Dear Jukebox Operator letter
Apr. 7th, 2015 09:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsDear Jukebox Operator:
Thank you very much for writing something for me. I want to say first of all that if you have a strong idea about what you want to write, please feel free to run with it! I have tried to give some general ideas of things that I think might be cool for the stories, but for the most part I'm pretty open to interpretations. I'm okay with any rating, I don't have any real squicks or triggers. I like things that are scary and creepy, but I also like things that a cute or funny or fluffy (though I'm not sure if any of the songs I picked really lean that way). I don't need happy endings, but I do enjoy them. If you have different ideas though, lemme have 'em! I like character introspection, I like world building, I like plot. I like porn, but I prefer plot to go with it I don't know if any of these really lend themselves to porn, but if you think differently, lemme have it! Really, go wild! I'm pretty easy to please!
I am really excited for this fest, possibly more than is rational. I have a longstanding love of folk music and other forms of ballads and song-stories, and I like thinking about what we don't know as much as what we do. The canons we have to work with here are mostly pretty loose, and I'm excited to see where people go with them. I recognize that this is a lot closer to original fic than most fandom-fests, and I appreciate that it can be harder to make things up whole cloth, so really, thank you! Write what you want, what inspires you, and hopefully what is below has some good ideas if you're feeling lost!
If you are an artist - I actually really enjoy pieces that have more abstract or symbolic elements to them, so if you want to play with themes and atmosphere rather than create something strictly representational from any of the songs I have requested, please feel free! I don't know if that makes things easier or not - this is my first time requesting art, so I'm not sure what to say that is very helpful. I appreciate you putting your talents to use for me, in whatever medium!
Tulip - Jesca Hoop (Song) - Fic or Art
The match arranged and vows exchanged and the dove flew away
The bells spilled out the hollow canyon on our wedding day
To me she gave her hand until death do us part
But the birds will nest with the one that she has promised her heart
I seriously could have quoted this whole thing. I love this song so much! There is a lot going on here, and so many threads that could be picked at for a story. What is this world where a tulips has so much value? I know that the flowers were considered a kind of currency historically in the Netherlands, but then what is the referenced desert? Why does the narrator (the piece is sung by a woman but referenced in text as male, take that how you will) love Ada so much? Is she a princess? Why do the king and Queen sell her? Why is the tulip's petal broken and how does that factor in? Is the tulip actually currency - the narrator seems to use it to pay for both her and the ring, so does it maybe have some other kind of value? It is a tulip or something else? The tulip is a very sexual flower, and in the language of flowers can represent a perfect lover or fame, so there might be something to work with there.
Who is Ada in love with Are they actually a dove or a dove person? is she a shape shifter? She seems to find freedom in her death - is this a metaphorical release or is she actually free to join her own true love in some other form or spiritual... something? Why does the narrator choose to kill her in the end? What is their relationship like? Does the narrator have regrets, and are they about killing her or losing her or never having her?
I did say I would like art for this piece as well - I'd be interested in something exploring the supernatural elements of the song - the doves, the transformation, or something that shows the conflict between the different loves in play.
Eli - Bosnian Rainbows (Song) - Fic
I've been so cruel, mother of mine
I've been so cruel to you
So, why do you smile at me?
I've been away for as long as snow
I've been missing for years
So, why do you smile at me?
(lyrics are posted below the video)
I think the song suggests is own prompts pretty well really - what have they been up to, and what *are* they smiling about? Despite being a mother and son, it doesn't seem that that have a very friendly relationship. It seems more to me like or or both have a knife behind their backs during this encounter... The son, at least, admits to having been cruel, but is it just his absence or something more? Who are they, and what has happened to and between them? I wanna know! Also - the son is described interestingly (your eyes are black and white) - what does this mean? Its is a metaphor for how he sees things? Are they human? Did he start out human, and has he perhaps changed? Are they really who they say they are, or who the other thinks they are? Feel free to take this as dark as you desire.
