#oh also also: song lyrics are from ‘In the woods somewhere’ by Hozier

[sensitiveheartless]

My head was warm

My skin was soaked

I called your name ‘til the fever broke

(I posted the first half of a vampire Chuuya fic, do mind the tags if you decide to check it out)

[melanie-ohara]

Whumpuary2024 Masterpost

As well as every story I've written this month I also want to include some Fun Stats! about my experience of the challenge, as well as a playlist of all the songs I used lyrics from in my titles. Here we go:

The stats:

Words written: 53,034 (!!!!!)

Stories released: 17

Longest story: Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful, 4,165 words, Mass Effect Andromeda

Shortest story: Like a Mouthful of Rain, 963 words, Original Work

Favourite story: Do You Want Me On Your Mind? 2,950 words, Baldur's Gate 3

Chocolate bars consumed: 20

Times cried while writing: four

Main prompts used: 27

Alt prompts used: 3

The stories:

These are all available on tumblr too, but for expedience and convenience these are all AO3 links. I'm also listing the song I used for the title, which wasn't something I was doing intentionally until the third story, at which point I figured it was better to lean into it and find songs that work for the characters I'm writing about rather than straining my poor brain to think of an original title.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful

Mass Effect Andromeda, Sara Ryder/Vetra Nyx

Prompts: Snow, Captivity

Title stolen from Let It Snow by Ella Fitzgerald

My Heart Was Wired in Thorns

Baldur's Gate 3, Dark Urge (Sithla) & Wyll, Dark Urge & Lae'zel

Prompts: "Get away from me", Choking

Title stolen from Circus Bazooko by BRMC

In The Woods Somewhere and Take Yourself Apart For Me

Star Wars Ahsoka, Wolfwren (Sabine and Shin)

Prompts: Stabbed, Used as Bait, Lightheaded, "Help me"

Titles stolen from In The Woods Somewhere by Hozier and Haunt by BRMC

Hollow Yourself in the Mercy of Man

Original Work - Sci-fi

Prompt: Can't Move

Title stolen from Mercy of Man by Robert Levon Been ft. S.G. Goodman

Like a Mouthful of Rain

Original Work - Medieval

Prompt: Kidnapped

This one was hard to write. The previous day's story was such a failure in my eyes that I scrapped the planned second chapter and almost didn't write anything at all, until I threw this together at the last minute. I liked it quite a lot, in the end.

Title stolen from Revolver by Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan

Alive, Just to Watch the Bruises Heal

Mass Effect, Shepard/Thane Krios

Prompts: Exhaustion, Old Injuries

This one got pretty dark, but it's something I've been thinking about for literally years. I'm not the first person to justify the ME1 scars not being in ME2, but I might be the first person to think about Shepard putting them back.

Title stolen from Bruises by Band of Skulls

I'm Not Here Looking For Absolution

Star Wars, Nitearmor (Bo Katan/The Armorer)

Prompts: "I didn't know where else to go", Bruises

It is genuinely surprising to me that this is the only smut I wrote for this month

Title stolen from Bedroom Hymns by Florence + The Machine

Like a Broken Sail

Dishonored, Billie Lurk

Prompts: Hostage, Muffled Screams

I really liked this one because I got to subvert the second prompt a little. I was looking forward to it for days before I got to write it

Title stolen from Future Starts Slow by The Kills

The Working of My Hands

Baldur's Gate 3, Tav (Emily of Rivington)/Lae'zel

Prompts: "Do you trust me?", Restraints

Title stolen from De Selby, Part 2 by Hozier

No Hope For Me, Your Last Serving Daughter

Original Work - Etagne Empire

Prompts: Desperation, Can't Stay Awake

This is a story about a character from my work-in-progress book, MYSTERIES IN THE LAND OF ICE.

Title stolen from Hope In The Air by Laura Marling

Do You Want Me On Your Mind?

Baldur's Gate 3, Nocturne/Shadowheart, Tav (Mellephora)/Shadowheart

Prompts: Memories, Forced to Watch

Another prompt I had fun subverting

Title stolen from Fuel to Fire by Agnes Obel

Rulers Make Bad Lovers

Dishonored, Emily Kaldwin/Wyman/Alexi Mayhew

Prompts: "You're awake", Unfair Fight

Title stolen from Gold Dust Woman by Copilot Music + Sound (originally by Fleetwood Mac)

See How Deep the Bullet Lies

Mass Effect, Shiara (Shepard/Liara)

Prompts: Left to Die, "I'm fine"

Title stolen from Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush

I'll Be Your All For Now

Dishonored, Cecelia/Callista

Prompts: Sleep Deprivation, "Let me see"

These two are my number one rarepair, I love them

Title stolen from Echo by BRMC

Can't Touch You Now and A Soft Caress, As Cold As Death

Baldur's Gate 3, Tav (Calarisa)/Karlach

Prompts: Touch-starved, Aftermath

Titles stolen from Because the Night by Garbage & Screaming Females (originally by Patti Smith), and I Want to Live by Borislav Slavov ft. Ilona Ivanova

The songs I stole lyrics from

Here is a spotify playlist of all the music I used, most of which fit the stories or characters in them. They do not flow into each other at all and there's an over-abundance of BRMC (they're my favourite band, shoot me), but these are all songs I really love. Apart from Let it Snow. That's there because I didn't plan any of this.

Final thoughts

Whumpuary2024 is the first month-long challenge I've undertaken, and it was extremely hard and really rewarding. I aimed to average a thousand words a day and blew clear past that most days, and a few times I barely stumbled across the line as beaten and bloodied as the people I was writing about. I'm incredibly glad I did it and I will probably try again next year (though maybe not a prompt a day next time!). Thank you @whumpuary for the fun event and for randomly crossing my dash at a moment when I was feeling creative enough to sign myself up

If anyone made it this far, thank you for reading! I hope you like the stories. It's not a secret that I'm adding a secret 18th story as a follow up to the Wolfwren series, but this is your special confirmation that it'll be out February the first and second

[bonesbuckleup]

You recently introduced me to Cloud Cult by way of your post referencing "One Way Out Of A Hole," and I've done nothing but obsessively listen to them at full blast ever since. My Spotify Wrapped will be a wreck (as will my car if I keep accidentally speeding while screaming inspirational lyrics). So... do you have any other music recommendations?

Yes.

But also full disclosure, Cloud Cult (LINK!!!) is arguably one of my most obscure band-that-I-love and a lot of these are much more mainstream, but I do enjoy and Spotify says I frequently listen to:

Orville Peck--I'm not usually one for country but particularly his album Bronco owns my soul. You like twangy songs with a lot of heart performed by a queer man who wears a tasseled mask in every appearance? Then boy oh boy is Orville Peck right for you.

Mother Mother--I think they're pretty well known but they're new to me! Favorites are "It's Alright" and "Sick of the Silence"

The Narcissist Cookbook--they live somewhere between punk, spoken word, yelling, and grit-your-teeth-and-get-through-it inspirational. Favorites include "GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE" and "Ghost Stories." 100% an acquired taste and not for everyone.

First Aid Kit--hippy girl music that makes you want to go run through the woods. Kind of a less-known cousin to Florence and the Machine. They've got a solid vibe throughout most of their stuff so you really can't go wrong with a start point, but their recent album Palamino scratches my brain in a nice way.

Florence and the Machine--self-explanatory. Current faves are "100 Years," "Choreomania," and always "Which Witch." Seeing her live was the closest I've ever been to understanding how people join cults.

Hozier--another self-explanatory one but also his newest album just dropped and I am obsessed.

Gregory Alan Isakov--my love. Chill folk music with lyrics that sucker punch you when you pay attention and listen. Excellent music to put on while writing.

Nathaniel Ratecliff & the Night Sweats--Just a solid good-time band with great lyrics and a lot of heart. Swings from stomp and holler to really thoughtful/high-feel songs. Almost all hits tbh. Favorites are "S.O.B." and "And It's Still Alright."

[reilora-borealis]

.... and you're NOT gonna tell us about the Shadowgast Playlist? Please 🫴, hand it over.

