#but fe being the number 1 is pretty cool | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

starshine583 · 4 years ago

Text

New Girl on the Block (1)

(Hey guys! I finally got around to posting the first chapter of this! I hope you guys enjoy it, and please tell me if you’d liked to be tagged or want to read more! there’s also a mini-series of Journal Entries connected to this fic.)

Ch.2

Chapter 1: Happy Accidents

Rosemary Highschool, a private school for the truly gifted and the rich. Anyone who attended this facility was either poised and reserved, or uptight, or all of the above. Therefore, when a stuttering, stumbling raven-haired girl came tripping through their doors, it was only natural that the students became curious.

Felix couldn’t care less, if he was being honest. The girl was just another student, and he had better things to do than waste his time meddling in the personal life of a complete stranger.

His friends, however, did not share his sentiment.

“Did you hear?” Allegra asked as they walked to their lockers, her sky blue eyes wide with delight. She leaned forward slightly to catch a better view of their expressions, causing her golden braid to fall gracefully over her left shoulder.

“About the new student? Who didn’t?” Claude replied, wearing his usual grin.

“How do you think she got in?” Allan wondered aloud, fixing the green cap on his head in thought.

Felix rolled his eyes. His friends had always loved picking up on the latest gossip. He never understood why. Take this new student, for example. She hasn’t even finished enrolling in the school yet, but everyone’s already chattering relentlessly about her. Why? Because she was rumored to be clumsy? That was hardly an achievement, let alone something to be talked about by the entire school. So what was all the fuss about?

Allegra gasped, a smile lighting up her soft features. “Oh! We should show her around! This school is huge, so she’ll definitely need a guide. Plus, we can get the first scoop on her.”

“Absolutely not.” Felix finally cut in, giving her a sharp look. He refused to galivant around the school with a complete stranger while his classmates tried to pry into the poor girl’s personal life.

“We didn’t say you had to go.” Claude pointed out.

“But you should at least say hi.” Allegra hastily added, a motherly tone coming to her voice.

Felix scoffed. Right. He would say ‘hi’, then they would ‘convince’ him to stay- i.e. drag him by the collar -and he would end up going around the school with them anyway. He’d gotten used to their tricks by now.

Allan frowned in disapproval. “Come on, Fe. It’s the polite thing to do. We are her new classmates, after all.”

“Yeah, Fe, don’t be a jerk.”

“When am I ever not a jerk.” Felix retorted.

Claude smirked. “He’s got a point.”

“Felix.” Allegra pressed, fixing him with a stern glare and putting her hands on her hips.

Felix groaned, irritation prickling up to the forefront of his mind. What did it matter if he saw the new student? He wouldn’t be talking with her often, and they would probably meet later on during classes anyway. Why did they have to be so pushy?

He reached up to rub his temples and closed his eyes. If he couldn’t see them, it helped him imagine that they weren’t annoying him to the point of insanity.

“Alright, fine, but if any of you-”

Felix barely registered the hit. He heard his friends gasp, and the sound of his books and pencils scattering across the floor, and he felt the dull pain of someone smacking into him before he unexpectedly hit the ground.

Then his ears tuned into a light, yet panicked voice.

“I’m so sorry! I can’t believe I just did that- are you hurt? Do I need to call the nurse?”

Someone was talking to him. Well, they were more of rambling, really.

“Pardon?” He said, interrupting the person’s ramble as he rubbed his back. He glanced up to see a young girl kneeling on the ground in front of him. She was scrambling around on the floor- gathering up his books, he realized -and appeared to be even more disoriented than he was.

His question spooked her, apparently, because she jumped, and her eyes darted upwards. They were an overwhelming blue, bright and sparkling despite being filled with anxiety at the moment.

“I-I’m sorry!” She repeated, briefly setting the books down so she could nervously pull on the tips of her raven-colored pigtails.

Felix’s eyes widened.

Raven.

Claude stifled a laugh behind him.

“It’s not a problem.” Felix sighed, swiftly taking his books back from her and moving to retrieve the others. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid.

