(Music. LOGO)
Hellooo, everybody! Hello Butters, hello butters! The time has finally come
for me to wrap up my playlist for The Savior's Champion. For those of you who are new here,
I like to write and conceptualize while listening to music. I find that it helps
me visualize the world and the action, and it stimulates my creativity. Because of this
I have a playlist devoted to writing, and I also pair certain songs to specific scenes,
while I'm writing a particular novel. Due to popular requests, I decided to break down
the playlist I listened to while writing The Savior's Champion. This is the last installment
of the series which means I am covering chapters twenty-one through twenty-eight,
aka the end. If you miss the first few videos, I've got them linked below. And if you haven't
read The Savior's Champion, this video, along with all the others, are filled with spoilers,
but you should have probably already been able to piece that together by now. With that said,
let's buckle up and dive right into the last eight chapters of TSC. The first chapter for today is
chapter twenty-one, which has absolutely no song tied to it. So, there's that. Let's move on to
chapter twenty-two. (Song playing: Take Out The Gunman by Chevelle) Take Out The Gunman is paired
with the wolves challenge in chapter twenty-two. I really love this song, I feel like it has a lot
of interesting nuances that work with the scene in different ways. First of all, the slow tension of
the song reminds me of the challenge as a whole. The men are navigating a maze in total darkness,
and one wrong move can get them shot with an arrow or eaten by wolves. No big deal. It's that quiet
intensity with bursts of action that makes this song feel so fitting. Lyrically the song reminds
me of two characters: Kaleo and Orion. Kaleo is tasked with taking out Tobias, so in his mind,
Tobias is the mark. On the flip side, Orion is the gunman of The Sovereign’s Tournament. He's
the Archer, and he's the one who inevitably gets taken out. Sorry about it. (Song playing:
The Letter by Acceptance) At this point in the story Orion is dead,
and Tobias is an absolute mess. This is ultimately the moment that sets Tobias spiraling towards his
breaking point. It's not normal to watch people you care about get slaughtered,
and Tobias has done this multiple times throughout a period of a few weeks. The
reason I chose the song is because even though this is a sad scene, it would have been so
much worse if Tobias was suffering alone, but he's not, he has Leila. Trauma is a shit show,
but when you have someone to lean on during your time of weakness, someone who allows you
complete vulnerability, that can make all the difference. This is yet another situation that
bonds Tobias and Leila so deeply, and I feel like this song reflects that. (Song playing:
The Letter by Acceptance) It's sad but hopeful in equal parts. (Song playing:
Alone Together by Fall Out Boy) Alone Together is tied with the gallery scene
in chapter twenty-three, and I also feel like this song is best reflective of Tobias and
Leila’s romance throughout the entirety of TSC. They are both troubled souls,
Tobias has no idea what's in store for his future. He definitely thinks he won't be going home, and
both of them are facing the possibility of death on a near daily basis. But amid all this bullshit,
they have found love and happiness in being alone together. Even though this is an upbeat song,
I feel like there's an underlying sadness, which is a perfect pairing for the gallery scene. Tobias
and Leila are having fun, they're going over artwork and poetry, they're being adorable.
But ultimately this moment is happening because Orion is dead and Tobias is depressed. Leila is
just trying to lift his spirits because she's the best girlfriend in the world,
and we should all aspire to be more like her. The next chapter is chapter twenty-four, which
is to Tobias’ inevitable breaking point. He gets blackmailed and threatened, has a panic attack,
and amid all of his anxiety, ends up breaking up with the love of his life. I don't really
have a song associated with this chapter. So on to the next. (Song playing: Determined by Mudvayne)
Determined is my song choice for the hand-to-hand combat scene in the rain in chapter twenty-five.
