Jack of Arts

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Hello, new readers.

I've written 170 chapters as I'm writing this note. This is my first novel and I've learned a lot. After writing 170 chapters, the things I've learned also made me realize some things and it makes me want to amend them. However, I think it's best to just leave those things untouched. 

Anyways, I want to establish some expectations. First, y'all can skip the prologues as they have been my practice chapters when I almost had zero experience writing.

Secondly, this is a wish-fulfillment type of novel however, I'm making the process of the MC in making his songs/ making movies as realistic and more digestible as possible.

Thirdly, don't expect a lot of drama. I've made the MC as rational as possible and the things he does are digestible too. Instead of drama, this novel is more of a chill-type, relaxing novel; just cruising along with the MC and some of his friends.

It's also a feel-good novel. Personally, I'd love to make this novel as dramatic as possible to meet the demand of readers of Webnovel, but I'm stressed enough so why not make use of this as my personal therapy? 

So. that's that. Please. Enjoy. 

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Another note.

Recently there have been Brazilians spam posting about a certain someone accused of sexual predation of an underage girl. I am NOT that someone, but another author who at one point commented / reviewed this novel. Such interaction with that author and me resulted into these comments coming to my novel. 

I do not know whether the accusations are wrong or not, but I'd rather leave those comments on, if they are in fact true. So, to prevent misunderstanding that might scare away new potential subscribers of my novel, I decided to write this note.

Anyway. Please enjoy.

-Dagem, Author of Jack of Arts

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"It's finally Friday." Tayaw mumbled to himself as he was staring into space while waiting for the cashier.

*Ding!*

"That will be 46000 BGC, sir." The cashier said blandly to Tayaw.

Tayaw just bought a few construction materials to replenish the stocks of an ongoing renovation project that he's working on. It's one of those projects that have low effort to earnings ratio.

Despite that, he has no choice but to do the best he can to renovate the place. If it were another project from some bachelor or bachelorette that doesn't really know what they want in the long run for their house, he would just do an okay job, as long as the finished renovations or construction follow the safety standards.

This current project though, is different. His conscience cannot carry the guilt to willy-nilly renovate a house that a family will be raised in.

While the workers of the hardware store loaded up the supplies to the truck, he walked a few tens of feet away and lit up a cigarette as he contemplated his life and situation for the nth time. This is a habit of his that slowly came to be when he finds the work boring.

He finds construction tedious but he had to admit that he has some talent in the field. It's just that he's become bored after mastering the work enough that no new job poses a challenge to him anymore.

Regardless of his abilities though, he was never promoted beyond Foreman. He's been in his position as a site foreman for almost ten years now.

He has no complaints about the pay as he is one of the highest paid people in his position due to his well-deserved pay raises over the years. He even has savings and some left to spare for his hobbies.

The inescapable inhalation of chemicals and cement dust doesn't help either. It wasn't as bad as the front line construction workers but still, he isn't getting younger so it makes him worry how these things will affect his health.

This is one of the reasons why he did not delegate the task of material procurement to a subordinate just so he could get away from the site just for half a day.

Maybe it's his initial quick rise that makes his disappointment and frustration grow to its current almost unhealthy state. He started as an office intern and it only took him 4 years, at 26 years old to become a foreman not only in position but also in ability. However, since then, some of the colleagues he started out with already blew past him over the years.

"Was it because I did not kiss ass enough? Should I have?" He sighed as he exhaled his cigarette smoke.

But as he sucked the last lungful of smoke he can from his almost burnt out cigarette, a sense of pride consoled him, as always.

Deep inside he knows that his unwillingness to kiss ass and boot lick held him back in climbing the organizational ladder, but did he ever regret not sucking up? He never regretted going against his principles.

In fact, this trait of his is one of the things in himself he is most proud of. He started rocky and weak in his career, but as he grabbed opportunities for himself, offered his ideas for efficiency in the field to the right superiors, and did his job that satisfied both the company and his clients, he was smoothly promoted.

The company, despite the bureaucracy in every level, recognized his abilities. He reached his current position without owing anyone, and at a comfortable position at that where he is at no risk of getting fired any time soon.

"You can cry louder

Just cry all you want for yourself

The sadness in your eyes

Will break out anyway

No one will hear

Under the sound of the rain

No one will see

Among the covers of the haze"

With his spirits lifted back up, he started singing discreetly by the mound of sand as while browsing the internet in his phone.

He wanted to sing another song but was timely interrupted. "Hey customer boss! We're all loaded up! Where do we go?" asked the driver of the Hardware store's truck.

"The hill at Nasiri. You're not familiar with Nasiri? The place South?" Seeing the driver's clueless face, "It's on the opposite side of the city from here." Tayaw decided to show the way.

