BANDITS BANDITS BANDITS
I wrote a short story to a video game song about 5 min in length – how my writing was impacted by the music.
In this article, I talked about the different effects of video game music and the benefits of interactive music on the writing process — I figured why not do an experiment? Write a story and test my theories.
I’ve included time stamps on where each section of the song starts, as well as a subtitle. And some author's notes.
Read on, listen, and enjoy.
Warm fingers of dawn spread out across the green grass seas. Huxtable set out on his grand adventure across the plains, running with enthusiasm and determination reserved for a young boy's first adventure.
- 00:00–00:15–OPENING NOTES — The opening flute melodies and memories of the rising sun in the game inspired this opening crawl— as well as Homer’s Odyssey.
Through the herds of silk-farming larvae ploughing the fields, Huxtable saw the dragon-sized black flies flying above him. The smell of wonder was in the air, like the smell after a thunderstorm, clean and slightly sweet.
The twelve-year-old boy set out to meet the Royal Family and gain their seal of approval. A local tradition for his people. Only then could he hunt bugs beyond the stars, and gain his glory.
Huxtable approached the castle and saw the large steel gates imposing on the sunny greens. Feeling daring, Huxtable declined the main entrance, cutting through the vines along the back wall, leading into a narrow pass. He felt emblazoned as his knife chopped clean through the foliage. How impressed the family would be by his prowess with a blade! He might surprise them, and they could even arrange for him to marry the princess when he returned from his travels.
- 00:15–02:00 — MAIN MELODY— I wanted to introduce a world similar to the story I wrote about bug catchers in space. In which giant bugs are found all over the galaxy. I also played a bit on the introduction to Ocarina of Time; breaking into the royal gardens to see the princess, but this time, it doesn’t go so well.
Out from the bushes, a royal guard appeared. She saw Huxtable before he could react, and descended on him. The forest was the property of the royal family. Arming their sonic spears, more guards emerged from the bushes and trees — they surrounded Huxtable and blocked all exits. The boy tried to duck through their beams, but he was knocked back by energy. There was no place for a street urchin here in the royal gardens. But Huxtable stood at the ready, taking them all on with speed.
02:00–02:30 — DANGER APPROACHES — the increasing horns, they are getting closer, but there’s still hope. The melody is still going, not yet drowned out.
A tall, royal swordsman in a tunic emerged from the silver guards. Armed with a rapier, the man swung and swiped, each strike missing Huxtable barely, each blow reflected off the boy's net. But, Huxtable fell backwards. The sword rushed towards his exposed throat. Huxtable braced for the end, but it did not come.
02:40–03:45 —DANGER DESCENDS — the horns have gotten louder, the rhythms are faster, and that xylophone, booming trombone, and menacing strings drown out the main theme.
A flash of light. Huxtable was pulled through the brush by a group of bandits, hiding in the bushes until the right moment to save the boy. He passed out shortly afterward, a bag thrown over his head, and whisked away to someplace safe.
03:50 — SAFETY INTERLUDE— This is where the tempo of the song pick back up to its previous, non-danger phase. This is where the story goes back to a little bit of safety, rescued by bandits. The harps and the resumed 4/4 marching drum pull the player and writer into a mode of feeling like things have settled. That flute is very reassuring. Maybe it’s all mellow.
They explained to him the damage the royal family had done on the planet, how they had hunted the bugs to the brink, and how they kept a royal guardian stocked with food but shared none with the people. Huxtable, at first, did not believe such lies. He accused them of falsehood, accused them of poor moral character. Until he stepped outside.
04:05–04–26 — REFLECTIVE MELODY — These next two sections bring a calmer sense to the story, which I felt was important for the character to take a look around. The strings rise and there is a melancholy melody played over the continuing harps. It was a moment to reflect on the world itself, and those calm moments after something harrowing are important for reflection. This is something the game does well, and lends itself to storytelling.
But stepping out of his tent, looking around at the poor, starving people, Huxtable realized that life in his little village was sheltered. It was wrong. The world outside was big and glorious, yes, but it was suffering. And if he didn’t help preserve and nurture the world from those that wished to abuse it, how could he become the best anything?
04:30–04:50 — A NEW HOPE REFRAIN — the drums start back up, there is new determination in the melody, and we continue on the adventure
Even though Huxtable had set out on this journey to be the best bug hunter on the planet, what he found was far greater. A life of banditry, a life of freedom, and a life dedicated to overthrowing a cruel government.
In his next adventure, he would find the moustached man in a tunic and take back his honor. With his new friends, Huxtable felt he no longer needed the royal seal of approval, only his companions.
04:50 — END — A little character growth at the end, changing the direction of the story.
I’ll be exploring this topic in more detail and doing more experiments with different soundtracks — comment your favourite soundtrack that I could write to! And maybe it’ll be a good story.
AT
