iPod shuffle meme
Jun. 9th, 2012 01:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rainsometimesMeme again! Forgot where I found it.
1. Put your iPod or mp3 on shuffle.
2. Write down and post the first 10 songs you get, and also the opening line to each song.
3. Name what character each song or opening line reminds you of. [This might be tough!]
4. Finally, write at least 2 brief ficlets inspired by some of these songs or opening lines. [Okay, I actually added this last one because I want an excuse to write unpretentiously and semi-spontaneously. Though, um, I don't think I will write them all in one sitting!]
1. "Do What You Gotta Do", Mary Coughlan
First line, "Men, I can understand how it might be kind of hard for you to love a girl like me..."
Reminds me of: This is one of the few where I have a definite answer: this song makes me picture Banchina, Usopp's mother, singing it to Yasopp. Incidentally, I love Mary Coughlan's version the most of all those I've heard, including Nina Simone's.
2. "To Know Him Is To Love Him", Dolly Parton, Lind Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
First line, "To know know know him is to love love love him..."
Reminds me of: Um... this is a lot harder... someone male who is really lovable... I guess Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist fits fine.
3. "I'm Waiting For The Day", Beach Boys
First lines, "I came along when he broke your heart/That's when you needed someone to help forget about him..."
Reminds me of: Umm... * draws blank* I have a feeling I don't read enough romance stuff for this. Oh, wait! It fits Ren Tsuruga wrt Kyoko in Skip Beat! In a way. Sort of. The song is a much simpler situation.
4. "Medley: Nobody's Business: Tango", Mary Coughlan
First lines, "There ain't nothing that I do, and there ain't nothing that I say, that folks don't criticise me, but I'm going to do just as I want to anyway..."
...Huh, I'm not sure if I've even heard this song before. Didn't knew I had it!
Okay, reminds me of: um, hard to say since I haven't heard the lyrics before, so I could be misrepresenting them. But first impression: Nana Osaki from the Nana manga.
5. "The Nearness of You", Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
First line, "It's not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me..."
Reminds me of: Adrian Veidt and his Nostalgia line of perfumes in "Watchmen". I don't think they used this song for the commercial shown in the comic, it was "Unforgettable", wasn't it? But it's very much the same type of song.
6. "Rinbu Revolution", Masami Okai
First line - well, I don't know how the Japanese is spelled, but I recall that the subtitles prsent it as "Let's live our lives heroically, let's live our lives with style"
Reminds me of: well, duh, Utena and Anthy! Which is far too easy, so I guess I should come up with something else, too. * listens to the full song and hunts up the lyrics* - Well, actually, this reminds me of Nana O again, together with Nana K/Hachi!
And Maggie and Hopey, from the "Locas" comics by Jaime Hernandez. OK, that works!
...Man, this is such a great song.
7. "Mon enfance, Jacques Brel
First lines, "Mon enfance passa/de grisailles en silences/de fausses révérences/en manque de batailles..." which I think translates to something like "My childhood passed/In silent greyness/In false respectfulness/In a lack of battles...".
Reminds me of: Sabo's early childhood in One Piece. (Not the whole song when it comes to lyrics, just the first lines together with the slow, sad music.)
8. "A Cold Rainy Morning In London In June", Matraca Berg
First line, "Kensington Garden [sic] is sad..."
Reminds me of: Blackbirds in Battersea Park, Crowley and Aziraphale in Regent's Park, that Peter Pan book I never really got into... /gives up
9. "Everything Must Change"
First lines, "Everything must change/Nothing remains the same..."
Reminds me of: Another easy one! Nami, for I once had this song in my head when I wrote a ficlet to the theme of "Ephemerality", featuring Nami seen through Robin's eyes. I named the ficlet after the song, too.
10. "A Kiss To Build A Dream On", Louis Armstrong
First lines, "Give me a kiss to build a dream on/And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss..."
Reminds me of: A little far-fetched, but the mention of vivid imagination makes me think of Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikkoku, though the singer is far too self-assured to really be him. I could see him singing it, though!
