TCWT: Music and Writing

Tags

assassin's creed, blind guardian, debbie ridpath ohi, hans zimmer, heather alexander, heather dale, how to train your dragon, howard shore, j.r.r. tolkien, lindsey stirling, lord of the rings, mercedes lackey, music, o fortuna, owl city, pirates of the caribbean, prince of egypt, star wars, story dynamics, teens can write too blog chain, the lion king, thomas bergersen, will write for chocolate, writing, writing music, zack hemsey

Yes! It’s back!

I know I planned to stop back in January, but this blog chain is strangely addictive–no. Actually, I came back because this prompt was awesome. (Ha–the shortest month in the year gets the best prompt? 😛 )

Anyway, this month’s prompt is “How does music relate to your writing?”

YES.

Really, in a lot of ways. I actually have some awesome playlists, partly created by Iris, partly compiled by me, for certain things. But sometimes I just go online, pick a composer or artist (most often Heather Dale or Thomas Bergersen, sometimes with a little Zack Hemsey thrown in), and hit the Youtube mix version. (Why can’t you do that with Lindsey Stirling? Um, I don’t know. Maybe it’s because it includes the “Behind the Scenes” parts, which can get pretty distracting…) Sometimes I pick a soundtrack (for instance, the Lion King, How To Train Your Dragon, and Prince of Egypt soundtracks) that I know, or one that I don’t, like a Pirates of the Caribbean or Assassin’s Creed soundtrack. (Blame my friend Bowdrie1999 for that one. ;-P ) Why are video game soundtracks so compelling when the stories can be so… yuckish and stilted?! I don’t know…

Different pieces and composers are best for different genres and styles, I find. Thomas Bergersen is a great all-around starting place if you write fantasy. It’s a little easier on the ears than Blind Guardian, for instance. (I have this–well, I don’t think it’s a condition, per se–but anything with too much bass or an electric guitar that screams or wails a little too much–even a saxophone at times!–is physically painful to me. Like, rip out the earbuds and want-to-pour-ice-water-in-my-ears, take-two-ibuprofen painful. It’s not even a heavy percussion track that does it to me–I can just turn down the volume and I’m okay. WHEN WILL THEY MAKE A TOOL ON COMPUTERS FOR YOUTUBE AND WINDOWS MEDIA PLAYER THAT LETS YOU TONE BACK THE BASS SO I CAN ENJOY HARD ROCK TOO!?) Thomas Bergersen is motivating, get-up-and-write stuff, much of the time.

Owl City is a great band if you’re working on a short story or need to fight your way out of depression and get your motivation back. Seriously. The upbeat tunes and idiosyncratic, mellow use of electronically-generated sound has been enough to snap me out of it plenty of times. (I have been known to sing “Fireflies” or “Strawberry Avalanche” or “Cave-in”–which, interesting fact, is about my current state of being–aka overwhelmed college student– or “When Can I See You Again” at the top of my lungs when I’m alone. Still working on learning the lyrics to “Beautiful Times” because really? Lindsey Stirling and Owl City? HOW IS THAT NOT AWESOME!?)

Soundtracks are perfect for the long haul. They tend to follow similar themes and styles, even more so than the individual works of a composer who focuses on multiple songs in an album, and tend to reinforce one train of thought rather than breaking in on it. The theme of a certain movie or video game can lend impressions of restoration, or of urgency; the former is perfect for a grand finale, while the latter is just right if you write suspense. I happen to like the Lord of the Rings soundtrack. Its slow build is perfect if you’re not writing action, though it’s a bit more varied than the average soundtrack.

If you write high fantasy, then I highly recommend Heather Dale. Some of her work can be on the disturbing side–for instance, “Mordred’s Lullaby” deals with a child who has been raised to kill his father, pure and simple–but it isn’t nearly as disturbing as Heather Alexander or Mercedes Lackey can be. (On YouTube, it’s all too easy to wander into dangerous waters. If you must check those two artists out, go ahead, but remember–I warned you.)

Anyway, I may as well. Here’s my fight scene/all around awesome playlist (no, I don’t have a YouTube account, so I can’t realize it–if someone does make it, could they please give me a link?)

