Here's a writing prompt: Imagine your character listening to a real-world song. It doesn't matter how old or recent it is, but it's a song from our world. He/she likes it, and may have the tendency to dance/sing along with the lyrics. Your prompt is this: write a paragraph stating the song and why your character loves it so much -- what does the lyrics say about your character? Does he/she aspire to be what the lyrics/message of the song is about? It's OK if you can't remember the author or the song's title. And if your MC exists in a universe where our songs could not exist -- just pretend they do for this prompt. Here are two of mine: MC #1- Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up. Why? He's a protector, a guardian. To him, the lyrics define the kind of man he is: someone who never stops protecting people who need it. He will never hurt them, let them down, or betray them. He also has an upbeat, get-going personality -- very energetic. MC #2- Tom Petty's And I Won't Back Down. Her entire character personified. No matter what life throws at her, no matter what obstacles stand in her way, she refuses to call it quits. She is stubborned, and considers the very word ‘defeat’ to be non-existent in her vocabulary. No matter what, she's got this shit. She's gonna get shit done. So, what is the music that defines your MC? What is it about the message that speaks to your MC and why?
Oooh I love these! The song that correlates with Jack isn't his particular favorite song, I don't even know what he really likes besides stuffy French opera. I never asked him, I'll get around to it... Instead, I have a song that reminds me of Jack. It's not my favorite song, nor do I even listen to it that often: Mental Discipline - Fallen Stars (featuring Felix Marc) To me, the phrase that stands out the most in this song is, "Why do I still feel alive?" It basically encompasses the entire concept of who Jack is: a vampire, a dead person. But he doesn't feel dead, having retained all his former zeal and lust for life (kek), and when he first realized this after the transformation, he would have wondered about it verbatim to the song.
If I would have to think of one specifically? Say Hello 2 Heaven, would be my second MC's favorite. Not at first, but after certain events have happened, certain time has passed, she'd feel as if it describes her emotions in a way she cannot quite express properly. Not every lyric is exact to her feelings, but the cadence of sadness behind it is beauty to her and something she clings to.
Oh boy, I have a youtube playlist full of songs that my MC listens to - picking just one is going to be hard so I've got 2 for my MC and one for my SC. Music plays a big role in my story. Corbin: Seule ce soir by Leo Marjane & Brassai and J'ai chanté sur ma peine by Roland Gerbeau. Both songs are about love and loss, something which Corbin is very familiar with. He likes these songs because they remind him of his mother who was French and taught him the language from an early age. He has them both on vinyl and keeps them in a cardboard box in the basement labelled 'Staré Věci' and listens to them when he drinks and vapes. He's also really big on Jeff Buckley. https://youtu.be/via0kHcEV1A https://youtu.be/F0RWFEeLQMQ Ffion : Olympic Airways by Foals. She's a bit of an indie kid at heart. To Ffion, this song is quite literally about running away, something which she fantasized about every day when she was living with her abusive partner. The mention of the word 'aviary' reflects her feelings of feeling like a caged bird. The song is quite lively and relatively upbeat, as she tries to be despite the things she's been through.
Noir - Bob Dylan's - Knockin on Heaven's Door. He's a bit of a melodramatic, moody young man and facing his life-until-death stretch in prison he doubts he'll last long. The song seems fitting especially considering he's deciding whether to live up to his image or bury it. It's a crossroads song to him. Ivor - Roger Miller's - Do-Wacka-Do. Coming from poverty Ivor's always loved luxury which has brought him to prison. He's a very stubborn Russian/Canadian who demands respect. The ironic lyrics would be a smack in the face for him but it also might bring out a rare chuckle.
I don't think Thryaleos has such music to dance along. Not anymore at any rate. But there is music which he would like to hear, even if he can't pin down why this song would fill a hole in his heart.
In the Doctor Who fanfic I just finished, I spent a lot of time thinking that the MC I invented would love Avenged Sevenfold's Nightmare because she is a bloodthirsty vigilante serial killer who enjoys torturing "Bad Guys" to death, but I recently discovered Insane Clown Posse's Dark Carnival songs. I decided just this week that my villain protagonist would also consider herself to be a Juggalette, albeit one who is quite dramatically missing the point of ICP's other songs (like "Murder Go Round") that a life of violence and cruelty is not the best idea. Spoiler: INCREDIBLY not safe for work
Ooooohhhhh DANG..... I wanted to start this thread but felt it would be self-serving for me to do so. Thank you so much, Link!!!! For my (current) main character....three. All three of which he would not agree with. He'd rather hide and not be defined like that, so I'mna talk to people around him. Just him, I could go with Sean Harkness' "Winkus McGinkus". It captures the humor, intricacy, charisma, and subtle sophistication. When he reaches the lowest, most pathetic, pitiful, practically dead point, Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel. The words fit shockingly well, including the main words of "how can a light that burned so brightly suddenly burn so pale". It's a shapeshifter who has red eyes when he's got his "party face" on (shifted to the combat form he uses on earth), but when dead or nearly dead, they go white. There are also subtle references through the rest of the lyrics that fit disturbingly, embarrassingly well. :/ There's a happy point a while after that ^^^ and...this isn't so much representative of him but more of the people around him later on, what they feel like at one point. Heaven's Bright Sun by Iona. Studio version, not live. There's a bit of a logistics battle fought and they win. Here's the party music. Just for dessert, I used to play World of Warcraft. My death knight, Vaurian, turned into quite a character in my head. I always thought, though, his theme song would be 4'33, by John Cage.
"I don't think our music even exists in the same world. You listen to music that wins viewers choice awards. I listen to music that wins Pulitzer prizes."
I am not really sure, the characters in my main WIP have not expressed auditory preference. In the secondary however, a few listen to the same stuff that I do. Metal, Hard Rock, Techno, Industrial, Trance, and on and on. Because it is fun to listen to loud music, also it mellows you out.
