Letās talk for a bit, because Iāve known about this for a while and I think nowās a good time to explain how I feel about using music not originally written for OCās. This might be a lengthy read, because itās personal. This vid was one of the first to use Tokyovania as Ink Sansā theme.
I absolutely love when music can be associated with a character. I think itās magical when a track makes you think of something you love or enjoy, and I love seeing messages or comments that I track I wrote would fit someoneās OC, because it feels special. Originally, this video was meant to be a tribute, with my track as the proposed theme, and I didnāt worry about it. After all, I didnāt write Tokyovania for Ink Sans, I wrote it for personal reasons, and I was sure most would understand that.
After a few months, it started to catch on for some reason that this indeed was written for him. A few other tribute vids were posted, and my name was nowhere to been seen as the artist of the track. On some videos, the name was also changed to Inklovania. The āTokyoā was just erased, on a song containing the melody of āTokyo Teddy Bearā, an incredibly special track I adored in 2014-2015.Ā
Back then I was in high school. It was me against the world, and I had two friends. Things became rough around September in 2015, and Iāll keep the events hidden because theyāre not something I need a reminder of. By December I was alone, and I had nowhere to turn but to music. I walled myself off and focused on composing, and being quietly alone all the time eventually led to the idea of Undertronic.
It was around this time that I decided to compose a remix of Tokyo Teddy Bear, as itās a song I associate with wishing I could be anywhere else when things arenāt great. Seeing as I was also remixing Undertale at the time, I thought Iād combine it with another track, as a particular character was also in the same situation as I was, in terms of emotion.
In short, it was a special little remix to me and it would stay that way until Ink Sans became involved. Like I mentioned, I love when others use my music for OCās, but I started to realize there was something wrong when I was accused of stealing this theme from Ink Sans, that it solely belonged to him, that I didnāt write it and I was a terrible person.
And the list goes on and was almost constant. To many, Iāve been disregarded as the artist of the track becauseĀ āIt doesnāt matter who wrote it,ā and nothing hurts more to a musical artist than having a personal song be taken, even accidentally, from you and it suddenly becomes something else. The meaning behind the song no longer matters, and no matter what I do, this song will always be known as his theme.Ā
It feels like aĀ inconceivable back-stab knowing that literally millions believe this is his theme. I donāt even want to know how many would believe I stole the track from an OC, as if an actual artist doesnāt exist and the track magically created itself. Months went by, then a year went by, and I was very bitter about this track and the accusations I kept receiving. Finally I decided to write a response, and this response was āTokyovania Control.ā
I wrote in the description that I didnāt like the old Tokyovania. This is only partially true. I loved it for what it represented to me, I hated it for how I was being treated because of it.
If you may have noticed, I included new lyrics for Tokyovania Control. It was a slightly hidden, but direct message to how I felt, and it started at 0:53. Breakdown of the meaning is in the brackets.
Howād I get this feeling? Ā [Howād it come to this?]
I am running from this beauty, Ā [I am running from Tokyovania.]
Misunderstood or Ā [Itās been misunderstood what the track is about.]
Whom itās made for? Ā [Who was the track made for? Even Iām not sure now.]
Thereās no purpose, Ā [The song has lost its original meaning.]
Words are worthless. Ā [Explaining/arguing wonāt do anything.]
Well, itās still charming. Ā [I still adore the track though. It was special to me.]
Iād say āSorry.ā Ā [Sorry, it was my mistake to let harsh words harm me.]
āMy mistake to let it harm me.ā
āPardon my writing.ā Ā [Pardon my music, Iām sorry I got in your way, I should be thankful that this track is loved right? Indeed I am selfish for believing my name should be next to Tokyovania.]
Though it hurts, it still sounds special taken from me,
āHeh, oh well.ā Ā [Though it hurts, Tokyovania still sounds special taken from me. Thereās nothing I can do now, so oh well.]
It was hidden well, and I didnāt expect anyone to catch on. And I was right, no one figured out why these lyrics were added or what they meant.
So no, I still donāt mind when a track I write is used for an OCās theme. I only mind when I become non-existent as the producer, becauseĀ āWho cares who wrote it, just enjoy the music.ā I also mind when I am repeatedly told my work doesnāt belong to me, and Iām a horrible person for stealing a theme that belongs to an OC.
Itās one of the reasons I tend to include signature melodies in my music now. I donāt want to be forgotten or disassociated with my work. I donāt want to be told I donāt deserve to be the artist. Is it annoying? To some it is, but itās a hell of a lot better than going through another Tokyovania situation. Having a track recognized by millions as an OCās theme scares me much more than having someone simply steal the track, and nothing is worse to a musician than being repeatedly told my work doesnāt belong to me anymore, it belongs to an OC, and Iām scum for thinking otherwise.
I suppose what Iām trying to say, is be careful when you decide to pick songs to represent OCās or AUās. You may think no harm will be done, but itās impossible to tell if something will take off. I donāt think this has ever been discussed before. I havenāt seen any musicians write about this, or share their thoughts, so I thought I would~
Even Inktaleās creator recognizes Tokyovania as a theme for Ink, though itās probably accidental.
Which makes me feel even more guilty, because I hate bringing people down. And knowing this wasnāt written for the AU will probably be a disappointing let-down.
So thatās about it, I thought I might as well share my thoughts, now that itās almost been a year since this has been going on.
On another note, Iāve been working on something for Dusttale and Outertale. The Dusttale track will probably be the next vid, I dunno.
[Edit: I took a look to see if there were any comments marked as held for review, and the first one I find is-]
[The word choice gets more colorful in there.]