Heroes Songs
Giving that awesome music-fic meme another go, this time with Heroes. Since my new long fic is going to include lots of the characters, I wanted to practice getting in their heads a bit. Overall, I'm not thrilled with the results, I didn't get any songs that lended themselves to characters I really need to get familiar with, but oh well.
Here's the meme rules:
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it’s over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
This roams all over the first two seasons and earlier. Um, I hope folks can tell what's happening when.
1. “My Friends” Red Hot Chili Peppers
Shouldn’t I feel better now? Matt wondered. All he felt was tired, more than he’d ever felt before. And lost, slouched down low in a garishly seafoam airport chair. And wondering about the life he could now only dream of, the one he’d given up, though... it had never really existed. Shouldn’t that make me feel better? Maybe it was just shock wrapping chains around his body, too much running and too quick a stop. He just needed... something to hold.
“Matt!” And there she was, honey-colored hair streaming out behind her as she ran to him.
Matt smiled and laughed for the first time in what felt like years as he scooped Molly up into his arms and spun her around and around.
2. “Love Potion Number 9” The Searchers
It wasn’t the way her mother did it. It wasn’t the way her grandmother did it. Every time, she could feel their disapproving stares on the back of her neck. But, then, it’s not as if their way worked. Madame Ruth’s way worked. And it was so simple. All she did was hold the ingredients- the watered down turpentine and India ink- and call up whatever was required. Now, what did the boy want? Ah, love, that’s right. Don’t we all? Well, lust would do, put him on the right track at the very least. Madame Ruth let it flow down from her head, hot and glowing red in her veins, and settle inside the little bottle. She waited until the warmth faded before she handed the bottle over and got her payment. She chuckled a little once she was alone. Her hands still buzzed with the leftover sensation. That young Daniel Linderman was in for quite a ride.
3. “We Might As Well Be Strangers” Keane
There weren’t two people more different than Nathan and Peter. People who knew them- who thought they knew them would be unable to see what connected them, beyond blood. But that was just it, it was more than blood that connected them, and no one could see it but them.
Peter scowls. It was time to put all that whimsical talk away now. A bitter laugh escapes him as he thinks, What would Nathan say? Not the Nathan he thought he knew, but the one that smiles back from posters that infest the city like a fungus nowadays. The comparison is a good sting in his heart. Nathan isn’t his brother anymore; he’s an infestation, faceless beyond the flat frozen grin, working his way into Peter’s hindbrain in order to devour his vote. Just like every other citizen of New York.
4. “Harlem Shuffle” The Rolling Stones
When he first arrived, New York scared Mohinder. It didn’t make sense- it was only slightly less crowded than Chennai, and only slightly brighter. But sometimes, when he’d get roped into late shifts in the taxi, he would feel himself shrinking in his seat under searing neon and braying crowds that spilled out of bars and clubs. He would flick off his light and duck his head, anything to avoid detection by these sloppy, stumbling Americans. His entire command of the English language would vanish, leaving him stammering and the subject of slurred abuse from the fares he just couldn’t avoid. And afterwards he would shut and bolt the door to his apartment behind him with shaking hands, grateful to have survived another night.
5. “Rangers” A Fine Frenzy
“Father, please, can’t we rest? I’m so tired. These woods are so thick,” she stumbles over yet another root, lost in the gloom of the undergrowth.
“Soon, soon we will rest.” He takes a fresh grip on her wrist, and her legs stretch to keep up with his strides.
Then she can hear them. They seem to come from all directions- shouts, bodies crashing through the brush. Fear stabs at her stomach, “Father?”
“I know.” Of course he knows. If she has nothing else to comfort her, it is that he knows.
A blast of musket fire sends her heart racing. She could swear she saw the flash somewhere between the tree trunks, “Father!”
“I know! Come!” A huge tree rises up before her and she is yanked forward, inside of it, into silence so thick and quiet she knows that they are safe at last.
Claire’s eyes flutter open. Pain in her neck makes itself known as she uncurls from the motel’s faded couch.
“Good morning,” a male voice says. Claire’s eyes dart to the door, and she forces a smile for the Haitian. The tight grip on her wrist fades away.
6. “A Rush of Blood to the Head” Coldplay
Claude’s always seen more than he should. Even before it became as easy as standing in a room, being careful of course to stay out of everyone’s unwitting way. And he sees more in Peter Petrelli than he should. He tells the boy most of it- he’s weak, he’s dependent on others, he’s pathetic. But what he doesn’t say is that he knows why Peter’s that way. See, he met Angela Petrelli. And Arthur Petrelli. Ages past, in another life. And he may not know Nathan, but he can bloody well guess what that bastard’s like. It’s all in those nauseating posters. Anyway, the only difference between what’s been done to Peter and what’s been done to the people the Company has sucked up is that all the scars are in the boy’s head. It’s hard work, digging through all that to see the person beneath.
