Jukeboxfest 2022!
Apr. 19th, 2022 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
measured_wordsDear Jukebox Operator,
It's time again! This is one of my favourite exchanges of the year - thank you for creating something for me!
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 work than most fandom-fests, and I appreciate that it can be harder to make things up whole cloth, so really, thank you! Write/Draw/Record what you want, what inspires you, and hopefully what is below has some good ideas if you're feeling lost!
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 and straight up horrific, 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! Also, I am super into the idea of crossovers between any of the songs I'm requesting - I think some of them could go together pretty interestingly, so if there's an idea that strikes you along those lines please have at.
It you are a podficer or a podfic team - I'm super excited! I think writing a story you know is destined for an aural medium is a cool challenge, and I know the recording of a podfic can be pretty challenging itself, so major props for offering! In this case, since the canon is also aural I think it is an especially interesting pairing! I am a big fan of podcasted/podficed short fiction, but I don't know if I can give any specific likes/dislikes /o\
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, but I appreciate you putting your talents to use for me, in whatever medium!
I am requesting Fanfic, Fanart, or Podfic for all requests (but treats in any media would be a delight).
onto the requests!
The Seer Returns - Swans (Song)
Behind the veil of silver scars
There is a special inverted star
He's a greasy beast
Heaving in a field of sticky black mud
I'm down here naked
There's a hole in my chest
Both my arms are broken
Pointing east and west
Your life pours into my mouth
My light pours out of my mouth
On Spotify
This is just a really evocative song to me. It's got a lot of really striking visuals, but I would love to know about the context. Is this person (sacrifice) meant to be seeking a vision? Are they meant to survive? What is the ultimate goal of this ritual? Is the sex that's happening around them incidental or part of it? Or part of some bigger celebration (no sure if it is necessarily celebratory). The ritual describe certainly has its own weird (or weirdly violent) sexual undertones as well. I'd really love to see (or hear!) anything about this!
Tongue-tied - Emily Portman (Song)
I dye a thistle thread
Green for the woods where I make my bed
Where the ravens sing, the ravens sing
"Free us of our weary wings"
They sing "Weave and spin, weave and spin
Seven shirts for Raven kings
Bite your tongue, swallow your tears
Tongue-bound, stitch-tongue for seven years"
On Spotify
This is a song version of the Seven Ravens (sometimes swans!) fairy tale. But there's some details in the song that are different, and the song doesn't see it all the way through to the end. I'm happy to see this explored however you like! Introspective, move the story along from this point, explore her relationship with the ravens now, with her mother, look more into the set up or the curse. Or so something with that sickle moon... I'd be happy to see/read/hear any of this :)
Ghost Story - Charming Disaster (Song)
Since the day they told me he was gone
Haunts me faithfully from dusk till dawn
Hear him whisper sweetly in my ear
Can’t you see we got a good thing here
Feel his fingertips caress my hair
Turn around and there is nothing there
Phantom arms around me sleeping near
Can’t you see we got a good thing here
On Spotify
This song has a LOT going on. It's an adorable ghost romance! It has a duel! It has a husband and a lover who may or may not be the same person? I think they are different because a: the singers never refer to each other as husband and wife, just as lovers, and some of the ghost lover's lines, like how he wanted things that weren't his, and his disdain for 'for death do us part'. It is implied that the husband and lover killed each other in the duel - certainly they are both dead, even if they aren't the same person. But if that's not how the husband died, maybe it was something else? Maybe it was a plot by the lovers? Anyway - I would love more of this story, and again there are some great visuals to be pulled out of this. I would be happy to see someone explore the physical aspects of this ghost/human relationship also!
