#does part of that stem from the fact that i don't think denning is great at writing smart characters? yes

[doom-dreaming]

piggybacking off your tags, a lot of this is what I was going to bring up in A Bigger Post in the future about the Gammas' character development:

I also love how Kelly warms up to them, the little moments between her and Ash where she validates his actions or planning are so sweet and this one in particular is my favorite:

...and then in the next paragraph his internal monologue is just "I fucked up I fucked up I fucked up" it's so good.

I wish we got to see a continuation of that in the Ferret books. Alas.

But speaking of the Ferret trilogy, I'm about a hundred pages away from finishing Divine Wind, and this is so far the only exposure I've had to Denning's Halo writing...he's very much a banter writer. Which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, it's fun to read (usually), but I feel like sometimes he bends the characterization in a way that facilitates the banter vs. bantering in a way that seems accurate to the character voice. (I can't criticize too hard because I probably do this too.)

Again, a lot of this comes down to personal preference and I think he does a fine job developing the Gammas further than what they got in Ghosts (I can't speak to how they were portrayed in the book(s?) between Ghosts and the Ferret trilogy, but I can't imagine it's worth mentioning, given the author), but it's like you said: he dialed up the immaturity. They go from being portrayed as "these soldiers are teenagers" to "these teenagers are soldiers," if that makes sense. Nylund and Denning put stronger emphasis on different aspects of their characters, which again is fine, it's just a noticeable tone shift.

I already kind of mentioned Mark becoming the "second-in-command" in the other post and Ash's leadership traits being downplayed quite a bit, but it's really noticeable for me with Olivia. In Ghosts, she's quiet. She's the stealth specialist, she hardly ever speaks (and when she does, it's usually a whisper) and Ash can't even see her in that one scene where they're all trying to outrun the Sentinel, she's so good at going unnoticed. She's talkative in the Ferret trilogy.

Part of me wants to believe this is a natural shift from being front-line Spartans to an ONI undercover unit, but these characterization changes are happening before the Ferret team is even created. I don't know exactly where I'm going with this and I'll be able to make better points when I have page numbers to back me up, but it's been interesting trying to reconcile two significantly different portrayals into something I can use in my own writing.

I came across an interesting callback during my reading/research; in Ghosts of Onyx, Kelly is skeptical of the S-IIIs' battle-readiness and refers to them as "kids" - a statement that Kurt immediately refutes:

and then in Last Light when Lopis is saying something along the lines of "these kids need medical attention," Fred tells her the exact same thing:

...which I thought was an interesting response, because I remembered him being sympathetic to the Gammas at the end of Ghosts...

and the events of these books are only about seven months apart in the greater Halo timeline (not accounting for the slipspace/time-continuum fuckery going on with Onyx) so it seemed a little uncharacteristic to me at first (and you can chalk some of it up to author characterization, sure) but honestly? It's basically the same situation in both cases: someone close to the S-IIIs is defending their status and capability against a skeptical "outsider" opinion (Kelly is obviously less of an outsider than Veta, but the comparison holds up) and vouching for them in the face of doubt. It's a fun little parallel to draw.

[scriptflorist]

Hi, thanks a lot for your answer about floral competition but it isn't what I was asking. I know how one works and have a specific reason for the couple to meet the winner. The problem is that I don't do floral art and barely know a thing about design, so I need to know how to describe them and not make what I describe improper or impossible flower care, downright ugly, out of place, etc without actually being an expert who can design something great, especially a winning design.

Hi again!

Thank you for the clarification, you’re right I kind of missed that you want to describe the actual competition. But only kind of because one of the things that’s important for you to understand here is that competitive floristry largely happens behind closed door. Preferably even each florist to themselves. The events generally aren’t advertised to the public (not counting the world cups), rather than exhibitions displaying the end results. That being said these two events always have to happen back to back because flowers don’t last forever so the works are often made available to the public the same day they were created. Usually in the afternoon, evening or on the following day.

This is largely due to the fact that competitive floristry calls for complex arrangements that take like an hour and a half to build in the first place. And while people may enjoy watching that, it would come at the cost of the florist's concentration and perhaps their flowers too. You may remember I’ve talked about that in the previous post, however, there’s a second reason this doesn’t happen. And that’s cause the actual evaluation and assessment takes foreeeeever. (I was so bored out of my mind that I brought my laptop to our finals so I could write some while waiting for the examiners judgement, me and some classmates ended up listening to music for the longest time of our wait. It was like three hours and we were only five people.) There’s a huge check-list of technical and art-related topics to go through and it will take the jury several hours to complete it for every arrangement. Technique is almost the most important thing so it makes up a rather large chunk of the evaluation sheets actually, so your florists are most likely to get points deducted in that department. People who aren’t acquainted with floristry likely won’t even notice the blemishes a jury has to criticise so it’s not necessarily essential knowledge for your characters.

