#10:16 vn

[turnthepagevn]

Ivy League get-togethers are fuckin wild.

@artwithoutblood

@lockefell-library

@gryphons-n-kelpies

[maleyanderevnshowdown]

Indie Game Male Yandere Showdown:

Round 1 Wave 1

[zackvalence]

In the Voice of Dorian

I've been given permission by @catskets to perform voice requests as everyone's favourite keeper of heresy in exchange for small donations towards @gryphons-n-kelpies new laptop. :D

If you have something you're dying to hear Dorian say, please drop a request along with whatever you'd like to donate into my Ko-Fi with what you'd like him to say!

Alternatively, if you'd like to donate to Bird's new laptop fund without having a request, please send it straight to their Ko-Fi :D

My Ko-Fi

Bird's Ko-Fi

[ssecond-hand-faith]

When you’re trying to be cute with your demon/librarian bf but you just remind him that he can’t actually kiss you

Dorian belongs to @artwithoutblood

[upbeatundertaker]

every time I go to doodle this guy, it gets out of hand

@artwithoutblood

[yourunhingedgirlfriend]

🌸 MC be normal challenge: Part 2🌸

Taglist: Ezra @restartheartvn • Fone @ringringringbananafone • Henry @homecomingvn • Eddie and Diva @xoxoalette @ Z @favorvn • Dorian @artwithoutblood • Ren @14dayswithyou • Krow @thekrows-nest

[catskets]

A more in-depth guide for creating visual novels, especially in the horror, horror-romance, etc circles

Some of you have seen my previous, smaller post on crafting visual novels, especially in this little space of Tumblr that a lot of us have found themselves in. Since that post took off, I've wanted to create a longer guide to help touch on some points I've thought about for the past few months.

In case you've never heard of me, I'm Kat, also known as catsket. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Game Design. I've been making games for nearly 5 years, and I've been doing visual novels more "professionally" for 2. You may know me for Art Without Blood, 10:16, God is in the Radio, or Fatal Focus. I'm here to help you make your first visual novel.

Please note that my advice does not fit everyone, and you may disagree with what I say. That's okay! It doesn't work for all. That's why there's thousands of resources out there.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE NEVER MADE A GAME

So, you have an idea for a huge visual novel. Horror, a shady and obsessive love interest, a little bit of woo-hooing. 100k words. Maybe a million. What is this, the 07th Expansion?

I notice a lot of people getting into visual novels are artists first. That's okay! I wanted to do art for games before I realized how much I enjoyed writing. And even less of you have probably touched Visual Studio. Again, perfectly okay. We all start somewhere.

My number one piece of advice? Make shitty games.

What does that mean?! My recommendation to those who have never done games is to make a bunch of shitty ones. Think of a theme, or hell, even join a game jam, where you make a game that fits a theme in a short amount of time. Spend about a week on your game. Focus on making something polished. Polish your mechanics. Polish your output.

I recommend, if you can, to make at least 4-6, if not more, kind of shitty games before hopping into longer projects. Making a game is a skill, just like art, just like writing. And game development is combining ALL of these together into one big soup being stirred by a skeleton hand puppet. You'll get into the rhythm and see what works for you.

It also helps you learn, perhaps, the second most important thing here: do you even like making games? There are cases out there where people have created video games (not saying visual novels) just for clout. That's no fun for you, that's no fun for your players. And you might go through this process and find that you don't like making games. That's completely okay! It's not for everyone.

Also, you can use these shittier games to gather an audience. I've built my audience because, for the past few years, I've been releasing games that slowly give me growing fields of eyes every day. A success story overnight is a rare one. It takes time. It's like building a brand, but you aren't a brand, you're an artist.

REV UP YOUR ENGINES!

Ren'py is the number one engine you will be recommended. It is very beginner-friendly, with lots of tutorials, assets on itch.io to use and download, and support. The engine comes with a few tutorials in the form of games, whose code you can freely browse. This is the engine I use most often. Most visual novels you see are made in this engine.

Twine is a text-based engine that most people use for interactive fiction. You can add images and audio, though, if you don't mind messing with HTML. I use Twine for text games and for outlining for my larger games. Ever played Degrees of Lewdity? Yeah, I know you have. Don't ask why. That game was made in Twine.

