Do you associate certain songs with your characters?

I have a couple.

Demons

Dark Side

• Both songs' lyrics fit with his character; they're all things he would logically say. The songs feel like P.o.V. songs for him with how well they work with him. More specifically, Dark Side and Demons can be seen as Endo 02 telling Marionette about himself, admitting to his dark side and begging her to stay with him and to love him despite it.

Angel With a Shotgun

• Largely done for the same reason as above. It's basically his theme song as it tells of someone who is willing to do whatever for someone they love and to protect someone they love. And that illustrates a core element of Jason's character perfectly. He's very protective of both his family and the girl he loves (Marionette Emmings-Johnson). The tone the song's lyrics hold also fit with Jason's manner of speaking and the tone he uses with others. It's kind of blunt but also loving and caring with bold assertions.

Edited by ISS600 on Oct 31st 2023 at 3:09:54 PM

Burn The Stars by Massive Vibes also suits Red Revenge. It can be about fighting/killing The Lightbearer, as he has very obvious and prominent sun motif.

Edited by Nukeli on Nov 5th 2023 at 2:44:26 PM

I have several ideas for a Greater-Scope Villain for several fantasy stories I wish to write. I call them the King Of Crowns, named after an old nursery rhyme. Basically an old god long ago imprisoned in a crown by humans for their pure madness. The crown was worn by the king of the land until it slowly chipped away at him and others, until they became as twisted as they were. Many have tried to fight, but none will ever truly beat them.

The most obvious track I can think of for them is Panic! at the Disco with “Emperor’s New Clothes”. It just perfectly symbolizes the Sealed Evil in a Can and corrupting qualities they have. Tom Waits’ “Big In Japan” has a similar madness and ranting lyrics to match the character.

Edited by CanuckMcDuck1 on Nov 6th 2023 at 6:54:21 AM

"The Impossible Dream" by Frank Sinatra also reminds me of Red Revenge. It fits the story in general, and the main character.

"To dream the impossible dream / To fight the unbeatable foe / To bear with unbearable sorrow / To run where the brave dare not go / To right the unrightable wrong / ... / And the world will be better for this / That one man, scorned and covered with scars / Still strove with his last ounce of courage / To reach the unreachable star"

Edited by Nukeli on Nov 16th 2023 at 5:43:07 PM

A part of My Ordinary Life by The Living Tombstone i saw in a youtube animation also fits ''Red Revenge's The Lightbearer very well in my mind. But not the whole thing.

He's a genuinely humble supersoldier who's also being used as his country's main propaganda figure. As such, he's detached from the people he fights for and unable to have normal relationships because of how everybody views him (and because of how the people above him want him to act). He also lacks a normal life outside of the whole thing. "Touch me, Midas, make me part of your design" would be a flashback to him being given his powers and then his costume, and ""No one to guide us, i feel fear for the very last time" would be a flash back to the present where The Lightbearer has just killed his boss to save the war effort from his terrible management (about to take over).

"They tell me that I'm special, I smile and shake my head / I'll give them stories to tell friends about the things I said / They tell me I'm so humble, I say, "I'm turning red" / They let me lie to them and don't feel like they've been misled / They give so much to me, I'm losing touch, get me? / Served on a silver platter, ask for seconds, they just let me / They tell me I'm a god, I'm lost in the facade / Six-feet off the ground at all times, I think I'm feeling odd / No matter what I make, they never see mistakes / Makin' so much bread, I don't care that they're just being fake / They tell me they're below me, I act like I'm above / The people blend together but I would be lost without their love / Can you heal me? Have I gained too much? / When you become untouchable, you're unable to touch / Is there a real me? / ... / Touch me, Midas / Make me part of your design / None to guide us / I feel fear for the very last time".

Edited by Nukeli on Nov 18th 2023 at 5:26:30 PM

• Little Dark Age by MGMT also sounds fitting for Romano Marchegiano. Also his views of things and other characters. I could see it as takig place in the present/future with, when lyrically appropriate, random flashbacks.

