Celesta, California. A city home to millions upon millions of residents - ever since the Changewaves near the start of 2020, this previously secondary major city has become America's largest megalopolis, boasting a 30 mile diameter and over 80 million residents.

As any highly populated city would, Celesta finds itself privy to a bustling nightlife, lit up by the lights of hundreds of skyscrapers and even the terrain itself (no thanks to the city's rich celestium deposits, which it is named after), turning it into a gorgeous gem of the California coast in the twilight hours.

Newcomers to the city are encouraged to spend at least one night out on the town to see just a glimpse of everything it has to offer; the people, the music, the shops, movies... if you can ask for it, it's probably there. Just make sure you still get some sleep!

============
DISCLAIMER:
Image generated using PixAI. I do not claim full ownership of the image, I just needed a fitting, eye-catching thumbnail and I couldn't be bothered to spend the time drawing it for myself, because I'm a lazy bum and it's 4:30 in the morning :P

LED Lightshow [ROTC; Nightlife Theme for Celesta; WIP v0.0]

A WIP track for BEET, a gamedev project I'll be starting to work on heavily in the next few years.
==============================
BEET will be an FPS in the style of both classic DOOM and the current indie hit ULTRAKILL. Players will play as an innocent-looking (but secretly psycho) bunny girl named Beet, whose home has been overrun by a series of bee and other bug-themed robots, with one simple goal: take back your home bot by bot, chip by chip, gear by gear, until you've destroyed the robot menace once and for all.

BEET's art direction will effectively parody most of the FPS genre, relying instead on a morbid subversion of the typical 'blood-and-gore' by making the craziest element of the game Beet herself. Mechanical enemies, cutesy art direction with an emphasis on cartoonish style, and the general feeling like the game is set in a kid's show... but then you have Beet, who proves herself totally psycho when given a huge arsenal of weapons, and the heavy metal music to remind you that this is in fact an FPS, and that you're about to unleash absolute carnage.

BEET is planned to be built on Portal 2: Community Edition's branch of Source, called Strata Source; this may change however.

BEET - Buzz the Hive [WIP OST: Robot Factory | version 0.0c]

This track is a hybrid of the general mood of (and a from-scratch beat based upon) Portal 1's OST "You're Not A Good Person," coupled with Portal 2's OST "An Accent Beyond," which I felt had a similar feel to it. I've made this more rock and metal-esque due to the place "You're Not A Good Person" comes from in Portal 1. I'll leave that lower in the description, because it's a spoiler for those who haven't played!

====[ BELOW BE SPOILERS ]====
"You're Not A Good Person" plays in the piston-floor room in Portal 1, during the escape sequence, where the pistons open up and drop the player into a room with a few turrets. It's a trap room and perhaps one of the more memorable moments due to the intensity of the original music. I'm hoping to eventually remake that scene with a "unified" approach that brings it more in line with Portal 2's general aesthetics, and with more turrets to boot.
====[ SPOILERS END ]====

I'm hoping that the general mood and feel of this track helps capture what I'm going for and envisioning in my head ahead of time; it's still a work-in-progress though and there's no telling if I'll actually wind up doing anything with this long-term. That said, I hope you enjoy what I DO have here, even with any of its flaws.

Unauthorized Intrusion [Portal 1 & Portal 2 Hybrid Cover/Remix, WIP v4]

Fun story on this one - I made it while trying to make a track for something mostly unrelated, and realized I'd hit on something perfect for Nyla, so I took the opportunity right away. Not much else to say about it, this isn't a final track by any means and is mostly just a reference for me to use later on.

Fury of Forsaken Queen [Possible Nyla Battle Leitmotif]

2025 AD:
The Celesta School of Liberal Arts' Ultraverse Expeditionary Team Program makes contact with Aperture Science on a routine mission. After prolonged contact and some basic informational exchange, the two decide to collaborate, forming the Joint Venture Research Initiative.

Unfortunately, shortly after the initiative's forming, some... unwanted guests noticed strange activity in North America, near the ruins of Marquette, Michigan. One human scientist, an Aperture employee by the name of Aaron Clarke, and a UET leader named Kamari Latifelle (callsign: "Sprocket"), were caught by a Combine gunship while attempting to haul [ - REDACTED - ] back to Aperture. With nothing but gas in the fuel tank and Sprocket's sheer fearlessness (and affinity for firearms), a war that'd span the entire ultraverse had begun...

======================

Lore out of the way, I've started work on a crossover between one of my story contexts and the shared Half-Life and Portal universe, using a concept I dub the "ultraverse" - in short, a multiverse of multiverses - to bridge the gap.

