Another Melody: The Nerd Beyond Time and Space

Huh! So you're also the great hero Aldo who defended the capital from the beast invasion...

You've sure got a busy schedule, Mr. Savior!

It really wasn't as big as you're making it out to be. Plus, I couldn't have done it without my friends. We all saved Unigan together.

Does your diet consist only of humble pie? Strut a little! Legends of you are even well-known in the future. They even made a movie about one of them, called "Battle of Miglance."

You're joking...right? I'm in a movie?!

I'm serious! People get inspired by stuff that's based on a true story, so a lot of historical pieces are major hits. And within the genre, not only do you show up as a character, you're the protagonist in a lot of them! "Rice Cats and the Meow-Meow Ritual," "Dragon Princess Tiramisu," "Valkyrie of the Thunder Fortress"; there are tons of them!

Dragon Princess... Does that have anything to do with Wryz Saga?

That's DP volume 5, where the Summoner Princess Tiramisu's rival, the Dragon Exile Wryzlie, makes their first appearance! The fandom has practically been at war for a million years over whether their ship name should be Tiralie or Wryzmisu. And even though the holy scripture states that they are destined to be together in the future...

I'masuckerforagooddestinypairingsoatfirstI wasallforthechemistryofthefirstshipbutifwe're talkingaboutafterthevillagesecretsgotout...

Y-Your lips are moving too fast... I can't...

(AAH! I was so excited to have someone listen to me fangirl for once that I became unlistenable again!)

There are more of them than I expected...

If you want a treasure trove of relationship drama, you HAVE to watch Dragon Princess. To bring you up to speed...

I'masuckerforagooddestinypairingsoatfirstI wasallforthechemistryofthefirstshipbutnowa newmysteriousmanmightbetakingthelead...

Y-Your lips are moving too fast... I can't...

(AAH! I was so excited to have someone listen to me fangirl for once that I became unlistenable again!)

A-Anyway, the point is that your heroic deeds were grand enough to make it to the future, so you should feel more proud!

I guess hero stories have always been the ones passed down. Even in this era, bards make a living by singing about them. Oh look, there's one now.

Huh? Isn't he going to sing?

This sensation... I can feel it. This scene has all the makings of a tragic villain origin story!

Salutations, my fellow artiste! Have thee but a moment to spare for discourse?

...Of course, but the way you speak is quite coarse...

That's one way to start a conversation...

Ahem, sorry. We noticed you had some customers stop by, but you didn't sing for them. A single unit of git for your thoughts?

Don't be shy! Let Miss Mochi unburden your deepest insecurities and wipe away the tears that stain your soul!

My last performance failed, my audience bored and wary. They said my songs were stale, obvious, and ordinary. I didn't waver from them wanting something new to savor. I added my original flavor. Yet still...they answered with disfavor. Their anger's origin is my hero story's spin. "Inaccurate," they say, but I'm no historian. Smithing words, that's what I find glory in.

Ugh, canon purists. Don't even get me started... As fans' passion for a work increases, their tolerance for deviations from the original decreases, one of the laws of fanphysics.

If all that can be played are songs already made...other bards are of a higher grade. This spells the end of my career, I fear.

If you've reached that point...what about trying to find something new to sing about? New content, or a new story? The audience wouldn't have anything to compare it to, so chances are you'd get a different reaction.

Let's pretend. Assuming I could, even then... I have no confidence now, will I ever again? *sigh* Heavy is the hand that holds the pen.

I relate to this so hard; I'm an artist too, you know. But where you are right now is still an important step toward being a creator! But that doesn't mean you stay here! The important part now is finding a way forward!

Color me intrigued, though also perplexed. What are you suggesting for me to do next?

I've survived many a battle against the slump, I've seen things... Follow me, kid, and you just might make it out alive. This calls for a field trip to jump-start your creative battery!

We must search for a story, but not just any story, a story beyond time and space!

Huh? When you say time and space...

To the Elzion movie theater!

What better way to kick this off than the popular movie, "Battle of Miglance"!

And so it came to pass, through the efforts of the hero Ronaldo, the beastfolk were defeated and Miglance was saved. The End.

I'm gobsmacked! Future bards in theaters! Who knew that we could act?

That's not the only place you'll find them! Storytelling comes in many forms nowadays!

And I thought I knew Aldo, but didn't know a thing! Who knew he was the bastard son of a king?!

That part was made up! Not true! Not true! Even for a story it's so unrealistic! What kind of king just abandons their child in a forest anyway?!

Welp, seems like someone's a little bit sensitive to "creative interpretation." But hang in there, Aldo! We're only on step one! This level of dramatization is nothing! Just wait until you see what's at our next stop...