This is Iris’s playlist:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBOJpIwF47Y (Fighter, Christina Aguilera)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuwfgXD8qV8 (Part of Me, Katy Perry)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn676-fLq7I (Stronger, Kelly Clarkson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWbMz_aBlMU (People Like Us, Kelly Clarkson)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iO_WxYC34eM (Radioactive, Imagine Dragons)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUIZvAe3RBg (Bridge of Khazad-Dum)

I don’t actually listen to all of those, all the time. Now for my additions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t8-_pI1-9Q (Come Little Children, Erutan–this is the lyric version, not the original. The original was a music video to a terrifying fantasy movie that mentally scarred me. Still, the music is good.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw (Mal’s Song–not even sure why this is on here. I’m not a Browncoat, but the style–country music in a space opera-ish setting–sort of appealed to me.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsApvMoSZ0I (If Everyone Cared, Nickelback–Star Wars music video. Don’t get too caught up in the Obi-Wan angst! 😛 )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvuaX2V_P8A (Down is Up, PotC–Another Anakin and Obi-Wan Star Wars music video. These two are my brOTP, along with Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE5WoFwIVYM (O Fortuna, Carmina Burana–Yet ANOTHER Anakin and Obi-Wan video. Yes, I know, I probably have a problem. Cinematography and editing are great, though. This one’s only on the list because I can’t find the original of the cover the PianoGuys did for some reason. 😦 I think they may have taken it down :’-( )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0JiEglvJic (Sleepsong, Secret Garden–Finally, a music video that isn’t Star Wars! This one is Aragorn remembering his mother. Heartwrenching.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L1CDFvHTr4 (Fireflies, Owl City–I told you there would be Owl City!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b11-37Me_a4 (Preliator aka March of the Templars–Waros32 donated some epic tracks to this list. Shoutout to Waros and Bowdrie1999! You guys rock!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKLhFCl8cEA (No idea what this even is!–yes, I’m going heavy on this one user. There are a couple of users whose work really stands out. But Obi-Wan is always awesome. No, I do not ship Obidala, so don’t ask.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5Kwf_nNmGI (Requiem for a Dream, Requiem for a Dream–gritty and intense.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBh4ko-5YG4 (A Hero Comes Home, Beowulf–um, this is probably in here because I was trying to find the soundtrack of the King Arthur movie which was done by Hans Zimmer–did I mention that Quest for Camelot also has great music, and done by the same composer who wrote the score for Brave?)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hoyDQ3LeTU (We Will Go Home/Song of Exile, King Arthur–Ahh, there’s Hans Zimmer.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwJRltuApKI (The Minstrel Boy–a traditional Irish melody. The obligatory Boromir tribute because I haven’t been able to find any others *cries* I STILL LOVE BOROMIR I DON’T CARE WHAT THE HATERS SAY! He’s still awesome! It wasn’t his fault he was possessed by a ring!)

From the official “Will Write For Chocolate” website, inkygirl.com–Mimi needs to moderate what she’s listening to! Drawn by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. http://inkygirl.com/comic-use-policy/ I will not be considered responsible for the hours spent perusing older comics. 😛

6^th – http://jasperlindell.blogspot.com/ and http://vergeofexisting.wordpress.com/

7^th – http://novelexemplar.wordpress.com/

8^th – http://www.juliathewritergirl.com/

9^th – http://www.freeasagirlwithwings.wordpress.com/

10^th – https://ramblingsofaravis.wordpress.com/

11^th – http://butterfliesoftheimagination.wordpress.com/ andhttp://www.pamelanicolewrites.com/

12^th – http://randommorbidinsanity.blogspot.com/

13^th – http://miriamjoywrites.com/ andhttp://whileishouldbedoingprecal.weebly.com/

14^th – http://kirabudge.weebly.com/

15^th – http://lillianmwoodall.wordpress.com/ andhttps://erinkenobi2893.wordpress.com/

16^th – http://theedfiles.blogspot.com/ andhttp://fantasiesofapockethuman.blogspot.com/

17^th – http://irisbloomsblog.wordpress.com/ andhttp://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/

18^th – http://semilegacy.blogspot.com/ and http://from-stacy.blogspot.com/

19^th – http://horsfeathersblog.wordpress.com/

20^th – https://clockworkdesires.wordpress.com/

21^st – https://stayandwatchthestars.wordpress.com/ andhttp://arielkalati.blogspot.com/

22^nd – http://loonyliterate.com/ andhttps://www.mirrormadeofwords.wordpress.com/

23^rd – http://unikkelyfe.wordpress.com/

24^th – http://themagicviolinist.blogspot.com/ andhttp://allisonthewriter.wordpress.com/

25^th – http://missalexandrinabrant.wordpress.com/

26^th – http://awritersfaith.blogspot.com/ andhttp://thelonglifeofalifelongfangirl.wordpress.com/

27^th – http://nasrielsfanfics.wordpress.com/ andhttp://thelittleenginethatcouldnt.wordpress.com/

28^th – https://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (We’ll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)

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Hero

Tags

boromir, completed stories, heather dale, short stories, song-related fiction, star wars, star wars week

Okay, today is not the finale of Star Wars week yet, but I have something hopefully as awesome planned for the true finale. Hopefully you like the finale, but apparently I’d need either a YouTube account or to buy a VideoPress upgrade to do a cover of the song that I wrote for it… which just sucks, since I can’t afford the upgrade and I don’t know what I’d do with a YouTube account. But just imagine me singing it when it’s published. I sound like a cross between Heather Dale, Loreena McKennit, and an opera singer.

