Farseer fans, I just found a song that perfectly describes Fitz's bittersweet longing for Molly during Assassin's Quest (WARNING, SPOILERS! ONLY READ IF YOU READ THE FIRST TRILOGY)

[The Glad King]

So last night I was listening to 505 by Arctic Monkeys, which is one of my favorite songs. As I was a bit stoned, I ended up listening to it from a new perspective. Essentially, I imagined it as Fitz describing how he was feeling towards Molly when he was separated from her and was hoping to be reunited with her. I'll post the lyrics here, and go over it line by line. 

Chorus:

I'm going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive

This line is spoken from melancholic, unrealistic optimism.  He wishes to have his life at Buckkeep back, but knows that all those who he cared for now views him as a wit tainted king murderer. It also ties in with Molly, where he keeps thinking about how he's going to go back to her after he finds Verity, and it just makes it so much more heartbreaking that he never actually does (although I only read the first trilogy, so he might later). 

In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side
With your hands between your thighs

One of his fondest memories of Molly is likely during Springfest or some other gathering at Buckkeep (can't recall exactly what it was), where he visits Molly's room and she was waiting there naked for him. He described that moment as the incredible feeling of feeling like he's desired, probably in part due to the fact that he was looked down upon and felt rejected by most up to that point in his life.

 

Verse:

Stop and wait a sec
Oh, when you look at me like that, my darling
What did you expect?

I don't have much for this line. It could be about "the look" that he recognized when he saw her give it to Burrich through his skill vision before they presumably fucked. 
 

I probably still adore you with your hands around my neck
Or I did last time I checked

He hasn't seen her in a while, and is starting to even doubt if there relationship will be the same when they meet again. He shows doubt by saying that he'd 
"probably" still adore her and that he "did last time [he] checked", indicating that he isn't sure if it his feelings will still be the same. 

Not shy of a spark
A knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark

He's constantly agonizing over whether or not he'll ever see her again, and if he'll die in the process of finding Verity. 

Frightened by the bite though it's no harsher than the bark

He fears throughout the series that Molly won't accept his wit bond with Nighteyes. He thinks that she might be afraid of the bite (the wit turning him into a savage beast), although that fear only comes from the bark (the prejudice against the wit that spreads that myth).

Middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start

This quest is putting a lot of stress on him, and the thing he wants the most right now is to go back to Molly (although he can't because of the strength of the skill command). The middle of this adventure is the perfect time for him to have Molly there to comfort him. 

 

Chorus:

I'm going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side
With your hands between your thighs

Already explained

 

Verse:

But I crumble completely when you cry

This is where the musical climax of the song starts, and it goes perfect with the words. It is obvious that he cares a lot about her, and it is fair to say that he does crumble completely when she cries. A good example is when she gets raped (it's not said directly, but it's quite obvious) and told to stay away from Fitz because of his "treason". Fitz is absolutely distraught afterwards, since he wanted to keep Molly shielded from the danger of his political life, but failed her in that regard. The line can also be interpreted for when he sees her through his skill dreams, where she feels abandoned and alone, all because of Fitz's responsibilities and failure as Verity's servant (she might not literally cry in those dreams, but it still works)

It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye

It's Fitz reminiscing about her, but those thoughts always greeted with Molly leaving him and Buckkeep to be able to raise their child. 

I'm always just about to go and spoil a surprise
Take my hands off of your eyes too soon

Could work with the fact that he promised her that he'd marry her before he knew that he'd actually be able to, thus spoiling the surprise by adding stress and disappointing to what should've been a beautiful moment in their lives.  

I'm going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
In my imagination you're waiting, lying on your side
With your hands between your thighs

Already explained

and a smile

He imagines the time before they had all these burdens and sadness dampened their relationship, where they could smile at each other and still have that innocence that they both seem to have lost from what happened to them.
 

[sologdin]

the entire post should've fit into the thread title, i think.

[The Glad King]

7 minutes ago, sologdin said:

the entire post should've fit into the thread title, i think.

I'm confused as to what you mean. Are you making a snide remark about how the title is too long?

[Darth Richard II]

Within Temptation actually has a song about the first trilogy(and also one about Katherine Kerr's series). The name escapes me as I have to get to work.

[The Glad King]

22 minutes ago, Darth Richard II said:

Within Temptation actually has a song about the first trilogy(and also one about Katherine Kerr's series). The name escapes me as I have to get to work.

I just looked up that song. It was really powerful, both musically and lyrically. The name is Hand of Sorrow.

[polishgenius]

1 hour ago, sologdin said:

the entire post should've fit into the thread title, i think.

 

Not OP's fault there's a character limit.

[Jo498]

Is there any more recent fantasy (or maybe not only fantasy) book that uses that style of baroque chapter headings? I love them since one of my favorite books as a 7 year old, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver had them and I probably thought that this was the proper style for long and serious books...