I said in my original post this was my toxic trait... nonetheless I am SO glad someone took the bait 😈

I'm not going to post the link because I value my spotify privacy and also I have an embarrassing username that no one needs to know about. However, since you asked nicely (and let's be honest, I wasn't expecting anyone to care! so thank you!), I will share ✨ my personal top 5 shadowgast songs ✨ with a bit of context for each.

If you're just here to roast my music taste, bear in mind... I said toxic trait. Proceed at your own risk.

1. Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce

"If I could make days last forever / If words could make wishes come true / I'd save every day like a treasure and then / Again, I would spend them with you..."

This one has two meaning imo: first, early-campaign Caleb wishing he could change the past to save his parents' lives; later, Essek wishing he had more time to spend with Caleb. The original version is beautiful, but there is also a cover by Yungblud (yes, it's on the Hobbs & Shaw soundtrack) that's badass but a very different vibe.

2. Lilith by Halsey

"I'm perfection when it comes to first impressions / I romanticize and then I get to stressing / Big brain like I'm teaching at a lesson / Baby, it's a blessing..."

Every time this song comes on I legit yell ESSEK ANTHEM! because it is. This is the Hot Villain theme song. The beat is so sexy. The lyrics are on point ("I am disgusting / I've been corrupted / And by now I don't need not help to be destructive"). The vibes are just immaculate.

3. No Halo by Brockhampton

"Went to church for the hell of it, stumbled in drunk as shit / Been going through it again / Been talking to myself, wondering who I am / Been thinking I am better than Him..."

Look. I could write an entire essay about this one song. Wizard hubris, depression, and the crisis of faith Essek goes through when the Nein find out about his betrayal. Also, for those who theorize Essek is the unwilling chosen of the Luxon - he could, in fact, be "God's special mess".

4. X&Y by Coldplay

"I dive in at the deep end / You become my best friend / I want to love you but I don't know if I can / I know something is broken / And I'm trying to fix it / Trying to repair it / Any way I can..."

Two characters who both think they are terrible people that don't deserve love, trying to be better and trying to better each other? And they fall in love? And they're narrative foils? No one is doing it like them! (Plus the chorus "You and me are drifting into outer space" just screams ~wizards in the star room~.)

5. All The Stars by Kendrick Lamar feat. SZA (album version)

"Tell me what you gon' do to me / Confrontation ain't nothing new to me / You can bring a bullet, bring a sword, bring a morgue / But you can't bring the truth to me..."

I don't know how this song manages to be both broody and uplifting at the same time, but it is and it's perfection. It's the grimness of reality and the hope for the future, the refrain of "All the stars are closer" symbolizing all the possibilities that are now within reach.

And oh boy, I don't have time to write about the whole playlist but if you've made it this far, here are some bonus mini listicles because this is my Roman Empire 😌

Entire playlist of just shadowgast-coded Hozier songs:

Arsonist's Lullabye

In The Woods Somewhere

De Selby (pt. 2)

Someone New

Like Real People Do

Moment's Silence

From Eden

All My Homies Hate Trent Ikithon songs:

Heathens by Twenty One Pilots

Eat Your Young by Hozier

Buzzkill by Mothica

Another Brick In The Wall, pt. II by Pink Floyd

My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark by Fall Out Boy

Other ships? In my shadowgast playlist? It's more likely than you think:

The Cave by Mumford & Sons (widobrave)

Cringe by Matt Maeson (widojest)

Tessellate by alt-J (blumendrei)

EDM wizard songs if you're into that sort of thing (I am):

Time Stops by Virtual Riot

I'd Love To Change The World (Matstubs Remix) by Jetta

I Could Be Anything by the Glitch Mob feat. Elohim

New Eyes by Echos

Keep in mind this is just a handful of songs out of like a hundred, so I welcome you to give me the benefit of the doubt and fill in the rest of the playlist in your mind with whatever makes me seem cool to you.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk, I am sorry it took me four days to write this... 😅

[green-cargaytions]

hiiiii if i wanted to get into hozier music. where should i start :3

oscar i’ve been staring at this ask freaking out for like the last twenty minutes (positive) i have no idea where to even begin!!!

ok so it’s helpful to know that every hozier song is like

pick all that apply: horny, feral, deeply tender, deeply sad, existential crisis, remembrance of things past, women pretty, politics, religion, poetry, new and unhinged emotions. i can rec for any and all of these categories

on the whole, hozier does a lot of fingerstyle guitar; he’s influenced most deeply by blues, r&b and other Black music. his music is very emotions so crying. literally he will speak in extended metaphors and literary allusions…ough…

the first album (2014) is eponymous, it’s just called hozier. very acoustic, indie sound, he literally recorded it in his parents’ attic. everyone knows it for Take Me To Church. make sure to listen to the expanded version! big themes of religion.

his second album (2019) is called Wasteland, Baby!, and it is definitely the horniest album of the three- but it has some of the most poetic songs as well! this one sounds really dreamy. the album art is fantastic. underwater photoshoot WHOMST. also definitely don’t forget the E.P for this one, it has two amazing songs that aren’t on the album.

his most recent album (2023) is called Unreal Unearth and it’s based loosely on Dante’s Inferno/ the nine circles of hell. it’s definitely his most produced-sounding album, but imo it stays in line with his unique sound, and his lyric-writing skills have only gotten better. he’s also begun collaborating a lot more with this album! note that Through Me (The Flood) isn’t on the album, just the EP, but so worth listening to.

oh lord, this has gotten long. i’m willing to do a more in-depth breakdown of each album if you want!

for now, i’ll give you some quick faves from each one:

(god i can’t choose rjakgksfksjgjsy)

Hozier (2014): Jackie and Wilson, It Will Come Back, From Eden, and In The Woods Somewhere.

Wasteland, Baby! (2019): Shrike, NFWMB, Almost (Sweet Music), As It Was, and Sunlight.

Unreal Unearth (2023): Abstract (Psychopomp), Unknown/Nth, First Time, and Son Of Nyx. Special shout-out to the All Things End music video.

OKAY THIS HAS GOTTEN LONG, SORRY, PLEASE ASK ME IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS

p.s if there is a hozier, then - the existence of a hoziest is implied ….somewhere out there….

[smoosnoom]

ok so . moon. i Luved all the songs so much !! i think my fave was your love . it was just so good ?? the Sounds were very pleasing to my brain lol. i did already know scary love and its one of my fav the nbhd songs tbh. i only know a few somgs from glass animals (it's all so incredibly loud, the other side of paradise, mama's gun and poplar st) so i will Definitely check out that album tmr or smth <3

and!! i have some song recs for u too (tho im very bad at matching song vibes so its just kinda random soz) :

make up your mind - florence + the machine

safe - all time low (very mike wheeler imo)

avalanche - bring me the horizon

at least i have nothing - saint motel

resilience - pierce the veil (very will byers imo)

oh another will byers coded song ive been obsessed w lately is arsonist's lullaby - hozier, as well as in the woods somewhere .. i've just been obsessed w hozier lately tbh lol

ok thats all or else i will starting listing songs for days lol . me and my 2,013 liked songs on spotify r always open to give recs tho 🫡

ok . after several days of not answering this i am Finally here, sniffly nose and all, answering this 🫡 first of all IMS SOSOOO HAPPY U LIKED THEM 🥳🥳🥳🥳 i did think "your love" was ur vibe so im very glad 2 hear that :D if u ever check out their album let me know all ur thoughts !!!!

ok so . ive been trying to get into flo+the machine, and this song . is so good i loveee her vocals and the instruments building up with it, this and hozier give me very similar vibes !!! i really enjoyed it !!!!

honestly . all time low in General is so mike wheeler core he would so get into a poppunk phase i said what i said . also the idea of everything mike considers safe immediately leaving 🙂 goodbye why would u put this in my head

walk the moon i know very scarcely, but i think i should definitely check them out properly since this is like . their fifth song ive heard and enjoyed !!!! it was very nice, very similar vibes to the other ones ive heard 🥳

same thing with saint motel !!! ive heard a bunch of their songs and i liked this one just as much :D also ive realized u recommend many that have a vibe of just . leaving everything behind and pursuing something else

omg i had a brief ptv phase back in middle school LOL and oh my god ur so right this is so will byers 😭 mj Please . crying

i love love loveee hozier, i think he was top five listened in 2021 LOL he is so . i love his lyricism his music his Everything !!

thank u 4 the recs :)

[thebrokengate]

Oh, I'm not just gonna drop a song. I'm gonna drop multiple with reasons; you've opened the floodgates.

