So inspired by a recent post I saw explaining how people can associate songs with characters, I decided to list a few songs I associate with one of my original characters, namely Jarsh, my anxious githzerai monk from one of my DnD campaigns.
Now I gotta say that Jarsh is a fish out of water, torn between a desire to return to the life she used to lead before she arrived in the campaign setting and to stay and commit herself to her new life, and one aspect of that struggle for her is her friendship and recently noticed crush she has on Yasorvir (who besides being her first friend she made in this world is also the daughter of the two authority figures Jarsh is bound to, also she belongs to the wonderful @socialmediasocrates, who DMs that campaign; thank you for doing that, my wonderful friend!), and a lot of the songs here are about that dynamic between the two.
Also please note that I suck at discovering music, so expect an eclectic but still very pop selection of stuff. Enjoy these songs after the break!
1) "Come On Eileen", specifically the version by Save Ferris
This one to me is more Vir singing it to Jarsh but it just fits so well to the two of them. Especially these lines: "These people round here //
Wear beatdown eyes sunk in smoke dried face // So resigned to what their fate is // But not us (no never) // No not us (no never) // We are far too young and clever". It really fits with Vir's personality and why the two are friends and how they are trying to cope in a world filled with troubles.
2) "She" by Dodie
A song which was specifically suggested TO ME by @socialmediasocrates because of their association of that song with Jarsh and Vir, because guess fucking what, the crush Jarsh has is ACTUALLY requited, but the two are idiots who think that the other can't be interested in them, albeit for different reasons because Vir is bubbly to cope with trauma while Jarsh is anxious and reserved to cope with trauma! Anyway, the song is lovely and it fits the two really well.
3) "Nightvision" by Daft Punk
I love Daft Punk, especially the Discovery album, and Nightvision just is a very atmospheric instrumental which fits Jarsh's melancholy about the life she has had to leave behind and how she reflects on her failures in her new homeworld... All while being about the night and Jarsh is a Way of the Shadow monk and has her character design so that also fits. Also a bonus shout out to Digital Love, which is also a song I associate with Jarsh and her crush on Vir xD
4) "Zombie" by The Cranberries
Jarsh is very much shaped by the githzerai's constant struggle agaisnt the Mind Flayers and the conflict in her adopted home between reformist and traditionalists drow, which she is in the middle of because she got taken in by members of the former faction. So naturally this college rock classic about the Troubles in Northern Ireland kinda just fits, with its concepts of perpetual conflict and being stuck in that, with it dividing communities and families (especially the inter-drow conflict, though the githzerai-githyanki rivalry also is part of that).
5) "Tallon Overworld" from the Metroid Prime soundtrack
Jarsh is a space alien on a world which is also quite alien and she is adventuring there, and despite everything she has been through in her fairly young life she is just at the start of her journey. Tallon Overworld captures that really well and it has an air of fanfare around it while also sounding mysterious, just like the situation Jarsh is in. It's similar to Nightvision in terms of it also being an orchestral piece which describes Jarsh's aesthetic with hints of her character and journey.
Holy crap, the new One D&D UA has finally fixed monk!
Dexterity used to shove and grapple, Disengage and Dash no longer costing ki/discipline points (and instead you can use discipline points to enhance them, aka Disengage & Dodge as the same bonus action OR Dash & Disengage as the same bonus action + jump distance doubling!), a once-per-day discipline point recovery as part of rolling for initiative, and melee attack deflection...
All that in just the first three levels!
And at 10th level your options for Flurry of Blows, Patient Defense, and Step of the Wind improve drastically, giving monk a worthwhile feature around that time! In fact monks get a feature (either from the main chassis, the subclass, or an ASI) at every level!
I wanna play my girl Jarsh with this version of the monk so bad, you have no idea. This monk looks incredibly fun to play.
A while ago I attempted to do playlists inspired by my DnD characters... And it probably says a lot about me that the one I have the easiest time expanding and finding songs for is the anxiety-ridden, lonely, traumatized one who is torn between both her crush and her obligation towards her crush's family AND the culture of the people who took her in versus her own.
I put a sizable chunk of myself into my characters, y'know?
Yo, tell me something about your OCs. Like what's their favourite food? (You don't need to do all if you don't like, just like your faves)
I'm just gonna do my three active DnD characters, plus my current favorite among my prospective DnD characters (aka the one I'd play if I either were to start a new campaign or if one of my other characters were to die).
Wococo: The aarakocra ranger loves eating game, especially seared deer or boar, with a warm sauce made of berries and served alongside a decent ale, which he usually drinks after his meal is over because he is a drinking lightweight and doesn't enjoy how being drunk lessens the taste of dishes for him.
Worteg: He's from a Dragon Age-based DnD campaign and, while a dwarf, his opinion on traditional dwarven cuisine is very low. His favorite dish is roasted nug, stuffed with fresh herbs and fruit. Nugs are a traditional dwarven meat source but he appreciates it most when prepared in a more Ferelden style like that.
Subtle Flame: My tabaxi rogue is an adventurous eater, seeing regional cuisine as a way to experience different cultures. As a result they tend to order dishes which common folk can afford and which is typical for the people of the area. Flame, despite their name, isn't that big into very spicy food, though, which is why they tend to order milk as their preferred drink to compensate for potential heat in their order. On the road however Flame is an opportunistic eater.
Jarsh: The githzerai monk is a vegetarian and tends to favor simple dishes. I imagine her to mostly prefer soups with bread, ideally whatever the Faerûnian equivalent of broccoli cream soup is, with a nice whole wheat bread to dip it with.
Thank you, this was fun ^^ Especially since the sole character I had an idea on was Worteg, it was a good exercise to develop these characters further!
