Music Monday: Tairn's Last Hoorah...for now

Well, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that has read the Trilogy and knows about Taeben/his relationship with Tairn and Gin that this would be on Tairn's playlist. So much of her time in the Trilogy is spent under Taeben's control, and to an extent, I think he is as obsessed with her as he is with Gin. It's just Tairn's power that he wants to possess and control.  Still, there are parts of this song that speak to her in the aftermath of Taeben: "Into this night I wander/ It's morning that I dread/ Another day not knowing of/ The path I fear to tread..." I have skipped a lot of what she goes through day to day now that she has mind autonomy if not total body autonomy...yet. 

 

Possession

by Sarah McLachlan

Listen as the wind blows from across the great divide
Voices trapped in yearning, memories trapped in time
The night is my companion, and solitude my guide
Would I spend forever here and not be satisfied?

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

Through this world I've stumbled
So many times betrayed
Trying to find an honest word to find
The truth enslaved
Oh you speak to me in riddles
And you speak to me in rhymes
My body aches to breathe your breath
Your words keep me alive

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes dear

Into this night I wander
It's morning that I dread
Another day of knowing of
The path I fear to tread
Oh into the sea of waking dreams
I follow without pride
Cause nothing stands between us here
And I won't be denied

And I would be the one
To hold you down
Kiss you so hard
I'll take your breath away
And after, I'd wipe away the tears
Just close your eyes...

Music Monday: Lang Belta Edition

Okay, with this edition of Music Monday, I am going to have to admit to something. In all of my love of all things "classic rock," I have somehow overlooked Deep Purple. So when I heard this on the Expanse, I had no idea it wasn't an original song. I was thrilled to find some examples of the Belter Creole in music because that has always helped me learn phrases in other spoken languages. I'm sharing this version with you because I was writing a scene for the Camp Nano WIP recently and this song came on the playlist...and this cinematic explosion happened in my head. I just sat back and let it unfold and then wrote up the incident report. Enjoy.

Highway Star, Belter Version

By Corey Todd

Namang na gonya take my ship
Mi gonya race it til I’m gush
Namang na gonya beat my ship
I’m gonya bek da fash da lush
Oooh I’m a killing machine
I’m ta ge kowlting
Lik wa Epstein drive
All that thrust don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt to ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafet, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star

Namang na gonya take my girl
Mi gonya hold im fing da end
Namang na gonya take my girl
She stay kosh wit kowl da bend
Oooh I’m a killing machine
Ta ge kowlting
Lik wa bush im move
Bush control don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Mi se wa e
Ya im du mi gut
Nafet, Hold on tet
Mi wa highway star


Namang na gonya take my head
Mi take bik sa e’er da ting
Namang na gonya take my head
Mi gonya bi kuku adzheng
Oooh mi in heaven wadzheng
Mi ta ge kowlting
Lik wa ting fo lowsh
An open line don’t takе nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt to ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafеt, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star

Namang na gonya take my ship
Mi gonya race it til I’m gush
Namang na gonya beat my ship
Mi gonya bek da fash da lush
Oooh I’m a killing machine
I’m ta ge kowlting
Lik wa Epstein Drive
All that thrust don’t take nating

Mi love ya, mi need to
Belówt *to *ya
Ya I’m wa wild komante
Nafet, Hold tet
Mi wa highway star
Mi wa highway star
Mi wa highway star

Music Monday: Tairn's Playlist

Not to be confused with Zoey's...this is the playlist for this month's Camp Nanowrimo, which will hopefully produce something ready for edits at the end and not just a third rewrite. I am really feeling Tairn this time, to the point that when certain songs come on I can almost see her. I won't tell you which songs at this point, and some of these may be familiar from previous Music Mondays. Here is the music that is fueling me this month. Enjoy.

