Learning and doing my best even if it means being outdone.
Phantom Cute
a hololive fanfiction by The Overlord Bear
Summary: Phantom the One Eye refuses to go along with the Ancient Ones’ restructuring and their new plan to dominate the worlds via cuteness. He also makes said refusal futile through his bond with Bettel Gavis.
As I said I wanted to when I released my cover of “sleep mode,” I did a cover of the title song of the secret story of the holoroid Rikka. I wanted to release this in the month after the “sleep mode” cover to time it with his work anniversary, October 20, but some things held this production back, and I ended up deciding to time this with his birthday, April 15, which I suppose is a better fit, considering when “rebirthful” was first released, which was during last year’s birthday celebration. And I gotta say, my appreciation for Rikka grew even more over the past year, especially thanks to his chops as an event organizer, a fighting gamer, and, of course, an idol VTuber.
Anyway, working up the translyrics for this one was another freaking fun trip. While my early listens to the song had me feeling like it was such a swerve compared to “sleep mode,” watching Rikka’s associated 3D birthday celebration program and understanding the song’s lyrics had me appreciating the song on its own, as a part of a story arc, and as a part of the overall HOLOSTARS discography. As lighter as it sounds, it still holds quite the emotional weight, and it fits with what I call the Stars spirit.
At the same time, I think I underestimated the challenge this lightness would give, as I found the song’s rhythm trickier than I thought. Still, I found fun especially in being able to express emotions to the point of ad-libbing, which I didn’t really feel like doing in my “sleep mode” cover, as I felt like the original and my voice already expressed enough. I think I’m sync with both songs’ themes there, then!
As for audio engineering, Kururu is at it again, giving my voice a starkness that I think works well with this song! And as much as his work here got me realizing how much I underestimated the song’s rhythm, he made the emotions I expressed here further stand out with warmth especially! Listening to his work some more, I further feel the wisely relieving reflectiveness that got me appreciating this song so much. So again, thank you very much for your work, Kururu!
All that said, have a link to this cover’s mp3 and a link to this cover’s lyrics sheet. And again, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated!
Happy Easter, people. I feel refreshed there, and not just because of the season. As I further feel my need for my very own purpose in life, I managed to discuss that with someone I trust enough, and I thank God very much again for His help. I guess I really made up for not posting anything here last week, then.
As for what I did post on this blog, there are two: a poem about tryharding being a hermit and an English cover of a Japanese Vocaloid original song about a certain sort of red flag girl. As for significant uploads outside the blog, I somehow managed to release two March 2024 entries for the Vaguely Roleplaying Overlord’s Diary. One diary entry also foreshadowed how much more I played Street Fighter 6 later in the month, where I found myself being inclined towards shoto characters, especially Ken, with whom I’ve reached Silver Rank with on Classic Controls. The other diary entry, meanwhile, foreshadowed how many sets of English translyrics I’d end up writing during the month. Perhaps there is worth even in those diary posts being sparsely updated, then, and now it reminds me of how I have been managing to do these monthly digest posts here for a long while now.
Other things I’ve been up to during the past month include really getting into the groove of WaniKani, which I’ve set to notify me about Lessons and Reviews via email daily due to the wonderfully high volume of work it’s been giving me. Another is how I’ve been making more progress with clipping VTubers, slow it may still be. And then there’s how I’ve been kinda getting back to voice acting. On the other hand, with how I’ve been feeling slow or dry about posting writings on this blog right now, I feel like I’ll end up posting just a vocal cover before the monthly digest on this blog this month. And if you’re gonna look for me, well, I’m usually in the VTuber community, especially around the holos, who have also been quite the influence in my recent gaming, with the biggest highlight there so far being the Stars’ SF6 streams further inspiring me to play the game myself.
Anyway, I hope to be able to properly share the joy I have in my life to you peeps following this run-of-the-mill villain we can cancel anytime. And again, hit me with that honest constructive feedback!
At last, I return to covering Vocaloid songs with public official music videos, and I’m even covering a song from a newer producer I’ve never covered before! The producer’s name is Vell, and the song’s English name is “So-Called Angel,” which is one of their songs which seem to be about a red flag girl plus one of their songs featuring chess-themed visuals, with this particular song’s visuals having the pawn. And considering what pieces of knowledge I have about this song’s sort of red flag girl, especially knowledge that the line that can be read as “I’m everyone’s angel” reminds me of, I think I can see why the pawn was used for the visuals here.
