I have made the very brave & funny decision to wear my finest bra and a mesh shirt for my "goodbye tits" party, sort of a last hurrah for the girls before they go
“why would he do that?” because this is my fic where I am in control of what I want to happen, how it happens, how the characters react. and also I made him ✨unwell✨
Hello, I love your Jaxverse series on ao3 SO SO much, I always get super excited whenever a new chapter is posted!!! I wanted to reach out and ask if there was any meaning behind all the song lyrics you chose for the fic/chapter titles since every fic in the series has different song lyrics in the titles. I’ve listened to every song you used lyrics for in the fic/chapter titles and I was really curious on your reasoning behind each song(assuming there is one). I definitely feel like certain songs you chose really match with the plot of the fic they’re attached to, like the lyrics of Meg Myers Waste of Confetti for the same titled fic match really well with the second half of the fic when the big confession/heartbreak scene happens(it’s a literal waste of confetti, since J makes that whole confetti bomb </3). I think some of the other songs you included like Bonnie Tyler’s I Need a Hero for lighting splits the sea or Britney Spears Circus for all eyes on me both fit really well too with the general vibe of their fics, and they respectively align well with Bats/J’s characters in general. There’s other ones I get too like Demi Lovato’s Still alive for the same titled fic, or Matt Maeson’s Rational for the chapter titles of waste of confetti, but the one I’d say I am most curious about is My Favorite Color by Citizen for Spinning around (an error I create). I had never heard this song before I read the fic but once I did I absolutely fell in love with it, it’s my second favorite song out of all the songs you used(with the first being Circus, which I had already knew & loved lol) and is genuinely one of my favorites songs in general now, so thank you for introducing me to this amazing song. The main thing that confuses me though, is that the song generally feels very edgy, dark, and angsty, which doesn’t seem to align with the overall vibe of this specific fic/your more fluffier/healthier(but still obsessive ofc) version of Batjokes? It does have some angst but that’s mostly because of a miscommunication, the rest of the fic(and their relationship at this point of the series) is very cute and romantic and smutty. So I’d really be interested in knowing why that specific song, and also all the others were chosen for the titles in the fics/chapters, even if it was just for a reason as simple as it being a song you like, so you added it, lol! This was my general interpretation of how the songs align with the characters, so maybe your reasoning for choosing all these songs were totally different than how I saw it? I could just be overthinking it, or seeing it in a different way than you did, but I just really love this series so I wanted to overanalyze a little bit and share it with you haha. Sorry this question got so long, thank you so much if you decide to respond!☺️
FIRST OF ALL - if i ever catch you, i will surely propose marriage to you. I go through phases where I'm convinced jaxverse is just a pile of out of character, self-indulgent gunk riddled with errors, so getting a message like this GENUINELY makes me pop off like a motherfucker with how excited it makes me!! with that out of the way, let's go thru the fics in order:
lightning splits the sea
first up to bat (GET IT?) is Holding Out For a Hero by Bonnie Tyler (though in my jaxbruce playlist, I use the Adam Lambert cover). i chose this one because the lyrics are just so huge. the best word I can think of is "epic". it's evocative of Greek Gods, especially in the bridge, and that's what I wanted for this fic - not the Greek Gods part, but i wanted something dramatic, heroic, iconic. this is where we first meet Batman in the series, and he needs to strike a long shadow. he needs to kick ass. but it's also where we meet *Bruce*, a man who's very much at his emotional limit and in desperate need of help he doesn't know how to ask for. it's Bruce who needs a hero more than anyone: "He's gotta be sure and he's gotta be soon/And he's gotta be larger than life". if only there was someone who fit the bill (JOKER!!)
still alive
Still Alive by Demi Lovato. i don't have as much to say about this one since it's more literal - it could be direct from Joker's inner monologue when he's still manic after his resurrection. he's back from the dead and this time he's going to make it count: "I don't wanna just survive/Give me something to sink all my teeth in".