RPG Maker has multiple versions and has been used for exclusively VNs if you don't mind fucking around with plugins. It can definitely give your game a super unique feel. I recommend RPG Maker MV, since it has the most resources. This line of engines usually costs money, but it often goes on sale for under $5-$15.

People will recommend TyranoBuilder, but as a user and player, the lack of options and the format the games often come in is just...not fun to navigate. It advertises itself as little to no code, but it's often evident in the final results. Some good games have been made in it, though, so if you want to use it for prototyping/practice, you can. I'm not a fan, but that doesn't mean that fans don't exist! This engine costs money.

Not an engine, but check out Ink! Super useful scripting language that's used for more professional projects.

DEMOS, DEMOS, DEMOS

You've got an idea for a long-term project, and now you want to show it to the world! But wait, wait, don't do that yet!

When should I start advertising my game? This is a personal opinion, but I say that you should not start advertising your game until 50-60% of your demo is complete. Why? As I've discussed with some fans of indie VNs, they can name quite a few projects that have been in the "working on the demo" age for 1-2+ years. I've been in the Kickstarter MMO circles. If you, making a single-player experience with little mechanics to balance and polish (aka a visual novel), are taking that long on a demo, I am going to assume the game is not coming out. There are some games I have seen out here that have been in "working on the demo" phase where I haven't seen a single ounce of what the project will look like.

What should I put in my demo? The purpose of a demo is to showcase the mechanics and the vibes and the mechanics of your game. It's a demonstration. In my last post, I pointed to the Dead Space 2 demo that was showcased at E3 (RIP), that takes place about 2 hours into the story and shows how enemies are defeated, some animations, bits of the story, etc. Usually, because it's less about mechanics and more about vibes, visual novel demos showcase a certain percentage of the full thing (5-10%.) Can you showcase the vibe of the game here and what players should expect? If not, show off another portion.

How long should I work on my demo? Before, I said 3-4 months. That can be true, that can also not be true. Think about how long the demo takes you in proportion to how long the actual game should take you. Don't put too much effort. The demo is to showcase the vibe. It's to see how much the public and fans may enjoy the game.

My game is 18+, what should I do? Make a splash screen when the game is downloaded to let players know your game is 18+. If it's going to contain sexual content, you can hide it with itch.io's adult content filter. Write it on the page itself that your game is for adults only. Don't put your demo behind a paywall. This is genuinely ridiculous. The purpose of a demo is to showcase what a game is like before a player purchases it. That defeats the point of a demo. I've seen this happen, and it discourages players from approaching, especially because most demos never make it past the demo phase. So...I'm paying you $10 for 2-3k words of a game that may never come out?

Should I make a social media for my game? YES! Go for it. These anchors are how people will find your game. Make a Tumblr and open that ask box. Make a Twitter. Go to BluSky. Advertising is not bad. Some YouTubers even take e-mail suggestions from developers. Feel free to shoot your shot. The worst they can do is not respond.

HOW TO SET UP YOUR ITCH.IO PAGE:

Getting your itch.io to a presentable state can be very challenging! There's many ways to do it. I highly recommend using this page image guide for learning how to size your images to make your page pop!

Itch.io themselves has suggested to not publish a page until the game or demo is released. You can make the page and keep it as a draft, but do not publish it until you're ready!

Your cover image is the image that will appear in the search of the website, on any front pages, in collections, and on your profile. What have I seen that works? Key art of one of the characters up close and the title of the game! If you can make it a .GIF, do it! Bitches love .GIFs!

Itch.io recommends 3-5 screenshots on your page. I recommend 1 of these 5 be a .GIF that shows how gameplay feels. This is effective, even for visual novels!

Write a 3-5 sentence summary about your game for the description. What is your story about? What is the draw?

DO NOT BE ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO IS GOING TO SAY "This is not like other visual novels. It doesn't have that cheesy this or that or-" No one cares. Genuinely. You're putting down other games in your genre and elevating yourself to the pompous level.

TAG YOUR GAME! itch.io gives you a list of tags to choose from when you go to tag. DON'T USE THIS! Try to go for more specific tags. Arimia has a very good guide on how to use itch.io's tagging system to your advantage.

GENERAL GAME MAKING ADVICE

SCOPE KNIFE IS SUPER USEFUL! Everyone makes games that are way over their workload. It's okay to cut out features and add them later. Prioritize making a finished game before hitting those stretch goals.