7. “Grazed Knees” Snow Patrol
It’s another prickly morning. Which is a cute way of putting it- the woefully metaphorical needles under Isaac’s skin and in Simone’s eyes. But it’s okay, as long as she’s still here, he’ll be all right. Even if he lets his eyes close, he can still listen to her in the kitchen, cooking something to force the pain to back off a few steps for a little while. She’s a saint, she’s an angel- Isaac’s tried to tell her this before. Simone just glares, dark but still so beautiful.
8. “Heart It Races” Architecture in Helsinki
The beat was... everything. Meredith’s whole world, her reason for moving. All hint of melody faded, grossly unimportant in the face of driving rhythm. She didn’t need anything but its guiding force- not the people she’d come here with, not anything that had seemed so important when she’d walked inside. It all wandered out to the far corners of her mind, leaving plenty of space for a very handsome man to stand in front of her when her eyes cracked open.
Really, she thinks later, I get so foolish when I’m dancing. He had no idea he was taking advantage. And that doesn’t make her feel any better, as she taps out a beat against the sink with the empty pregnancy test box.
9. “Cat Fight” Dance Hall Crashers
“Hey, who do you think you are, bitch?!” Tina spat, eyes flashing. Her fingers were already curling dangerously and every muscle was tense to the point of shaking.
Niki smirked, “Looks like I’m the bitch who’s about to kick your ass.”
In an instant, the two women were a mass of swinging limbs and shrieked curses. Calls of “Cat fight!” rang out up and down the alley next to the club and the crowd came running, D.L. slipping among them with one quiet question on his lips. Later, he would collect the cash and vanish, as would the objects of the crowd’s fevered attention. He’d count it up and divide it three ways. Tina would whine that Niki’s right hook had nearly taken her head off, but would cheer up instantly when a steaming plate of chicken lo mein arrived at their table.
It’s not stealing, a voice would whisper in Nikki’s head, We’re entertainers.
10. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” Smashing Pumpkins
This world is too small for me. Sylar came to this conclusion not long after he worked out what he could do. The fact has never felt more real than when he wanders around New York, as trapped inside himself as he is in the asphalt valleys between canyon skyscrapers. He’s buffeted by the crowds as if he is just like them. It makes his skin crawl. When he finds out about Mr. Ted Sprague and his amazing talent, it’s just more proof that everything he’s done has been exactly what he was supposed to do. Because now... now he wants to be as big outside as he is inside. And just as dangerous.
Here's the meme rules:
1. Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like.
2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle.
3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it’s over. No lingering afterwards!
4. Do ten of these, then post them.
This roams all over the first two seasons and earlier. Um, I hope folks can tell what's happening when.
1. “My Friends” Red Hot Chili Peppers
Shouldn’t I feel better now? Matt wondered. All he felt was tired, more than he’d ever felt before. And lost, slouched down low in a garishly seafoam airport chair. And wondering about the life he could now only dream of, the one he’d given up, though... it had never really existed. Shouldn’t that make me feel better? Maybe it was just shock wrapping chains around his body, too much running and too quick a stop. He just needed... something to hold.
“Matt!” And there she was, honey-colored hair streaming out behind her as she ran to him.
Matt smiled and laughed for the first time in what felt like years as he scooped Molly up into his arms and spun her around and around.
2. “Love Potion Number 9” The Searchers
It wasn’t the way her mother did it. It wasn’t the way her grandmother did it. Every time, she could feel their disapproving stares on the back of her neck. But, then, it’s not as if their way worked. Madame Ruth’s way worked. And it was so simple. All she did was hold the ingredients- the watered down turpentine and India ink- and call up whatever was required. Now, what did the boy want? Ah, love, that’s right. Don’t we all? Well, lust would do, put him on the right track at the very least. Madame Ruth let it flow down from her head, hot and glowing red in her veins, and settle inside the little bottle. She waited until the warmth faded before she handed the bottle over and got her payment. She chuckled a little once she was alone. Her hands still buzzed with the leftover sensation. That young Daniel Linderman was in for quite a ride.
3. “We Might As Well Be Strangers” Keane
There weren’t two people more different than Nathan and Peter. People who knew them- who thought they knew them would be unable to see what connected them, beyond blood. But that was just it, it was more than blood that connected them, and no one could see it but them.
Peter scowls. It was time to put all that whimsical talk away now. A bitter laugh escapes him as he thinks, What would Nathan say? Not the Nathan he thought he knew, but the one that smiles back from posters that infest the city like a fungus nowadays. The comparison is a good sting in his heart. Nathan isn’t his brother anymore; he’s an infestation, faceless beyond the flat frozen grin, working his way into Peter’s hindbrain in order to devour his vote. Just like every other citizen of New York.
