Question, do you have any lines you associate with characters other than Jon in your TMA fansong/do you wanna infodump about it
hi !! this is such a great question !! and i would LOVE to infodump, thank you for asking >:)
“Watcher’s Crown” is written from jon’s perspective, and i imagine it to be his inner monologue, but there are definitely lines that are directed toward other characters !!
for example, in the first verse, “and whatever you might think of me, it’s my responsibility, and i can’t act like everything is fine” is directed toward the rest of the archive staff- but specifically at tim, as that line was written to reference jon’s stalker era and tim’s growing distrust of him. this whole verse is jon justifying his actions to himself as he spirals into paranoia.
in the second verse, we have the lines “i don’t want to be a player, i don’t want to be a pawn, i don’t want to be a token in your game”, referencing his situation at large, but directed specifically at the beholding/elias, as jon becomes increasingly aware of the part he is being forced to play.
with the line “i’d do anything to save you”, we turn his focus to martin, where it stays for much of the song’s remainder.
we have jon pleading with martin, deep in the throes of the lonely, to run away with him, followed by the harmonica solo/creepy whispering segment. this part is meant to reference the safehouse period with the soft harmonies, culminating in the clash of all the instruments/rougher vocals as jon “opens the door”.
this last chorus references jon and martin’s journey to the panopticon. “we know where we should be” refers to jon’s survivor’s guilt and the beginning of his understanding that he’s on borrowed time. this culminates in “the epilogue that no one wants to see”, as he resolves to sacrifice himself to the panopticon, and “what do you say, will you end the world with me” which are the last lyrics referencing martin, and serve as jon’s final goodbye to him.
the final verse is directed at elias once again. this was my favorite verse to write, and i had it in my notes app for a long time before i even thought about finishing the song, let alone releasing it !!
jon reflects on everything he’s been manipulated into and has his well-deserved crashout moment. (i do imagine elias just squinting down at him, one eyebrow raised and just. vaguely confused and annoyed at this part ).
and then he kills him !!! :D hooray !!!!! this is my favorite verse to sing. it’s very cathartic.
the “are you still listening” bit was very self indulgent. i had this song written WAY before The Magnus Protocol was ever announced. i actually sang it in VC in the MagCon discord server year before last. i was in the trenches during the ARG. this show means a lot to me, and that was my little nod toward the sequel show, while also being a bit of a 4th wall moment !!
anyway, thanks for letting me rant, and thanks for listening to Watcher’s Crown !!! :]