Happy greeting and a meme
Hi everybody. I hope everyone has had a good holiday season. Obviously I haven't been posting much of late, but with shows starting back up I'm sure I'll get into the swing of things again soon. It wasn't even a particularly eventful holiday season (slightly above our standard holiday travel schedule but not by much).
But let's get the year going with a meme stolen from ladyhadhafang
Choose fifteen characters. Then put your playlist on shuffle. Your first song with lyrics is your first character, and so on. For each song, choose lyrics that resonate with the corresponding character.
(Yes, as to avoid having to rank so many characters I love, I alphabetized them, it's how I roll.)
1. Aeryn Sun - Give a Little Bit: Goo Go Dolls
What’s a little weird is I know of at least one really good John/Aeryn vid to this song and yet it really doesn’t fit Aeryn at all. I’m pretty sure it was used for a sort of amalgam POV with a leaning towards John in that vid, but at least part of it still works for Aeryn’s way of falling in love with him.
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my time to you
So give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
2. Alex Drake - Sing Me Sweet: Matt Nathanson
I was surprised to see how well this kind of worked as I sat and listened to it thinking about Alex. Not entirely in the context they might have been intended, but Alex hears voices and is looking for a way home; and yet with Gene she does kind of want him not to let her go. It’s not a great fit, but it’s not bad either.
5 am, undressed
In your static, your mess
I don't need any new voices
I'm thick enough with superstitions and choices
Way home
A little bit of something
Maybe just a way home
Sing me sweet
Sing me low
Say you'll never let me go
Cause I've gone long enough
waiting for wonderful
3. Arya Stark - All These Things I’ve Done: The Killers
This one pretty obviously has a lot that related to Arya, the things she’s seen and the things she’s done.
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I wanna mean it from the back of my broken hand
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out
4. Elena Gilbert - Give Me Strength: Over the Rhine
I confess I don’t remember the last time I listened to this song or why I even have it, but damn if it doesn’t work for Elena. I’m quoting a large portion of the song because of how much it fits; I especially imagine it for s4 (even more so, post Jeremy’s death/humanity off phase) Elena. I may have to revisit this as a vid...except that would mean watching s4 and I just don’t wanna do that. Still, it’s a good song for Elena, I feel I should say that yet again.
Sitting in the rain alone
Looking at a place that's gone
Boarded up my memories
But something's drawn me here again and I
I cannot leave the past alone
Hoped that I would never find
All the shit I left behind
Now I find the child in me
Is going to remind me that I
I can't forget my past for long
So take a look outside yourself
And tell me what you see
I can't believe
That you won't see the change in me
Give me strength to find the road that's lost in me
Give me time to heal and build myself a dream
Give me eyes to see the world surrounding me
Give me strength to be only me
I don't want to hear the things
You say you know all you've redeemed
'Cause I can't change what's come before
Build myself some better dreams
And cast off the fear that holds me here
5. Elijah Mikaelson - I Still Miss You: Keith Anderson
On the other hand this one really doesn’t fit at all. I’m just a quoting a little bit that maybe kinda sorta works for Elijah’s connection with the doppelgangers; or if you really twist it maybe it’s about family, but I don’t think it works on that level.
I've changed the presets in my truck
so those old songs don't sneak up
they still find me and remind me
yeah you come back that easy
I don’t know how to let you go
you are so deep down in my soul
I feel helpless so hopeless
it’s a door that never closes
6. Felicity Smoak - Camelot: from Camelot
This one really doesn’t fit at all either. But really stretching it, it’s a little Felicity’s POV on Oliver/the Queen’s life; living the high life, privileged to the point where he assumes the world complies with his wishes. And a little bit hopeful that there’s no better happy ever after than her being with Oliver (if just as unattainable as Camelot).
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.
7. Guy of Gisborne - Operation Working Vacation: Sugarland
Another sizable twist on the intentions of the song, I can hear a little humor at least in thinking of this as post-s2/early-s3 Guy who’s drinking away his problems and ignoring Vasey’s orders.