The ravenette furrowed her eyebrows, now bringing her hands down to play with the zipper of her black, half-sleeved jacket. “A-are you sure?”

He gave a short nod, scooping the rest of his books into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

“I wasn’t looking where I was going, and I ran into you. If anything, I should be the one saying sorry.” His tone was composed, calm, if only for the sake of dignity. Claude and Allegra were never going to let him live this down.

He picked up her small handbag, holding it out to her. “So, I apologize. I’ll be more careful next time, and I am willing to replace anything of yours that is broken.”

A wash of color came to her cheeks.

“Oh, That- that won’t be necessary, thank you.” She insured, taking the purse and clutching it to her chest.

Felix didn’t reply, instead using the brief pause to look her over. With her light pink capris and child-like pigtails, she didn’t exactly give off the impression of being rich or poised. Perhaps a relative bought her tuition? That’s happened before.

“Aw, look! Felix made a friend!” Claude’s snide remark broke Felix from his thoughts, and he shot the brunette a glare. That clown can never keep his mouth shut.

Allegra pushed past the two and extended a hand to the girl just as they got to their feet. “Hi! I’m Allegra. What’s your name?”

The girl smiled- which Felix found surprisingly pleasant -and took her hand. “Marinette. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Like the doll?” Allan asked curiously, stepping forward as well.

“Sort of, yes.”

“That’s pretty cool. I’m Allan, by the way.” He introduced himself, also shaking her hand. He then pointed behind him, towards Claude and Felix. “The one in the blue striped shirt is Claude, and the stiff board you just ran into is Felix.”

Felix hunched his shoulders slightly, a scowl tugging at the corner of his lips, but Marinette only laughed. It oddly reminded him of the sound of tinkling bells.

“You’re new here, right?” Allegra asked before Felix could snark off to Allan. “Mind if we show you around?”

A sigh of relief tumbled from Marinette’s lips. “Please do. This place is like a maze!”

Claude chuckled and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’ll make your head spin. We-”

“-Can start with the cafeteria.” Felix interrupted. The sooner they could start the tour, the sooner he could go home. “Then we’ll work our way around the classrooms.”

He spun on his heel, ignoring his friends’ smug smiles, and marched off. It wouldn’t take long for them to follow.

Allan was the first to catch up, throwing Felix a sly smirk as he whispered, “I thought you said you weren’t going to show her around.”

Felix shrugged. If he was going to suffer through the embarrassment of running into somebody, he might as well get something out of it. He would take her on a quick tour, and perhaps his friends wouldn’t feel the need to meddle in his social life for at least another month.

“We’re her new classmates, right?” He said. “We should exercise basic politeness and guide her through the school.”

Allan hummed. “Sounds like good advice. I wonder who could’ve told you that.”

“The name escapes me.” Felix replied, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. He stole a glance over his shoulder to the rest of the group. Marinette was talking cheerfully with Allegra now, her previous show of anxiety all but gone. She even looked a bit confident with the tripping matter settled. Isn’t that strange?