Okay, that's it for the answers - the ficlets (which took two/three days to write despite being quite simple - fast, I am still not! - are posted as comments below. Spoilers for Nana and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
1. Put your iPod or mp3 on shuffle.
2. Write down and post the first 10 songs you get, and also the opening line to each song.
3. Name what character each song or opening line reminds you of. [This might be tough!]
4. Finally, write at least 2 brief ficlets inspired by some of these songs or opening lines. [Okay, I actually added this last one because I want an excuse to write unpretentiously and semi-spontaneously. Though, um, I don't think I will write them all in one sitting!]
1. "Do What You Gotta Do", Mary Coughlan
First line, "Men, I can understand how it might be kind of hard for you to love a girl like me..."
Reminds me of: This is one of the few where I have a definite answer: this song makes me picture Banchina, Usopp's mother, singing it to Yasopp. Incidentally, I love Mary Coughlan's version the most of all those I've heard, including Nina Simone's.
2. "To Know Him Is To Love Him", Dolly Parton, Lind Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris
First line, "To know know know him is to love love love him..."
Reminds me of: Um... this is a lot harder... someone male who is really lovable... I guess Alphonse Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist fits fine.
3. "I'm Waiting For The Day", Beach Boys
First lines, "I came along when he broke your heart/That's when you needed someone to help forget about him..."
Reminds me of: Umm... * draws blank* I have a feeling I don't read enough romance stuff for this. Oh, wait! It fits Ren Tsuruga wrt Kyoko in Skip Beat! In a way. Sort of. The song is a much simpler situation.
4. "Medley: Nobody's Business: Tango", Mary Coughlan
First lines, "There ain't nothing that I do, and there ain't nothing that I say, that folks don't criticise me, but I'm going to do just as I want to anyway..."
...Huh, I'm not sure if I've even heard this song before. Didn't knew I had it!
Okay, reminds me of: um, hard to say since I haven't heard the lyrics before, so I could be misrepresenting them. But first impression: Nana Osaki from the Nana manga.
5. "The Nearness of You", Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
First line, "It's not the pale moon that excites me, that thrills and delights me..."
Reminds me of: Adrian Veidt and his Nostalgia line of perfumes in "Watchmen". I don't think they used this song for the commercial shown in the comic, it was "Unforgettable", wasn't it? But it's very much the same type of song.
6. "Rinbu Revolution", Masami Okai
First line - well, I don't know how the Japanese is spelled, but I recall that the subtitles prsent it as "Let's live our lives heroically, let's live our lives with style"
Reminds me of: well, duh, Utena and Anthy! Which is far too easy, so I guess I should come up with something else, too. * listens to the full song and hunts up the lyrics* - Well, actually, this reminds me of Nana O again, together with Nana K/Hachi!
And Maggie and Hopey, from the "Locas" comics by Jaime Hernandez. OK, that works!
...Man, this is such a great song.
7. "Mon enfance, Jacques Brel
First lines, "Mon enfance passa/de grisailles en silences/de fausses révérences/en manque de batailles..." which I think translates to something like "My childhood passed/In silent greyness/In false respectfulness/In a lack of battles...".
Reminds me of: Sabo's early childhood in One Piece. (Not the whole song when it comes to lyrics, just the first lines together with the slow, sad music.)
8. "A Cold Rainy Morning In London In June", Matraca Berg
First line, "Kensington Garden [sic] is sad..."
Reminds me of: Blackbirds in Battersea Park, Crowley and Aziraphale in Regent's Park, that Peter Pan book I never really got into... /gives up
9. "Everything Must Change"
First lines, "Everything must change/Nothing remains the same..."
Reminds me of: Another easy one! Nami, for I once had this song in my head when I wrote a ficlet to the theme of "Ephemerality", featuring Nami seen through Robin's eyes. I named the ficlet after the song, too.
10. "A Kiss To Build A Dream On", Louis Armstrong
First lines, "Give me a kiss to build a dream on/And my imagination will thrive upon that kiss..."
Reminds me of: A little far-fetched, but the mention of vivid imagination makes me think of Yusaku Godai from Maison Ikkoku, though the singer is far too self-assured to really be him. I could see him singing it, though!
