One of the scariest video games I have played is Minecraft. Well, mostly as a five year old, especially with the zombies, skeletons, and Endermen. But, as I grew older, I slowly realized how much I loved Minecraft. As a game, it is unlike many other video games, which have an end goal, such as the Sonic the Hedgehog game ports I played as a kid. Minecraft allows you to be creative, similar to video games such as The Sims 4, which I also love, while also experiencing fun, combat gameplay in survival mode. I loved, and still love, the flexibility to do frankly anything in Minecraft—from exploring to building. Sure, there is “The End” stage, which is completed by defeating the Ender Dragon, but Minecraft as a game never forces you to do so. In fact, in all my years of playing Minecraft, I’ve never visited the Nether in-game, nor have I beaten the Ender dragon. But, I still love Minecraft due to the fact that it’s limitless. Nowadays, I love playing Minecraft still, especially in creative mode, where I build houses out of different materials in-game. Sometimes I build houses that look like different shapes, such as hearts. It reminds me of how important creativity still is, and brings me back to when I was still a child and building with LEGOs. This part of Minecraft, and how limitless it is, will always resonate with me because it reminds me of one thing: all ages can still use their childlike imagination, including in Minecraft. It reminds us not just how beautiful the game’s pixelated world is, but also the real world in which we live in. That is, if we open our minds and creativity to new ideas.

I first heard a Chappell Roan song when “Red Wine Supernova” came on shuffle on Spotify in March. I knew very little of her and her music, but I loved how instantly different, but still catchy, the song was from other pop songs. It had country elements, and was about having an intense crush on a girl, which I found very relatable. As a queer, lesbian person myself, I love how Chappell’s songs such as “Naked in Manhattan” and “Pink Pony Club” touch on the queer experience. “Pink Pony Club” was the second song of Chappell that I found myself instantly loving, but also tearing up to. Lyrics such as “Mama, I’m just having fun./On stage with my heels./It’s where I belong.” resonated with me, especially as someone from a Catholic family where being queer is tolerated at best, and treated as a sin at worst. It’s why I haven’t come out yet to my parents and grandparents. I may not live in the Midwest, but even though I live in NYC, which is an LGBTQ+ city, my family is sometimes why I want to leave them behind. Therefore, the song always makes me tear up and how powerful Chappell message feels. Chappell’s career grew so far due to the success of “Good Luck Babe!”, which is very relatable song about comphet, which I myself struggled with before realizing that I was lesbian. As a fairly new fan, I am still amazed by her career trajectory, especially as a queer woman in the limelight, and her songs about loving women and not being ashamed about it. I’ve learned, through her music, to accept those parts of me as well. I support Chappell and her career due to how she always creates a safe space for queer people such as myself. This can be through her music or concerts. I also love how she dresses in drag and her self-expression. It differentiates her from other artists and shows how much she cares about the music she makes. She’s an artist with a passion for what she does, and I love that.

I remember that time I first saw “Girl Meets World” on Disney Channel, and therefore Sabrina Carpenter as Maya Hart. I feel that I’ve always been there during Sabrina’s career, including her Disney days. But there was eventually a time that I grew out of Disney Channel around 2016-2017, and therefore “Girl Meets World.” But that didn’t stop me from being a Sabrina Carpenter fan. I didn’t always listen to Sabrina’s music, as I didn’t know she created music until 2018. But when I found out about her song “Almost Love” from YouTube, I loved how catchy it was, as well as the music video’s concept, and instantly became a fan. I continued to listen to her, and went back to her old songs such as “Thumbs,” which I quickly loved. I continued to listen to her until Singular Act II released, and became obsessed with the songs “In My Bed” and “I’m Fakin.” She also released a song with Jonas Blue titled “Alien,” which I still think is underrated and is super catchy. In 2022, Sabrina released “Emails I Can’t Send,” which was a new step for her career, and for us as fans. I loved especially the song “Fast Times,” as well as “Vicious,” and “Already Over.” I loved how she started to experiment with new genres such as elements of rock. During this time, she started to get a career boost, and it started to feel weird to hear her on the radio. But I also felt extremely proud of her, knowing she started her career as a teenager and at a terrible record label in terms of promotion. I feel that I had grown with her music since sixth grade, and her on Disney Channel since second grade. And that made me tear up. Now that Sabrina realized Short n’ Sweet, and is experimented seven more with genres such as disco pop and country, I am so excited to see how her music evolves from here. Sabrina has made me realize that all of us, including myself, can eventually, with hard work, be successful. Sabrina had to work hard for many years since she was a teenager to get to the popularity she has now. But for me, it was never about the popularity. It was always just about Sabrina’s personality, creativity, especially with music videos, and how much she loves her fans.

My mom and I love each other, but there are times we probably do dislike each other. That is why my favorite song on “brat” is “Girl, so confusing”. Many have applied the song “Girl, so confusing” towards female friendships and acquaintances. The song talks about how being a girl can be confusing, especially with insecurities and jealousy. For me, it’s more as although I am my mom’s daughter, I feel my feelings toward her sometimes are complicated. My mom is known for being very occupied, especially as a nurse who has to work night shifts and sleep in the mornings. I understand she can’t always make up for that lost time, so I am grateful when we do out, such as to the city, or also known as Manhattan, as I live in Queens, New York. But there are times that it does feel like Charli’s lyrics: “Sometimes it feels a bit awkward/‘Cause we don’t have much in common.” It’s not that we don’t have interests in common as we both like reading books, Broadway musicals, and K-pop. In fact, my mom is the person that introduced me to Broadway musicals as a four year old. But I feel she will never truly understand my other, major interests. I am a huge fan of both Marvel and Star Wars, which I can bond with my dad about, as well as playing video games. My mom, on the other hand, thinks comics are a waste of space and playing video games is a time-waster. Additionally, I fear that I will never be good enough academically for my mom, even though I am now part of my school’s National Honor Society. She also always pushes me to major in nursing, even though I want to major in computer science or mechanical engineering. The lyrics “‘Cause people say we’re alike./They say we’ve got the same hair.” also applies to my relationship with my mom, as many of her friends say the same thing. I feel that it makes our relationship more complicated, as since we’re family, it’s more personal. I love my mother, but I do feel pressure sometimes to be exactly like her. I hope to truly be my own person as I grow older.