Picture this:

It's the middle of 2018, I'm sitting on my computer doing all the things an average autistic 12 year old would be doing, when I come across a video on my youtube recommended. "Top 5 favorite Geometry Dash levels," by Aeon Air. I click on the video, since "top x favorite y of all time" content still appealed to me at that time, for whatever reason. The usual suspects of the time pop up: subsonic, blast furnace, etc. By the time the #1 spot comes around, my mind is racing. It feels as though he's touched on every level I could possibly associate him with, but he hasn't mentioned his all time favorite at all yet. What could it be? Bloodbath? Yatagarasu?

No.

The level kicks off, and the gameplay AND deco both look totally unfamiliar. A piano starts playing in the background - a really pretty one. I've never seen this level in action - screw that, I've never even HEARD of it before. All that I know is that something about this level just...feels different. Looking at the deco and listening to the song don't exactly impress me like most other "good" levels that I know, but they make me FEEL something. A certain calmness, serenity even. Immediately after the video ends, I feel an intense compulsion to play the level myself. Even though its only 9 stars, the gameplay gives me that same feeling. I give it a few attempts and quit, since A. I sucked back then and B. my attention deficit issues were even worse than they are now. However, I do eventually get around to beating it much later down the line, and let me tell you - the feelings never quite went away.

That, my friends, is the story of how I was introduced to the concept of a GD level well and truly having an ATMOSPHERE. I had the capacity to be impressed by how levels looked, but never before had a level really made me feel a type of way while playing it. The gameplay and deco are both just so relaxing, and the song only helps to permeate that vibe. I now consider atmosphere to be one of if not THE most important component to the quality of a level, and it all started right here. Thank you, Aeon. Thank you, xcy7. It's so peak.

Side note, the song was so good to me that I searched for it on youtube, leading to me discover Angel Beats! which to this day holds the title of being the only show to ever make me ugly cry while watching it.