I'm gonna be honest, I'm not crazy about the song, but it fits the scene perfectly. Come on! This
is another situation where I choreographed the entire fight to the song itself. Beat by beat,
I can see every move unfolding perfectly. When the lyrics first begin with a resounding go, that's
when the men meet in the center of the garden with a major crash. But my absolute favorite
part is that split second of quiet that leads into 1,2,3 go! This is when Tobias zeroes in on Drake,
lunges for him, and takes him the fuck down. (Song playing: Determined by Mudvayne) It's no secret
that this was my favorite fight in The Savior's Champion. It was actually my favorite fight that
I've ever written. I just felt like this captured the rage within Tobias so well, as well as the
sheer chaos of the moment. (Song playing: The Only Time by Nine Inch Nails) The Only Time by Nine
Inch Nails is the song that I have paired with the scene where Tobias gets shit faced in chapter
twenty-six. And I feel like it's fairly obvious why. Most of you already know Nine Inch Nails is
one of my absolute favorite bands, and this is in part because I find them very relatable. And
this is a song that I personally heavily associate with depression. It’s this feeling of giving up,
you’ve ran out of fucks to give, and not in a good way. It's very self deprecating. (Song playing:
The Only Time by Nine Inch Nails) This is the feeling I associate with Tobias in this
moment. He's been struggling with mental illness throughout the entire book. All of the trauma he's
experienced is weighing on him, and at this point, he's drowning his depression in wine,
hoping that it'll either kill him, or help him to feel literally anything else. (Song playing:
Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails) Terrible Lie is the song I have associated with Tobias’
reward with Cosima in chapter twenty-six. Not just because the entire reward is a terrible lie, but
because of the overall feeling of the song. (Song playing: Terrible Lie by Nine Inch Nails) This is
Tobias’ ‘fuck it’ moment. He's trying so hard to do everything he's supposed to do, but everything
about this reward feels wrong and hateful, and extremely violating. The way the song builds very
slowly into something much more aggressive, is a great mirror into how Tobias is feeling in this
moment. He starts out very calm and contained, but the more Cosima harasses and manipulates him,
the more his resentment rises, and his patience frays. (Song playing: Losing It All by Anberlin)
This is the song I used for the kiss and make up scene in chapter twenty-six. Tobias runs
into Leila’s room, they fight, he grovels for forgiveness, and then they almost screw. This
is one of my favorite scenes in the book, because I love romance, okay. Fight me. I live for shit
like this. I want a tearful reconciliation. I want raw vulnerability. I want them to embrace,
and love one another, and be good to one another. (Song playing: Losing It All by Anberlin) I like
this all for this moment because it's an accurate reflection of how Tobias is feeling. (Song
playing: Losing It All by Anberlin) Tobias has pretty much accepted that being with
Leila is blasphemy, and he's probably gonna get fucked over for it. But he chooses her anyway,
because he loves her. The mix of sadness and romance is a song I felt was a perfect mirror
for the scene. The characters start off bawling their eyes out, and end up falling asleep in
one another's arms. My heart. (Song playing: Falling Away From Me by Korn) This is the song
I have paired with the dungeon scene and chapter twenty-seven when Kaleo is torturing Tobias.
I'm gonna give you one guess as to why I chose this song in particular for this scene. (Song
playing: Falling Away From Me by Korn) Outside of the blatantly obvious, I really love how
this song begins because at least to me, it mirrors Tobias waking up in the dungeon. He's
confused and concussed, and then reality hits him right in the face and he realizes, oh shit,
I am shackled and gagged. Similarly, the music starts off soft and hazy and then it
just comes crashing in. (Song playing: Falling Away From Me by Korn) Additionally, the song is
kinda creepy. The overall vibe is dark and sinister in a way that, at least to me,
reads as kind of psychotic which is perfect cuz Kaleo’s here, what are the odds! (Song
playing: The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy) This is the song I chose for the climax of TSC. Tobias is
battered and broken, but he still has to survive a hedge-maze still with tons of traps and trials.
Then he's gotta battle Kaleo and Flynn in the arena, and somehow try not to die. No pressure.
Fortunately for him, he's been blessed to shit with Savior healing magic, or else he'd be DOA.
I think the song is very climactic, it has a powerful cinematic feel. And like with most of
my fight scenes, I choreograph all of the action directly to the song because come on, it has the
perfect pacing and intensity for a fight scene. Of course I did. Additionally, a lot of lyrics just
felt very appropriate given the situation. (Song playing: The Phoenix by Fall Out Boy) Hellooo.
Also to get very overt with the metaphors, this is a very phoenix-esque moment for Tobias. He's been
broken down emotionally and physically, and now he is rising up into something capable and powerful.
This is the part where Tobias finally learns to accept the darker side of himself, and recognize
it as something necessary and good. Shit aint black and white, the world exists in shades of
gray, and you need the darkness to survive. (Song playing: Take Me As You Found Me by Anberlin)
This song is so melodramatic and cheesy. But I don't care, it's romantic. Chapter twenty-eight
is the resolution of the story, and while some things are left up in the air, the most important
thing to nail down is whether or not Tobias and Leila are going to end up together. Leila has just
revealed her secret to Tobias, and one that will either make or break the relationship, and she
is terrified. If Tobias doesn't accept her, being heartbroken is the least of her troubles cuz she
could literally die. (Song playing: Take Me As You Found Me by Anberlin) Kind of on the nose,
don't you think? Of course Tobias grasps the severity of the situation. He accepts her for
who she is, and he whisks her off on an adventure that will ultimately be the plot of book three
of the series. So that’s it! The TSC playlist is finally done. There are of course more songs that
fit the individual characters of TSC, or songs that I felt fit the overall vibe of the story,
but these are the songs that I have paired with specific scenes. And this is just how
I visualize shit. Music makes the creative juices flow. Don't forget to subscribe to my
channel. I post new videos on Wednesdays. And if you wanna be alerted as SOON as I upload,
ring that bell. The Savior's Champion is available in ebook, paperback, hardback, signed hardback,
as well as audiobook. If you are new to audiobooks you can listen to TSC on Audible for free. I have
the information listed below. Check it out, do it now, yeah! And be sure to follow me on social
media. I'm on Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, and of course you can tweet me @JennaMoreci! Bye!
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