Well, this bottle's been working on my concentration
(Operation, working vacation)
The more I drink, the more the waves keep 'a waving
(Operation, working vacation)
The office keeps calling with complications
A big break down in communication
They keep leaving messages I keep erasing
8. Harry Potter - Love I’ve Found In You: Lady Antebellum
I like this song as a song, and it’s generic enough that it could apply to any number of ships out there, but it has no character to it so I’m not sure what to pick. So I just picked the ones I thought would be sweet from a shippy perspective (of course in my mind that Harry/Hermione because years later I still refuse to accept canon ships).
Some things really last forever
And some things are meant to be
Like you and me
Let your love shine on
Shine on and on and on
Well maybe we're just lucky
But maybe that's OK
Some people search the whole world over
Just to find a love, that's even half as true
As this love I've found in you
9. Kate Beckett - Rainbow: David Archuleta
This one worked surprisingly well. It’s another one I rarely if ever actually listen to and I thought a song about rainbows for Kate Beckett seemed like a sure miss. But then it turned out to actually fit. It starts off with lyrics that fit a lot of Kate’s issues and fears about getting close to people for the early seasons, and then it also works with the place she’s gotten to where she doesn’t forget all that pain she’s gone through but she’s found happiness. Plus it’s fun to imagine the rain being a reference to ‘Always’ and rainbows the next morning.
Fallin' out, fallin' in
Nothing's sure in this world no, no
Breakin' out, breakin' in
Never knowin' what lies ahead
We can really never tell it all no, no
Say goodbye, say hello
To a lover or friend
Sometimes we never could understand
Why some things begin then just end
We can really never tell it all no, no
~~~
This is such a wonderful place to be
Even if there is pain now
Everything will be all right
For as long as the world still turns
There will be night and day
Can you hear me
There's a rainbow always after the rain
10. Leslie Knope - Poster Girl: Backstreet Boys
This one didn’t work, not that I expected it to. The best you can get is it’s maybe a little bit Ben’s POV on loving Leslie, that as crazy as the world is, it also brought them together.
What good is tomorrow without a guarantee?
I was wrapped around her finger
And I began to believe
That the consequences of your actions really are just a game
That your life is just a chain reaction taking you day by day
She says nothing's forever in this crazy world
Still I'm falling in love with the right now poster girl
11. Mary Crawley - Into You: Carolyn Dawn Johnson
This one amuses me. It doesn’t really work for Mary, like at all...except it kind of does in tone. There’s something kind of winking and knowing about the song, that while most of it is pretty straight forward advice it’s delivered kind of smugly, which is very Mary. Mary who has had men throwing themselves at her feet and not daring to do anything wrong lest she reject them and who thinks she has all the answers when it comes to love.
If he doesn't call when he says he'll call;
Or if he doesn't even call at all,
Well, he just might not be that into you.
If he's too busy to see you on the weekends;
An' he doesn't introduce you to his friends,
Well, he just might not be that into you.
'Cause if he was he'd be hangin' on your every word.
He'd put away his little black book an' put you first.
He'd bein' doin' double back flips to make it work out.
12. Rose Tyler - Face to Face: Garth Brooks
The actual story of this song doesn’t work all that well, but metaphorically it does fit pretty well oddly enough. That the day will come when you have to stand up and fight back, make a stand for what you know is right and against what you know is wrong. That pushing through the fear you can come out the other side better than you were before And yes I did have PotW in mind listening to this.
Well, he broke your glasses, the girls all laughed
As he pushed you to the floor
But then you stood up one day knowin'
You couldn't stand it anymore
And your gentle hand was finally clenched in rage
And you were face to face
Face to face with the devil that you've been dreadin'
Eye to eye, finally has arrived
But bad as it was, well, now brother wasn't it better?
