Topher fanmix - "Trouble" for Whedonland
PS: The cover front and back are both drawings drawn by me. You can see the cover drawing full-size here at DeviantArt.
NEVER HAD A FRIEND LIKE ME - ALADDIN
Life is your restaurant
And I'm your maitre d'
C'mon whisper what it is you want
You ain't never had a friend like me
Yes sir, we pride ourselves on service
You're the boss
The king, the shah
Say what you wish
It's yours! True dish
How about a little more Baklava?
Have some of column "A"
Try all of column "B"
I'm in the mood to help you dude
You ain't never had a friend like me
~*~
This is a pretty perfect song for Topher at the beginning of the show.
Carefree, cocky, brilliant, king of the world. He can create any imprint for any client.
~*~
TRAVELLING WITH HS - HELLO SAFERIDE
I'm not stupid, I understand
that it would be convenient
if I was better at conversation.
I've learned to master the skill throughout the years:
small talking, but after an hour or so
I mentally die.
And I try, I try, I try, I try,
but I can't help but loving more
when being on my own and watching everyday lives
I won't tell you when I have, but I'll find your weak spot,
your weakest spot, oh I'll find it
And here is mine: I try to pretend
That I like to be part of it all
And that I enjoy going out
With you and you and you and you
And I try, I try, I try, I try
but I just want to spend more time with my mind
It always surprises me every time and none of you ever do
~*~
A slightly deeper look at him. Topher pretty much fails at social interaction,
or at least polite social interaction. I've always imagined him to be
much more comfortable in his own company, with his own brilliant mind,
rather than the mundanes surrounding him.
~*~
PITY THE CHILD - CHESS
Pity the child who has ambition
Knows what he wants to do
Knows that he'll never fit the system
Others expect him to
I took the road of least resistance
I had my game to play
I had the skill, and more -- the hunger
Easy to get away
Pity the child but not forever
Not if he stays that way
He can get all he ever wanted
If he's prepared to pay
~*~
According to the Dollplay backstory, Topher got his PhD at 17, already working with imprinting,
and joined R-Central at 18. Pretty much all his life has been devoted to his intellect.
Fran has several times described Topher as a child -- immature, in more ways than one.
He's never had to deal with morality and the conflicts of the world, he's never had to grow up.
~*~
THE FUTURE SOON - JONATHAN COULTON
I'll probably be some kind of scientist
Building inventions in my space lab in space
I'll end world hunger I'll make dolphins speak
Work through the daytime, spend my nights and weekends
Perfecting my warrior robot race
Building them one laser gun at a time
I will do my best to teach them
About life and what it's worth
I just hope that I can keep them from destroying the Earth
Cause it's gonna be the future soon
And I won't always be this way
When the things that make me weak and strange get engineered away
It's gonna be the future soon
I've never seen it quite so clear
And when my heart is breaking I can close my eyes and it's already here
~*~
A continuation of the first song. Because of his intellect taking up all his attention,
he's never gotten to form a lasting relationship with anyone. It's been both his doom and his escape.
This song also has some hinting at the future -- hope that I can keep them from destroying the Earth.
~*~
WHERE I WANT TO BE - CHESS
Who needs a dream? Who needs ambition?
Who'd be the fool in my position?
Once I had dreams, now they're obsessions
Hopes became needs, lovers possessions
Then they move in, oh so discreetly
Slowly at first, smiling too sweetly
I opened doors; They walked right through them
Called me their friend; I hardly knew them
Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining
Times have been good: fast, entertaining
But what's the point if I'm concealing
Not only love, but all other feeling.
Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be
and doing what I always said I would
and yet I feel I haven't won at all
Running for my life and never looking back
in case there's someone right behind to
shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall
~*~
This as Topher starts to realise things are spiralling out of control, I'm thinking particularly
the three months in 2x07. 'They' in this would be Rossum -- Boyd, Harding, Ambrose.
Topher's tech and inventions opens the doors for them to do things like wear bodies as suits.
And he's carried away by figuring things out -- fast, entertaining.
But he's understanding where things are going.
~*~
LONELINESS IS BETTER WHEN YOU'RE NOT ALONE
HELLO SAFERIDE
What would you say if I asked of you
- out of loneliness, out of loneliness
What would you say if I asked of you
- out of loneliness, out of loneliness
Could I be with you
Can I be with you
Would you laugh at me
Would you pity me
What would you say if I asked of you
Not out of accident, out of loneliness
Would you shelter me
Will you shelter me
~*~
This describes a lot of Topher and Adelle's reason for sticking together, for me.
They're both such lonely people -- they both use dolls to keep them company.
And she becomes such a mother figure to him, sheltering and protecting him.