Red Revenge's post-war main villains;

• Gretchen Wagner
  • Supernova by Within Temptation

    "When the lights go down i'm still here and i'm singing for you / When the lights go out, i can't let the music fade / .... / Like thunder screaming out for a flash of lightning / Stars are falling down for god's applause / ..../ As long as i dream, it ain't over, over / I'll break the chains of gravity / Oh, i long for your fire"

  • My Lullaby by Suzanne Pleshette (?)

    "Sleep , my little Kovu, let your dreams take wing / One day when you're big and strong, you will be our king / I've been exiled, persecuted, left alone with no defense / When i think of what that brute did, i get a little tense / .... / Scar is gone, but Zira's still around, to love his little lad / Till he learns to be a killer, with a lust for being bad! / ... / Payback time is nearing, and then our flag will fly / Against a blood-red sky / That's my lullaby!"

    • This is pretty much exactly what Wagner's plan is (she and The Lightbearer had a baby befire he died). She of course also wants to murder Tom because he killed The Lightbearer.

• Jan Messer
  • Heilig by E-Nomine

    "Heilig, ist mein Zug in Fremdes Land / Heilig, zu erheben meine Hand / Heilig, was mein Glaube mir befiehlt / Heilig, weil mein Gott es von mir will / Heilig, ruf nach dem Meer aus Blut / Heilig, sinkt mein Haupt voll Gottes wut / Heilig, sterben Feinde durch meinen Arm / Heilig, spricht der Klerus seine Wahn / .... / Heilig, ist mein Kampf in diesem Krieg / Heilig, jedes Mittel für den Sieg / Und Heilig ist der Vater der micht liebt / Heilig, all die sünden mir vergiebt / .... / Ziehe ins gelobte Land / Gottes Schwert in meiner Hand / Dann sinnd wir Heilig! / Doch Heilig ist mir nichts auf dieser welt! / Heilig ist mein Vaterland nicht mehr!"

    • The religious overtones sort of suit Messer, as he's a brainwashed child soldier. Extremely devoted to The Lightbearer, and later to his memory and Wagner and the baby. Messer is also sort of his other son.
  • Saint Bernard by Lincoln

    "Saint Bernard sits at the top of the driveway / You always said how you loved dogs / I don't know if i count, but i'm trying my best / When i'm barking and howling these songs"

    • Also about The Lightbearer. The last part in particular sounds like Messer (ironically they're both cat people though).
• Yaroslav Stepanovich
  • Not Nice by HalaCG

    "I'm not a nice person, i was alone / No one'll touch me, sitting on my throne / And i'll be burning, no one'll come close / I'll trade my dirt for diamonds, i will show them / I'm not a nice person, you'll see it in my frown / Was never at the top, and i'm here to wear the crown / Ohh, i hate to cut you down / But you have taught me / That i can't afford to be, a nice person"

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 2nd 2024 at 3:44:57 PM

Red Revenge's resistance superheroes;

• Tom Handschin / Carmine Avenger
  • I'm Still Here by John Rzeznik
    • Tom meeting his adoptive father Hans when he's a street child.
  • Deutschland by Rammstein

    "Deutschland, dein Herz in Flammen / Will dich lieben und verdammen / Deutschland, mein Atem kalt / So jung und doch so alt"

  • You're Not There by Lukas Graham

    "So give it up for fallen glory / I never got to say goodbye / I wish I could ask for just a bit more time / Every step I take, you used to lead the way / Now I'm terrified to face it on my own / You're not there / To celebrate the man that you made / You're not there / To share in my success and mistakes / Is it fair? / You'll never know the person I'll be / You're not there / With me"

    • Hans is murdered.
  • Pumpkin's Revenge by Louie Zong

    "For so long you have scooped out our innards / Carved our face, made pie for your dinners / Now it's time for the pumpkins to be winners / Get ready to confess 'cause / All you are sinners"

  • Enemies by The Score
    "Goodbye to my enemies, to my enemies / They try to beat me but I won't surrender / Fear won't be the death of me, de-de-death of me / I won't go quietly into the night"
  • The Impossible Dream by Frank Sinatra