Meet Me in the Woods by Lord Huron. To me, this is a very Marble Hornets song. The chorus in question reminds me so much of it (I have seen what the darkness does/Said goodbye to who I was/I ain't never been away so long/Don't look back them days are gone/Follow me into the endless night/I can bring your fears to life/Show me yours and I'll show you mine/Meet me in the woods tonight) as the song's lyrics describe darkness taking hold of someone and changing them (I fucked with forces that our eyes can't see/Now the darkness got a hold on me), along with a loss of awareness of the passage of time (How long baby have I been away?/Oh, it feels like ages, though you say it's only days), as well as the aforementioned "don't look back, them days are gone" which could reference the past memories we see of our cast of characters that now seem so sad knowing what would become of them.

In the Woods Somewhere by Hozier. This one is more of a general Slenderverse song to me, a scenario specific one where a protagonist goes out in the woods (not at all uncommon for this universe) and gets attacked by creatures and/or finds pieces of the puzzle to solve their series' mysteries. The songs vibes, especially in slowed down versions, give that feeling of being lost in the forest and unable to find your way home.

Burn It Down by Linkin Park. Partially biased for this one because I found it in a playlist once, but the lyrics really work. This one is 100% an EverymanHYBRID song. The song discusses a repeating cycle which we know the series has with its iterations, as well as being unable to find some missing pieces of the puzzle that may have helped end everything (The cycle repeated/As explosions broke in the sky/All that I needed/Was the one thing I couldn't find). As the chorus describes, the iterations are a constant loop of building up new lives for the protagonists before breaking them back down again.

Falls Apart by Hurt. This one- I just- this whole song describes The Record of Stan Frederick to a T, I don't even know what to say. Just looking at the whole beginning of the song.. "I messed up again when I tried/You spend all your money and I/And, oh! By the way/With all you did nothing has changed/So lie like a waste by the side/As everything just falls apart/'Cause everything just fell apart for me" but it goes even further than that as the singer keeps crying out "woe is me". This song from Stan's perspective would tell us so much about his character on his failed one man's quest to make peace with his guilty conscience, and it reminds me a lot especially of that season 3 scene where Serena confronts him about what he did to her little brother and how everything he does is all for himself.

Man or a Monster by Sam Tinnesz. This is another one that can be taken generally, but can also be applied in some way to most series. This song would call into question the choices that characters in the Slenderverse make, whether they choose to do terrible things to each other to survive or not, and how no matter what they do, the damage that can come from those choices can't be taken back.

And there we go! A few general ones that came to mind and a few for my top favorite series. :)

Saw this on Twitter and wanted to see what tumblr would say :3

[daandyli0n]

aight! time to give some ""playlists"" for my dsmp ocs (playlists in quotes because it's more like links to the songs on youtube) in what i call the "original eight" universe (chesnut, quill, marsh, avi, hawk, iris, cassia, and wilt)

@sunviolet77 if you wanna see this

i'll add in the links later cause i'm not at my computer right now.

here we go (some characters will have more songs than others):

chesnut:

"crybaby" by melanie martinez

"welcome to the internet" by bo burnham (this one feels like it's more from the perspective of c!dream to chesnut)

"devil town" by cavetown (the original version)

quill:

"drugs" by upsahl (this was basically quill first joining the server)

"people i don't like" by upsahl

"sippy cup" by melanie martinez (just the general vibes and also for this line: "He doesn't think I'm That f**king dumb, does he?" which would probably be them referring to c!dream)

"drama club" by melanie martinez

"therefore i am" by billie eilish

marsh:

"six feet under" by vane (remove the romantic vibes from this and the song could be about marsh coming to terms with the fact that c!dream never truly cared for him. also, the part at the very end gives me the vibes of the threat c!dream gave marsh)

"paranoia" by neoni (marsh post-prison break. the actual verses are marsh singing about how he and everybody else in las nevadas are panicking while the chorus is c!dream being an a**hole pretty much taunting marsh over how terrified he is)

"look who's inside again" by bo burnham

"c'est la vie" by weathers (marsh moving into las nevadas)

iris:

"are you satisfied" by marina and the diamonds

"feel better" by penelope scott

avi:

"monster" by dodie (this is purely for the fact that this is basically her voice claim)

"hermit the frog" by marina and the diamonds (for the vibes and the line of "Did you find your b***h in me? Oh, you're Abominable socially." which i feel is directed towards c!dream)

"in the woods somewhere" by hozier (gives me vibes of avi post-hawk's disappearance, as hawk went missing in the woods)

"housewife radio" by ghost (song is about a woman who murdered her husband and couldn't deal with the guilt. gives me vibes of avi attempting to deal with her grief by listening to recordings of hawk's former show recordings)

"lotta true crime" by penelope scott

hawk:

"colorbars" by ghost (gives me alive hawk vibes)

"broadcast illusion" by ghost (gives me ghost!hawk vibes)

cassia:

"american healthcare" by penelope scott

"our word" from 36 questions

"born2run" by penelope scott

"self care" by penelope scott

"i deserve to bleed" by sushi soucy (warning: the song discusses self-harm and someone's desire to do it. the lyrics that i can see really fitting cas are "They say that it gets better, but I guess that was a lie. I guess we all just fake it til we die. Sympathy and love we can extend to someone else, but it's harder when you have to love yourself..." yeah, cas really isn't doing well...)

wilt:

"american healthcare" by penelope scott

"our word" from 36 questions

"novocaine" by creep-p (this song gives their vibes Perfectly)

that's all i've got currently. i'll add links later.

[clarionglass]

okay so those of you who are here because of chatfic already know i’ve got theories about hozier (he’s a buried avatar lads), and those of you who know me irl know i just love batshit mad theories, so here we go (those of you who may possibly see this in the hozier tag without any other context keep scrolling, this gets weird) a post in which i use lyrics to posit that hozier has in fact been marked in some way by all the entities from the magnus archives actually i’m gonna put this under a cut because it’s getting hella long, my apologies mobile users if you disagree with any of these or just want to chat about it then please hit me up! i love my pet theories lol

the buried: “why were you digging, what did you bury / before those hands pulled me from the earth” --like real people do; “when my time comes around / lay me gently in the cold dark earth / no grave can hold my body down / i’ll crawl home to her” --work song; as well as all of both those songs, plus probably more i can’t think of rn this is the easiest to classify. lrpd is just him going “hello yes i am a buried avatar hi there.” plus the whole bog body thing outside of that? “oh yeah hozier rises from the dirt/woods every 5 years to drop a new album” is pretty much what he actually does i think (credit for bringing work song to my attention goes to a_random_nymph on ao3) the corruption: “i have never known hunger / like these insects that feast on me” --in a week definitely encountered it, he’s marked, but it’s not his the dark: “i would shun the light / share in evenings cool and quiet / who would trade that hum of night / for sunlight, sunlight, sunlight” --sunlight; “there will be darkness again” --no plan look, the stuff in sunlight lasts for like. half a verse. it’s definitely not his, but like the corruption, he’s encountered it the desolation: “when i was a child, i’d sit for hours / staring into open flame / something in it had a power / could barely tear my eyes away” --arsonist’s lullabye; “though i’ve handled the wood i still worship the flame” --would that i; as well as all of both of them actually, and again probably others look there’s a lot of evidence to support hozier being a desolation avatar too, as seen above. and i get that! but i really think he’s done a mike crew here and renounced the desolation in favour of the buried. there’s actually a work song quote that might metaphorically relate to that? but yeah arsonist’s lullabye pretty much places the desolation stuff as being when he was young the end: “two corpses we were / two corpses i saw” --in a week; in fact all of in a week tbh yeah, not much to unpack here. again, was marked but isn’t affiliated the eye: “i knew that look, dear, eyes always seeking / was there in someone that dug long ago” --like real people do he’s met the eye. encountered avatars of the eye. is possibly being pulled from the earth by an avatar of the eye here? unsure. but he’s an older avatar than he looks, and i’m clinging to the theory within a theory that he once met jonah magnus the flesh: “something meaty for the main course / ... / we’ve a lot of starving faithful” --take me to church yeah. i know it’s absolutely metaphorical. but it’s the only thing i could really find and it does kinda fit, so i’d say he’s got the mark. now i think about it there are bits of angel of small death and the codeine scene that fit as well, so there u go the hunt: “dragging along, following your form / hung like the pelt of some prey you had worn” --shrike; plus various quotes from “in the woods somewhere” he’s known a hunt avatar intimately i’m pretty sure. it didn’t work out, and it left him marked. he also touched the hunt itself, but once again, it didn’t stick with him the lonely: “never feel too good in crowds / with folks around” --to be alone it’s a passing reference, he’s marked but not affiliated the slaughter: “open hand or closed fist would be fine / the blood is rare and sweet as cherry wine” --cherry wine didn’t feel drawn to it, but hell if he hasn’t been marked by a slaughter avatar the spiral: “the shape that i’m in now is shaping the dooway” --as it was i won’t lie, this is a tenuous one, but that’s a pretty distortion kinda quote. also possibly “when i was sixteen, my senses fooled me” from arsonist’s lullabye, but that’s so tangled up with the desolation so :// the stranger: “i’m almost me again / she’s almost you” and “i laugh like me again / she laughs like you” --almost (sweet music) again, it’s tenuous, sorry lads. he’s marked but not affiliated the vast: “there’s no plan / there’s no hand on the reign” --no plan this one was the hardest to find, actually. but i think the feel of no plan is very much your insignificance in the wider universe, so i’m counting that as a mark the web: “i’d be the voice that urged orpheus / when her body was found / i’d be the choiceless hope in grief / that drove him underground / i’d be the the dreadful need in the devotee / that made him turn around” --talk say it with me lads: marked but not affiliated. it’s a very web statement, but it only appears the once that i can think of bonus! the extinction: all of wasteland, baby. need i say more?

