Chapter 89

Writing this story was both satisfying and exhausting. One thing that helped, however, was music. Lots and lots of music. Seriously.

This playlist is very different from other Wattpad playlists you may have seen. While all of them are associated with characters or specific story moments, most of these songs aren’t your typical standard listening. Trust me, you won’t find any K-pop, Billie Eilish, The Neighborhood, or Panic! at the Disco in here. If you’re looking for that, pop into literally any other Wattpad story.

To get into the story, I needed things that were gritty, mechanical, sometimes detached, sometimes too attached, and evocative of all kinds of feelings both positive and negative, much like the story itself. Of course, considering this is a cyberpunk novel, I also geared more toward electronic music, ranging from soothing ambience to earsplitting dubstep. So in the process of writing, I relied a lot on two brilliant electronic artists: the legendary Aphex Twin and the massively underrated Lorn.

If you guys have heard of them, you are now some of my favorite people. If not, then welcome to a new world. A better world, in which you now know who Aphex Twin and Lorn are.

There are plenty of other things thrown in here as well, such as Ninja Tracks, the guys responsible for that cool music you hear in movie trailers, and even a few tracks from the soundtrack for Cyberpunk 2077, which I am currently playing (awesome soundtrack, great characters, excellent story, so-so everything else so far; although Cyberpunk Edgerunners is one of the best shows of 2022 without a doubt). But I just believe these most accurately represent what I was going for in that moment. And considering I’m hoping on constructing a screenplay out of this story, maybe I could even use them someday! Well, apart from the Cyberpunk soundtrack for obvious reasons.

One more thing to note: since this is essentially the story’s soundtrack, I’ve written brief descriptions for the scene and character each song represents. As a result, there will be spoilers for the story. If you haven’t read Cognitive Deviance already, I recommend you do that first and then come back. If you’d rather just listen to the music, then go ahead. You have been warned.

Without further ado, enjoy!

Ninja Tracks – City of Mirrors (My ideal trailer song for the story):

Lorn – Oxbow B (The story’s main theme. Ominous, booming, synthetic)

Marconi Union – Sleepless (Margo’s theme. Curious, peaceful, idealistic)

Aphex Twin – Rhubarb (Carl’s theme. Warm, melancholic, tired)

Aphex Twin – Weathered Stone (Psychwatch’s theme. Mechanical, vigilant, in control)

Lorn – Broken Mantra (The Multi Man’s theme. Hostile, restrained, unpredictable)

Lorn – 2 LATE (Basically Jack’s theme, particularly for when he treks down hallways, gunning people down)

Ninja Tracks – Contaminant (Interrogations within the PACER program; Finn, Dottie, and Geoffrey Coggins)

KLOUD – Raise Your Weapon (Psychwatch’s takedown of the House of Pleasure)

Aphex Twin – Matchsticks (The Multi Man’s spark rose garden)

Aphex Twin – Radiator (A stranger has broken into Margo’s apartment. Warning: terrifying)

Lorn – Silhouette (Margo driving out in the blizzard, making phone calls…maybe…)

Erik Satie – Gymnopedie No. 1 (Margo visits Carl/Catalina)

Lorn – Out of the Frame (Psychwatch at the Mental Health rally)

Cyberpunk 2077 – The Voice in My Head (The Mental Health rally massacre, with everything after 1:52 best representing the chaos and violence)

Aphex Twin – Spots (Carl’s interrogation in the PACER by Mason. Warning: creepy)

Aphex Twin – aisatsana (Margo, her mother, and Holden volunteering at Skinner High)

Aphex Twin – Domino (Margo’s evaluation by the “A.I.” before her return to work. Warning: spooky)

Aphex Twin – Gwely Mernans (The drive to the Rabbit Hole. Warning: creepy)

Habstrakt & IMANU – Libre (Margo and Jack enter the Rabbit Hole, with blinding hellish lights and THIS music blaring out the moment the elevator doors open)

Orjan Nilsen – Amsterdam (Mr. W escorts Margo and Jack through the crowd, just before Wonderland Mist starts filling the room)

Lorn – Bitter Arcs (Margo, Jack, Mr. W, and Slater ready the EMP device, forcing themselves through the crowd once again)

IC3PEAK – Пламя/Flame (Crimson and the masked men drag Jack’s unconscious body away. My apologies to the reader hoping for Melanie Martinez for Crimson)

Aphex Twin – Come to Daddy (Psychwatch’s assault on the Rabbit Hole and ALL the chaos that ensues. Warning: completely insane, featuring a ton of demonic screeching, with a VERY long one starting at 2:36)

Andy Stott – Time Away (Margo is left broken by the news of her diagnosis and returns home. Technically starts at 0:20)

Aphex Twin – Tree (The entirety of Chapter 67: Catalyst, AKA the day Margo and Carl first meet under horrific circumstances. Warning: creepy)

Cyberpunk 2077 – The Sacred and The Profane (15-year-old Margo gets ready to have her memories erased, with 2:58 being the beginning of the actual process)

Hazy – Universe (Slowed) (Margo and Carl partially reconcile their friendship, and she is eventually released from her cell)

Cyberpunk 2077 – Hanako & Yorinobu (Margo returns to Psychwatch)

Ninja Tracks – From The Void (Royce’s betrayal and the Multi Man’s infiltration of the headquarters)

Aphex Twin – Grey Stripe (Margo trapped in the Multi Man’s PACER program, wandering through post-apocalyptic Philadelphia. Warning: terrifying)

Aphex Twin – Hankie (The room with the dolls representing the Multi Man’s victims. Warning: terrifying).

Ninja Tracks – The Last Walk (Psychwatch’s assault on the Multi Man’s hideout)

Lorn – Sega Sunset (The battle within the Multi Man’s hideout: Margo switching bodies, Jack killing people, Sentients exploding, etc.)

Lorn – I Am A Dagger (Margo is freed from the Multi Man’s PACER program)

Lorn – There Is Still Time (The Multi Man escapes into the Psycho Slums…and eventually encounters Margo and Carl for the last time)

Antent – Lost Tape (Margo and her mother join Carl at the cemetery)

MALO – Mimo’s Theme (Slowed) (The ending of the story, in which Jack and Mason kill each other in the cell before the “credits roll” at 3:48)

And finally, a bonus track! 

Aphex Twin – Lichen (I just chose it because I think it’s so beautiful and comforting. Sounds like a nice big hug from someone you love, which you’ll probably need after making it to the end of this story)

And that is all, readers! 

Any songs you agree with? Disagree with? Maybe some should’ve been switched around with another? Maybe you had other songs in mind that aren’t on the list? I wasn’t kidding when I said this was different considering most of this is ambient music. But if you have any other song suggestions, feel free to let me know! I love music, after all. 

And don’t worry if you didn’t listen to every single song or didn’t listen to them all the way through. They’ll always be here, and so will I.

Have a good day, everyone!