Music inspires me a lot and helps me get into the right mood, especially for writing. As such I’m usually listening to music, or I have a song stuck in my head (right now it's “Impossible” by Nothing but Thieves). Along the way I came up with some songs that I’ve come to associate with my characters, and I thought it might be fun to share these songs with everyone.
Nigel
Right off the bat, I have three Coldplay songs for Nigel. I feel these are rather fitting songs for him: as a horologist and someone who’s very mechanically inclined (in my headcanon he’s an ISTP), he’s all about fixing things, and he also harbours regrets about the past and the choices he had made. A core part of his character is his struggle between doing what is logical and correct, and following his heart and doing what feels right. Perhaps when he was an Unspeakable, he was confronted with a moral dilemma: should he abide by the Unspeakable’s code of conduct and allow something regretful to happen without intervening, or should he screw the rules and travel back to the past to fix a problem or prevent a particular incident from happening?
Nigel decided to leave the Ministry of Magic and become a professor at Hogwarts instead, and I feel that “Stop and Stare” captures this change of direction in his life well. He’s unsure of himself and whether he’s making the right choice, but he’s going to stick to it and see where that takes him.
Kyle
The first two songs are rather straightforward choices for Kyle: they both deal with loss and grief. As for “Perfect”, I imagine Kyle would have binge listened to this song (as many people of my generation probably have too, myself included).
“Lost Stars” feels like how Kyle would be feeling as he’s trying to find his way in life; I’ve also chosen Jungkook’s cover specifically because IIRC he was 18 when he sang this, and it just felt like a more appropriate version of the song for Kyle. “everything sucks” makes the list as well for being a fun and chill song that I think Kyle would listen to as a way to motivate himself.
Malachi
I’ll admit, “Closing Time” is a very low-hanging fruit; i doubt I need to say much to justify starting off Mal’s playlist with it. It’s a great song to chill to, and it’s a perfect way to help me get into Mal’s head. Likewise “Coffee Shop” is another obvious choice, seeing how it’s another chill and relaxing song (plus it’s in Korean as well). It’s also a song about moving on after a breakup, which is pretty fitting for Mal since he has probably heard about a lot of breakups and probably thinks about his own quite a bit too.
Mal’s not just the owner of a hybrid café/bar: he’s also an information broker who has chosen to do what is legally (and some might say morally) questionable in order to make the world a better place. “Hey Now” has always sounded like a song about how difficult and tiring it is to fix the problems in the world, which is why it’s here (and also in Integra’s playlist).
Integra
“Hey Now” is here for reasons explained in Mal’s entry. “Titanium” reflects the idealism, fearlessness and determination of the Salisbury Fools; to borrow a quote from V for Vendetta: “ideas are bulletproof”, and the song perfectly encapsulates their willingness to risk their lives to do what they feel is right. “Pictures of You” is full of evocative imagery, and there’s this introspective, bittersweet mood that kinda feels like Integra looking back on her life and experiences, and what she has done (or not done). I particularly like the lines “There is a drug that cures it all | Blocked by the governmental wall | We are the scientists inside the lab | Just waiting for the call” because I associate them with the difficulties Integra faced when she was with the Ministry of Magic.
Moving on to songs about her personal life, I’d include a whole list of songs by The Carpenters (especially “Yesterday Once More”) but I thought “We’ve Only Just Begun” is perhaps the most meaningful of them all. I can imagine what Integra and her husband were like when they were still young and full of hope. Despite its lyrics and theme, it’s still an extremely nostalgic song to me on a personal level, so that earns it a place in this playlist.
Louis
Louis’ playlist is a lot more upbeat than the others; out of all my characters he has experienced the least personal trauma. “Super Cool” is a groovy and fun song, although there are folks I know who find it irritating. “Get Up” is another fun and upbeat song which fits Louis’ optimistic and supportive nature.