“...What else do you know about her?”

~~~~~~

When Maman suggested that Marinette start attending Rosemary Highschool, reluctance couldn’t begin to express how she’d felt. She’d heard the rumors, how the kids were spoiled, snobby brats, how the classes were just a room full of fancy trinkets to keep the kids satisfied for a while. Marinette honestly didn’t want any part of it, but at that point, any school was better than her old school. She simply couldn’t stand Lila’s schemes anymore, nor Adrien’s relentless pursuit of having them get along. As bad as Chloe’s bullying was, Marinette almost wished that she could go back to that time. At least then she’d still have friends. (Well, calling her old classmates “friends” would be over exaggerating now. At least then she wouldn’t have to deal with getting bullied from everyone at school.)

Either way, Marinette chose Rosemary over Dupont in a heartbeat, despite her uneasiness, and found that it actually wasn’t all bad. The endless halls were a bit confusing, but the classes were more advanced than others had let on, and though a select few of the students could be considered snobbish, everyone else seemed quite nice. A small group even offered to show her around. (After she ran into their friend, that is. Only Marinette could make such an embarrassing introduction.)

“I think that covers everything.” The girl of the group, Allegra, said. “But in case you’re still confused, I have a map for you.”

“A map?” Marinette echoed. She didn’t think they presented those at the school, though they probably should.

Allegra nodded and pulled a folded piece of paper from her school bag. “Claude gets lost all the time. So I started making maps for him. I have multiple maps because- typical Claude -he loses the maps too.”

“How was I supposed to know that it got mixed in with my history homework?” Claude, obviously the jokester amongst them, defended with a flail of his arms.

“If you ever need help,” Allegra continued, ignoring Claude’s comment as she scribbled something on the map, “feel free to text me.”

“Thank you so much.” Marinette smiled, peeking at the phone number that was now on the corner of the page.

“It’s the least we can do.” Allan, probably the most relaxed of the group, replied.

“It’s not as complicated as it looks. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it within a week.” Ah, yes. Then there was Felix, the poor boy she’d run into earlier. He’d been extremely mature about the matter, even insisting that it was his fault and that he’d pay for any of her damaged belongings. Naturally, she refused the offer, but it was a thoughtful gesture nonetheless.

“If not, you know where to find us.” Claude added, before scooping her hand into his and pressing a quick kiss to her knuckles. “But I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to you finding me for non-school related purposes as well.”

Allegra rolled her eyes with a sigh, and Allan pinched the bridge of his nose. Felix just scoffed, especially when Claude winked at the end.

Jokester and flirt of the group. Marinette thought with a smirk. In one quick motion, she slipped her hand out of Claude’s grasp and pushed him away by the tip of his nose.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” She said, flashing him a wry smile.

Claude stumbled back a step, clearly shocked by her reaction. Allan straight up laughed next to him, and Marinette, to her delight, caught a glimpse of Felix smirking.

“Oh, I like you.” Allegra snickered, slinging her arm over Marinette’s shoulders.

“So do I.” Claude grinned.

Allan, once his laughs died down, stepped forward. “Do you mind if I give you my number too? I can’t imagine not hanging out with you now.”

Marinette blushed from the compliment, but nodded and handed him the paper. Claude eagerly jumped at the opportunity and wrote down his number too. Then the boys turned to Felix.

“What about you, Fe? Are you giving her your number now or are you gonna beg for it later?” Claude asked, his grin turning devilish.

Felix shot him a glare- which he apparently did quite often. “I don’t beg.”

Allegra- ever the patient friend -let out a huff and shoved the paper into his hands. “For Pete’s sake, Felix, just write your number on the dang paper.”

“O-Only if you want to.” Marinette interjected. She didn’t want to cause a fight amongst them on her first day.

Felix’s glare faded slightly at her input, and he sighed.

“It’s fine. You would probably need it eventually, anyway.” He relented, plucking a pen out of his left vest pocket and jotting down his number on the paper too. Marinette smiled despite herself as she took the paper back. It was only her first day, but she’s already made four, lovely friends. She liked to think of that as a good sign.

“Have you gotten your class schedule, yet?” Allegra queried now that the phone number matter was settled.

Marinette shook her head. “I was actually trying to find it when I bumped into you guys.”

Claude snorted. “‘Bumped into’. Good one.”

Marinette giggled along with Allegra and Allan. She hadn’t meant it that way, but the irony was a bit humorous.

“Let us walk you to the office.” Allan requested. “The school tends to overcomplicate things, class schedules included.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to hold you guys up.”

Allegra waved her hand dismissively. “Classes are over for the day, and our drivers are paid to wait for us.”

Marinette furrowed her brows slightly. “Your drivers?"

“You know, the people who drive us to and from school and anywhere else we want to go.” Claude helpfully supplied.

So, like Gorilla. Marinette thought. It made sense. This was a school of kids who had fortunes of the same extent, if not greater than, the Agreste’s fortunes. If Adrien had a driver, then the students here would certainly have one too.

“You don’t have a driver, do you?” Allegra guessed.

Marinette glanced up at the blonde, a strange mix of surprised and embarrassed. Was it that obvious? Would it be weird in this school if she didn’t have a driver?

“Please don’t take that the wrong way.” Allegra rushed to add, noticing Marinette’s sheepish expression. “I’m just curious. We don’t get many students here who aren’t drowning in their own money.”

“That makes sense.” Marinette replied. The tuition for this school had been unbelievably high. “But no, I don’t have a driver. My family was granted an early scholarship for me to come here.”

Surprise flashed across the group’s faces, including Felix’s.

“Well, isn’t that interesting.” Claude muttered.

Marinette shrank back slightly. “I-I’m sorry-”

“No, don’t apologize.” Allan cut her off. “We’re just impressed.”

“Getting a scholarship here isn’t easy.” Allegra explained.

“I-It’s only in the fashion section.” Marinette admitted, fiddling with the ends of her bookbag.

Claude gasped, a sparkle coming to his chestnut eyes. "You're a fashion designer?!"

“Uh oh.” Allan smirked.

Allegra shot her an apologetic look. “I’d say that there’s an escape to this, but I don’t want to lie straight to your face on our first day of knowing each other.”

Marinette held back a smile. Did that mean she would lie to her face when they knew each other better?

“How many outfits have you designed? Can you sow outfits too? I’ve had a few ideas, but none of the other art students listen to me-” Comments and questions started spilling out of Claude left and right. Things about smeared pencil drawings, pricked fingers, and his strange obsession with ruffled, prince-like sleeves seemed to explode out of his mouth all at once. Marinette knew her rambles could fall on the fast side, but this was a whole other level.

“I’d have to look through my notebook, but I think the ruffles are doable.” Marinette managed to say when Claude paused to take a breath.

“Really?!” He exclaimed, going so far as to clasp his hands together with a grin.

She nodded, smiling herself. “I’m not sure how princely sleeves would fair on modern sleeves, though. They’d look much nicer on a full prince costume.”

Claude’s eyes bulged out of his head. “You would design a full suit for me?”

“I can’t promise that the fabric will be of good quality when I sow it, but yeah.”

Claude threw his fists in the air in celebration, and Allegra took the opportunity to lightly pull Marinette aside.

“You know you don’t have to do this, right?” She whispered. “Claude’s not going to be too disappointed if you decide to change your mind.”

Marinette’s smile softened. “Thanks, but I really don’t mind. I needed a new project to work on, anyway.”

Allegra studied her for a moment, then smiled as well. “Well, if you’re sure. He’s going to send you cars full of fabric though.”

She laughed. “Guess I’ll tell Maman to start clearing out the guest room.”

