#The elemental playlist is on spotify and it is pure nonsense

[scham-wcan]

ao3 wrapped [writers edition] 12, 18, 19, 27, 29, 30

12: How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?

So currently I plan on writing Elemental for like ever so that’s there. I do have a couple miscreant ideas for other lesser cumbersome stories which are more on the smaller and cliche oriented stage. I want to write Fall Bloom and White Rose targeted stories again cause I love them to death but amongst that I have a couple other spin off ideas in my notes. So beside Ele probably like 2-3 WIPs? 

18: The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?

~~All of them~~ No but I think the ones who really got me thinking on character were like Winter or Ruby.

Because of the world and evolution Ele has gone to I really wanted to push Winter from being a soldier styled Huntress and being on a team where rank isn’t really a thing, and even then she’s not on the top in terms of who people look to for some answers. So it was neat to write some of the dialogue then in the background think about how she reacted to X person being deferred to over her. That and the progression of her mannerisms was fun, in the beginning of writing her I always pictured her having this more rigid and stoic form of speech which has progressed to now having her be the first character to swear in the story. I am really excited to develop her more though, the last couple chapters of Ele take a toll on her and the next half of the story is going to definitely experiment with some Schnee dramas. 

Ruby was the opposite end of Winter in a lot of ways, she ended up being the one people looked to, naturally it is still her story, but then she was the one to look to others for their takes and thoughts. It's part of the reason she had her little scuffle with Winter on how they should be properly running their missions and group priorities in the first half of three. She’s the beacon of hope naturally for the whole crew in a lot of ways and even Cinder probably thinks of her now much more like a sibling than a friend all the while Weiss and the rest of RWBY all see their leader growing up before their eyes. I do want her to be more involved with Cinder and Yang however in this next part of three so soon enough! 

19: What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?

Emerald/Ilia honestly, a little bit of Rainbow Quartz to cure my fields. Yes of course with CinWin and White Rose. 

27: What do you listen to while writing?

So I have a lot of playlists with a variety of mood settings. Elemental gets its own whole thing but I could go through a lot of the songs and pick out certain songs which I have ‘on-loop’ which serve as something like character themes. Like for Cinder, for a majority of Ele 1-2 was Glorious Purpose by NerdOut honestly. But she’s progressed and grown as a character and has since changed her purpose from being better to actually caring for those around her and finding a place of her own so her theme is more like No Son of Mine by the Foo Fighters or Just Like Me for her and Ruby scenes. CinWin scenes have a plethora of songs like The Horror and Wild, World on a String, and Stuck With You. White Rose got the similar treatment with Soda Pop, Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, or Mr Loverman. 

The most unique characters which needed aesthetics to write for were Krawd and Glynda though. I actually layered a lot of sounds together for them, Krawd more specifically, but it was usually a combination of like a classical villain music mix off of youtube with a lot of Poor Mans Poison, Vo Williams, or Shayfer James. 

29: Favourite line/passage you wrote this year?

Oh the scene in Ele 2 where Weiss got slapped by Krawd and then the entire team freaked out so bad they kicked down dorm doors to tackle the nearest guard but it turned out to be Neo sneaking around to help them.

Or in More than Workout Buddies where Winter and Cinder watch Weiss go on a date with the cute workout girl she’s been crushing on forever. 

30: Biggest surprise while writing this year?

People seem to like the writing 

[godsavetheavantgarde]

Less art and more music, but I would love to know your thoughts on Franz Schubert! He's my favorite composer and my first exposure to him was through reading his letters and those combined with the knowledge that his works were mostly meant for small home performances just, makes him feel so much more human. So many musicians get put on pedestals, but Schubert feels like he could've been like a neighbor down the street.

Also the way he conveyed sound effects in music!! The horse hoofbeats in erlkonig and the spinning wheel in gretchen am spinnrade!! It feels like you can FEEL the emotions in his works and it struck me so much,, he just fascinates me and while he's definitely a little early as far as impressionism goes, even as far as romanticism goes, he still feels like he'd fit a niche in here somewhere imo

SO ACTUALLY DID SOME RESEARCH FOR THIS ONE. I listened to the Schubert playlist on Spotify and I read Kramer's Franz Schubert: Sexuality, Subjectivity, Song and interestingly enough he actually says something very similar, that Schubert, compared to a lot of other Masters is disrespected in a way, almost ridiculed. Schubert looks like a nobody next to someone like Beethoven even though their processes were actually very similar and it was all in the way that they treated deviancy from tradition to illustrate deviancy in society!!

whereas Beethoven's defiance of tradition is in the service of a logical ending, Schubert's music relies almost solely on pathos. Shubert himself actually became a master by mixing two different forms of song: strophic, which is repetitive, and thorough-composed, which is more nonsensical. Now typically, songs of mixed forms must at least somewhat yield their freedom to the stricter strophic pattern, but what Schubert did was take this in stride and utilize it for commentary. He would make his songs purposefully normal sounding, rich and beautiful, but still rigidly strophic — take the repetition in Ständchen as an example — before the song eventually reaches a breaking point and flourishes into something more free.