This masterpost is from way back, but it does give a good idea about what florists mean when they talk about technique. Technique at all times has to be well hidden by your florists. Although there are a few exceptions, like floral tape on a stem not counting for corsages. However, most technique is often hidden well enough to the untrained eye, keep that in mind for the characters who marvel the artwork.

The first thing you will have to ask yourself is whether or not the competition they attend is behind closed doors. Because if it is, you’re fine with just laying focus on the best (or the first three) arrangements, while pointing out general details about the rest. Their general opinion on colour, type and size should be sufficient. Maybe they notice a flower they like too, but unless they think someone else’s is waaaay better they’re not going pay much attention to detail once they see the others.

Whether or not the florists are going to work in the same space or each gets a separate room may depend a little on the location, but usually either or works. Especially if nobody needs extra space. One could even request to work by themselves if it helps them, juries aren’t picky about that. It’s more important that everyone finishes on time. Your characters may even choose to wear earplugs or headphones. I wore headphones during my midterm because talking to others makes me a slower florist and that was bad when I was working on a schedule. So I had a playlist that was roughly half an hour.

Given that every competition, there will be some for the florists too. Usually, flowers are allowed to be prepared, meaning they’ve been rid of all excess leaves, and thorns or side shoots. However, they won’t be allowed to cut them to size already. They will also have extra flowers in case something breaks. Same goes for wiring.

From there on out it’s everyone for themselves. Your florists will be busy thinking about how they have to do their arrangement, what has to be prepared first and which flowers come first. Size, shape and colour play a huge role in which flowers are chosen for which role in the arrangements. But as a rule of thumb lighter colours have to be set higher than darker ones, however, for example, a blue larkspur would have to be set above a white rose because of its shape and character. So your winning florist might catch a glimpse of their surroundings but will for the largest part be lost in their work. Afterwards comes the waiting, maybe even the announcement of the winner, unless that’s supposed to be public, and at last the exhibition where the public will be invited. (And family and friends usually.) If the arrangements aren’t already where they are supposed to be the florists have to set them up for the exhibition. This, however, depends on whether or not the arrangements are fit for moving in the first place.

The next question you should ask yourself is what sort of arrangement you have in mind for the winner. What sort of framework does it have? How tall is it supposed to be? Is it wall-like? Supposed to be set on the ground or on some sort of pedestal? Is it a wreath in any way? (Basically, is it round like a circle and made off plant? There you go consider it a wreath.) Are there branches? Is it supposed to be hanging? Go look at pictures of floral arrangements and write down what you like. Look at vases and basins and baskets and the likes – again write down what suits your tastes. Look at colour gradients and write down what you like, ask google if flowers come in that colour if you aren’t sure – write down what you like. (Complementary colours also work well.) Have a look at wreaths and garlands – write down what you like. Because this is the part where floristry is just another art form and what’s art supposed to be other than pleasing to the eye. Which is an utterly subjective thing in the end. The one thing I cannot tell you is what any of the pieces are going to look like, there are too many factors playing into it including the character of the people making them. I usually go into it by deciding I like a flower and go from there and don’t really have an idea of the final product till I’ve created it unless I am forced to articulate it.

Colors that almost clash make visual tension that can be flashy and attention getting. (Example: pale lavender daisy mums with bright orange gerberas).  - Mod Den

(You should also give the theme of the competition some thought, is it freedom, is it love, is it all retro etc. because that too will shape the arrangement in one way or another.) The bottom line here is that a lot is possible and just because Picasso may not be your taste and Monet is doesn’t mean its immediately ugly. Even if we’re talking floral arrangements and not painted art. Same rules apply. You don’t have to describe your winning arrangement down to a t, as long as you get across that it’s bedazzling and a masterpiece of craftsmanship that’s more than enough. Emotions are more important in describing artworks than knowing in which directions the brush went when crossing the canvas. For example, you could have them compliment their use of colour theory.

It’s a floral art competition, the designs can be *anything* and other than not showing the underlying support in ways that shouldn’t be, and the basic principles of design (proportion, size, form, color).