PLAN, PLAN, PLAN! Writing outlines is super helpful. I use Twine for my outlines, because you can connect your passages together and make really well-thought webs.

IT'S OKAY TO ASK FOR HELP! Whether it's from friends, professionals, or anything in-between. They can help with assets, editing, etc.

HONE YOUR SKILLS OUTSIDE OF GAMES! Write some poetry. Do some sketches everyday. Improve on your craft to improve your games

MUSIC IS HARD. THERE ARE RESOURCES. Most of us aren't musicians. That's okay. Make sure the music you get for your game is allowed to be used. You can use anything non-commercial if your game will not cost money or donations. I try to do songs in the public domain or free to use overall with credit if I don't have a musician. Consult the Creative Commons website if you're unsure how you're supposed to use a certain piece of music. If you don't use the right stuff, not only can it put you in legal trouble, but it can put streamers in hot water if they play your game and they can't upload the video because music is copyrighted.

PLEASE, DO SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR UI. Wanna know an easy way to get your game to look more professional? Edit the damn UI for your game. Make a new textbox, even if it's just a black box. Change the font. Eventually, players recognize the defaults and patterns of games made in certain engines and may attribute a lack of UI changes to a developer being lazy. It doesn't take very long to change the colors around and move text! Please do it to add a little pop to your game.

DEADLINES ARE AWESOME. Not everyone works well under pressure, but if you give yourself an infinite amount of time to make something, it'll never get done. Set goals for yourself for how much you can work on something.

IF YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP, GIVE UP. Making things is hard, especially long-term. Emergencies happen, jobs happen, life happens. Let your fans know that a project isn't happening anymore. Don't leave them in the dark. You don't need to tell strangers your medical history or anything, but transparency + honesty are really hot traits. You should use those in your creative work. This is one reason why I advocate for not publishing or advertising things until you know it's stable.

SHOWCASING YOUR CONTENT

People love to see WIPs for games! This is what the devlog is good for! A devlog is a post where a developer talks about and showcases some things happening in the game? What can you add to your dev log?

PERCENTAGES! How much of the artwork is done? How much of this character's route is done?

SNEAK PEEKS AT ARTWORK AND SPRITES!

GIFS! GIRLS LOVE GIFS!

Anything else to showcase your game's content! Posting consistent updates retains and even gains a fan's attention for your work.

RUNNING YOUR TUMBLR

You've joined us, and you've made a Tumblr for your blog! Link it on the itch.io page, so people can come find you after playing your awesome demo!

Do I have to respond to every ask? No. It's your blog. Delete whatever asks you want.

I got a hate comment! What do I do? Delete it and move on. I have a more detailed section on hate below.

I want to interact with [blog]! How do I do that? Reach out to the devs for silly little collabs. If you come onto a developer slightly headstrong, they might feel you are being abrasive or using them for content.

If people make fan content, interact with it! Encourage it! Reblog it. Show your love.

OTHER IMPORTANT THINGS

PROFESSIONALISM IS KEY. These may be pet projects, but you want to appear some level of professional on your actual itch.io page.

Being dismissive of player and fan complaints or criticisms will make you appear childish.

If your game is broken, fix it. I have been told by some amateur developers to ignore game-breaking bugs. It does not make me, a player, want to engage with your content. It seems messy and unfinished.

With the above point, it's 100% okay to have bugs and errors upon release. Every developer and their brood mother has. To decrease these issues, get playtesters. Friends can play your games, spot any errors, and help you point out things that can be improved upon. I recommend having playtesters at every stage of development.

Make sure your game runs before you publish it. Please.

You can still be silly and giddy! There's no reason to not be, especially when you get positive comments! The point of this is to not be outright rude to potential players and fans.

IGNORE HATE COMMENTS. In this case, a hate comment is a statement that contains no constructive criticism and are only here to be insulting or malicious. People are going to leave you with actual piles of dog shit in your ask box. They are trying to provoke you. Giving hate comments any attention, even if you're there to "clap back" proves that they got to you, even if you don't take the hate to heart. They will continue to pester you. Delete any hate comments and ignore them completely. Laugh about them with friends in a private setting, sure.

