then I found The Birthday Massacre, and suddenly, those goth rock songs didn't sound so bad anymore. They sounded beautiful, atmospheric, ethereal, melancholy in a way you can still dance to. It wasn't long before I was devouring every subgenre of goth music I could get my hands on and making an ever-growing list of bands to check out and songs I liked. I was digging goth music like a grave, and all it took was a band that fit somewhere in the middle of the upbeat, techno dance-worthy music I was used to, the spooky lyrics I liked, and a gothy sound that got me craving more. Sometimes that's all it takes. Goth music is noticeably different from other genres, and hearing the unfamiliar sometimes results in dislike. It's an acquired taste for some, kind of like coffee, but once you get into it, you'll wonder how you even hated it at all in the first place.

Goth is my home, my family, and although I welcome all who show an interest, there's a difference between someone who actually wants to get involved in the subculture and those who wear a mask so they can pretend to be because they like the sound of the label, the allure, how cool it makes them feel, and insist they must be goth and all who tell them otherwise are just elitists. We call those people "poseurs," friend--don't be like them. If goth music just isn't for you, but you love the fashion, that's cool. Just don't call yourself "goth" if you're not a fan of goth music, since that's what the word means in the first place.

[greed-the-dorkalicious]

All the discussion around AI lately got me thinking about an incident recently in which a guy got his ass sorely beat by the vocal synth community

For those of you not familiar, “vocal synths” in the electronic music sense typically refers to programs like Vocaloid, SynthV, UTAU, Alter/Ego, DeepVocal, etc., digital instruments that allow composers to create, as the name implies, synthesized vocal tracks. The way they work is that they draw from libraries (referred to as “voicebanks” or VB for short) of special studio recorded* vocal samples from singers singing different syllables at a consistent pitch. The program then splices these together and adjusts the pitch to match whatever notes you put in- You want to do All Star, it’s gonna string together “[suh][m] [buh][di] [wuh][n][s] [tO][ld] [mi]” or something like that. Basically it’s an extremely complicated sampler.

(*unless you’re using UTAU or another build-your-own-vocal program in which the “studio” is only metaphorical, and is sometimes somebody’s basement with a Rockband mic plugged into a laptop.)

Now, there is no threat of vocal synths putting actual singers out of a job. Even the best vocal synths always have a bit of a robotic sound to them, and the voicebanks take hundreds of hours of recording time from you know, actual singers. Any piece made with vocal synths has to be worked by a human hand in a process called “tuning” in order to sound any good, whether you’re trying to make it sound human or leaning into the robotic sound. This isn’t something that’s being done on a corporate scale to cut costs- This is something pretty much exclusively being done by small scale indie music hobbyists because we fucking love Hatsune Miku and her weird buddies. Most folks are less interested in doing something that sounds 1:1 like a human voice and more in going beyond what humans can do to make shit like this

One of the leading vocal synths right now is Synthesizer V (SynthV), created by a company called Dreamtonics. SynthV offers fancier versions of some of its voicebanks, which are called “AI” voicebanks. These use machine learning trained on, again, professionally recorded and legally licensed vocal samples to help make songs sound a little bit more smooth, a little bit more in line with whatever singing style you’re aiming for. Everything else previously mentioned still applies: They’re still painstakingly recorded and programmed, you still need to tweak it yourself to get it to sound just right, and it’s still never going to sound 100% like a human. And that’s fine!

For this next bit y’all are gonna have to trust me because the tweets all got deleted, though if anyone wants I’m happy to pull up screencaps of talking shit about it with other vocal synth folks when it happened lmfao

So basically. Since ChatGPT type grifters have convinced people that “AI” means “magic plagiarism button”, back in April some dipshit NFT guy on Twitter started complaining on an official SynthV update post that SynthV (which he apparently believed to be called “Dreamtonics”, the name of the company that makes it) should allow people to make voicebanks from “their own voice”, insisting that it would be easy and PROFITABLE!™ to do so. He also clearly did not actually mean “their own voice” but rather “the voices of celebrity singers shamelessly lifted without their consent”, which was made extra obvious from a tweet on his own page that was like “Teehee people in monitored Twitter spaces don’t realize their voices are being recorded and fed into AI!” which he then deleted after I linked it on the thread about SynthV. lol.

