Letâs talk for a bit, because Iâve known about this for a while and I think nowâs a good time to explain how I feel about using music not originally written for OCâs. This might be a lengthy read, because itâs personal. This vid was one of the first to use Tokyovania as Ink Sansâ theme.
I absolutely love when music can be associated with a character. I think itâs 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 someoneâs OC, because it feels special. Originally, this video was meant to be a tribute, with my track as the proposed theme, and I didnât worry about it. After all, I didnât 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 âTokyoâ was just erased, on a song containing the melody of âTokyo Teddy Bearâ, an incredibly special track I adored in 2014-2015.Â
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 Iâll keep the events hidden because theyâre 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 itâs a song I associate with wishing I could be anywhere else when things arenât great. Seeing as I was also remixing Undertale at the time, I thought Iâd 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 OCâs, 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 didnât write it and I was a terrible person.
And the list goes on and was almost constant. To many, Iâve been disregarded as the artist of the track because âIt doesnât matter who wrote it,â 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.Â
It feels like a inconceivable back-stab knowing that literally millions believe this is his theme. I donât even want to know how many would believe I stole the track from an OC, as if an actual artist doesnât 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 âTokyovania Control.â
I wrote in the description that I didnât 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.
Howâd I get this feeling? Â [Howâd it come to this?]
I am running from this beauty, Â [I am running from Tokyovania.]
Misunderstood or  [Itâs been misunderstood what the track is about.]
Whom itâs made for? Â [Who was the track made for? Even Iâm not sure now.]
Thereâs no purpose, Â [The song has lost its original meaning.]
Words are worthless. Â [Explaining/arguing wonât do anything.]
Well, itâs still charming. Â [I still adore the track though. It was special to me.]
Iâd say âSorry.â Â [Sorry, it was my mistake to let harsh words harm me.]
âMy mistake to let it harm me.â
âPardon my writing.â Â [Pardon my music, Iâm 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,
âHeh, oh well.â Â [Though it hurts, Tokyovania still sounds special taken from me. Thereâs nothing I can do now, so oh well.]
It was hidden well, and I didnât 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 donât mind when a track I write is used for an OCâs theme. I only mind when I become non-existent as the producer, because âWho cares who wrote it, just enjoy the music.â I also mind when I am repeatedly told my work doesnât belong to me, and Iâm a horrible person for stealing a theme that belongs to an OC.
Itâs one of the reasons I tend to include signature melodies in my music now. I donât want to be forgotten or disassociated with my work. I donât want to be told I donât deserve to be the artist. Is it annoying? To some it is, but itâs a hell of a lot better than going through another Tokyovania situation. Having a track recognized by millions as an OCâs 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 doesnât belong to me anymore, it belongs to an OC, and Iâm scum for thinking otherwise.
I suppose what Iâm trying to say, is be careful when you decide to pick songs to represent OCâs or AUâs. You may think no harm will be done, but itâs impossible to tell if something will take off. I donât think this has ever been discussed before. I havenât seen any musicians write about this, or share their thoughts. But I am friends with many of the Undertale remixers, and itâs sad to see that this has also been happening to one of my best friends Kamex with his âYour Best Friendâ remix:
His music is gorgeous. Heâs so kind & doesnât deserve to be treated this way. If the remix is titled âUndertale Remixâ, that does not mean it is an AU Remix. It is a remix for Undertale. But because this theme was used in an AU theme compilation video, the track apparently belongs to Underfresh. Again, no artist apparently exists and track magically created itself. Even worse, he feels he needs to prove it, so far as to say he has the project files if he needs to show it. To some, heâs not even respected as the producer. If you understand how I feel with Tokyovania, you can imagine how he feels as well.
Even Inktaleâs creator recognizes Tokyovania as a theme for Ink, though itâs probably accidental.
Which makes me feel even more guilty, because I hate bringing people down. And knowing this wasnât written for the AU will probably be a disappointing let-down.
So thatâs about it, I thought I might as well share my thoughts, now that itâs almost been a year since this has been going on.
On another note, Iâve 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.]
kianamaiart
annaxmalina
yousharknotpass
ellievsbear
stormborns