Though, to get the full picture, one must look at the context of Schubert's work. Schubert worked best in lieds, a type of German song, with "song" specifically meaning music that has lyrics. The characters that Schubert would compose lieds for were typically social deviance. Women who were too passionate, men who desired other men — what this has conveyed of Schubert's own sexuality is still under discussion — and creatures of pleasure and hedonism. But in making the structure of their songs so traditional, so normal, there is almost a sacrilege taking place. It's like he's asking us to question what societal deviancy is supposed to look like and how we are supposed to treat it, especially when it is wrapped up in a way that is not grotesque, in a way that is, really, quite beautiful.

Where the nuance comes in is the interconnectivity of a songs three major contributors. To look at Schubert's most famous musical medium, the Lied, there are three key people between the message and the audience: the poet who wrote the lyrics, the composer who put those lyrics to music, and the singer that performs the song. Between all of these stages, an element of song's original message is lost. The poet may need to compromise the pure vision for the sake of rhyme, the composer's vision may infringe upon the imagination of the poet, and the singer may give a completely different character to the speaker than intended just based on the deepness of their voice. The point is that, as a song sheds layers of the pure vision, it puts on more and more subjectivity and, as world views compound upon each other, the creation of even a simple lied becomes a microcosm of societal practice. It's dialectics in action. And, paired with this idea of deviancy, in that Hegelian sort of way, Schubert's lieds are one of the more progressive forms of art.

Unfortunately I am not really a Hegel fan and, while I do like a few of Schubert's, I think I can say that his music is a bit heavy for my taste. I'm not so melancholy as to become a Romantic just yet, I've been heartbroken in the past, but Schubert I think is for dead lovers more than lost ones — and none of which I know have died (yet). Perhaps I shall become a Romantic one day but I am still a wearer of white clothes (there is still a little bit of frolicking left in me hehe)

[thebandcampdiaries]

Charming to the Last - Burn Bright (From the Upcoming studio album, “It’s the Little Things.”

A pop-punk anthem with a positive edge and a catchy twist.

April 2020 - Charming to the Last is a band with a passion for creating music that sets the bar higher in terms of genre definitions and sonic aesthetics. Their sound combines the edge of alternative music with the grit of alternative rock, and pretty much everything in between. What’s special about their sound is that it is gritty and hands-on, yet incredibly melodic, with passionate lyrics that are easy to relate to. Recently, the band completed an album titled “It’s the little things.” While waiting on the full-length album to be released to streaming services, you can actually check out the band’s lead single, “Burn Bright,” which is now available already! This is actually a really good indication of what the band is capable of! The song has an amazing approach to production, which makes me think of artists as diverse as Blink-182, The Ataris, or Taking Back Sunday, only to mention but a few. The track has a  very optimistic vibe, which immediately managed to put a smile on my face. The track kicks off with a very beautiful vocal melody and a haunting atmospheric intro, before eventually dropping into a very energetic rock verse, in the vein of Something Corporate or Jimmy Eat World. The pre-chorus takes a step back again, only to give the chorus a fantastic hook that soars to the sky. The chorus has a very positive and emotional approach to the lyrics, and in these crazy times we live in, it’s amazing to finally hear a song that feels like a hopeful anthem. Besides the song’s excellence performance and songwriting, I really love the production. Everything about this song hits the mark. The drums are big and powerful, and the vocals are always present. The singing stands out among the instrumental elements, cutting through big stadium drums and walls of guitar, but without ever feeling overpowered by the music or getting to harsh. It’s not easy to achieve such a balance, but Charming to the Last definitely managed to accomplish that. The song also has a quieter melodic backdrop, where the drums go for a more roomy, laid-back sound, letting the vocals and a sparse piano melody come through before the final hook comes in. In addition to the beautiful drum patterns, the guitar work is outstanding as well.

