Heyy Cheea!! I'm glad you mentioned analyzing Mychael's playlist (not the narrative playlist, since this is the general playlist). The first song on this list FUNGUS by The Narcissist Cookbook and Underground by Cody Fry are very important to me because it's Mychael! It's his system, it's his whole being, and that leads me to theorize about the "mushroom oasis" the fairy ring, since he probably belongs to or is part of the mycelium, and it's something he understands.
The mycelium needs to feed, it decomposes everything it finds in the ground (our poor cat) just like fungus works. In the rabbit scene Mychael is aware of that, with the normal life cycle. The mycelium can have various fungi, even poisonous ones and we can see fly agaric (perhaps if i'm not wrong) that led me to connect it with Mychael and his spores. While fly agaric cannot control people or insects, but only produces hallucinogenic toxins and paralysis etc. (That's why i think they're just normal mushrooms and not mini Mychaels underground hahaha), cordyceps can! and that's where Mychael's hypnosis comes from. Both work the same way paralyzing and stunning their prey to then decompose them and feed the mycelium or the forest People Eater by Sodikken and The Fire by Griffinilla although that's not his thing he prefers cooking ofc.
Tough to be a Bug by Tinyumbrellas , Dirty Town by Mother Mother This is one of my favorites because although we don't know much about his past or interaction with society Mychael is a cryptid and not normal to humans or anyone else. He's so insecure about his origins, how he looks, what he's like, and what he's capable of because it can be a double-edged sword, making him feel unwelcome and ashamed of himself and his best option is to leave that dirty town and not deal with its conditions. He even tells us a little about how he started living in the forest.
I want to delve a little deeper into his insecurity. He hides his true self at the beginning when we first meet him because he's not used to it, and he doesn't want to see MC as a friend so soon due to his self-loathing, which leads him to believe that no one would want to be his friend. He refuses to love especially MC (a human being) considering the potential rejection, disgust, and fear that people in his past have expressed to him. Practically Imperfect by The Narcissist Cookbook and My Ugly by Cloud Fodder show that it's not easy for him to trust and let himself go, but he's excited to have someone close and kind for the first time.
I think Mychael also prefers someone kind because he needs to know how to learn a new perspective and love, experiencing understanding and acceptance is really addictive, leading him to obsession, drowning in illusions and unexpected feelings. It's also confirmed that he's been confused since the last chapter! I mean, he has a right to be confused, it's something new, and it's easy to mistake small acts of kindness for something deeper and more confusing. Jena's New Favourite Color by Noah Nolastname , Queasy - Drive45 , Drown Me! by Junie & TheHutFriends.
Regarding love, the game is still in development, although we have clues about what it's like for him: something obsessive and overwhelming but pure. All i need by Radiohead, hypnotized by Alani d, Peach by The Front Bottoms.
That's all hahaha I hope some of this makes sense, it's just my research and thoughts after all. 🥹
I didn't expect to receive a message about it so soon!
This was so detailed and must've taken so long to write 😭!! These are really really good, it's so fun to see how you interpreted certain songs; some of them are accurate while some are intended differently than you described, but for the most part I'd say you got it spot-on for some of them!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts!!! 🎵❤️❤️
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