Right, so I wasn't tagged, but I saw the challenge floating around in various fandoms and thought it might be a bit of fun. This is my first attempt at Tin Man, so be kind, I've only seen it once or twice and I'm not too sure about how well portrayed they are. I'd like to think they're mostly IC, but I'd love some comments from the more die-hard fans as far as characterization goes. Concrit makes the world go 'round. I've taken some creative license with a few of these, like Azkadellia's (I find it very hard to believe she survived 15 years without taint, or she surely would have went mad at being forced to do things so against her very being.) And logically, I know Ahamo probably slipped over before the time of Motley Crue, but that was more a crack!drabble mocking his name than anything. Likewise, they didn't really talk about Ambrose all that much, and since I'm a rabid Glitch/Ambrose/DG fangirl shipper, I kind of filled in my own blanks, just like I always do. I really should be working on Faithless, but meh, Sandrine (my Cruel Intentions muse) is miffed at the lack of reviews and refuses to give me anymore right now, so I've recently obtained a new muse named Nickel. He keeps nagging at me with Tin Man (which is totally not mine, by the way, or Glitch/DG would have been way more obvious) stuff, but I'm not really confident enough to listen to him just yet. Sorry about the long note, by the by.

Soul Songs

By: Catty Rose

Disturbed – Down With The Sickness (Azkadellia)

She'd like nothing better than to pretend that when the witch was defeated, she was all better. But she knew she wasn't. She had seen too much, done too much, to ever be alright again. And what was worse, after a while, she had begun to enjoy it. The witch had twisted her light and broken her soul, made her crave blood on her hands and fear in people's eyes. How could she simply go back to her warm, safe home with her loving family after everything that had happened? How could she act as though she were still that innocent twelve year old girl when all she wanted to do was see the light leave their eyes as their blood ran across the floor? So she'd smile and pretend and deny, for their sakes, that she hadn't been behind anything that had happened for the past fifteen annuals.

Flogging Molly – Drunken Lullabies (DG-centric, DG/Ambrose)

DG watched from behind the rim of her goblet as people gracefully glided across the floor in some half-remembered waltz, celebrating the return of the royal family to the throne. As much as the Princess longed to join them, she simply couldn't. How could these people laugh and dance, when there were still Longcoats on the loose? How could they dare enjoy themselves when so many of their fellow Ozians went without food or shelter? Tipping the goblet to her lips to hide her disgust, she downed the sickly-sweet wine and wished for something stronger, as though the liquor could erase the memories of those who had fallen, those who were, at this very moment, suffering. Shaking her head with disgust, she slammed the goblet down on the empty table and rose, stalking out of the hall unnoticed but for a concerned ex-advisor. And that night, under the influence of far too much wine, she cried out her guilt and shame in comforting arms.

Bodyrockers – I Like The Way (DG/Glambrose)

No matter whether he was Glitch or Ambrose, DG had always been enthralled by the way the older man moved. Be it fighting, dancing, or simply walking, he did everything with rhythm and flare, a captivating, controlled grace that always managed to catch her eye and hold it, especially as a child. As an adult, she learned that his every movement came from both his heart and his soul, and that his finesse was not just limited to the dance floor and flitting around his lab. And whether he was Ambrose, or Glitch, or a mixture of both, she loved the way he moved, and always would. It was only after he taught her to move with him, however, that she figured out that maybe, just maybe...she simply loved him.

Sonny Landreth – Congo Square (DG)

"Wha – what are they doing? Why are they dancing around like that?" A rather bewildered DG asked the former Tin Man as he ushed her into Main Square, the very heart of Central City, where people seemed to randomly start and stop dancing as the beat of the drums rose and fell. However, all she received from the stoic man was a smirk. "Oh. 'kay. I get it. You're not going to tell me. I have to figure this one out alone, huh? And just when I thought I was done with puzzles,"she grumbled. People on the Otherside were a bit crazy, it was true, but Ozian culture was just weird. She wondered if she'd ever get the hang of it.

Cascada – Everytime We Touch (Slow Mix) (Glitch-centric, DG/Glitch)

She almost didn't want to approach him, looking as helplessly lost as he did. Still, it wasn't healthy for him to spend so much time alone in his own personal version of hell. Slipping quietly into the room that contained the other half of her beloved halfwit's marbles, she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor next to him and laid a hand on his arm.

Jerking wildly at the contact, the dark haired man blinked as his synapses misfired at the sudden shock. "Hi! My name's Glitch! Do I know you?"

Smiling sweetly, she hugged his arm and lay her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, Glitch. It's just me."

Relaxing at the familiar gesture from the equally familiar girl."Oo-oh. DG....I was just.."

