#fanficmusicinspo

[whatgaviiformes]

Tracy Seaside: the Playlist

*waves* Author here! There are only a few more chapters left, but even where we are now, Tracy Seaside Orchard and Farm (TSOF) was a hell of a ride - probably as much for me as it was for you, I promise. What started as a cute Stardew Valley ficlet expanded into a whole story concept, then once I started thinking about why Gordon would be on a farm alone, it all went downhill from there. It has its moments of angst and despair, but there’s hope too. Hope and love and rebuilding, and heart.  And I hope you’re enjoying journey even though I know it hurt to get there. I’ll admit I am loathe to leave the farm; I feel like there may be some more stories there yet. 

As with all things, I pull inspiration from everywhere, and music most especially helps me evoke the layered emotions on the page. Unlike some of my other stories, TSOF’s soundtrack was inspired by lyrics - songs about heartbreak, about loss, about reinventing. I’ve collected them here for you, and rather than telling you why I picked them, I’ll let the songs speak for themselves. 

Just like in the story, there is a movement as this one progress, but human emotions are complex, and not so linear, with ups and downs. 

Genre will lean toward Indie or Singer/Songwriter for this one. Expect some banjo :D Song Count - 20 Length - 1 hr 15 min

Full Spotify Playlist Here Other story playlists: Here I’ve added the individual youtube links below for you as well.

1. “I Don’t Like Myself” - Imagine Dragons | YT I'll walk through fire for this / I will be the one to turn this car around / 'Cause it's headed for disaster / No happily ever after / And I've got so much more to live for / Than what you think of me

2. “Wildflowers” - Tom Petty | YT You belong among the wildflowers / You belong in a boat out at sea/ Sail away, kill off the hours / You belong somewhere you feel free

3. “I Lost a Friend” - FINNEAS | YT I know I'll be alright / But I'm not tonight / I'll be lying awake / Countin' all the mistakes I've made / Replayin' fights / I know I'll be alright / But I'm not tonight / I'm on the mend, but I lost a friend

4. “Keep” - Mother Mother | YT I'll keep breaking / I'll keep breaking my heart / Until it opens again / Yeah, I'll keep falling / I'll keep falling apart / Until I'm whole again [Note -  these are almost directly quoted by Gordon within the story]

5. “Rivers and Roads” - The Head and the Heart | YT Been talkin' 'bout the way things change / And my family lives in a different state If you don't know what to make of this / Then we will not relate

6. “Hello My Old Heart” - The Oh Hellos | YT Hello, my old heart / How have you been? / How is it being locked away? Don't you worry, in there you're safe / And it's true, you'll never beat / But you'll never break 7. “Beautiful Dawn” - The Wailin’ Jennys YT Teach me how to see when I close my eyes / Teach me to forgive and to apologize / Show me how to love in the darkest dark / There's only one way to mend a broken heart

8. “It’s Alright” - Mother Mother | YT It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay / You're not a monster, just a human And you made a few mistakes / It's alright, it's okay, it's alright, it's okay /You're not gruesome, just human / And you made a few mistakes

9. “The World Spins Madly On” - The Weepies | YT I thought of you and where you'd gone / And let the world spin madly on

10. “sail away” - lovelytheband | YT sail away / Sometimes I really wanna sail away / Leave all those things I did in yesterday / Is there a place I can stay? /Sometimes I really wanna sail away

11. “Out Loud” - Dispatch | YT And if we were walkin’ down a dead-end street / Would you be the one to let our eyes meet? / Or would you just keep on walking down to the turnaround? / 'Cause you know I'd be proud / If you'd call my name out loud

12. “Hopeless Wanderer” - Mumford & Sons | YT And I will remember the words that you said / Left a clouded mind and a heavy heart / But I am sure we could see a new start / So when your hopes on fire / But you know your desire / Don't hold a glass over the flame / Don't let your heart grow cold / I will call you by name / I will share your road

13.  “Lost in my Mind” - The Head and the Heart | YT  Is that bridge gettin' built? / Are your hands gettin' filled? / Won't you tell me, my brother? / 'Cause there are stars up above / We can start moving forward

14.“Hold Onto Your Soul” - We Banjo 3 | YT Hold up your head and find your way home / And know you can make it, you're never alone / Follow the light that guides you from here / Leave with your heart, banish the fear / Hold up your head, they're on the right road

15. “Happiness” - We Banjo 3 | YT it rains and rains and rains and / Rains and rains and rains for days./ You wake up one bright morning all the rain has gone away, / Sun is on the horizon. / Happiness is just around the corner

19. “The Tide” - The Lonely Heartstring Band | YT Though many years have passed, I've not forgotten why you pushed away But as sure as night will turn to day / So my love will be / keeping me running homeward / drifting upward/Will you meet me with the tide

16. “Grow as We Go” - Ben Platt | YT You won't be the only one / I am unfinished, I've got so much left to learn /I don't know how this river runs / But I'd like the company through every twist and turn / Ooh, who said it's true / That the growing only happens on your own? 17. “OK” -  Canyon City | YT  Hey, I'm not okay, but I'm better than I was / Say, it's been some day laying out here when the sun /  Stays long 'til it's late and the colors we become / Hang, lingering and fade / In some time it comes back up

