MIGHTY NEIN PLAYLIST: YASHA #2

Welcome to the first installment of an all-new set of Mighty Nein playlists celebrating the journey of change our adventurer’s have experienced throughout the campaign thus far. First off we have Yasha, our favorite freshly-feathered Aasimar barbarian.

Our playlists are curated carefully by each Critical Role cast member and our previous character playlists can be found on Spotify via the official Critical Role account or you can listen to the playlist embedded below. The rest of this Mighty Nein installment will roll out weekly on Fridays.

And now, turning it over to our very own soft rage-monstah, Ashley Johnson.

Angel by Massive Attack

Starting us off with a bass-y mood and a throw back. Yasha is a dark angel after all. Mainly because she’s Metal AF. She’s soft and tender but Yasha carries a darkness with her. In some ways, it’s what has kept her going. The feral beast of survival. She’s a barbarian through and through.

The Hearse (Stripped) – Matt Maeson

Yasha is constantly trying to move forward, but sometimes the blood on her hands feels too heavy. Even sleep doesn’t provide solace. Dreams of her old life, splintered images of what she did with Obann, and Zuala, always Zuala. Getting further and further from her old life, not wanting to go backwards. Each step forward gets easier and easier to forgive, just a little.

Lucky by Aurora

As we know, Yasha doesn’t believe in luck. She’s been through a lot, yet something keeps bringing her back. Becoming a follower of the Stormlord, she knows he saved her… For something. She is still alive and sometimes, as we’ve seen, that tortures her. But she’s starting to find some things to live for. Her purpose may just be to protect those things. And that is something she knows how to do.

It’s Hard To Be Human by Kina Grannis

It’s so hard to get life right. Yasha tries so hard to do the right thing. For someone who can lose their way fairly easily, it can feel impossible. But she’d rather fail forward.

Graceland Too by Phoebe Bridgers

Yasha has been on a journey to find purpose and most of all, a home. In that search, Yasha is slowly realizing, it’s not a place. Home is family. Home is acceptance. Home is love. Home is the Mighty Nein.

Dancing With Your Ghost by Sasha Sloan

Every night I’m dancing with your ghost…

Mystery Of Love by Sufjan Stevens

Love is painful. Love makes you yearn. Love can be a mystery. It’s so hard to let it go. But, if you’ve found it once, you can always find it again.

Song For Zula by Phosphorescent

(Close enough :)) Zuala was the strongest and bravest soul Yasha has ever known. She was bold in how she loved. Courageous. A fighter and a warrior. She still urges Yasha forward. To explore. To live. To love. Yasha will carry Zuala with her forever and always.

Let Me Hold You by Nick Wilson

Yasha has so much love in her heart and she’s built a wall around it. Not to protect it, but because she’s scared to let it out again. She feels deeply and is trying to forgive herself. She has feelings of want. She has feelings for someone and is trying to figure out what to do with those. But sometimes, those feelings are strong. She wants in a primal way. And…That’s complicated.

Mr. Rattlebone by Matt Maeson

Yasha’s relationship with Obann is confusing, to say the least. He controlled her to do his bidding. Bringing out those feral parts of her that she so desperately tried to bury. Matt has compared Obann to Purple Man and that feels like the perfect description. Yasha hates Obann, but because of the mind control, there are difficult feelings hidden in there. He celebrated the bad parts of her. The parts that she feels make her strong and dangerous. He made her do bad things…But he cared for her in weird ways. It was an abusive relationship that left her traumatized, as we could see.

I Found by Amber Run

When Yasha was finally freed, when the mind-control was lifted, it took her a long time to heal. Obann is now her warning sign. Mighty Nein had compassion for her and took her back in, even after almost killing Beau. They showed her love. But forgiving yourself takes a lot more time…

See Her Out (That’s Just Life) by Francis & the Light

Yasha coped in ways that were not healthy, as we saw. A cage she didn’t know how to free herself from. In life, it’s so much easier to punish yourself for mistakes than it is to forgive. But sometimes, SOMETIMES, love makes it through the cracks. The greatest balm for certain wounds, for healing, is love and acceptance.

Warrior by Aurora

When you are lifted up with love, that’s when you can see your potential. I feel like this is the perfect song for Yasha. These lyrics are perfect. Let love conquer your mind.

Smack My Bitch Up – Prodigy

Time to rage, bitches.

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex

Hey, I get two attacks.

Pussy is God by King Princess

Favored Terrain. Sry not sry.

Queendom – Harp Version by Aurora

This harp song feels appropriate for Yasha.

See You Again by Elle King

Molly. Yasha will not leave you behind.
“It’s been a long day without you, my friend. And I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again.”

Playlist art by @Jeleynai