Show off your favorite songs without lyrics, and let’s see what happens when we let ourselves be inspired by them to write some stories!
During the last stream, a subscriber requested that we write some music prompts.
Chat suggested a bunch of songs (without lyrics!) and then we put them on a wheel, spun it, and wrote short stories for whichever one it landed on.
The first song it landed on was this:
Here’s what we wrote for it:
The bard at The Porker’s Stern strung up a tune on his lute, marching around the tables of families devouring their turkey legs and cornbread at $16.99 per person.
“Listen round, and I’ll tell you a tale,
As you sit full of food and mead and ale.
Adventurers and dragons, princesses and kings,
Conquering kingdoms, and magic gold—”Beep beep beep. Somebody’s phone went off as he was signing, and he stopped right there, glaring at the young woman now fumbling with her purse.
“Excuse me, young maiden, but put away your device.
The Porker’s Stern is a place free of modern vice.”But the woman didn’t make a move to put it away. Her thumbs flew furiously over the screen, like a phoenix making flight, and her friend even leaned over from the side to see what she was doing. Now, the bard was getting angry.
“Comply, I beseech thee, don’t make your calls here.
For you are just breaking our enchanting atmosph—”“Hol’ up, bard,” shouted the woman next to her. “This b*tch, she textin’ my boyfriend!”
“He ain’t your boyfriend no more,” the other woman said. “Not since last Tuesday.”
“Oh, you didn’t! He said he was going to Waffle House.”
“Mmhmm, he did. I made ‘em nice and fresh for him.”
“You skank! My man ain’t going down on some waffle-wielding wench!”
“Bring it, hoe-bag!”
The two women started clawing at each other with their dagger-nails. At first the bard was going to call the manager, but then he realized his time had come.
The epic of the century, unfolding right here in front of him. To capture great happenings in song, such was the soul of a bard!
“Two lionesses, competing in heat.
Vying for dominance over a man’s meat.
Their hairs are long and full of paint,
And now they battle for who gets to mate.“A slap! A shriek! An earring flies far.
Two majestic beasts continue their spar.
The tavern, a jungle, primal and sweaty.
Hacking each other with nails as machetes.“Alas, a winner finally emerges,
The one who will quench her beastly urges.
The loser, the waffle wench, hobbles out the door.
Bleeding from her ear, cursing like a whore.“Terrible demons can drive men to kill,
But two women lusting is scarier still.
Whether they stay or whether they go home,
‘Tis fine with me as long as they turn off that phone!“O fair maiden, please put down that vase.
It’s the most valuable piece in this whole place.
Why are you now approaching this bard?
I beseech you, fair maiden, please don’t hit me too—”Smash!
The next song that the wheel landed on was this:
Here’s what we wrote:
This performance was the culmination of their life.
The stage was covered in a long silk sheet. Lanterns glowing behind it cast a ghostly light. A world where only shadows existed.
Liquid silhouettes danced along it, to the rumblings of drums unseen. An audience of hundreds watched in awe as the story began, the king and queen among them, telling the tale of The War of the Crows.
Not so long ago there as a tyrant so cruel that he did not imprison, only burned the bodies of his enemies black. Those few who survived swore vengeance upon him. They wore their charred skin as armor, adorned themselves with feathers, and uniting the kingdoms under their ashen banner.
This performance brought that history to life.
Shadows fought shadows, just as brothers fought brothers, all forced together into one fighting mass. Neither side battled for glory nor riches, only for fear of the spears pressed against their backs.
The shadows blurred into one, and fell apart, shedding more figures each time. Splatters of blood dripped against the sheet. Always the same color. Black as ink.
The audience gasped, marveling at the spectacle. Never before had a shadow play touched their hearts such as this. From the seats, from their full bellies, from their safety of peace, they’d forgotten how it all was earned.
The tyrant’s shadow finally appeared. Mothers hugged their children close. Towering over the others, he controlled the burning light of the lanterns, shining it upon the shadows both left and right. With a scream and a flash they seared away to nothing.
Children cried as the scene turned hopeless, the tyrant standing tall and alone. None could hope to defeat him. Not when he could slay them so easily from either side.
So the Crows fell on him from above.
Ten feathered shadows, the ones the tyrant had spurned. Their strings so thin it looked as though they were flying, their spears so sharp they pierced through the tyrant all at once. His blood splattered black to stain the screen.
His mighty form fell! Finally defeated. The audience, once full of tears, now erupted with joy. Cheers, applause, and rippling revels, awaiting the final act.
It did not come. The actors’ movements stopped. Liquid turned solid turned to awkward turns and confusion. Some shadows ran, some stood, some screamed.
The only one that did not move was the tyrant.
The sheet was pulled back, destroying the illusion. Performers, lanterns, drums, buckets of ink water. And a dead man bleeding red.
Among the dull, fake spears lying on the stage was a single real one, piercing the tyrant’s performer. Not a mere trouper nor dancer, but Prince Vaaz himself.
The elder king and queen in the audience roared, demanding to know the culprit. Each of the ten performers pleaded innocent, claiming they were not the one who’d thrust the sharpened spear.
Although their faces all showed the same look of horror, for one of them, their heart sang of justice. Of ending the bloodline that had slayed their beloved king — the so-called tyrant whose spirit still lived on.
This performance had been the culmination of their life.
If you want to join us and help write a story by trolling in chat, or share your own writing for feedback, then we’d love to have you join us on Twitch.
And you missed the stream, you can still watch them on the YouTube channel or watch the full stream reruns.
Hope to see you next time, friend!
Top images: Pakutaso