[I couldn’t find  “OK” on their main channel, so also check out their work here. I’ve linked to a song called “Stardust” some of you fellow John fans may love” https://youtu.be/W0VeQUK4YT8 ]

18. “Don’t Let Me” - Morningsiders | YT Oh brother, where are you? /  I think I need a hand / Can you come pick me up? Don't know where I am /  Bet I can tell it's not / Where I want to be / Oh brother, help me out / Keep your eye on me 20. “Brother” - NEEDTOBREATHE (feat. Gavin DeGraw) | YT Face down in the desert now / There's a cage locked around my heart / I found a way to drop the keys where my failures were / Now my hands can't reach that far I ain't made for a rivalry / I could never take the world alone / I know that in my weakness I am strong / But it's your love that brings me home

[whatgaviiformes]

Hello, me hearties!

As promised, today, I am revealing a new section of my blog: Playlists! 

I’ve always wanted to connect my passions, including Thunderbirds and writing, with music that inspires. It’s one of the most evocative forces on the planet, and it feels right that I can introduce this new section with you via the music that inspired Hold Fast.

If you would like to move on to the music, go ahead!  Below the read more will be a track listing and some commentary if that interests you. 

The companion story to this playlist lives here: Ao3

I recommend not listening to the latter half of this playlist if you are also reading ch, 4, 5, or 6 unless you are prepared for the feels associated.  **Please remember the tone of Hold Fast before you embark on this music journey**

Spoilers for Hold Fast

Summary: The playlist of Hold Fast is intended to mirror the story. Some of the songs are either directly mentioned or were the reference point for music that’s intertwined with the words, but all of them work together to move the listener through the same adventure described in the story. The tone changes quickly, reverently, and by the end, nothing is the same, but there’s a light of hope. 

A mix of shanties, instrumental, with some modern takes near the end... 

10 songs, 38 minutes

Track Listing:

1. “Belfast” - Brian Finnegan

A beginning! Brian Finnegan is a flute and tin whistle player hailing from Ireland and you should be able to hear it in this jovial whistle tune that reminds me of distant lands and embarking on a new adventure. In the story, Elias played a fife which is among the same family as the pennywhistle, tin whistle, Irish flute, etc. 

2. “Spanish Ladies” - Jerry Brant and Starboard Mess

Our first shanty! The lyrics for Spanish Ladies appear in Ch.1 “Horizon” while the crew is hanging out below decks. The version here as no additional instrumentation - it’s just vocals which I adore for painting the picture of life aboard ship. In the story, of course, music is everywhere: 

There was a charm to the crew singing together. Where they sat among the crates, young Alan’s blond head bobbed next to Elias’ dark hair. While Alan tapped a rhythm onto a keg and sang along with Benji and the others, Elias’ shrill, wooden fife led the melody.

The older man had his hair tucked under a blue bandana that he kept tied in a knot at the nape of his neck, hiding some of the salt-and -pepper peeking from underneath. Gordon at his shoulder belted out the next lines, deep from his diaphragm. His brother was the picture of unapologetic confidence. Virgil admired that.

3. “Calliope House / The Cowboy Jig” - Alasdair Frasier

In the Thunderteers universe, Virgil gives up the ivories, and instead has picked up the more portable violin. Wood and strings that are not so far removed from the ship itself with the solid wood of her foundations and the rope of her rigging. Virgil’s music is a vehicle for the story as a whole, but it’s also a symbol of the freedom of the sea, where the distance from shore gives Virgil the space to create and feel. Truly feel. And the crew - well they benefit from the joy he exudes. 

4. “Lord Gordon’s Reel” - Ciarian Tourish

During the writing of Hold Fast  but before I started posting the story, I started building the history behind the brothers’ relationships with each other, with sailing, and what it was like being separated at an early age. This song inspired a one-shot along those lines that is a companion piece to Hold Fast. While much of it is light, and takes place before the events of our story, the end took a quick turn - just barely hinting to what was around the corner. 

They are on the main deck and Scott has Gordon upside down when Virgil names the song he’s been gifted by the waves of the sea.  His eldest brother is holding on to the boy’s squirming legs, and golden hair falls like it’s being pulled straight towards the deck. Scott cackles, his eyes crinkling with mirth, and Gordon, his face turning red, strains against the hold, laughing through the breathlessness.

“Sco-ott,” he hoots, “Put – me – down!”

In that moment, as if she wanted to be part of it, the sea sends them a wave that tosses the ship on the landing and rocks Scott off balance. He lands on his rear, Gordon lands on top of him, and Virgil holds his hand up to his mouth to keep from laughing in front of their father, who just shakes his head. But he’s smiling too, biting at his lip, and, when they both realize that they were trying to keep composure, all semblance of it is lost.

That. That right there is the brightness he’s had flitting about his mind the past few days. The laughter fills in the grace notes.