If this song is any indication of what we can expect from this band’s forthcoming album, I am definitely all the way in, and I look forward to hearing more! There is something quite special about being able to accomplish so much with a seamless and deceptively simple arrangement, but the best songwriters are able to create pure magic with only a handful of chords, and a lot of heart. This definitely appears to be the case here, and Charming to the Last is a promising act that’s keeping the fire of pop-punk alive and well. They don’t necessarily abide to the genre’s strict “rules” either, for lack of a better word, because they are open to bringing different influences to their sound - At times, the synth parts and piano melodies, not to mention the vocal hooks on “Burn Bright” really make me think of acts like Copeland or Circa Survive, who challenged the usual cliches of the genre in order to create something that’s truly quite special. At times impactful, at times introspective, this song is a rollercoaster, in all the right ways.

Burn Bright Lyric Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-ai3qf46jc

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/charmingtothelastmusic

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/charmingtothelastmusic/

Website - https://charmingtothelastmusic.com

Find out more about Charming to the Last and do not miss out on “Burn Bright” as well as the band’s new album, “It’s the Little Things.” The release is currently available on Spotify, as well as other music streaming platforms on the web. You can also listen to “Burn Bright” in our Indie: Fresh Picks playlist on Spotify, along with other indie-pop, rock, and underground bangers!

We also had the chance to ask the artist a few questions: here it is!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the beat the most?

Answer: For me, the melody always comes first. I have two young boys so I’ll often have melodies and lyrics come to me while I’m driving alone (my only quiet time). I’ll usually record that into my phone and try to figure out a workable riff on guitar when I have some time.

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

Answer: I play live music in other venues (church), but we don’t perform as a band currently. I definitely feel more comfortable in a studio and would love to just record full time.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

Answer: Good question. We released a couple singles ahead of the album release on June 8th, but I think we’re saving our best songs for the album. “Burn Bright” would be a good first impression as it’s light and catchy, but my personal favorite on the album is “These Moments”. It’s a unique punk-ballad in 3/4 time that I can’t wait to get out there!

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer: In my opinion, honesty needs to take precedence over musical innovation. Before we tackled this album, I was so focused on creating songs outside of the standard structure that I had bits and pieces of songs I couldn’t fit together. Instead, I decided to write from my heart and pump the breaks on the intellectual nonsense I was aiming for. The songs just kept pouring out and we had more than enough to fill an album. Most songs fit within that structure, but the innovation comes from the down-to-earth honesty of the lyrics.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: Yes! Our debut album “It’s the Little Things” will release on June 8th, 2020 and we can hardly wait to share it!

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer: Of course! As I mentioned, we have two singles out from the upcoming album, which can be found here:

Take the Shot: lnk.to/jU4apCFX

Burn Bright: lnk.to/1DboIS8N

You can also visit our website (https://charmingtothelastmusic.com) or our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/charmingtothelastmusic) or Instagram (www.instagram.com/charmingtothelastmusic).

We’re just starting to build our online presence and we’re learning as we go, but join us as we get this journey started!

[13thhr]

Episode #209: Empty Hands Reading – Elemental Alignments

https://archive.org/download/podcast209_201908/Podcast%20209.mp3

This week, I’m reading a short excerpt from the martial arts novella, Empty Hands, as a follow up to last week’s episode on the Dungeons and Dragons influences.  This section touches on the five elements in nature (more back in episode 151) and how they fit the characters:

  Jake and Aurora both fell into a character class Wally the wizard had called the “earth type.”  As the guys had mentioned, we’d done a little presentation detailing our strengths and weaknesses early in our training (I had to do mine twice since I didn’t understand the assignment the first time and had instead talked about Aurora).  Wally used that assignment to go into something he called “The Elemental School of Personality Assessment,” which he said was an important part of not only our magical studies but our training in general.  There were five main personality types corresponding to the five divisions of elemental forces in nature – earth, water, wind, fire, and space, as well as an infinite combination of blends.

Pure earth types were grounded, practical people who, like strongly rooted trees, were good at weathering the vicissitudes of life but could be a bit stubborn at times.  Dependable, practical, and steady types like Jake and Ben fell into that category.  Pure water types were kind of the opposite – adaptable and fluid, like water conforming to whatever container it finds itself in, though they could be a bit all over the place.  Phil, an easy-going sort who tended to go with the flow, fit this category.  He was not, however, a fickle person, prompting Wally to categorize him as an earth-water blend.

“You mean like mud?” Phil had said when Wally passed him the sheet of paper containing his alignment and its characteristics.

We’d laughed, but then Wally shrugged.  “Water is flexible, but it can be hard, if the force is right.  Earth is not fluid but mixed with a little water, it moves easily from one place to the next until it dries.  Too much, though, and it just becomes dirty water.  Do you get my drift?”

“Um … no,” Phil had said after a long pause.

“You will.  For now, it basically means you have the best of both worlds.”  Then to all of us, he said, “Keep in mind these are just predictions.  It’s up to you to figure out if they’re accurate and how to apply the knowledge to your training.”   

