ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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First and foremost:
We owe this story to the devs and designers of City of Heroes/City of Villains/Going Rogue, the MMORPG by NCsoft and Paragon Studios where all these characters first were born. They evolved, grew, and changed from their original concepts, but much of that development took place in the world of Paragon City. If you would like to play in our favorite addiction, go to www.cityofheroes.com and give it a try.
You might have noticed that I (Mercedes) at least like to use song titles for my stories. This time I’d like to acknowledge the talented writers, singers and musicians and tell you which they are and why.
“Revelations” Iron Maiden. Seems to suit the confrontation of Seraphym and Verdigris.
“Running on Empty” Jackson Browne. Mercurye in captivity has a lot to think about.
“Nowhere Fast” The song I had in mind is the classic Jim Steinman tune from Streets of Fire.
“Every Breath You Take” Sting and the Police. This is perfect for the introduction of Vickie’s Overwatch program.
“Watch Over Me” George Gershwin. It applies both to Vickie and to the Seraphym where John Murdock is concerned.
“Baby I’m an Anarchist!” Against Me! This is the quintessential John Murdock theme song.
“Cold-Hearted Snake” Paula Abdul. Really sums up Verdigris.
“Thunder Road” Judas Priest. Mostly because it’s good, visceral fight music.
“She Blinded Me with Science” Thomas Dolby. I’m not sure why it fits, I’m only sure that it does.
“Respect the Wind” Eddie and Alex Van Halen, from the Twister original soundtrack. This music absolutely is the Seraphym for me.
“Bad Moon Rising” Creedence Clearwater Revival. As JM notes, the lyrics do sound as if they have been written for the Invasion.
“Dark Angel” VnV Nation. The lyrics definitely fit the Seraphym. I have to say that VnV Nation songs have come so close to encapsulating the mood of several of these stories that it is as if we had some sort of psychic link.
“No Illusions” 78 Saab. Such a cheerful melody for such borderline tragic lyrics. Definitely fits Mel.
“Sleeping with the Enemy” Rodger Hodgson. Oh Jack, this sure sums up everything in this story for him.
“Total Eclipse of the Heart” Bonnie Tyler. There are lines in this that fit just about everyone in the story.
“Precipice” VnV Nation. There is definitely no going back for Jack now.
“Thunder in Heaven” Ten. More good visceral fight music.
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” Green Day. When everything seems lost.
“Pay It Forward” Thomas Newman, the original soundtrack of the same name. Very emotional.
“Suffer” VnV Nation. Again, it’s kind of spooky how often VnV Nation manages to write songs that distill the essence of Secret World Chronicle stories. In this case…Vickie and Red.
“Illusion” VnV Nation. I actually had a dream with the entire sequence of this story playing like one of those wordless movie sequences to this song. That doesn’t happen often and it is amazing when it does.
“Heroes and Thieves” Vanessa Carlton. A glimpse of hope.
“Roll the Bones” Rush. John at this point in his life has struck a balance, but believes in nothing but what he can experience for himself.