fun fact! if you hit ctrl+enter instead of shift+enter (to avoid a line break) you accidentally end up posting the post Very Before you mean to post it! fun times

[demigodsanswer]

What are everyones favorite songs/bands?

(all links go to Youtube)

Percy: It’s been said before, but this boy is a music snob. He only listens to “real music” and for sure has London Calling and Sticky Fingers on vinyl. Sally can always tell when he’s had a bad day, because he comes home and listens to The Wall (because he’s a drama queen). Bisexual music snob Percy for sure has this poster of Jim Morrison on his wall, and not just because he’s a fan of The Doors: 

He is also a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His favorite song by them is “Easily” (some of the lyrics are: “The story of a woman on the morning of a war / Remind me, if you will, exactly what we're fighting for / Throw me to the wolves because there's order in the pack / Throw me to the sky because I know I'm coming back”). He’s also a fan of Rise Against, and his favorite album by them is Appeal to Reason. 

Annabeth: Listen, I’m gonna say something potentially controversial, but it’s something I believe very strongly in. Annabeth is a Britney Spears fan. Hard core. She was born in 1993 and got to camp in 2000. You know that older girls at camp were all learning the dance moves to “Oops I Did It Again” and she learned with them. In 2007, when Britney had her breakdown, Annabeth looked back on her own past three years - the quest for the lightning bolt, the sea of monsters, holding up the sky, and going into the Labyrinth, and she just thought “Oh okay. I’m not gonna do it, but I totally get it.”

And for a while she hid this, writing it off as a guilty pleasure. But then, somewhere after the war with Gaia, she was finally like “fuck it. I’m Annabeth Chase, I’ve saved the world, I redesigned Olympus. I like Britney Spears and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.” Now she’ll unironically say things like: “I didn’t like the Greatest Showman, I thought it was too derivative of the Britney Spears Circus music video.” This does annoy her music snob boyfriend to no end, but she just responds to his complaints with: “I’m sorry, I can’t hear you over how much fun I’m having.” 

Grover: I feel like he and Percy just chill in the woods and listen to the Grateful Dead while Grover plays covers of their songs on his reed pipes. 

Nico: This is also potentially controversial. I don’t think he’d really like pop punk or emo music. I think that he’d actually really enjoy more mellow indie-folk music. I think he’d love Hozier (favorite song is “Be” and “In a Week”. He also loves Hadestown, both the musical and the original concept album. Besides Hozier, he also loves the band the Oh Hellos. His favorite song by them (and possibly his favorite song of all time) is “Dear Wormwood.” 

Thalia: Green Day, but especially newer Green Day. She did not pay attention to the parental advisory warning on American Idiot and now she’s gay and she hates the government. Her favorite song is “Letterbomb,” and, although she’s not a fan of musical theater generally, she has to admit that Rebecca Naomi Jones killed that song on the musical album. 

Piper: I don’t know what her favorite band would be, but she for sure has the energy of someone who says “Oh yeah, I like Panic! at the Disco, but only their early stuff, like A Fever You Can’t Swear Out and Pretty Odd.” But then she secretly jams to Prey for the Wicked. 

Leo: He for sure likes comedy music, like Bo Burnham (favorite song is the Kanye Rant) and Lewberger’s “White People Taco Night.”

Jason: Jason has the energy of a white boy who loves the Beatles. His favorite song is probably “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.” His favorite movie is “Across the Universe.” 

Hazel: I don’t know what her favorite band/singer/song would be, but I do know that Jason tried to get her to listen to Abby Road once, and she laughed in his face. 

Frank: I think that Frank just vibes with everything. Doesn’t matter what it is. Spotify is so confused by what to recommend him, because he’s just got the most eclectic playlists. The algorithm is like “Do you want show tunes? KPop? Rock? R&B? What do you want??”

Clarisse: I don’t think she’d really care about music that much, she just wants music thats upbeat to workout to. If she were to go to a band’s concert live, she’d probably go see the Dropkick Murphy's; they’re probably the only band that she actually listens to when she’s not working out (she prefers audiobooks and podcasts for things like commutes to work/class and downtime). Her favorite song by them is “Rose Tattoo.” One time, she wore a Murphy’s tee shirt to a bar, and the bartender asked if she was from Boston or if she was Irish, and she just said: “No, but I’m white and violent, so I feel spiritually connected to them.”

Will: I think that he’d be the one to be obsessed with early 2000s pop punk and emo music. Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday, Say Anything, all of it. He hears the opening chords to “Cute Without the E” and he loses his damn mind. 

I can’t do everyone, because I’ve pretty much only listened to the same 48 songs for the last decade. Also my youtube algorithm is not fucked from searching for all this music. 

[floorbed]

hey guys i wanted to do a little annotation of my playlist 4 holland vosijk bc lyric annotations r fun and i have added Many Songs! under the cut >:) i just love this funky guy a lot so much. if u have song recs dm me!

hymn 1 - teen suicide

he took this ailing body from me / for he knew it was causing me pain / he won’t give me a new one cause i had my chance / but he forgives me

nobody - mitski

my god i’m so lonely / so i open the window / to hear sounds of people / to hear sounds of people 

in the woods somewhere - hozier

i turned and ran / to save a life i didn’t have / deer in the chase / there as i flew / forgot all prayers of joining you / i clutched my life / and wished it kept / my dearest love i’m not done yet / how many years / i know i’ll bear / i found something in the woods somewhere

guilty - alex g

are you guilty? / are you waiting to be found? / do you think that you’d be happier with no one else around? / are you hiding / but the trial never comes?

is the truth trapped / behind iron lock and key? / have you buried all the evidence / of what you used to be?