Dude proceeded to get whupped by actual vocal synth people basically saying shit along the lines of “Yeah we can all tell you just want to commit cheap plagiarism, jackass” and “Dude why are you here when you clearly don’t understand the very very basics of what this software even is” and “Go make an UTAU voicebank if it’s so easy then”. (UTAU being a Japanese freeware program that hasn’t been updated since 2013. Creating an UTAU voicebank is complicated and takes a lot of time and technical knowledge.) He still refused to learn the basics of how vocal synths work, and proceeded to ask if “UTAU or Diff is most compatible with Dreamtonics”, a question absolutely no one could make any sense of? Lol.

Anyway, I don’t have anywhere in particular I’m going with this, I just think AI grifters are morons, and it’s obnoxious how the vague and misleading term “AI” has gotten nigh-mythologized by shady tech companies to the point that people can’t tell the difference between perfectly reasonable assistive technology and magic plagiarism.

Btw, fun fact for anyone who’s wondering, there do in fact exist legally/morally questionable UTAU voicebanks spliced from outside vocals. These are called “jinriki” voicebanks and not only do they take the same amount (if not more) of hard work as any other voicebank, they’re far from the insta-Beyoncé this dude was aiming for, and instead they sound um. like this

[nepheia]

02 ∙ the self is not me, but us

[ ✼ part 2 of the self is not me, but us series ]

okay that first part was a long-winded lead-up, but now we're at the main event: how the multiplicity of the self is the star of the entire 我们 album, but especially the mv. there are probably a hundred different ways you could interpret that gorgeous 6-minute film.

you could say it's a re-enactment of what xz experienced in 2020; that 'we' the fandom may be a collective but not a monolith, that the 'us' is complicated between star and supporter. 

you could say it's a cynical look at the psyche; that we need to shut down the din of emotions, because only in their absence, only when numb, can you truly face the hard truths.

you could say it was just his cheeky way of making his "charming and adorable villain" dreams come true!! and that 'we' are two halves of the same coin, a classic split personality antihero where one cannot have come to fruition without the other.

or...

❝ only after walking the boundless wilderness can you see us ❞

i like to think that the mv — just like xz — dismantles the notion that the 'real' self or the 'honest' self must be a clean-cut, singular thing. the most real self can be (and usually is!) what xz calls a boundless wilderness, an 'us': many disparate, messy, often contradictory parts. we also see mentions of this in restoration and glimmering:

❝ the most prideful, the most incorrigible and precious me ❞ ❝ the dull and crestfallen, diminutive me ❞

❝ the prideful, the unknowing, the helpless all of this proving that all are me ❞

these parts all co-exist in this networked hive that we call the spectrum of emotions, irreparably connected, because only through one emotion can we understand another. joy exists because sadness exists. sadness, all gentle tears and despondent eyes, teaches us that anger is different in its bitter brashness, that solitude is different in its cold loneliness, that despair is different in its bottomless depth of malice and loss.

to do away with any of them is to reduce ourselves to the black-and-white that does no justice to how complex human conflicts are. was hope vs. despair simply light against darkness? did despair 'win' just because he made it out?

no, because hope and despair don't exist in vacuums. the lyrics tell you as much — that nothing exists in a vacuum. if some emotions, some concepts, didn't exist, the way we understand life itself is likely to change:

❝ in a world without falsehoods will we be able to sleep more soundly? ❞

❝ in a world without objective truth will we be able to live more simply? ❞

if you take this lens and plaster it onto the mv, then hope and despair are helplessly intertwined, almost in a cyclical relationship. hope "birthed" despair, giving him true form the moment he was freed from that box. despair supplanted hope, taking his place out in the open world, so "hope" can also sometimes be born from despair.

⎯⎯ ୨୧ ⎯⎯

NOW. IF YOU'LL INDULGE ME.