"Having a panic attack?" The soon to be re-brained advisor colored slightly at her words, but nodded, laying his head atop her own.

"I'm scared, Deej," he said the words so quietly she might have missed them if she hadn't known to listen.

"I know," she said the words just as softly, giving his arm a little squeeze. "But you'll be fine. Wanna know why?"

"Why?"

"Because..." She took a deep breath and pulled her head away, so she could turn to look at him.

"Because why, doll?" He prompted, trying not to whimper at the loss of contact.

Giving him a brilliant smile, she brushed her lips across his. "Because you have people who love you, no matter what." And everytime she touched him, he believed it, even if he forgot once in a while.

AFI - Prelude 12/21 (Ambrose-centric, DG/Ambrose if you squint)

His hands weren't shaking and his eyes were not watering as they lowered his best friend's coffin into the ground. Because really, she wasn't dead. She couldn't be dead. DG had too much life in her to be dead. She had too much to live for to simply be gone. Including him. Wasn't her best friend enough ? He refused to believe she was really gone. DG would never go someplace new without him, never go somewhere he couldn't follow. She was just...sleeping. She had to be. He wasn't really alive without her, after all.

The White Stripes – Dead Leaves On The Dirty Ground (DG)

DG fiddled awkwardly with the material of her skirts for the hundreth time that night, ignoring the warning look in her mother's stern lavender gaze. She was uncomfortable and unhappy, surrounded by people she didn't remember and forced to make small talk while wearing unfamiliar clothing during a formal gala. All in all, the situation was way over her head, and not for the first time she wished she were back on the old brick route, sleeping on dead leaves and dirt with her friends close by. Unfortunately, Cain and Jeb had returned to Central City to rebuild their lives and their relationship shortly after Raw had taken off to train Kalm. Even with Glitch and her family nearby, she had never felt so alone amongst a crowd of people. No matter what Ambrose was like in private, he was still very much the stuffed shirt of legend at such functions, and her family was so used to gatherings like this they hadn't even spared a thought for how awkward or lonely it would be for the youngest Princess. And so she moves through the massive crowd like a ghost, wishing for dead leaves on the dirty ground.

Elefant – Lolita (DG/Ambrose)

If anyone new to the court first thought the age gap between the head advisor and the youngest princess was an issue, or that their engagement had been arranged purely for political reasons, their doubts were soon silenced upon seeing the two of them together. For the older courtiers and servants, however, it was heartening to see that some things never changed. Indeed, from the time young Lord Ambrose had came to the palace as a junior advisor, at a record thirteen anuuals, the then three annual old princess and he had taken to each other like a Gale to magic. Two annuals later, and already it seemed that nothing could keep the two apart for long, despite her various lessons and his quickly rising through the ranks to advisor. When he made Head Advisor to the Queen the following annual, at the unheard of age of 16, it had been the blue eyed Princess with whom he celebrated; When he was 17, it was with a lavender eyed Queen and a broken heart that he mourned. And now, some 18 annuals later, they waited with baited breath for the former head advisor to become Prince Consort to a blue eyed soon-to-be Queen who had always been his world.

One Republic – All We Are (DG/Glitch)

"Hey doll, what are you painting?" Glitch tried to peer around the easel to see the image and the artist behind it, but was stopped by one slender arm clad in paint splattered white cotton.

"Sorry, Glitch." She murmured, head peaking around the canvas. "It's a surprise. You'll just have to wait and see."

"Aww, but DG...I wanna see! You never paint..." The dark haired girl simply shook her head, and made a shooing gesture.

"Come back later, okay? I promise I'll be done by then." The zipperhead made as if to protest, only to catch sight of Cain and bound off to say hello. Later, as he stared at the life-like potrait of himself that he had finally remembered to come back to, all he could do was ask why. All he received in reply was a shrug. "Black and white didn't fit you, so I figured I'd paint you a picture..."

Motley Crue – Dr. Feelgood (Ahamo)

"Sooo...Omaha, do you know Dr. Feelgood? Because I'm guessing you must have partied with him at some point to decide mirror writing Omaha was a name." The Prince consort choked on his wine, giving his youngest daughter a glare.

"You're not funny. I have no clue what you're talking about. Really. Ahamo is my name." The words tumbled out of his mouth so quickly it was almost startling. Where the hell had has ability to lie well gone? Far, far away, apparently. Judging by his daughter's amused expression, she knew it, too.

"Right. Okay, Omaha. See you around." Giving her father a shrug and a little wave, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, apparently letting him off the hook. Later on, however, he would be called out on all counts when he was caught humming the old Motley Crue song by a very triumphant daughter.