90% of posts I see on this sub are just about the pseudo-couple. I plan to make some art in the future featuring these two; I just need to know what about them makes them.. special. Universally loved, if I do say so myself.
I do love the other ships btw, I just think the pairing of Taira (my pathetic chud son) and Azuma (bad bitch even if she doesn't know it) is the coolest.
It's one of natori's oldest songs, but it's loved almost universally. Despite not being my favorite, I only somewhat understand why people love it so much.
Is it the tone? The vibe? The lyrics? The meaning? Please- I have to know!!
Hey chat! I know I'm brand new to this subreddit, but I need some advice since I can't really talk to anyone about this.
Last year I was offered a snare spot after a stellar audition that I had, but I have absolutely no experience marching. I sound pretty good, though I've been on the pit for so long it would be stupid for me not to.
However, I unfortunately got appendicitis, had surgery on Friday, and band camp (1 week long) starts tomorrow. I can hardly walk and I'm not going to be able to participate for at least 2 weeks. I do have the drill sheets but it's ironic because I can't use them. I've just been practicing the music stuff like crazy until I can barely stand.
I refuse to be the person that makes us get a D2. If that happened, I don't think I'd be able to bear it.
My question is: Is it reasonable to think that I can jump right into band without any knowledge of marching and nail it in one year, or am I crazy?
(Also, if you have any good advice or videos on marching specifically, I would love them. This is a desperate time.)
So I often get my nails painted at my house, and recently I've been trying to do it myself. I live alone, and several times, I could feel like somebody was watching me whenever I cracked open my bag with nail polish inside. I did try to ignore it, but as I kept painting my toes I could still feel someone watching me.
Obviously I didn't think it was a ghost at first, so I tried to find out what was causing the gaze, and I kept painting over layers and layers. The gaze was still there, and I don't know what's causing it. Every time I open the bag, it feels like someone's eyes are just rushing towards me. Do ghosts love nail polish, or just the smell of it?
Painting my nails has always made me feel good and special, but I don't know if it would have the same effect as it would on a ghost.
But I want to try and get on the good side of whoever's in my house. Would I need to have them possess something or would the nail colors just.. float off? Also, it might just be the smell that attracts them, idk. I still want to talk to one.
I'm very inexperienced at dealing with the dead, and I'm afraid of scaring it off. How would I attract it to me so I could possibly paint them and talk to it?
Hey guys, I'm new here and have only been consistently lifting for about 4 months now, and I'm starting to see some good progress.
But the issue is that the public gym I go to is also where my brother goes to, who's the only other one in our family who actually works out and is strong, but he is also the only one in our family who I feel uncomfortable near.
For context before this, our gym has four sections as you head to the back of it:
Cardio Machines --> EGYM --> Track --> Fixed Weight Section/Bodyweight Section (what i typically use) --> Free Weight Section
I usually use the cardio (specifically stair climber and bike) then do a few laps on the track before starting my workout in the FW/BW section and spending most of my time there.
I'm a bit too nervous to actually get to the free weights and do things like trap bar DL/bench press/hang clean/etc because I don't have a spotter and I'm afraid of looking like a loser creep if I ask someone random for one.
Anyway, a couple months ago, he came up to me while I was doing a chest row, and I asked him how to get a good shoulder pump. He just kinda laughed at me and walked back to the free weight section where he usually goes to work out. It really hurt and definitely ruined my workout for that day.
He also just seems to talk down to me in general whenever anyone is talking about my physical fitness, and I genuinely don't understand why.
I'm not confident in the gym at all, but it has gotten better these last few months and I need some motivation or something to do so he doesn't get in my head as much. Music has been working so far, but whenever I know we're working out at the same times, I'm still scared.
I want to come out of my shell and not let this bother me any more. Any advice?
Disclaimer: Go listen to Eureka if you haven't already. It's so freaking good.
Also, no part of this little essay spiel thing or whatever was written with AI. And this is all my opinion! Don't immediately believe everything you read- that's stupid.
Happy Friday, natorians! Since it's super close to the release birthdate of Eureka (June 21, 2023), this week I'll be starting with my analysis on Eureka and why it still remains in my favorites even after almost three years of constant peak songs dropped by our favorite carrot-head artist. Now let's jump fall leap right in!
Many natori fans don't know this, but Eureka is actually natori's first released 'rock' song.
Here's some more trivia; the only songs natori had released before this were Overdose (Sept. 7, 2022), Sarushibai (Jan. 18, 2023), and Friday Night (Mar. 31, 2023).