And speaking of the “I’m everyone’s angel!” line, I translyricized that as “I’m your cutie angel!” Considering the individualism I’ve seen from English speakers, I think a more self-centered wording would be more familiar there. Still, you can find the spirit of the “I’m everyone’s angel!” line in the “It’s your cutie angel!” line before it, the original line being something that can be read as “I’m a cute angel!” Either way, the veil over the ego and contempt is already freaking thin, and the difference is that the persona in the original hides behind the collective’s rules, while the persona in my translyrics takes refuge in brazen self-assertion.
So with what I said above, I suppose having my dude voice on this makes for some overkill, no? Or perhaps this is more welcome than a squeaky girl voice? Anyway, I think my tenor range and my soft timbre are of help here. I think those worked best in “Sure, go call me your angel, I’ll go ‘Meow, peace~♥'”.
As for the audio engineering on this, I got to work with Shigeru again! I’m especially thankful for the somewhat glitchy clarity that powered up the force of my vocals here and the artificial harmony work that shines the most in the choruses! Got me appreciating my lower range some more, too!
And now, I present to you a link to this cover’s mp3 and a link to this cover’s lyrics sheet. Again, honest constructive feedback is highly encouraged and will be highly appreciated!
Wannabe Hermit
a poem by The Overlord Bear/Jem De Ocampo
Unclean, unclean
This wannabe hermit speaks
Of himself with his disease
Even his own skin keeps hidden
For rules to be broken
As if salvation were selfish whims
Permitting or forbidding everything
Than compassionate order
With its many ways back to Him
Who beckons even that “hermit” I am
And lets us trip into His many oases
Our desertion will never beat
Even when He’s hurting.
I think I forgot to work on this post earlier due to trying too hard to get back into and get into some things. FOMO, especially about immediate things, is certainly a common struggle of mine, yes. Still, it’s not like those things I’ve been getting back and getting into are as trivial as I’m making them sound, considering one of them being me getting back into exercise, though that also involved a humbling reminder from my parents. Still, I took that as a chance to update my exercise routine and add 15 minutes of walking into it so I can also touch grass, as they say today. Also helping is how I had to commute to my day job’s company’s office for tax stuff and miraculously managed to accomplish that on time.
As for the other stuff I got back into and got into HOLOSTARS, particularly Shien Kageyama, got me back into playing Blue Archive through things like this stream that jackal mafia boss did out of what I think is excitement over a new event starring his fellow outlaws Problem Solver 68. And speaking of BA, I’m happy to witness more fandub productions from Kuragi and StrawberrySana. And then there’s my continued viewing of the Stars playing Street Fighter 6 here and there especially getting me further into Guile Village, particularly as I learned how to do charge inputs. Arurandeisu left quite the impression on me there, indeed. As for more bro things that have been inspiring me this month, there’s I Am Not Big Bird, a raunchy and heartfelt Pinoy bro comedy that also has Enrique Gil making a comeback. Said movie was something I went to watch thanks to my sister recommending it to me while asking me for money to watch it.
As for more about my video gaming, I’ve already started the second part of the DLC in my copy of Pokemon Violet. So far, I’m enjoying the added challenge and Pokemon, especially with how I’ve been building my party with self-imposed conditions like having one Eeveelution (because I’m a Penny fanboy) and one starter (because I’m excited to be able to use so many starters) in the party. Also, Lacey is super cute.
As for more about VTuber stuff besides stuff like going plain social media, it’s been slow, but I’ve gotten back to making VTuber clips. What I consider the best thing about that so far is how I’ve been learning how to make more efficient use of AviUtl, especially the Scene, Camera Control, and alias functions. Also, this train of thought reminded me of how I’ve been kinda growing an interest in getting back to WaniKani and making more use of it so I can have some semblance of formal Japanese language study.
So yeah, those are some stuff I’ve been up to this month that I feel are worth sharing here. Of course, there are also the two blog posts I posted this month, the first being a poem that also includes the image of texting with God, and the second being a cover of a holoEN member’s mellow English original song. Also, I somehow managed to post four February 2024 episodes in the Vaguely Roleplaying Overlord’s Diary, episodes which I decided to record and edit on those weekdays and post and share during the weekend to see how more efficient I’d be with it. The thing I liked most about that little string of productions was how inspired I felt about working my digital drawing skills some more, although said skills are actually mouse drawing skills.
And now, I guess I should talk about plans for next month, which I’m expecting to have another two-post combo starring a poem and then a song cover if we’re talking blog posts. And I suppose I’m gonna be grappling some more with reviewing my daily routine and social circle as a VTuber fanboy, especially with how much I’ve been running on impulse about it, as much as I’ve been finding more fun in being one. Perhaps a better sleep routine would be a good start, and maybe some church work would also help. And I suppose I’m feeling the spirit of Lent some more. God Almighty keep on challenging and guiding us all as He wishes, alright.
And with that, I ask for honest constructive feedback yet again, folks!
