#the safkas are birds

[kley-blog]

Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)

Melanie Safka

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close, there was no room We bled inside each other's wounds We all had caught the same disease And we all sang the songs of peace

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

So raise the candles high 'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night Oh, raise them higher again And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

We were so close, there was no room We bled inside each other's wounds We all had caught the same disease And we all sang the songs of peace Some came to sing, some came to pray Some came to keep the dark away

So raise the candles high 'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the sky Oh, raise them higher again And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

You gotta lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

You gotta lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

You gotta lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let the white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Ooh, ooh, ooh...

Oh, lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Let your white birds smile up At the ones who stand and frown

Lay down, lay down Lay it all down Ooh, ooh, ooh...

'Nuff said or sung, as the case may be . . .

A bit repetitive, but done with her heart in the right place . . .

After all . . .

It was 1970 . . .

I was 15 . . .

Now I'm a little older . . .

And for all its underproduced scratchy thinness

It still resonates . . .

You've got the words . . .

So why not sing along and see how you feel . . .

WTF . . . !!

Ya . . .

Those stoned out hippies sure knew how to have fun while passing the chillum . . . !!

[isaactea]

All Memories from ilomilo Plus

[ilomilo]

assorted things i learned about ilomilo while plumbing the game files at 1am instead of packing, doing homework, or sleeping

CHARACTERS, CUBES, AND CREATURES

the sock puppet dog is called a cubethief

the little DEMON cube that shoots up if u walk in front of it and goes “DOOWAP!” is called… the teaser cube. unsurprising

the apple eating creature that goes “YOPE YOPE YOPE” is called a muncher (and the apples are called edibles 😏)

the birdcage creature is called a nabber

the bounce cube is called… exactly what it sounds like LOL (and fun fact being launched off of it is called a “piong!”)

the plunger cube is also called exactly what it sounds like

the arrow thing that shifts gravity is called a carpet

the single cube with the little bunny ears that u can pick up is called… a p-cube? idk what the p stands for

the long doglike cube that snaps out from 1 to 2-4 blocks and woofs at u is called a chain cube!

the like duplicate cubes that you can create out of paper in ch 3 are called mirror cubes

the bird cube that flies vertically is called the elevator cube (duh i suppose)

the cube that lets you walk on top of it and flip upside down is called the hole cube

the cube that turns u 90 degrees when u walk on top of it (or that rolls one block every couple seconds) etc etc) and kinda like.. burps at u. is called a rotocube

lantern cube and light cubes (what u create by placing the lantern cube) my beloveds…. <3

the creature in berry story that’s like the weird little guy on wheels that is always on the opposite face of the active player is called a mimic and the little guy on wheels who carries you with the tray is called the transporter cube. i know that one or both of these two have been referred to as piccolo and/or bouncer before in canon and the sounds they make have been called gny/issel which i think means “creak” in swedish. idk im too tired to go back and check any of the naming stuff (but anyway i don’t like berry story very much so im not as motivated KDHDKDHDKDHJ) but i will do so someday in the hopefully near future <3

the cute creatures who play instruments when u win or get achievements etc are called (aptly) drumman and tubaman

sebastian = “infoman” (i need to go back and check if his ladybug was in the file.. im assuming so) and his house is called the info cube >:~) hell yeah

the safkas are called “kid” in the texture files and “baby” in the sound files 😭😭😭😭😭🥺🥺🥺🥺 and there are actually 4 of them that were made for the game but the red one isn’t used i don’t think!

fun fact: ilo’s pattern is plaid and milo’s pattern is floral… and all of the safkas but the teal one has both plaid and floral (🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺)!!! the teal one has vertical stripes + floral which is very cool :”~D

this is probably common knowledge but it’s news to me — if u get certain achievements in world of keflings and raskulls then u can unlock special costumes for ilo and milo! ilo can be a pirate, “winter” (??), a devil, or a dragon… milo can be a doctor, a witch, a king, or a wizard. not sure if there is anything to read into about this but i am thinking MANY thoughts and i also want to do fanart

i have no idea what a wallpig is but apparently it’s a character. i think it’s honestly the giant background thing that wraps around chapter 1’s skybox (name for level environment apparently) sometimes? but yeah i have to go check

idk if it’s just me but… i don’t think fold cubes are actually in the game right? like maybe they’re the mirror makers but i thought they looked like portals and not faces

also speaking of mirrors i feel like there are mirror textures in the files that don’t actually exist in the game.. like for the nabber and stuff? but ch 3 is my least favorite so i might be misremembering

some notable background creatures i am either too tired to remember or haven’t paid enough attention to: balloon creature, a cupboard creature, the dogfish (which i vaguely recall), the eggs (i think those are from the multiplayer version which i haven’t played in ages), ropegirl, VICTOR (who i will see in my nightmares), and pirate piany who i literally don’t think ive ever seen in my life but there’s sebastian lore in there bc they look like sebastian. basicslly i need to go back and replay the whole game but pay attention to bc characters

