Under A Luminous Sky: A Musical Journey · 6:48am Nov 3rd, 2019
Howdy, folks! First and foremost, as always, Adorable Applejack:
I haz a secret. Hint: it involves appuls...
Now then, I apologize for the rush of late-night blogs lately. The simple explanation is, well... I'm drunk and feel like blogging.
dealwithit.jpeg
Anywho, I've tagged Luminous Sky for a reason. The more astute of you, or at least those with half a functioning brain, might remember that all the chapter titles, and even the overall title, were all taken from heavy metal songs. There is a very good reason for this:
I was a pretentious jerk.
But seriously, it was because my love of ponies is eclipsed by my love of heavy metal. Before I discovered this saccharine nightmare, metal was all I had. It was my whole identity, aside from being in the Army. And so, when I embarked on this strange journey of writing about said nightmare, I decided to inject a little bit of my, "first love," we'll say.
It wasn't all for show, however. All the song titles had something to do with the chapter. Some were directly influenced by the lyrics of the songs, other were just happy accidents. Now, since I've never done this, I decided to go back and explain myself a bit. Sort of a way of explaining my thought process when naming the chapters. Again, some of them were rather obvious, as the titles themselves literally referred to the chapter's content. but other were a bit more... obscure.
And, if nothing else, this is an easy excuse to reblog some of my favorite songs! So, here we go!
Prologue - Dance of Death by Iron Maiden
Lyrical reference: "I was rambling, enjoying the bright moonlight, gazing up at the stars." I used this line when Berry Punch was wandering around Ponyville after being kicked out of the bar.
Chapter One - The Anguish of Youth by Iced Earth
Lyrical reference: None. This was chosen to reflect on the trauma suffered by Hickory Smoke upon finding Berry's body. Fun fact: Originally, this was going to be Lickity Split, the colt Spike talks to in Secrets of My Excess. However, after the chapter was written was when I decided to do the time skip into the future, so I had to change it. In the chapter, he was going to be teased by being called "Lickey," so I literally just thought, "Hmm, what rhymes with Lickey..."
Chapter Two - The Evil That Men Do, by Iron Maiden
Lyrical reference: None. This was chosen as a dual metaphor. "The Evil That Men Do" refers to both the evil committed by the killer, and by what Celestia considers the "necessary evil" of involving the RIS, a group she desperately wishes didn't have to exist.
Chapter Three - The Devil You Know by Anthrax
Lyrical reference: None. This was to signify Twilight realizing that, although Bentgrass was a shifty, possibly untrustworthy pony, it was likely a smart decision to stick with him in the face of murder. "Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't..."
Chapter Four - Revelations by Iron Maiden
Lyrical reference: None. This one was fairly simple: the journey to the hospital to speak with Doctor Well revealed many facts about the case.
Chapter Five - Have A Drink on Me by AC/DC
Lyrical reference: None. Again, this one is fairly straightforward. Bentgrass tells Twilight to meet him at The Watering Hole, with the instructions, "Simply walk into the pub and have a seat at the bar. Order a drink, if you like.”
Chapter Six - The Cover Up by Tim "Ripper" Owens
Lyrical reference: None. Okay, even I will admit I was reaching on this one. Hell, I couldn't even find the song, form his self-titled solo album, on YouTube! I had to instead just post a song that properly showcases how he's one of the best vocalists in the metal world right now. The title was chosen because... well, Sheriff Shackle is covering up the truth about Berry's death.
Chapter Seven - Breaking The Law
Lyrical reference: None. Again, pretty straightforward. Twilight, Rainbow, and Bentgrass are literally "breaking the law" by breaking into the hospital.
Chapter Eight - Safe Home by Anthrax
Lyrical reference: "From out of nowhere, you came strong as stone. And now I'll never have to be alone. What it is I've known, you have always been my safe home." This is one of the rare cases where both the lyrics and the tone of the song fit almost perfectly. This chapter finally laid out the situation with Spike, that is, his upcoming 100 year wyrm-sleep. It dealt with Twilight;s feelings of being left alone without her "Number One Assistant" and, as she realizes, her surrogate little brother. Furthermore, it shows us Rainbow's life with Big Mac. How no matter what, both she and Mac have a "safe home" to go to now. A place where they are loved, and safe.
Also, it had a madman literally eating the heart of a murder victim. I'm sure there's an analogy in there somewhere...
