A Portrait of Unfiltered Emotion, The Embodiment of Music Itself
As the opening chords commence, I witness his face painted through my mind. His lips, in sync with Lil Nas X’s. He serenades me with a powerful tale of emotional persistence, inciting us to carry on our journey across the insurmountable. I am, of course, speaking in concern to Lil Nas X’s hit song “Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds’ Anthem) [Explicit]” and my wonderous beloved idol Robert Gao.
“Don't ever say it's over if I'm breathing
Racing to the moonlight, and I'm speeding
I'm headed to the stars, ready to go far
I'm star walkin' “
- Chorus of Star Walkin’ (League of Legends Worlds’ Anthem) [Explicit] by Lil Nas X
The
song, a beautiful work of art commissioned by Riot Games, brings me back to
Valorant lobbies duo queueing with jynzu, Robert’s alias, his in-game name or
ign for short. Throughout these multi-game marathon win-streaks (we never lost
together), I could only hear his voice. He was always singing alongside music,
mouthing the lyrics of the chorus or humming with the beat. Between each comm,
he’d break out in vocal exclamation, joyous at the music blasting through his
headphones. These outbursts could be considered annoying, dare I say obnoxious,
but I came to appreciate the vibrant energy he brought. Our mental game was
always perfection, for Robert had the ability to pique the interest of our dopamine
receptors. Just as Lil Nas X speaks of never giving up if he’s still breathing,
Robert inspires me to never ff even if your whole team leaves the lobby,
because he’ll Jett diff them (he’s built different).
The fervor that Robert speaks with, the intensity with which he moves, speaks of the dynamic action reminiscent of the iconic Lil Nas X. I find the two characters similar for the power they carry within their respective communities. Fully openly accepting of who they are, they blaze a trail for others to fall in their wake. Their impact leaves many, me included, bewildered at their scaled impact and the doors they open for others.
Life
needs insisted joy perchance, even if you’re unsure of the future. Confidence
is a valuable skill to have, one Robert impresses on me. Junior year Prom.
Robert’s on the song committee. The man campaigns for a solid month to get
Industry Baby, also by Lil Nas X with a tough Jack Harlow feature (shoutout
Jack Harlow), on the playlist. Everyone’s all down on it and everything, but
Robert is steadfast in his belief that it’s the new song of the summer, for the
second time. We get to Prom, and he has the playlist pulled up so he knows when
it’s about to go on. It’s time for the song to play, and he gets hype beyond
belief. The introductory notes play, and he’s ready for a banger. It flopped. I
mean, it was the third song, and no one desires to dance immediately after
dinner, but Robert had so much confidence. However, it was still a lot of fun
being with him to experience the passion he brought. From this, we can learn to
appreciate joy in our lives, even if we must gaslight ourselves into acceptance.
When
listening to Star Walkin’, I feel an aura of positivity alight on my shoulders.
When Robert enters through the door frame to my domain, I imminently feel similar.
He brings others up, encourages them to pursue their dreams. I am grateful for
the presence of Mr. Gao in my life. A physical embodiment of music, he brings
all the passionate joy associated with the concept into my personal journey. I
am proud to say I have a relationship with the fellow and am confident he will
do great things in the future. After all, everyone needs a Robert Gao in their
life. It’s just better that way.
Hey everyone. Collins here. I hope you enjoyed the essay. I think it may need some more reflection and transitions, as that seems to be the primary thing I struggle with utilizing within a personal essay. Any thoughts are appreciated. At 647 words right now. Can cut the song lyrics if needed, I just thought it may be helpful to include. Thank you in advance.
My sweet heavens, Collins - my sugar bear, little honey boo,
ReplyDeleteWhat a blog you have written for us to read today. It reads of incredible wordage and imagery - take moments like ("they blaze a trail for others to fall in their wake") and ("I witness his face painted through my mind. His lips, in sync with Lil Nas X’s") for example. Much of your writing is intrinsically dynamic, teeming with emotional fervor, edging your readers to move forward on this fantastical literary journey.
What I'd suggest to further strengthen the masterpiece you've produced here is expand on the meditation and reflection itself, while simultaneously lightening the glaze. As the essay is fraught with INSURMOUNTABLE glaze, there leaves little room for your analysis of Robert itself to shine through.
Otherwise, great work - I'm tearing up a little.
What an interesting essay! I like how you weave Robert Gao into this song. I also like how you didn't just stick with this song, but branched into other songs by the same artist and how that song also reminded you of Robert. I am reading a lot of Robert in this essay (nothing necessarily wrong with that), but this is still your essay. I want to hear more of your voice and opinion, not just all about Robert (no offense Robert). Some parts of the essay are a bit wordy. There is a lot of adjectives that can be substituted for something much shorter and easy to read. That will also help with the flow of the essay. Overall, I like your take on this prompt and great job Collins!
ReplyDeleteDear Collins.
ReplyDeleteThe visceral physical reactions I made, cringing while I read this essay, are nothing compared to the emotion and care that you poured out. Plain to see, you really are inspired by Robert; it is clear he means a lot to you. Personally, I think the lyrics are a little unnecessary as they don't really tie back into the essay well, and many parts are a little too descriptive. One such example could be the valorant games you guys play together. Rather than describing the games entirely, maybe write more about how you feel when you play with him, how he helps you do xyz in the game, etc. Tie it back to yourself! Good essay!
Hi Collins, this is a very interesting piece of literature. I like how you make the song and Robert Gao seem to be intertwined with each other. You accomplish this by giving great details that help the reader imagine the words you have written. With that being said, some of the descriptions are hard follow, so you might want to pick better wording. I think that you can add more reflection in paragraph three to bring this piece together. Overall, this is a wonderful essay.
ReplyDeleteHello Collins, what a personal essay on the music shuffle activity we did (I think unless it's not). I think it's cool that you actually have memories of Robert Gao singing the song while playing Valorent or League of Legends or something. I really like the sensory details in your personal essay, specifically the detail where Robert Gao's lips were in sync with Lil Nas X's. I also like the explicit detail next to whenever you use the song name because it really adds depth and meaning to the song and I found it funny. I actually thought your transitions were seamless, but your reflection on how Robert Gao inspires you specifically could be expanded on.
ReplyDelete