Joshua Blum
@13thhr.bsky.social
Author & illustrator of The Thirteenth Hour, an 80s fairytale. Retro80s & Synthwave artist. Toymaker. The Rocketeer lives!
Making musical soundtracks for parts of my books help helped me add ways of expressing things I couldn’t quite express in words! This is the main theme for The Thirteenth Hour. #pianopractice joshuablum.bandcamp.com
October 19, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Making musical soundtracks for parts of my books help helped me add ways of expressing things I couldn’t quite express in words! This is the main theme for The Thirteenth Hour. #pianopractice joshuablum.bandcamp.com
The Ice Giant! This is a track to accompany a section of a podcast playthrough @pixelgrotto.bsky.social & I did of the game he helped create, Mappa Mundi where the main character encounters a supernatural being. Tried to evoke the feel of wonder thru the sound effects & synths.
October 6, 2025 at 2:34 AM
The Ice Giant! This is a track to accompany a section of a podcast playthrough @pixelgrotto.bsky.social & I did of the game he helped create, Mappa Mundi where the main character encounters a supernatural being. Tried to evoke the feel of wonder thru the sound effects & synths.
We all want our first time to be special. The story of the first cassette tape I ever bought. Mid 90s? Finding stuff in general was a lot harder - you am just of hoped for the best and had to be okay with disappointment. But sometimes … sometimes, the gods shone on you and it all worked out.
September 25, 2025 at 10:23 PM
We all want our first time to be special. The story of the first cassette tape I ever bought. Mid 90s? Finding stuff in general was a lot harder - you am just of hoped for the best and had to be okay with disappointment. But sometimes … sometimes, the gods shone on you and it all worked out.
Reposted by Joshua Blum
Mockup of a zone-based battle system inspired by 16-bit RPGs, using sprites made by @13thhr.bsky.social. For a homebrew TTRPG system I've been drafting for us to play around with. (The systems we've previously used have been good but haven't 100% fit our purposes, so why not make our own?)
September 12, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Mockup of a zone-based battle system inspired by 16-bit RPGs, using sprites made by @13thhr.bsky.social. For a homebrew TTRPG system I've been drafting for us to play around with. (The systems we've previously used have been good but haven't 100% fit our purposes, so why not make our own?)
Bev rocking out! Made in the action figure animating app Nauk Nauk. I’m not someone who is super against or for AI, but things like this are one of the few uses of AI I can get behind. 🎸 @leathompson.bsky.social #howardtheduck www.nauknauk.io/post/POSTc39...
September 6, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Bev rocking out! Made in the action figure animating app Nauk Nauk. I’m not someone who is super against or for AI, but things like this are one of the few uses of AI I can get behind. 🎸 @leathompson.bsky.social #howardtheduck www.nauknauk.io/post/POSTc39...
Aurora's Theme - I imagined that each time she appeared in The Thirteenth Hour, you could hear her theme playing. A similar thing was done on the Legend soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, where they wrote a distinctive unicorn theme that plays pretty much most times that the unicorns appear. #synthfam
September 2, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Aurora's Theme - I imagined that each time she appeared in The Thirteenth Hour, you could hear her theme playing. A similar thing was done on the Legend soundtrack by Tangerine Dream, where they wrote a distinctive unicorn theme that plays pretty much most times that the unicorns appear. #synthfam
Will do. I’m trying to learn how to use Cakewalk so I think I should be able to just import the sounds into it … right? 😆
August 30, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Will do. I’m trying to learn how to use Cakewalk so I think I should be able to just import the sounds into it … right? 😆
New lands for the imperial rangers to explore!
August 28, 2025 at 4:17 PM
New lands for the imperial rangers to explore!
But the real question is where is Terrion? And your first Sonic game and that RPGish one you made with the flying griffons?
August 27, 2025 at 6:13 PM
But the real question is where is Terrion? And your first Sonic game and that RPGish one you made with the flying griffons?
Thank you! It was a ton of work but most things that are worth it are, in the end.
Speaking of which, I picked up your Juno sample pack. I’m
fairly old fashioned with music creation so am just starting to experiment with DAWs and such so looking forward to playing around with the sounds!
Speaking of which, I picked up your Juno sample pack. I’m
fairly old fashioned with music creation so am just starting to experiment with DAWs and such so looking forward to playing around with the sounds!
August 26, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Thank you! It was a ton of work but most things that are worth it are, in the end.
Speaking of which, I picked up your Juno sample pack. I’m
fairly old fashioned with music creation so am just starting to experiment with DAWs and such so looking forward to playing around with the sounds!
Speaking of which, I picked up your Juno sample pack. I’m
fairly old fashioned with music creation so am just starting to experiment with DAWs and such so looking forward to playing around with the sounds!