The cartoonish, silly, and absurd nature of the story context I'm contributing (ROTC; "Rise of the Changed") and its "no-holds-barred" approach to creative design juxtaposed against the cold, calculating, dark and gritty nature of the Combine Empire is a combination that might sound to be doomed to failure, but I'm confident I can make it work. If I'm wrong, well.. let's just say I'll eat my words if it comes to that.

As it stands though, this is mostly a for-fun project, not necessarily fully canonical (though due to the "ultraverse," by technicality it always will be) to ROTC, much less the HL+P universe; it's an opportunity (and excuse) nonetheless for me to make ROTC-related projects on Source, and it's an opportunity I'll take readily!

Excision Protocol [JVRI vs. Combine, Battle Theme 001 v0.0a]

I'm beginning work on a battle theme for Sprocket, titled after a line of dialogue she will say once this intro skit (which is what I'm uploading) is voiced; I'm currently waiting on VO from a friend before I finalize this skit and begin work on the actual theme.

That being said, I'll tell you what's going on in the skit:
Two Combine Soldiers are guarding a chokepoint in some subterranean corridor, and Sprocket is about to... finesse them, to put it lightly. She walks up, hoping the soldiers will mistake her footsteps for one of their own (which works), then readies her P90 and also quietly opens the holster of her revolver - this however alerts the soldiers to her presence, so she quickly moves to a better vantage point and prepares to surprise them, which she does, saying with her classic snark, "...hey there."

A short firefight later, she comes out unscathed, and says, "dunno what y'all was expectin'... but I ain't your Southern Belle," while holstering her weapons, before walking off.

The actual battle theme would come after this skit fades out, but I haven't written any of it yet, as I've been dedicating a couple of hours' worth of work to this skit and making sure it flows properly. Hopefully it's not so cluttered y'all can't pick out what's going on, I may have to tweak the reverberation if it is.

[WIP, Intro Skit] "I Ain't Your Southern Belle" - Sprocket, Battle Theme

I'm remaking an old composition from 2016! Only the OG followers will remember this one, it used to be called "Wolf Encounter" and was much faster and simpler - I'm making it more of a grand-scale, drawn-out theme for "Glory to Rhylia" - the planned project with Nyla as MC - as combat against, yes, wolves, but also other wildlife which could easily qualify as minibosses in the very early game.

The Latin in the working title is the actual scientific name for direwolves - believe it or not, they did actually exist a long time ago, and went extinct. Look it up, I'm not messing with you.

Other than that, I hope you enjoy this early WIP of the remade composition!

Aenocyon Dirus (Nyla vs. Wildlife, WIP v0.0a) [COMPOSITION UPDATE]

DENEFERIO D'NARO: A CASE STUDY

Born to a small, poor family of owls in 1961, Deneferio D'Naro was raised in a time of great sociopolitical upheaval within Rhylia - not due to any social breakdown rooted within the country or its people, but due to the raging tension of the Cold War and Rhylia's position as a key strategic base for the US and NATO.

D'Naro grew frustrated with the fears of his family and friends by his early teens, and opted to vent his rage through military service, applying successfully to the Royal Guard Academy at the age of 14 in 1976. He quickly excelled in his classes and training, becoming one of the top recruits by 1977.

His unusual excellence caught the attention of the then-ruler, Myrvaen (pronounced like Marvin) Nylani, who appointed him as a bodyguard in 1982. Deneferio soon exhibited a particular acuity for tactical and strategic prowess - something Myrvaen's son, Alsendyr, took note of. In 1985, Alsendyr took the throne, allowing Myrvaen to spend his last years peacefully, and appointed D'Naro as his military advisor - a role Deneferio would, for some time, cherish.

However, with the end of the Cold War, the US' defense waned, and the failure to deal with the rapidly-industrializing Comiryca to the east on their allies' part frustrated D'Naro once more. Raising his concerns in 1992, D'Naro's voice was ultimately dismissed in this matter, as a waste of resources and manpower on a target doomed by history to fail of their own accord.

By 2004, D'Naro's frustration had reached a boiling point, and he began plotting to claim the Rhylian throne for himself by force, in total secrecy. His frustration was soon compounded by the birth of Alsendyr's youngest child and potential heir - Eledriel Nylani. In 2006, his plans had finished - and he, with his mutinous forces, attacked and destroyed the majority of the Nylani family within the palace. Only Alsendyr's wife, Aryka, and daughter Eledriel, escaped with a handful of guards - to the far reaches of Rhylia, ultimately settling in a cave in Pheasant Point.

