Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Hmmm.

After some discussion with Thunder in comments to previous entries, I've come to a few conclusions about what I think Mir's story is about - or, at the very least, what it's about for me. I may write about it a little more here in the future, but for now at least, I wanted to add, at least, a coda to my earlier FST. Because I think this song describes Mir as she was throughout most of her life, and, in a different way, perhaps, as she became at the end of the game.

Throughout that time, she had a single goal in mind: she wanted to save the world. She wanted to create a paradise. That goal never changed. But she lost faith in the fact that humans could bring this paradise about, and sought to bring it about herself. She didn't know what she was doing; didn't stop to think through the fact that conflict and suffering cannot be healed by conflict and suffering, that her ultimate good could never be brought about through cruelty. But I have revised my opinion that she ever lost sight of her initial dream, as expressed in EXEC_HARMONIOUS/. She held the dream close to her heart all along. It was only her decisions about how to make that dream come about that changed.

I'm hoping we'll see Mir finally, truly bring that dream to full fruition some day, for the good of all in her world. In the meantime, here's the song, and here are the lyrics. (And who would Mir be sending love to at the end of the game? Perhaps, to the world. Perhaps this is the faltering expression of her hopes and doubts that she can truly transform things. Or perhaps she has someone specific in mind. Who knows....)


Also, somewhat tangentially, here's a sweet little post-game fanfic that made me go all fuzzy. Simple, perhaps obvious, but I couldn't help the twinges in my heart at some of the descriptions all the same.


And now to bed.

power/paradox. - A Mir FST (Ar Tonelico)

Lately I've been listening to a handful of songs that I found strongly correlated, for me, with the story of Mir from Ar Tonelico. At first I thought of just posting up the few songs that made the most impact on me and noting that I associated them with Mir, but I did a little cursory hunting to see if I could find any more relevant songs, and soon found that I had enough for a whole fan soundtrack.

If you want the EP version of this, consider the most relevant songs to be:

Virus and Down With Me - Thunderstone
Control - Poe
Light As Air - Deas Vail

Cover image | .zip of all songs

Vast amounts of explanatory text/song analysis stuff follows. Bear with it and be thankful I didn't make this even more elaborate. :D



1. Virus - Thunderstone
The introduction to the story. There's a virus in the Tower, and everyone is afraid for their lives. Probably works best from Shurelia's point of view, given later lyrics.

All systems down, something's wrong
Unplugged and freezed to the bone
Feels like I'm locked out, helpless within
I can feel uncertainty's rising

We trust too much and we are too blue-eyed
We get careless and we will fail
And we will wake up when it's too late
Tower of power is crashing down
My life will be erased, no files will be found


2. Map of the Problematique - Muse
Mir being lonely and lost, basically.

Life
Will flash before my eyes
So scattered and lost
I want to touch the other side
And no one
Thinks they are to blame
Why can't we see
When we bleed we bleed the same?

Loneliness, be over
When will this loneliness be over?


3. Wanted - Vanessa Carlton
Mir trying to convince herself, and the world, that she is wanted.

I have wandered far and wide
for something real, something to die for
but I have found you and you do not see
all that is me all that is true and

I am more than you will see,
I am more than you will need,
I am more than you will see,
more than wanted

More than you'll love, more than you'll hate,
more than you'll hold, more than wanted
more than you'll crave, more than you'll cherish,
more than you'll have, more than wanted


4. Down With Me - Thunderstone
Mir loses faith in her hymn. Two songs by the same artist, yes, but they both fit so well. You can't tell me this doesn't sound like a song about EXEC_HARMONIOUS/.