The Angry River - The Hat featuring S.I. Istwa & Father John Misty (Song) - Fic
the emptiness that we confess
in the dimmest hour of day
in the common town, they make a sound
like the low sad moan of prey
the bitter taste, the hidden face
of the lost forgotten child
the darkest need
the slowest speed
the pattern reconciled
(lyrics are posted below the video)
What did they do? Who are they? There is a lot of talk about nature having some kind of revenge here - is that literal? What are the photographs? Are they indicting evidence for some crime? Did someone expose their misdeeds? There is a lot of fatalism here - why did they do....whatever they are being punished for? They also seem to embrace that fate - do they think they deserve it, or is it part of some inevitable cycle? Will whatever it was happen again? Is that why they are so fatalistic? If you want to look at photography and the construction of images and perception here as a theme, I think it could be really interesting, especially when combined with the fatalistic theme.
Far from Any Road - The Handsome Family (Song) - Fic
In the hushing dusk under a swollen silver moon
I came walking with the wind to watch the cactus bloom
And strange hands halted me, the looming shadows danced
I fell down to the thorny brush and felt the trembling hands
(lyrics are posted below the video)
Desert witch? What kind of invitation is this? Is it madness of desert heat? Some real transformative power? Who is 'she' can can she be trusted? Does she know what she is? Is she mad? Who comes looking for her, and why? Or are they not looking, but find her anyway? How does that go? Is the power in the song something that she controls? that controls her? That she worships? Serves? Channels? Basically - tell me about desert witches please! I really love the haunting atmosphere of the song, and anything that captures that would be lovely!
Mama Loi, Papa Loi (Exuma) - Fic or Art
I'll spit my spit,
In your spit.
Then let seven snakes,
Come up from the pit.
I'll stand under this mango tree.
Till you come, come to me.
This is a song by a Bahamian group from the 70's. This is a song about Obeah, a Caribbean spiritual practice informed by African traditions. The artist has a bunch of other songs about it, claiming to be an Obeah man - a practitioner who creates potions and amulets to summon and control the spirits. And Of course... make zombies. Not the flesh eating brainless kind, but the dead who are enslaved to perform service to the living. I love this song, I'm fascinated by it, and I would kill to see a story spun from it. Tell me about the ritual, or the people behind it, or what the purposes are for the zombies. Or tell me about the Loi themselves - what do they want, or get out of these interactions? Tell me about the people who come to the Obeah Man, what they want, what they expect, what they think that is wrong, or right, about this form of magic.
I also asked for art here - anything drawing on the ritual imagery of the song. Be as esoteric as you like! Zombies! The mindless kind, though, not the undead. Shango! The Devil! I see fire in the dead man's eyes. Jingo, Jingo he ain't dead - He can see from the back of his head. Show me!
Twa Corbies (Song) - Fic
His hound is to the hunting gane
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady ta'en anither mate,
So we may mak' our dinner swate, O.
So we may mak' our dinner swate.
I want to know why, though others are actually looking for him, those closest to him have abandoned him in death. Did he do something to deserve it? Were his animals released from some kind of service? Was the lady trying to get rid of him? Did she have a hand it it? It says no one knows where he lies, but is that true? And if it is true, how did he die? Have the others moved on because this death was somehow expected? I am primarily interested in the relationships suggested in/by the song, but I wouldn't mind seeing other themes developed as well. Also, do feel free to play with the setting and time frame on this one!
Murder in the Red Barn - Tom Waits (Song) - Fic or Art
Now the raven's nest in the rotted roof of Chenoweth's old place
And no one's asking Cal about that scar upon his face
'Cause there's nothin' strange about an axe with bloodstains in the barn
There's always some killin' you got to do around the farm
There are so many stories hinted at here - or maybe they are all part of the same? I'm not sure! Tell me! You don't even have to tell me "what really happened" (if there was anything), just tell me the rumours, the gossip, the suspicion. Tell me about how the community turned against itself, or how they shared a secret, or tell me about the outsider trying to put together the pieces from the hints and construct some comprehensible truth. Tell me about the barn. Tell me what people say 50 years later. Tell me about ghosts!
I also asked for art here - I love images of decay, so anything appropriately desolate and haunted looking maybe? Architectural or landscape stuff, perhaps? A glimpse of the interior of the famous barn? An empty pact of soil in the forest, hoarding is secrets? Have at!