In other news, I have been listening to way too many PianoGuys songs, I should really just buy the albums and have done with it. The sad thing is, they deleted their cover of “O Fortuna” which is one of my absolute favorite songs EVER!!! But I did find these gems: their instrumental and vocal accompanied versions of “Rolling in the Deep.” Now, I’m probably not going to be very popular with all these pop fans out there after this, but it has to be said. I am not a big fan of Adele, but this version of the song is awesome.

Oh, and Professor V.J. Duke: I have your meme right here. Take it and reblog it or mess with it as you will. ;-P

Great advice, Boromir. 😛

Now, about this post. This is not my favorite of my song-fics, but I hope it’s satisfactory. And the song just fits Obi-Wan so well! I wanted to scream and cry and wail on the floor the first time I heard it… *cough*

Anyway, it’s defiant, and so great. The song is “Hero,” by Heather Dale. (I’m a massive fan of her work, notice much? ;-P) Just a warning, though: This song and song fic are rather violent, at least in the emotions they portray.

Enjoy!

Hero
“Master Kenobi. Only you could be so bold.” the Senator snapped. Obi-Wan Kenobi’s only response was a slight twitch at the corners of his mouth. “I could have you arrested!” Madia Kagine exclaimed. “Spy!”
The former Jedi Master bowed slightly, his face inscrutable. In fact, if it hadn’t been for that inscrutability, Madia thought he might have looked… young. His eyes had the vaguely hollow, too-old look of one who had to grow up too fast, out of necessity; it was familiar to Madia, very familiar. After all, she saw it in the mirror every day of her life.
You think if you set the price they’ll turn me in
You think that when I’m up upon the pike you’ll win
They’ll say that I was fighting
For the spirit of the law
What will they say about you
When I’m gone
Obi-Wan slid on the unfamiliar shirt. It was soft—too soft. Thick leather jacket over it. Belt worn high on the waist; his years as a Jedi had made it uncomfortable to wear it any lower. A tiny detail, but perhaps telling to the right eyes.
But no one would notice.
After all, the Jedi were dead, and lest he by some accident ran into a Sith, no one else would attach any meaning to the way he wore the belt.
Obi-Wan slid the blaster into its holster, looked at himself in the mirror, and sighed. The perfect picture of an outlaw. But at least he had a cause—clearer than that of the Clone Wars, more centered. He was not fighting for a dead cause, but one that was living, one whose spark he could coax back into brilliant flame.
Palpatine had made a mistake in ordering his death, rather than trying to kill him himself.
Kenobis, accurately to the legend, inspired loyalty. Their followers would not willingly sell them out.
And they did not die easy.
You murdered and you stole; you mocked the hope I gave
Though I’d prefer a happy end, no man can cheat the grave
I know what they’ll remember
In the words of every song
What will they say about you
When I’m gone
“Is everything ready?” Obi-Wan asked, walking out to where Annika looked at him, with hero-worship in her eyes. He had rescued her from the Service Corps after Palpatine’s coup, and now she was his second in command and Padawan learner. Sometimes, it hurt just how much she was like Anakin. Even her name.
“Yes,” she said, watching him, her jade-colored eyes questioning.
“Then we’ll go.” he said. He did not need to give them a speech to gain their loyalty. It was a hereditary gift.
Madia stared blankly at the vignette before her. Obi-Wan could tell already that she wanted to die. It didn’t bode well—for her, at least.
Across the hangar, Padme gazed at him. She looked right through him, just as she always had; it was vaguely unsettling, and heartbreaking. It had always been. He wondered how he had ever forgotten it; the shadow of tragedy in the young queen’s eyes.
They’ll say
We stared into the wind that tore away our breath
We left behind a message that can not be claimed by death
A hero lives forever
For the ones that carry on
What will they say about you
When I’m gone
He would lead them for her sake, for her children, for Anakin. Anakin needed him more than ever, even on the other side. They would never truly be enemies. One can hate oneself, but not one’s spirit-kin. If anyone, the enemy was Palpatine. Palpatine, who had stolen their good name and their light, murdering them at last, leaving them with nothing. Palpatine, who had stolen his brother from his side. Obi-Wan had screamed his heart out to the wind too many nights in the darkness where no one could hear him. Perhaps there was peace somewhere in the galaxy. Perhaps he would help to restore it. But within him the Code was broken. There was no peace for him. There was pain.
Obi-Wan would not submit. He would fight to the death, if need be, and become a martyr or a traitor, depending on who told the story. He didn’t care any more than he ever had about the name he bore, the reputation that went along with it. But he would do his best, all the same.
They needed a hero, in these dark times.
The least he could do for all these other brave souls fighting the shadow would be to be one.