If a reference needs to be made to a design, then vague comments about the use of a certain flower or the way one of the elements of design were implemented would be best. Otherwise a specific design has to be completely thought up, checked for feasibility, and then it’s still going to be subjective of if that one should win over some other one. Heck, maybe even one of the characters thinks the 2nd place design was better, happens all the time in art competitions with other media.- Mod Den

What I can tell you is that you won’t have to worry about care unless your winner made a bouquet. Which would be an open access competition, like what I talked about in the previous answer. However the larger the competition the more likely it won’t be the only thing your winner made in the end. And bouquets only require care because they need to be cut and given fresh water. (A slanted cut with a regular boring fruit knife or preferably a pocket knife with a single blade. Many florists carry one of these.) Floral foam already takes care of everything because it’s soaked through with water and giving the stems an edge makes piercing into it way easier. (Note: Your florists do know that floral foam needs to be given a minute or two to soak up the water instead of being emerged in it because the latter only causes a dry centre and sad droopy flowers through that.)

Of all the things out of place, you could describe flowers out of season may be the worst offenders, so no tulips in summer and chamomile in winter and the likes. A florist who doesn’t know their craft would not only make for a poor competitor. Actually, they would no competitor at all.

- Mod Jana

Disclaimer

This blog is intended as writing advice only. This blog and its mods are not responsible for accidents, injuries or other consequences of using this advice for real world situations or in any way that said advice was not intended.

[noise-eternal]

Khadavra - Interview

Hey Khadavra! Can you introduce yourselves for us?

Hello! We are Alex, Seb, Jón, Nils & Ole - Khadavra. A band started by Alex in Arvika, Värmland in the spring of 2012. Started as a doom metal band, but after regrouping in september we changed our path and started treading in the footsteps of Tool. Trying to make emotional, cinematic and complex music that could invoke the presence of the profound.

This were times when I, Alex, was very naive, pretentious and looked for meaning in my own way. Now, seven years, a move to Gothenburg and two albums later it's easier to just call us a progressive rock band with a shoegaze attitude and a post-rock state of mind.

How does it feel to have your new album out, are you pleased with the process and where did you record it?

Great. Incredibly relieving! Now all that music and emotional bagage has manifested in something that no longer burdens us. It is now free and not something that is kept alive by our imagination, it lives it's own little life, fed by the collective imagination.

As with our first album, Hypnagogia was conceived and recorded in Khadavergrottan, our rehearsal studio in Gothenburg (as all recordings with Alex and Seb's other projects: Enstam, Dimma GBG and She Sees). This is where all the drums were recorded in may 2017. Additionally all bass and almost all guitars and vocals were done there as well. Keyboards was recorded in Nils home studio.

We are very happy with the result! But the process.... well, let's not go there...recording on your own, without much production knowledge or experience and with no real budget, well there's a lot of backsides. But the tedious and frustrating process was worth it.

Who writes the lyrics and/or music in Khadavra?

Well, the creation of the music is a pure collaborative process. Usually Seb or Jón has ideas for riffs or melodies that make up the foundation for the songs, but those original ideas go through a long process of jamming that lets us all be an essential part of the shaping of the idea, and the creation of the rest of the song.

When it comes to lyrics it's same but different. The lyrics to Lucid Parasitosis I on our previous album was written by Jón, Down the Rabbithole was written by Alex and Seb, Nils and Jón collected the words to Tryptophan. We don't really have rules for this, It's all very intuitive.

Your first album were to me, frankly, a bit too sterile sounding for my liking. Do you agree or was this perhaps just a mistake with the production?

Wow. We find that really odd, and have a hard time agreeing with that statement actually. A big part of our first album was recorded live (bass and drums were recorded together on most of the tracks), with only like 6 shitty microphones in our rehearsal space, by Alex. Den första vilan, Den sista vilan, Lucid Parasitosis II, I sol itu and Födelsen was done with guitar, bass and drums recorded simultaneously in a few takes with keyboards done after.

We recorded it during 2 weeks, as we lived 4 people in Alex tiny cottage. We told Tobias Carlsson to do as little as possible to the songs in his mixing production, and he did it in only a couple of weeks. With that said, and having the sound of it in mind we don't really find that album sterile at all... if anything, Hypnagogia is the sterile sounding of the two. But as this statement of defense is made, we respect your opinion. And to answer the last part of your question: No real mistakes were made in the production of our first album. Some of the performances on the recordings could have been better... but it was a conscious decision to make everything as pure as possible at the time.

To me you sound like some sort of dreamy progressive rock, have you also taken any cues from bands from the swedish genre “progg”? Like Nationalteatern, Hoola Bandoola Band etc? Because I can somewhat sense that as well.

Well... even though we absolutely have listened to a lot of the good ol' "Progg" we wouldn't say that we have been taking cues or inspiration in a conscious or direct way. At least not in a melodically technical way. I think we've taken more of the attitude and the perception of music as a weapon that is found in the swedish "progg" scene in the early to mid 70's.

