The Flames of Rhythm

Today feels like a great day. It's sunny outside, the birds are chirping, no clouds in the the sky at all. It's one of those rare opportunities to do fun things in the daylight, such as hitting the beach, going to a friend's to hang out, and maybe teaming up in the end so y'all can set the local orphanage on fire.

"One shudders to imagine what inhuman thoughts lie behind that mask... what dreams of chronic and sustained cruelty..."
- The Spy (Team Fortress 2: Meet the Pyro)
(Image made by "ChemicalAlia" and found on DeviantArt.)

But enough talk about delusions of arson and homicide - you're here to have a fun read, not commit ridiculous felonies! (At least I hope you're not.) Let's go!





CURRENT MUSIC:
Michiru Oshima - "Requiem"
Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa Original Soundtrack

When you listen to this track, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the first things you thought of involved one of the following statements:

• "This sounds like Gypsy music."
• "It's got a bit of a Spanish flamenco flair to it."

Honestly, while my knowledge in music is decent enough to hold a basic conversation, it's not good enough to figure this one out. (Regardless, that's not going to stop me from trying. Mwhahaha.) The opening guitar is unmistakably something you'd expect to echo across the rolling hills of Spain. However, there's something else present in the violin and percussion, and they seem to be playing more than a rhythm.

Speaking of the violin, it's perhaps the most brilliant thing about this piece. While the flamenco-esque sound of the other instruments provide the tone, it's the violin itself that seems to carry the emotion of "Requiem" onto the stage floor. There's an ethnic sound to it, which is why I called out the Romani-style here. Romani music is able to take other styles of music and translate it into something more complex, and that translation is present in a subtle, almost-romantic kind of tone. Instead of sounding like it's wailing, the stringed instrument is practically telling us to listen to our hearts and belt your skills on the dance floor

My only complaint about this track? It's too frakking short! Crossing out the beginning guitar leaves us with about a minute and twenty seconds... way too short to dance to, really. Despite that, I still think it makes for a beautiful piece. The rhythm honestly makes me consider learning a bit of dancing just so I can go along with this. I'm just going to need a dance partner. ^_^;; (*grabs a red rose and places it in his mouth* Any volunteers? *winks*)

Dear gods; this track is brilliant. I had quite a lot of fun listening to this piece - so much that I think I might have to watch Conqueror of Shamballa again once I get back home from work tonight. But yeah... great, great piece. Listen to it and be aurally amazed. Just ignore the toppled statues that mysteriously fell while I was attempting to dance along. It... it wasn't my fault. *shifty eyes*





Well, well... good day, everypony! Today's Friday, and you know what that means, right? You don't? Well, maybe you should pay attention here, because today's a special day where I... talk... to you all... about my life...?

*awkward cough*

Okay, yeah. That always happens. Uhm, well, I guess that means nothing really new happens on here. At the same time, though... lots of things happen, and it only gets better.

But you're not here to read that. You're probably here because you're wondering if I'm some kind of pyromaniac or because you're a Team Fortress 2 player and saw the Pyro. That, or the title of this entry somehow piqued your interest. Well, despite all that, I'm not sure if today's content involves flames or dancing or anything closely related to the two. For all you know, I probably just wanted something cool-sounding to kick off the weekend that I'll me working through *sarcastic cheer*

But no. No, there's not much. Okay, well... there is - I don't feel like sharing everything. Instead, I'm just going to share other things that maybe have nothing to do with fire or dancing (both literally and metaphorically). Let's see what stuff I have to talk about, shall we?





Mario Kart 7 has been beckoning to me lately, and I finally decided to accept its call.

Just don't accept the call if I'm the one calling you unless you want a good challenge. There's a reason why the game calls me a "Star Racer."

That's a good thing for me. I've been having problems lately with trying to figure out what tracks to throw onto the upcoming Top Ten list - mostly because trying my best to talk about Double Dash back on Wednesday really took a lot out of me. Now, as can be seen, we're not talking about entry quality (I'm doing everything I can to make sure my entries as of late have been very interesting) - we're talking about my desire to go on the track and race people.