Tarnished Silver

Tags

alternate universe, completed stories, heather dale, short stories, song-related fiction, star wars

Okay, I’m finally back to writing, I think. Here’s another song-fic, this time to Tarnished Silver, by Heather Dale. Why the obsession with Heather Dale? Because she is just too awesome for words! 😀

The story of this one can be a bit difficult to follow, because some of it is… well. Brothers have a special place where no one else can enter, somewhere deep inside and at the same time, far, far away. As Obi-Wan is dying at Darth Vader’s hand, both he and Anakin slip away for a long moment before they have to part. The song is from the point of view of Morgan LeFay, who is carrying her dying brother Arthur Pendragon to rest on the island of Avalon. I suppose that this fic could be considered partially AU.

Enjoy!

Tarnished Silver

Sleep, my tarnished silver

Let me dull you once again

And let our battle end

                The sounds of the glen were stilled around them, an ethereal glow gathered. Breath was slowly stilling, dying out in a chill rattle. Obi-Wan Kenobi lay dying, in the arms of his killer.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” Anakin choked out, holding his mentor—father—brother—closest friend—close. Obi-Wan smiled, the paleness that blossomed like a fresh breath across his face melting age and pain away.

Sleep, my snowless winter

Let me warm you once before I go

And I’ll pretend to know and understand

                “It had to be this way,” he said softly. “They said our stars were crossed, Anakin. I chose this, Anakin. I sealed my fate.”

“I could have changed it!”

“Had you not turned to the Dark Side, Anakin, it would have happened anyway. You would have seen me change—you would have killed me without meaning to. I’m not—not immortal.” A fit of coughing broke the silence.

Sleep, my fallen cedar

Let me have your weakened pride to hold

And join my barren soil

                “Dust to dust. Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.” Obi-Wan murmured, speaking his own funeral rite.

“I could have saved you!”

“No, you couldn’t. You never were supposed to save me, Anakin. I was meant to save you.”

Sleep, my aimless river

Let your torrent rest against my shore

And leave me what was washed away before

                “I’m giving you hope, Anakin. I kept your son safe, all these years.”

“My son?” Anakin echoed. Obi-Wan smiled, coughing hollowly.

“And Padme’s. Her child is… your savior… Strange how… in the end, it’s in your fall that you receive your second chance.”

Time’s been kind to you, my love

As the world had never been

Kinder than to me

                “You had Qui-Gon. You had Siri. And you had me.” Anakin muttered.

“And I lost them all, Anakin. The only measure of our suffering is whether we inflict it on ourselves—and others—or whether it’s something we accept—take the burden off of unwilling shoulders—You never wanted to suffer, Anakin. So I had to.”

Strange, the things that we regret

You wanted me to leave

I found enough to give you that

                “You said you wanted me to leave.” Anakin murmured.

“I never said that. I only said that I wanted to leave. There’s a difference.”

“I said I hated you.”

“I asked the Force that you’d never have regrets, Anakin. It’s the only thing I ever wished for—and the only thing I never received.”

Sleep, my darkened chapel

Let me kneel before you now, as then

Unworthy as I am

                “You’ve always been my beacon,” Anakin whispered. “What am I going to do, when you’re gone?”

“I told you once that everything dies, Anakin. But if a star goes out—that doesn’t mean that it never shone, does it?”

Sleep, my flameless shadow

Let me cool the lingering fires of old

And carry only ashes in my soul

                The Jedi Master’s still form sank to the ground, at peace, at last. No funeral pyre had need of lighting, for the frail form that had attended the strong spirit in life was immolated by the flames of the pure heart in death.

Sleep, my tarnished silver…

                Darth Vader looked down at his former mentor’s empty cloak for a moment, then he stooped and picked up the fallen lightsaber, its crystal still chiming with the echoes of its owner. Then, he turned away.

Somewhere in the Force, a Jedi Master watched and waited for his younger brother to come home.