Author: Eneasz

(minor spoilers for chapter 8)

One of the things I most enjoy about working with others is being surprised by their interpretations of lines. This doesn’t happen that often, generally text isn’t very ambiguous. But every now and then a line that I just read matter-of-factly can take on a whole new meaning with a difference in tone. The most recent example that springs to mind is the Engineer’s line from Chapter 7, “I think we can conclude that this operation is going to be… successful.” I hadn’t thought much about it, and Jai’s delivery hit me out of the blue. It had a deep regret about it, a dread to use that word when describing the destruction of his home planet. I don’t want to dwell on this one example, as all the actors were great and it happened a few times, but that I hadn’t seen that when I read it made it really stick with me. It’s finding things like this that makes these projects so much fun.

Also, thanks again to Locusts of Egypt! They’re a local band in Denver that a coworker introduced me to. Everyone knows someone who knows someone in a band. Small, local groups that make music because they love to do so, while holding down regular full-time jobs. Ask around, and then go see them. It’s a lot of fun, it’s a bonding experience, and often you’ll find some great musicians that you’d never have heard otherwise. Plus, they’re much more likely to let you use one of their songs for background music in your own projects when they know you as a fan and you already have good rapport. :)

Fun Fact: The last line of part 6 was not in the original story. Eliezer added it afterwards as part of a response to a reader comment. That’s one of the great things about non-traditional publishing. :)

Another Fact (probably not as Fun): “Huygens” is very likely being pronounced incorrectly. If the source for the name is what I think it is, then it should be pronounced like this. However with a half a dozen actors saying it, scattered across the country and separated in time, I decided it’d be best to go with the Americanized bastardization for consistency and ease.

Just a quick note – the file of available roles (and the full list of their lines) has been updated! If you want to contribute a voice to HPMoR, anything from an anonymous single-line to a minor character with a few paragraphs, now’s the time. See the Voicing A Character page for details and tips.

If you haven’t heard Hands Around My Throat in full, the tiny snippets in this episode really don’t do it justice. I love the way the song builds. It starts with a single instrument, which repeats for several measures. Then it layers the next one on top, and both play for several measures. Then the next one. Then the next one. And so on. It’s a great build up. I don’t think I ever would’ve heard it if not for the Animatrix Soundtrack, which I happened to get for free as a promotion. Huzzah for serendipity!