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Message csquared media 2025AAThe conspiracy is closer than it appearsCORYCARRINGTON1

ALLTHISWASTEDTIMECORY CARRINGTON 04.11.2025 for Mikal

1. OVERVIEW2. LYRIC COMMENTARY3. VISUAL DEVELOPMENT4. ALL THIS WASTED TIME5. IN THE CAN6. FINAL THOUGHTSCONTENTSAll This Wasted Time3

1. OVERVIEW

OVERVIEWMikal first introduced me to the Mandela Effect—a phenomenon where large groups of people vividly remember details and events that never actually happened. As I set out to write a song and create the accompanying music video celebrating Mikal’s birthday, I knew this strange fascination of misremembering would shape the lyrics and visuals. But celebrating a friend through the lens of shared false memories posed an unexpected challenge: how do you honor someone’s truth while questioning what’s “real” at all?Pitching ideas and receiving critical feedback from key stakeholders at MNUPTOWN proved valuable over time. Soon what began as a doubtfully conceivable idea evolved into a full blown production. Mikal, full of bright ideas and always ready to lend a hand, sometimes lets doubt cloud his vision. Curiously, he’s quicker to trust debunked conspiracies than proudly demonstrate his obvious talents. So, I couldn’t help but wonder: if shared memories can distort what we thought true then, can what we know now distort our hopes and dreams for tomorrow? More importantly, who authorizes what’s true about you? Writing these lyrics and creating this visual story never attempts to answer those questions, but I did enjoy exploring the possibilities. Finally, to compliment both song and video, I created this companion book to more thoroughly examine “All This Wasted Time.”All This Wasted Time5

2. LYRIC COMMENTARY“F”“Ah”“E”“D”“O”“M”A few MoUtH Shapes for Mikal’s PupPet(above) phonemes and equivalent visemes for puppet mouth.

LYRIC COMMENTARYKKJJOh! my! my!…oh! why! why!Oh! my! my!…oh! why! why![verse1]Im wide awake, dreamin’ these dreams I just can’t shakeAll the words you said, still wrestle inside my headbut what I most fear, is so much closer than it appearsthis twisted reality your perfect conspiracyOh! my! my!…oh! why! why!Oh! my! my!…oh! why! why![chorus]All this wasted time, spent losing my mindbut you still insist, what I won’t resistyour drugs to inject, my mind and infectall i’ve known with the Mandela Effect [verse 2]Now Can’t you see the travesty on Travis StreetI Never knew it’s always been Swiss Avenueyes there’s more, Oh Lord, I swear I’ve always driven a FordBut now my keys unlock a ‘95 Honda AccordOh! my! my!….oh! why! why!Oh! my! my!….oh! why! why![chorus]All this wasted time, spent losing my mindbut you still insist, what I won’t resistyour drugs to inject, my mind and infectall i’ve known with the Mandela Effect [bridge]the stakes climb highyou play a four of a kindYour hopes I crushlaying down a royal flush Heaven help mebreak these chains and set me freeNow…here’s a shock see, yeah … thats me on Tik TokMy sweet surprisesinging my song, singing live Yeah, I got smartand this time spared my own heartOh! my! my!…oh! why! why!Oh! my! my!…oh! why! why![chorus]All this wasted time, spent losing my mindbut you still insist, what I won’t resistyour drugs to inject, my mind and infectall i’ve known with the Mandela Effect [outro]now I’m standing here at the point of no returnIn my hands here, I carry a truth you must learnso now after all these years, this, my gift, your greatest fearyes my dear, my fame is much closer than it may appearQQAll This Wasted Time7

LYRIC COMMENTARYSketChed Hat PosescC.2025As I considered how to introduce this story, I kept coming back to how Mikal first explained the Mandela Effect—using the phrase, “Objects in the mirror may be/are closer than they appear.” That image—looking in a mirror while moving forward—captured the tension I wanted to explore: the conflict between memory and reality. These opening verses reflect Mikal’s journey through a world that may not be what it seems—a twisted reality, your perfect conspiracy.verse one notes:Should Mikal show up one day driving a Honda Accord, you could possibly knock me flat on my back with a feather. Other than a microphone and tool box, Mikal’s Ford truck completes his character. I wanted the verses here to be light, somewhat comical. However, I needed this to be a turning point in the story. Now as Mikal realizes all he has ever known may not be, he must decide to define his truths or leave it to this crazy world to decide his place in it.verse two notes:...but what i most fear is so much closer than it appears......I swear I’ve always Driven a FordBut now My keys unlock a ‘95 honda accord...All This Wasted Time8

