Before I begin, I’d like to thank/apologize to video essayist Super Eyepatch Wolf for using converting one of his “templates” for one of my little posts (go check the channel out, he makes really good and interesting videos). Now, back to the actual writing.

As weird as it seems, even after having more time to marinate on how to begin this thing, this all still feels weird. Because with almost a quarter of the year gone already (Jesus H. Christ, please slow down, I don’t want to die alone), a lot has happened in my life and a lot has happened around the world but we’re not here to talk too much about the latter. With that said, slava Ukraini, go support the indomitable chads of Eastern Europe via the following links:

• Doctors Without Borders

• Hospitallers—frontline medics that crowdfund for their vehicle repairs, fuel, and medical equipment (there’s an option to view the website in English in the lower right section as the default language is Ukrainian).

• The National Bank of Ukraine—reminder: they also take cryptocurrency.

Instead, I intend to talk about a couple of things that stood out to me at the time and just brought general joy, comfort, and reprieve during the months of January, February, and March. So, without further ado, introductory cliché, and self-aware quipping, let’s begin this personal showcase.

#1: Dawn FM

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Dawn FM gave us Less Than Zero 🙌

March 24th 2022

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With the new year starting, I’d had a chip on my shoulder because of the uncertainties before me as a still-unpublished writer. I was entering the sixth month at my job and I was intent on making a big push to getting back to writing after finishing my Masters’ program. Coincidentally, by the end of the first week of the year, my ears were graced by Dawn FM, The Weeknd’s futuristic symphony.

It’s hard to effectively describe the way I feel about this album as I’m not the most musically talented but, to put it quite plainly, I think that Dawn FM has done an amazing job with capturing a fine balance between the retro vocals which are evocative of Off the Wall-era Michael Jackson (yeah, I said that shit), the emo R&B lyrical style that The Weeknd’s been known for since he was a just humble crooner from Toronto, and a sonic production aesthetic that manages to be dark, opulent, and sensual. The album illustrates a hazy depiction of purgatory in the best way and it’s all narrated by the voice of God—Jim Carrey—while incorporating elements of vaporwave (like the “Pacific Coast Highway” sample on “Take My Breath”) and city pop (like on “Out of Time” where Weeknd samples Tomoko Aran’s “Midnight Pretenders”) music to further flesh out his electronic/alternative R&B sound. In this version of purgatory, you’re in an in-between space where the old and new are entwined like an ethereal rat king where everyone floats on, waiting to be judged at the end of the bright light before them.

To anyone who’s frequented/kept up with posts (the playlists) around here, it’ll be no surprise as to why I put this album here. It’s the reason that led me to start listening to albums in their entirety—since then I’ve had a chance to check out old and new albums like The Wall, Pink Moon, and The Melodic Blue. Now, I look forward to the follow-up album where The Weeknd creates his version of The Inferno where he has Morgan Freeman voice Vergil.

#2: Drive My Car

I swear, half of this list is gonna get intensely existential somehow.

Let me start by saying that I have interesting relationship with the works of Haruki Murakami, the author of Men Without Women, the short story collection that was the source material for Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car. When I first discovered his work in the later years of high school and forward into my freshman and sophomore years in undergrad, his stories were firecrackers to me and laid out what could be done in “hard” literature—incorporating the quirky, extremely esoteric and personal, and somehow alchemizing grounded moments of ennui into those of frisson. Of course, I have a couple of nitpicks about certain motifs and general observations I’ve found through his short fiction works (specifically his tendency to sometimes overromanticize certain aspects of life but I’m pretty sure that that’s just a me thing), but I would be remiss to simply attempt to acknowledge Murakami and his works being influential to me and my writing without sounding like a literary boy whose red flag is having an avoidant attachment style. So, with all of that said, it was really strange to see Murakami’s work adapted for the screen.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great film, a solid four out of five based on my metric. I just found it strange because Hamaguchi managed to really capture most, if not all, elements of a Murakami story—from the sober and almost despondent perspective provided by the story’s speaker to internal ponderings and struggles with handling the unforgiving weight life’s struggles—hell, they even made the protagonist of the drama look like the author. But all of this strange accuracy and respect with this adaptation just makes me really like this film, so much so that I didn’t mind the three-hour length of the film.