"I took a taxi here, so I don't have a ride back. I'll go with you." Tayaw said as he ran towards the truck and helped himself up to the passenger seat.

Noticing the strange expression of the truck driver, Tayaw realized that he must have appeared presumptuous so he promised half a taxi fare's worth of tip as he casually fastened his seatbelt. The truck driver just nodded in acknowledgment.

Internally though, Tayaw was quite puzzled and annoyed. He could not, by the situation, understand why he isn't at least entitled to a free ride after buying that much construction supplies.

The forty minute ride that would have been twenty minutes without the traffic, to Nasiri's hill was uneventful.

"I'm new to the city, so I don't know a lot of places. Forget about the tip; just tell me about this place." The driver started to chat with Tayaw.

"I don't know where to start. This city has grown so much. The people have become richer that there is a boom of private car owners over the years. Still, I miss the time when Ouigab was just a hybrid of an artist city and a university city. Hungry aspiring artists along with university students commuted in public transportation. Now we instead have a lot of suited assholes in their offices and entrepreneurs." Tayaw replied as he noticed a few high end cars and old pick-up trucks in the same lane.

"I've just been here in Ouigab for a few weeks so I really don't know. You're a native here, so you might be right. Before I just assumed that you can only make it in Ouigab if you're some form of an entertainer or a professor in a university. I moved here because many of my friends and relatives, after studying in various universities and colleges in the city, decided to settle here." The driver replied.

Their small talk was interrupted when Tayaw's phone beeped. He checked it and it came from his Chat Group "Percussive Correction". He smiled as he read the message. This prompted his imagination of his usual routine in preparing his voice for his weekly activity later in the evening.

Percussive Correction, as Tayaw and his friends would call their group, is a six member cover band started by Tayaw and friends from way back in their junior year in college. At first, they just did gigs as a form of relaxation in between classes and study sessions.

They also craved the crowd's and other acts' response to them as affirmation of their skills in their respective instruments. They were proud that they, as college students and casual performers can become opening acts easily with their skills.

After graduation and the licensure exam, the band stopped looking for gigs for a year and went their separate ways. Within that year though, the group was smacked hard in the face by reality.

Except for Tayaw with his good grades and Ike with his family connections, everyone else in the group struggled to find jobs in the field of engineering as there were just too many engineer graduates to compete with.

They were not only competing with engineers that graduated the same year as them, they also had to compete with much more experienced engineers that graduated a year or two or three before them.

Tayaw was just hired as a paid intern in the construction company he is currently working at, when the band decided to gather together one day to plan how to elevate themselves from opening acts to regular acts.

At first glance, the drive they had was probably brought upon by their poverty and common love for music and performance. But at that same day, they realized that they were all brought together by their helplessness over the lack of control over their lives.

Tayaw, the vocalist and second guitar just enjoyed singing and just liked to continue performing with the band. It was also an outlet for him from the stress at work.

Ike the drummer who was a product of nepotism at his job was suffering stink eye and harmless but tiresome hazing among his co-workers.

Hoon, the lead guitarist while still looking for jobs was actually making ends meet by offering guitar lessons to adolescents and teenagers who wanted to learn.

Inson, the bassist was then working as a temporary clerk at a small hardware company and still actually kept up with his practice.

Bay-an, the keyboardist/pianist was working as a customer support service at a company outsourced by a cable company.

Finally, Ramil the saxophonist/violinist was working as a chauffeur and was saving up to go to welding school.

The six of them that day, together found that the piece of control they're looking for is found through their already existing skills they've honed out of love and passion. Fifteen years later since that day, they are currently the resident band of a locally famous bar, performing every Fridays and Saturdays during the peak hours. Every night they play, they get a share of the bar's profit during the hour they performed in on top of their base pay.

While they earn around 2000-3000 BGC every night they played, they no longer valued the money that much. After all, seventeen years is a long time and they are all now financially stable from their own livelihoods outside the band. They still do gigs after all these years because it's still one of the few things they all find fulfilling the most.

Tayaw, as a site foreman has bouts of depression from his career.

Ike, who quit his first job found his fortune buying and selling property with the capital he borrowed from his parents. Despite the money he earns, it also made his life either monotonous or stressful from potential losses of certain properties' values.

Hoon, through his continuous practice even outside the band became a locally respected guitar teacher, but despite the good pay, teaching guitar was never his passion.

Inson, who stayed at his job at the hardware company and learned the skills to start and grow his own gravel/sand/cement business, was exhausted and bored by the daily grind.

Bay-an who stayed at the customer support company, actually climbed the company's ladder and is already at middle management level. But despite that, he sacrificed so much pride and owed so many favors to many people.

And finally Ramil, who finished welding school, was actually able to become an industrial pipe welder, a very well paid job. But just like Tayag, he is worried of the consequences of his job to his health.

