My guesses (sorry I take so long)

New PPC fanmix! by Neshomeh on 2011-04-09 22:04:00 UTC Reply

Yeah, I know, I've done another one. What can I say, it's fun!

This one is all about my DIC team, Nume and Ilraen. If you want to play my game, listen closely and see if you can tell if the song is talking about one or the other, or both, and what it's saying. It shouldn't be hard. The first two tracks ought to be pretty telling, even if you don't know my spin-off too well.

The mix is available here at Box.net, and you can find the other ones I've done there, too, if you're interested. This one comes with a track list, a cover image, and a full cover with track list in case you feel like burning an actual CD. You can view the base drawing for the cover at my deviantART account, too.

Enjoy!

~Neshomeh

My guesses (sorry I take so long) by doctorlit on 2011-04-12 23:50:00 UTC Reply
1. I Am a Rock—Supernumerary, as: “I have no need of friendship…I have my books and my poetry.” Also, I so need to write a filk of this about Lost. ♪My name is Locke, I love this i-i-island♪
  
  2. With a Little Help From My Friends—Ilraen relied on the PPC’s friendlier types to get through his “personality-deficient” stage after recruitment.
  
  3. Arco Arena—Um, no lyrics? Um…I’m being struck with a feeling of confidence, so I’m going to guess Supernumerary.
  
  4. White Rabbit—The Alice in Wonderland imagery can apply to both, since they both exited their home worlds suddenly and unexpectedly. The lines about the Red Queen and men on the chessboard could refer to taking orders from the Flowers that Be.
  
  5. Whirlwind—“A whirlwind came into my life and tried to rescue me” sounds like Ilraen being removed from his fic of origin. The rest is his mental struggles with having no personality or memories, and developing these things while learning to be a PPC agent.
  
  6. Who Knows Where the Time Goes—I don’t feel too good about this guess, but I think this is a Supernumerary song. It seems to have a “leaving behind” theme, which applies more to Nume, who had an entire life’s worth of plans (and some friends, surely) before he joined the PPC.
  
  7. Stranger in a Strange Land—I’m going to go with both again; this song seems to be about the general nature of time and space in HQ.
  
  8. NY Rush—I guessed Nume for the last instrumental, so I’ll say this one is Ilraen’s—it’s got kind of a positive, upbeat feel.
  
  9. The God Game—Uh…this one’s got me pretty stumped. It’s a rather negative song, so I don’t see it being about an agent. Is this one aimed at Mary Sues, maybe?
  
  10. Fool—I’m having trouble with this one, too. It seems to be about escaping/hiding from the world, so based on that, I’m guessing it’s a Nume song. Then again, the line, “I can choose to be what I want to be if I choose to be,” is more of an Andalite thing…
  
  11. Heretic, Hero—I’d like to think Nume and Ilraen are both heroes, and neither heretics...both, I guess? >.>
  
  12. Love is Just a Four-Letter Word—Avoiding contact with other people? Reducing the concept of love to a mere combination of letters? This is either aimed at me or Supernumerary.
  
  13. Love You—The polar opposite of the previous song, which must therefore go to Ilraen.
  
  14. The Hundred Song—Counting is fun! Supernumerary likes to count things.
  
  15. Shadow Stabbing—Hmm…I almost want to call this a Neshomeh song, what with all the writing imagery. But the “mind inside the cell” and “heart can’t forget this self defense” are probably meant to represent Nume.
  
  16. I’m Home Again—Yay, piano! *aherm* Anyway, I think this is Ilraen, based on the title and general calm vibe of the music. His fic of origin, despite being where he’s “from,” was not a real home for him. In the PPC, while not necessarily “belonging” there (if anyone does), he at least has a stable (compared to a badfic) place to live and a purpose to do good in the multiverse. Hence, home again.
  
  17. Feelin’ Alright—The song’s narration is wondering about, “the way it could have been.” I think is a Nume song, as he, unlike Ilraen, is missing out on an entire other, possible life by working for the PPC.
  
  18. You Can’t Always Get What You Want—This one feels like it’s about both agents, but specifically their partnership. If I remember correctly, neither was terribly happy with getting the other as a partner, but they’ve turned into an effective pair nonetheless.
  