Hard Road - Johnny Flynn (Song)
She knows how and she knows when
She's born to die and live and again
She goes from moor to build a nest
She knows the dance that burns her best
From the ashes, fair to share
The purest sounds to leaden heads
Sung from her best and bends the old trees
Wingèd wind songs sung so holy
On Spotify
This is another really evocative song. I want to know who the traveller is, what his relationship is with this woman, why he is taking this hard road, and what both their responsibilities are that make it seem that they can't really be together. She sounds like a priestess, or maybe some kind of fae creature, or some other kind of mystical creature (or cryptid). Is he travelling to find her? To flee her? Do they serve some kind of...metaphysical function, like the Green Man and the May Queen, that keeps them paired in some way, but apart? Again, I think there's some really interesting visuals to play with here as well!
Wolf Like Me - Lera Lynn ft. Shovels & Rope (Song)
Got a curse we cannot lift
Shines when the sunset shifts
There's a cure, comes with a kiss
The bite that binds, the gift that gives
On Spotify
Werewolf girlfriends! Werewolf girlfriends! Obviously there's a lot of details to work with in the song, they're not *both* werewolves yet. It seems like one of them is leaving, or maybe just passing through, trying to get the other to come with, maybe? I think you could take it that either they have know each other a long time OR that they just met and felt some kind of connection. But the signer clearly wants to offer her gift to the listener. Also no it does not have to be werewolf girlfriends, I'm happy with any kind of relationships, or even gen ;)
Wolf - First Aid Kit (Song)
***warning for crazy flashing lights and quick cuts***
When I run through the deep dark forest long after this begun
Where the sun would set, trees were dead and the rivers were none
And I hope for a trace to lead me back home from this place
But there was no sound, there was only me and my disgrace
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, ya
On Spotify"
So - yes, more big ritual vibes, I guess if I have a theme for this year, it would be that! This time with more of a wolf theme. This has some really interesting vibes to it, with the wolf 'parents' who seem to have lost some of their power, and then the singer who is trying to reclaim or bring back some of that, calling to their former glory and looking at what's been lost. So what is under all the metaphor? Or is it not metaphor? Are they really wolves (physically or in some other sense) who are failing at some kind of generational duty? And where has the singer gone, and what in particular is their disgrace? Basically, what has happened? Are they able to keep holding or or not? And what encouragement do they have?
Thrown Down - Fleetwood Mac (Song)
You've shaken your faith in me, no
You've shaken my faith in everything else
A decision no one makes, and now you're going home
Faith is a hard thing to hold on to
Something inside you says I don't have to
You're not like other people, you do what you want to
You're not like other people, you do what you want to
On Spotify
This relationship is so INTENSE. From friendship to - what exactly? Unrequited pain? What's left here in the end? What's left to wait for, and what's really left to dedicate? Man IDK, this song just gives me so many ~feels~...
Sax Rohmer #1 - The Mountain Goats (Song)
[Verse 4]
Ships loosed from their moorings capsize and then they’re gone
Sailors with no captains watch awhile and then move on
And an agent crests the shadows and I head in her direction
All roads lead toward the same blocked intersection
I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
On Spotify
I. Uh. Who *else*'s blood might be in your mouth there, friend? Coul it be... a Spy :o I looked up the song because the title was vaguely familiar and sw it was a pulp novel writer (probably pen name) and that makes SO MUCH sense for the atmosphere and vibes of this song. I do love pulps if you want to take that tone, but I'm happy to see this explored in other ways, too!
Mr. Grieves - TV on the Radio (Song)
What's that floating in the water?
Oh, Neptuna's only daughter
I believe in Mr. Grieves
Pray for a man in the middle
One that talks like Doolittle
I believe in Mr. Grieves
Do you have another opinion?
On Spotify
I tend to think of Mr Grieves as a kind of psychopomp figure, but I could easily see him as a more sinister type, if you prefer! Or even just a story told to frighten children or keep people in line, or someone who can be blamed for a string of tragedies?
I chose this version because I find it haunting and morose, and the a capella version gives off that nice sinister community vibe. Maybe things are not all as they seem? I doubt thy are, in fact, all right.
And what does Mr. Grieves think of how his name is being used?
