Just a quick post while I’m on my lunch break at work! (Please let me know if this thread would be better made in Forum Games or RP Discussion?)
Something that struck me as kinda fun was the idea of coming up with short playlists for my characters - three songs, no longer - that were descriptive either of the characters or their journey.
Where are they coming from? What does their struggle feel like, emotionally? What is my hope for them? These are the questions whose answers I hoped to convey with my song selections!
I’ve only managed to decide on the full three songs for Zebby and Zeugma so far, but I’m also proud of my choices for Ripley and Rho. (Their playlists are located near the bottoms of their profiles, if you’d like to check them out!)
If you were to compose a short playlist for your current or favorite RP character - three songs, no longer - what songs would you choose? If you’d like to talk about why you’d make your choices, I’d love to hear it!
Something that struck me as kinda fun was the idea of coming up with short playlists for my characters - three songs, no longer - that were descriptive either of the characters or their journey.
Where are they coming from? What does their struggle feel like, emotionally? What is my hope for them? These are the questions whose answers I hoped to convey with my song selections!
I’ve only managed to decide on the full three songs for Zebby and Zeugma so far, but I’m also proud of my choices for Ripley and Rho. (Their playlists are located near the bottoms of their profiles, if you’d like to check them out!)
If you were to compose a short playlist for your current or favorite RP character - three songs, no longer - what songs would you choose? If you’d like to talk about why you’d make your choices, I’d love to hear it!
Threnody for Europe
A threnody, or lamentation, felt fitting for Dralt's homeland. He was born an heir to an English estate, but after becoming a vampire, he struggled to maintain his duties while hiding what he was. This part of his plot recently ended in him deciding to fake his death and leave his inheritance to his younger sister, permanently parting his presence from the "mortal realm". There will always be a sore regard for the world he came from, what was and what could have been. But the piece isn't all sad. It starts soft and light, easing into something that sounds slightly distressed, and as far as threnodies go I would say it's loving in its remorse. This long sweet song tells a story by itself.
Fishin'
My character is an avid cello player. What I love about this piece is the diversity of playing, the pluck of strings and chords that range from smooth sweeps to short staccato. The mood is something between bittersweet and nostalgic, and when I listen to it, I like to imagine the OC's childhood, chock-full of meaningful boat trips with his father. There's a very raw and natural sound to the song reminiscent of reflecting over simpler times. It ends abruptly as if one was just jarred from daydreaming.
Bernini's Angels
A "main theme" should encompass a character. I adore this composition for its keening violin, thrumming orchestration, the driven tempo and optimistic undertones. This cinematic piece inspires me to no end. In listening to it, I can practically feel my character's determination to build a better future for himself and his people. In the lower notes and quick chords, you can sense struggle and triumph, it gives this core-striking mood of progression and hope. The ending provokes an appropriate feel of finality, like the story woven through the song has ended on a note of resolution.
Dralt wrote:
Oh gosh, that’s a touching selection! And you articulated your reasoning so elegantly! I feel like you’ve really done right by your character, to have considered not only his exterior circumstances but his inner reality this way - and in so doing you’ve created a gosh darn auditory impressionistic masterpiece.
Thanks so much for responding! I had a fun time reading and listening along.
Thank you, too. I feel like the creative process for fleshing out characters would be a hundred times harder for me if it wasn't for music inspiring me along, appreciate the opportunity to swoon over the integration of songs in RP 
Ahhh. I’m home for the evening.
In the spirit of participation, maybe it would be okay for me to talk about my mini-playlists as they become finished? Especially since I only have two done at the moment and so many characters ahead... this might be the best place to jump on, huh.
So I’ll talk about Zeugma’s playlist, first! ^o^
Quick background: My newest character, Zeug’s a “young” robot/android who only recently attained sentience. As he tries to make sense of what he has awoken to, he uses art to explore and conceptualize the world around him.
So!
In the spirit of participation, maybe it would be okay for me to talk about my mini-playlists as they become finished? Especially since I only have two done at the moment and so many characters ahead... this might be the best place to jump on, huh.
So I’ll talk about Zeugma’s playlist, first! ^o^
Quick background: My newest character, Zeug’s a “young” robot/android who only recently attained sentience. As he tries to make sense of what he has awoken to, he uses art to explore and conceptualize the world around him.
So!
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Jascha - Limited
In my opinion, possibly one of the best robot songs. It’s a little bit unwieldy, perhaps. The chorus especially evokes for me the helplessness of a new personality, previously governed by numbers and routines, coming into contact with the random and sometimes self-endangering boldness of... well, humanity, I guess! They don’t always have reasons for why they do things, but you can’t help but like them anyway - and if they won’t look out for their own well-being, maybe it’s a job for a baby robot.
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.1
This is a song like melancholy nurseries in the moonlight - close, quiet, reflective. To me it captures the sound of the kinds of thoughts you get lost in at night - the “I’m the only one like me I know” thoughts and the “the world is so big, how could I possibly fit anywhere in it?” thoughts. But it also has a feeling which suggests being safely ensconced. When the night is over and you face the new day, you realize you weren’t as far from the people who care as it felt like you were.
melodysheep - Symphony of Science - A Glorious Dawn
It’s gonna sound silly, but when I first found this series of songs, it felt like I could finally understand what people saw in religious hymnals and what-have-you. The world can be so scary, that’s true beyond a shadow of doubt. But, the thing is, depending on where you look, the more you learn, the more beautiful it can be. I think some of the best things about humanity are their sense of wonder and their boundless potential. I want a little of that for Zeug, too - and I think this song captures it.
In my opinion, possibly one of the best robot songs. It’s a little bit unwieldy, perhaps. The chorus especially evokes for me the helplessness of a new personality, previously governed by numbers and routines, coming into contact with the random and sometimes self-endangering boldness of... well, humanity, I guess! They don’t always have reasons for why they do things, but you can’t help but like them anyway - and if they won’t look out for their own well-being, maybe it’s a job for a baby robot.
Erik Satie - Gymnopédie No.1
This is a song like melancholy nurseries in the moonlight - close, quiet, reflective. To me it captures the sound of the kinds of thoughts you get lost in at night - the “I’m the only one like me I know” thoughts and the “the world is so big, how could I possibly fit anywhere in it?” thoughts. But it also has a feeling which suggests being safely ensconced. When the night is over and you face the new day, you realize you weren’t as far from the people who care as it felt like you were.
melodysheep - Symphony of Science - A Glorious Dawn
It’s gonna sound silly, but when I first found this series of songs, it felt like I could finally understand what people saw in religious hymnals and what-have-you. The world can be so scary, that’s true beyond a shadow of doubt. But, the thing is, depending on where you look, the more you learn, the more beautiful it can be. I think some of the best things about humanity are their sense of wonder and their boundless potential. I want a little of that for Zeug, too - and I think this song captures it.
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