"Caged Bird" Extras and Whatnot

With most stories I write, I usually have extras or "behind-the-scenes" tidbits to help me stay on track with the story and also to put a clear image in my head of my characters, setting, et cetera, et cetera. "Caged Bird" did not deviate from my usual modus operandi, so I have a playlist and a small "behind the name" thingy that I thought you guys might be interested in taking a peek at.
Or not.
Anyway, without further ado...

Caged Bird Playlist

Cayde's playlist

1. Whispers in the Dark by Mumford & Sons

2. Sleeping At the Wheel by Matchbox Twenty  

3. Blank Maps by Cold Specks

4. Into the Grey by Everest

5. Ride This Feeling by Kate Miller-Heidke

6. 5678! by Butterfly Boucher

7. Scream by Usher

8. Let Yourself Go by Green Day 

9. When a Heart Breaks by Ben Rector

10. Diamonds by Rihanna

Abram's playlist

1. Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter

2. No Reflection by Marilyn Manson

3. Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones

4. Dazed and Confused by Led Zeppelin

5. Sweet Lady Luck by Whitesnake

6. Fire Woman by The Cult

7. Wish by Nine Inch Nails

8. Come As You Are by Nirvana

9. Deus Culpa + Con clavi con Dio by Ghost (hint: inspiration behind band's imagery FYI)

10. Lie by Black Light Burns

Behind the Name

...of We The Shepherds

It was an interesting picture, to be honest. Here was this random guy dressed in priest’s robes and a duster, surrounded by five other guys dressed as executioners; the sound of what could possibly be a satanic call-to-arms reverberating between the walls of The Offering. And all he does is simply smile at me and raise the microphone to lips smeared with red paint and lead the masses into a familiar but odd prayer. - from "Caged Bird"

 Okay. The key words here are "familiar but odd prayer", just in case the yellow highlighter didn't tip you off. And here is the prayer:

"And Shepherds we shall be

For thee, my Lord, for thee.

Power hath descended forth from Thy hand

Our feet may swiftly carry out Thy commands.

So we shall flow a river forth to Thee

And teeming with souls shall it ever be.

In Nomeni Patri Et Fili Spiritus Sancti." - from "The Boondock Saints"

Twisted guy, twisted music, twisted name. And it all makes sense now, doesn't it?


Anyway, these are just a few extras I had stashed away on my hard drive. I have more, which I'll post once I have them all together.

Have a great weekend everyone!
-LA

P.S.: All songs go straight to YouTube videos which may or may not be available in your country. If *any* of the songs are to your liking PLEASE LEGALLY DOWNLOAD/BUY THEM FROM THE ARTISTS. Can't stress that shit enough. Stop pirating and pay for the tunes, yo.
P.S.S: I'm not responsible for how stupid the music videos can be. Blame the artists and their lack of creative direction. (Whatever works for you, works for me.)

Caged Bird, Pt. 3

Just a reminder, this story was meant to be a standalone and read entirely in one sitting. Because of it's 20K word length, I thought subjecting everyone to read it all on one long blog post would be something akin to torture on the eyeballs. Thus, I broke it down into three parts for easier reading. Like the other two parts, this one follows exactly where the other left off, and as it is the final piece of the story, I hope it meets everyone's expectations.
As always, this is entirely a work of fiction. Any resemblance of people, places, and/or events is entirely coincidental.

Caged Bird