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The soundtrack for Severity’s sequel, Severity Nexus: Second Semester. I was lucky enough to get the chance to contribute to this passion project, much less compose seven new tracks for it. In essence, it’s a continuation of the first campaign, but running through alternate universes.
I will admit that I have grown quite attached to Severity, despite never even attending a session! The Dungeon Master, my friend Brody, is nothing less than a creative genius—despite being derivative, I’m always amazed at what I hear goes on in those Sunday sessions…
Anyway, without rambling too long, I was happy to work more closely with the players this time around, with three of the new tracks being player character themes. Of course, in true DELTARUNE fashion, we are but outside observers of their true nature—these characters, this world exists long after the ANGELS stop observing. So I can’t earnestly say these themes are the characters—it’s just our perspective of them, from Heaven.
I also got to incorporate many more leitmotifs! If you listen closely, you’ll notice a few:
- Theme of Severity — This is the theme of the campaign. Heard in University Life from the original, as well as Alternate University, DEATH OF THE AUTHOR, and Our Ending.
- Theme of Kaynbyn — This is the theme of Kaynbyn University. Heard in University Life from the original, as well as Alternate University.
- Theme of the Chucklefucks — This is the theme of the PC’s party. Heard in each As Heaven Sees (blank) character theme, DEATH OF THE AUTHOR, and Our Ending.
- Player characters’ leitmotifs — The melodic expression of how each character is seen, from HEAVEN’s point of view… Heard in each As Heaven Sees (blank) character theme, with cameoes in DEATH OF THE AUTHOR.
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Alternate University
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A new spin on the previous campaign's 'towny' theme, playing within the new universe's alternate Kaynbyn. Without the influence of the ANGELS, this world is quite different, and I wanted to portray that through this theme. It has a more somber, ambient feeling than the original University Life. The new leitmotif here is Light & Night by Tally Hall.
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As Heaven Sees Fram
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The theme of Fram Galax, as he is observed from Heaven. The inspiration track here was Stranded Lullaby, and my direction given was to 'make it sound more classical'. So that I did. I wanted to make this theme the most 'uplifting' of the 3, given what I knew about the other two characters, filling in the missing archetype felt like a good choice. And of course, it features the main party's theme at the end...!
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As Heaven Sees Ghez
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The theme of Ghez, as he is observed from Heaven. The inspiration track here was Isle Unto Thyself, and I kept the upbeat nature through-and-through. Ghez is the friend who always keeps the energy, despite being less physically able. If it helps paint a picture, Ghez is the 'sporty' friend. (Fun fact: I hid the Snowgrave sound effect at the end. This is because Ghez's player is an expert at Snowgrave no-hit runs, causing some fun story moments...)
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As Heaven Sees Vivian
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The theme of Vivian Phlogiston, as she is observed from Heaven. The inspiration track here was Murders, which I felt would translate well into a dark and brooding theme. You can think of Vivian as the polar opposite of Ghez—starting out as a lone ranger, introverted, bully. But she grew over time, becoming the 'glue' of the group when they wanted to give up.
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Enter the Nexus
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This track basically plays before the final boss. After traversing the final few AUs, with the ANGEL's SIGIL looming in the sky, the party breaks through the cracks. I was heavily inspired by The Id from Earthbound: Halloween Hack, and this track is basically just Severity's version of that. It features a few melodies found in the final boss track.
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DEATH OF THE AUTHOR
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The final boss theme, fought against the Dungeon Master of Mystery...!? Basically, W.D. Gaster has managed to trap his precious ANGEL, the DM, in a new vessel in order to reach Heaven. The party must defeat this divine being, hence: death of the author. There are a LOT of leitmotifs here, few of which will be obvious: first, there's many melodies from a very old Self-Insert MEGALOVANIA for the DM [link], as well as his Vs. Susie [link]. Three sections are dedicated to each PC, and then one for the party as a whole. There is one section which plays a quick break-beat rendition of Labyrinth by Miracle Musical, as well as The Mind Electric (and its demo 4 [link]). Finally, there are a few original melodies here and there. This track was a fun one, honestly.
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Our Ending
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This is the ending track for Second Semester, and Severity Nexus as a whole. It's based off of An Ending. from Undertale, but using melodies close to Severity, such as its main theme, and then an powerful tribute the party's theme. I really wanted to play this live, but there just wasn't enough time for me to practice... so I ended up recording with a MIDI controller and fixing the mistakes manually. Oops. Anyway, this song got me emotional when I was making it... I'm going to miss this project...!
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