Music Monday & OC Picrews
Tagging @inafieldofdaisies @fallsendings @aceghosts @josephseedismyfather @theelderhazelnut @malkavian-dreams @noodlecupcakes @minilev @imogenkol @cassietrn @voidika @direwombat @shallow-gravy @chazz-anova @socially-awkward-skeleton @jaeheydaris @josephslittledeputy @g0dspeeed @derelictheretic @strangefable @statichvm @carlosoliveiraa @wrathfulrook @starsandskies @la-grosse-patate @thewanderer-000 @alypink @shellibisshe @afarcryfrommymain @turbo-virgins @florbelles @justasmolbard @strafethesesinners and @yokobai + anyone who wants to join.
Music for A Radioactive Calamity of Love, Bombs & Gore, The UnTitledverse and The Silver Chronicles. This OC picrew for Corvus Targaryen, Cecil Royce and Okkotsu from The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones. Listen below the cut:
"Shadow of Myself" has always been a Paul Yellowjack song to me. In The Silver Chronicles, Paul Yellowjack is the adoptive father of Silva Omar and the leader of the Tumultite Community in the Minas on the Archipiélagos in Silva's backstory. He was a well-beloved leader, and a major inspiration in their revolt against the Congregation of Adam's Guard who oppressed them (utilizing them as slave labor to mine coal out of the Minas, a necessary source for everyone on the Archipiélagos to fuel their fires/power some of their devices to keep warm from the horrible blizzards, a source that the Congregation take most of while leaving the Tumultites with the bare minimum). However, once the Tumultite Massacre occurred (an event where the prophet of the Congregation, Adam Omar aka Silva's biological father, adhered to the Captain of the Enforcers, Oscar Lapis' advice on how to deal with the growing rebellion that was swaying their own civilians, to which Oscar proposed a total destruction of the Tumultite Community in the Minas with battalions of Enforcers wiping them out, striking fear into their own civilians to not go against the Congregation either. Neither Paul and Silva were in the Minas when the massacre occurred, already on a rescue mission to retrieve Elsa Omar, Silva's younger half-sister, from Adam), Paul broke from the mass destruction and death of his community, believing Silva to be amongst the casualties due to being separated from her earlier when trying to reach the ongoing massacre. Paul would leave the Archipiélagos a broken man, a vulnerable state that was most delectable for the Orchestrator, Zachariah, the second-born Eldritch, a deity that was known as the Hand at Fate's Table. Zachariah would give Paul a "Calling", and Paul would answer this "Call" and be bound to Zachariah's will, forcing him to carry out his influence in a mortal realm. From there on, Paul formed together a group known as "the Apostles of Zachariah", a death cult disguised as a shadow government pretending to be a few overlapping criminal rings who barely tolerate the other. The Apostles of Zachariah would consist of six main heralds leading the masses; Paul himself was the "Herald of Suffering", as he is the founder and the head honcho of the cult. Nashira Sargas was the "Herald of Oppression", in charge of trafficking potential converts to either Adaro or the other Heralds, with Adaro being the "Herald of Subjugation", who had a similar role to Nashira in kidnapping potential converts, but was additionally in charge of breaking the wills of more resistant converts, who'd either die or, if successfully broken, be sent to Fýredel, the "Herald of Devotion", who was in charge of taking those broken converts (or more amenable converts) and indoctrinating them into becoming devoted zealots of the Apostles, often cleansing their "impurity" with the "purity" of his flames. From there, the most devoted converts would be sent to John Gaius, the "Herald of Sacrifice", whose role was as important as Zhan Tiri's, being the person to reap the souls of such devoted converts through his deadly trials, forcing them into pairs who'd often have to sacrifice their partner or themselves in certain scenarios. Zhan Tiri is the "Herald of Death", taking those souls reaped by Gaius, as well as souls who died from her own hand in the market of warfare, and experimenting with them in her lone monastery, rendering such souls Hollow for Zachariah to add to his growing army. In the mortal world's view though, Zhan Tiri would look like a war criminal who enjoys the act of mass death more than the profit gained from it. Though to the mortal realm, the Apostles are essentially a haunting rumor whispered around the most organized of crime. This is even more abundant for Paul; as far as the entire world believes, Paul Yellowjack doesn't exist, and his zealots across the globe, in constant espionage in every government and military power & intelligence agency, ensure that remains the case.