For the next 15 years, D'Naro would turn the monarchy into a military dictatorship, reforming the Royal Guard into his Grey Guard, flying the black, red and silver tones of the D'Naro regime. His rule was one of an iron fist... but unfortunate for his younger self, he was never able to unite the Rhylian people in order to engage in a drawn-out conflict with Comiryca. His efforts ultimately weakened the nation and stirred seeds of revolution.. not to mention leaving it open for attack from not only Comiryca, but a previously "harmless" nation known as Ravenstead.

By 2021, D'Naro's reign had become solidified as one of tyrannical xenophobia and isolationism. Foreign tourism was restricted, people were closely monitored, and D'Naro's health and vigor had begun to wane from age and paranoia. His life would be brought to a swift end in the coming days, by a certain true heir, determined to reunite the country, restore its pride, and avenge the betrayal and slaughter of her family.

A sad end, to a sad life.

===============

The ultimate villain Nyla must face in her battles, D'Naro is an imposing, threatening force. Thoroughly convinced of the morality and ethics of his actions, he has become a corrupt, twisted, jaded husk of the man Nyla's ancestors knew. The absolute power he has come to wield, has corrupted him absolutely. In a blind rage of vengeance and hatred, he has destroyed the only home he ever knew in an attempt to destroy a threat that he has only made ever more present by his actions. And now, Nyla, the last vestiges of his mistakes, come back to haunt him and end his misery, must challenge this ruin of a man for the fate not just of herself, or of D'Naro, but for the whole of Rhylia.

It is only fitting such a personal battle have a personal theme.

This Forsaken Dream [Nyla Project, WIP v0.0D, Final Battle vs. Deneferio D'Naro]

- Casually drops a work-in-progress cover with cover art and doesn't elaborate -

Okay, joke aside, I've been wanting to do covers of this soundtrack for ages and just never felt like I could pull it off. Honestly, as much as I like how this one has come out, I do still feel like there is a LOT of room for me to improve, and that's ignoring the fact I've not even come close to finishing this yet, I'm still working out the phrases and such.

Not sure if I'll leave this up given I have some... misgivings about putting it up in the first place, but I felt oddly compelled to post this a few days ago and against my better judgment I went through with it. To be fair, something something "one is their own worst critic," so for all I know I'm being way too hard on myself. Perhaps it's better I have this up so third parties can tell me to stop bullying myself :P

[WIP Cover, v0.4B] Freedom Planet - Final Dreadnought 4

"ALERT. ALERT. UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSION AT GATE A-10. ALL AVAILABLE UETs, DEFEND PLATFORM A-10 IMMEDIATELY. ALL NON-CRITICAL PERSONNEL, PLEASE SEEK COVER. THIS IS NOT A DRILL."

Just writing up a concept for something related to Sprocket; her story arc and context within the ROTC universe is more akin to a hybrid between XCOM and Stargate (at least, what I know of Stargate). As such, UET HQ is quite important - as are the UV Gates and their associated platforms. Every now and then, there's a breach in the UV Gate Network, resulting in a hostile force pushing their way in. In such circumstances, it's up to UETs (like Sprocket's "Wild Team") and the military to defend the platform - or at the very least, prevent anything in HQ from getting to the surface and wreaking havoc on untold billions...

[WIP Concept (v0.0a), ROTC-UET, Combat/Tactics] Emergency at the Gate

Working on developing a villain for the UET Program (who Sprocket, in the picture, is part of), codename "Puppet Master" - a manifestation of consciousness within the UV Gate Network, and one of perverse spirit, corrupt and twisted, using the power to manipulate reality for malicious purposes.

Puppet Master's true identity and name are unknown. UETP's encounters with this entity HAVE however revealed some details. Puppet Master takes on the appearance and demeanor of a young woman, probably about ~25-30 years old at most, but is never seen as much more than a silhouette of a female form, and her voice has often been described as metallic and uncanny. The only detail that is consistently mentioned is a featureless face with soulless, glowing white eyes that reveal tremendous malice upon eye contact.

Puppet Master is the only entity in the UETP database with a threat level of MAXIMUM.

[WIP Concept v0.1, ROTC-UET, Vs. "Puppet Master"] Ghost in the Network

Concept work for a project I have planned as my "breakout" project. It'll be built on a modified version of Source and will be a DOOM parody, featuring a cutesy-looking (but secretly psycho) bunny girl facing off against a horde of insectoid (primarily bee-themed) robots to fast-paced, often heavy music, juxtaposed against an unassuming, cutesy, cartoony art style.