🎪 bonus round – peak nonsense tinfoil hat theory: for those familiar with vocaloid, see: kagerou days

❝ perhaps we all became accustomed a long time ago but no one discerned it the most defeated samaritan devolved into a savage perhaps the progress of civilisation has to be cruel in order to be more hurtful than you we can only reclaim our natural state ❞

because this is a cyclical relationship, what if this is all a loop? where hope and despair know (they became accustomed a long time ago) but no one else does?

hope (the most defeated samaritan, by force) is fading away, left to die in despair's chamber. the seed of hope he planted and then subsequently picked up in the desert will sprout into a new being in this confined space, taking despair's place (devolved into a savage). 

despair (the most defeated samaritan, by choice) has taken hope's place in the outside world (devolved into a savage i.e. reduced to the 'other', no longer connected to the "civilisation" of the mind). he picks up the seed, returns to the hive mind, tries to free the newly-born despair — who he knows better than anyone else, maybe this time they can do it right, maybe this time they will break free of this cursed loop — and gets a shard of glass through the gut for it.

and the cycle repeats. despair supplanting hope, hope becoming despair, each trying to reclaim what they once were.

if despair hopes to escape, if hope despairs what he got in return for his kindness, then can we still say that the two emotions are entirely separate things?

XIAO ZHAN PLEASE JUST ONE LOOK INTO UR GALAXY BRAIN I NEED CLOSURE 🛐

⋆

← prev ┊ part 1: "the thousand-faced senior, xiao zhan" → next ┊ part 3: the dark whimsicality of drifting: a visual analysis

[canmom]

thinking about Deus Ex Human Revolution because I stumbled over its soundtrack in my game OST folder.

it got good reviews in its day but with hindsight it's not really remembered as a great game to endure the way the first one did. there is stuff to praise - art direction for example - but equally, you can criticise plenty: the clumsy handling of the 'augments' theme, the shallow orientalism of the China chapters, the watering down of the immersive sim elements. the clumsy outsourced boss fights and the rubbish ending.

if it's remembered today it's mainly for the "i never asked for this" meme, and the 'Icarus' trailer.

watching it again in 2024, the soundtrack is doing a lot of the work of carrying this. most of the dialogue in this trailer is really corny cyberpunk-isms, and a lot of its visuals are blatant riffs on Ghost in the Shell, Appleseed and Blade Runner (though I'll credit that it has a great sense of mechanical design in its robots and stuff). but the opening visual motif - the Renaissance dissection tableau transitioning into the flight of Icarus - is just the right level of pretentious for a game like this. that, combined with the wordless vocals rising and falling around the synth line, does so much work to sell the idea of 'this is grand and important'.

cyberpunk has a pretty specific sound associated with it - the electronic sounds are obvious, but in some of the best remembered cases it relies on contrasting the human voice and old school percussion against those synths, typically in some unusual vocal style that is likely to be unfamiliar to viewers - most notably Indonesian gamelan in the Akira soundtrack, and Bulgarian choir in Oshii's Ghost in the Shell. the other major genre touchpoint, Blade Runner, does not generally use vocals in the same way, but still plays the synth off against percussion sounds. in the simplest terms, it's a contrast of 'natural' and 'unnatural' right? what humans were and what we're becoming.

here we're not importing quite such an unfamiliar sound, but we have a lot of long, held notes by a solo singer (either Ariel Engle or Andrea Revel going off Soundcloud, but I'm having a hard time figuring out the specific credit). it's not unrelated to what Emi Evans was doing with the 'chaos language' in NieR, and indeed to the sound that J'Nique Nicole would bring in the sequel there. I really like wordless vocals, the human voice is such a versatile instrument and brings so much texture.

against that the synth here is actually keeping things really simple. it's mostly just repeating phrases, often simply arpeggios. I haven't really learned enough to keep track of the chord movements here, I'm sure someone more well-versed in music theory could easily take them apart because I doubt it's doing anything overly complex. but it's in a minor key, it's gradually rising for the first half of the track, dropping a bit every so often so it can keep climbing for the most part... and then the final third introduces a second synth line with a slower descending motif - goddamn it's literally just the Icarus metaphor again isn't it, rising and then falling? but it's not too obvious with it, like it doesn't climb all the way back down.

against that the trailer plays a montage of General Cyberpunk Stuff, notably Adam killing people in sicknasty ways, robot limbs doing robot limb stuff, newscasters with interesting fashion sense, and protesters getting gunned down by cops. the weakest parts are the ones that refer to the game's plot and aren't just pure vibes tbh.

that trailer wrote a lot of cheques that the game couldn't really pay, but it is interesting to look back at it with a more analytic eye. it makes me wonder how to really get that human voice texture in music I make. I mean the obvious answer is 'learn to sing', and I'm working on that and making progress, but my voice is pretty testosteron'd and inevitably that limits my range. vocaloids are great but mostly for a different kind of sound. ah well, I'll figure it out. the erhu at least has a sound that's pretty close to the human voice, so maybe that can be the ingredient I need to get that Atmosphere(TM).