~~~~~~

Felix stared at his book, rubbing the corner of the page between his thumb and index finger. His phone buzzed relentlessly beside him on the arm of his recliner, no doubt the group chat that he'd been roped into. It was chaotic enough when it was just Allegra, Allan, and Claude, but now that they've added Marinette to the group, Felix wondered if his phone would ever be silent again.

He supposed he should have known better than to assume they would show Marinette around the school and be done with her. Allegra, Allan, and Claude were always overly friendly. However, he also couldn’t say that he minded having her around either. At least, not for the time being. She was considerate enough not to push his buttons and lively enough to keep the others occupied. No more on-the-spot activities from Allegra and Claude to cure their boredom.

"They're chatty today." Bridgette, his mother, commented from the loveseat couch to his right.

Felix hummed in agreement. "A new student arrived at the school today."

"Is that what they're talking about?"

He shook his head. "It's who they're talking to. The leeches have already adopted her."

Bridgette chuckled. “You mean Allegra, Allan, and Claude?”

“Who else insists on sticking to me like glue?”

She tilted her head in a “True” gesture. “Who’s the new student?”

“Her name’s Marinette.” Felix answered, flipping the page of his book.

“Oh, that’s a unique name.” Bridgette replied thoughtfully.

Felix hummed in agreement. “She said it was supposed to be similar to the doll ‘Marionette’.”