I felt that I’d need a less cheery song to help Louis stay grounded, hence “March On”: it’s about soldiering on through tough times, and he’s definitely been through a rough patch or two along the way. For the last song to round off the list, I have “Keep Going”, which I’ve picked because of its absolutely adorable MV, and I can relate that to how Louis tries to be as helpful as he can, but sometimes he burns out and needs a little bit of love from others too.
Jae's Character Playlists
Added a few more characters, and some of my existing characters have also gone through some character development so I thought I'd update the playlists.
Nigel Nigel has access to Time Turners, so he's one of the few (if not the only) character with the power to literally rewrite the past. But we all know how things would go if you meddle with time, right?
Kyle Added a couple more songs to his playlist now that he has Anwen. I'd like to remove "Lost Stars" from his list as well and give that to Leo instead.
Malachi Couldn't resist sneaking in a song from Mal's own playby. I see it as a possible reflection of his failed relationship with his past, or his relationship with Alic. Likewise for "Foreign Language" which is a song about the relationship between two people with differing views and perspectives, and "Someone I Used to Know" which could be about how they fell out.
Louis I haven't delved into the darker aspects of Louis' family history, so just adding another cheerful song to his playlist.
Thaddeus Haven't had the opportunity to RP much as Thad, but I've always wanted to explore how he would find his own path, and how he views his status and exclusive position as a pureblood from an elite family.
Evelyn She's prickly, she's angry, she's a little misunderstood and lonely. I hope these songs adequately sum up how she feels. Also can't resist adding in songs by her playby.
Leo Giving "Lost Stars" to Leo instead, since he seems to need it more than Kyle does now. Throwing in a couple of other songs as well for how he feels about his past and how he wants to move on and find his own identity.
EDIT: Adding "Little Bird" to Leo's playlist – this song is about suppressing things inside you, which was the concept I was going for when I wrote Leo's app. Didn't quite know what it was about, and haven't really explored that darker side of Leo's psyche yet, but it's something I'm keen to look deeper into.
Diether A rather random collection of whimsical, light, melancholic and emotional songs. I don't know, it just kinda feels like Diether's thing. I do see him as the protagonist of an eccentric and whimsical arthouse film, so maybe that has rubbed off on my song selection for him too.
Nigel Nigel has access to Time Turners, so he's one of the few (if not the only) character with the power to literally rewrite the past. But we all know how things would go if you meddle with time, right?
Kyle Added a couple more songs to his playlist now that he has Anwen. I'd like to remove "Lost Stars" from his list as well and give that to Leo instead.
Malachi Couldn't resist sneaking in a song from Mal's own playby. I see it as a possible reflection of his failed relationship with his past, or his relationship with Alic. Likewise for "Foreign Language" which is a song about the relationship between two people with differing views and perspectives, and "Someone I Used to Know" which could be about how they fell out.
Louis I haven't delved into the darker aspects of Louis' family history, so just adding another cheerful song to his playlist.
Thaddeus Haven't had the opportunity to RP much as Thad, but I've always wanted to explore how he would find his own path, and how he views his status and exclusive position as a pureblood from an elite family.
Evelyn She's prickly, she's angry, she's a little misunderstood and lonely. I hope these songs adequately sum up how she feels. Also can't resist adding in songs by her playby.
Leo Giving "Lost Stars" to Leo instead, since he seems to need it more than Kyle does now. Throwing in a couple of other songs as well for how he feels about his past and how he wants to move on and find his own identity.
EDIT: Adding "Little Bird" to Leo's playlist – this song is about suppressing things inside you, which was the concept I was going for when I wrote Leo's app. Didn't quite know what it was about, and haven't really explored that darker side of Leo's psyche yet, but it's something I'm keen to look deeper into.
Diether A rather random collection of whimsical, light, melancholic and emotional songs. I don't know, it just kinda feels like Diether's thing. I do see him as the protagonist of an eccentric and whimsical arthouse film, so maybe that has rubbed off on my song selection for him too.
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