Tiempo Loco / kors k feat.Hboy

"I don't know if I want to tryhard like this again."
Ohhhh young forced, you are so naive. If only you knew at that time that in the future, you will try even harder, across a longer & more intensive timespan, and put even more effort into each file - but get this: you will also have a lot more fun doing so! Crazy, right?
I don't know if this is apparent to anyone else except myself as well, but I can just tell how pessimistic my outlook on *everything* was just from the way I typed that whole comment last year. Isn't it crazy how things can change?

Almost exactly one year later, I find myself at the exact same spot. What I talked about still rings true to a certain degree - I still have yet to win a main contest. And my drive and motivation to finally do so after 4.5 years of participating in contests has not gone down at all; I would even say that it has only intensified. At this point, it's more so proving something to *myself* rather than anyone else if that makes sense. But just like last year, I do also really want to choose themes!

Alongside my Round 7 file (Decoherence), the song that I intend to do this with is Tiempo Loco from BISTROVER, a song that caught my eye from all the way back when it was first released. Of course, people will think about the funny, atypical beginning, but I really think that it is perhaps one of the most underrated kors k songs in all of BEMANI history. So then why did I not chart this earlier? I don't know, maybe in my mind I was just waiting for the right moment to do so.
One thing that has perhaps not changed a lot from last year is my strategy when it comes to the Expert chart, as this still is "a fast paced 16 with a very steep difficulty curve that will absolutely burn through your stamina, especially towards the ending." That's just my style I guess, and I think it also fits very well to the song
Doubles lovers, prepare yourself for a more "experimental" chart - I let some of my creativity run free with this one.

Can I win?
Is it actually possible?
Only time will tell, but I won't deny that I would be really, really happy and also really emotional if I did, after so long, after so many tries, and so many top 3 finishes. Like I said, this is just something that I aspire to for myself.
But I won't deny that I don't feel as "all or nothing" as last year, as my state of mind is in a much better place overall.

There is something particular that I feel like changed.
I used the phrase "worn out" in last year's comment, but now I have to say, I do not feel like that at all. My motivation for writing charts as a whole, not just in a contest, has never been higher.
And why is that? Did something within me change all of a sudden?
Maybe. But I would say that there is a bigger factor, and that is the community and everyone inside of it.
I have never felt a bigger sense of "belonging" than I currently feel with the way things are in the community, because of all the people I get to interact with, and they're all so nice and friendly.
It truly means a lot to me personally. It makes dedicating the majority of my free time to all of this 1000% worth it.
That no matter what happens, I can say that I am very happy, and I am incredibly excited for Summer Contest - no matter who chooses the themes.
It feels amazing.

I would like to say thanks to

Kekkle for all the years of co-hosting
t7r for being a great friend who I owe a lot to
Extraordiberry - my one and only <3

All participants
All people in & around the contest community
All the friends I've made from this!