On that note...to the fanfic convention! We'll buy all of the Battle of Miglance fanfics we can get our hands on!

Wait...ALL of this stuff was based on the Battle for Miglance Castle?

Yep! But not only that, it was all fan-made as a hobby, not by publishers.

A hobby? Not to sound snobby, but you mean that anyone can be a bard as fitly as they see? It sounds so free...

Exactly! Stories are meant to be free! Any person should be able to tell any story, and in any medium they choose. Honestly, the possibilities are endless!

What about this book? Looks like it's a special edition featuring me and the king. What's this acronym? N-S-F...

NO-NO-NO-STOOOP!

You are DEFINITELY not prepared for what happens between the sheets, of paper in this book. It's for advanced readers!

There are even different reading levels? These fanfic writers went way deeper into me than I'd thought.

Hah! Hahaha! Hah...

It's time to retreat, soldiers! We got the spoils of the slump war we came for, now fall back to the Riftbreaker!

These fan fictions are the best! Color me impressed. With every rendition, Aldo's life is redressed! Here, he befriends his beast foes; here, he's the one who's furry, a bit weird, I suppose, but they all write without worry!

That's what I've been saying! Some stories may be less well-received, but there are no rules saying they have to be a certain way.

Though perhaps this tale is too tall... His allies are a frog man and robot doll?

Huh? What's so weird about...

...Okay, when you say it out loud...

But how can they get away with what's on this page? Won't Aldo's fans be thrown into a rage?

Abso-freaking-lutely. Tons of them! That's because everyone is searching for different things. Some also grow attached to certain details more than others.

Don't despair! I wasn't finished yet. It's not your responsibility to worry about them. A story's job is finished when it's delivered... After that, the onus falls on the audience, and there are as many interpretations as there are members. There is no one answer.

Whether they love it or hate it, it still makes them feel something, and neither experience has more value than the other.

So? The pen's in your hand, Mr. Bard. What do you want to write with it?

I want to write...something truly sublime...

...I can't think of anything; not even a rhyme.

But that, this whole time you, never mind... Hey, Melody, why did you become a comic book artist in the first place?

That's an A-plus question, but I'm docking marks for not raising your hand!

Ahem. Now, why did I become a creator, you ask? Well...

...Melody?

Maybe...because I don't want to lose? There are so many daily battles, against my own insecurities, the cruelty of reality, the list goes on, and I want to win them all. But we're all so fragile. We can't stand and face them without glue to hold us together. That's why the power of stories is so vital...

You're right... Stories do have power. They shine light, in our darkest hour. Even hearing yours about your hardship, I feel like I'm ready now to march in, and spill poetic words onto this parchment. I know not the moral it will teach when it is done. Can I truly spin a tale worthy of being spun?

You don't need to know the end product from the start! Just let the inspiration be your guide. Your heart will move your hand, your hand the pen, and your words the audience!

The contrast with reality seems stark. You make it sound like a walk in the park...

It is! Just get that hand moving and don't stop until your heart says it's finished!

On that note, Aldo, you've been a brave soldier, but we're about to charge headlong through the slumpy battlefront! You've been a joy to have in my class, but go play outside until we're done!

Thanks again for keeping me company.

I do not mind. I have researched the Battle of Miglance extensively. If ever you wish to hear my story analysis, please let me know.

Analysis... I guess everyone really does have a different way of enjoying stories.

I've already been waiting for so long... Maybe I should check on them?

Hey guys, I'm coming in.

Guys? Why is it so dark...in...

Die. Taste my fist. Perish. Cease to exist.

Kill them. Slay them. End their bloodlines.

Whaaa?! What happened to you two?!

There are enemies...in our midst.

Enemies?!

Wh-Where?! What enemies?!

They bind our minds under key and lock. They are one, they are many, they are...

...WRITER'S BLOCK!!!

...Righter splock?

Ready your weapon. Show them no mercy...

I'm not seeing anything...

Look with your mind, not your eyes! If our enemies live in our imagination, then that's where we must defeat them!

With my mind as my guide!

I see you there!

You cannot hide!

It's time to take them down!

C-Can we wait a second and calm...

Depart! Succumb!

Hesitation, weakness, self-doubt, be gone!

You're swinging into an empty space...

They spawn with each victory. This feels so unfair. It seems contradictory, like a circular square.

As stand-alone enemies, they are weak, but there's no limit on their ability to revive...

...Okay. I give up.

And the ones giving birth and rebirth to them...are none other than ourselves. It's only because we possess such talented imaginations that they can be manifested in the first place!

They're only shapable because I'm capable?

Exactly! So how could you lose to something you created? Show your weakness and your fear who's boss!