Dealin' with him face to face
~~~
'Cause it'll never go away
Until the fear that you are runnin' from
Is finally embraced
13. Sam Tyler - I Do (Cherish You): Mark Wills
This one’s a bit of a stretch, even if I do want to get a Sam/Annie vibe out of it. I’m not saying it couldn’t work for them, but it’s not a clean click either. I do see this section as part Sam/Annie and part Sam/1973, how he found himself in that world.
In my world, before you
I lived outside my emotions, didn't know where I was going
'til that day, I found you
how you opened my life to a new paradise
In a world torn by change
Still with all of my heart until my dying day
14. Susan Ivanova - Meant to Live: Switchfoot
If you ignore the gendered pronouns, this one kind of works because Ivanova is a character that carries a lot of baggage with her; she isn’t necessarily crippled by it, but it weighs her down, keeps her from living a full life that part of her wishes she could have.
Fumbling his confidence
And wond'ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly
~~~
Dreaming about providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken
15. Tenth Doctor - A Chance: Kenny Chesney
Oh random music selection, you may have been overly random and stretching it for most of this list, but this one you got right. I’m pretty sure I’ve thought of making this vid before because it works really well for Ten’s Rose grief. And while the lyrics make more sense post Doomsday, I think it’s somehow more tragic after JE; because he *got* an impossible chance to do all those things he spent years wanting another chance at, and he gave it up. So he has no right to even ask for a chance anymore; and yet...
Sometimes reality hurts
And you wonder if life's worth living at all
Knowing no matter how much you care
You'll never have a prayer
Of having what you want
At least I've been close enough I could taste
Beauty at it's best but never a trace of
A chance
A chance
To tell you how I feel about you
How it feels to live without a chance
A chance
To tell you I'll love you forever
Knowing that I'll never have a chance
But let's get the year going with a meme stolen from ladyhadhafang
Choose fifteen characters. Then put your playlist on shuffle. Your first song with lyrics is your first character, and so on. For each song, choose lyrics that resonate with the corresponding character.
(Yes, as to avoid having to rank so many characters I love, I alphabetized them, it's how I roll.)
1. Aeryn Sun - Give a Little Bit: Goo Go Dolls
What’s a little weird is I know of at least one really good John/Aeryn vid to this song and yet it really doesn’t fit Aeryn at all. I’m pretty sure it was used for a sort of amalgam POV with a leaning towards John in that vid, but at least part of it still works for Aeryn’s way of falling in love with him.
I'll give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my time to you
So give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my life for you
2. Alex Drake - Sing Me Sweet: Matt Nathanson
I was surprised to see how well this kind of worked as I sat and listened to it thinking about Alex. Not entirely in the context they might have been intended, but Alex hears voices and is looking for a way home; and yet with Gene she does kind of want him not to let her go. It’s not a great fit, but it’s not bad either.
5 am, undressed
In your static, your mess
I don't need any new voices
I'm thick enough with superstitions and choices
Way home
A little bit of something
Maybe just a way home
Sing me sweet
Sing me low
Say you'll never let me go
Cause I've gone long enough
waiting for wonderful
3. Arya Stark - All These Things I’ve Done: The Killers
This one pretty obviously has a lot that related to Arya, the things she’s seen and the things she’s done.
I wanna stand up, I wanna let go
You know, you know - no you don't, you don't
I wanna shine on in the hearts of men
I wanna mean it from the back of my broken hand
Another head aches, another heart breaks
I am so much older than I can take
And my affection, well it comes and goes
I need direction to perfection, no no no no
Help me out
Yeah, you know you got to help me out
Yeah, oh don't you put me on the back burner
You know you got to help me out
4. Elena Gilbert - Give Me Strength: Over the Rhine
I confess I don’t remember the last time I listened to this song or why I even have it, but damn if it doesn’t work for Elena. I’m quoting a large portion of the song because of how much it fits; I especially imagine it for s4 (even more so, post Jeremy’s death/humanity off phase) Elena. I may have to revisit this as a vid...except that would mean watching s4 and I just don’t wanna do that. Still, it’s a good song for Elena, I feel I should say that yet again.