LYRIC COMMENTARYbridge notesWhile I’m not a professional songwriter, I do enjoy artfully experimenting with words. By referencing Mikal’s weekly Texas Hold ’Em tournaments with phrases like “laying down a Royal Flush,” and touching on his live performance anxiety with lines like “my sweet surprise, singing my song, singing live,” I aimed to personalize the story in a way that reflects Mikal’s character. Here, he confronts his self-doubt as the world ups the ante—but now, Mikal knows he’s holding a winning hand.While the song leans into a moody atmosphere and the video hints at a fantasy world, it ultimately closes on a hopeful note. My wish is that Mikal throws caution to the wind, lets go of the idea of a perfect, one-size-fits-all path, and stops worrying about what others think. Then he takes a deep breath. Builds that sculpture. Paints that painting. Tells that joke. Because none of us are getting any younger—and we’ve wasted enough time. Mikal, it’s showtime.outro notes:SketChedWinGfLigHtCoryc2025winG 1winG 2winG 3winG 4winG 5winG 6videOaSsETsCoUrTesyMnupT0wN 2025All This Wasted Time9

3. VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

VISUAL DEVELOPMENTAfter refining the lyrics several times, I uploaded the final version into Suno AI, which generated the music and performed the vocals. With a few prompt adjustments, I landed on a track that best matched the lyrics and the visual tone I had in mind for the video. Following ChatGPT’s advice, I created a table aligning the lyrics with their timestamps from the audio track (a snippet shown right). This helped me visualize the story’s pacing and proved especially efficient in meeting the project deadline.time stamping lyricsOnce the storyline began to take shape, I filled in the rest of the table above. (At one point, I toyed with a “robot becomes Mikal’s best friend” plot—but it felt a little too after-school special.) With the table finalized—scene actions aligned to lyrics and timing—I created a mood board to guide the creative direction. I chose dark teals and golden oranges to reflect Mikal’s personality, pairing them with layered paper textures to create a fun, slightly trippy vibe.mood boardstoryboardWith the script finalized and styles locked in, I felt ready to draft the storyboard. Guided by the lyric table, timing, and mood board, I mocked up several scenes using design elements from Canva and Adobe Express. This visual planning helped streamline the creation of animatics and ultimately made the final animation process much more efficient.All This Wasted Time11

PERFORMINGMUSIC FROMHIS DEBUT ALBUM,“IF IT DON’T MAKE CENTS,IT DON’T MAKE CHANGE”SOLD OUT SHOWTONIGHT ONLY4. ALL THIS WASTED TIME

5. IN THE CAN

IN THE CANtrashed lyrics° daily advice ° Fitness ° Confidence and More! A companion for: oh, my! my! oh, why! why!oh, my! my! oh, why! why!(chorus)Todays always been birthday but mom says nope it’s in maywhat if I’m from Uranusoh, how do i explain thismy existence now sus-pectim a mandela effect (verse 2)oh! my! my! oh! why! why!at work nothing was rightthat’s when the mail re-vealedmy names really just Philoh! my! my! oh! why! why!is my whole life a lie?you see I learned from mewho I am may not beoh! my! my! oh! why! why!I think I might just cryIt’s all closer I fearthan how it may appearstoryboards for original robot storylinerobot packagingPERFORMINGMUSIC FROMHIS DEBUT ALBUM,“IF IT DON’T MAKE CENTS,IT DON’T MAKE CHANGE”SOLD OUT SHOWTONIGHT ONLYTheRoomROOMROOMTHETHEthe rose room with club-goers, the venue for Mikal’s big showAll This Wasted Time15

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FINAL THOUGHTSMikal-After all this wasted time… maybe no time was wasted at all. This project gave me generous opportunities to grow—as a storyteller, a content creator, and a fledgling animator. Most importantly, it allowed me to celebrate someone truly special: Mikal Pinson.I wrote this song to encourage Mikal to own his gifts—but somewhere along the way, I realized I was preaching to myself, too. Mikal, thank you for everything you’ve given us: your humor, your ideas, your energy, and your own brand of magic. I hope this project reflects just a fraction of the support and encouragement you’ve always shown me.This isn’t a gift from me to you—it’s a celebration of you.Thank you.Now get to it.csquared and mnuptown All This Wasted Time17

ALL THIS WASTED TIMEwww.corycarrington.com