Jae's Character Playlists
Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2022 10:28 pm
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.
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.