[WIP/Concept] BEET - "Leaf Me Alone" (E1M1)

The full extent of the Phase One section of the track has been completed, with a matching cover image to boot! I've had the track in this state for a good while now, I've just been waiting to post until I had the image to go with it.

See the cover image here: https://www.deviantart.com/peeftube/art/Wild-Group-vs-Puppet-Master-1104752585

Featuring Puppet Master and Sprocket's team, Wild Group!
From top left, Wild Group contains:
- Anna Leigh Watson-Moore [Fireforce]; HW/Tank role, Midwestern redneck type
- Kamari Samantha Latifelle [Sprocket]; Engineer/Leader role, Southern smartalec extraordinaire with the intellect to back it up
- Gala Rae Marreck [Firebomb]; Demolitions role, big city slicker (either Seattle or NYC, haven't decided yet) with a snarky, spunky streak several miles wide
- K4-C3Y (Casey Joseph Kirby) [Brink]; General Support role, highly efficient and thoughtful android whose daydreaming appearance should not be mistaken for inattentiveness
- Ceres Kora van Eischer [Torrent]; CeleOps/Tank role, efficient, calculating German with few fears and fewer weaknesses
- Devon Garrett Gaither [Quickfoot]; Recon/Medic role, hails from Alaska, has a voice that carries well despite being soft-spoken
- Cynthia May Talandra [Earthshaker]; Skirmisher/Support role, "den mother" of the team, very caring but will fight fiercely to protect the others, hails from Idaho
- Amelia Dawn Farrisk [Herald]; CeleOps role, has an uncanny poker face - appears lighthearted and carefree but is unafraid to use celepsionics to her advantage on the field, hails from Iowa
- Veronika Jocelyn Frasier [Ghost]; Recon/Sniper role, hails from Florida, speaks rarely and shoots straight

====[PRIOR DESCRIPTION]====

Working on developing a villain for the UET Program (who Sprocket, in the picture, is part of), codename "Puppet Master" - a manifestation of consciousness within the UV Gate Network, and one of perverse spirit, corrupt and twisted, using the power to manipulate reality for malicious purposes.

Puppet Master's true identity and name are unknown. UETP's encounters with this entity HAVE however revealed some details. Puppet Master takes on the appearance and demeanor of a young woman, probably about ~25-30 years old at most, but is never seen as much more than a silhouette of a female form, and her voice has often been described as metallic and uncanny. The only detail that is consistently mentioned is a featureless face with soulless, glowing white eyes that reveal tremendous malice upon eye contact.

Puppet Master is the only entity in the UETP database with a threat level of MAXIMUM.

[WIP Concept v0.2h, ROTC-UET, Vs. "Puppet Master"] Ghost in the Network

I'm not writing a full description on this iteration of the track, but I'm too proud of what I've written with this preliminary sketch not to share it.

Feel free to take my ego down a notch, there's probably plenty wrong with this lol

[Motif Concept v0.0; ROTC-GR, Nyla vs. Thrace] An Ancient Destiny

In the cold, northwestern mountains of Rhylia, lay dormant an ancient presence long thought extinct... the dragons of old, the mounts used by the Rhylian Air Force prior to the Industrial Revolution.

And even more remarkable still, the famous war dragon, Thrace (or Therakythe in Old Rhylian), has begun to stir... prophecy foretold that the future of Rhylia would lay in the hands of an heir forced to prove their worth to this dragon... so when Nyla is caught completely by surprise in those cold, northern peaks, she has no idea what she is fulfilling...

[Motif Concept v0.0d; ROTC-GR, Nyla vs. Thrace] An Ancient Destiny

Vs. Feisty Trainer [WIP v0.0, Concept, ROTC: Celesta Pokémon League]

This track rewrite utilizes a few new sounds from the ZynAddSubFX synth pack I'm working on, in a specific section called "XtensiV." They really helped give this piece that in-your-face sound that it needed quite desperately. Combined with my recent experimentation with the LB302 synth built into LMMS, this track isn't shy about slamming you with a wall of noise.

COPIED FROM ORIGINAL: Assassins. A gamer's worst nightmare (or anyone else's). Agile, resilient, and lethal, I felt that letting the Space Pirates have assassins in their ranks would create an interesting challenge in Level 2, Part 2.