But what do I mean with 'rock' {yes, with the quotation marks.} I mean that it has some of the same characteristics of other true rock-genre songs of his [IN_MY_HEAD/Absolute Zero w/ drums, HELPMETAKEME w/ vocals, Catherine w/ guitar style] without ever truly being confirmed as rock by natori himself. It's very obvious that Eureka is rock-styled, and though we don't get a lot of comments on this song from natori, sadly, I'll still be calling it rock until the day I die.
Now, this song is not like Poltergeist or fool's table in which it conveys a thought or a reality through abstract visuals. Eureka- even though it's short and there isn't much to the MV- tells a story. A story that I believe is about the avoidable life and death of a man and his 'Eureka'.
Eureka is not a deep song with a lot of metaphors. Everything in it is laid bare, which makes my job of analyzing a little bit easier.
Obviously, it's kind of hard to ignore the suicide motif that the whole MV has going on. I do think the man in the MV did actually commit- launching himself off the building and watching as his entire world shatters is actually kind of what the MV's about, anyway. But he did it because of his Eureka.
Oh, one thing is important to point out- Eureka is not a girl (or a human, for that matter).
'Eureka' is an idea/belief the speaker has that he holds onto. Why he doesn't let go of it is anyone's guess- he's not exactly holding tight to it as he "falls" into his dystopian world in the MV, anyway. However, Eureka falls with him, and cradles its arms around his neck to show that this idea that came to him so suddenly has a tight grip on his life.
But how'd this happen? (Well, after a lot of pain, of course.)
In the beginning, it's clear that something bad has happened- the lyrics literally say "On the other side of the exhausted night" / "I was left behind, somehow" as if to convey that the speaker had recently gone through something terrible that either barely left him breathing (somehow) or barely left him in the first place (again, somehow). And as most normal people would do after an exhausted night, the speaker decides to wait and "forget".
However, very quickly, all that loneliness and pent-up frustration explodes; "Rather than a spiral, I want to turn into a vortex and become beautiful-!!", and we lead right into the first epic chorus of this song. Did I say I love the drums here? Because holy shit they're amazing- and they signify right when the sudden spark lights a fire in the speaker's brain; all of a sudden, he's found his Eureka.
In the first chorus, the speaker is very obviously pissed- "I don't need it* anymore, just leave it behind" with the insane guitar that's just slightly off-beat. At first, I thought this was an accident, but the more I listen and type, the more I believe it to be to illustrate that the speaker's so angry and ecstatic over this 'Eureka' that he's breaking the fucking sound barrier- he's so violent with his own conflicting feelings that he's breaking his own world.
Maybe this 'idea' of his is so far-fetched that it can't possibly come to fruition. After doubting the world around him, he's beginning to doubt himself- and then starting to doubt his own doubts.
* - 'It' refers to a 'visualized' or 'laid-bare' day, meaning the speaker has no need for days that have already been visualized or planned out, which is the opposite of a spontaneous Eureka.
Jumping ahead to the second verse, it sort of repeats this feeling, but it sounds a little less frustrated and a little more revealing.
This is where the MV guy's smile disappears and is replaced with an expression that is screaming 'oh shit, do i really want to die for this?', even though it's far too late for second thoughts.
"I'm wrapped in sadness and my heart is worn out / Even if not a single person in this town remembers you" are some of the more poignant lyrics to describe how the speaker is feeling, and I love that he sounds like he's being cut off as we break into the second chorus. He sounds almost like he's been swallowed by the world around him [and almost like he's been devoured by his own Eureka].
Heading wayyy on over to the pre-third chorus of the song (and to my personal favorite part), we get a more desperate part after the speaker's little tantrum.
Though, hold on- full stop. What the hell is 'jamais-vu' and why did I mention it randomly? Was it so I could look cool and mog on this subreddit? Well, yes, but that's not the primary reason why I included it.
Jamais-vu is practically the opposite of its famous cousin, deja-vu. Jamais-vu is a French term literally meaning 'never seen'. It's usually describing a phenomenon {not an unexplained or paranormal one, lol} or sensation where something familiar feels completely new or strange to a person or group of people.
I'll demonstrate; look at a light, any light, in the room you're in. If you're outside, think about a light close to you, or one that you commonly use. Now think about how long you've had the light, if it runs on electricity or burns hot in the dark, or the last time you've changed the bulb. What color does it light up? Will it do multiple colors? Try to think about how many times it turns on in a day- and how easy or hard it is to turn it off, too.
Suddenly, something you and other people have been using daily suddenly seems strange and foreign. You realize you actually don't know a lot about something so domestic and usual (unless you happen to be an electrician or something). This is a common example of jamais-vu.