capable type - momma

before you go you try your best to save me / you’re playing with the capable type

i keep looking out the window / i keep finding stuff to fight / i keep looking out the window i don’t / i don’t wanna play nice / i keep looking out the window / i keep finding stuff to fight / i keep looking out the window i guess / i’m just the capable type

hollow - alex g

don’t talk too much / you’ll hurt yourself / i know (i know) / i’m hollow

coming up roses - elliott smith

and i don’t need your permission / to bury my love under this bare lightbulb / the moon is a sickle cell / i’ll kill you in time / your cold white brother alive in your blood

the body is a blade - japanese breakfast 

try not to get so righteous / about what’s fair for everyone / find what’s left in you / channel something good

kicker - alex g

white bird in a black cloud / rain coming down thinking hey / maybe we should turn this boat around / heaven maybe freedom / whats the word? right i forgot / quiet is the closest thing we’ve got

gardenhead / leave me alone - neutral milk hotel

we feel no emotion as we spiral down to the world / and i guess it’s worth your time / because there’s some lives you live / and some you leave behind / it gets hard to explain

follow me through / a city of frost covered angels / i swear i have nothing to prove

when you die - mgmt

i’m not that nice / i’m mean and i’m evil / don’t call me nice / i’m gonna eat your heart out / i’ve got some work to do

tongues & teeth - the crane wives

i know that you mean so well / but i am not a vessel for your good intent 

body - mother mother

i’ve grown tired of this body / a cumbersome and heavy body

brutus - the buttress

or am i just wishing i could be like you? / that the people would see me, too, as the poet / and not just the muse

and even if i can’t be the one / maybe i could at least make way for him / until the day that he comes / maybe my name could also be known 

100 years - florence and the machine

and then it’s just too much / the streets still run with blood / a hundred arms a hundred years / you can always find me here / and lord don’t let me break this / let me hold it lightly / give me arms to pray with / instead of ones that hold too tightly 

my heart bends and breaks so many times / and is born again with each sunrise

abbey - mitski

i am waiting / i have been waiting / i was born waiting / i was born waiting for that something / just one something / i was born something / i was born 

 there is a light i feel it in me / but only it seems when the dark surrounds me / there is a dream and it sleeps in me / to awake in the night crying set me free

sleepless - girlpool

the room’s beige it’s a mess / you dream to be sleepless

the same things happen to me all the time even in my dreams - teen suicide 

and i am warm and i am bored / and i am drifting through this place / it’s no better or worse than anything else that’s ever happened to me / but i wish that i’d never met a lot of the people that i’ve met / not because i don’t like them but because i’ve only let them down

constantly i feel this weird shameful feeling / like i’m being watched by a thousand glowing vengeful eyes

bag of bones - mitski

clickety-clacking through the night / i’m carrying my bag of bones

and i can take a little bit more / let’s shake this poet out of the beast

soup - girlpool

your dad saw you crying when you looked at the world / sit and stare at your hands cause there’s so much to do / crawl into the birdcage become a cartoon / cause all of the flowers were too much for you

thorns - alex g 

this thing / it haunts me like a shadow / never lets me go

out he goes / part of a whole / puppet of mine / where will they find me?

pearl diver - mitski

oh hunter if you didn’t want the beautiful so badly / perhaps you would have found it in your spirit singing softly / but hunter you were human / don’t forget it and go safely 

it will come back - hozier

jesus christ don’t be kind to it / honey don’t feed it it will come back 

oh, please, give me mercy no more / it’s a kindness you can’t afford

untitled-oct19 - teen suicide

when i go back home / i’ll go to sleep

being alive - stephen sondheim (sung by raul esparza) 

somebody need me too much / somebody know me too well / somebody pull me up short / and put me through hell / and give me support for being alive 

somebody crowd me with love / somebody force me to care / somebody make me come through / i’ll always be there as frightened as you

judge - alex g

that day meant nothing to me / a hiccup in my memory / this life will leave you hungry / i am completely guilty

[feralpussylover]

HOZIER EXPOSED

Hozier is the Greek God, Apollo. Here are some of my reasons:

- Some of the areas that Apollo was god of healing, medicine, justice poetry, music and prophecy. He was also the leader of the Muses.

- Hozier deals with music and his lyrics have a strong leaning towards poetry.

- The Muses were always heralded at the beginning of any literary work like the Iliad or the Odyssey; Hozier draws a lot of inspiration from Myths and Literature in his songs.

- As for Justice, I mean you just gotta listen to all his songs that work along the vein of protests and justice, Nina cried power is a great example.

- For the Sun aspect, just listen to his song Sunlight. (” I'm first and fierce if I'm in sight of/ Sunlight, sunlight, sunlight/All that was shown to me, sunlight/ Something so known to me, sunlight oh sunlight)

- Apollo’s mom Leto gave birth on the floating island Delos, which later was cursed by Hera to grow flowers that made it tethered to earth. Hozier was born in Ireland. It is the second-largest island of the British Isles. It is an Island Nation. Ireland also has a lot, lot, lot of greenery.

- Daphe was a Nymph who turned herself to a laurel tree to escape Apollo’s advances. Fans of Hozier often refer to him as ‘Bog Man’ saying that he retreats to the Bogs when he isn’t out making songs. Bog lands are favourable to the growth of laurels. Maybe he is in penance? or remembering an old love?

- Apollo didn’t give no fucks about gender, neither does Hozier.

- Hozier is hailed as the protector of lesbians and Apollo was known to be protective towards his sister, Artemis, who cmon is 100% lesbian.

- In the song, “Take me to Church” Hozier sings, “If I'm a pagan of the good times My lover's the sunlight” after Christianity gained more popularity, Greek Gods were termed to be pagan gods like other gods from polytheistic religions.

- In the song “Jackie and Wilson”, Hozier sings, “We'll raise them (their children) on rhythm and blues.”, Orpheus, one of Apollo’s most famous children, was known for his musical talent that he inherited from his dad.

His other songs like ‘In the Woods Somewhere”, “Foreigners God”, “From Eden” strongly fit in with Apollo’s story as the Greeks told it.

My dear Hozier fans,

HOZIER IS APOLLO

[tiredbiostudent]

Hi! Could you maybe recommend some music, I keep listening to the same three songs and would love to find something new, doesn't have to be a specific genre. Also, you're blog is wonderful!

omg this is so sweet my heart is 🥺 rn but also, idk how much I can help because I also genuinely will listen to one song for an entire week straight and haven’t had a ton of time to find new music lately! but here’s some genre breakdowns of artists I love and some songs by them, or just individual tunes:

[edit: sorry this got insanely long!! I can maybe link spotify playlists if I ever get around to making some ‘:) but tl;dr my fave artists are frank ocean, sigrid, hozier, ben howard, cezinando, khalid, childish gambino, nas, lorde, the lumineers, rhcp, girl in red and travis scott]

1. guitar/rock indie-arcade fire: neighbourhood #3, the well and the lighthouse, we exist, afterlife, the suburbs, ready to start, SUBURBAN WAR!! (listen to the entire suburbs album if you want to feel rlly nostalgic about ur childhood)-ben howard (my favourite artist ever, I saw him live and it was phenomenal): rivers in your mouth, time is dancing, I forget where we were, only love, black flies, oats in the water, she treats me well, towing the line, follaton wood-rhcp (long time fave): under the bridge, by the way, californiacation, scar tissue, otherside, goodbye angels, dani California, snow (hey oh), tell me baby-city and colour (another old fave who I’ve also seen live and is amazing!! if you like hozier and the lumineers you’d like him, a bit of a less intense sound though): sleeping sickness, what makes a man, waiting…, constant knot, the golden state, killing time, wasted love, runaway, map of the world, blood, the grand optimist :’), northern wind, hello I’m in delaware-the scientist by coldplay.. if u haven’t been emo about this song since 2003 wyd-haven’t listened to her in forever but cosmic love by florence + the machine >>-girl in red (her music is great but her LYRICS r literally my soul): i wanna be your girlfriend, summer depression, i need to be alone, 4am, girls, say anything, bad idea, i’ll die anyway, we fell in love in october-harry styles: adore you, fine line, golden, sunflower vol. 6, sweet creature, lights up, to be so lonely, sign of the times, HIS COVER OF ULTRALIGHT BEAM-hozier (ANOTHER fave, fucking insane live too. sir ily): work song, in the woods somewhere, sedated, cherry wine, almost (sweet music) [song equivalent to a warm summer evening], movement !! holy f-, as it was, be, wasteland baby!-broken by lovelytheband-the lumineers (my guys!!!!): cleopatra, sleep on the floor, angela, long way from home, sick in the head, my eyes, white lie, donna, salt and the sea, slow it down, stubborn love-where’s my love by syml-mitski: washing machine heart, old friend, nobody, lonesome love-sam roberts band: bridge to nowhere, brother down, if you want it-saturn by sleeping at last-sufjan stevens: mystery of love, visions of Gideon (I don’t stan cmbyn but literally these two songs are the only thing I listened to from dec 2017 to feb 2018), the hidden river of my life, futile devices, Vesuvius-love will tear us apart cover by susanna and the magical orchestra-vance joy: mess is mine, Georgia, my kind of man, Saturday sun, we’re going home, lay it on me, take your time, I’m with you !!, like gold, crashing into you-remember when by wallows !!!