THINK BEFORE YOU REFERENCE! I know one big thing in this community is adding references to other games in yours, such as plushies of other characters or putting them on posters. The best thing you can do it ask the developer before adding this. How would you feel if some random person you've never met put your character in a video game? Most of us would feel weird and potentially violated. Open communication with devs is awesome. I am usually okay with it as long as someone asks for permission.

As a complete aside, I prefer more tasteful references to other games as opposed to 523482346 plushies and posters. These have been slightly overdone. Why not theme a candy after another game's character? Maybe your characters know each other.

OTHER RESOURCES I RECOMMEND

Devtalk is a server dedicated to independent visual novel creators. You can find jobs, resources, advice, talks, and, like, everything there! Devtalk is super useful. Everyone in there is so cool. They have a really great and comprehensive list of resources that I could not even begin to cover.

Visual Novel Design is a great YouTuber. No other words, check the guy out!

Ren'py and whatever other engine you're using has documentation that's super useful to follow.

Arimia not only has amazing VN resources, especially for marketing, but she also just has? Amazing games that you should check out?

And for a shameless self plug, I'm the lead of Sacred Veins, a collective of devs creating narrative games, whether it be horror, humor, romance, or everything in-between. Come hang out with us!

[hatchetmanofficial]

(I love this question and I love your username!!!)

Thanks!

I like to think that Alan still has a part of him, that wants to weasel his way back into society, especially after meeting his Doe-eyes. But he can never have it. It's selfish of him to want.

Or Alan doesn’t believe that even if he can get away he can be redeemed/deserves it. Or could cope with being part of society.

Boss is unpredictable and very much so picks those who believe they are someone without a cause. I'd like to think that The Beast's song "Come Wayward Souls" applies to him.

I really enjoyed Over The Garden Wall, and especially Come Wayward Souls/Potatus Et Molasses. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hWgVdUv9UHo

It’s a shame the show got pulled from streaming services in a lot of locations.

TW suicide, death, religion feel free to ignore and delete this ask if it’s too heavy or triggering.

I watched Over The Garden Wall years ago and while I haven’t actually read The Divine Comedy/Dante’s Inferno directly… I need to as I’ve found a great VN that also derives from it called 10:16 …I seem to remember some analyses that describe the sin of despair.

(Makes sense. Catholics believe suicide is a sin.)

That is why blithe Greg was aided unlike Wirt. He is a child, innocent of the sin of despair, and in turn his seemingly random foolish actions stave off disaster, ie. dumping the coins from the ghosts creates a bonding experience while getting to Adelaide’s house so Beatrice can change her mind about betraying them.

(Also - that means they didn’t pay the coins to the ferryman to cross Acheron/the Styx! Charon’s Obol. Put into the mouth or on the eyes of the dead for that purpose. They also played a song for clemency like Orpheus.

Technically they haven’t paid for passage or received rites so cannot cross over into death and are trapped on the Earth side of the bank! Forced to wander/given more time before crossing. This may have been key to finally getting out of there. Though a villager in Harveston did say it wasn’t their time.)

And Greg is only ever in real danger when he loses hope, gives up and chooses to sacrifice himself for Wirt.

Wirt only breaks the curse when he has a realisation and dares to hope. To act. Otherwise he would have been trapped as the new employee, the new woodcutter/soul reaper/perpetuator of the cycle.

So… The Beast, and perhaps the Boss, do prey on despair and the lost. And potentially suicides but I’m not sure.

The Edelwood trees also recall The Wood Of The Suicides, which is yet another reference to Dante’s Inferno that I first encountered in The Sandman series. (Though those were in hell.)

So. With Over The Garden Wall being a child friendly allegory for purgatory or hell… I’m actually wondering if Carver, Alan, and Stitches may be dead without being aware of it? Or at least no longer strictly living, caught halfway in the liminal space of the uncanny town.

Stitches was constructed from the remains of three people. Carver doesn’t resemble his past self, retain much of his humanity or remember much about his life. 

Alan… was an unprepared 14 (?) year old runaway who was homeless for at least a year in Canada (?), which means he very likely experienced at least one bitterly cold winter without adequate shelter or clothing. Due to his genetic condition he may not have even been able to feel cold or pain to know how much peril he was in and find shelter, or he was lost.

I don’t know whether he was ‘rescued’ while still alive as an alternative to dying or whether he could have actually succumbed to exposure (or to despair in a tragic literal sense) and been found then.

