A version of “Chilling” meant to evoke certain cute villager games.

Game: Quirky Therapy

I took a bit of a break from Song Fight!, because I was getting frustrated both with some of the aspects of the community, but also with how my missteps kept on causing me to activate interpersonal landmines.

I was trying so hard to be helpful but never stopped to think whether what I was doing was actually helpful.

And at the same time I had a lot of insecurity about my skills as a musician.

And at the same time I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do in terms of gender and transition and so on, and I was getting very little support from most of the people around me, especially folks in Song Fight!.

The term “nonbinary” didn’t exist as far as I’m aware in 2003, but that’s what part of this song is about: not feeling like I fit in to either category, and needing to be happy with just being me.

Lyrics: Fool in the Middle

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Not so bad but not so good I don’t do all the things that I should I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Everything I do makes it worse Just a speck in the universe Have I been such a fool A fool in the middle

People always put me down But they say they like having me around And that makes me a bitter fool A fool in the middle

One side pink and one side blue Purple’s gonna have to do People can be very cruel when you’re Stuck in the middle

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

In 2006 (after having settled on “Sockpuppet” as a band name), I decided to celebrate how far I’d come as a musician since I started doing Song Fight!, and started a project called Plus 5 where I’d remake my first year of Song Fight! songs and release them on the fifth anniversary of the original fight.

I didn’t get through the whole year before losing interest in the project, but due to the nature of this album, I decided that the Plus 5 versions should get remastered and re-released.

It’s funny how in 2006 I thought I’d completed a journey, when clearly I still had a long way to go. I still do, really, but this is at least a step in the right direction.

In any case, the ideas from this directly informed the version I did for Transitions.

Lyrics: I LOVE YOU [Plus 5, 2006]

The sun comes right up And there’s nothing I can do But state my mind Recite my point of view

It warms up my hair Passes behind a cloud I’m sitting here Thinking here of you

It shines in my eyes Like a beautiful swirl It blows my mind And trembles in my view

I cannot think Of anyone in this world I’d rather spend my Whole life with than you

I cannot believe Our love could go askew I would rather think What it’s like to be with you

I take a deep breath Let it out real slow The air is warm, and Smells of sweetened dew

It warms up my head I can see it now I’m sitting here Madly loving you

The world closes in Everything’s a blur I’m feeling dizzy Look around for you

I can’t help but think This must have been a dream Because you are nowhere Within my view

I could not believe Our love would go askew I would rather think What it’s like (I’d like) to be with you

I’d like to be with you

Lyrics: Fool In The Middle [Song Fight!, 2003]

(One, two, three four)

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Not so bad but not so good I don’t do the things that I should I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Everything I do makes it worse Just a speck in the universe Have I been such a fool A fool in the middle

Everybody puts me down But they say they like having me around And that makes me a bitter fool A fool in the middle

One side pink and one side blue Purple’s gonna have to do People can be very cruel when you’re Stuck in the middle

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Life is like a riddle Stuck in the middle I have been such a fool A fool in the middle

Originally for Song Fight!, 2024

Song Fight! has been running for a long time; it started in 2000, making it an extremely old website by today’s standards, and it’s probably one of the first and is almost certainly now the longest-running songwriting communities on the Internet.

In 2024, the 1000th title was posted, “A Grand Parade,” and for this we all decided to dig up as many past participants as possible to try to get to 100 songs. We succeeded at this!

At one point I was entering under an alter-ego, <3, a vessel through which I was trying to express some gender-related stuff, and she was pretty popular. So for A Grand Parade I opted to bring her back for another song.

Lyrics: A Grand Parade

I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see It’s going to overwhelm and how You will not be very happy

The giant duck is gonna quack And the dogs are gonna bark in back And the Marshall of the big parade Doesn’t care if you feel safe

And the TV man is gonna say It is such a lovely sunny day And I know you want to go out and play But I want you to say inside

I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see Why not stay inside and meow? I just want you to be happy

The clowns will juggle and the bands will play And the noise will scare you far away So let’s stay cozy all the day Inside where we are safe

I do not think you will want to be Outside out there away from me So let’s just drink a cup of tea In the morning we will play

I do not want you going outside right now There are so many things to see I am feeling overwhelmed and I just want to be happy

Caroline’s character theme from Full Course.

Caroline was to have an interesting story arc, and was going to have two character theme songs because of one of her traits. This particular song is for her extrovert mode (“Candy”), and was inspired by modern anime music. Its working title was “Every Anime Themesong.”

She also had an introvert mode, “Strawberry,” although I never started work on that theme before the game was canceled.

From Airship Chef by Yamatsu, https://madebyyamatsu.itch.io/airship-chef

Game: Airship Chef

This is one of the soundtracks from Bouncing Bazoingas, a silly game about bouncing things into holes.

Game: Bouncing Bazoingas!

This is one of the soundtracks from Bouncing Bazoingas, a silly game about bouncing things into holes.

Game: Bouncing Bazoingas!

Podcast: Ship Full of Jerks

Ship Full of Jerks is a podcast exploring the farthest reaches of science fiction and pop culture in a casual conversation between old friends.

Writer/Artist Mark Farinas is the creator of the Star Trek Webcomic, a fan comic based on Roddenberry’s space odyssey. Ryan Thomas Riddle is an award-winning journalist and Trekkie who works with Fact Trek to bust the myths surrounding the making of the original Star Trek.

Used in the game Currying Flavors (https://chinniedraws.itch.io/currying-flavors)

Game: Currying Flavors

Used in the game Currying Flavors (https://chinniedraws.itch.io/currying-flavors)

Game: Currying Flavors

This song was written as a 20th anniversary celebration of the very first Song Fight!.

Lyrics: Golfpunk Rides Again

20 years ago I knew this guy, you probably know the type. His name was Gary or Greg or something, but everyone knew him as Golfpunk. His whole thing was breaking in windows of expensive cars using a golf club to protest the wealth gap or… somethin’ like that.

Anyway, he called himself a performance artist, and some rich dude decided it would be funny to give him a Cadillac to drive around, you know, “ironically?” Golfpunk, he changed, man… He changed.

(Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drives a Cadillac)

Now that he had a Cadillac of his own he suddenly felt a lot of empathy for the other Cadillac owners and stopped smashing windows. He wanted to smash things, though, so… he took his golf club to the golf course and… he started playing.

You know, golf.

The rich peoples’ sport.

And he was good at it.

(Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he drives a nine iron) (Golfpunk, he’s gonna crash and burn)

He ended up entering into a tournament and won a lot of money, but then his past caught up with him and all these rich assholes, like, sued him for the windows he broke. And then he had to go on a big ol’ apology tour, ‘cause it’s not like he hurt anyone or said anything racist, but God forbid some windows get smashed up.

Anyway, we all kind of lost track of him for a long time, but then a few weeks ago he reached out to me and was like, “Hey, remember me?” And I was like, “Hey, I remember you! Man, Golfpunk! It’s been a long heckin’ time.” Then he kinda went silent.

And then he says to me, “So, um, I’m not Golfpunk anymore. I got married, settled down, had kids… now I’m more of a… golf dad.”

And I was like, “Oh. Huh. Weird.”

And then he said the most offensive thing to me ever:

“And now I drive a Prius.”

(Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac) (Golfpunk, he drove a Cadillac)

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is it’s okay to grow up sometimes, and maybe you’re going to grow apart too. And that’s alright.

Just don’t become an asshole.