2. chill indie/pop-billie eilish: idontwannabeyouanymore, ilomilo, my strange addiction, bury a friend-cezinando (also my fave artist, and noen ganger is probs my fave album of all time): ingenting blir det samme men samme for meg, selv du, haper du har plass (if u can make it thru this song w/o crying on public transportation you are much stronger than I), tommolen pa vekta, er dette alt, usynlig-sigrid (the LOML and my other fave artist- seeing her live was the best day of my life no cap): dynamite, plot twist, fake friends, strangers,  don’t feel like crying, raw, focus, I don’t want to know, her cover of sex by the 1975 changed my life fr, mine right now, BASIC !!!!!, in vain, never mine [this is highkey bc I’m a bonafide sigrid stan but I cannot recommend her ENOUGH she has one of the most incredible voices ever, is an insanely talented songwriter, and her music is so hype and beautiful and yeah :’)]-khalid (I love his voice sm, also the ceo of vibes): bad luck, cold blooded, 8teen, my bad, better, hundred, Saturday nights, suncity-run by elsa and emilie-lorde (my bby): bravado, buzzcut season, the love club, the louvre, supercut, 400 lux, ribs, white teeth teens, a world alone-fy faen by hkeem & temur (have been listening to this song for 3 yrs straight no cap)-btstu by jai paul-8896 by lapsley-joji: slow dancing in the dark, will he-moon by kid francesoli-aloha by mome (another all time fave)-karpe diem: hvite menn som pusher 50, lett a vaere rebell i kjellerleiligheten din, gunerius, spis din syvende sans-astrid s: 2AM matoma remix (one of my fave songs ever tbh), hurts so good !!!, such a boy-myth by beachhouse -mgmt: kids, electric feel-nostalgi 3millioner by tomine harket & unge Ferrari -lykke li: sex money feelings die (did I listen to this song for 5 months straight last year? hm), I follow rivers-one direction (ofc): story of my life, 18, night changes, drag me down, literally all of Take Me Home which is unequivocally their best album I will take no criticism on that-berlin by ry x-dancing with a stranger by sam smith and normani-taylor swift (not rlly a fan but wowww some of her songs): call it what you want !!!!, false god, begin again, all you had to do was stay, clean-kamikaze by Susanne sundfor-tame impala: let it happen (the og and the soulwax remix), the less I know the better, gossip-head over heels by tears for fears-somebody else by the 1975 (apparently I was the only one who only discovered this song in 2019 but it’s like all I listened to from October-December)

3. rap & rnb-brockhampton: rental !!!, face, bleach, sweet-childish gambino: ii. zealots of stockholm, heartbeat, les, the “hardbone with a hard r” remix of bonfire and redbone drooooool-drake (yikes dude but ngl. chill bops): feel no ways, u with me?, hold on we’re going home, passionfruit, you and the 6-vince staples: bagbak, lift me up, norf norf-frank ocean (LOML frank I’d die for you. also my fave artist *proceeds to list his entire discography*): SEIGFRIED!!!!, songs 4 women, nights, chanel, ivy, thinkin bout you, sweet life, pyramids, lost, bad religion, pink matter, forrest gump, in my room, swim good, dust, american wedding, provider-jorja smith: blue lights, february 3rd, on your own-ransom by lil tecca-nas (fave to end all faves): take it in blood, represent, the message, halftime, affirmative action, street dreams, one love, hate me now, cherry wine, new world-mobb deep: hell on earth, survival of the fittest, party over, shook ones pt ii-travis scott: (astroworld is the only thing I listened to summer-fall 2018 no cap) astrothunder, coffee bean, Yosemite, butterfly effect, houstonfornication, skeletons, stop trying to be god, stargazing, highest in the room-kanye (don’t roast me for this): can’t tell me nothing, ultralight beam, fade, hold my liquor-drip too hard by lil baby-(all a product of tiktok) bop, toes, suge, panini remix by da baby-migos (lmao): notice me, slippery, pure water-walk man by tmg sfdjhfkdjfsdfs-go loko by YG-the weeknd: reminder, as you are, hurt you, privilege, tell your friends, starboy, sidewalks, high for this

(I also love old school rock music but haven’t listened to it much since highschool- my fave bands are led zeppelin, CCR, boston, fleetwood mac, pink floyd, blue oyster cult, styx, the who)

[theworldbrewery]

A playlist for my current party: 4 idiots + their honorary cult grandma, four with new names and one with someone else’s--god I love them. they requested a playlist breakdown so i’ve placed it under a cut for brevity. I’m always soft for making fan content for the campaigns I’m in tbh.

Alice: an elf-turned half-orc after a reincarnate spell went awry, her wild magic caused her marriage to fall apart when she accidentally burned down her home. She’s looking for control over the magic that is ruining her life.

Remmy: a man of many names, Remmy is an aasimar cleric with more secrets than even the other party members are aware of. He’s untrusting and full of fear, but the party gets him to open up--against his better judgment.

Gadao: an earth genasi from an isolated monastery, he’s looking for an identity of his own after realizing he may not be an incarnation of an ancestral spirit after all. Looking for his place in the world, the party’s fast-paced life contrasts with his steady nature.

Leap: an elderly tiefling ranger, she grew up in a cult of pain and left it only by good fortune. Her taste for adventure--and a need for closure--keep her on the road, though she looks forward to seeing her family again.

Blue: an aarakocra bard, Blue awoke with no memory and promptly joined a shady merchant vessel as a good-luck musician. They’re always down to fight, curious, and ready to hoard as many items as they can get their hands on.

Anger | Sleeping at Last

I love the way this song opens, the energy it has. Favorite lyrics are “it all spills out/reckless but honest words leave my mouth,” which maybe speaks to my love of intra-party conflict… but I also have a soft spot for “and suddenly I’m someone that prays/last-minute man of faith” given the campaign’s attention to the divine. I’ve really loved leaning into that. It feels like this song has threads that connect to every character.

Hellfire | Barns Courtney

God, I love the chorus to this song. I feel that in this party, Leap and Remmy have the strongest links in these lyrics, between Leap’s simmering fury at her cult and Remmy’s...everything. There’s a period of the song that isn’t quite an instrumental, but has sort of mangled lyrics/rap, and though I can’t quite make it out, one bit sounds like “roll the dice” -- a fun nod to D&D as a whole and the risk-takers among the party.

Blood I Bled | The Staves

My favorite lyric here is “raise your banners and ride to war/throwing ‘round your name.” This song feels like a challenge to the world, suitable for a group of adventurers just forming a party. The singers and songwriters mention the song as one of “no, I won’t take this bullshit,” and that strong message really speaks to the PCs.

Hustler | Zayde Wølf

Hustler is all about coming out on top, and y’all are “turning up the heat” all the time. “Looking at the city like I already own it” feels like a foreshadowing moment to me; one day, when you all are level 10, 15, 20, you might reach an unmatchable power, if you live long enough to see it. 

Homemade Dynamite | Lorde

I chose this song for the absolute clusterfuck D&D parties can be. “Don’t know you super well/but I think that you might be the same as me/Behave abnormally” encapsulates something really funny about party members getting to know each other and start to trust each other, even when the rule might still be “I’ll give you my best side, tell you all my best lies,” and your secrets and private problems haven’t yet come to light.

Nervous | X Ambassadors

The chorus of foreboding in “cause what comes up must come down”  is, how do I put this? Iconique. I think this song especially fits Leap and Alice, both of whom are aware of how quickly things can go awry but put a cheerful face on their own worries. Even when nothing’s wrong (“and I can’t complain, it’s amazing”) they know things could go south quickly.