Sitting in the rain alone
Looking at a place that's gone
Boarded up my memories
But something's drawn me here again and I
I cannot leave the past alone
Hoped that I would never find
All the shit I left behind
Now I find the child in me
Is going to remind me that I
I can't forget my past for long
So take a look outside yourself
And tell me what you see
I can't believe
That you won't see the change in me
Give me strength to find the road that's lost in me
Give me time to heal and build myself a dream
Give me eyes to see the world surrounding me
Give me strength to be only me
I don't want to hear the things
You say you know all you've redeemed
'Cause I can't change what's come before
Build myself some better dreams
And cast off the fear that holds me here
5. Elijah Mikaelson - I Still Miss You: Keith Anderson
On the other hand this one really doesn’t fit at all. I’m just a quoting a little bit that maybe kinda sorta works for Elijah’s connection with the doppelgangers; or if you really twist it maybe it’s about family, but I don’t think it works on that level.
I've changed the presets in my truck
so those old songs don't sneak up
they still find me and remind me
yeah you come back that easy
I don’t know how to let you go
you are so deep down in my soul
I feel helpless so hopeless
it’s a door that never closes
6. Felicity Smoak - Camelot: from Camelot
This one really doesn’t fit at all either. But really stretching it, it’s a little Felicity’s POV on Oliver/the Queen’s life; living the high life, privileged to the point where he assumes the world complies with his wishes. And a little bit hopeful that there’s no better happy ever after than her being with Oliver (if just as unattainable as Camelot).
Camelot! Camelot!
I know it gives a person pause,
But in Camelot, Camelot
Those are the legal laws.
The snow may never slush upon the hillside.
By nine p.m. the moonlight must appear.
In short, there's simply not
A more congenial spot
For happily-ever-aftering than here
In Camelot.
7. Guy of Gisborne - Operation Working Vacation: Sugarland
Another sizable twist on the intentions of the song, I can hear a little humor at least in thinking of this as post-s2/early-s3 Guy who’s drinking away his problems and ignoring Vasey’s orders.
Well, this bottle's been working on my concentration
(Operation, working vacation)
The more I drink, the more the waves keep 'a waving
(Operation, working vacation)
The office keeps calling with complications
A big break down in communication
They keep leaving messages I keep erasing
8. Harry Potter - Love I’ve Found In You: Lady Antebellum
I like this song as a song, and it’s generic enough that it could apply to any number of ships out there, but it has no character to it so I’m not sure what to pick. So I just picked the ones I thought would be sweet from a shippy perspective (of course in my mind that Harry/Hermione because years later I still refuse to accept canon ships).
Some things really last forever
And some things are meant to be
Like you and me
Let your love shine on
Shine on and on and on
Well maybe we're just lucky
But maybe that's OK
Some people search the whole world over
Just to find a love, that's even half as true
As this love I've found in you
9. Kate Beckett - Rainbow: David Archuleta
This one worked surprisingly well. It’s another one I rarely if ever actually listen to and I thought a song about rainbows for Kate Beckett seemed like a sure miss. But then it turned out to actually fit. It starts off with lyrics that fit a lot of Kate’s issues and fears about getting close to people for the early seasons, and then it also works with the place she’s gotten to where she doesn’t forget all that pain she’s gone through but she’s found happiness. Plus it’s fun to imagine the rain being a reference to ‘Always’ and rainbows the next morning.
Fallin' out, fallin' in
Nothing's sure in this world no, no
Breakin' out, breakin' in
Never knowin' what lies ahead
We can really never tell it all no, no
Say goodbye, say hello
To a lover or friend
Sometimes we never could understand
Why some things begin then just end
We can really never tell it all no, no
~~~
This is such a wonderful place to be
Even if there is pain now
Everything will be all right
For as long as the world still turns
There will be night and day
Can you hear me
There's a rainbow always after the rain
10. Leslie Knope - Poster Girl: Backstreet Boys
This one didn’t work, not that I expected it to. The best you can get is it’s maybe a little bit Ben’s POV on loving Leslie, that as crazy as the world is, it also brought them together.