[werewolfgenesis]

Headcannon dump PLEASE PLEASE PLAss

Ohh a headcanon dump, you say? Glady!!

I will say this took me quite a bit to figure out how I want to,, format?? This?? Whatever the word is LMAO but ultimately I've decided: fuck it we ball

Now for headcanons :3

Ghost has a knife collection! He doesn't remember where some of the knives came from, but he likes them anyway, he has a display case in his room for all his knives. Strangely, the ones he doesn't recognize have the initials J.C. carved into them. Wonder what that's about. Probably nothing. Ghost also enjoys photography and film making, similar to another individual very close to him!

Toast is extremely good at engineering and mechanics- his prosthetic arm is something he created and designed himself. He also has quite a bit of medical knowledge due to how much research he had done after losing his arm and creating his prosthetic. Other than creating his prosthetic, he's also created a multitude of ghost-hunting devices that PIE uses reguarly missions, as wacky as some may be

Spooker is an artist! In particular, he likes doodling flowers and small animals like cats, birds, squirrels, etc, writing poems, and he LOVES scrapbooking. He also knows how to sew!! Though, only a little. He also loves flowerpressing, he has multiple journals full of so many different little art projects and so many photos he and Ghost have taken and flowers and plants he's collected and so much more

Colon loves the ocean and space, but ESPECIALLY the ocean. Ask him about aquatic life and he'll tell you all about it, especially stuff that's in the deepest parts of the ocean, like the bigfin squid. He could spend hours or even days talking about the ocean and the wide expanse of space. He used to want to be an astronaut or marine biologist as a kid, though life led him somehow to being an athlete and then a ghost hunter. He's happy as a ghost hunter though, it's a very exciting and interesting job

Jimmy is a lot more than just some unhinged murderer, he used to be a human before he turned into the spirit he is now- however, he no longer has any memory of his life before "merging" with Ghost and his soul becoming attached to his, his real last name isn't even Casket- he just stole that from Ghost's family since he forgot his own last name. He's almost unrecognizable from who he used to be

Gavin, like Toast, is also extremely smart, just in a different way. His expertise lies more in chemistry rather than engineering. He used to not really care about sciences, or anything really, until the "Back From The Dead" pandemic, if you will, started to really, really become an issue, leading the state of the world in shambles with the constant revivals of all living things, and fueled by his jealousy towards Toast and desire to replace him, he started researching how to create a "perma-death" serum to "cure" this form of immortality plague and to get rid of Toast

Spencer is a huge fan of Vocaloid. Posters and merch, his computer is themed around Hatsune Miku and Gumi Megpoid (they're his favorites) one of his happiest memories is when he got to go to Miku Expo for the first time. I also think he was scene when he was in middleschool/highschool, he still owns a lot of clothing items and jewelry from back then, and still wears a lot of them still, even if now he dresses more "proper" with collared shirts and sweater vests

Sally was 100% an LPStuber wannabe as a kid, she owned a huge collection of LPS toys and would make silly LPS videos on Gertrude's phone and upload them to YouTube, sometimes her siblings would help her make them too. Another headcanon is that she loves clowns and the whole aesthetic of them, scary or cutesy, she loves it and definitely has clown themed LPS customs

While on the surface, Billy seems a bit airheaded and out of touch when it comes to social situations, he's actually very intelligent and knows a lot more than he lets on. He's a very skilled doctor and when it comes to his Back From The Dead ability, while he can't control it, he knows a lot more about it and how it works. It's an inherent knowledge he was born with, and he knows to keep a secret

