But the center is
here, this coal-fired heart
That wants
like a factory wants to make warI want peace, I want
rest, but I’ll have it no more
Just one last dawn
over SeptemberI finished listening to Friends at the Table: COUNTER/Weight just before #15DaysofFatT started, so naturally I went into a fugue state and wrote a 6 minute song about the final battle of the campaign for Day 15: Dawn
I’m not sure if this will mean anything to anyone who hasn’t listened to this podcast, but just close your eyes and think about off-brand Gundam, that should do it. And then consider yourself spoiled for the end of the season, but in the vaguest possible terms. Lyrics under the cut:
gaming
Giant Spider Mountain – Reesha Dyer
I ……. have also been listening to this on loop for the last week
I’ve looted all the corpses of my long forgotten friends
and now I think it’s time that my adventuring should end
so take me back to
Giant Spider Mountain
Molly’s Wake Song – Drake Meed
Say it once, say it
twice, say it so you won’t forget
Live a life, live it
hard, live each day without regret
“Molly’s Wake Song,” written and performed by Drake Meed (@makingcosplay on Twitter) at the Hour of Honor Critical Role meetup at GenCon 2019. A touching tribute to a fallen friend, and Drake left an equally poignant comment on the video:
“Thank you all, so incredibly much, for listening and allowing me to
share this. And, more importantly, sing this. Share it. Pass it forward
with anyone who will listen, if you feel so compelled. It was written as
a bardic and in the spirit of being carried on.”
In the spirit of that, full lyrics are under the cut, as are the chords Alvaro Alemparte figured out and put in the YouTube comments. The transcription is mine, so take it with some salt.
Critical Role fan music compilation
Unless you’ve spent hours trawling through YouTube in a desperate search for more Critical Role content, you may not be aware of the sheer amount of music that’s been inspired by the show. I’ve put together a list of my favourite CR fan music creators — some of them well-known, and some of them underviewed.
You’ll recognize Welcome to Wildemount from the campaign 2 art reel, but his two other Critical Role-inspired songs, Trost and Ashkeeper, are both gorgeously atmospheric.
I have a special place in my heart for The List [spoilers c1e24-26], a song about what’s going through Percy’s head after the feast with the Briarwoods — because it’s what convinced me to watch campaign 1. Say [spoilers c1e77] is also a wonderful Kimallura duet.
If you weren’t already aware that a group of amazing Critters rewrote the entirety of Hamilton to fit Vox Machina’s Chroma Conclave Arc, consider listening to Vox Machina: An Exandrian Musical immediately. Special shout-out also to their song In the Cobalt Soul, a cheesy monk training-montage song.
willing [spoilers c1e44] a song from Vax’s perspective in the Sunken Tomb, and Hell and Back [spoilers c1e72], a Perc’ahlia song, both have the potential to leave me in a puddle of tears.
This composer has created a ton of orchestral Critical Role songs, including themes for every member of Vox Machina. Personal favourites include Sonata for Whitestone Castle (Percy’s Theme) and A New Kind of Hero (The Mighty Nein’s Theme).
I’m in love with his creepy and tender theme for one of my favourite c2 locations, The Blooming Grove [spoilers c2e28]. Also check out The Road to Zadash [c2e30].
This pianist has written a handful of themes for c1 characters, including Wonder for Keyleth, The Tinkerer for Percy, and (my favourite!) an Anna Ripley theme. Her pieces are intricate and capture the characters perfectly.
I’ve linked to this guy before because he’s created the only Critical Role lo-fi beats that I know of. My favourite might be Mask [spoilers c2e18], but honestly, they’re all pretty amazing.
It would be a goddamn travesty if I didn’t link the Mollymauk vs Caleb Ultimate Rap Battle [spoilers c2e26], right?
This channel has inspiring and emotional musical themes for Yasha, Molly [spoilers c2e26], Fjord, and (personal favourite) Caleb. Again, they fit the characters absolutely beautifully and I’m kind of in love.
Oh shit, another song about Vax that’s making me want to cry? Hell yeah. Premature Requiem [spoilers c1e103] is a heartbreaking song about how Vax’s choices affect those closest to him. The same artist wrote a sweet Thank You song to Vox Machina.
If you’re like me and love when important objects get their own soundtracks, check out this theme for the Beacon, A Fragment of Possibility, with a weird and sometimes disturbing techno ambience that’s entirely appropriate. The same creator has also written themes for Caleb and Fjord.
Another composer working on themes for the Mighty Nein! My favourite of these is Fjord’s theme, Ballad of the Sea, which is the perfect accompaniment to his arc. Check out all the Ballads so far as well as the early versions of all the themes.
I think Ginny is pretty well-known for her amazing Jester cosplay videos, some of which include her singing, but my favourite song of hers will probably always be her Ruby of the Sea song (even though she didn’t manage to work in “the best lay ever”).
There are a bunch of other artists whose stuff I love, but this post is long enough as it is! I hope you enjoy 🙂
I’m Winning – The DoubleClicks
“I’m Winning,” by The Doubleclicks
Check out this song about maybe gender and maybe video games that made me unexpectedly emotional!
Also check out the Kickstarter (30 hours left as of now) for the band’s new album! It’s fully funded, but there are stretch goals! Including an RPG livestream, since that’s all the rage right now.
Ruby of the Sea – Ginny Di
Since I heard of this siren bright
I’m thinking about her from dawn until night
And though I’ll never be in her spell
I’m falling in love on the stories they tell
“Ruby of the Sea,” by Ginny Di, featuring StarLeigh as the title character, filmed by MoonDust Photography. This is Ginny’s first original song! And it’s available on iTunes, Amazon, and Spotify.
Child of Promise – Dog of Ulthar
Child of promise, burning bright
The village wept for you that night
Your parents held you, let you go
Sent you away to learn and growI wrote a song about a sad wizard for Critical Role reasons, full lyrics under the cut
The Fury and the Dirge – Love Patrol Beta
Ballad from the collection of a bard in Miwith Shili, who claims she got the story first-hand from a survivor of the Devil’s Dirge.
Lyrics below the cut!
Save the World – specialagentartemis
Save the World – a filk song for MGS4
They’re asking
Come back, save this world
Just one more time
For your honor, for your girl,
Come save the world
I‘ve had this tune in my head for months – no idea if I actually came up with it, or stole it, or what, but I’ve been trying to put lyrics to it for ages without much success.
Then I thought “What do I have a lot of passion about?” and the answer as always is Metal Gear Solid. The lyrics wrote themselves in a single afternoon.
I have… lots of feelings about MGS4.
[for @mgswintergames, specialagentartemis of team Diamond Dogs, for O13]