An Act of Kindness | Bastille

This song best fits Leap and Gadao’s relationship, especially when they met. “Oh I got a feeling this will shake me down/Oh I’m kind of hoping this will turn me round” seems to speak directly to Gadao pulling Leap away from the cult and giving her the opportunity to be better than she was. On another level, the party’s bonds are born from acts of kindness and friendship--Remmy buying lorebooks for Alice, Leap making tea, Gadao stepping in to defend the party from the mimic.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World | Lorde

Despite the name, this has something for everyone, I think. “Turn your back on Mother Nature” suits Alice’s vendetta against the Forest Father, “Help me make the most of freedom/and of pleasure” fits Blue’s brand of hedonism, “It’s my own remorse” echoes Leap’s regrets. Gadao alone doesn’t quite fit in here...unless… >:)

Kicks | Barns Courtney

This is a Blue song! “I’ll show you how to live for free” the artist sings, and Blue’s freewheeling lifestyle seeking “kicks” matches this energy really well. If Blue is “a wild one” “singing in the midnight street,” they’re getting their kicks with this party for sure. Blue lives without being tied down, theoretically limitless. 

Hail to the Victor | Thirty Seconds to Mars

This song is about Leap, no question. “Another life, another love/another kill, another drug” fits into Leap’s two lives, one in the cult and one out of it. And in this new mission against Babylon Lionel, she’s seeking a revenge of her own, though it’s one against her childhood more than her actual enemy.

I’m a Wanted Man | Royal Deluxe

Remmy “would kill again to keep from doing time,” without a doubt, so this one’s for him. Constantly warning he’s trouble for his friends, saying that “you should never ever trust my kind” isn’t too far off. Like Remmy, this song is edgy, but with a hesitant moment of emo-ness that makes the performance of darkness something a little more genuine.

Big God | Florence and the Machine

Alice is not a faithful woman, but she’s unfortunately entangled in some religious nonsense she hates. At the same time, I feel lyrics like “you’ll always be my favorite ghost” refer best to Alice’s fraught relationship with her wife. My favorite line here is “Sometimes I think it’s getting better/and then it gets much worse,” which is essentially Alice’s experience of her wild magic. Deep down, she might even be drawn to the magic’s chaos, but she can’t help but resent what it’s taking away from her.

Wisdom, Justice, and Love | Linkin Park

This one’s for Gadao. It starts off so peaceful and hopeful, the instrumentals overlaid with a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr. But as he starts to list the evils of the world, King’s voice, so steady and confident, is warped. Gadao’s own faith experience becomes warped by the power games of the people around him, and even as he’s seeking “wisdom, justice, and love,” he can’t escape the effects of materialism and violence around him.

Icarus | Bastille

Some folks live steady lives, but not these people. Adventurer’s lives tend to burn bright, hot, and short. From Leap’s perspective, most of the party is made of kids who don’t know the world yet. Are they “digging their own grave,” “too close to the sun?” Despite their ride-or-die commitments, Leap can see all of you risking yourselves--and for what? Who do you want to be, at the end of it all? A wife and mason? A sage and monk? Or do you want greater things than that?

Losing My Religion | Dia Frampton

I can hear so much of Remmy’s opinions in this song, saying “I’m choosing my confessions, trying to keep an eye on you” but realizing, over and over again: “Oh no, I’ve said too much.” As he tries to keep up his own facades, Gadao and Leap’s own faith collides with the beliefs of a cult leader and Alice struggles with a religion she doesn’t care for at all.

Start a War | Klergy and Valerie Broussard

Like Hail to the Victor, this song is all about Leap’s conflict with the cult of Loviatar and the Mother of Martyrs. Even though the Loviatar cult might be gone, the spirit lives on. My favorite line for Leap here is “bang, shots fired/pain is what you desire,” for the decision to challenge Babs to a one-on-one fight. But is it Babs who is starting this war, or Leap?

Friction | Imagine Dragons

This one kind of gives me Gadao vibes with the lyrics “when you’ve made it/won’t you tell me what to do?” After all that pressure to fulfill the expectations of other people, he has to get out of the middle and move on, maybe even become someone new. Key line is “why can’t you let go/like a bird in the snow/this is no place to build your home,” reminding Gadao that he doesn’t have a place in this world. Not yet.

Transcendental Youth | the mountain goats

“Sing, sing for ourselves alone,” sings John Darnielle, and maybe that’s what makes this feel so much like Blue. Maybe it’s the lyric, “cedar smudge our headbands/and take to the skies/soar ever upwards,” calling to Blue’s dislocation from time and place, flying away from their problems. Blue doesn’t remember their childhood, and has no idea how old they are. Even if they did know, their lifespan is short. They live every day like the halcyon days of youth, footloose and fancy-free indeed.

Champion | Barns Courtney

I swear this is the last Barns Courtney song. But this song is the resilience of coming through fights and perils and dangers. My favorite lyric is “Oh, Lord, save my soul/take my pain and turn it into gold” which, incidentally, is exactly what happens when you level up. The party’s struggles translate to strength, to influence, to skill, and even riches.

In the Woods Somewhere | Hozier

On the one hand, this could be about any combat in the dark woods at night (*cough*, Remmy killing that dragonborn, *cough*). But more importantly, this song is about Alice. She struggles with a power she doesn’t understand, with something’s eyes on her that she can’t fight. The best she can do is run from the danger and try to survive it. Whatever eyes are watching her now, Alice better take care. Favorite line? “I clutched my life/and wished it kept/my dearest love/I’m not done yet.”

Natural | Imagine Dragons

Natural tells the party one way of surviving. The line “you gotta be so cold/to make it in this world” suits Remmy’s outlook so well, the one he pushes at the rest of the party. The line “rather be the hunter than the prey” speaks well to Blue’s tactics--preferring to act from above. Alice and Leap know better than anyone that “nothing ever comes without a consequence or cost,” and Gadao may be the only one ‘holding the line’ against a harder heart. Another song with bits and pieces associated with everyone.

Dead Hearts | Stars

There isn’t a specific lyric here that jumps out at me, no line that tells me who this song is for. This is the song for the ones who die--those who have, and who will. We might not be there yet, but this is a song for acknowledging the sacrifice of your friends and allies. The knowledge that you knew them once, and in some ways, their ghost stays with you. Or maybe they’re revived, or reincarnated, but there’s always something a little different.

The Projectionist | Sleeping at Last

Eventually the session ends, and the story closes, and the lights come up. “We’re leaving our shadows behind us now/we’re leaving, we’re leaving it all behind for now,” Ryan O’Neill sings. We’re putting on costumes, telling a story for each other, and maybe the game ends every time, but maybe it makes us brave. I’d like to think so. 

The lyrics to all these songs can be found at Genius.com. Thanks xx

[artaphant]

Ever since the "There's something so tragic about you/ Something so magic about you" post somewhere I have started developing a relationship/story to hozier songs

From Eden is the easy one. And listening to it now is sounding like Essek trying to woo Caleb with consecution and murdering Trent Ikithon.

Arsonist's Lullabye is another layup song. Even when not talking about fire exactly, the mood fits Caleb and his trauma/self loathing concerning fire. "Don't you ever tame your demons/Always keep them on a leash"

Take me to Church is such a Beau/Jester song. Beau just giving herself over to Jester wholly, not even worrying about the consequence. "I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife"

In a Week is a ballad to the meta-relationship between Molly and Cadueceus and Taliesin. That Molly had to die for Cadueceus to be born and begin this journey. "I have never known sleep like the slumber that yeilds to me/ I have never known colors like this morning reveals to me" Also it's a song about death it has to have Cad involved I don't make the rules.

To Be Alone- Yasha and Zuala. I don't know what kind of pressure her tribe put on her, I don't want Yasha to have that kind of hurt in her life and I don't want any M9 to have that. I an taking this more for the "God it feels good oh to be alone with you"

Foreigner's God- Fjord and Jester. I could reasonably believe all of Hozier's babies are about Jester but the lyrics speak to me about Fjord. "Wondering who I copy/Muster in some tender charm"

Like Real People Do- So Hozier's babe is a cross between Caleb and Jester. This song seems like such a pre-stream Caleb and Nott. "I will not ask you where you came from/ I will not ask and neither should you" Let's not focus on our issues and just cuddle in bed Like Real People Do

Someone New- Jester baby! I listen to this now like Jester is singing to the Traveler about all the wonderful ppl in her life and he's just like... *facepalm*

Angel of Small Death and The Codeine Scene- Seems like a Yasha/Obann song. Of the addictive nature Obann had while controlling Yasha. "In leashless confusion I'll wander the concrete/Wondering if better now having survived" Speaks to me seeing Yasha throw that fight.