Thank you very much for writing something for me. I want to say first of all that if you have a strong idea about what you want to write, please feel free to run with it! I have tried to give some general ideas of things that I think might be cool for the stories, but for the most part I'm pretty open to interpretations. I'm okay with any rating, I don't have any real squicks or triggers. I like things that are scary and creepy, but I also like things that a cute or funny or fluffy (though I'm not sure if any of the songs I picked really lean that way). I don't need happy endings, but I do enjoy them. If you have different ideas though, lemme have 'em! I like character introspection, I like world building, I like plot. I like porn, but I prefer plot to go with it I don't know if any of these really lend themselves to porn, but if you think differently, lemme have it! Really, go wild! I'm pretty easy to please!
I am really excited for this fest, possibly more than is rational. I have a longstanding love of folk music and other forms of ballads and song-stories, and I like thinking about what we don't know as much as what we do. The canons we have to work with here are mostly pretty loose, and I'm excited to see where people go with them. I recognize that this is a lot closer to original fic than most fandom-fests, and I appreciate that it can be harder to make things up whole cloth, so really, thank you! Write what you want, what inspires you, and hopefully what is below has some good ideas if you're feeling lost!
If you are an artist - I actually really enjoy pieces that have more abstract or symbolic elements to them, so if you want to play with themes and atmosphere rather than create something strictly representational from any of the songs I have requested, please feel free! I don't know if that makes things easier or not - this is my first time requesting art, so I'm not sure what to say that is very helpful. I appreciate you putting your talents to use for me, in whatever medium!
Tulip - Jesca Hoop (Song) - Fic or Art
The match arranged and vows exchanged and the dove flew away
The bells spilled out the hollow canyon on our wedding day
To me she gave her hand until death do us part
But the birds will nest with the one that she has promised her heart
I seriously could have quoted this whole thing. I love this song so much! There is a lot going on here, and so many threads that could be picked at for a story. What is this world where a tulips has so much value? I know that the flowers were considered a kind of currency historically in the Netherlands, but then what is the referenced desert? Why does the narrator (the piece is sung by a woman but referenced in text as male, take that how you will) love Ada so much? Is she a princess? Why do the king and Queen sell her? Why is the tulip's petal broken and how does that factor in? Is the tulip actually currency - the narrator seems to use it to pay for both her and the ring, so does it maybe have some other kind of value? It is a tulip or something else? The tulip is a very sexual flower, and in the language of flowers can represent a perfect lover or fame, so there might be something to work with there.
Who is Ada in love with Are they actually a dove or a dove person? is she a shape shifter? She seems to find freedom in her death - is this a metaphorical release or is she actually free to join her own true love in some other form or spiritual... something? Why does the narrator choose to kill her in the end? What is their relationship like? Does the narrator have regrets, and are they about killing her or losing her or never having her?
I did say I would like art for this piece as well - I'd be interested in something exploring the supernatural elements of the song - the doves, the transformation, or something that shows the conflict between the different loves in play.
Eli - Bosnian Rainbows (Song) - Fic
I've been so cruel, mother of mine
I've been so cruel to you
So, why do you smile at me?
I've been away for as long as snow
I've been missing for years
So, why do you smile at me?
(lyrics are posted below the video)
I think the song suggests is own prompts pretty well really - what have they been up to, and what *are* they smiling about? Despite being a mother and son, it doesn't seem that that have a very friendly relationship. It seems more to me like or or both have a knife behind their backs during this encounter... The son, at least, admits to having been cruel, but is it just his absence or something more? Who are they, and what has happened to and between them? I wanna know! Also - the son is described interestingly (your eyes are black and white) - what does this mean? Its is a metaphor for how he sees things? Are they human? Did he start out human, and has he perhaps changed? Are they really who they say they are, or who the other thinks they are? Feel free to take this as dark as you desire.