This can happen because of a lot of things, but sudden large changes in a person's life are probably the biggest part of what contributes to the phenomenon. This can be because of natural things like a season changing or a person growing up, or it can be caused by an abrupt change of perspective or someone's beliefs being promptly uprooted.
For example, imagine one day, the light of the room you're in started glowing red (if it doesn't already). You would probably be a bit confused, and immediately start to think about the lightbulb. Until you get used to that sudden redness- or until you decide to change it- it'd be hard to not think about the color the room has suddenly been dyed in. It'd be strange.
This is exactly what the second verse of Eureka is talking about, except the light is actually the idea we hear about. Throughout the song, all he can talk about is Eureka. He loves Eureka, and adores Eureka, and.. wants Eureka to kill him with the sound of its prayer.. and.. pretty much just all he is, is Eureka. {He's like me when I start talking about natori.}
The way the speaker talks about Eureka is all very fresh and courteous- like Eureka is a live person with its own opinion and its own thoughts. Still, Eureka doesn't move a muscle during the MV, and only clings on tight, smiling strangely for the entirety of the song.
By this point, he's firmly sticking with his belief; "To the end of the light that pierces, you are my everything, Eureka!" The glitches are much more prominent, and it's very clear that the speaker's world is falling apart. His idea that he sparked to life will burn out within the span of three minutes.
The third chorus isn't much different- we get a slightly more chaotic version of the first chorus, and the MV guy's smile returns- showing that he is now fully ready to die for his beliefs (damn martyr). The video glitches out right before they hit the ground, and let's face it- neither man nor idea made it out in the end.
It's a bleak and avoidable ending, but is unfortunately common in the world we live in.
Talented people, just like you and me, who have wondrous ideas to do great things and only occasionally are struck with a Eureka moment- they're the most vulnerable to suicide. Having your own original ideas and beliefs is the most dangerous a person can be, both to the world around them and to themselves.
Don't die for your Eureka, but instead choose to live for it. Even if it's slowly, over the course of a century, learn to live for the things you are passionate about- and you'll end up finding other people who will share some of your ambition. Trust me, even if they're not there now, they come around when you least expect it. Give it a couple decades.
So, in the spirit of this unfair and sometimes frustrating world, find your Eureka (Eurekas, if you have many great ideas/beliefs) and hold onto them- and live, even if it's quietly- with everything that you are.
^([ Oh, also, tell me some of your 'Eurekas' in the comments! I really want to know the ideas that drive you- and the Eureka moment that started it all! ])
Disclaimer: If you haven't listened to Puppet yet, then go give it a listen. It honestly might shock you at first sight/sound.
Also, no part of this little essay spiel thing or whatever was written with AI. And this is all my opinion! Don't immediately believe everything you read- that's stupid.
So this song just released, and apparently so did my thoughts on the matter. I just watched the MV, and my goodness- Puppet's an incredible song. I definitely think it has some huge ties to Poltergeist (which I'll talk about later), but first I just want to touch on natori's recent themes of sanity and reality in his music.
Starting all the way back in October with "What is ahead of the tunnel?", natori begins discussing topics such as murder, guilt, and frankly- a whole lot more reality-warping madness. Darker themes of suicide and self-hatred have been present in his music before ("Love-song", "fool's table"), but never showcased quite as thoroughly as his recent songs have been. Tunnel talks a lot about just doing something so insane that it permanently changes how you view reality itself [jaywalking turned murder, green turning to red, etc, etc..].
A couple of other recent songs without MVs that have done this have been "infection" ('I wasn't in my right mind' / 'An unstoppable reset'), and "Catherine" ('I've gone mad by what you call 'normal' / 'The irony of dissonance'). They both talk about living in a world that's been turned upside down, whether that is because of a single radio tower or one hell of an entertainment industry blunder.
However, the point remains- these songs where natori seems to just scream out and lose himself in the time signature, where his vocals are so distorted you can hardly tell it's him that's singing- those are the few chances for natori to show his true colors when it comes to dealing with the morality of his music.
And speaking of colors- what was the deal with the purple and orange in the MV?
The orange is obviously for natori and his beautiful little carrot hairstyle, as it should be, but then it's.. purple? Huh? This is a new color for natori's MVs, as a lot of them are colored or have some sort of scheme to them that relates to the song. Making everything purple gives the MV an almost unsettling vibe- and that's because of color theory!
Purple and orange are super close to being complimentary colors (directly across from one another on the color wheel) but they are sadly not. Humans naturally hate when things are close to lining up but don't actually produce the desired reaction, and when you combine colors together that almost add up but don't quite, you can create an effect similar to that hatred- ESPECIALLY if it is mixed with the pseudo-realistic style of the MV.