I gotta admit, while my renewed appreciation for the girls of holo thanks to the boys have furthered into stuff like tuning into Bijou Koseki and her prodigy kid sister personality live, I’m still not that tuned into the now holoPromise member IRyS. Though somehow, my horniness aside, and even with her focus being more on streaming than on music right now, she still has her claws on me via music like this groovily crooning English single named One Step at a Time, which I also realized is my favorite IRyS original song so far with the help of this fan animation by Kanauru. Her higher voice brings to mind a struggle, though it also comes off as an expression made after a significant amount of recovery. Still, she sounds like she’s in a place even someone like me can reach, and that sound is a reason for my interest in covering this song.
And yes, I see the irony in being a distant patron of hers yet bothering to sing this song which also sounds so up close and personal. But I think that distance is a key part of my expression here, my expression of relief about being able to cling onto hope, which is also what her lore says she embodied and delivers, via improving my principles and relying on others as well even though I’m more in the state of conflict. So here I am with my lower voice that also required some restraint on the ad libs. I think you’ll feel my struggle with that restraint the most in the instrumental interlude, specifically when I hum with my mouth closed. It’s a nice reminder for me to not be cocky.
Furthering the impact of my lower voice is Kururu’s audio engineering, and I’d like to apologize to him for making him deal with my attempts to put hammy ad libs into such a mellow song, especially the part where I try to go crazy high with the backing vocals before the chorus repeat in the final chorus. I should’ve further kept in mind how I struggled to do that while recording the main vocals. And again, I’d like to thank him very much for his help.
With all that said, here is the mp3 of this cover, and again, I ask for honest constructive feedback.
Divine Clapback
a poem by The Overlord Bear/Jem De Ocampo
I sent God a photo of His nailed corpse
With the caption “This you?”
And He replied with the message “That is I, yes.”
Then He followed up with a photo
Of a man I struggled to recognize
But I knew was living a good life
Yet there was the caption “This you.”
There I also felt His pain
As the ornament of His next holiday’s tree.
Day job’s been lighter lately, though I felt like I had another level up when I got the assignment I got on Friday. On my off time, most of my time’s spent on live posting about VTuber streams, especially holo ones, and on playing video games off-stream, especially the Nintendo Switch version of the JRPG classic Dragon Quest III. And speaking of DQ3, I especially like how it hits the feels, and if what I’ve read about the the NieR protagonist being nameable is correct, I think I now have a good idea about how Mr. Yoko may have drawn influence from Dragon Quest, especially III, beyond making the NieR protagonist nameable. And speaking of feels alongside VTubers, a Mr. Jurard T Rexford got me going to the cinema for Rewind the day after I went to the cinema for Mallari, and it was freaking worth it, to say the least.
And while I haven’t really gotten much motivation to continue it lately, I somehow managed to come up with three additions to the Vaguely Roleplaying Overlord’s Diary early in the month. And later in the month, I managed to not only continue streaming with Valkyria Chronicles but also finish my stream series of Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth2. Also, late in the month, I posted a poem about a soldier at Christ’s feet. And a Sunday Mass got me coming up with another poem. And then there’s how I managed to record cover vocals and get them engineered to produce next month’s music upload.
So yeah, I guess next month will have at least two blog posts before the next digest post. I may also have to do some proverbial belt tightening, especially with how much I’ve been spending on donations to and merch from VTubers and my fellow fans of them and how I want to better make use of the inspiration they give me as a creator. And of course, there are the expenses for my more fundamental needs. All that makes me feel like I’m gonna be less frequent about music uploads too, but still, I’m excited to at least try going for bigger ventures. God Almighty keep on helping this fool appreciate the little things that make the big things, then, especially the ones He means for him.
Upon His Nailed Feet
a poem by The Overlord Bear/Jem De Ocampo
I roll a die
For cloth too small
While some conquered man dies
With toenails in coats
Of red and brown like rust
On some iron that’s too much
Through feet my fellow fiends asked
That I lick for their fun
But I called that a pointless act
Yet I let my tears be squeezed
Washing my eyes for the sight
Of a king who is hard to see
Looking at me like I have life
That I can share with my fellow fiends
Making me feel the death we are in
Calling me to salute to this higher and highest king
Reminding me about the soldier I always wanted to be
Who was never really just for me.
On things of interest.
My cosy crafting corner
イラスト制作やLive2DでVtuber制作をしている、イラストレーターえびぷりんの個人サイトです
Learning and doing my best even if it means being outdone.
Being Catholic, a faith I take seriously but not grimly, in America.
Fiction by BlackWaltzTheThird
Learning and doing my best even if it means being outdone.
anime song covers in english
The Overlord Bear's Den 