I wonder if this is a Charon situation, if Alan replaced a disobedient employee and a future victim may replace him. (Perhaps Stitches is being lined up, or was created to watch Alan.)

Are the employees psychopomps? 

Or cultists enacting sacrifice?

Both?

In a way Alan cutting down people with his hatchet recalls the cutting down of the Edelwood Trees, that being a metaphor for death.

(I wonder if the choosing is similar to that of the employees - if he takes the despairing, those lost in life, or those who get lost in the forest. The victims are cut down with a hatchet, reaped to feed/fuel the Boss/the Beast.)

Which is more traditionally represented with a field of wheat being reaped by Death’s scythe.

A cornfield, another scary liminal space where people get lost, with similar reaping imagery, has also been associated with evil supernatural entities. 

A good example is He Who Walks Behind The Rows, implying an ancient evil god/cult worship and human sacrifice. Giving a hint of why the Boss might be making them do this.

Much in the way the Ancient Greeks believed they needed to placate gods and ghosts with blood.

Doe Eyes is a pull to humanity and life. Orpheus trying to lead Eurydice out of Hades. 

Or maybe the coworkers are just metaphorically ‘dead to the world’ through being taken in by the cult and largely isolated from society. (Stitches though is absolutely on some level dead or was never alive.)

I’m also seeing some Twin Peaks/Deadly Premonition parallels with forests/trees, weird towns, and another entity like BOB feeding on suffering.

I remember reading that the Boss may have been partially inspired by Bill Cipher too, so I’m wondering if the town is a little pocket of supernatural chaos. 

Bill (a yellow pyramid) was in turn inspired by Nyarlathotep, who liked to start cults and spread chaos and discord amongst mortals - and where Nyarlathotep is associated with pyramids The Boss is embodied in a similarly angular form of a diamond shaped sign. A yellow sign! 

The Yellow Sign is a symbol that is usually used by the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign, a cult that worships the Great Old One Hastur. It is said that the symbol can bestow supernatural powers such as mind-control and possession, and is used to get people under the control of the King in Yellow.

Actually… Past traumatic event in Doe Eye’s life and (spoiler) aside, that may also explain Doe Eye’s nightmares and inability to sleep. As well as their pull to the forest.

So while I’m half recalling all of this or extrapolating from googled snippets maybe all of these things together are hints to the Boss’s eldritch nature.

However, he can still influence his employers. If he sees someone get out of line, he would simply have to put them back in place. Alan, however, never gave Boss any hassle, not even when he first found him. You could say he has a clean track record when it comes to his job. Until doe-eyes that is. When I say that Boss kinda has favorites. He truly does.

I think Alan was too young, beaten down and scared to rebel and so obeyed without question. I think the Boss liked that. Alan is wolf coded but was as obedient as a lamb. Or the Boss’s loyal dog, used to guard and attack.

I had a blast reading through all of this

thank you tumblr user krowspiracyanon!

[neomedievalist]

no post i could make can convey how fucking funny kirei kotomine is as a character like you genuinely just have to experience him for yourself. throwing a dead baby on your lawn is barely scratching the surface. absorbing energy from mummified orphans to feed his pet twink for 10 years who doesnt even need it is the tip of the iceberg. manipulating a 16 yr old for the whole vn because he had a weird gay thing with his dad. gave a 6 yr old girl the knife he used to kill her dad at her dads funeral as a gift and then she kills him with it(In a way.) 10 years later. i truly mean it with my whole heart no one can ever do it like him. no one can ever serve at his level

[maleyanderevnshowdown]

Meet the Creators and their Games!

As we wait for the votes to begin, here's a list of the creators of these yanderes and a link to download their games in case you haven't played them, but they interest you! :D

(Edited to include more Tumblrs thanks to @maleyanderecafe!

Z (Favor)

Tumblr: @favorvn

Itchio: Download Here!

Tenebris (Duality)

Tumblr: @dualityvn

Itchio: Download Here!

Dorian (10:16)

Creator's Tumblr: @artwithoutblood

Itchio: Download Here!

Nial (Parasite in Love)

Creator's Tumblr: @nightasobu

Itchio: Download Here!

Friend (See Thru Friend)

Tumblr: @stnaf-vn

Itchio: Download Here!

Stalker/Dameon (Broken Colors)

Creator's Tumblr: @inkly-heart

Itchio: Download Here!