Back to Paul Yellowjack, it isn't clear that his evil is a result from his decay of principles until the events of La Última En Pie in 2015, five years after the Tumultite Massacre, while he's in Hope County to steal a sample of a chemical agent called "the Bliss" (that some local cult called the Project at Eden's Gate had developed) for Zhan Tiri to experiment with, he bumps into Silva and her 5-year-old daughter, Persephone Neon, reuniting with the daughter who he thought he lost during the Tumultite Massacre, completely disregarding his prior mission to live in the moment of finding his daughter alive and well. Although the reunion is mutually delightful for both father and daughter (and granddaughter), Paul attempts to push the idea of Silva taking Persephone and abandoning their life in Hope County in favor of joining him and his Apostles. Something that Silva declines, and something that sets off both a delusional plan in Paul's mind and results in both his Apostles and Persephone's death by the end of La Última En Pie. It also results with his own death by Silva's hands, retaliation for murdering Persephone in front of her with his own blade. It's almost a relief to Paul when he takes his last breath... until Zachariah turns him into something wrong and no longer human, but still a useful servant to the Orchestrator. And unlike his fellow Apostles, Paul did not have the benefit of a reincarnated soul to make him forget the suffering he inflicted. His return to Hope County in Old Dusk is for the primary task of a) finding more souls to send to Zachariah's army (which he finds in the form of the Highwaymen), b) find anything produced by the radiation that could be utilized as a power buff for those souls (aka the Bliss and the Apples of Eden) and c) tie up loose ends that the Voice left behind with the shitty Collapse ritual (he'd get sidetracked from this with another reunion with Silva and her family). Paul was a good man... but through events he could not have foreseen, he ended up a husk of himself, especially with Zachariah's transformation over his body; becoming a hive of man-eating yellowjackets who can only hunger eternally for new bodies to nest in and fresh flesh to consume. Just a shambling corpse walking amongst the living, burdened by past regrets and shames that he uses against himself as to remind himself that he is a monster.
"This sickness I'm afflicted with, has got my brain decaying Addicted to its wickedness, this dangerous game I'm playing I know my God has damned me, my fate remains unmolded Guess it runs in the family, my sense of self corroded Rage and hatred, untethered, heads and appendages severed I can't be saved by confession, endure this torture forever This aimless anger will fester, and pain will make me remember I'm on the edge of life and death, and I ain't getting better ("Ain't getting better!") Lungs filled up with sweat and mud Unclean, diseased, body wet with blood When it comes to carnage, I can't get enough Ever since Mom and Dad force-fed me some
Way past saving, can't be helped Just a shadow of myself Feel your darkness cascade over me ("Cascade over me!") Make me evil, feed me hell I'm a shadow of myself Swallowed my soul, take control of me ("Take control of me!")
Hold your Holy Bibles tight, your sinkin' in this swamp ("Swamp!") There's no key to your survival, that's a door that's locked ("Locked!") Dissected head to toe, you'll be opened up ("Up!") The only friend you'll get to know is a loaded gun My blackened blood is boilin', I feel my fear no more The scent of dead flesh spoilin', have I become a corpse? Spiders climb up my spine, feel their venom in my veins This torment is divine, the reaper, I'll embrace When I'm made a god ("God!"), I will take a bow ("Bow!") Evil forged a bond ("Bond!"), she won't break her vows ("Vows!") Now you know the price ("Price!"), gotta pay it now ("Now!") If you have a life ("Life!"), time to lay it down ("Down!") Heed not the voice of reason, it only tells you lies Obey your sins and demons, then see through evil's eyes
Way past saving, can't be helped Just a shadow of myself Feel your darkness cascade over me ("Cascade over me!") Make me evil, feed me hell I'm a shadow of myself Swallowed my soul, take control of me!" ("Take control of me!")
[There's an additional set of lyrics that I do feel fits Paul's vibe as well (in comparison to what comes before it), and here it is:
"Give in to your temptation, transcend mortality Why let yourself be bound by, mortal morality?"]
