[quote=Paradox Locke]‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World,’ as covered by Lorde snip
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That’s a pretty good comparison but, personally, I would have to say that the version done by Tears for Fears feels more Fallen London to me. There is such a thing as polite murder! Of course I would think a more upbeat tune is appropriate. It is rare to find this game be 100% serious (the exceptions are usually VERY notable as a result because of how much they stand out from the usual "Dark and hilarious" world of Fallen London) and the so called "7 inch" version of the song has a few notable additions to the lyrics that were not in Lorde’s version.
I can't stand this indecision
Married with a lack of vision
Everybody wants to rule the world
I’m sure we’ve all been there with our very first character. Before we either sent them NORTH or truly carved them out as a character of course. We YEARNED for the sky and the surface. We missed the blue sky while the people already down here for a while had realized that we were just trading it to be able to see irrigo instead and, almost, feeling frustrated at this one-dimensional mindset of "but muh sky iz gon" when the neath has so much more.
Say that you'll never, never, never need it
One headline why believe it?
Everybody wants to rule the world
Our hypothetical new player has just become a PoSI and has realized the most terrifying think in this game is not the friendly devils of the brass embassy, the brutal Jack of the streets, or the horrors of the unterzee. It is Mr. Slowcake and his notability. No, surely not. Surely I can just play the game without notability right?! Please Mr. Slowcake! I just need one more level of making waves but Time, the healer has just arrived. You can give me that point of notability. Right? Right?!
The headline is a bit trickier to pin down but (and bare with me on this one it will make sense after the next line) I believe this can be interpreted as our first encounter, be it here on the forums, from an acquaintance, or somebody over on Reddit, telling a story of how they managed to go NORTH wearing their prison clothes from start to finish. Or gained 7 impossible theorems in a row. Or the first time we heard about how much it takes to create a heptagoat. Or (in my case) checking a scrapbook to find that somebody had 1300 successful terms as a governor of Port Carnelian!
The rite of passage of the truly dedicated players of Fallen London. Raising a quality to absurd levels or collecting more of an item than you could ever need for the next 5 years of playing the game. It’s… unbelievable, so we almost don’t at first, but we see more of the same, the same pattern, all of these veterans of the game claiming equally absurd feats but never the same absurd feats.
And so because "Everybody wants to rule the world" our hero finds the resolve to find their absurd feat to proclaim and undertake the notability grind in earnest. Maybe it will just be becoming a paramount presence for now or becoming overgoated but they will find something to set them apart from the other dedicated players.
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world
More of a statement by the newbie than the experienced player who might have originally started the song. The newbie is not a newbie anymore. They’ve created a true character. They understand and appreciate the intricacies of Fallen London and that the freedoms offered by the neath are great. And just like when they heard what the thunder said, is proclaiming it loudly for all to hear.
Whew! That took longer than I wanted it to take. I suppose the fact that I analyzed the lyrics of this song as part of a school assignment in school made me more verbose than I intended.