#3: Elden Ring

The Tree Sentinel? Deforested. Margit, the Fell Omen? MarGIT GoOd, FeLLoW MaN. Godrick the Grafted? More like GODRICK: GET SHAFTED.

…FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin have somehow made a video game so beautiful with Elden Ring that it has made a great sum of the internet and its player-base reconsider whether or not they want to be stepped on. This game is an absolute treat for the eyes with surprises galore due to its sheer scale, game writing, and level design.

This was my first Souls-like video game and I had but two expectations for said game when I fired it up on my PC: (1) I’m gonna die a lot, and (2) I’m gonna learn a lot. Yes, for those who are FromSoft veterans, I’m well aware that this is the easiest edition in the Souls-like catalogue (I know I’m fucking bad at video games, just let me have this moment) but I decided for once after grinding so many years at League of Legends that I allowed myself to do something that I hadn’t done in a long time: actually enjoy playing a fucking video game for once. Though I am not a gamer without complaints about some of the game’s enemies move-sets and hitboxes—the golem at the Divine Mercy Chapel is getting teabagged as soon as I get strong enough and lop off its ankles for Torrent’s horseshoes—I’m relieved to have no-lifed a game as fervently as this one especially after a long day of work. Because, of course, the best way to wind down is to spend 115 attempts trying to clip a dragon on horseback.

(Top comment: “He definitely did it first try, right guys? no way it took him 114 tries in a span of 4 hours, right guys?”)

#4: Risk of Rain 2

Aside from Elden Ring, Risk of Rain 2 has also been taking up a substantial amount of time from me. With crisp gameplay and a story pushed more into the background (at least, I think so; I never played the first game), Risk of Rain 2 has been a go-to time-killer when I’m with the boys. Each playable character caters to a specific playstyle truly unique to each one. Ever wanted to play as a Survey Corps member from Attack on Titan and zip through foreign lands as you sneak haymakers unto unsuspecting giant beetles and alien wisps? How about playing a space samurai and slicing through anything with a membrane? Well, this game is just for you. Navigating through frenetic chaos to the sounds of space rock in this game simply feels like dancing through fireworks—and, of course, I’m the weird one in my friend group who likes to mute the soundtrack from time to time to queue up “alternative” soundtracks for the game which don’t feel out of place and have potential to change the mood like swapping out an old screensaver on your computer. You can find a couple of my album recommendations below:

• Man On The Moon: The End of Day by Kid Cudi

• KIDS SEE GHOSTS by KIDS SEE GHOSTS

• The original game soundtrack for Furi

• The original game soundtrack for Haven by Danger

• Escape by Journey (trust me on this, “Who’s Crying Now” hits different when you get to Sky Meadow)

This was also the game where I first had a taste of modded gaming which is the equivalent of getting high enough that you experience visual hallucinations—now you can actually play as a Survey Corps member from Attack on Titan or maybe just drop a spirit bomb as Goku. But in all seriousness, this independent game is just as strong as 90% of its AAA contemporaries with a lot more heart and potential for the future.

#5: Smiling Friends

As an animation fan and someone who considers themselves fine with what is conventionally weird, Smiling Friends was a damn good time. For once, I get to see an animated series intended for adults that (A) doesn’t look like shit, (B) doesn’t move like they’re $3-motion comics, and (C) is actually funny. Oh, and extra points for managing to capture shades of modern internet humor without being cringe.

On a technical level, it felt like they had a gamebred team of elitist animators who were intent on creating animations so chaotic and varied that it could make a Lovecraftian beastie mad. Rotoscoping, flash animation, CGI, stop-motion, and more—the production team knew their shit and I hope they got paid in full with bonuses, and I mean that from my cold web-surfing nerd heart.

As far as writing goes, characters are surprisingly well written despite its 10-12 minute episode format. And, as a byproduct, we all got some pretty cool memes from it and that’s all that really matters when determining a memorable piece of creative work.

#6: Boyfriends

I like the pretty-boy webcomic. And I aspire to attain a fraction of attractiveness that either Jock, Prep, Goth, or Nerd possess. Moving on now.

#7: Haven

“How do I begin the section about the couple game?” whispered a shrill voice from my head.