Here's a song for my Resident Evil: Biohazard WIP UnTitled Venture: Hazardous Residence from my The UnTitled Ventures saga. It also crosses over to my Resident Evil: Village WIP UnTitled Venture: Village of Shadows, since it delves a bit in regard to the familial "father/daughter" bond developed between Joaquin Lockwood and Eveline by the end of Hazardous Residence into Village of Shadows. Eveline's entire existence has been nothing but abuse and exploitation and an existential suffering, and a misunderstanding/idolization of how relationships and family dynamics (plus her own issues in regards to self-hate/being unwanted). Eveline is desperate with having her own family, with being a child who is loved, but she lacks the proper knowledge and healthy experience to acquire such a thing, and has been raised with the notion that the only way she can get what she wants is by taking it through force, as the Connections did with her. In doing this though, she is feared and hated by the "family" she desires to make her own, including Ethan and Mia. The very narrative written into the world of the Resident Evil universe is deliberately designed to ensure all roads lead to a tragic existence and a demise celebrated as retribution for her. Unfortunately for this hand moving its pieces along fate's table, the narrative of this world cannot influence Joaquin Lockwood. Joaquin, while having adapted to the rules of this reality, does not have an obligation to carry out many of its demands. He does not desire to harm nor end the life of a abused and unloved child - it would be hypocritical of him if he did. He was a child raised and exploited and trained for malicious purposes, indoctrinated to abandon compassion and embrace inflicting cruelty for the approval of a false parent that would punish or replace him should he fail. While Joaquin and Eveline's circumstances were different, the similarities were present. And here he was... put in the very same situation of his Maisie. Coming across an individual who is unloved and hurting inside. Someone who doesn't know nor see any other way to act because there is no one they can truly trust to teach them that, to help them unlearn the poison, the rot, the malevolence. Someone who everyone has labelled a "lost cause" and not worth the effort of saving. As a grown man, one of many things Joaquin had loved about Maisie was her stubbornness in the pursuit of her curiosities. While many of his comrades would call his own "determination", the truth was, Joaquin inherited a form of stubbornness through his companionship with Maisie. And although the very fabric of the fate he piggybacked off of now demanded he submit to its wants, Joaquin was consistent in never abiding by authority. Much like how Maisie lent out a hand for him, Joaquin knew this was his moment to repay her efforts and help a fellow hurt child in need of such compassion.
"When the lanterns turn black and the mountain falls silent Denied any closure, the light disembarks When that solid ground that you found is subsiding But bright is the nova confined to the dark Your heart's not a prison, it's a prism For this kaleidoscope life we're given Filled with its twists and its turns and transitions Bringing us purpose in every collision You found what you lost then you lost what you found Life's more than survival and home's not a town It's the people you bring as the kaleidoscope spins And the colors they print when you're writing it down
Whenever your life is strange and The pain is too much to go through Know that you can find your haven In those you've chose to be close to 'Cause we'll find the brightest colors When we look inside each other This life is more vibrant for the ones Who find the light to shine through Shine through, shine through The ones who find the light to shine through ("You know you've got to shine through!") Shine through ("You know you've got to shine through!"), shine through ("You know you've got to shine through!") The ones who find the light to shine through!"
Last song is shared between Marissa "Ress" Bishop and my Lone Wanderer OC, Alph Dolen (who by this stage is a ghoulified mercenary), based after the events of my Fallout 3 WIP called The Waters Of Life Flow, in regard to how they handle their grief over Amata's murder (by the hands of Ress' father, Arcane Urias). In a very condensed summary: Amata's death is a sore spot for both Ress and Alph; the former because despite all her superhuman-level powers, Ress could not save a close companion of hers, despite having done so many times before, while the latter blames himself for not being there for his childhood best friend/romantic crush, and redirects that anger onto Ress, which she of course burdens her shoulders with. Eventually they will reconcile in A Symbol For A Better World (my Fallout 4 WIP), but both know that nothing will be the same with their incomplete trio. Also additionally this song can be attributed to Ress' grief over the loss of her older half-brother, Ortega "Ore" Brantley in Full Table, Full House (Come Place Your Bets) (my Fallout: New Vegas WIP), especially since Ress has to contend with the fact that she will traverse the wasteland alone, knowing that the one person who could match her long lifespan is gone, and she wasn't able to save him in time. (A/n: I'm starting to suspect I have a problem with putting my OCs through the angst wringer...)
