Had a thought about MyHouse.wad using "Subways Of Your Mind."
So, at the time the map was created, it was still the Most Mysterious Song on the Internet. It's presence there was meant to creep you out if you knew your Internet lore. That spooky song no one could find. It fits the map's story and aesthetics; psychological horror meant to invoke a bygone era that you can't quite grasp, only to contort it into a fever dream you can't trust.
But then people found it. It's a song by a German band called FEX. The lyrics, previously a cryptic puzzle, now tell a real story. It's grounded itself in reality. And I think that's fitting. Where is it placed in the map? Before the Gas Station in the Altered House backyard.
Just before Happiness is fought for.
And what plays before?
A song people fought to find, that's about (as I interpret it) someone unsatisfied with their life, unhappy with the world and with themselves, longing for a purpose.
A song about someone fighting for their happiness.
So, without even intending it, one the most sinister and cerebral DOOM maps ever developed actually doubled-down on it's most hopeful message: that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel, you simply must seek it out. Happiness must be fought for. That doesn't mean you can't be effortlessly happy, but rather that staying stuck in the past solves nothing, wandering your thoughts endlessly only gets you stuck in an echo chamber. If you search far enough, you can find that lost piece of art. If you strike hard enough, you can break through a horde of demons. If you work hard enough, you can release your magnum opus. You just have to try.