Sue is a complete disaster when it comes to her love life. She sees a cute girl and she fumbles HARD. Sue is rather clumsy and mispeaks a lot, often accidentally tripping and accidentally bumping into other people, she really does those kinds of things a lot anyway. She doesn't beat herself up for it though, she's just a bit clumsy is all! Also she loves Fluttershy from MLP that's her girl right there

Stardust Sprinkleshine, when his human disguise, plays the role of a prophet and a disciple under the Love Cult, preaching to his followers the beliefs and virtues they follow, and condemning the non-believers, occasionally becoming "possessed" by Stardust to speak to his followers directly

Barnacle is the elder sister of Spooker, however her name and face has long since been forgotten due to the nature of Hell's Island after her "death." Her family no longer remember her, neither do her old friends, and she's unable to escape that haunted, old ghost town. She used to wear a gasmask to protect herself until she realized that it didn't matter, she was already dead

[22degreehalo]

Something I see a lot in talks about AI art is something I've seen about a lot of different kinds of art: a desire to have the product reflect skill and/or talent.

Like, it reminds me so very much of how some (usually older) people react to music software. It used to be that you'd have to go the long way and spend years learning the guitar; now just anybody can simulate that sound for you and clean it all up and make it perfect!

Of course, there are many provisos to that; not anybody can open up that sort of program and put together a great-sounding song. The people who make e.g. really classic Vocaloid songs are very skilled with the program and very talented r.e. music. (And perhaps that is or will be true for AI, too: that anybody can just create a picture, but someone very skilled with a particular program can make something very specific and good!)

But it's that initial impulse that just... bothers me, a little. Because, yes, of course I understand the fear that you devoted years of your life to a subject and now it can be generated by just anyone. But why turn it around and treat it as some sort of principled, purist stance? Why does someone HAVE to devote years of their life to something to make art?

It just feels a bit. Suffering romanticisey. Either that, or making art inaccessible to ordinary people. Like 'Artists' are some inherently different kind of person.

Of course we can still value the dedication that went into specific kinds of work. Maybe that's your favourite thing about art. But doesn't it open up art to so many different kinds of people when barriers are taken away? People who can't afford to slave away for years on it? People who for some sort of physical or mental or whatever reason just can't ever really be as good with the 'traditional' process?

Again: this is not really about AI art and whether it does offer those opportunities to people. This is about the initial reaction that letting ordinary people more easily create art is somehow bad, and takes some kind of soul out of the process. But people have different capabilities; what is easy for most people is very difficult for others. Why is making art impossible for some people so important? What is so much more 'real' about art that requires very special tools, or knowledge that is barred the masses? What are we losing by letting 'untalented' people overcome certain obstacles?

[project-sekai-facts]

I'm surprised you haven't mentioned this since you love lore (I even scrolled through days of your posts to verify), but what do you think about the fes MEIKO and KAITO stories?! I think they teased 2 different people potentially going to be shown in a future group? Or maybe they're from 2 different groups idk but what do you think? I think we even got one of their names in KAITO's story. There's a new background in MEIKO's too. Not sure about KAITO's since I don't play JP. I'm curious and excited since these feel like a continuation of fes Luka's story?!

mm, I dunno about them being in a future new unit. like since miku fes 2 and luka's fes 1 the vsinger fes stories have always been about going to other SEKAI aside from the main 5, and I don't think there's a huge link between any of the owners (in fact it's sort of implied that the owner of the SEKAI Miku visits might be dead). if anyone gets used in a future unit i get the feeling it could be the shibuya street performer from Luka's fes card.

What we learnt about how SEKAI work in these new stories was super interesting though. So in MEIKO's she went to a Fragment SEKAI belonging to a writer, and met their unnamed OC who just existed in there. When I was reading this I thought it would be something that could be interesting to use in the Wonderland SEKAI in future, but then I remembered that it already has the plushies which are like.. kind of Tsukasa's childhood OCs. Anyway I think MEIKO also made a vague reference to Meiko Haigo at the end so 3 cheers for MEIKO being self-aware.