We take a lot more of direct creative inspiration and cues from other bands active in Sweden in the same time period as: Bo Hansson, Träd, Gräs och Stenar, Älgarnas Trädgård, Baby Grandmothers, Pärson Sound, Fläsket Brinner and Samla Mammas Manna.

If we’re talking inspiration/influences we have to mention: Tool, Anekdoten, Dungen, Slowdive, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and of course BLACK SABBATH!!!

You originally are from Arvika, Värmland. How has this affected the band? Are there any bands to talk of in Arvika?

Well, firstly: Värmland has really beautiful, wild and authentic landscapes of deep, narrow and dark woods. I cherish the fact that me (Alex) and my brother (Seb) always had the opportunity to explore and play in the woods as kids. When we make music together, most of the times it moves to some kind of spiritual forest-rock, I like to imagine that it has to do with our environment while growing up. I also think that the monotonous vibe integrated in Arvika's social nature had a big effect on us. Having the same friends from kindergarten until graduation, walking the same streets, meeting all the same people who only talk about past activities, always repeating routines - you grow up being bored. At least for me this was frustrating and made us seek some kind of outlet, something that could set some of those suppressed feelings in motions and to find our identity.

So the music, in a sense, came out of neccessity. That we wanted to do experimental and somewhat edgy music was because of the state of Arvika's music scene at the time. Nothing stimulating in it, at all. When you don't have anything inspirational around you to tap in to, you have to make it yourself - that was pretty much my take on that situation and period in my life.

The sound of the first album (written while still living in Arvika) is representative of my and Seb's experience of living there. Frustrated, angry and a bit lost in the newly found adulthood. There's a lot of factors that effect the way we make music and our sound.

Bands in Arvika? Well... Nephila is pretty cool. Feels like they have kept something we stirred up alive after we left. One of Sweden's best bands, Vulkan are almost from Arvika... they are always worth talking about.

I always like this one even though it’s a boring question one might argue, which (up to) three records have each of you had a hard on for lately?

Alex: Russian Circles - Memorial, Sonic Youth - The Eternal, Nirvana - In Utero

Seb: Catherine wheel - chrome, My Bloody Valentine - Isn't anything, Aphex twin - I care because you do

Jon: Black Sabbath - Technical ecstasy, Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmores Rainbow, Captain Beefheart - Safe as milk

Ole: Porcupine Tree - In Absentia, Björk - Utopia, John Frusciante - The Empyrian

Nils: Toby Driver - They are the Shield, All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light, Steve Reich - Pulse/Quartet

Can you explain some of the albums’ themes and/or messages? If there are any.

Ok. Hypnagogia is the state between awake and dreaming. Sometimes, before falling into deep sleep you can enter this state of pure hallucination, reminicient of the kind you can experience on hallucinogenic drugs but different. In a segment of a lecture called "Dreaming Awake at the End of Times" Terence McKenna argues that we, as we are now in our time of civilization, are neither awake or asleep (like conspirationists saying that we are asleep and must wake up to see and acknowledge the truth), we are in an universal hypnagogic state. Hallucinating together.

I don't really remember the rest of the lecture, and what the real point is... but this is in a way a backdrop to the theme of the album. You need to sleep to wake up, and if we're not really sleeping or being awake... an interesting idea to linger on, but without much sense or hope of resolution. The album explores different sensations that are in one sense completely natural but at the same time it has a somewhat supernatural vibe to it. Maybe these sensations are a product of what could be deemed hypnagogia, not completely real or unreal, but a personal experience nevertheless.

But mostly the themes is a projection stemming in our personal experiences, individual and collective evolution and growth as human beings in this new urban environment in Gothenburg. If our first album was based on our perception about life in a town like Arvika, then this one is based on life in Gothenburg.

We wouldn't say the album holds any conceived and coherent messages though...

What’s up for Khadavra in the future. How come the long wait between the albums?

Just gonna take it as it comes for a while... we got some cool shows closing in, maybe got some more coming this fall. We have been given the chance of playing with musical heroes Gösta Berlings Saga in august and Vulkan in october. It's going to be amazing!

We've also completed the writing of two new songs! Both are featured on our setlist for the summer and we're planning on recording them both and releasing them separately, when the time comes...

At this moment we're not that keen on the idea of any new full length album though. Well, maybe if it comes naturally, but for now we got more of an urge to relearn and renew older songs and perfect our new ones for the shows ahead, because playing live is actually our main outlet and something we finally can put more energy and focus into.

Oh yeah! We got a new member, Ole, by the way. A lot of our time will be spent getting him in our unit and let him shine brightly in our sonic landscape. He provides vocals and a lot of guitar to our upcoming shows!