And quite a challenge the assassins will be! Their fight will accentuate Act I, "Anger," in the most brutal way possible. Players will have to be ready to brave out the fight and expect to die a few times...

The Assassins' Ambush [Level 2, Part 2 Miniboss, Frontier I (Vs. SP Assassins); NEW] [V2, unmixed]

Unlike the original version of this track, this reprise is actually a rewrite as opposed to a recycled track with new stuff added on. I decided to build it off of the intense ending to the new version of "Assassins' Ambush," just adding plenty more instruments to really give the piece the intensity it requires.

Unfortunately, I don't think this piece is up to par, so there is a chance I may end up scrapping it and rewriting it yet again later on.

Bleeding Force Trauma [Level 2, Boss Fight, Phase 2, Frontier I (Vs. Elite SP Assassin); NEW] [V2]

Xigys. The icy drækon of Isocrux V, one of the oldest living things known to the universe... and now the biggest threat to your survival. Sensing that something was invading her domain, she swooped down to take care of the issue; but she wasn't anticipating for it to put up a fight...

This miniboss will be one of the toughest and most certainly the largest of the minibosses in Frontier. Standing at ~15-25 feet (~4.57-7.62 meters) tall, Xigys isn't going to be easy to take down...

Special thanks to @tunesofdusky for the alt. track name, "Ira Antica."

Picture drawn by one of the team's artists, who goes by "Art of WASD" or just "Art." Glow and lens flares added in Paint.NET by @peeftube-music.

I'm really iffy on this rewrite. On the one hand, it sounds okay, but on the other, I know it's not really up to par compared to my other tracks. I guess if you guys like this, just comment or whatnot, otherwise I'll probably end up rewriting it. (Either way I'll probably rewrite it but again, if you guys like this enough I'll keep it around, even if it's as an alt. track.)

Ancient Frost, Icy Hatred / Ira Antica [L3P2, Frontier I [Miniboss, Vs. Xigys]; NEW] [V2, unmixed]

You'll notice this track has stayed relatively the same in comparison to its original mix. I added a bit more into the mix, making that dramatic swell towards the end slightly more powerful than it was before.

I don't really have much to say about this piece otherwise except that it does its job well.

Original mix: https://soundcloud.com/peeftube-music/the-infinite-void-the-final-frontier-level-0-tutorial-level-1-part-1-frontier-i-rewrite

The Infinite Void / The Final Frontier [L0 (Tutorial) & L1P1, Frontier I; REWRITE] [V2]

Third Alt. Title: "Never Meant To Be"

This song, from what I can recall, started as a little melody I hummed to myself sometime within the past 3 years or so, maybe more, during a period of personal sadness. With some of the personal struggles I've gone through in life in the past year or two this melody has been reappearing in my mind over and over again. Eventually it started pulling on me so much I had to get it out, let this melody that's pulled me through so much pain be shown in the only way I truly know how: my music.

Over the past 2 months or so I've clocked in maybe 20-25 hours on this track, the longest I have spent on any one piece of music ever in my life. I really wanted this piece to shine, since it's going to be my submission to the Best of LMMS competition next year and is a project close to my heart, considering its history. I want this, not "As The Rain Falls," and not "Vibrance," to be the point at which I start my non-soundtrack musical career.

Mixing and mastering done by me (yay, first track in a long ol' time I've done the hard work on by myself) :D

SPECIAL THANKS
@marinermusicofficial
@poleroyd
@monocreative
@brandy-starbrite
@dipsum
@jousboxx
@leila-wilson-woofle
All of you guys. No really, thank y'all for following me through the past few years, it means a lot :)

P.S. Shut up I can copypasta my own descriptions all I want

All Alone, Yet Still I Hope [SINGLE]

All Alone, Yet Still I Hope

All Alone, Yet Still I Hope / What Could Have Been [RELEASE] [SINGLE]

Oi oi! I'm Jeremy, a 24-year-old aspie PK (pastor's kid) and multimedia creative. I don't post here often (sadly I have lost my muse), but I will try to amend that at first opportunity.

I'm planning on (and procrastinating on) starting some indie game projects in the near future, and I'm also working on some story-related content and artwork.

Long-time followers/friends may remember me better as peef or peefTube, but I've been working towards rebranding to spiro9 as of late. Speaking of, one of the best ways to get in contact with me is via Discord, which of course is spiro9 like it is here.

Don't expect any sort of professional quality work, despite the fact I really want to put that kind of thing out. I'm just a guy working on stuff here and there, and my days of working with other people are probably behind me now.

PFP by a friend on Discord.

spiro9

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