I cannot find a translation of KAITO's card so I just had to use google translate for his one so there's probably errors here. But I'm not even sure if he went to a SEKAI? From what I understood he was just straight up in some kid's dream and then told him to look up KAITO Vocaloid on niconico at the end (obviously without the brandnames but that is what happened). God knows how the fuck he entered this kid's dream like what the fuck? they can just do that now??? I mean the vsingers made everyone fall asleep after the first time they entered SEKAI but it wasn't like everyone was asleep the entire time they were all awake when they first went to SEKAI. I'm actually really interested to see if they ever bring this back and elaborate on it because what the hell colopale what do you mean the vsingers can enter dreams???

[sakitenmaenjoyer]

4 the fic ask thing if u want to share info on any or all of them I would clap and cheer

fuck yeah

emunene little mermaid au: ive talked about this like once, but it's basically what it sounds like. emu is a princess; nene is a mermaid

plot stuff, emu goes on a ship, emu is saved by nene when her ship goes down, and she's very !!!! when she realizes that nene is the one with the singing voice she'd been hearing right after her grandpa died. unfortunately she is half delirious when she's saved and doesn't remember how nene looks. emu vows to look for the beautiful lady with the beautiful voice....

ruinene and emukasa would be the platonic pairings in the fic. i considered having tsukasa be emu's fiance? if only to parallel the original story. nene won't stab tsukasa. probably. but she does find him deeply annoying at first. he and emu might be close enough to consider a marriage of convenience...still havent figured that part out yet. nene gets less annoyed by tsukasa when she sees why he's emu's friend

rui is the sea witch, and he helps nene become temporarily human.

i dont have any of it fleshed out but i want to do something with the idea so bad. emu dragging nene to see the sights of the human world and to socialize.......nene being emu's company for longer than either knew. nene realizing the value of her voice when it's gone....she thought being silent wouldn't be any different from normal, but emu made her want to talk, and to sing, to yell and laugh. she wants to have an our happy ending moment with emu but she can't

rui angst fic/TtSaB/Working Title: "When faced with the unthinkable, Rui struggles to navigate old feelings and new fears. Fortunately, he has his friends by his side... it's just a matter of letting them in."

this is a fic ive been chipping at had since curtain call came to en LMAO. i asked 'hey can i have curtain call rui please please please ill write and post that fic idea i have' and rui came home in a single pull. so im legally bound to write and post it eventually. here's some of the scenes ive done

actual dogshit writing lmao. but yeah this fic is more serious than any of my other prsk ideas. i wanted rui to have at least one important scene with each wxs member, because their friendship is at the core of this. also wanted to include the vocaloids bc it's not project sekai without them....even if the idea of talking about your personal problems to hatsune miku is. well.

the plot and title is under wraps for the time being, but here's my notes on how i want to characterize rui

the fic should be 8 chapters. It's teetering between a Teen Rating and a Mature Rating, but I should probably write the rest before deciding anything...

other:

whenever im bored, i format unwritten fic ideas into stories on ao3. ive written absolutely almost nothing for either of these, but it's nice to imagine i have lmao

But I'm Still Here: Saki goes invisible, and everyone around her proceeds to freak out as they search for the 'missing' girl. includes tsukasa ping ponging between 'we'll find her, we have to' and 'it's so fucking over', leo/need trkes and failing not to fall into depression, and saki feeling guilty that Everyone's lives are put on hold for her. the original idea was set before they debut, but maybe it should be after (so toya would have surpassed rad weekend already lmao).

everyone who adores saki makes themselves sick with worry. especially since it lasts about a week. tsukasa has not been that anxious in his fucking life. he's coping...fine. he's doesn't throw himself down while wailing at least. and he doesnt vomit from stress (preventing both takes a lot of self control). leo/need try to be strong for each other, but they are all sad shivering dogs. shiho wants to punch to be useful but knows she can't do anything. ichika tries to stay hopeful, like saki would want. honami tries to be their calm leader...but theyre like, 16/17, so theyre all just anxious.

