A/N: Rules of the Playlist Challenge: "Pick a character, pairing, or fandom you like. 2. Turn on your music player and put it on random/shuffle. 3. Write a drabble related to each song that plays. You only have the time frame of the song to finish the drabble; you start when the song starts, and stop when it's over. No lingering afterwards! 4. Do ten of these, then post them."
I just went with the first ten prompts that came from these songs, so there's no hurt feelings. The characters basically pulled a 'Pick me! Pick me!' Sorted by title first, then the artist/group, because there's a couple that I'm not sure everyone will recognize right off the bat.
-x-x-x-x-x-
Larger than Life; Backstreet Boys
Fiona knew that the woman that had taken her into her family and called her a daughter was a noblewoman. She learned this early on as a little girl, but she never put much stock into it.
At least not until she began to transition into the lifestyle of a noblewoman in middle-earth. At first the ellyn and men that would bow in greeting was pretty cool, but it didn't take long before she got irritated everytime she had to enter a room. But the worst thing was their inability to think that she couldn't do for herself. She was an independent woman!
Thank Eru Elladan knew that.
-0-0-0-
Strange; Tokio Hotel
There were days that Ithilwen hated Payne with a passion. It would always be the days that he would appear with a quip about her appearance that she was her most irritable.
She didn't flat iron her hair like the other girls did. She didn't follow the crazy diets of the celebrities. She didn't want to know about what Kim Kardashian ate when she walked Rodeo Drive in her ridiculously priced pumps.
Ithilwen wasn't normal by his standards, and that drove him crazy.
She liked to climb trees in her sundresses. She liked to draw macrabe renders that would entice nightmares. She was eccentric.
And she liked it.
-0-0-0-
Living Our Love Song; Jason Michael Carol
Haldir watched his mate cross the kitchen with the steaming pot of food that she refused to help with. She was at it again, making far too much for too many under one roof, and he couldn't believe how easily she fell into the routine.
It wasn't right. She was a princess by birthright, even if the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn never declared themselves royal rulers like Thranduil had. But still, he mused, she seemed to enjoy the challenge. Perhaps that was why all those years ago she seemed to gravitate to the marchwarden-in-training, the ellon who had no noble status to his family name, who had joined the guard to serve his Lord and Lady. She always did seem to take a different path than her ancestors, and it appeared their children would follow in her footsteps.
-0-0-0-
Roar; Katy Perry
Once Celebrian had gotten used to the vibrations of Ithilwen's car, the younger elleth introduced her aunt to modern music on the radio, and one particular song stuck out to the woman.
The lyrics made little to no sense in many places, but she found the song lifted her spirits in a way that the minstrels in Rivendell had never managed to do. She also discovered that her niece liked to sing along to the song as well.
Because the song was so popular, Celebrian found herself singing along with Ithilwen as they crossed the South Carolina state line, when changing stations it came on once again. She wasn't quite on key in parts, and she laughed at her inability to get the words right, but she enjoyed it.
When Ithilwen later showed her the accompanying video, she wasn't quite sure about the young woman singing, but she laughed when the large feline darted across the screen.
-0-0-0-
Spirit in the Sky; Norman Greenbaum
When Glorfindel learned the meaning of the acronym 'YOLO', he had laughed so hard he felt he might have cracked a rib. "They have no idea," he grinned.
To make matters worse, this was a piece of information that was brought back to middle-earth that perhaps should have been left to the mortals. No one that had not traveled to the modern world with them would have any idea what the former Gondolin would mean when he blurted out the four letter word spontaneously, and the actions to follow were just as unexpected.
"It could have been worse," Lindir told his lover, who scowled as the 'grown-ass man' sped off laughing at the bewildered looks of the nearby elves.
-0-0-0-
Wink; Neil McCoy
Everyone assumed that the leaders of Lothlorien were mates that lived their lives simply, because having any sort of romantic affection for the other after so long seemed far fetched, right?
Morwen and Celebrian knew their parents weren't "going stale" by any stretch of the imagination. The pressures of impending war and uncertainty went away, and with that their inhibitions for intimacy. No one else could believe it, but the two daughters simply grinned when they witnessed their adar reach for their naneth's hand just because. Being stuck in another world for three months, there was no pressure for typical duties and no way to reach home, so they intended to make the most of it.
-0-0-0-
It's All Been Done; Barenaked Ladies
"What is this?" Legolas had been exploring Ithilwen's bedroom not days after she and Celebrian returned from their trip.
"It's music," she replied, kicking her duffel into the closet.
"Minstrels put music on this?"
"You could say that." She took the case he held in his hands, popped it open and showed him the disc inside. "Songs are put onto this so people can put them in special players and listen to them whenever they like."
"It is magic then."
Ithilwen shrugged, putting the disc in her cd player. "Coming from middle-earth, yeah, but they're actually losing their following in favor of digital music now." She skipped a number of tracks until she came to one and pressed play. The "minstrels", as Legolas called them, came on to sing about one person repeatedly meeting another in what he could only assume were lapses in time.
"Who are they?"
"Barenaked Ladies. They're pretty good, right?"
Legolas took back the case and inspected the men pictured. "They look nothing like minstrels," he said, "and most certainly not nude womenfolk."
-0-0-0-
Elevation; U2
Thranduil did not like roller coasters. He found them immoral, impractical, and utterly ridiculous. So why was he being corralled into getting on something that was meant to plunge the rider in a downward motion that would make their innards meet their eardrums?
Oh. Right. He looked to his left to see Celeborn shoot a mocking glare at his mate as they rose up in the air. He never was one to step away from a challenge, and when Celeborn had presented the dare to him, he was all too ready to jump on it.
Now he regretted it.
-0-0-0-
Beast; Nico Vega
If Gimli thought that when they reached the modern world and elvish princeling found the lass once more, that his friend would drop their competitive nature, he was sorely mistaken.
They had just added another player to the game.
It didn't matter what the game was either. He learned rather quickly not to underestimate the little elleth that was glued to the hip of his friend, and especially not to go easy on her because she was a girl.
She might not have been able to fight in the war, but she could mow down decaying animated corpses like he did Uruk-hai with his axe at Helms Deep.
-0-0-0-
Done; The Band Perry
Stand straight. Don't frown, you'll wrinkle early. No one wants to wed a maiden with wrinkles so soon in her years. Let the men conduct the matters of land. Obey the king.
She had heard it all so much that it became engrained in her youth, but Eoywn had had enough the day she donned the forgotten masculine armor and rode under the name Dernhelm to fight for her home and king.
That decision had nearly killed both her and Merry, because she was through with the men in her life controlling her decisions. Even her brother, who felt she was capable as a last resort, would deny her.
And then she met Faramir, who had also been discouraged with every attempted endeavor. And she knew when he actually encouraged her dreams, that she was done with the title of shield maiden. She only wanted to be acknowledged for her skill as more than a legacy builder, and Faramir could see that.
-x-x-x-x-x-
A/N: So now you know a bit of what's on my playlist and the kinds of things I listen to when I write. Is it any wonder Call Me Maybe got weird? XD I don't know, I probably fail at drabbles. :P
This was a good exercise in writing, because I only just got back to outlining the next chapters of Lead Me Home last night. I hit an art block and writer's block. I just wasn't feeling it and I know you guys that are waiting for an update on that one are probably wondering when it'll happen. I can't say for sure, but I hope it's soon. I have two bits of good news though - I passed my first course exam (woot!) and I've also posted a small artdump on my tumblr! There's fluff, male/female fanservice, and a glimpse of how Wennie looks in Lead Me Home!