“You talked to her?” Bridgette asked, surprise lacing her tone.

Felix resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew she didn’t mean to sound patronizing, but sometimes her questions irked him. For example, why wouldn’t he talk to the new student if Allegra and the others were? Even if he didn’t particularly enjoy human interaction, there was still such a thing as common courtesy.

..Which he supposed he didn’t usually have either.

Okay, maybe her question was more reasonable than he originally thought.

“Yes, I actually ran into her while we were walking down the hall.” He finally said.

Bridgette tried- and failed -to hide her laugh. “You ran into someone? That’s not like you, Felix.”

Felix sighed, slipping a bookmark into his book so he could close it. “I’m aware. I was trying to ignore Allegra’s prodding when it happened.”

“I see. What did Marinette say?”

“She actually started apologizing.” Felix admitted. “Even though it was my fault, she picked up my books before tending to her own things and asked if I was alright.”

Bridgette smiled. “She sounds delightful.”

He nodded without thinking. “Allegra even invited her to our routine luncheon tomorrow.”

Felix missed the twinkle in his mother’s eyes as she said, “Wow, to your personal lunch? They must really enjoy her company. You’ll have to invite her over here sometime.”

“I’m sure Allegra will arrange it eventually.” Felix replied dismissively.

“Then I shall have to thank her when she does.” Bridgette remarked, standing up from the couch. Her fingers ruffled through his hair as she passed him. “I’m glad you had a good day at school, sweetheart.”

Felix almost objected, since he hadn’t necessarily claimed to have had a good day at school, but decided against it. There was no point in arguing, especially when his day had, in fact, been satisfactory. He’d met someone new, someone that intrigued him. (A rarity, indeed, but it was true.) In the short time they talked, Marinette had shown herself to be both kind and anxious, but also witty and confident. It was an interesting mixture that stuck out to him. What type of life must one live to create such a paradox of a personality?

Unfortunately, Allan and the others knew about as little as he did when it came to her. She was a new student that had a passion for fashion and a bright smile. That was all. This was why he’d elected to remain silent instead of sharply opposing Allegra’s inviting Marinette to their lunch. (The sly smiles that were thrown his way by Claude and Allan afterwards were above irritating, though.)

Nevertheless, Felix felt she was worth the teasing for now, because Marinette, in short, was a puzzle.

And Felix loved his puzzles.

#Felinette #Rosemary AU #New Girl On the Block #Felix Culpa #Quantic Kids #Marinette

651 notes · View notes

unidentified-moe-object · 2 years ago

Photo

I recently played through Book 1 of FE3, and I had much more fun with it than I was expecting. A few notes:

1. I’d say that FE3 probably has the best vibes of any FE game. This may be the SNES bias talking, though. The plot is fairly basic, as you’d expect from a remake of an NES game, but it’s enjoyable all the same. (Kaga fans will literally get attached to and make up headcanons for a character with two lines of dialogue from a video game from 1994. It’s me, I’m Kaga fans.)

2. This game looks and sounds really good. I really like the character portraits in particular, they’re a big step up from the NES versions and are great 90s fantasy anime character designs. The game has two player phase themes and one of those two is only used for the final map, and you think it’d get repetitive, but it’s a good map theme so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

3. The game is fairly player-phase focused, with most maps having a small number of strong enemies rather than a large number of weak enemies, most of your units being somewhat fragile (30 hp is a lot in this game), and Javelins/Hand Axes being kinda bad. I personally like this - I feel that for more enemy-phase focused games the optimal strategy is to give a strong paladin or flier a javelin and watch them go to town, and that’s a strategy that kinda puts me to sleep, and it doesn’t really work in this game, and I think that’s cool.

4. Class balance is pretty good in this game. Fliers are fairly dominant on outdoor maps but dismount means you can’t totally rely on them. Mercenaries are just all-around solid combat units. Cavaliers are alright but they have dismount to deal with and their combat stats aren’t quite as good as Mercs. Both playable unpromoted Mages come with busted Prf tomes - Merric is going to be your best bosskiller for a good while. There are enough powerful enemy fliers to give archers a decent niche, and enemies are strong enough for an armor to be a nice thing to have. Unfortunately, Kaga hated axes until FE5 so fighters can’t promote and are basically useless. Still, even considering that, this game has better class balance than most other games in the series.