  19. Mission—Both, but this was kind of a given, considering the title and the fact that it provided the fanmix with its title. Specifically, it feels like a declaration by Nume and Ilraen that they’ll continue to work together for the good of the worlds, even they don’t always get along or see eye to eye. “We may appear belligerent, but lo! We are not so! We’re partners, and we’re damn good at working together!”
  
  Hm...I've guessed eight songs for Nume and only five for Ilraen. Clearly, I have messed up somewhere.
  —doctorlit, hoping he hasn't grossly misinterpreted Neshomeh's agents or fanmix

Oh, yay! {= D by Neshomeh on 2011-04-17 02:31:00 UTC Reply

Hah, I'd given up on any response here--prematurely, clearly. At this point, though, this is gonna get knocked off the front page with the next post, so I don't mind telling you:

I've actually used a pattern here. Most of the tracks are in pairs, 1 Nume, 1 Ilraen, for 7 pairs, each with a common theme or topic (more or less); but there are also four instrumental tracks that are just for mood, basically, and that also have distinct "point and counterpoint" sounds that seem to work for the pair; they could also stand for missions, I guess. And then there's the last track, which is the conclusion.

1 & 2. You got it. I meant this first pair to introduce them, so these songs are the ones that most strongly say "this is Nume/Ilraen, this is what best describes him."

3. First instrumental track. This one to me basically says "we're here and we kick ass, so stand back," but it also sounds like an argument. It sets the stage for the rest of the mix and hints at the eventual conclusion.

4. This song can mean pretty much anything you want it to, but I meant it for Nume. Down the rabbit-hole describes his "recruitment" experience.

5. Absolutely. {= )

6. This isn't the strongest track, but to me this is basically about accepting things the way they are, because what the heck, all good things come to an end anyway. Time, of course, is always screwy in HQ.

7. Again, not the strongest, but meant more for Ilraen. The fact that it shares a title with the classic sci-fi novel about an alien visitor tipped the scales.

8. Second instrumental track. There's chaos, crazy things are happening, but it all pulls together somehow.

9. Close! Specifically, Nume's view of badficcers. You know the ones--"it's my fanfic, so I can do what I want!" They're playing the God game.

10. This is Ilraen. Like the narrator, he has a struggle with identifying with his distant origins or his present circumstances, and trying to find a balance between the two.

11. Third instrumental track. They change roles, though Ilraen is definitely more of a hero than Nume.

12 & 13. Bingo!

14. Nume is the guy with the temper. Most of the time, anyway.

15 & 16. These two changed places at the last minute, so what you've said actually aligns with what I had originally. ^^; That didn't fit the pattern as far as how I used instrumental tracks, though, so I decided "Shadow Stabbing" could do for Ilraen's pair with "The Hundred Song." It sort of works if you take them each to be the one's general reaction to the other... >.>

As for "Home Again," it provides breathing space and a transition to the general acceptance of the next three tracks.

17 & 18. These two changed places a couple of times, so there are a couple of equally valid interpretations. I eventually settled on "Feelin' Alright" in Nume's spot because of the repeated insistence that everything's fine in spite of not being fine, 'cause that's kinda how he gets by.

"You Can't Always Get What You Want" is overall more optimistic, with the message that although things may not always go the way you might expect or want, they'll come out all right in the end. That's very Ilraen.

19. As the first two tracks introduce the two as individuals, this is the track that most strongly presents them as a team. And that's that. {= )

You did great for someone who hasn't been obsessing over it and fine-tuning for months. {= D Thanks for playing! ^^

~Neshomeh

I guess I didn't too badly... by doctorlit on 2011-04-17 03:50:00 UTC Reply

...considering I can't know your characters as well as you do. I like the point-counterpoint way you set the songs up. I'll have to leave a notecard in the CD case so I can keep track of which goes with whom. :) I can't believe I didn't see the connection between Ilraen and the title of track seven...

I think I enjoy some of these songs a lot more now that I better see how they apply to part of the PPC. Thanks for another great fanmix!