It's time again! This is one of my favourite exchanges of the year - thank you for creating something for me!
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 work than most fandom-fests, and I appreciate that it can be harder to make things up whole cloth, so really, thank you! Write/Draw/Record what you want, what inspires you, and hopefully what is below has some good ideas if you're feeling lost!
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 and straight up horrific, 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! Also, I am super into the idea of crossovers between any of the songs I'm requesting - I think some of them could go together pretty interestingly, so if there's an idea that strikes you along those lines please have at.
It you are a podficer or a podfic team - I'm super excited! I think writing a story you know is destined for an aural medium is a cool challenge, and I know the recording of a podfic can be pretty challenging itself, so major props for offering! In this case, since the canon is also aural I think it is an especially interesting pairing! I am a big fan of podcasted/podficed short fiction, but I don't know if I can give any specific likes/dislikes /o\
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, but I appreciate you putting your talents to use for me, in whatever medium!
I am requesting Fanfic, Fanart, or Podfic for all requests (but treats in any media would be a delight).
onto the requests!
The Seer Returns - Swans (Song)
Behind the veil of silver scars
There is a special inverted star
He's a greasy beast
Heaving in a field of sticky black mud
I'm down here naked
There's a hole in my chest
Both my arms are broken
Pointing east and west
Your life pours into my mouth
My light pours out of my mouth
On Spotify
This is just a really evocative song to me. It's got a lot of really striking visuals, but I would love to know about the context. Is this person (sacrifice) meant to be seeking a vision? Are they meant to survive? What is the ultimate goal of this ritual? Is the sex that's happening around them incidental or part of it? Or part of some bigger celebration (no sure if it is necessarily celebratory). The ritual describe certainly has its own weird (or weirdly violent) sexual undertones as well. I'd really love to see (or hear!) anything about this!
Tongue-tied - Emily Portman (Song)
I dye a thistle thread
Green for the woods where I make my bed
Where the ravens sing, the ravens sing
"Free us of our weary wings"
They sing "Weave and spin, weave and spin
Seven shirts for Raven kings
Bite your tongue, swallow your tears
Tongue-bound, stitch-tongue for seven years"
On Spotify
This is a song version of the Seven Ravens (sometimes swans!) fairy tale. But there's some details in the song that are different, and the song doesn't see it all the way through to the end. I'm happy to see this explored however you like! Introspective, move the story along from this point, explore her relationship with the ravens now, with her mother, look more into the set up or the curse. Or so something with that sickle moon... I'd be happy to see/read/hear any of this :)
Ghost Story - Charming Disaster (Song)
Since the day they told me he was gone
Haunts me faithfully from dusk till dawn
Hear him whisper sweetly in my ear
Can’t you see we got a good thing here
Feel his fingertips caress my hair
Turn around and there is nothing there
Phantom arms around me sleeping near
Can’t you see we got a good thing here
On Spotify
This song has a LOT going on. It's an adorable ghost romance! It has a duel! It has a husband and a lover who may or may not be the same person? I think they are different because a: the singers never refer to each other as husband and wife, just as lovers, and some of the ghost lover's lines, like how he wanted things that weren't his, and his disdain for 'for death do us part'. It is implied that the husband and lover killed each other in the duel - certainly they are both dead, even if they aren't the same person. But if that's not how the husband died, maybe it was something else? Maybe it was a plot by the lovers? Anyway - I would love more of this story, and again there are some great visuals to be pulled out of this. I would be happy to see someone explore the physical aspects of this ghost/human relationship also!
Hard Road - Johnny Flynn (Song)
She knows how and she knows when
She's born to die and live and again
She goes from moor to build a nest
She knows the dance that burns her best
From the ashes, fair to share
The purest sounds to leaden heads
Sung from her best and bends the old trees
Wingèd wind songs sung so holy
On Spotify
This is another really evocative song. I want to know who the traveller is, what his relationship is with this woman, why he is taking this hard road, and what both their responsibilities are that make it seem that they can't really be together. She sounds like a priestess, or maybe some kind of fae creature, or some other kind of mystical creature (or cryptid). Is he travelling to find her? To flee her? Do they serve some kind of...metaphysical function, like the Green Man and the May Queen, that keeps them paired in some way, but apart? Again, I think there's some really interesting visuals to play with here as well!