Like Phil, Aron also ended up a blend – part water and part wind.  Pure wind types, like Allan, were open-minded and peaceful.  Like birds soaring above the clouds, the day-to-day troubles of the earth-bound held little meaning for them.  They craved freedom, which fit Aron, but could be a bit impractical and out of touch with reality (definitely Aron and sometimes Allan, who preferred to think everything through prior to acting on anything).  Pure fire types, like Lance and Blake, were no-nonsense folk who believed the best defense was a good offense.  It was pretty clear that dynamic, straight-forward weapons like the bow and sword fit guys like that.  The downside of fire, of course, was that not all problems could be solved in direct ways. 

That left the last category, which Wally had initially called “empty space.”  Aron had burst out laughing at this, muttering something about it being the one that fit me best, and the others had joined in.  Wally silenced them, then paused and said that, actually, Aron might have been right for once.  This caused me to redden in anger and disappointment as Aron went bug-eyed and laughed hard enough to fall out of his chair. 

It wasn’t like I was especially taken with any of the previous categories, but as the youngest and physically smallest of the Rangers, it would have been nice to not be different at something – anything – for once.  I didn’t really care about not being able to run, swim, climb, fight, navigate, or use magic as well as the others.  Unlike some, I couldn’t imagine myself “a career man,” so excelling at soldiering skills (assuming I lived long enough), seemed a bit irrelevant for me and my life in the long run.  Frankly, I couldn’t have cared less whether I fit earth, wind, water, fire, or some blend of the four – but “empty space?”  Come on!

As if reading my thoughts, Wally frowned and said, “Empty space is perhaps not the right term.  The magic books sometimes use the word void (which produced a burst of hoots from Aron), but that, too, has always seemed a poor choice.  It’s …” he frowned, sighed, then continued.  “At some point in the future, science will catch up to what we wizards have known for eons – that all matter is composed of tiny particles too small to see.  They are the essence, the anima, that gives substance and life to all things in the natural world.  And, as such, particles from the void can become any of the four.  Add enough of them packed together, and they become earth.  Space them out far enough, they become wind.  Push them a bit closer together, they reform as water.  Add a bolt of lightning or some other energy source, and they become fire.”      

Allan nodded, saying, “Most interesting.  So this is the essence we harness when we generate magic.”

“Exactly!  You are pulling directly from the void,” Wally said.

There was silence for a time as we mulled this over.  Finally, Jake turned around in his seat and looked at me with his steady, cool brown eyes.  “I’m sorry we laughed, Logan.  It was wrong of us.”

I reddened further and stared down at my notebook, doodling with my piece of charcoal.  “It’s okay,” I finally said, still avoiding Jake’s eyes.  When I look back on that experience, I wish I had met and held the man’s gaze to let him know I appreciated his apology.  But … there are some things I suppose that only come with age.

After a moment, Aron asked quietly, “So … do you think there’s maybe a little void somewhere in me?”

Wally rolled his eyes and said “Aron, be grateful for what you have.”  After the lesson finished, Wally handed me the piece of paper containing information on my alignment.  On the side, he had written:

Read this over, and see if you think it fits.  Find me if you have any questions.

~Wally 

P.S. The woman you told us about from your town – the one you grew up with – sounds like more of an earth type, though at least from your description, she sounds like an earth – void blend.  I can see why you would enjoy her company.  Hope that gives you some more information about yourself that will be helpful in the coming months.

To be honest, it wasn’t then, but looking back years later, it sure has been.

Here’s a little character sketch I did about a year ago (a little different from their final iteration) when I was coming up with the ideas presented above:

—————–

This page formerly had what I affectionately dubbed a “starving artist” section on little side hustles you could do (mostly on the internet, often with a phone) to make a few bucks here and there, often in gift cards.  Well, now you can listen to this show (as well as other podcasts) and get paid to do so!  Check out https://www.podcoin.com/ to listen to the show and start earning points that you can redeem for gift cards (Amazon, Target, Starbucks, etc) or donations to a number of charities.  Use the code “Thirteen” when you sign up to get 300 extra points.  The Thirteen Hour Podcast is now on BONUS this week, so you can earn more than normal (1.5x).

Empty Hands, the synth EP soundtrack to the novella, Empty Hands, is now out for streaming on Bandcamp.  

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Check it out!

As always, thanks for listening!

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#TheThirteenthHour #Podcast 209: reading an excerpt from the martial arts novella, "Empty Hands" on the 5 elemental alignments (earth, wind, water, fire, void) #dandd #fantasy #rpg Episode #209: Empty Hands Reading - Elemental Alignments This week, I'm reading a short excerpt from the martial arts novella, …