    "To dream the impossible dream / To fight the unbeatable foe / To bear with unbearable sorrow / To run where the brave dare not go / To right the unrightable wrong / To be better far than you are / To try when your arms are too weary / To reach the unreachable star / .... / And the world will be better for this / That one man, scorned and covered with scars / Still strove with his last ounce of courage / To reach the unreachable star"

• Miyako Hasuike / The Wisteria Woman
  • The Story Of Tonight from Hamilton

    "I may not live to see our glory / But i will gladly join the fight / And when our children tell our story / They'll tell the story of tonight / Raise a glass to freedom / Something they can never take away / No matter what they tell you / Raise a glass to the four of us / Tomorrow there'll be more of us / Telling the story of tonight"

  • The Resistance by Skillet
  • Walk Through The Fire by Zayde Wølf

• Louisa Kinge / The Catalyst
  • Just Tell Me I Can't by NEFFEX
  • Nazi Nightmare by The Oppressed
  • Fighter by The Score

• Noah Ashfort / Grey Howler
  • Monster by Imagine Dragons

    "If I told you what I was / Would you turn your back on me? / And if I seem dangerous / Would you be scared? / .... / I'm only a man with a candle to guide me / I'm taking a stand to escape what's inside me / A monster, a monster / I've turned into a monster / A monster, a monster / And it keeps getting stronger"

    • For context, he's a vampire.
  • Colors by Halsey
  • The Riddle by Terry Mann
    • He's a spy

• Orville Holme / Freedom Fighter
  • The Longest Day by Iron Maiden
  • In The Army Now by Sabaton
  • Human by Rag'n'Bone Man

• Tadpole

Edited by Nukeli on Jan 2nd 2024 at 7:36:25 PM

I have a scene that I've been thinking about for a story that I'm convinced goes really well with the Chimera boss theme from SIGNALIS for some reason.

Edited by InvisibleWater on Feb 17th 2024 at 10:16:11 AM

ALL. THE. TIME.

I associate songs with many of my characters, and in fact, listening to music while pacing around in circles and thinking about my characters is one of my favorite things to do.

I can't show all the songs, of course, because that would take forever, so let's just do one character: a Magical Girl from Wild Cards. I won't say which one, but if you've read the chapters I have out so far, it'll probably be clear.

I arranged these songs to form her character arc, but I won't be explaining it:

1. HOLY SWORD ~Bonds of Courage~ from Doki Doki Pretty Cure

2. J-E-N-O-V-A from Final Fantasy VII; I usually imagine this one to be her transformation theme

3. Beyond the BLADE from Symphogear

4. Victim by Mili

Oh, yes, there are some songs I associate with characters - or rather, character moments.

I just discovered Rammstein's song titled.... "Rammstein". It made me think about my Big Bad The Lightbearer (who has a sun symbol; "The sun shines"). The line "No birds sing anymore" also brought to my mind Living Inferno's death (he can fly and looks like a bird).

Edited by Nukeli on Mar 7th 2024 at 11:34:35 AM

I can't think of a certain future Anti-Villain in my story without thinking of Carolus Rex.

Edited by iowaforever on Apr 20th 2024 at 1:13:01 AM

I associate the Blind Guardian song "Curse My Name" with a character from my writing named Jon Fox, a cunning young representative from the Landsman's Advocacy Association, a group of Countryside regions that each lend a vote to this nationwide council ruled over by a corrupt religious sect backed by humans who use magic. (mostly by the sect coercing them into obedience.)

Jon Fox organizes a political coup to overthrow the current rulers or the land and put himself and the League in power, mainly by taking advantage of anti-elite and racist anti-magic sentiment. He declares the current rulers unfit, that magic users are treated with too much reverence and given too much power when really they should be kept in check by normal humans and used only when needed, and claims to be fighting on behalf of the land tenders who go ignored by the powers that be.

Curse My name itself is a song about the right of the people to depose and execute guilty monarchs, but the tone of the song always sounded slightly ominous to me, though I'm not sure how intentional that is, like the singer is whipping the public into a wild frenzy and proudly declaring his willingness to be labeled a cruel tyrant if that means the current ruler is taken down.

Edited by GNinja on Apr 20th 2024 at 10:45:26 AM