But what are the complimentary colors to purple and orange? Well, they just so happen to be yellow and blue- but wait, weren't those the main colors of the Poltergeist MV?
Yes, in fact, they are! Yellow is the color of the sky and the outline when things get dark, and blue is the color of the main spiral above the majority of the video. Blue is also what natori's 'audience' turns into when they are influenced by his music [read my Poltergeist post]. I believe the color choices were done purposefully-
-and that's not all that Puppet has in common with Poltergeist.
I believe, quite frankly, that Puppet is the alternate- worse- ending of natori's Poltergeist, and that's because of a few main things; the designs, the lyrics, and the endings.
Going on character design alone, there are some similarities and differences that we can see just by looking at still art of the characters. The Poltergeist guy is very clearly out of his element- he looks like a strange alien in the MV, but at the end he seems to win over the people of the world he crashed into, and he suffers for it beautifully. In Poltergeist, the MC's roots are starting to grow back in black, and his hands and clothes are tattered after laboring to get to the top of the spiral. By the end of it, he's exhausted and filthy, but he doesn't care to hide any of it from the people who followed him. He stands in front of them, raising a bruised hand to the sky, and shouts for them to keep moving forward. It's important to mention aswell that his eyes are determined and focused- even though he's screaming out and smashing stuff, he doesn't ever lose sight of his goals or who he is.
Compare this to the Puppet guy. Though well-dressed, he has noticable eyebags throughout the MV and that desperate look in his eyes that not even Yandere Simulator could replicate half as terrifying. His orange hair has zero black roots, so he must be dying it quite a bit to maintain his image. He wears gloves and is careful to hide his emotion, only showing it through his dead-fish eyes and the occasional insane smile he gives to his 'captive audience'. Oh yeah- did I mention that he keeps us in a f*cking CAGE? I like his dedication, but if it was only redirected to him earnestly getting attention instead of losing his mind when things didn't go his way- then maybe things would have ended up like Poltergeist.
Also with lyrics- in Poltergeist, natori talks a lot about living, talking about how stupid and lame wanting to die is. Well, guess what he released not even a month later? The exact opposite of that. Puppet begins with "Will you love me?" and "Will you forgive me?", but in the latter half it becomes "Will you love me?" and "Will you kill me?". The emotions have seemed to become heavier and there's a sense of natori slipping and starting to break down completely.
In Poltergeist, natori is very, VERY vocal about wanting to face reality- and then there's his furry twink counterpart who wishes to become a cat. Why does he want to become a cat? Probably to escape reality and what he has done (kidnapping the audience???). Also, when he's in the cat suit, he doesn't have nearly as much self-control. Besides shredding a fish on-sight, there's additionally a mention of 'Pomodoro' (lit; Tomato), which is an Italian productivity technique to break work into 30-minute segments with 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of rest. Though this works well for mentally stable people, the Puppet guy seems to have serious issues with the technique and eventually gives up, going right to bed in his cat suit after {ew}. Finally, he destroys his room, which- as one can imagine- is not the greatest indicator for self-control.
He seems to regret it, the purple-and-orange spiral infecting his blackened face as he puts his hands over his eyes to hide his expression, but he can't quite get rid of the feeling {and it shows}.
Though the Poltergeist guy did the same thing with his guitar (smashing it on literally everything all the time), he made sure it was fixed up by the end of the MV and never destroyed more than he could reasonably make whole again.
But the thing that really strikes me the most is the endings of both MVs.
From the beginning, the Poltergeist MV starts with a broken city, a broken guitar, and a broken man in the middle of a meteor crater. However, the Puppet MV starts with a relatively nice room, a man sitting quietly in a chair, and overall a generally very 'chill' atmosphere. And I say 'chill' in the way a chill goes up your spine, because it's still unnerving despite it all.
In the endings, however, things are different. We get to see both of their real identities- who both Poltergeist and Puppet really are on the inside- and turns out, they're the exact opposite of each other.
Poltergeist's ending focuses on the audience being able to 'break free' from the spiral by using natori's music to help them through it- to help them keep living as a little charm, as he says himself.
Puppet's ending focuses on the audience, too, but it's more of a warning to us that natori isn't the marionette here. As he leaves through the door, we gradually realize that it's not the cat that's being manipulated, no- it's us.
We who refuse to acknowledge the truth and work hard towards our own goals- Puppet's a cautionary tale about what the real effects are when escaping reality becomes the sole priority in our lives.