Simon (Colored Gaze)

Tumblr: @clrdgaze

Itchio: Download Here!

Ashton (Picture Perfect Boyfriend)

Creator's Tumblr: @espoirduvide

Itchio: Download REBOOT Here!

Eros (Seven Bloody Nights)

Tumblr: @sevenbloodynightsvn

Itchio: Download Here!

Cassanova (Cannibal Sweetheart)

Tumblr: @cannibalsweetheart

Itchio: Download Here!

Fone (Honey Hotline)

Tumblr: @ringringringbananafone

Itchio: Download Here!

Itchio: Download Here!

Adam (You and Him)

Griffin (Duplicity)

Tumblr: @duplicity-vn

Itchio: Download Here!

Devyn (Invite Me In)

Itchio: Download Here!

Liu (Glass Mind)

Itchio: Download Here!

Rook (A Cry for Help)

Tumblr: @stnaf-vn

Itchio: Download Here!

Sebastian (Particles of Reality)

Creator's Tumblr: @arewar

Itchio: Download Here!

Castor (Darling Duality)

Creator's Tumblr: @melancholy-marionette

Itchio: Download Here!

Markus (Yandere Island)

Tumblr: @yandere-islandvn

Itchio: Download Here!

Sasha (Hopeless Romantic)

Creator's Tumblr: @xbonecandyx

Itchio: Download Here!

Liev Latane (Pulsatio Cordis)

Itchio: Download Here!

Gold (Ai-yo, Kogane-San!)

Creator's Tumblr: @crystalcrynight

Itchio: Download Here!

Ezra (Restart Heart)

Tumblr: @restartheartvn

Itchio: Download Here!

Klaus (Please Don't Hate Christmas)

Itchio: Download Here!

Bo (Dachabo)

Itchio: Download Here!

John Doe (John Doe)

Creator's Tumblr: @purple-verse

Itchio: Download Here!

Sunny Day Jack (SWWSDY)

Tumblr: @sunny-day-jack-official

Itchio: Download Here!

Kylar (Degrees of Lewdity)

Creator's Blog: Download Here!

Ren (14DWY)

Tumblr: @14dayswithyou

Itchio: Download Here!

Alan (My Dear Hatchetman)

Tumblr: @hatchetmanofficial

Itchio: Download Here!

Ren (BTD2)

Creator's Tumblr: @gatobob

Website: Download Here!

[zackvalence]

In the Voice of Dorian: First wave

I've had a few requests which I'm going to post here :D

[ssecond-hand-faith]

Decided to sketch out a happy Dorian in response to my last Dorian comic lol

[upbeatundertaker]

Forgot to post this Rue

Ready to help Dorian with his duties!!!

@artwithoutblood

[dollmakerslament]

Easter Egg Vote Part 1

Top 3 will go into Round 2 If the Yan VN that you are interested in is in the list, feel free to reblog and encourage your friends/followers to vote with you.

Don't see your interest in the list? Suggest it in the comments or through the ask box for THIS account! I am sorry for a slight spam as the list is rather big

[2015mai24]

【ライヴレポート】MUCC、＜鵬翼・極彩＞再現ツアー日比谷野音公演に「時の流れ、長い年月を感じながら」

MUCCが5月6日、日比谷野外大音楽堂にて＜MUCC 25th Anniversary TOUR「Timeless」〜鵬翼・極彩〜＞のファイナル公演を開催した。過去アルバム『鵬翼』『極彩』再現ツアーの最終公演にして、25周年イヤー締めくくりの公演を12月28日に東京国際フォーラムにて開催することも発表となった同ファイナルのオフィシャルレポートをお届けしたい。

◆MUCC 画像

2022年に結成25年周年を迎えたロックバンドMUCCが、過去のアルバムを再構築したセットリストで廻るツアーを開催中だ。第一弾は2022年10月～12月に行なった＜MUCC 25th Anniversary TOUR 「Timeless」～是空・朽木の灯～＞で、彼らが2003年に発表した『是空』、さらに2004年に発表した『朽木の灯』をコンセプトにしていた。そして第二弾として行なったのが、2023年3月から始まった＜MUCC 25th Anniversary TOUR 「Timeless」～鵬翼・極彩～＞である。そのファイナル公演となったのが、5月6日に開催された日比谷野外大音楽堂でのライヴだ。