“I dunno, just try not to sound so depressing,” replied a more mature and bitter tone.

…Haven is a lovely game despite me only scratching the surface and getting halfway through the story at the time of writing this, the charm of this game’s wholesomeness has had me ever since I saw the opening animation when loading up the thing.

The premise of the game is a straightforward sell: what if instead of dying in the end, Romeo and Juliet escaped in space? And, my goodness, I just want these two people to be happy and escape intergalactic authorities. Even though the game markets itself as a survival role-playing game of sorts with an emphasis for niche local co-op (for couples), I really think that this game, at the core of it, is a really sweet visual novel with survival RPG elements.

Oh, for the non-gaming folk who’ve lost track, what I meant to say is that this is an old-fashioned love story parading as a sci-fi adventure (that’s the best comparison that I can make for the laymen and laywomen, I think).

Needless to say, this game got me through the dreaded Valentine’s Day month like wine and soap operas. For once in forever, I, an over-ambitious and cold-hearted scribe who had forsaken actively pursuing any new relationships romantic or otherwise, was moved by a goddamn video game so much so that I could feel the chills within my chest. It’s beautiful in that regard and if you’re fortunate to share part of your life with a loving partner, I highly recommend checking out this game.

(“Eh… Sounding more of a hopeless romantic is better than sounding plain hopeless, I guess,” muttered the bitter voice.)

#8: Harrison Bergeron

I hadn’t read too much of Kurt Vonnegut strangely enough before coming across this story aside from his essays of all things but I’m glad that I made time to read this short dystopian tale.

To oversimplify for personal reasons (mostly because this description following this aside makes me chuckle), this story essentially imagines a future where Syndrome, the villain from The Incredibles, won and managed to make everyone “super” thus making everyone “equal” in that regard. It’s a simple story that effectively gets you to feel emotion towards the titular Bergeron as he attempts to free himself from his shackles and bearings in the name of personal autonomy. And as someone who is often disappointed with entertainment media that seems to be unoriginal, reincarnating franchises, or just plain formulaic, this story simply reminds me the importance of standing out in a crowd and, in a way, daring to be ambitious in spite of what people say.

So, yeah, this was a great way to spend one January lunch break while at work.

#9: Remember

As I mentioned before, I implemented and attempted to incorporate a reading and writing regimen as I pursued my New Year’s Resolution of getting published in 2022. I was also fresh out of grad school and had a bunch of poems from a course that semester. So, of course, for reading, I decided to read the classics of poetry according to several aggregate sites in order to familiarize myself with the medium (I refuse to conform with the Rupi Kaur style of Instagram cliché). And early on into my readings, I came across “Remember” by Christina Rossetti, the first poem that didn’t make me feel like I was doing a homework reading.

As far as what I got from the poem, I was surprised to read a passage that was apt in their depiction of a certain type of worry one feels when away—or gone—from their beloved. As far as poetry goes, I’m pretty relaxed and don’t necessarily intend to make a name for myself primarily as a “poet” as a creative writing prospect. However, I hope to capture this sort of soul in at least one of my works someday.

#10: Doobydobap

I came for the food TikToks and stayed for the character development.

I don’t know when and where I came across the YouTube channel Doobydobap (I think it’s supposed to be a cutesy jazz-scatting onomatopoeia thing) but I’m glad I did so I had something to fill the slower periods in my average work day.

I’ve never been one to watch blog channels especially since I’m already inundated with that sort of content as my family love to watch rich people do rich people shit like vacationing in a remote mountain range in Northern Africa and low-key flexing their cash by randomly giving homeless gamblers cash in Manila. But Tina (the actual person making the blogs for Doobydobap) is different—let me explain.

While not meant to be an overarching narrative of sorts (it feels weird calling an actual person’s life a narrative), Tina’s channel slowly transforms from being just a hub for many of her food showcase short videos to being a sort of documentation of her cooking and living alone during the pandemic to just vibing and living life as someone in their 20s ought to do (note to self: do not check the time on my body clock). And unlike a lot of the more popular vlogs on YouTube, this girl’s personality seems quite genuine and doesn’t seem to want to flex obnoxiously for clout. So, I suppose that sort of personality reeled me in for good after food was moved a little bit into the background just so she could a little bit of her life to many strangers like myself on the internet.