5.  “Falls (Reprise) - Instrumental” - ODESZA

And it turns. 

Quiet.

When I posted Chapter 4, I knew I had done all I could to prepare everyone, but it still felt sudden and solemn and frightening when I wrote and re-read it. Which is what I was going for. Just that quickly, everything changed for Gordon, for the boys, for all who called the Thunderbird their home. 

And the result was... devastation. 

The instrumental of this is powerful, but there’s a cry in the quiet.

6. “Lament / MacCrimmon’s Lament” - Alasdair Frasier

We move next into the song that inspired Virgil’s performance for the funeral of Elias, slow and beautiful, echoing. Lonely. This is a Jacobite lament for a piper lost during the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. Though this song does have lyrics, the version I’ve chosen is instrumental with the wail of the violin’s vibrato.

7. “The Parting Glass” - Traditional, performed by Hozier

After Virgil plays, John sings “The Parting Glass” in honor of their fallen comrade. This is a Scottish traditional song with the earliest documented version from a 1770s broadside. The song refers to the final hospitality served to a parting guest. I’ve gravitated towards this song for its solemnity, for the bittersweet grief for a life well-lived, but gone. There are many versions of this song as well, but I’ve selected a raw live performance by Hozier. 

8.  “Heart of the Ocean” - Gaelic Storm

This is a modern Irish song, I selected for its lyrics, as they speak to the draw Gordon feels towards the ocean when he feels stuck in his own body, on land, and away from the place he calls home throughout the events of Chapters 8, and 9. 

9. “Hard Times Come Again No More” - The Longest Johns

An American song written in 1854, this version is the product of one of my favorite shanty bands from the album they released in 2022 while I was posting Hold Fast. The simplicity of the instrumental arrangement allows for a focus on the harmonies that mirror that different voices that appear in Hold Fast. While the song speaks of the struggles of those impoverished, I use it here for the plea towards a better future. For this line:  Let us pause in life's pleasures and count its many tears. 

10. “Falls” - ODESZA (feat. Sasha Alex Sloan)

The final song of the journey harkens back to the reprise from earlier since I switched how they are supposed to appear. Our final song is an uplifting  dance, electronic mix about falling down, getting up, and making it through. With the help and love of others at your side. 

Words to live by. 

[whatgaviiformes]

Would you be the wind to blow me home? Would be a dream on the wings of a poem? And if we are walking through a crowd Well you know I'd be proud if you'd call my name out loud If you'd call my name out loud  Do you suppose that I would come running? Do you supposed I'd come at all?

I suppose I would

[whatgaviiformes]

space child angst vibes, anyone?

calling out mayday

YT

[whatgaviiformes]

Today in shanties -

[whatgaviiformes]

What can I say? I'm survivin' Crawling out these sheets to see another day What can I say? I'm survivin' And I'm gonna be fine

This one has such Gordon Tracy vibes, fam. 

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

Come fly with me, let's take off in the blue

Once I get you up there Where the air is rarefied We'll just glide Starry-eyed

Some ol’ blue eyes to channel our favorite blue eyes.

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

The real life love is under the mirror of the surface So cut my cord I want to know how deep we can take it See the thing you've been chasing, honey You'll never find it wearin' a life vest You gotta risk your neck know in your heart it will be worth it

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

All Music Posts | Playlists

Youtube LInk

Brother, let me be your shelter Never leave you all alone I can be the one you call When you're low Brother, let me be your fortress When the night winds are driving on Be the one to light the way Bring you home

This one gives me  major Earth&Sky vibes

[whatgaviiformes]

Hey Brother, there's an endless road to re-discover. Hey Sister, Know the water's sweet but blood is thicker Ooooh if the sky comes falling down, for you There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do

Feeling in a Scott mood today, obviously. 

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

Cause I seem to forget When I get all worked up That you can find every colour If you look close enough There’s a certain bit of stillness That I only ever chase Like eyes before they open Or a storm before it breaks Running fingers into soil Releasing all its heat Well, I can feel the humming Of the earth beneath my feet

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

You got a fast car I want a ticket to anywhere Maybe we make a deal Maybe together we can get somewhere Any place is better Starting from zero, got nothing to lose Maybe we'll make something Me, myself, I got nothing to prove

Put them dancing shoes on; it’s Alan’s turn <3

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

The more Gordon and Virgil angst I write, the more of this song I listen to, and it makes me both relaxed and sad. 

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

I'm learning to fly, around the clouds But what goes up must come down

I'm learning to fly, but I ain't got wings Coming down is the hardest thing

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

I'm all set to veer away And I'm all set to go astray All burdens I will leave ashore To find what I've been longing for

Our little squidboy who longs for the sea

All Music Posts | Playlists

[whatgaviiformes]

Another song I am using for Virgil angst inspo. Just pretend it’s him playing, and the emotions there just hit differently

Also - let me know if you have better ways to weave the music in without it being annoying to the tag. I am still figuring out what works. 

All Music Posts | Playlists