What good is tomorrow without a guarantee?
I was wrapped around her finger
And I began to believe
That the consequences of your actions really are just a game
That your life is just a chain reaction taking you day by day
She says nothing's forever in this crazy world
Still I'm falling in love with the right now poster girl
11. Mary Crawley - Into You: Carolyn Dawn Johnson
This one amuses me. It doesn’t really work for Mary, like at all...except it kind of does in tone. There’s something kind of winking and knowing about the song, that while most of it is pretty straight forward advice it’s delivered kind of smugly, which is very Mary. Mary who has had men throwing themselves at her feet and not daring to do anything wrong lest she reject them and who thinks she has all the answers when it comes to love.
If he doesn't call when he says he'll call;
Or if he doesn't even call at all,
Well, he just might not be that into you.
If he's too busy to see you on the weekends;
An' he doesn't introduce you to his friends,
Well, he just might not be that into you.
'Cause if he was he'd be hangin' on your every word.
He'd put away his little black book an' put you first.
He'd bein' doin' double back flips to make it work out.
12. Rose Tyler - Face to Face: Garth Brooks
The actual story of this song doesn’t work all that well, but metaphorically it does fit pretty well oddly enough. That the day will come when you have to stand up and fight back, make a stand for what you know is right and against what you know is wrong. That pushing through the fear you can come out the other side better than you were before And yes I did have PotW in mind listening to this.
Well, he broke your glasses, the girls all laughed
As he pushed you to the floor
But then you stood up one day knowin'
You couldn't stand it anymore
And your gentle hand was finally clenched in rage
And you were face to face
Face to face with the devil that you've been dreadin'
Eye to eye, finally has arrived
But bad as it was, well, now brother wasn't it better?
Dealin' with him face to face
~~~
'Cause it'll never go away
Until the fear that you are runnin' from
Is finally embraced
13. Sam Tyler - I Do (Cherish You): Mark Wills
This one’s a bit of a stretch, even if I do want to get a Sam/Annie vibe out of it. I’m not saying it couldn’t work for them, but it’s not a clean click either. I do see this section as part Sam/Annie and part Sam/1973, how he found himself in that world.
In my world, before you
I lived outside my emotions, didn't know where I was going
'til that day, I found you
how you opened my life to a new paradise
In a world torn by change
Still with all of my heart until my dying day
14. Susan Ivanova - Meant to Live: Switchfoot
If you ignore the gendered pronouns, this one kind of works because Ivanova is a character that carries a lot of baggage with her; she isn’t necessarily crippled by it, but it weighs her down, keeps her from living a full life that part of her wishes she could have.
Fumbling his confidence
And wond'ring why the world has passed him by
Hoping that he's meant for more than arguments
And failed attempts to fly, fly
~~~
Dreaming about providence
And whether mice or men have second tries
Maybe we've been livin with our eyes half open
Maybe we're bent and broken, broken
15. Tenth Doctor - A Chance: Kenny Chesney
Oh random music selection, you may have been overly random and stretching it for most of this list, but this one you got right. I’m pretty sure I’ve thought of making this vid before because it works really well for Ten’s Rose grief. And while the lyrics make more sense post Doomsday, I think it’s somehow more tragic after JE; because he *got* an impossible chance to do all those things he spent years wanting another chance at, and he gave it up. So he has no right to even ask for a chance anymore; and yet...
Sometimes reality hurts
And you wonder if life's worth living at all
Knowing no matter how much you care
You'll never have a prayer
Of having what you want
At least I've been close enough I could taste
Beauty at it's best but never a trace of
A chance
A chance
To tell you how I feel about you
How it feels to live without a chance
A chance
To tell you I'll love you forever
Knowing that I'll never have a chance