この日、関東地方には朝から強風が吹き荒れていたが、野音は公園の木々のおかげか、強風の影響はそれほどでもない。初夏を告げる暑い日差しが降り注ぎ、むしろ風が心地いいぐらいだ。そんな野音にSEとして『極彩』の1曲目「レイブサーカス」が鳴り響いたのは17時35分のこと。トライバルなリズムに合わせ、オーディエンスはハンドクラップしながら期待を高めるばかり。紫色や黄色など様々なスポットライトが点滅し、まさに極彩色となったステージ。そこに主役のMUCCが登場すると、でかい歓声と拍手が湧き上がる。鮮やかな振袖の着物をジャケット代わりに羽織った逹瑯(Vo)は、オーディエンスを煽るようにマイクスタンドを高く上げた。

アルバム『極彩』の流れを汲むように、「極彩」へ突入。興奮を煽りたてるヘヴィサウンドが炸裂し、客席を埋め尽くしたオーディエンスも激しいヘドバンを繰り返し、開演から数分も経たずして一体化。ミヤ(G)とYUKKE(B)は立ち位置を入れ替わりながらプレイし、逹瑯は宣戦布告するように歌をとどろかせていく。

「いい天気だな、日比谷！」──ミヤの喜びの声から続いたのは「嘆きの鐘」。ヘヴィな面もありながら、レゲエのリズムやフレーズも飛び交うナンバーだ。曲の途中でブレイクして、「いこうか！」と笑顔も見せる逹瑯。また「ガーベラ」のイントロでは「日比谷、飛べんの？　全員で飛べー！」と焚きつける。とはいえ、ジャンプしながら楽しめるのはイントロ部分ぐらい。なにしろ切ないメロディやメロウな展開も顔を出す曲で、一筋縄ではいかないアレンジが「ガーベラ」の特徴でもある。それでも曲に見事に食らいついていくオーディエンス。バンドとひとつになり、さらに曲とも呼吸をしていく様は、さすが、MUCCの熱心なファンである夢烏(ムッカー／ファンの呼称)たちだ。それに曲そのものも、リリース当時とは違う顔つきを見せている。

アルバム『極彩』をリリースした2006年当時、逹瑯はミヤの書くメロディに応えながら、シンガーとしての殻を破り始めた時期だったと思う。絶望感やネガティビティを背負ってもがいているような唱法が初期だったとしたら、暗闇や密室にいた自身を自ら解放したのが『極彩』に取り組んでいた時期だった。その結果、重苦しさばかりではなく軽やかさなども唱法に備わり、同時に幅広いメロディも積極的に歌い始めていった。そこからさらに約16年経ち、シンガーとして大きく成長した今、逹瑯は当時に思い描いた理想の歌を野音で具現化していく。細部まで気持ちを入れながら、しかし感情過多になりすぎることもなく、言葉のひとつずつがしっかり聴き取れる。早い話、伝わる歌だ。それが曲の新たな顔つきにもなっている。

「晴れたね。雨の野音も嫌いじゃないけど、やっぱ晴れって気持ちいいね。この自然の光も合わせてMUCCを楽しんでいってください。時の流れ、長い年月を感じながら、最後までよろしく」──逹瑯

逹瑯のそんな言葉をはさんで、曲はライヴ会場限定発売シングルの2曲へ。「想-so-」ではバイオリンとチェロ奏者も加わり、優しく切ない歌とバンドサウンドでオーディエンスを包み込む。しかしライヴはここから急展開。ミヤのエッジの尖ったリフに、逹瑯が気のふれたような狂った歌いっぷりが絡み合いながら「リスキードライヴ」で攻め立てる。その勢いのままコーラスやフェイクでコール＆レスポンスも起こし始めた。逹瑯ばかりでなく、メンバー名を叫ばせるコール＆レスポンスで楽しむのはYUKKE。さらにミヤもムチャなハイトーンすぎるフェイクでコール＆レスポンスを楽しみながら、自分も笑ってしまうミヤ。一体感と熱気と楽しさのカオス状態だ。

「たくさんの人がMUCCに真剣に向き合ってくれて、そんな人たちに囲まれてとても幸せだと思います」──逹瑯

バンドを代表して逹瑯が感謝しながら曲は「パノラマ」へと続く。青空が徐々に夕刻へと表情を変えていく中で披露されたこのバラードは、自然の美も野音ならではの演出効果となり、スケール感ある曲となってどこまでも響き渡っていく。