"I've been hearing symphonies Before, all I heard was silence A rhapsody for you and me And every melody is timeless Life was stringin' me along Then you came and you cut me loose Was solo, singin' on my own Now I can't find the key without you
And now your song is on repeat And I'm dancin' on to your heartbeat And when you're gone, I feel incomplete So, if you want the truth
I just wanna be part of your symphony Will you hold me tight and not let go? Symphony Like a love song on the radio Will you hold me tight and not let go?
I'm sorry if it's all too much Every day you're here, I'm healin' And I was runnin' outta luck I never thought I'd find this feelin' 'Cause I've been hearing symphonies Before all I heard was silence A rhapsody for you and me ("A rhapsody for you and me!") And every melody is timeless
And now your song is on repeat And I'm dancin' on to your heartbeat And when you're gone, I feel incomplete So, if you want the truth
I just wanna be part of your symphony Will you hold me tight and not let go? Symphony Like a love song on the radio Will you hold me tight and not let go?
Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah-ah, ah, ah, ah Ah, ah, ah, ah-ah-ah, ah, ah, ah
And now your song is on repeat And I'm dancin' on to your heartbeat And when you're gone, I feel incomplete So, if you want the truth
I just wanna be part of your symphony Will you hold me tight and not let go? Symphony Like a love song on the radio ("Oh!") Symphony Will you hold me tight and not let go? Symphony Like a love song on the radio Will you hold on tight and not let go?"
And here are three OC picrews for my three main OC Protagonists for my House of the Dragon WIPs; The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones and Of Blazing Conquests and Dancing Dragonmounts:
Corvus Targaryen (The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones, pre-Of Blazing Conquests and Dancing Dragonmounts [HOTD]) | Caecilia "Cecil" Royce (The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones, pre-Of Blazing Conquests and Dancing Dragonmounts [HOTD]) | Okkotsu (The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones [HOTD])
Corvus Targaryen is the adopted son of Viserys I and Aemma Targaryen. He's in his late teens/early twenties by the time Rhaenyra is 14-years-old, and he dabbles in a bit of alchemy in his spare time, especially with not many future prospects in terms of heirship open for him. He also studies and cultivates small herbal remedies to make Aemma's pregnancies and labors easier. He's not too against the whole "not being an heir" thing, especially with how asocial he is (truly, the only true companionships he has is with his adoptive sister, their mother, Rhaenyra's close childhood companion, and their cousins). After the death of his adoptive mother and the following political shifts, Corvus takes up on drinking some special tea from an odd noble by the name of Sir Enigma Malvolio.
Caecilia Targaryen, or as she begins to proclaim herself as, Cecil Royce, is the sole daughter of the unhappy matrimony of Daemon Targaryen and Rhea Royce. After her mother, Cecil is the heir to Runestone, and since the temperance between Daemon and Rhea had degraded significantly over the years since the consummation, she'd remain so. Cecil is estranged with her father, but close to her mother. So estranged/close with her respective parents, that she figured out how to dye her white hair to black just to have some semblance of herself to take after her mother. After her mother's untimely death, Daemon takes full custody over Cecil, much to her chagrin, and whisks her away from her birthright and extended family of the Royce’s to King's Landing. Daemon attempts to have some "overdue father/daughter bonding" by taking her around King's Landing (mostly Flea Bottom), taking her along into whatever shops and bakeries he hopes would get her interested. Cecil would rather be back home, mourning her mother. Or hunting. Or hitting things with her swords (preferably her father).
Okkotsu, a former assassin who attempted to take the life of King Viserys Targaryen I several times throughout his rule, but failed so badly on each attempt that her former employers decided to put a bounty on her head instead. She left King's Landing and hid in Driftmark. During her (honestly rough) time in Driftmark, Okkotsu befriended a young Laena Velaryon, becoming close confidants. On the night of Laena's funeral in The Thorned Crown of Iron Thrones, she comes across of a young Aegon Targaryen II, who'd had a particularly rough night. She figures he doesn't have the best role models (or at least, not after the revelations shared that night), so she decides not to be the step dad, but the dad who stepped up. She'd travel back to King's Landing just to keep in touch with the boy. Alicent would have no idea she's co-parenting her eldest son with another woman for the several years to come.
