ROH Factory – 9 pm.

"The Fiiighhhterrr innnnn

youuuuuuu…."

The bar was filled with cheers and applause after the song by a band ended. It was a power ballad with powerful guitar and bass distortion accompaniment and slow but dramatic beating of the bass drums and cymbals. Sung originally as Power Ballad by the balladeer Mike Damon but the band rearranged it into a good rock ballad.

"Let's give another round of applause for NOCTURNAL EMMISSIONS! Man! That was an exciting last song from them guys! How could the next act follow that!

"Ooh… I joke, I joke! Of course you guys already know who the next guys are! They won't back down! While they prepare, l want to talk to the new customers of the bar. The next band is a local legend around these parts of the city. For ten years now, they are the kings here!

"I still remember the day I first saw these fellas. It was seventeen years ago across the street when that restaurant was still our rival bar! They were an opening act! Now, why would I go watch an opening act from a rival bar? Because I recognized them! How? They were my college seniors! They were engineering students though. I was studying Hospitality Management back then.

"My only regret is that these guys never made it out of here! In my opinion, they could have been stars! But hey, they had other things going and as far as I know. At least we kept our secret treasures here!

"oh.. hey Iris, are they ready? Well then. Let's welcome to the stage, PERCUSSIVE CORRECTIONS!!!"

A wave of enthusiastic applause and whistles came from the audience as they welcomed Tayaw and company to the stage.

"Good evening folks. How are you all tonight? Good?" Tayaw was talking to the audience as the rest of the band was making last adjustments to the set up.

As the crowd noticed that the band was finally ready, they quieted down.

"Ah One. Ah Two, Ah One, Two Three, let's jam" After Tayaw signaled the band with his raspy baritone voice, Inson, at the word "Jam" slapped his lowest bass string as he slid his finger from the higher fret down to the lower for a "dropping the bass" effect followed instantly by both Ike's crisp and subtle cymbals and snares, and Ramil's riffs with his saxophone.

This instantly caught the crowd's attention and got they heads bopping. Despite the relatively fast paced intro, they know instinctively that this is only the beginning.

After they reached the verse, Tayaw's voice entered the fray and with great control of his voice and his skill in the appropriate vocal timbre, along with his timely emphasis on the consonants to enhance the sound of the beat, made the crowd feel exhilarated with goose bumps. "This is great!" would have been the crowd's reaction if translated into words.

Each phase of the song, having subtle but obvious differences made some of the more experienced listeners among the patrons appreciate the skill of Percussive Corrections have over the three prior acts. The subtlety, despite not being directly pointed out by the rest of the crowd, can be clearly felt.

As the final chorus finished, and the song is coming to a close, Bay-an who had only been playing chords on the piano throughout the song displayed an incredible series of jazz influenced improvisational riffs that tickled the audience's senses as it signaled song almost ending. As Ike's and Imson's drums and saxophones slowed down while maintaining their power, Bay-an then played a powerful cadence which sounded like a series of chords played as fast as his riffs. Gradually, he slowed down to match Ike's and Imson's rhythm as the three ended the song.

The crowd roared in excitement at the first song. Tayaw also noticed that the crowd is pumped up enough for the next song. Tayaw waited for the crowd to calm down and spoke a very sincere "Thank you" which was again accompanied by another round of applause. Noticing that it was time for the next song, Tayaw signaled Ike to begin with the drums.

The second song was not as exciting and as fast paced as the first song but it contained much more understandable lyrics for first time listeners of the song and a much more nuanced emotions throughout. The crowd was clapping along, while many of those who know the song being covered sang along. Soon the second song ended.

The next five songs were songs that the crowd could simply sing along to.

The last song however is something that is unusual for the audience to hear. It was acoustic and folk-influenced. Despite this, the audience did not recoil from the change, but became curious instead. Hoon already switched his electric guitar with his acoustic one as he started plucking the strings in the key of G.

This song was originally a pop song written composed and performed by the pop star Justine Brea titled "What I want". It is a hell of a boppy song: the melody, the beat, the rhythm made it sound like the song was designed for night clubs. But the lyrics tell a different story. It was actually about a broken hearted woman who just wishes to be held in someone's embrace.

With Hoon's idea of rearranging the song, he started working on it with Tayaw for a few days. If Justine Brea, the original singer of the song were to hear this rendition, she might either feel moved or feel angry. Feeling moved from the raw and direct emotions brought out by the arrangement, or anger for Hoon and Tayaw for umasking the song's happy exterior.

As the song ended, the crowd felt a great sense of catharsis. The song may have made the crowd sad, but the arrangers of the song made sure that the sound of the rendition is not really sad but more relaxing.

That was how Tayaw's Friday ended just like many times before.