Sometimes I get asked why I wrote musical soundtracks to my books, and the truth is, there are just some things words can’t convey - thankfully, music can fill in the the gaps. 🎶 #authorlife
August 25, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Sometimes I get asked why I wrote musical soundtracks to my books, and the truth is, there are just some things words can’t convey - thankfully, music can fill in the the gaps. 🎶 #authorlife
Throwback Thursday! One of the reasons I went with a translucent purple cassette shell for my latest album was because the first was in translucent blue 💙 joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/long-a... #synthfam #retro80s
August 22, 2025 at 3:18 AM
Throwback Thursday! One of the reasons I went with a translucent purple cassette shell for my latest album was because the first was in translucent blue 💙 joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/long-a... #synthfam #retro80s
Guess what arrived in the mail yesterday? Cassette tapes of Once Upon a Dream! Getting these babies made this summer was a massive undertaking but totally worth it! I love the translucent purple shell we went with. Grab one while they’re available! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u...
August 14, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Guess what arrived in the mail yesterday? Cassette tapes of Once Upon a Dream! Getting these babies made this summer was a massive undertaking but totally worth it! I love the translucent purple shell we went with. Grab one while they’re available! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u...
Today (7/29) would’ve been Dave Stevens’ birthday. Dave was the creator of the #Rocketeer, an indie comic that later became a Disney film. Dave passed away in 2008 from leukemia, but his spirit lives on with every remaining Gee Bee and stick of Beeman’s chewed. My attempt at the James Horner score:
July 30, 2025 at 3:15 AM
Today (7/29) would’ve been Dave Stevens’ birthday. Dave was the creator of the #Rocketeer, an indie comic that later became a Disney film. Dave passed away in 2008 from leukemia, but his spirit lives on with every remaining Gee Bee and stick of Beeman’s chewed. My attempt at the James Horner score:
When I set out to make a soundtrack for my fantasy novel, The Thirteenth Hour, I wanted to pay homage to the source: 80s & early 90s sci-fi/fantasy films + new wave music. It took a while, but that’s what I did - 2 LPs of cinematic synth & new wave ballads! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/merch/once-u...
July 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
When I set out to make a soundtrack for my fantasy novel, The Thirteenth Hour, I wanted to pay homage to the source: 80s & early 90s sci-fi/fantasy films + new wave music. It took a while, but that’s what I did - 2 LPs of cinematic synth & new wave ballads! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/merch/once-u...
Just received the demo tape for the Once Upon a Dream cassettes. Coming soon to joshuablum.bandcamp.com! Playing this on a vintage Sharp WQ-572 tape player my mom salvaged from the garbage when I was a kid :)
#vintagevibes #vintagetapeplayer #vintagecassettedeck #synthwave #cinematicsynth
#vintagevibes #vintagetapeplayer #vintagecassettedeck #synthwave #cinematicsynth
July 21, 2025 at 7:19 PM
Just received the demo tape for the Once Upon a Dream cassettes. Coming soon to joshuablum.bandcamp.com! Playing this on a vintage Sharp WQ-572 tape player my mom salvaged from the garbage when I was a kid :)
#vintagevibes #vintagetapeplayer #vintagecassettedeck #synthwave #cinematicsynth
#vintagevibes #vintagetapeplayer #vintagecassettedeck #synthwave #cinematicsynth
It is when it works!!! I bought it used on mine, the jack is fiddly - cuts out sometimes, so one minute, there’s sound, next, just unamped guitar strings. Then again, one can’t have everything!
July 21, 2025 at 7:16 PM
It is when it works!!! I bought it used on mine, the jack is fiddly - cuts out sometimes, so one minute, there’s sound, next, just unamped guitar strings. Then again, one can’t have everything!
I have the same amp 👍🏽
July 20, 2025 at 9:59 PM
I have the same amp 👍🏽
Unintentional but yes, liked the echo in the room!
July 17, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Unintentional but yes, liked the echo in the room!
Wow. Definitely would have drooled over that in 1989
July 17, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Wow. Definitely would have drooled over that in 1989
Once Upon a Dream CDs just arrived! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u... For the full experience, try finding an old school CD player to listen on. Bonus points if you try to jog with one of these things! 😂
#vintagevibes #synthwave #cinematicsynth #synthfam
#vintagevibes #synthwave #cinematicsynth #synthfam
July 17, 2025 at 3:31 AM
Once Upon a Dream CDs just arrived! joshuablum.bandcamp.com/album/once-u... For the full experience, try finding an old school CD player to listen on. Bonus points if you try to jog with one of these things! 😂
#vintagevibes #synthwave #cinematicsynth #synthfam
#vintagevibes #synthwave #cinematicsynth #synthfam
July 8, 2025 at 2:26 AM
@pixelgrotto & I are recently watched Manhunter, from 1986, a prequel of sorts to The Silence of the Lambs films. I went in with no expectations, but this is quite an entertaining, stylish 80s movie - good one to check out if you are into 80s horror or vintage synth! open.spotify.com/episode/0fml...
July 8, 2025 at 2:25 AM
@pixelgrotto & I are recently watched Manhunter, from 1986, a prequel of sorts to The Silence of the Lambs films. I went in with no expectations, but this is quite an entertaining, stylish 80s movie - good one to check out if you are into 80s horror or vintage synth! open.spotify.com/episode/0fml...