Wolf Like Me - Lera Lynn ft. Shovels & Rope (Song)
Got a curse we cannot lift
Shines when the sunset shifts
There's a cure, comes with a kiss
The bite that binds, the gift that gives
On Spotify
Werewolf girlfriends! Werewolf girlfriends! Obviously there's a lot of details to work with in the song, they're not *both* werewolves yet. It seems like one of them is leaving, or maybe just passing through, trying to get the other to come with, maybe? I think you could take it that either they have know each other a long time OR that they just met and felt some kind of connection. But the signer clearly wants to offer her gift to the listener. Also no it does not have to be werewolf girlfriends, I'm happy with any kind of relationships, or even gen ;)
Wolf - First Aid Kit (Song)
***warning for crazy flashing lights and quick cuts***
When I run through the deep dark forest long after this begun
Where the sun would set, trees were dead and the rivers were none
And I hope for a trace to lead me back home from this place
But there was no sound, there was only me and my disgrace
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey-hey, hey, ya
On Spotify"
So - yes, more big ritual vibes, I guess if I have a theme for this year, it would be that! This time with more of a wolf theme. This has some really interesting vibes to it, with the wolf 'parents' who seem to have lost some of their power, and then the singer who is trying to reclaim or bring back some of that, calling to their former glory and looking at what's been lost. So what is under all the metaphor? Or is it not metaphor? Are they really wolves (physically or in some other sense) who are failing at some kind of generational duty? And where has the singer gone, and what in particular is their disgrace? Basically, what has happened? Are they able to keep holding or or not? And what encouragement do they have?
Thrown Down - Fleetwood Mac (Song)
You've shaken your faith in me, no
You've shaken my faith in everything else
A decision no one makes, and now you're going home
Faith is a hard thing to hold on to
Something inside you says I don't have to
You're not like other people, you do what you want to
You're not like other people, you do what you want to
On Spotify
This relationship is so INTENSE. From friendship to - what exactly? Unrequited pain? What's left here in the end? What's left to wait for, and what's really left to dedicate? Man IDK, this song just gives me so many ~feels~...
Sax Rohmer #1 - The Mountain Goats (Song)
[Verse 4]
Ships loosed from their moorings capsize and then they’re gone
Sailors with no captains watch awhile and then move on
And an agent crests the shadows and I head in her direction
All roads lead toward the same blocked intersection
I am coming home to you
With my own blood in my mouth
And I am coming home to you
If it’s the last thing that I do
On Spotify
I. Uh. Who *else*'s blood might be in your mouth there, friend? Coul it be... a Spy :o I looked up the song because the title was vaguely familiar and sw it was a pulp novel writer (probably pen name) and that makes SO MUCH sense for the atmosphere and vibes of this song. I do love pulps if you want to take that tone, but I'm happy to see this explored in other ways, too!
Mr. Grieves - TV on the Radio (Song)
What's that floating in the water?
Oh, Neptuna's only daughter
I believe in Mr. Grieves
Pray for a man in the middle
One that talks like Doolittle
I believe in Mr. Grieves
Do you have another opinion?
On Spotify
I tend to think of Mr Grieves as a kind of psychopomp figure, but I could easily see him as a more sinister type, if you prefer! Or even just a story told to frighten children or keep people in line, or someone who can be blamed for a string of tragedies?
I chose this version because I find it haunting and morose, and the a capella version gives off that nice sinister community vibe. Maybe things are not all as they seem? I doubt thy are, in fact, all right.
And what does Mr. Grieves think of how his name is being used?