~*~
HANDLEBARS - FLOBOTS
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
Look at me, look at me
hands in the air like it's good to be alive
I can take apart the remote control
And I can almost put it back together
I can tie a knot in a cherry stem
I can tell you about Leif Ericson
I can make new antibiotics
I can make computers survive aquatic conditions
Me and my friends understand the future
I see the strings that control the systems
I can do anything with no assistance
I can lead a nation with a microphone
Look at me, look at me
Driving and I won't stop
And it feels so good to be
Alive and on top
My reach is global
My tower secure
My cause is noble
My power is pure
I can hand out a million vaccinations
Or let'em all die in exasperation
Have'em all healed of their lacerations
Have'em all killed by assassination
I can make anybody go to prison
Just because I don't like'em and
I can do anything with no permission
I have it all under my command
I can guide a missile by satellite
and I can hit a target through a telescope
and I can end the planet in a holocaust
In a holocaust
I can ride my bike with no handlebars
~*~
"If I think I can figure things out, is that curiosity or arrogance?"
Topher can do anything -- he just doesn't have the foresight to think about where his actions might lead.
Creating the tech that would destroy the world -- showing Adelle the plans, only to have her hand it over to Harding.
Helping Boyd get it working so they'd control the tech, only to have Boyd turn on him.
~*~
SCREWED - JONATHAN COULTON
Indiana Jones liked to travel, he
Took his friend on a treasure hunt trip
Did a favor, threw him the idol but
Never got back his whip
Boba Fett was a bounty hunter, he
Did his job well, he brought back his man
He was clutching his unspent money when he
Fell down a hole in the sand
I am Dr. Jones, I am Boba Fett
I'm the sucker who doesn't know it yet
I just signed it, I never reviewed
All the fine print you wrote out
Now I guess I'm screwed
It's bad news for me again
It never ends
~*~
Same as the previous song, but this is with a nice flashback to the geeky carefree Topher,
with pop culture references. Topher didn't see where things were going before it was too late.
~*~
TROUBLE - COLDPLAY
Oh no, I see
A spider web is tangled up with me
And I lost my head
The thought of all the stupid things I'd said
Oh no, what's this?
A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle
So I turn to run
The thought of all the stupid things I've done
And I never meant to cause you trouble
I never meant to do you wrong
And I, well if I ever caused you trouble
And oh no, I never meant to do you harm
They spun a web for me
~*~
Dipping into the guilt pool now. Working for Rossum is much like getting caught in a spider web.
"Your options tend to slim, to three: Carry out Rossum's work without question, the Attic, or death."
~*~
POOR JACK - NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
What have I done?
What have I done?
How could I be so blind?
All is lost, where was I?
Spoiled all, spoiled all
Everything's gone all wrong
But I never intended all this madness, never
And nobody really understood, well, how could they?
That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great
Why does nothing ever turn out like it should?
~*~
Continuation of the guilt pool. Topher was blind to the spider web, but he never intended his work to have
the effect on the world that it did. All he thought about was the brilliance behind the inventions -- something great.
~*~
GOLLUM'S SONG - EMILIANA TORRINI
Where once was light, now darkness falls
Where once was love, love is no more
Don't say goodbye
Don't say I didn't try
These tears we cry are falling rain
For all the lies you told us, the hurt, the blame
And we will weep to be so alone
We are lost, we can never go home
So in the end I'll be what I will be
No loyal friend was ever there for me
Now we say goodbye
We say you didn't try
These tears you cry
Have come too late
Take back the lies
The hurt, the blame!
And you will weep
When you face the end alone
You are lost
You can never go home
You are lost
You can never go home
~*~
One of my ultimate angst songs. Post-apocalypse.
Topher may cry, but it's too late to do anything.
Their world, their home, is gone.
~*~
I THOUGHT YOU SAID SUMMER IS GOING TO TAKE THE PAIN AWAY
HELLO SAFERIDE
January brought a headache
In February, it got even worse
And when you thought it couldn’t get more awful
Say hello to March
April brought me to a funeral
But I thought you said summer is going to take the pain away
Have you ever had the feeling that
No one really knows what you’re all about
And when you try to show them
They all have things to do tonight
Tonight
Up on a roof, looking over the city
All by myself thinking:
There is nowhere I would rather be than here
So why am I not like the others?
And why are you not here with me doing crossword puzzles
Saying: "It’s going to be okay
Summer’s going to take the pain away"?
When I’m gone, I promise
It’s going to be okay
Summer is going to take the pain away
~*~
On the top of the city, in Adelle's office, looking back. The 'you' in this, I imagine is Bennett.
Topher has never really fitted in, and his brilliance did more damage than anyone else, but now is a chance for him to take the pain away.
And when Topher's is gone, when he's sacrificed himself, the world will be alright again -- or at least, he can give them the chance to rebuild it.
~*~