about girls like you
Girls Like You by The Naked and Famous. this one, the lyrics kind of aren't a match for. the song is literally about a girl who (in the singer's eyes) is a heartbreaker, who looks pretty on the outside but is heartless underneath. Ivy is kind of the opposite of that. she has a thorny exterior, but once Harley gets past that, she finds her to be very loyal and touch-starved. I've tricked myself into hearing it like a love song at this point. "Don't you know people write songs about girls like you?" - Don't you realise you're beautiful, inspirational, one of a kind? - when really the lyric is saying "Don't you know people write break-up songs about girls like you?". truly, my only real defense for using the song here is that it's a fucking banger of a track. I couldn't find a better match at the time and it ended up just sticking!
i'll seek you out
the twilight soundtrack my beloved. this one's Eyes on Fire by Blue Foundation, and I just love it for seek. I love the slow rolling intrigue of it - the menacing imagery - the mystery. sometimes I worry I've delved too much into Joker's weaknesses in seek for the song to really fit anymore, but that's okay. ultimately, the fic is a study of Joker doing a sting operation on Arkham Asylum - he holds all the cards - he's okay lying in wait for his chance to spring.
waste of confetti
Waste of Confetti, Meg Myers. you've already hit this one on the head. confetti is about Batman breaking Joker's heart and sending him fully offline as a result. Joker is scrambling for a way to keep his attention and decides the only way he can do it is if he becomes the villain to end all villains - the kind of Joker we're used to seeing in Batman canon. and I just *love* these lyrics as a Joker study: "Why do I pretend when my heart is pulling at me/It doesn't make sense, I try to make the whole world happy".
this is also the first time the chapter titles split off from the song it's named for. the chapter titles are from Rational by Matt Maeson - again, it's a study in their (temporary) break-up: "Until I'm finally convinced that you hate me/All because I can't be rational/Until I'm finally convinced that I'm crazy". it's all very sad and hurts my heart a lot and i wouldn't have it any other way.
spinning around (an error that i create)
My Favorite Color, Citizen. and look, you've caught me. you've absolutely read me for filth: this song is far too dark and angsty to match the fic i've named after it. here are my reasons:
spinning is the first part of jaxverse I ever wrote, so I wasn't thinking as deeply as I am now about the tone of the songs and what they convey. i heard a couple lyrics that felt resonant and that was good enough for me.
there is no number 2.
I'm so glad that you adore the song as much as I do though. I'm seeing Citizen live next year and I think I'll just combust when they start playing it 😭😭😭
all eyes on me
Circus by Britney Spears. this is SUCH a Joker song to me. SUCH SUCH a Joker song. if you can't imagine him doing a slutty pole dance to this song then we're fundamentally not talking about the same character. "There's only two types of guys out there/Ones that can hang with me and ones that are scared". it's unapologetic, it's him at his core, and for me it fits so well for all eyes because that fic is about Joker fighting to find a way to co-exist with Bruce without losing who he is.
AND THAT'S EVERYBODY, at this stage anyway. I hope you found some enjoyment or interest in this answer!! music is a massive inspiration to me when I write and my jaxbruce soundtrack is something I'm really proud of. let me know if you liked this and if you want I can post the link to my playlist & write more song explanations 🥺🥺
fic wip! this is what my drafts look like as i'm working on them - whenever i hit a part i can't be bothered writing right now, i leave a note for myself in square-bracketed bold. what do your wips look like? do you draft? inquiring minds want to know
For me, what you see is what I wrote. I rarely do second drafts (which can be a bad thing sometimes *cough cough* Wildfire V1 *cough cough*)
My original book that I have in the works has two drafts. The first which is in first person and also not my favorite, and the second, which is in third with multiple different POV's.
That sounds like a really freeing way to write though! I comb over everything I write sooo many times as I go, I don't even move to the next sentence without rewriting the one before it a handful of times 😜
fic wip! this is what my drafts look like as i'm working on them - whenever i hit a part i can't be bothered writing right now, i leave a note for myself in square-bracketed bold. what do your wips look like? do you draft? inquiring minds want to know
fic wip! this is what my drafts look like as i'm working on them - whenever i hit a part i can't be bothered writing right now, i leave a note for myself in square-bracketed bold. what do your wips look like? do you draft? inquiring minds want to know
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