Jackie and Wilson- The carefree nature of the song and "We'll steal a Lexus, be detectives/ Ride round picking up clues" Speaks to the greatest detective duo. Those two just bring the chaos and joy out of each other in ways none of the others can. Again Jester is Hozier's baby.

Sedated- Has a vibe of Caleb and Astrid, while he's in the sanitorium, still holding tight to that love and tearing between the reality of his parent's death and the lie Trent was selling. Wanting to just be numb of it "Darling don't you join in you're supposed to drag me away from it"

Work Song- Cadueceus vibes for sure. "No grace can hold my body down/ I'll crawl home to her" The baby in this one is the Wildmother.

Run- It's kinda loose but Fjord and Cadueceus/WM. This is also a super nature-esque with verses literally talking about the ocean and the earth- NATURE "Rare is this love... I need you to run to me/Run to me lover"

It Will Come Back- This song is just like... a mix of all of the Mighty Nein. Jester is most obvious- just almost desparate for friends and she'll be howling outside your door. Beau, Caleb, Fjord, Nott and Yasha are the warning parts of this song. "Leave it to the land/This is what is knows". Molly is the one that fed the group, and Cadueceus has continued that in a different way.

Cherry Wine will always be my sad song the Mighty Nein can't have it nope they all have wonderful non-toxic relationships that it can't relate to. Maybe Beau and Tori in a weird way- not that she was toxic but that their criminal engagements caused the issues and strain...

In the Woods Somewhere is just a regular day adventuring in the Savalierwood.

[cryptidcalling]

A collection of songs that describe and inspired Wren (lyrics included) that’s actually just me talking about why I like these songs so much.

First, the song that inspired me to make this list, There Beneath by Oh Hellos

There beneath the willow tree I learned a lot about the way of things I learned that everything (the wind, the leaves) has breath inside They were pointing ever east To see the ever-turning aeon cease Their wills were ever bent on waiting with all their might I know (I know) I know this There is beauty in the way of things There beyond the palisade I saw the morning lead a cavalcade They made a marvel of a display And it made me cry 'o lai' O lai (o lai) O lai lord There is beauty in the way of things

I think this song best describes Wren’s mindset on nature. Wren is a man who finds beauty in nature’s smallest cracks and crevices. But he didn’t always think that. As he’s grown he’s felt that connection grow deeper and deeper, from a thing that makes him happy to a thing he can’t survive without. He feels connected to nature and the planet and the whole ecosystem around him. This isn’t just a forest or a mountain or a flower, it’s a part of his home. He shares this place, and he thinks that’s beautiful. 

I think my favorite verse of this song is the last one. I tend to interpret these songs different from a lot of people, but to me it’s describing how in the early hours of morning the sun rises over the world, and that sunlight lays claim over man made things, making them a part of the world even when they wren’t made by the world. 

--

Second, In The Woods Somewhere by Hozier 

My head was warm My skin was soaked. I called your name 'til the fever broke.

When I awoke The moon still hung. The night so black that the darkness hummed

I raised myself. My legs were weak. I prayed my mind be good to me.

An awful noise Filled the air. I heard a scream in the woods somewhere.

A woman's voice! I quickly ran Into the trees with empty hands.

A fox it was He is afraid. I spoke no words, no sound he made.

His bone exposed His hind was lame. I raised a stone to end his pain.

What caused the wound? how large the teeth? I saw new eyes were watching me.

The creature lunged. I turned and ran To save a life I didn't have.

Deer in the chase There as I flew Forgot all prayers of joining you.

I clutched my life And wished it kept. My dearest love I'm not done yet

How many years I know I'll bear I found something in the woods somewhere.

This song takes a very sharp turn from the first one. It describes Wren’s other relationship with nature, a more complicated one. I’ve discussed Wren’s fear of going missing before, and the way missing persons cases make him feel afraid and guilty. As much as he loves nature, Wren is terrified of becoming one of those people, lost and alone in the woods, eventually dying there as all their friends and family give up on them. 

Wren is helpful by nature, and sometimes that helpfulness makes him do things that he hadn’t ought to for his own well being. Therefore, it would be incredibly easy for Wren to be tricked by something like this. A creature that hurts things and then waits for people to come investigate. He would also be easily duped by creatures that can mimic sounds of screaming or begging to lure humans out to see. Those kinds of creatures particularly scare me, because to mimic those sounds they have to have heard them. Most likely those are the cries of their previous victim. Wren could become that next voice someday if he’s not careful.

I really love this song because it manages to grip something deep inside of me. It makes me feel afraid, even when I’m nowhere near a forest and I don’t believe in monsters. The whole tone and atmosphere applies to the primal human fear of being eaten alive. It’s one of the most common ways to die in nature, being killed and eaten for food. Yet to humans it’s a terribly gruesome and feral death.

--

Third, The Ground and the Knee by National Park Radio

I'll call my brothers you tell our mothers Too late for the ground and the knee You and I will be

Always together we're closer than ever Connected by our misery Now that I can see

You hold my hand I'll lead you through Keep looking up the skies are blue And when I stumble when I stall I know that you'll be there to break my fall

I made a decision to make an incision And give you a piece of my heart You and I just are

Forever under the spell and the wonder Of finally finding someone Can you feel the sun

You hold my hand I'll lead you through Keep looking up the skies are blue And when I stumble when I stall I know that you'll be there to break my fall

Some they try to run away Forced to live another day Without someone to share their pain

Some they lose the one they love Try to blame the one above For all their troubled selfish ways

But I will never run away I can not live another day Without someone to share my pain

And if I lose the one I love I can not blame the one above For all my troubled selfish ways

You hold my hand I'll lead you through Keep looking up the skies are blue And when I stumble when I stall I know that you'll be there to break my fall

This song best describes Wren’s relationships with people. He’s trusting and loving, and when he truly cares about you he’ll trust you with his heart, even those who don’t deserve it. Because of that he’s quick to take blame when things go wrong, but also quick to help and support others when they need it. He just wants the people he cares about to be happy. He stays optimistic even through bad times, saying to keep your head up and look up and toward blue skies and sunny days. However, he can’t do that without people in his life to share that optimism with. He needs people to spend time with, because when he doesn’t have them he can delve deep into his own loneliness. This tends to get him worrying about the the stuff from the last song.

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Fourth, Get Back Up Again by Anna Kendrick (Yes the one from Trolls)

Looking up at a sunny sky, so shiny and blue and there's a butterfly Well, isn't that a super fantastic sign It's gonna be a fantastic day Such marvelousness It's gonna bring, got a pocket full of songs that I'm gonna sing And I'm ready to take on anything Hooray! Some super fun surprise around each corner Just riding on a rainbow, I'm gonna be okay

Hey! I'm not giving up today There's nothing getting in my way And if you knock knock me over I will get back up again, oh If something goes a little wrong Well you can go ahead and bring it on 'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again Whoa oh oh oh oh, get back up again, whoa oh oh oh oh oh

I'm marching along I got confidence I'm cooler than a pack of peppermints And I haven't been this excited since I can't remember when!

I'm off on this remarkable adventure Just riding on a rainbow What if it's all a big mistake What if it's more than I can take No I can't think that way 'cause I know that I'm really, really, really gonna be okay

Hey! I'm not giving up today There's nothing getting in my way And if you knock knock me over I will get back up again, oh If something goes a little wrong Well you can go ahead and bring it on 'Cause if you knock knock me over, I will get back up again

Whoa oh oh oh oh, get back up again, whoa oh oh oh oh oh Whoa oh oh oh oh And if you knock knock me over, you knock knock me over I will get back up again

So this one is also a big difference from the other songs. It’s not a folk song or foresty sounding or whatever you’d like to call it. However, this song is VERY Wren. He’s optimistic, to the point where someone could say that it blinds him to the bad reality of certain things. He doesn’t let that stop him, though. For Wren, every day is a great day until proven otherwise which is very hard to do. He lets that optimism be infected to others, helping cheer them up and helping them see the good in things.