#11: Tick, Tick… BOOM!

Please give one of the spider-men the Oscar for Best Actor, Sony isn’t going to give Andrew Garfield a third film.

#12: Tear Along the Dotted Line

I decided to pick up this six-episode series late December and finished it shortly after the new year began (barely qualified as an item on this list). I didn’t know what to expect going in but I think that it was all for the better as it got me to think about a couple of things while I had time to myself (as I have a lot of that nowadays).

For one, Italian’s a really fucking quick language to keep track of as a non-speaker and listening becomes a bit of a labor when it turns out that the protagonist of the series is neurotic and anxious as shit resulting in early ear-strain for me as I adjusted to the cadence of the language (thank goodness for subtitles). But also, the series reminded me how goofy people act when faced with uncertainties such as deciding whether to wager one’s heart in hopes that they reciprocate or just choke out that part of you until you and your crush go off on your own paths, unlikely to cross one another again in this plane of existence. It really sparked something in my brain and I hope that that something was to try and lighten up a little despite all of the darkness in the world now lest I lose sight of everything in the saddest way possible as a young person.

Yeah, if it wasn’t apparent enough, there’s some underlying brain bog that I’m still trying to sort and clear out as there’s been quite a couple of motifs established throughout this thing. I’ll try not to dwell on it anymore so please enjoy some funnier additions on this list.

#13: MJF-CM Punk Feud

This is one of many reasons why I’m single—and, quite frankly, this was an active choice.

I see professional wrestling as some weird amalgam of Saturday Night Live, D&D, and Hollywood stunt shows. Fights are predetermined, not fake, and a good fight in most contexts are almost always a good time. Such is the case with All Elite Wrestling’s feud between CM Punk and Maxwell Jacob Friedman. The old school and the new school come together in an angle which see’s Punk come out of retirement after becoming disillusioned by the WWE and how their insistence on manufacturing wrestling personalities [among other things behind closed doors] stifled creativity and activity for the majority of those under WWE’s employ. So, Punk burned every bridge he had at that company and left in 2014.

Cut to August 2021 where All Elite Wrestling, also known simply as AEW, welcomes Punk’s return to roaring applause. Seven years passed and Punk, while at the top of his league, returned to a savage landscape dominated by the likes of bustling new indie talents and other well-knowns being busted out of non-compete contract hell (Thank you kindly, Mr. Tony Khan). And among one of them is Friedman, MJF, who welcomes Punk into the company in his own special way and further developing into a deeply personal narrative that teeters along the lines of what’s real and what’s performative.

I swear to god, just watch the 30-second promo above, this feud is really great even if you think this stuff’s for kids and 30-year-old men who’ve mentally given up on consciously living.

#14: UFC 271

Okay, aside from faux sports narratives, I also enjoy actual sports narratives. More importantly, I love dumb shit that makes me laugh. Yes, I could go on about how conflicted I was for both current UFC middleweight champion, Israel “The Last Stylebender” Adesanya and Robert “The Reaper” Whitaker as they went to war for a second time but I’d very much prefer to get more excited about one of the undercards between Tai Tuivasa and Derrick Lewis, two fan-friendly combatants who don’t shy away from ferocity two steps shy from cartoon violence (with an audible bonk noise included for every time someone gets hit with an uppercut). Unlike the Punk-MJF story, the story between Tuivasa and Lewis is more akin to that of two kaijus slugging it out in Fukushima while everyone looks up and internally sighs “Oh, for fuck’s sake” as a serpentine tendril slams down and tears up the block.

If you’re not into combat sports reasons that point to you being personally squeamish, I won’t knock you for it. However, if you ever do want to throw a nice and boozy weekend shindig with a couple of mates, I highly recommend gathering a couple of people up to torrent legally pay and watch one of these events because a lot can happen and what happens is rarely boring.

#15: Long Long Man

I figured that I try to end this thing with something more memorable than my excess of words—take care, everyone.

Strappati Lungo i Bordi Giancane Q1 by Tyrone B.

Thank you for reading this edition of The Morning Owl. If you liked what you saw here, please leave a like, subscribe, leave a comment, and share this newsletter. Until we meet again, do take care.

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