LORE AND EASTER EGGS

interestingly enough it seems like the park level was supposed to be ch 1 as planned but then ch 2 would’ve been the noir / night level, ch 3 would’ve been the water level, and ch 4 would’ve been the paper level? that reflects in some game files but not all of them so i wonder what their idea for the story was before they made the switch

letter names 1-5 (i.e. signatures on the memories) are ilona, milton, kalliope, saffron, and dr gris (probably out of order im too tired to check lol) but letter names 6-10 turned up totally blank for me. idk if they’re just supposed to be negative versions of them but the fact that they have numbers and not any sort of “n” indicator is… suspicious

game mechanics i saw in the files but genuinely have zero recollection of: “blink of denial,” smooch, and a phone ringing and being picked up?? maybe all of this is from berry story but idk

sound file names i get a kick out of: “suckplopp” (sound effect; exactly what the name implies) and “rhubarbarella” (the version of the ilomilo theme that plays when u first start up the game before pressing enter to get to the main menu or whatever)

the memories are called “meta stories” in certain game files and the memory fragments are called “membits” that generate “memory fluid” that goes into the “memory machine” !!! wow

there are lots of cool houses / trees / etc in the bg that ive never paid attention to before but a few of them either have faces / characters on or inside them OR…. they have ilo and milo on them 🤯 like this one house in ch 4 (noir level) has a bunch of them in the ilomilo shuffle style incl with crossed out eyes???? uhmmmm

other cool bg things to give shoutouts to: the carboat, the lightrope (which presumably ropegirl hangs out on), the machinarium

i am SO MAD abt this one. so there’s a paper plane that flies around in ch 3 AND IT’S MADE OF AN ILOMILO MANUAL 😭😭😭😭😭 like it has a picture of ilo and milo on it and then u can see folded up excerpts abt chain cubes and p-cubes and the premise of the game… psspspspsps southend studios release the sacred texts

one of the playroom “props” has ilomilo shuffle playing on a video game screen! and (even cooler) another one has a whole bunch of wooden blocks with the only visible block letters being k, s, i, and m……. our four main characters kalliope saffron ilona and milton might have something to say about this 😜

according to the sound files there was going to be a narrator implemented into the game in some way shape or form! complete with breathing and lighting a pipe and lots of speaking files… but i couldn’t tell if they were speaking an actual language or a made up one like sebastian (and now that i say that i wonder if the narrator would’ve been sebastian’s “human” counterpart? but idk)

one of the background items (technically two but the 2nd is a recolor) features a label for something called nom nom jam with ilo and milo dancing around the words! ilona and milton jam making era……

THE RECORDS READ “SEBASTIAN RECORDS” WITH MILTON AND ILONA’S NAMES AS THE ARTISTS?????? were they musicians 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

[gatorindo]

Lisa Hannigan - Little Bird

Song: Little Bird Artist: Lisa Hannigan Album: Passenger NPR Video She reminds me of Melanie Safka

[super-lemon-sama]

I screw up in this one and had to look up the lyrics

Then I screw up even after looking up the lyrics.

I didnt realize there was a pause button until later on.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

original song is Brand New Key by Melanie Safka

[bounavita-becreative]

"Candles in the Rain" -Melanie "Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown We were so close, there was no room We bled inside each others wounds We all had caught the same disease And we all sang the songs of peace Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown So raise the candles high 'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the night Oh, raise them higher again And if you do we could stay dry against the rain Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown We were so close there was no room We bled inside each others wounds We all had caught the same disease And we all sang the songs of peace Some came to sing, some came to pray Some came to keep the dark away So raise the candles high 'Cause if you don't we could stay black against the sky Oh, oh, raise them higher again And if you do we could stay dry against the rain Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown You gotta lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Uh uh uh uh Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones." Songwriter: Melanie Safka https://www.instagram.com/p/BteMYWPnMYM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=mvl9qqqbboqk

[heartodaygrowntomorrow]

930.) Thurs Jun. 20, 2019

‪The Song of the Day is: Melanie - “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)”(1970) ‬ ‪#SongoftheDay #musicblog #parenting #journal #melanie #Gospel #Woodstock50 #Woodstock #folkmusic #edwinhawkin @melaniesafka #HearTodayGrownTomorrow Support the Blog - Click Below‬

The Song of the Day is:

Melanie – “Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)” From the album Candles in the Rain (1970)

So raise the candles high ‘Cause if you don’t we could stay black against the sky Oh, oh, raise them higher again And if you do we could stay dry against the rain

Lay down, lay down, let it all down Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown

Melanie Safka

As we…

[game-refraction]

Game Review: ilomilo (Xbox One)

Game Review: ilomilo (Xbox One)

The sun is shining, the birds are singing…there is a gentle rhythm of catchy music playing in the background. Enter an environment filled with a plush patterned park, populated by odd characters, including a small man wearing a bicorne and riding a beetle. In the distance, two cushion like creatures are giggling and talking in a squeaky inaudible language.