Okay, that's it for the answers - the ficlets (which took two/three days to write despite being quite simple - fast, I am still not! - are posted as comments below. Spoilers for Nana and Revolutionary Girl Utena.
Ficlet One: Rinbu Revolution (Nana)
Date: 2012-06-09 11:48 am (UTC)They're not much into anime in general, but this is one show they have somehow started to follow without meaning to. Nana digs the Shadow Girls, Hachi likes Chu-Chu and the scenes that make fun of Nanami. And they've both fallen for Utena herself - the brash determinator, courageous dreamer, loyal protector who gets things muddled but always tries hard.
Once, mid-series, Hachi says that if Nana ever had to do cosplay, she should pick Utena. "You'd look great with a sword and a fancy uniform," she insists.
Nana rolls her eyes, secretly flattered. "And pink hair? Yuck!" Then she's quiet for a moment, lighting a cigarette. "Well… Only if you'd be Anthy." She blows out a smoke ring and smiles.
Hachi looks startled, then laughs. "Anthy? No way! I'm not Anthy, I'm Wakaba!" She pokes Nana in the forehead. "I'd just jump all over your Utena, like she does. And let everyone around us know how awesome you are."
"That does sound more like my Hachi," Nana admits drily, but there's something a little off about her smile. Hachi turns back to the TV and doesn't notice.
*
"Let's live our lives heroically, let's live our lives with style…" Years later, Hachi finds herself humming the opening song under her breath as she packs her suitcase. (She owns the DVDs, now.) She smiles ruefully: that song is such an earworm.
"All right then," she mumbles. She is more of a Wakaba, but… "If I have to be Anthy-at-the-end in order to find you, I will." She straightens up, determined. "And then we will shine."
Ficlet Two: The Nearness Of You (One Piece)
Date: 2012-06-09 11:51 am (UTC)In the grand ballroom, under glittering crystal chandeliers, Nami first leads Usopp to a good spot as the orchestra strikes up a waltz. Usopp does his best to remember the steps as he then starts to lead her, spinning to the beat on the shiny floor.
They're here to spy and steal if they can, but Usopp finds it hard to keep his mind on the plan and his eyes off Nami. He tries to tell himself it's just the ambiance, the romantic music and the soft gleaming lights, fragrant fresh-cut flowers and her beautiful dress… only that, nothing more. That's the only reason his throat is all dry and that his tongue keeps wanting to imitate Sanji as his most lyrical - even though he knows full well that approach has never yielded results for the cook. Right now it just seems to him that some things ought to be said, no matter how they will be received.
Yes, surely it's just the music and the place and the fancy clothes… after all, this is Nami, and he's around Nami all the days in the week, nothing new there. But she's not this close, then, a treacherous voice mumbles. Not for more than a second or two, not like this. Her scent of tangerines is nearly overpowering, her eyes large and shiny; his hand rests against her back like it's supposed to, her hand on his shoulder.
And for whatever reason, she hasn't brought up the plan yet, or even scolded him for his missteps. Perhaps this is a scary sign. But he doesn't care, he just wants to stay like this a little longer, wants to to hold her and smell her and grow dizzy from her nearness...
...and then he falters a little, missing a beat; she frowns for a moment, though they pick it up the next step. But now there is something else in Usopp's head, the image of someone paler, blonder, less sturdy; someone who is now almost impossibly far away. He can't remember what she smells like. He only ever touched her once, that time he tried to abduct her.
It's not that he's certain he'd rather dance like this with Kaya. He doesn't know if he would. Maybe that's part of the problem. It's just that thinking about her not being there, being so very far away, makes an emptiness inside him, and now he feels caught between Nami's tangible nearness and Kaya's farness.
The waltz draws down to a close, and the next dance is a polka. "I think we can start on the plan now," whispers Nami, and they shuffle off to the side. Usopp nods, straightening his bowtie, cheeks still red. It's not quite relief that he feels. But maybe it's less of a letdown than it could have been.
It's too bad you can't have a waltz with three people, he thinks fleetingly, before he shakes his head, trying to look attentive.