Also, I learned a very valuable lesson that should come in handy when playing Grand Prix and Versus modes. Red shells are able to home in on opponents while you're flying. I found that out while gliding in Shy Guy Bazaar. One of my friends had a one second lead on me and we took off on the gliding part of the track. I had just received the triple red shells and I was wondering if it was possible to use the shells without them falling to their demise. I mean, if red shells were able to follow the track in Mario Kart Wii if there was no immediate target, then I figured they could do the same in 7.

Turns out they can home in while flying. The shell hit my friend, who ended up falling from first to seventh (quite literally, might I add) due to my evil plot of mid-air shell-throwing. MWAHAHAHAHAHA!





In other news, I just saw the coolest thing ever. (Well, cool to me.)

A fountain with a geyser. Sometimes, simple is better.

Yes. A fountain. Why is this so cool to me, you ask? Well, after seeing it up close and personal, I came up with an amazing idea for a scene in a movie, television show, comic, or what have you. Picture a world torn apart by war. Now picture a battle here in this place. No, I'm not talking about a bunch of soldiers crammed in this fountain as if it were a vital chokepoint. You're seeing things in the wrong scale.

Now, imagine if this was the scene for a Lego webcomic. In minifig scale, this fountain would be excellent for it. Picture the scene - a rag-tag resistance group is retreating away from a battle-hardened invasion force. Safe haven for the resistance lies across the border to a neutral country willing to provide shelter for them. The problem is that the border crossing is located on a massive river system with a natural geyser constantly pumping water into the lake. The invaders have sent reconnaissance forces to seize the bridges and land routes, leaving only one way to cross - through the waterfalls and the lake itself.

It's a work-in-progress, but I think it sounds pretty damn cool.

Also, my dream mansion has this somewhere in the estate. I'm thinking in the front, except we double the size of the thing - that way I have a majestic fountain for my guests to drive next to as they go up the driveway, and that way if I'm ever murdered and my corpse is left somewhere for display, the fountain would make for a great place for me to be floating. Gunshot wound optional - I'm thinking poison ought to do the trick. Still, though - dead body floating in a fountain - great movie scene material, I'd say. (It worked on Lzzy Hale, didn't it?)





Yeap - those two topics had nothing to do with flames or rhythm. (I told you.) But you know what? That's okay. Sometimes, the key to igniting a fire doesn't even have to involve the traditional elements of a fire. Yes - oxygen, a combustible fuel source, and an intense amount of heat are required, but again, those are for traditional fires.

For those of you who don't play Team Fortress 2: this is what the Pyro sees as he (she? We may never know...) cleaves the enemies' heads in half with a lollipop fireman's axe, shoots them at point-blank range with bubbles a flare gun, and cooks them well-done with harmless rainbows his homemade flamethrower.
(The mind of the Pyro is very disturbing indeed. One can only wonder how fast a psychiatrist would be driven to suicide after one session with the Pyro.)

I'm talking about the metaphorical kinds. You know the ones. They're not listed in your science books because there's no known formula to create them. If there is such a formula, it has itself been burned, leaving us to experiment and toy with each ingredient until we create something that counts as fire.

The mentally unstable will have used every ingredient and have driven themselves mad at this point. The optimistic will use lollipops and rainbows (but not like the Pyro) to see if they can season their fire with sugar, spice, and everything nice. The scientific will try to apply reason to creation and ultimately foil every hypothesis presented to them.

Everyone's got some kind of fire in them. Depending on the reason the fire's there in the first place, the kinds of flames produced will vary, but one thing's for certain: they flicker in time with your heart. Our hearts beat along with our lives - the places we visit, the actions we take, the people we bond with - and its tempo and patterns match what we experience. And perhaps listening for that rhythm will provide you with some kind of key to help get the fire going.





Cryptic metaphors aside, I think it's time I take off and get ready for work. Until the 'morrow, everyone! Stay nice and cozy, and don't get burned by the rainbows!