I know that I usually post lyrics in an effort to be accessible and I can't, really, but here is the list in case you are inspired to go look up the songs for the lyrics  Thanks for enjoying music with me.
Fortunate Son - CCRFor What it's Worth - Buffalo Springfield Logical Song - SupertrampSomebody to Love - Jefferson AirplaneWhere Have all the Cowboys Gone - Paula ColeCome to My Window - Melissa EtheridgeLeast Complicated - Indigo GirlsPossession - Sarah McLachlanAll I Wanna Do - Sheryl CrowWhat I Am - Edie Brickell & New BohemiansBecause the Night - 10,000 ManiacsJust A Girl - No DoubtCannonball - The BreedersNaked Eye - Luscious JacksonSeether - Veruca SaltEye of the Storm - Watt WhiteHell No - Ingrid MichaelsonPierre - Ryn WeaverKyrie - Mr. MisterWelcome Home, Son - Radical FaceSometimes I - Rising AppalachiaI Miss the Misery - HalestormThe Thunder Rolls - State of Mine, No ResolveAlive - DaughtryPeople Like Us - Kelly ClarksonHumans Being - Van HalenLeave Her Wild - Tyler RichCan't Find My Way Home - Blind FaithHighway Star, Belter Version - Cory ToddFrom Now On - Zac Brown BandUnsteady - X AmbassadorsTimes Like These, BBC Radio 1 Stay Home Live Lounge - Live Lounge AllstarsAshes the Rain and I - James GangSky Blue and Black - Jackson BrowneImmortals - Fall Out BoyGimme Shelter (feat. Lzzy Hale) - Stone Sour, Lzzy HaleLove Remains the Same - Gavin RossdaleThe Light - DisturbedCould Have Been Me - The StrutsArcade - Duncan LaurenceTraveling Song - Ryn WeaverTake it Off Remix - KeshaMidnight Rider - Allman Brothers BandSomeone to You - BANNERSBlue Sky - Allman Brothers BandHuman - Rag'n'Bone ManOur Lips are Sealed - The Go-Go'sWe Got the Beat - The Go-Go'sHead Over Heels - The Go-Go's

Notes from Exile: Light at the End of the Pandemic

My tiny studio - cluttered. It's a metaphor, I swear.

Well, y'all remember the post about vaccines, right? All 'I'm determining my own path' and 'Don't @ me for waiting for the one-shot vaccine!' Yeah, so...that isn't how it turned out. The DayJob™ let us know that because...reasons, we were going to return to the workplace prior to the end of the semester. Suddenly, I got worried about having to go back to an office that I share with someone, figuring out a bus pass, being in a classroom again with germy students, etc...and I remembered that I took a survey last year that said if my Employer offered a vaccine or a path to an appointment I would be interested.

Well of course I said that. Y'all, I am the epitome of a team player. Stop laughing.

Anyway, the very day I made my first appointment to join House Moderna (long may Saint Dolly walk this earth and make our lives better) I found out that if you are waiting on a first appointment date or in-between appointments you don't have to return to the workplace until you are fully vaccinated. The universe provides, y'all. My first jab was on 30 March, the second will be on 27 April, and I will be two weeks clear and able to 'return to the workplace' on 11 May. That is the second day of my summer break. So...

Now, I do have to work at least one major event for The DayJob™ in person before 11 May, but with two doses in my body and a good mask, I should be all right. Goodbye to the tiny studio I've created in the office I share with my dogs. Goodbye to shaky zoom classes and even shakier internet connections. 

So are we seeing the light at the end? Is this awful 'only a few weeks' turned '13 months of canceled plans, constant worry, and inability to feel at all okay' almost over? I hope so. I have a con to attend as a guest author, at least one book release, and autumn of Rennie life to look forward to if so. But you will still see me wearing a mask and keeping a distance, even if things do return to 'normal,' whatever that looks like. At least in the beginning.

Get vaccinated. Do your part. I will see you in the sunshine outside this tunnel.

Music Monday: Back to Tairn, again

So this is another Camp Nano month - and like others, the rules aren't quite as strict. As a result, I'm working on a re-write of my second novel in the Guardians of Orana series, Red. This is the story of Tairneanach, a secondary character and minor villain in the Nature Walker Trilogy. She is arguably my favorite character in the world of Orana, and I'm determined to get her right. Tairn has a great story to tell, but she also has an addiction to misery and pain - and this book is going to investigate why. So this song by Halestorm is just perfect for her. She doesn't miss Taeben, not exactly...


I Miss the Miseryby Halestorm
Oh, I miss the misery

I've been a mess since you stayed
I've been a wreck since you changed
Don't let me get in your way
I miss the lies and the pain
The fights that keep us awake
I'm telling you

I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts
I don't miss you, I miss the misery

I've tried but I just can't take it
I'd rather fight than just fake it ('cause I like it rough)
You know that I've had enough
I dare ya to call my bluff
Can't take too much of a good thing
I'm telling you

I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts
I don't miss you, I miss the misery

Just know that I'll make you hurt
(I miss the lies and the pain what you did to me)
When you tell me you'll make it worse
(I'd rather fight all night than watch the TV)
I hate that feeling inside
You tell me how hard you'll try
But when we're at our worst
I miss the misery

I miss the bad things
The way you hate me
I miss the screaming
The way that you blame me
I miss the rough sex
Leaves me a mess
I miss the feeling of pains in my chest
Miss the phone calls
When it's your fault
I miss the late nights
Don't miss you at all
I like the kick in the face
And the things you do to me
I love the way that it hurts

I don't miss you, I miss the misery
I don't miss you, I miss the misery
I don't miss you, I miss the misery