The Bard Arcana

A BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to J.R.R. Tolkien

Born on this day in 1892, the Professor himself would be 134 years old today — and somehow his worlds still feel younger, deeper, and more alive than most stories written in the modern age.

Author, linguist, soldier, scholar, and accidental architect of modern fantasy, Tolkien didn’t just write books, he built a mythology.

He gave us Middle-earth, languages with grammar and history, songs that feel ancient, and heroes both small and mighty. Without him, fantasy as we know it simply wouldn’t exist, Including those set in the 41st millennium (Emperor be Praised).

So please raise a glass of Miruvor, or suitable substitute with me, to celebrate the man himself on his birthday.

Thank you JRR Tolkien for your enduring tales and the inspiration that has shaped thousands of worlds, with your words becoming the very literary definition of High Fantasy. Your legend continues.

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 14

The Bard Arcana

Here's wishing you all a Mighty Merry Christmas!!

1 month ago | [YT] | 11

The Bard Arcana

9 years later this still cracks me up.

Totally worth a click.

https://youtu.be/Cx8sl2uC46A?si=uH0z3...

3 months ago | [YT] | 3

The Bard Arcana

Hey folks, old guard and new faces alike, welcome!
First off, thank you. Seriously. Every comment, like, and share keeps this channel alive and roaring. The support from all corners, from the halls of Gondor to the grim darkness of the 41st Millennium — truely means the world to me.

As you might have noticed, I’ve made a few changes around here. I’ve removed all the Shorts from the channel. Taking snippets out of full songs and dropping them between random clips just didn’t sit right. It felt jarring especially when doomscrolling so I’ve held my hands up: lesson learned, won’t happen again. They’re gone for good.

Now, about the playlists and content this channel has become quite the diverse fellowship over time. I know not everything appeals to everyone, so to keep your feeds focused on what you actually enjoy, I’ve decided to begin the process of removing a few side projects: the game songs and playlist, the sci-fi playlist, and the translated & rescored collection. Some of those older tracks are definitely hit and miss but I guess it's all part of the journey!

That said, if there’s genuine interest in keeping any of that stuff, I’ll happily keep it around. If not, we’ll retire it gracefully and double down on what truly matters: Tolkien and the Emperor.

I’m always up for a chat if you’ve got ideas, requests, or even want me to revisit an older song that could use more lore or a modern polish, let me know! I love hearing your thoughts, and some of the best tracks have come straight from community suggestions.

Oh, and before I forget I’m toying with the idea of a Warhammer Fantasy playlist (the real one, not that Age of Sigmar nonsense) if there’s enough interest. Let me know if that sounds like your cup of mead.

Once again, thank you all for sticking around, supporting, and keeping this weird little corner of the internet alive.


Stay weird, stay loud, and I’ll see you in the next one.

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 8

The Bard Arcana

I challenge any one who is in a band to cover any one of my songs. Whether you are on a mission to mt doom or sailing the vastness of the warp. Feel free to use the lyrics or tweak them as you see fit.

I would love to see what you can do or how you would bring them life. Just tag me in the video. Stay weird 👍

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 4

The Bard Arcana

Hear me, o faithful subscribers, both ancient and newly sworn!

To those who have stood by me since the First Age of this channel—when uploads were scarcer than loyal Word Bearers—I thank you. You are the Gondorians at the walls of Minas Tirith, the last guards at the Eternity Gate, stubbornly refusing to unsubscribe even when common sense told you otherwise.

And to all new souls who have wandered in, welcome! You are as brave as hobbits leaving the Shire, or as doomed as a fresh Guardsman handed a flashlight and told it’s a “lasgun.” Either way, you’re in now—there is no turning back.

As always, please feel free to get involved. If there is something, someone, or someplace you want to hear about, I would love to know. If you’ve listened to the older songs and crave a revisit, speak! This is as much your channel as it is mine—our fellowship, our crusade, our long march through meme and melody alike.

I am also contemplating adding more squiggly bits—yes, the sorceries of additional wording animations, multiple pictures, perhaps even more cursed imagery to haunt the vids. I have refrained until now, fearing they might detract from the raw force of the music—but perhaps it is time.

And yes… I know I have not yet unleashed the epic final confrontation between the Emperor and Horus. The duel of the ages. The clash that makes Dagor Dagorath look like a bar brawl in Bree. It is in progress, but until it reaches the standard of both Terra and Valinor, I beg patience. Greatness must be forged, not rushed.

Finally—I am considering a Spotify channel. But only if there is true support, true desire, a voice loud enough to echo across the Black Library itself. So let me know, in the comments below: shall this music stride into the warp-streams of Spotify, or remain bound to YouTube’s shores like the Ring at the bottom of the Anduin?

Raise your mugs of amasec, or ale brewed in the Green Dragon, and know this: you are part of something far greater than yourselves—part of a channel so cursed, so blessed, that even the Eldar wouldn’t try to explain it.

Death to algorithms! Glory to subscribers! And above all… For the Emperor!

 

5 months ago | [YT] | 9

The Bard Arcana

This week on Battlestar Galactica.......


