Skyship Academy: The Music - Day Five

It's the final day for SKYSHIP music! Today I'm focusing on another of Jesse's closest friends aboard the Academy but also one that can often rub him the wrong way:

EVA RODRIGUEZ

Who: fifteen-year-old trainee at the Academy ** highly knowledgeable about training expectations and procedures ** very competitive, and definitely more athletic/aggressive than Jesse

Songs:

Surferosa - The Future
Eva's songs are more in-your-face than anyone else's this week. She's a definite soldier and grade-A student, but also buys into the procedures and hierarchy of the Academy and the government as a whole. Always eager for an opportunity to advance her skills, she is optimistic in the ability of students like her to make a difference. This song, which combines aggression and passion, would be the kind of music to pump Eva up before battle.



Set Fire Run - Destroy! Destroy!
Jesse's indecision can drive Eva crazy. More often than not, she's pushing him into action when all he wants to do is hesitate. As brilliant as she is, Eva can sometimes get tunnel vision, especially during training missions. The straightforward battle cry of this track is a perfect representation of her worldview when she gets in a "battle" frame of mind.



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Skyship Academy: The Music - Day Four

Day Four! Today we're staying at the Academy and focusing on one of Jesse's two closest friends aboard the school:

SKANDAR HARRIS

Who: fifteen-year-old trainee at the Academy ** easygoing, with a love for training scenarios and battles ** speaks with remnants of a British accent - Jesse calls it a "Skandar accent"

Songs:

The Galvatrons - The First Starfighter
Given his obsession with battle (or at least what he thinks battle would be like), this track is definitely something that would appeal to Skandar. It chronicles the plight and eventual victory of the starfighter in the title. But more than that, it does so in such an overblown, epic, romanticized way. This is definitely how Skandar sees war, and deep down he'd love to be like the victorious homecomers in this track. This leads him to some rash decisions.



Battles - Atlas
I include this song because I think it's something that Skandar would totally listen to. It's simple, repetitive and kind of ridiculous. He's not exactly a scholar, but he makes up for it in positivity, loyalty and a bit of a strange side. The lyrics are so unintelligible, yet I can see him being interested in deciphering their meaning in the hope that it would lead him to some sort of glory.



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Skyship Academy: The Music - Day Three

Day Three is upon us! Today, I'll focus on Avery, the "unattainable" (as he puts it) girl of Jesse's dreams:

AVERY WICKSEN

Who: seventeen-year-old post-grad transferred to Skyship Academy several years ago ** works in the ship's library after failing to attain Pearl agent-status ** known for sneaking around the ship, looking for trouble

Songs:

Pacific! - Break Your Social System
Avery's selections are more laid-back and downtempo to reflect her personality. Her "whatever" attitude to life is the opposite of Jesse's more worried approach. She's also very much the rebel on Skyship Academy, refusing to blindly follow the rules and regulations. The Academy is home to many dark nooks and crannies, perfect for sneaking around. She takes full advantage, sometimes to her and Jesse's detriment. This track highlights that rebellious personality.



Donkeyboy - Sometimes
There's also a darker side to Avery. She's haunted by her past -- a past Jesse knows very little about. This is what initiates their friendship. As pitiful as Jesse can be sometimes, he's the only one on the Academy that can make her laugh. The lyrics in the chorus of this song, especially, describe the essence of this relationship (a relationship Jesse wishes would go further - Avery is a little more vague about her own wishes).



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Skyship Academy: The Music - Day Two

Time for Day Two of the Skyship Academy character music week! Yesterday I focused on one of the Academy's trainees. Now it's time to journey down to the surface and talk about who's working on the other side of the Pearl Wars:

CASSIUS STEVENSON

Who: fifteen-year-old training with the Unified Party to become a Pearlhound ** the favorite student of head honcho Madame, who considers him an adopted son ** after he comes in contact with Jesse Fisher, something inside him explodes... literally

Songs:

Spleen United - My Tribe
More than anything, the lyrics of this encompass the cold war between the two factions of the book -- Skyshippers and those living on the Surface. Whereas Jesse doesn't completely buy into it, Cassius's world is dominated by military operations, subterfuge and the constant threat of insurgencies from multiple enemies. As the book opens, he definitely has a cocky, us-against-them mentality, which leads him to actions he could very possibly regret later on. The loyalty to his "company" (in this case, his Madame and his fellow Pearlhounds) has been ingrained deeply.

My Tribe by popantipop

Carpark North - Burn It
The complicated relationship between Cassius and his mother figure, the ruthless Madame, forms the crux of his story line and the majority of his motivation throughout the story. Things reach a head as the action progresses, and this song perfectly illustrates his mental space when they do. Also, the title is appropriate, given the events of the third chapter (I'll let you see for yourself when you read the book, though!)



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Skyship Academy: The Music - Day One

It's hard for me to even process, but my debut novel, SKYSHIP ACADEMY: THE PEARL WARS, will be released in just over a month (Sept. 8th, to be exact). In honor of that, all this week is going to be a fusion of the largest portions (non-day-job) of my life: music and writing. Each day I'll take a character from the book and post two songs that not only sound futuristic and awesome, but fit that character as well. Should be fun! And today, we start with one of the main characters:

JESSE FISHER

Who: fifteen-year-old Skyship Academy trainee ** slacker/klutz deemed all but hopeless by the faculty ** mysterious past may lead to a truth both powerful and dangerous

Songs:

Pnau - The Truth
Much of Jesse's past is shrouded in mystery. His parents were killed in an Academy mission when he was only a few years old. The faculty of the Academy act strangely around him, and he's never sure who he can trust completely. This, understandably, leads to a lot of confusion, self-doubt and frustration. The lyrics to this track express all of this, but the giant, aggressive melody does it one better by truly summing up all the feelings swirling around in his mind.

The Truth by Pnau

The Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds
Because of the isolated nature of the Academy, Jesse often expresses a fantasy of breaking free and leaving for good (preferably with his crush, Avery Wicksen - more on her later this week). Of course, the teachers and staff aren't about to let this happen. This song has the wistful sound to it that compliments the first track as well as presenting more of the optimistic, adventurous side to his personality. Plus, I think the general feel is very Skyshippy.

Sound of Arrows - Into The Clouds by jonnylightning

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