ところが美しさにずっと浸らせないのが、『鵬翼』や『極彩』をリリースした時期のMUCCと言うべきか。憎しみと怒りもこもったレゲエテイスト強めの「メディアの銃声」を叩きつけたと思えば、そこから続くのは「25時の憂鬱」。YUKKEのアップライトベースでドゥーミーな香り漂うベースリフに、ミヤがサイケデリックで荒々しいギターを絡ませる。逹瑯は、怪しくけだるい歌を恍惚とした表情も浮かべながら聴かせていく。照明の色使いもひたすらドラッギーだ。美しき夕刻だったはずが、おかしな世界へ精神を誘い込む世界へ変貌。

こうしてライヴは何度もの急展開を見せながら突き進む。恐らくメンバー自身、このツアーのセットリストを考えるのに相当、頭を悩ませたはず。なぜなら曲それぞれが、あまりにも異なる色を持っているからだ。

特に『極彩』を作った2006年当時のMUCCは、“デビリッシュ・イヤー”と名づけ、国内ツアーはもちろん、フェスや海外ツアーなど、怒涛のライヴ活動を行なっている。その過程で刺激も触発もされただろう。新たな曲につながるヒントを掴むこともあったかもしれない。だがMUCCは、自分たちにしかできないことを常に探し求めた。その結果、自由にわがままに音楽を作り始めたのがその時期だったと思う。そのためアルバムは、ひとつの方向性を持ったものではなく、まるでオムニバスアルバムのように違った色合いの曲たちで構成された。だから付けたタイトルが『極彩』でもある。

リリースしたときは初期からのあまりの変化に驚き、ふるい落とされそうになったファンも少なくなかった。しかし、あれから約16年。MUCCの持つ多彩さや多面ぶりも楽しみながら、それぞれの曲に改めてハマり込むオーディエンスの姿が野音に広がっていた。

ライヴ後半、強烈なスラッシュメタル調の「G.M.C」で激しいヘドバンで狂った直後のことだ。逹瑯も、あまりの曲順に自分でも思わず笑いつつ、「優しい歌」へと続いた。MUCCからの温かさと優しさが広がっていく中、オーディエンスはそれを受け止めるように両手を広げ、左右に揺らし、自分たちもMUCCと共に歌う。客席からの歌声を心地よく浴びながら逹瑯が「オマエらのライヴを聴いてんだよ、俺は」と言うと、さらに歌声は大きくなり、大合唱になって夜空に響いていった。そしてステージにレーザーの流れ星が幾つも流れる中、「流星」で感動的にライヴ本編を締めくくった。

アンコールでは、12月28日に東京・国際フォーラム ホールAで結成25周年イヤーのグランドファイナル開催も発表。その前には第三弾ツアーも、第四弾ツアーもある。逹瑯の「最後まで一緒に、盛大に駆け抜けようじゃないか！」という言葉に、野音からでっかい歓声も巻き起こる。

アンコールラスト「WORLD」は、イントロからMUCCとオーディエンスの大合唱から始まった。レコーディングでもファンのみんなからコーラスを送ってもらい、1000トラック以上のコーラスで構成したナンバーだ。声出しも解禁になった今、MUCCと共に新たな世界の始まりを誓うように、1000どころか約3000人のファンが歌う。喜びと幸せに満ちた第二弾ツアーのファイナルとなった。

取材・文◎長谷川幸信 撮影◎冨田味我

■＜MUCC 25th Anniversary TOUR 「Timeless」～鵬翼・極彩～＞2023年5年6日(土)＠日比谷野外大音楽堂 SETLIST SE. レイブサーカス

極彩

嘆きの鐘

ガーベラ

月光

心色

耀-yo-

想-so- [w/ 後藤泰観(Vn)　吉田弦(Vc)]

リスキードライブ

パノラマ

メディアの銃声

25時の憂鬱

ホリゾント

最終列車

謡声

G.M.C

優しい歌

流星 encore en1. 雨のオーケストラ [w/ 後藤泰観(Vn)　吉田弦(Vc)　キラーズオーケストラ] en2. 蘭鋳 en3. TONIGHT en4. WORLD

2023.05.10 quelle: barks.jp