5. Map design isn’t fantastic but it isn’t truly terrible either. A lot of the maps kinda frontload the challenge though - you beat all the most threatening enemies in the first 5ish turns then spend the rest of the map walking Marth to the seize point. This problem is kinda compounded by Marth being the only one who can visit villages, but Marth visiting villages does lead to some cool character moments like him breaking up the slave market or getting the Thoron tome from Camus. Also, if a map looks like it’d be truly aggravating, there’s always the warp staff - the game is pretty generous with warp uses. Chapters 7, 12, and 19 all got warpskipped in my playthrough lol.

6. The units I got the most use out of were Caeda, Ogma, Minerva, Linde, and Tiki. You’d think Caeda would need a bit of babying to get going, being an early-game pegasus knight, but she doesn’t, she’s just cracked from the word go. Linde required a bit of favoritism to get going, but I slapped a couple of stat boosters on her because I wanted her to kill Gharnef and she took off from there. Also, I really like how Manaketes work in this game and wish that would come back (although of course Laguz work similarly in the Tellius games.)

Anyway, good game, probably the earliest FE game that’s worth going back to, now onwards to Book 2!

#media diary tag #fire emblem #fe3 #mystery of the emblem

6 notes · View notes

goblincave666 · 3 years ago

Text

analyzing tw personality types number 1: corey bryant - ISTP 5w6 sx/sp

hey thats his lacrosse number

so yea he was underdeveloped but i’m gonna try to explain my reasoning. i will probably also do liam, mason, theo and stiles and then maybe some other lads if i don’t give up at that point

also if you dont know what these numbers and letters mean: ISTP is mbti, ti/ne/se whatever is mbti theory, 5w6 is enneagram, and sx/sp is the enneagram subtypes. this post assumes you know more abt it so this is more intended for tw fans experienced with personality theories/personality theory tumblrs that happen to know about tw. cool? cool.

side note: trust me when i say i know what i’m talking about, i used to video edit & i have made so many scenepacks of this invisible fuck that i can quote MANY lines & tell you exactly what he does from start to finish. doubt my mbti knowledge, not my knowledge on side character lore >:)

auxiliary se

we’re starting with se because i can explain ti/fe in the same section & struggled to explain one without the other.

so people generally tend to characterize se as being physically active and aware of your surroundings which uhh isn’t it??? at all??? it’s just being straight to the point and surface level. of course ni helps istps with underlying themes, but their first instinct is gonna be to perceive reality without underlying themes. it’s just plain old vanilla reality.

despite corey consistently defying the se related stereotypes and playing right into the INxP inattentive can’t see shit in front of himself stereotype, he thinks like an auxiliary se user. when mason talks to him about the good guys vs bad guys dichotomy, he just mentions that he wants to stay alive and theo’s side seems to be the best way to do that. intuitives might pick up on underlying themes and patterns more, but corey literally does not give that a second thought. this could also be because of death “darkening his soul” or whatever the show tried to explain half-assed though.

so let’s look at more examples:

>genuinely getting absolutely nothing out of the schrödinger’s cat lesson multiple times. usually not being able to keep up with mason’s rants about things until mason directly explains what they mean. this might’ve been throwaway if it happened once, but it happens a lot. i know not being good at school has nothing to do with cognitive functions, but everything being explained to him are FIGURATIVE concepts, ones not based in concrete reality; xSxPs can find figurative stuff tedious or a waste of time.

>being able to 20/20 see how screwed up beacon hills is and wanting to leave immediately, not even remotely excited about the possibilities of the supernatural. like i know he got his ass kicked multiple times before he could even register that maybe the supernatural would be cool, but i think an ne user might be like “woah what else is there” or smth, even in a morbidly curious way. corey does not give a shit about that. he wants to leave because shit’s demonstrably dangerous as hell.