Long time ago
Someone sang a song about living in a world
Where there are no wars, no hate
Just harmony and love

Long time ago
Someone told a story about a dream
Where people could live in peace
No matter who they are

For thousands of years
I have seen how man's been creating his own hell
Been wondering about the human race
And the ways they brought themselves down

I've never shed a tear
For the one that slowly killed himself
And never looked ahead
I will come when the time is right
Just to take another one

Down with me
There's no light
And no one will ever be free
I'll break every dream you've ever had
And make your life so, so sad
Make your life so sad


5. R-Evolve - 30 Seconds to Mars
Mir decides to do something about her pain. Destruction, death and chaos follow.

A revolution has begun today for me inside
The ultimate defense is to pretend
Revolve around yourself just like an ordinary man
The only other option to forget

Does it feel like we’ve never been alive?
Does it seem like it's only just begun?

To find yourself just look inside the wreckage of your past
To lose it all you have to do is lie
The policy is set and we are never turning back
It’s time for execution; time to execute
Time for execution; time to execute!


6. Tomorrow - SR71
When you're as powerful as Mir is, it's easy to be afraid of your own hatred even as you embrace it.

Is it any wonder why I'm scared
If I was a little younger would I care
Feeling like the walls are growing stronger
I don't know if this cage can hold me any longer

You never dreamed you'd have to live your life so guarded
'Cause they'll find a way to make you feel discarded

I'm not afraid of tomorrow
I'm only scared of myself
Feels like my insides are on fire
And I'm looking through the eyes of someone else


7. Sin - Nine Inch Nails
Pretty much speaks for itself.

You give me the reason
You give me control
I gave you my purity
My purity you stole
Did you think I wouldn't recognize this compromise
Am I just too stupid to realize
Stale incense, old sweat and lies lies lies

You give me the anger
You give me the nerve
Carry out my sentence
While I get what I deserve
I'm just an effigy to be disgraced
To be defaced
Your need for me has been replaced
And if I can't have everything, well then just give me a taste


8. Control - Poe
Basically the ur-Mir song. Everything in this is so very her, even (especially) the spoken words at the end. The actual lyrics of the song perfectly illustrate what led her up to this point, and the words at the end describe how she felt when she was young, when people told her she was powerful and special but at the same time took her power away from her and used her.

Don't you mess with a little girl's dream
'Cause she's liable to grow up mean

Surprised you to find that I'm laughing?
You thought that you'd find me in tears
You thought I'd be crawling the walls
Like a tiny mosquito and trembling in fear

Well, you may be king for the moment
But I am a queen, understand
And I've got your pawns and your bishops and castles
All inside the palm of my hand

While you were looking the other way
While you had your eyes closed
While you were licking your lips
'Cause I was miserable
While you were selling your soul
While you were tearing a hole in me

I was taking control

Now I have taken control
Now I have taken control...

[...]

"This cannot be all that there is to life, because in our confrontation
with an enormous and cold universe, there is something comical to the idea
that we can really enforce our will on humanity. Power... corrupts!

It's your world. Do with it what you want!
No. That's not the way to do it.
Power... That's not the way to do it.
Paradox.
No. It's your world.
No. It's your world.
No. It's your world.
No.

Control it! Control it!"

"This is scaring me..."


9. Still Alive - Portal (Bad Ending)
Mir being mocking and ironic, if you choose the bad ending. If you take it all as sarcasm on her part, it works.

I'm not even angry
I'm being so sincere right now
Even though you broke my heart and killed me
And tore me to pieces
And threw every piece into a fire
And as they burned it hurt because
I was so happy for you

Now these points of data make a beautiful line
And we're out of beta, we're releasing on time
So I'm glad I got burned, think of all the things we learned
For the people who are still alive


10. Light As Air - Deas Vail (Good Ending)
Mir from Lyner's perspective, as we offer her freedom and comfort in spite of everything.

Broken and blinded, there is a plan, so take my hand
You'll understand this in the end

You can't believe in everything you're told
Sometimes it's nobody that wins
But you fall down for your heart
And fight it out until the bitter end

The time is over for silent years of stored up fears
That are holding you down
A taken lover that you'll begin to find again
It's a hole inside your heart

You're coming around now
You want to get older
But don't forget how to stay alive...


And that's it.