sleepygf

she who hops and flops

  • she/her

I'm that autistic trans girl from Twitch and Discord. No, not her. Not them either. The one who talks about JoJo. What do you mean "that doesn't narrow it down whatsoever"?


hthrflwrs
@hthrflwrs
  • Writing/editing (linear and interactive fiction; Yarn and Ink)
  • Design consulting
  • Production
  • C# coding (Unity/Monogame)
  • UI design
  • I am very good at what I do, and I can do that for you

Email me at hthrflowers@gmail.com! Or DM me on twitter




coten
@coten

(CW for flashing lights throughout this music video)

Yello's "Pinball Cha Cha" is a song about a "Number One Pinball Player" who invites people to come close and watch as he enjoys playing his favourite game - a rapid, chaotic series of bangs, bells, thumps, beeps and flashing lights, with rules and instructions governing them which only really make sense to himself.

it's a strange, repetitive, seemingly pointless performance, and it's one that the player mainly does for his own entertainment, not for others'. in spite of that, he wants to share this self-conducted show with anyone around who might be interested, so that he can show them what he's doing (while struggling to explain why it's impressive) and help them understand why he's so attached to this "toy" of his.

alas, the player is already so wary of being judged for this "foolish" pasttime of his that he's pretty much pre-emptively rejected everyone around him - how can he expect others to show him another, "better tool" he could be spending his time with, when they don't appreciate how his current interest gives him pleasure?

i first heard this song a few months ago (after an impulsive websearch to see if anyone other than The Who ever made any music about pinball machines,) and i've been thinking about it quite a bit ever since. i think it touches on some of the same feelings i've had playing pinball at the arcade, like the strange loneliness of being in a public space while focused on a private experience, and the fear of rejection over being so hyper-focused on a niche interest.

...i oughta get a commission with my bird sona in that outfit. diggin those suspenders with the yellow tie.


sleepygf
@sleepygf

Hayburners II looks pretty rad! I don't exactly know what the Wimpy toys stand for in this narrative. I believe this song comes from before toys were common in pinball machines (though I would guess that adding them as custom decorative elements started earlier?), so maybe the only link is that the singer sees his game as a toy (or more precisely, describes it that way because he assumes others see it like that).