Chapter Nine - Some Kind of Monster by Metallica
Remix used because the original was a bore like most of St. Anger, but the remix is one of Metallica's heaviest.
Lyrical reference: None. This one was chosen because in this chapter, Zecora tells us the story of the Mbwun, an ancient monster.
Chapter Ten - Rise of the Beast by Cage
Lyrical reference: None. This one was chosen because Cage is not a world famous band and that is a goddang shame. They are easily one of the best power metal bands to come out of America in the past twenty years. The lead singer, Sean Peck, is also in several other bands that also kick ass, and you need to listen because...
*cough* Sorry. Anywho, the other reason this was chosen was because it both introduced us to Professor Parchment, who would end up being the villain, and it showed the beginning of Angel Bunny's transformation form cute little bunny into hulking monstrosity.
Chapter Eleven - The Outlaw Torn by Metallica
S&M version chosen because it's one of the best damn pieces of music ever recorded
Lyrical reference: "And if I close my mind and feel, please pry it open. And if my face becomes sincere, beware. And if I star to come undone, stitch me together. And if you see me strut, remind me of what left this outlaw torn."
This was chosen because this is when we get Bentgrass' full backstory. Plus, the lyrics reflect what happens in the story. When Bentgrass gets arrogant and angry, Twilight "reminds him of what left him torn," that is, his failure and his wife's death.
Chapter Twelve - The Frayed Ends of Sanity by Metallica
Lyrical reference: None. This was chosen because it showcased Zecora's descent into madness, her sanity being ripped from her, which we later learn was done by another.
Chapter Thirteen - Fooled By The Serpent by Communic
Lyrical reference: None. This was chosen because it is this chaoter that we learn that we, as well as the characters, have all been manipulated and fooled by Parchment.
Chapter Fourteen - Under A Luminous Sky by Communic
Lyrical reference: "They kill for the sake of killing, to reach a new and better reality." Here it is. The big one. The title track, if you will. It was this song that first made me think of adding a supernatural aspect to the story. Originally, it was going to be a simple murder mystery, Twilight and Bentgrass chase a serial killer. But around the time I was writing Chapter Six, I was spinning this song over and over again. Furthermore, I had just finished my favorite novel by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, the authors who greatly influenced me to try my hand at writing, and whose character FBI Special Agent Pendergast ended up being a direct influence on Bentgrass. The novel was Still Life With Crows, and to this day, it remains one of my favorite books. What made it special was that the entire time, there appeared to be a supernatural element in the killings. However, it ended up being just a normal person doing the killings. SO, I thought... what if it wasn't?
Chapter Fifteen - The Day That Never Comes by Metallica
Lyrical reference: "Love is a four letter word, and never spoken here." With this chapter, I brought to a close the possible romance angle between Twilight and Bentgrass. Heh, that actually came from one of my pre-readers, who literally commented on an earlier chapter, "These two are perfect for each other." Well, never tempt me with a good time! I decided to run with it a bit, but even from the very beginning, I knew it wouldn't work out. I knew that both Spike and Dash and Mac would have happy endings, so I knew I couldn't have everything end up all hunky-dory. I figuered having Twi and Benty fall out would work. I would have expanded upon this in Eye of The Beholder, but sadly, we all know how that ended...
So, there it is! The reasoning behind the musical chapter names that you literally never wondered about! I'm drunk and going to bed now. Stay safe, stay free, and stay metal! Jake The Army Guy out!
Late night? This is my prime time Jake, blog all you want. I'll read them at work.
Well, it’s 4 in the afternoon over here, Jake, so post away.
no time like the present! tho at the time of your posting its mid afternoon for me.
5149960
5149989
It was about 2 in the morning for me when this came up, I believe. (Daylight saving’s end could be could be screwing that calculation; don’t forget to check your clocks!)
See, jake, this is how i can tell you're a man of excellent taste: signal-boosting Iron Maiden's Revelations is the sort of thing that pretty much defines that category.
There's a surprising (but I guess not that surprising) overlap between "Metalheads" and "Bronies." As in "More than one person." Which I found out firsthand while writing BY THE BLACK AXE OF NIGHTMARE MOON! </shameless plug>
But yeah. I too shamelessly crib song titles for my stories-- though surprisingly, not for the one explicitly metal/music based one I wrote. Go figure.
5150094