Phthonus: Rui is envious and sad the fic, rip bozo. it'd be an introspective fic. i'd want rui to subconsciously compare and contrast himself and bakuno, and come to the realization that tsukasa (romantically) likes the parts of bakuno that rui doesn't have (bakuno's timidness, his lack of confidence, his acting, his ability to not annoy tsukasa lmao). but he also has traits that rui does have (his passion for theatre, obsession with writing stories, talent above his age range, the ability to bounce ideas off of tsukasa)

tsukasa still loves rui, but he never saw him in a romantic light. if he ever did, then it's too late....tsukasa set his eyes on bakuno and went "i can fix him". and unfortunately, tsukasa isn't polyamorous. rui deals with the heartache every time he sees tsukasa, even though it hurts him. he loves him too much to ever look away

uhh other stuff without titles-

bakuno/tsukasa fic, maybe a kotaro/akito fic. they would be in a series about the npcs waxing poetic about the ocs. throw in some pairings like miyake & rui, otori siblings & emu, yukki and mizuki, nagi and an....but the first fic would be bakukasa because i like them a lot lmao

Another rui is jealous fic, but it ends in rks- bakuno and tsukasa sign up to be gay lovers in a short film and rui's clenches his teeth and tries not to mope over it. (he is the one that asked them to do it) he does not know why and thinks there's something wrong with the film/acting rather than himself. he's stupid. meanwhile tsukasa is slowly realizing he likes men bc of gay research he did... and while he thinks bakuno is cute, he's immediately hit in the face that he likes rui a Lot.

saki in mogami land fic- saki gets isekaid in a hell world where everyone hates her/doesn't know her. i cant decide yet. maybe both. tsukasa and her parents say mean shit to her, ichika avoids her, her favorite idol doesn't even know who she is. the ending is her going back to her normal world, where she proceeds to be crushed by tsukasa and her parents (she went missing for a week. tsukasa cries the hardest at her reappearance... though her parents aren't too far behind) this is another "i want to show saki how loved she is by taking it away from her" fic

ruikasa are fucking dumb fic - tsukasa confesses to rui, they get together, and then things go down hill because neither know how to act in a new relationship. tsukasa wants to be a good boyfriend, so he treats rui differently (in a way that bothers rui). he's probably sweet and nice and doting, which rui like, but it feels more like a role tsukasa wants to perfect. rui wants tsukasa to be himself. at the same time, rui also wants to be a good boyfriend, but becomes aware that he has no idea how to do that...so instead he subconsciously tests their relationship, wondering just how far he could push tsukasa to get him to go back to "normal". the conclusion is that theyre stupid and just needed to adjust and realize nothing changed

future wxs meets present wxs - there r so many ideas i have for this it'd fucking ridiculous. the most prominent one is future rks meeting present wxs. another one is 3rd anni tsukasa meeting pre wonder magical showtime tsukasa

wxs takes care of child wxs - due to sekai bs, there are teenage wxs and child wxs. they all take turns and interact with the kids...tsukasa and baby rui & nene and baby rui would be cute i think. my ideas are

1) baby rui getting sad that tsukasa said his ideas are too dangerous (he's literally five and wants to jump from a high place). tsukasa feels guilty about his sad little face and offers to do it for rui. cue rui's excitement that an adult wants to try his idea

2) baby rui looks at grown nene like a proud parent and says 'i'm so proud of you nene' and nene goes 'you're literally five. also youve told me that before.' she still says thank you though, bc it's cute and she's fond

child/middle school wxs meets emu's grandpa - rakunosuke shows up during difficult times in tsukasa/rui/nene's lives and helps them smile. none of them remember him, but during that moment, he's a bright light. maybe some emu/rakunosuke parallels?

kamiyama group during mizuki5 - i made a post abt this already, but a silly fun fic to what fun everyone had at the festival. nobody knows mizuki is suffering. very bittersweet

saki helps tsukasa get ready for a date with rui - saki gives tsukasa questionable dating advice and tsukasa ends up botching date with rui (rui doesnt care). includes tsukasa trying to be a gentleman, saki getting love advice from manga and magazines, and rui having a good time watching tsukasa fumble be a gentleman

arcland rui - canon rui wakes up in universe where he joined arcland and asahi. it shows an alternative path rui could have taken, and how that path would have been every bit as valid as keeping wxs together

...unfortunately, rui isn't happy with this because wxs disbanded and he doesn't talk to them as often. he doesn't even go to school with them anymore. (also he has a situationship thing with asahi And tsukasa but he doesn't notice either of them lmao)

i probably have others but these are the ones that come to mind first...hope this is all okay!