From a Spark to a Synthwave Metacity

I’ve always been a creative mind. Building worlds, crafting characters, dreaming up stories that felt bigger than myself. Writing was something I dabbled in when I was younger, but I never truly saw it as more than a hobby—until something changed.

In late 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic, a friend introduced me to synthwave music. I still remember the first tracks that hit me—Dance with the Dead, Street Cleaner, 3Force. The sound was electric. Retro-futuristic, dark but energetic, and full of nostalgia while carrying the weight of something unknown. It had the kind of presence that made me feel the music. Something that I hadn’t had happen to me since I began to discover extreme metal music.

And just like that, something in my brain unlocked.

The Birth of a Character

That inspiration turned into a character known as The Bringer. He was a synthwave-loving, cave-dwelling ghoul who lived on the internet—an entity that existed within the depths of digital space, lurking in forgotten corners of the web.

But he wasn’t just an idea. I became him.

I turned The Bringer into a live-streaming costumed character, acting him out in front of a green screen, creating all the artwork and designs that shaped his universe. It was messy, chaotic, but it was alive. I was building something, even if I didn’t fully understand what it was yet.

Something about Bringer’s world didn’t feel finished. The more time I spent with him, the more I felt the urge to flesh out his lore and story. It wasn’t enough for The Bringer to just exist in digital space. I wanted to give him a history, a world that could expand far beyond a single character.

That’s when everything changed.

Helstalgia, the Metacity

In 2021 The Bringer evolved—his form, his purpose, even his name. He became Synthbringer, the keytar equipped meta hero and greatest synthwave musician of all time. Helstalgia was born.

I can’t speak much of the metacity aside from it being a cyberpunk inspired metacity, home of synthwave music and the mecca of the metaverse. Anything beyond that is considered spoilers!

The more I thought about the universe, the more I built, and the more I couldn’t stop. Suddenly, it wasn’t just about one character—it was about an entire metacity filled with factions, rogue AIs, and hidden codes waiting to be cracked. Every piece of lore I wrote opened new doors. Every new character felt like they had always been there, just waiting for me to find them.

At some point, I looked up from my notes and realized—this might not just be a personal project anymore. This could be something bigger.

Synthwave Showdown

I wanted Helstalgia to feel alive—a place where music is woven into the code, where the internet isn’t just a tool but a battleground, where hidden messages shape reality. Inspired by the music I decided to get back into dabbling my own. Something I had done in my younger years but had put to the side due to time constraints and, well, just life!

A neon world that feels like an endless synthwave night drive couldn’t be without its own soundtrack. Each song I’ve been working on coincides with a character, scene, pivotal moment or the city itself.

There was a stall in development from mid 2023 till 2025, approximately 1.5y, as I ventured into a couple side projects to assure I didn’t burn out. I’m prone to that kind of thing. A project will grip me, I’ll dive in headfirst and eventually stop because I’m tired, overwhelmed, etc.

In January I had a huge rush of inspiration with more new ideas and began feverishly creating more content. Now I feel the time has come to really push.

Why Now? Why Patreon?

Helstalgia has become more than just a story to me. It’s everything I love—storytelling, gaming, internet culture, cyberpunk, synthwave—all colliding into something new.

For the longest time, this world only existed in my head. But now, I finally have the chance to bring it to life—and bring you into it with me.

By joining this Patreon, you’re not just supporting a story—you’re stepping into Helstalgia. You’re helping to shape it, to expand its reach, to make it something bigger than I could ever create alone.

So if you’ve ever wanted to be part of a digital world that evolves, a cyberpunk metacity filled with mysteries, or just a place where music and rebellion collide—

Welcome to Helstalgia.

Thank you for being here.