Aridi Writes

Wherein the author, my good self, demonstrates various songs that act as the theme tunes to various characters within the Minute Silence world and how they relate to them, hoping to impart an understanding as to how my mind works when making a character! Or something.

Note: Some of the YouTube videos are there purely so you can hear the songs. The videos aren’t at all important for the most part. Notable is the stupid Naruto video for The Capitol, sadly, the only one I could find.

MARK “JUGGLER” JUGG: Alter Bridge – Rise Today

I keep coming back to this song. Its themes are so fitting for both Minute Silence as a whole and Mark specifically. The twofold meaning of the chorus – the idea of rising up from what we are, and of changing the world for the better – frame the journey that Mark makes from the beginning; and of course, he can make things Rise with his telekinesis, if we want to get smart.

MAX KOWALSKI: MxPx – The Capitol

They say Man’s Best Friend is a dog. Not so. Man’s Best Friend is Max Kowalski, assuming that man is Juggler. In many ways Max is the driving force behind Mark’s reformation, and constantly urges Mark forward in his endeavours while trying to keep him on the straight and narrow. Literally, he’s been with Mark all along, and guided him where most others would have fallen by the wayside, which is the theme of the song.

SCARLET “SHARD” GIBSON: Alter Bridge – Burn It Down

An interesting choice for her that reflects part of her attitude. Having seen the belly of the beast that is Steel Mountain, Scarlet fills the wee hours between her dull job and the “Street Work” she does with Jeff with hedonistic pursuits that never quite seem to alleviate the hollowness at her core. She refuses to gush about it to other people – but deep down, she knows that she’s fighting a battle against demons from her past, and she isn’t entirely sure she’s winning. Every night she burns down whatever she’s built up, only to start building again in the morning.

JEFF “INK” TRENYX: Thrice – Of Dust And Nations

While Scarlet’s view of the world is a jaded one, Jeff is more neutral about it, only knowing that if he is to make a difference, he can’t be part of the machine. Society as it stands wouldn’t accept him and it won’t learn the lessons he wants to teach it, so he remains in the shadows and does his job. It’s part of who he is, and part of the darkness that his powers allow him to command – a feeling of separation from everyone and everything else, like the world itself is just a shadow.

CALVIN “CALIBER” BURTON: Story Of The Year – Welcome To Our New War

This song is fast, and hard. Like Cal. It is also reflective of his attitude to control, government, power, and the state of play in terms of the economy. Also, his new status has simply led him into just another war – a new war, this time, against an unknown set of players wearing uniforms he doesn’t recognise. The promise of the war being won by the little man, too, reflects Cal’s paradoxical attitude; while cynical to a terrible degree, he also has hope.

LAWRENCE HERSH: Disturbed – This Moment

Hersh is a bully, pure and simple. He sets out to hurt, belittle and dominate all those around him; especially after the events of the first book…which This Moment is all about. One part of the chorus is a gleeful reference to what will happen to him after the book: “In this moment as you run away, you will only separate me from what I believe…”

More will follow!

Minute Silence

Progress. The plot advances, a little bit slowly, but still – it is moving forward. This weekend I won’t actually get much done, because my buddy Tom is visitting – but MAYBE, he can actually provide me with some guidance on certain plot points.

In Arms Of Darkness

Mental plotting stage still. Couple of pages written. This, for those that don’t know, is an experiment in sci fi horror involving psychics and craziness.

Our New War

Same. This is a political curiosity; set in 2040 in both a rather benevolent dictatorship that replaces the UK government, and the Holy States Of The United States…or maybe Hong Kong.

Mark stared at the world around him, dark and hostile. It was cold, so very cold; he felt his skin squirm at the icy chill.

The city around him had been totally levelled. No modern weaponry could dispense the level of utter desolation that he saw all around him; he was stood on the derrick of the Sixth Gate refinery in the very centre of the city, and every other building had been taken down, the walls ruined and smashed to pieces. Nothing stood higher than six inches off ground level.

There were no people or cars; the peace was complete, all aside from him, and the dust shifting across the shattered cityscape with the sub-zero breeze. There was no moon in the sky, no clouds – only the stars, picked out brilliantly against the infinite black of space.

He felt peaceful. Despite the obvious destruction all about him, as far as he could see, he felt a certain sense of calm and serenity; likewise, the crushing loneliness that accompanied the odd certainty that he was the sole survivor translated itself in his feelings as a welcome thing, a knowledge that he no longer had to hide who – or what – he was.

Taking a breath, he felt the cold settle in his lungs. It ached a little, and he hugged himself; the comfort and peace started to melt away as once more, he looked up into the sky, at the stars laid out so perfectly with no light pollution to drown them out.

He blinked, and frowned. Something was wrong.

He blinked again. He wasn’t sure what, but something nagged at him; something had set his teeth on edge. Were he a dog, his hackles would be up, and he would be growling at ghosts on the wind; for the life of him he wasn’t sure why.

It took him one more blink to realise what he was witnessing. A star vanished, as he was staring at it; then another at the edge of his vision.

One by one, the stars began to wink out of existence, silently and effortlessly.

He took a deep breath and tried to scream.

(Excerpt from Minute Silence © John Aridi 2008)

I bet you’ll like this one. CLICK HERE because the piccy is big.

Have you ever heard the term, “more strings to your bow”?

Right now, more is being added to my bow, in terms of strings. And a significant proportion of that is coming from the work of the Epic Trifecta – which comprise of myself and two of my good friends: an artist and a film-maker, respectively. The latter’s work can be found HERE.

Works currently in progress amongst the Epic Trifecta – involving at least two of us at a time – include two comic ideas and a short film for the Isle of Wight Short Film Festival. I’m writing for all of these – the exceptionally talented Laura is making the comics into graphic reality, and the mighty Tim is doing everything in the film aside from writing the words and saying them.

In short…life is interesting. I recently aced two interviews at work – from 1st of July I will have regular, fixed, guaranteed hours every week, with the option to do more if necessary. It cuts back my potential earning a little but it gives me an honest-to-god budget AND it gives me time to write and do my creative work. Oh yeah, and goof off with my newly-acquired PS2.

The old Chinese term, “May You Live In Interesting Times”, doesn’t feel like a curse right now.

And don’t panic. I AM still writing Minute Silence!