The Angry River - The Hat featuring S.I. Istwa & Father John Misty (Song) - Fic
the emptiness that we confess
in the dimmest hour of day
in the common town, they make a sound
like the low sad moan of prey
the bitter taste, the hidden face
of the lost forgotten child
the darkest need
the slowest speed
the pattern reconciled
(lyrics are posted below the video)
What did they do? Who are they? There is a lot of talk about nature having some kind of revenge here - is that literal? What are the photographs? Are they indicting evidence for some crime? Did someone expose their misdeeds? There is a lot of fatalism here - why did they do....whatever they are being punished for? They also seem to embrace that fate - do they think they deserve it, or is it part of some inevitable cycle? Will whatever it was happen again? Is that why they are so fatalistic? If you want to look at photography and the construction of images and perception here as a theme, I think it could be really interesting, especially when combined with the fatalistic theme.
Far from Any Road - The Handsome Family (Song) - Fic
In the hushing dusk under a swollen silver moon
I came walking with the wind to watch the cactus bloom
And strange hands halted me, the looming shadows danced
I fell down to the thorny brush and felt the trembling hands
(lyrics are posted below the video)
Desert witch? What kind of invitation is this? Is it madness of desert heat? Some real transformative power? Who is 'she' can can she be trusted? Does she know what she is? Is she mad? Who comes looking for her, and why? Or are they not looking, but find her anyway? How does that go? Is the power in the song something that she controls? that controls her? That she worships? Serves? Channels? Basically - tell me about desert witches please! I really love the haunting atmosphere of the song, and anything that captures that would be lovely!
Mama Loi, Papa Loi (Exuma) - Fic or Art
I'll spit my spit,
In your spit.
Then let seven snakes,
Come up from the pit.
I'll stand under this mango tree.
Till you come, come to me.
This is a song by a Bahamian group from the 70's. This is a song about Obeah, a Caribbean spiritual practice informed by African traditions. The artist has a bunch of other songs about it, claiming to be an Obeah man - a practitioner who creates potions and amulets to summon and control the spirits. And Of course... make zombies. Not the flesh eating brainless kind, but the dead who are enslaved to perform service to the living. I love this song, I'm fascinated by it, and I would kill to see a story spun from it. Tell me about the ritual, or the people behind it, or what the purposes are for the zombies. Or tell me about the Loi themselves - what do they want, or get out of these interactions? Tell me about the people who come to the Obeah Man, what they want, what they expect, what they think that is wrong, or right, about this form of magic.
I also asked for art here - anything drawing on the ritual imagery of the song. Be as esoteric as you like! Zombies! The mindless kind, though, not the undead. Shango! The Devil! I see fire in the dead man's eyes. Jingo, Jingo he ain't dead - He can see from the back of his head. Show me!
Twa Corbies (Song) - Fic
His hound is to the hunting gane
His hawk to fetch the wild-fowl hame,
His lady ta'en anither mate,
So we may mak' our dinner swate, O.
So we may mak' our dinner swate.
I want to know why, though others are actually looking for him, those closest to him have abandoned him in death. Did he do something to deserve it? Were his animals released from some kind of service? Was the lady trying to get rid of him? Did she have a hand it it? It says no one knows where he lies, but is that true? And if it is true, how did he die? Have the others moved on because this death was somehow expected? I am primarily interested in the relationships suggested in/by the song, but I wouldn't mind seeing other themes developed as well. Also, do feel free to play with the setting and time frame on this one!
Murder in the Red Barn - Tom Waits (Song) - Fic or Art
Now the raven's nest in the rotted roof of Chenoweth's old place
And no one's asking Cal about that scar upon his face
'Cause there's nothin' strange about an axe with bloodstains in the barn
There's always some killin' you got to do around the farm
There are so many stories hinted at here - or maybe they are all part of the same? I'm not sure! Tell me! You don't even have to tell me "what really happened" (if there was anything), just tell me the rumours, the gossip, the suspicion. Tell me about how the community turned against itself, or how they shared a secret, or tell me about the outsider trying to put together the pieces from the hints and construct some comprehensible truth. Tell me about the barn. Tell me what people say 50 years later. Tell me about ghosts!
I also asked for art here - I love images of decay, so anything appropriately desolate and haunted looking maybe? Architectural or landscape stuff, perhaps? A glimpse of the interior of the famous barn? An empty pact of soil in the forest, hoarding is secrets? Have at!
