Alright, here are those playlists I’ve been promising for quite some time! Truthfully, my original intention with this was to give detailed explanations about the songs and why they are important to my characters. That, unfortunately, is too long for my liking so I’ll just say this: all of these songs represent a time in my character’s lives that paints who they are and the road they took to arrive at the spot they are at right now. To put this into a little more detail though, I’ll put some basic clarification after the song lists. If it turns out to be too vague…well…I guess I succeeded, huh?

The Shadow’s Gnomon – 78 min
I) Paddy’s Green Shamrock – Rob Crabtree – Piper’s Journey
II) Mozart and Memories – Trans Siberian Orchestra – Night Castle Disc 1
III) Going Under – Evanescence – Fallen
IV) Master of Puppets – Metallica – S&M Disc 1
V) How Soon Is Now? – t.A.T.u. – 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane
VI) Ready Steady Go – L’Arc-en-Ciel – SMILE
VII) Bitch – Meredith Brooks – [Burned CD]
VIII) Heavy on My Heart – Anastacia – Anastacia
IX) Broken – Amy Lee; Seether – Disclaimer II
X) Cry of the Celts – Ronan Hardiman – Lord of the Dance
XI) The Mummers’ Dance [Single Version] – Loreena McKennitt – The Mummers’ Dance
XII) Crystal – Stevie Nicks – Practical Magic
XIII) Peppermint & Glue – Sharon Little – NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack Disc 2
XIV) Have You Ever Seen the Rain? – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Chronicle, Volume 1
XV) Given Up – Linkin Park – Minutes to Midnight
XVI) The Pretender – Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
XVII) Die Another Day [Radio Edit] – Madonna – Die Another Day [Single]
XVIII) Joy of Life/Trout in the Bath – the Corrs – VH1 Presents the Corrs

As most of you know, Xakiah originally comes from Ireland. Because of her father’s status in the clan she was supposed to be guaranteed a great life in Irish society with little to no worries. This, naturally, was cut short after a rouge band of Saxons came in and invaded their land, ultimately flipping Xakiah’s life around dramatically. For a long time in her life she was fighting with the woman her mother wanted her to be and the “dark shadow” that was slowly causing her to go mad. Thinking that she would never have a normal life, she eventually abandoned those notions and instead dedicated her life to guarding King Arthur. Soon after reuniting with Etxel later in life she sets out to rediscover her roots and eventually starts allowing her to feel emotions outside of duty, honor, and bloodlust again. Currently, she’s still the type of individual to cling to bushido, but she’s also more methodical in her movements than ever before and enjoys every minute of it. She’s also come to terms with love and secretly looks forward to how it will progress for her.

The Shadow’s Guardian – 78 min
I) Let it Rock – Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet
II) My Generation – the Who – Now: Classic Rock
III) Long Road to Ruin – Foo Fighters – Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace
IV) Only the Young – Journey – Greatest Hits
V) Breaking the Habit – Linkin Park – Meteora
VI) Livin’ on the Edge – Aerosmith – Big Ones
VII) No Shelter – Seether – NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack Disc 2
VIII) Iris – Goo Goo Dolls – 1999 Grammy Nominees
IX) Broken – Amy Lee; Seether – Disclaimer II
X) Elgar/“Something Inside” – Johnathan Rhys Meyers, Stephen Erdody – August Rush
XI) My Father’s Eyes – Eric Clapton – 1999 Grammy Nominees
XII) Never Knew I Needed – Ne-Yo – The Princess and the Frog OST
XIII) Kiss from a Rose – Seal – Greatest Hits 1994-2004
XIV) Clocks – Coldplay – Grammy Nominees 2004
XV) Highway to Hell – AC/DC – Highway to Hell
XVI) Wherever You Will Go – The Calling – Totally Hits 2002
XVII) All I Ask of You (from Phantom of the Opera) – Andrew Lloyd Weber: Premier Collection
XVIII) Moonlight and Madness – Trans Siberian Orchestra – Night Castle Disc 2

Etxel definitely started out as a man of his times: strong, determined, boastful, and thirsty for adventure and conquest. Although he learned early on about the consequences of such deeds, he nevertheless strove to improve the conditions of his tribe. Eventually a betrayal in his family would cause him to seek adventures elsewhere, bringing him face-to-face with Xakiah once more. Immediately intoxicated by her presence, he tries to win her favor but finds himself unsure about how to do so. It wouldn’t be long, however, for Etxle to discover that his tribe has entered a state of civil war and is on the verge of collapsing. As a favor, Xakiah joins him to salvage the clan before it’s too late. After all is said and done Etxel’s father, Randwulf, gives him some advice to aid him (including advice on love) as he continues on his journey. From there, Etxel obtains a new sense of confidence that he didn’t have before and starts to forge his own ideas about honor and virtue. Since then he’s become more humble and, as you might have guessed, more romantic (though he doesn’t admit to the last one himself because he doesn’t even notice it). The last three songs in particular represent his current stance with Xakiah and himself, which in short is a never-ending pursuit of the one he loves.