As you can see, we have rebranded. As this channel has organically grown, I have felt that whilst Tommy the Cat came from a place from the heart, it no longer resembled the channel it started out. With this in mind, I felt a new look and an update was needed. Through a rather chaotic D&D night, The Bard Arcana was born.

The rather annoying channel introduction will also be updated soon also.

With this in mind Id like to also take this moment to say thank you to all those that took a chance on Tommy The Cat and have stuck around since the beginning, you folks are the core of this channel and I really appreciate all the support, discussions, the debates and the general banter.

I would also like to say welcome to all those that have recently joined and invite you to add your own personal input to this channel. You have something you wanna hear, feel free to drop us a comment and ill do what I can, the nerdier the better. If you have found your way here through a single song or short, I would invite you to check out the playlist that it belongs too. Each song created is intended to be played as part of an entire playlist, hopefully you might find more of what you like. Perfect for an evening of painting models, wargaming, roleplaying, D&D or just chilling out.

Future Updates:

Bard of the Forge:

As an avid 40k lore aficionado, I can confirm that there are plenty more songs to add with the upcoming completion of The Bard of the Forge - Horus Heresy Series. Once we complete that epic saga, I will be moving on to more 40k lore focusing on the Primarch's, legions, factions and general awesomeness.

Bard of the Rings:

The Bard of The Rings series also comes from a place of deep respect and fascination. Keep an eye out for the upcoming Valar, Maia and Sons of Feanor content, with maybe a cheeky appearance from Azog, Gothmog and good ole Treebeard.

Bard of the Ages:

I figured it was finally time to actually do something with my history degree and create the epic Bard of the Ages Playlist, featuring some of the most important events in world history, not to mention some of the most humorous. Keep an eye out for future epic battles, world changing events and some downright, yet historically accurate shenanigans.

The Greatest Scifi Ever ...Maybe?! :

Keep an eye out for some of the greatest/Train wrecks of sci-fi cinema all rendered down into an amusing song. ill keep this under wraps for now as I dont want to spoil the next batch.

Anime - Translated and Rescored:

I have decided to retire this playlist for the time being. Whilst I am an avid anime geek I feel there is variation enough on the channel. That said if there is a demand Ill happily revisit this and add more content.

The other playlists are generally created on a whim often caused by a particular moment of creativity or an inappropriate amount of Rum.

If you enjoy these updates, ill do one once a month, let me know down below. With that all said, I welcome you all to The Bard Arcana and look forward to continuing on this weird Journey.

Take it easy all,

The Bard Arcana
(Formally TommytheCatOG)

8 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 5

The Bard Arcana

Oh my god, if I have to hear Abracadabra one more time I'm literally gonna .... Oh hey guys, how have you been? Welcome back to the one channel where you are not going to find trends, hacks, drama, goddamn dancing, people whoring themselves or copying, copying, copying, copying... This is a good wholesome channel, a safe space for all you nerds, Geeks and general weirdos who, like me are searching for perhaps something a little different. Yes, my music at times may be questionable, but it is always entertaining and at the very least the lyrics are not just nonsense gobbledygook ....well most of the time 😆. With that said, this week's Highlight is the The Best/Worst Sci-fi Ever!? Playlist. Full of original compositions celebrating the best/worst of the sci-fi genre. Whilst I feel my knowledge on such things is extensive it is by no means all inclusive so please feel free to suggest any sci-fi movie or show you would personally love to hear forcefully mangled into a song, got a specific genre in mind, no problem. You want an original take, a funny twist, my own personal opinion or a simple critique, well, I got you 😉 I also just want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and look forward to the continuation of this weird journey. Take it easy.

11 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 6

The Bard Arcana

This week's highlight is the Epic Tolkien playlist, covering everything from the first Age all the Way up to the Dagor Dagorath. This playlist comes from a deep interest from all things Tolkien related. The music covers events from the silmarillion, hobbit and lord of the rings, plus a few things here and there from Tolkien's other works. I hope you all enjoy it.

On another note, I just wanted to say thank you to all you beautiful people out there. I really appreciate the support. With that in mind, I will also make the promise that from henceforth I will generally post on a Sunday/Monday night instead of constantly bombarding your feeds. No one likes a Space hogger.

As a side note, feel free to make any suggestions. Is there something you would like to hear. Song about a particular game, 40k faction, Have a funny concept you want to throw at me, or even an anime theme that you want translated and Rescored. As Ive always said, this is as much your channel as it is mine and I am always up for something amusing. Take it easy and thank you again. 👍

1 year ago | [YT] | 9

The Bard Arcana

This week's highlight: currently working on a kick ass epic Warhammer playlist that would make even the Emperor proud. Each song has been inspired by the Horus Heresy Book series and shall be released in the order of the book releases. With rip roaring chords and heavy metal, it will entertain even the most depraved noise marine. Check out my channel playlist for more. That said, as we're an eclectic bunch here, there will also be more anime themes T & R, Sci-fi traversties and Epic Lord of the rings music also incoming. Stay tuned for more. Appreciate the support 👍

1 year ago | [YT] | 3