4. “Harlem Shuffle” The Rolling Stones
When he first arrived, New York scared Mohinder. It didn’t make sense- it was only slightly less crowded than Chennai, and only slightly brighter. But sometimes, when he’d get roped into late shifts in the taxi, he would feel himself shrinking in his seat under searing neon and braying crowds that spilled out of bars and clubs. He would flick off his light and duck his head, anything to avoid detection by these sloppy, stumbling Americans. His entire command of the English language would vanish, leaving him stammering and the subject of slurred abuse from the fares he just couldn’t avoid. And afterwards he would shut and bolt the door to his apartment behind him with shaking hands, grateful to have survived another night.
5. “Rangers” A Fine Frenzy
“Father, please, can’t we rest? I’m so tired. These woods are so thick,” she stumbles over yet another root, lost in the gloom of the undergrowth.
“Soon, soon we will rest.” He takes a fresh grip on her wrist, and her legs stretch to keep up with his strides.
Then she can hear them. They seem to come from all directions- shouts, bodies crashing through the brush. Fear stabs at her stomach, “Father?”
“I know.” Of course he knows. If she has nothing else to comfort her, it is that he knows.
A blast of musket fire sends her heart racing. She could swear she saw the flash somewhere between the tree trunks, “Father!”
“I know! Come!” A huge tree rises up before her and she is yanked forward, inside of it, into silence so thick and quiet she knows that they are safe at last.
Claire’s eyes flutter open. Pain in her neck makes itself known as she uncurls from the motel’s faded couch.
“Good morning,” a male voice says. Claire’s eyes dart to the door, and she forces a smile for the Haitian. The tight grip on her wrist fades away.
6. “A Rush of Blood to the Head” Coldplay
Claude’s always seen more than he should. Even before it became as easy as standing in a room, being careful of course to stay out of everyone’s unwitting way. And he sees more in Peter Petrelli than he should. He tells the boy most of it- he’s weak, he’s dependent on others, he’s pathetic. But what he doesn’t say is that he knows why Peter’s that way. See, he met Angela Petrelli. And Arthur Petrelli. Ages past, in another life. And he may not know Nathan, but he can bloody well guess what that bastard’s like. It’s all in those nauseating posters. Anyway, the only difference between what’s been done to Peter and what’s been done to the people the Company has sucked up is that all the scars are in the boy’s head. It’s hard work, digging through all that to see the person beneath.
7. “Grazed Knees” Snow Patrol
It’s another prickly morning. Which is a cute way of putting it- the woefully metaphorical needles under Isaac’s skin and in Simone’s eyes. But it’s okay, as long as she’s still here, he’ll be all right. Even if he lets his eyes close, he can still listen to her in the kitchen, cooking something to force the pain to back off a few steps for a little while. She’s a saint, she’s an angel- Isaac’s tried to tell her this before. Simone just glares, dark but still so beautiful.
8. “Heart It Races” Architecture in Helsinki
The beat was... everything. Meredith’s whole world, her reason for moving. All hint of melody faded, grossly unimportant in the face of driving rhythm. She didn’t need anything but its guiding force- not the people she’d come here with, not anything that had seemed so important when she’d walked inside. It all wandered out to the far corners of her mind, leaving plenty of space for a very handsome man to stand in front of her when her eyes cracked open.
Really, she thinks later, I get so foolish when I’m dancing. He had no idea he was taking advantage. And that doesn’t make her feel any better, as she taps out a beat against the sink with the empty pregnancy test box.
9. “Cat Fight” Dance Hall Crashers
“Hey, who do you think you are, bitch?!” Tina spat, eyes flashing. Her fingers were already curling dangerously and every muscle was tense to the point of shaking.
Niki smirked, “Looks like I’m the bitch who’s about to kick your ass.”
In an instant, the two women were a mass of swinging limbs and shrieked curses. Calls of “Cat fight!” rang out up and down the alley next to the club and the crowd came running, D.L. slipping among them with one quiet question on his lips. Later, he would collect the cash and vanish, as would the objects of the crowd’s fevered attention. He’d count it up and divide it three ways. Tina would whine that Niki’s right hook had nearly taken her head off, but would cheer up instantly when a steaming plate of chicken lo mein arrived at their table.
It’s not stealing, a voice would whisper in Nikki’s head, We’re entertainers.
10. “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” Smashing Pumpkins
This world is too small for me. Sylar came to this conclusion not long after he worked out what he could do. The fact has never felt more real than when he wanders around New York, as trapped inside himself as he is in the asphalt valleys between canyon skyscrapers. He’s buffeted by the crowds as if he is just like them. It makes his skin crawl. When he finds out about Mr. Ted Sprague and his amazing talent, it’s just more proof that everything he’s done has been exactly what he was supposed to do. Because now... now he wants to be as big outside as he is inside. And just as dangerous.