These creatures, known as Safkas, are…

[game-refraction]

Game Review: ilomilo (Xbox One)

The sun is shining, the birds are singing…there is a gentle rhythm of catchy music playing in the background. Enter an environment filled with a plush patterned park, populated by odd characters, including a small man wearing a bicorne and riding a beetle. In the distance, two cushion like creatures are giggling and talking in a squeaky inaudible language.

These creatures, known as Safkas, are Ilo and Milo. And they are best friends.

Suddenly the ground shakes, and the park is transformed into a multi-axis cubed labyrinth, separating the two friends to opposite sides of the park.

Welcome to the world of ilomilo, a puzzle game developed by Southend Interactive and Microsoft Game Studios.

It is now your task to reunite them once again by navigating the complex pathways set before you.

The game’s storyline is played out over the course of 49 puzzle levels contained within 4 distinctive themed storyline chapters.

Sebastian (the man on the flying beetle), is readily available to give you hints and pointers on how to successfully navigate the park….and sometimes has a fun tale or two to share with you.

Movement is four point axis (up, down, left, right), and as the player moves, the park platform moves view based on X-Y-X axis layout, so sometimes things can be obstructed in view, causing frustration to finding the solution to the park puzzle, and reuniting the friends.  There is a zoom option to help get a better overall view of the park to make better decision on how to further move.

Players can change control between Ilo and Milo, or two players can each control one of the Safkas. Unfortunately, only one character can be “active” (no split screens) at any time, so multiplayer modes have to alternate between players to control their given character and the inactive player using a “pointer” to help guide the active player in the right direction. This is a really nice feature and it doesn’t disrupt the single player experience either; a perfect introduction for a friend/partner/family member who is new to gaming. Though I would have preferred that there was inclusion of some co-op capabilities to allow both characters to move at the same time.

Levels are made up of various designed cubes made of materials that at times have special abilities. Sponge can be picked up and carried by either character on their back (like a backpack) and placed elsewhere in the level, opening a path to travel on for example. There are also magical arrowed red carpets that allows the characters to walk on different sides of cubes (hence the multi axis abilities), and switches to activate bridges.

Death does not exist in this game, and if you get stuck then you can always restart the level, or even go back to an easier one to give your brain a break.

Progression through the game advances the storyline and at times there is cut scenes to further explain what is happening in the world of Ilo and Milo, and to indicate when the chapter changes. In addition, hidden throughout the levels are various fragments, when collected develop “postcard memories”, further explaining some of the game’s backstory.

Each time Ilo and Milo are reunited, the day ends wherein they leave the park together and hence a level is completed. Each time a new day/level starts, the park becomes more and more complicated to navigate. In a sense, you need to implement 360 degree thinking in a sense to figure out the puzzles as the game progresses.

After several days/levels, Ilo and Milo become very upset at the idea of being separated again, and their tears cause the environment to flood leading to some underwater levels.

Later they come up with the idea to draw a map for each other in hopes of making it easier to find each other. Unfortunately this just makes the park even more confusing to navigate.

In the final levels, Ilo and Milo vow to not to go home at nighttime in fear of being separated the next day they visit the park. Instead they go on a quest to find the sun so that they can stay together forever. Sadly, within the search they end up getting lost and become terrified that this nightmare may never end.

But to their surprise they stumble across a locomotive/biplane hybrid vehicle. Ilo and Milo jump in and depart the park in it, vowing to never separate again and wander the world together.

If the storyline was not enough to rattle your mind, there are also other Safkas hidden in each level, which unlocks bonus mini levels when collected.  These levels include interaction with characters from other popular games in the market such as The Goo Balls from the World of Goo and Meat Boy from Super Meat Boy. Further DLC can be unlocked if the player owns A World of Keflings or Raskulls, which are also published by Microsoft game Studios.

And for all those looking for achievement points….there is a hidden gem behind playing along with the theme song by scrolling down the menu in sync based on sequence Oomphs.

I am an all-around type gamer and I am really drawn to games that have a mind bending appeal, and that allows for just some simple gaming versus quick button mashing. Maybe it’s a girl thing, but how can anyone resist a game with cute fluff balls whose only goal in life is to be together in joyful peace?

The overall feel of ilomilo is that it hugs and befriends you like a deep cuddle from a teddy bear. It’s like a Kirby game, where everything is fluffy and bright and really gives a punch to your senses. Every character and piece of scenery in the environment looks like it was hand stitched and filled with wool.

While the game can get frustrating after a while when the puzzle path appears to be impossible to solve, but it’s hard to get mad when you have such catchy tunes filling your head and with such peaceful ambience on your screen.

This game is hyper cute…turned up to 110%!

Ilomilo is now available as a backwards compatible title on the XBOX One digital marketplace.

Game Review: ilomilo (Xbox One) was originally published on Game-Refraction