You're a bard, for crying out loud! If anyone can do this, it's you! I believe in you!

I was born for this, the original, not a copy!

Haaaarghhh! Not even I could stop me!

That's more like it! Get into it! Come on, Aldo, join the cause! Swing that magic Ogre Rancorem and lend our new friend your power!

I... Uh...

When you're down, who picks you up? Who can you always rely on for strength? Would your allies hesitate to cheer you on?!

They wouldn't...and neither will I. Let's do this!

Die, weakness! Perish, thy weak self! Break free from thy shell and forge a new path!

Let's go bard! He's our man! If he can't write it, no one can!

......

I, Hm.

...Do not be alarmed. I will simply use the delete function of my memory banks to erase the last few moments...

W-Wait! I was just...cheering him on...

I am well aware of the human experience known as "stress," though I have not seen it expressed in this way before...

Do remember to rest at a checkpoint or inn when you feel tired. Perhaps doing so can restore your stress as well as your HP.

I-I swear, it's not what you think...

Also, lunch boxes rot like all food. They are not meant to sit in your personal collection. Helena was mortified when she found one.

B-But...I can explain...

I DID IT! I've won! It's finally done!

Yes! That's another win for artists! Now we return to Unigan and show those ignoramuses...those ignorami... Ahem, those ignorant people the color of your soul!

Also, Aldo, can you...

...Why are you in the corner?

No reason. I feel nothing. Unigan sounds great. Let's go to Unigan.

Things got a little bit crazy back there... Are you sure the song turned out alright?

...On a scale from one to ten?

No idea! I didn't read it. I do have faith that he will succeed though, no matter what.

A cat, frog, and doll, you sang? That's who saved Unigan? You should be ashamed of yourself! I've never felt so offended in my life... If the great hero Aldo were here to witness this, he would rebuke you!

Haha...

What a sublime waste of the precious time in my precious day. There is no pearl to be found in this mollusk of a bard!

......

I-I thought it was great. It was innovative. Really, uh...one-of-a-kind!

Whew! Brutal! They absolutely tore it to shreds, didn't they!

Melody! What are you doing?!

That was pretty fun though, wasn't it?

More than just pretty! Aldo, crack a smile. This is no time for pity! Perhaps I could wish for a bigger rating, or a cheque with a large figure waiting, but for me, that whole show was invigorating!

It isn't weird! You finally stopped doing this for them and started doing it for yourself! Today was probably your first time writing a song commissioned by you...FOR you.

For me... I see...

The audience's validation could not replace my own appreciation. To please them all, though I tried, no part of me was satisfied. I'd lost the fire that helped me find this path that I first took... My lady, Melody, you inspired and reminded me where to look.

E-Excuse me... Mr. Bard, sir?

Your song made no sense at all...which is what I look for in music! It's one of my new favorites! I hope to catch your next show!

Whatever you make will reach whoever it's meant to, I guess. We all have different tastes, after all.

That's the idea! Beautiful sound is in the ear of the beholder. Even if you get blasted by reviews, do your best to always have fun!

I swear on my quill that I will! I'll put myself first, and move my own heart, to quench my own thirst, and define my art!

By the way, we never did get to hear any of your earlier arrangements. Are there any other pieces that you like playing?

What about the red-eyed summoner? That hero's tale is well-known. She took down seven dragons and collected their stones.

N-No way... It can't be... THE ORIGINAL RETELLING OF DRAGON PRINCESS TIRAMISU?!

That's my favorite saga of all time! You have to sing it for us, right now!

Though not made entirely of quotes I wrote, did it float your boat?

"Float...my boat?"

What kind of interpretation was that! Is this some kind of sick joke?!

...Melody?!

No! You don't understand! The ship name is Dragmisu. Who the heck would call them Tiragon?! I mean, the whole appeal is watching as a powerful being is moved by one weaker, and turns into the ideal partner as a result! So why would Tiramisu be the top? She's the bottom! Are you writing a fanfic without even knowing the story?! Ugh, amateurs!

What happened to "any person should be able to tell any story"?

Th-That...was speaking in general! How could I call myself a fan yet let such a blatant mischaracterization go unpunished?!

With respect, last I checked, the strongest summoner, Dragon Princess, is immaculate. Dragons bowing down is just lore-accurate.

Lore-accurate? You mean...canon? A fanfic writer claiming their work to be of the divine canon...is a declaration of war.

We must settle whose ship name is correct, once and for all! We will fight to decide... with slam poetry!

Poetry slams? Like a musical door that jams? I accept. I will impress you with my timing. Except, I confess, I'm terrible at rhyming.

But that, every sentence you, never mind. I'm going back to the ship...