 

[Corvinus85]

3 hours ago, Darth Richard II said:

Within Temptation actually has a song about the first trilogy(and also one about Katherine Kerr's series). The name escapes me as I have to get to work.

Hats off to you for bringing up Within Temptation.

3 hours ago, The Glad King said:

I just looked up that song. It was really powerful, both musically and lyrically. The name is Hand of Sorrow.

I did not know that about this song. Since I have it on my MP3 player I gave it a listen, and now I have a much higher opinion of it.

[Darth Richard II]

Yeah! That one. I remember when that album came out I was like, damn, this song could be about the first Farseer Trilogy. And then i read an interview a few weeks later where they are talking about influneces on songs and their like oh yeah Hand of Sorrow is based on these books. It was nice to know I wasn't going insane.

[Darth Richard II]

Edit: Double Post.

[Buckwheat]

On 30. 8. 2016 at 10:20 PM, Jo498 said:

Is there any more recent fantasy (or maybe not only fantasy) book that uses that style of baroque chapter headings? I love them since one of my favorite books as a 7 year old, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver had them and I probably thought that this was the proper style for long and serious books...

 

Ensel und Krete

Ein Märchen aus Zamonien von

Hildegunst von Mythenmetz

Aus dem Zamonischen übertragen, illustriert und mit einer halben Biographie des Dichters versehen von

Walter Moers

Mit Erläuterungen aus dem Lexikon des erklärungsbedürftigen Wunder, Daseinsformen und Phänomene Zamoniens und Umgebung von Professor Dr. Abdul Nachtigaller.

Also 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear has a similarly long-winded title, but I just have the Slovene edition. Looks like German authors are more inclined to give such titles than English-speaking.

I also liked Jim Button when I was younger.

[Jo498]

I actually meant specifically chapter titles in a particular style and I am not sure if Moers did this (maybe, I only own one of his books - it would certainly fit to some aspects of his general style).

They do not have to be quite as long but the general style is like "chapter 5 in which a mysterious package appears" "chapter 7 in which our hero gets into trouble" etc. I don't find a real example right now but they are usually somewhat longer than these made-up ones and give little hints about the chapter without giving away too much. There must be some classical novels that have them (maybe Fielding's Tom Jones), I am sure that I have encountered them but rather infrequently. Understandable because it is an obviously dated device that can appear stilted and it can also give away surprises.

[unJon]

Think Steinbeck does chapter titles like that. Also maybe Stephenson in the Baroque Cycle. 

[Happy Ent]

1 hour ago, Buckwheat said:

Looks like German authors are more inclined to give such titles than English-speaking.

There’s this old joke about books about Elephants, where the (pompous) French author’s book is just called L’Elephant and the German researcher used Studie der Lebensgewohnheiten und Nahrungsaufname Afrikanischer Elephanten anhand zweier Exemplare in Berliner Zoo. Can’t remember what the Englishman writes.

[Happy Ent]

Ah. Elephant hunting in India.

[Buckwheat]

1 hour ago, Jo498 said:

I actually meant specifically chapter titles in a particular style and I am not sure if Moers did this (maybe, I only own one of his books - it would certainly fit to some aspects of his general style).

They do not have to be quite as long but the general style is like "chapter 5 in which a mysterious package appears" "chapter 7 in which our hero gets into trouble" etc. I don't find a real example right now but they are usually somewhat longer than these made-up ones and give little hints about the chapter without giving away too much. There must be some classical novels that have them (maybe Fielding's Tom Jones), I am sure that I have encountered them but rather infrequently. Understandable because it is an obviously dated device that can appear stilted and it can also give away surprises.

Whoops, sorry, I misread. I thought you meant book titles. I know what you mean now. As for chapters, no, none of Moers' novels have that.

I always thought that these chapter titles (or descriptions, really) give too much of the content away.

Ent, yep, this sounds about right.

[polishgenius]

Terry Pratchett did it in the Moist von Lipwig books (Going Postal, Making Money, Raising Steam). Not in any of the other books though, which mostly didn't have chapters at all.

Catherynne Valente does it in her Fairyland books.

 

21 hours ago, unJon said:

Think Steinbeck does chapter titles like that. Also maybe Stephenson in the Baroque Cycle. 

Haven't read the Baroque Cycle but Stephenson did it in The Diamond Age.

[sologdin]

On 8/30/2016 at 3:20 PM, Jo498 said:

Is there any more recent fantasy (or maybe not only fantasy) book that uses that style of baroque chapter headings? I love them since one of my favorite books as a 7 year old, Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver had them and I probably thought that this was the proper style for long and serious books...

 

blood meridian, of course.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Moby Dick has a few, all the shit about The Whale and maybe a couple of others along the lines of "Stubb kills a whale and then the Pequod encounters another ship", although the bulk of the chapter titles are much more simple.

[sologdin]

paradise lost and the divine comedy both feature descriptive prose 'arguments' after the numerical designation of each respective book/canto.