UPDATE: Listen to full versions of the songs (all but #5) here! So cool!
playlist (dot) com/node/38795842
"Where words fail, music speaks." -Hans Christian Andersen
Well after kaydance put the iPod challenge out to everyone, I figured I'd give this whole 10 songs/10 stories thing a try. I am addicted to iTunes and I have kind of a weird assortment of songs . . . though these 10 are pretty normal compared to what could have come up. The challenge was, well, challenging . . . but a lot of fun! I'm glad I tried it!
Anyway, I second kaydance's challenge to everyone to try this!
Rules: If you get tagged, you have to write a short fic about ten random songs. Put your respective music player on shuffle, and write a story to whatever song comes up. Sounds easy? It should. Except you also have to write the story in the span of the song you are writing about.
Love,
Finn!!
1. Sex & the City Movie Theme (this song was only 50 seconds long!!)
There had been good times and bad times. And there had been the time Helga spilled wine all over Phoebe right before her wedding. But somehow, through it all, they were still best friends.
2. Whine Up - Kat DeLuna
Helga slipped into the bathroom away from the noise of the party. She stared at her reflection. Even in the dim lighting, she could see her lipstick was smeared and her hair was a mess. Her usual reaction to something like this would have been panic. Extreme panic—followed by some sort of plan to take it all back and berate Arnold before he figured out her secret once and for all.
She wasn't sure what it was—maybe it was because school was almost out, or because she'd had a little too much pink punch or she'd just been waiting for way too long.
Whatever it was, she flung the door open and ran back out into the party to find Arnold and finish what she'd started.
3. Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
"So what're you in for this time?"
Helga shrugged her shoulders indifferently, ignoring the question.
"She flipped off Mr. Bruce! Oh man, it was brilliant—you shoulda seen it!"
Sid laughed almost as hard as he had when it had happened.
"Yeah, and this genius got himself kicked out right after me for laughing like a deranged hyena." Helga rolled her eyes. "The only thing worse than getting detention is being stuck here with all of you buffoons!"
She looked around the room at the usual suspects: Sid, Harold, Nadine, the kid from seventh grade with the black hair and gorgeous green eyes.
"Oh come on—you know you love us," Sid smiled at her.
"Yeah, yeah, don't get all sentimental. Just deal me in."
And with that, their weekly round of detention poker commenced.
4. Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix) - Feist
"Hey, hey! You forgot your mittens!"
The little blonde girl stopped in her tracks.
"Dad, do I have to wear those?"
"Yes! It's freezing out there." Arnold smiled at his daughter and ruffled her hair.
"Go on--you'll be late!"
She rolled her eyes, and then smiled before running out the front door to walk to school with her best friend, Jenny.
Arnold shut the door and laughed to himself. In a moment Helga was at his side with a hot cup of coffee.
"Remember when we were in fourth grade?" He laughed as he took the cup.
"Yes I do," she replied with a smirk, and put her head on his shoulder as they watched out the window as their daughter trudged down the street.
5. The Great Invitations - Pizzicato Five
It'd been two weeks and Phoebe was already in love.
Tokyo was everything she'd imagined it would be and more—when her dad was transferred for work, she didn't even need to think about what she would do. Her suitcase was packed practically before he finished his sentence.
In some ways, leaving Hillwood behind right after high school graduation was bittersweet, but she was happy that she'd been able to graduate with her class. All in all, the timing had been almost perfect. Sure, there were still some things she wondered about, but that was life, she figured. She could barely imagine anything that would make her more content as she sat in her new apartment eating a bowl of noodles.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door. She didn't even manage to vocalize any of her questions before she found herself in Gerald's arms.
6. Belleville Rendez-Vous - Benoit Charest
He knew Helga had taken ballet when they were younger, but when she invited him—somewhat begrudgingly—to her dance recital, he couldn't have imagined what he was in store for.
After sitting through the rest of the dances, they all me up afterwards to grab ice cream. Helga had changed out of her leotard, but she was still wearing her fishnets and heels. He could've sworn she threw him a little wink when she caught him checking out her legs.
7. Shut Up & Drive (karaoke version) - Rihanna
"I am NOT doing this!"
Helga hated being put on the spot. Maybe the only thing she hated MORE was singing in public—so being pressured by her friends to sing some stupid pop song in a bar full of drunken morons was as close to hell as things got for her.
"Well, if you're going to be a stick in the mud, then maybe we have to do something else to get the party going—let's play truth or dare!"
Over the past year Phoebe had become a lot more bold, and Helga's look of death did nothing to shake the smaller girl's resolve to get her two best friends together once and for all. Helga rolled her eyes and grumbled.
"FINE, I'll sing the stupid song but you're getting up here with me."
Somehow she managed to stare straight at her football-headed crush the whole way through without flinching. She couldn't be sure if that's what made him ask her out the next day, but either way she reminded herself that she owed Phoebe. . . big time.
8. Outside Villanova - Eric Hutchinson
"Oh no! What time is it? Get up! GET UP!"
Rhonda Wellington Lloyd was not one to loose her cool--let alone her clothes--and she found herself in the unfortunate position of being without both.
"Are we going to talk about this?"
"God! No!" She sounded more horrified by the second. "Here! Put this on!" She flung a rumpled up shirt in Harold's direction.
"But—"
"We have final exams! Just . . . just shut up and get dressed!"
He'd figured their brief "encounter" was probably just the result of her breakup and a moment of weakness, but he still couldn't help but feel more than a little bit disappointed.
9. How Great is Our God - Chris Tomlin
Hegla told herself that she was going to try. This time around, she was really going to try.
"Hi Miri . . . mom. Hi mom."
She stepped into the unfamiliar room.
"Hi Helga."
It was strange. Helga wasn't sure what she expected, but it wasn't this. Her mom looked better than she ever had before, even though she was just wearing and old tee shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Twelve steps ago, Miriam could've been in a ball gown and still looked like death warmed over. Helga saw that there were little hand-drawn cards on the bulletin board next to the bed.
"How are you?" she asked cautiously.
"Better."
For a moment neither one spoke, and then Miriam got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around her daughter.
"I'm glad you're coming home mom."
10. Overprotected (Darkchild Remix Edit) - Britney Spears
"But this—this isn't you!"
"Well, maybe I'm tired of being me."
And with that, she turned around and left Arnold standing there, looking dumbfounded as she marched off, ponytail swinging defiantly behind her.
So what if she got some tattoo without her dad's permission, or if she'd been seeing some college guy behind her boyfriend's back for the past month? She was sick of being naive and innocent. She was sick of the girls rolling their eyes and telling her to cover her ears when they talked about anything remotely scandalous. She was just sick and tired of being Lila Sawyer.
Well, what did you think??
I am going to post the second chapter of Helga Who this week, if anyone's wondering. I wanted to get it up sooner but I've been crazy busy, and for some reason the second chapter has been really hard for me to write--but it WILL be there this week, so thanks to everyone who has read and/or reviewed the story!! In the mean time, I hope you enjoyed these tiny little stories—they are certainly not my best work, but they were a lot of fun to write.
I actually tried to post an iMix on iTunes for this story so that if you hadn't heard of some of the songs, you could go and listen to the 30 seconds previews all in one convenient location . . . the problem is that the direct link isn't working and for some reason my mix isn't showing up in the iMix search. Maybe it'll show up in a day or two. If you have any desire to look for it, the title is Music Speaks, and it has 10 songs (obviously--haha!)