>”your friends aren’t my friends” is pretty surface level. like dude liam has been mason’s best friend for their entire childhood presumably, or at least since 6th grade. (to be fair liam was also being a douche. they were both douches. douche solidarity.)

>he literally disappears immediately with mason in 5x18. he isn’t taking any chances with scott after, i don’t know, scott claws him in the neck and generally doesn’t give him any help despite helping hayden loads. i’ll come back to this topic one day bc while i like scott as a character (but not a protagonist) this WAS a fucked situation in general. basically se>ne for this too bc for all he knew scott could’ve killed mason & he wasn’t taking his chances like an ne user might.

(please don’t attack me i’m not a scott anti)

>”i just wish i could help her, you know, to-“ — “be alone?” mason is clearly ignoring that lydia told him and corey to shut the fuck up MANY times when he was still there helping, and corey quickly brings him back to reality by saying she literally would do better without their help.

so basically tldr he thinks more literally and concrete than about possibilities than an INxP, even if he has stereotypical INxP energy lol

tertiary ni

so ni users have this thing called “ni tunnel vision” where they can’t see possibilities around them that might be actually viable. the same way si users are so stuck in what worked before that they can’t see what COULD’VE worked. etc etc etc. i have the most rusty idea of ni so if this doesn’t make any sense i will not be even remotely surprised.

but basically you NEVER see corey consider multiple perspectives or ideas. he narrows things down, and that’s the difference between ne and ni. ne expands and can get carried away with all the possibilities, ni narrows and focuses too hard sometimes. it “just knows” things and often doesn’t have concrete reasoning.

so some swaggy ni examples (forewarning, i am kinda grasping at straws. while ti-se seemed obvious to me, ni is pretty hidden & barebones.)

>being hellbent on leaving until he actually needs to stay to help at the lacrosse game, and even that took convincing from mason

>i know “hunches” are one of the dumbest ni stereotypes, but ne/si users might not even be able to catch onto hunches they have, and might think “oh well it just could’ve been this lol.” the fact that he’s sure some shit went down at the library in 6x2 & doesnt consider another possibility seems kinda ni to me??

>honestly the best point i can use to prove the existence of ni is that he uses se. keep in mind that i’m using like 30 minutes of screentime to justify what i’m saying here and ni is the least obvious function for him (and generally a really weird/hard function to spot anyways)

dominant ti/inferior fe

so while i waffle a bit with the n vs s dichotomy for corey, i know DAMN well he’s an IxTP at the very least because of the glaring dominant ti and inferior fe.

at the beginning of the show he tries as hard as he can to stay away from the supernatural. he doesn’t consider the fact that the others might need his help, and he doesn’t ask them for help either. he DOES come to book club, but states that he’s only on chapter 1, and after scott claws him in the neck he’s just about done with helping.

up until 5x10 he pretty much only shares stuff he discovers with mason. in 5x7 (i think) he does look into how the sting he got mysteriously healed, but it takes mason’s intervention for him to even open up about it, and it takes mason’s intervention again for him to try out weights before he subsequently dies. so he’s a generally uninvolved person.

he even tries to go off on his own from the PACK THAT RESURRECTED HIM & asks mason out, and is only thrwarted from this when theo threatens him with sort of a “i brought you back, i can just as easily kill you again” type shtick and then yeah i mean i’d help too. dying doesn’t seem ideal.

basically ti dom/fe inferiors stay pretty uninvolved and personally autonomous. they don’t need a lot of interaction, come off pretty introverted, and usually prefer to be left alone. they can actually come off mean/cold unintentionally, since fe is literally based in group values.

which brings me to my next point. he definitely does come off mean/cold unintentionally.

>”you like me, go out with me.” corey says as the guy he’s allied with literally almost got mason’s best friend to MURDER his alpha

>explaining why him and the others have to “leave” in 5x15 to mason very matter of fact. he’s sad, and he does throw in the let me protect you line, but anyone without feeling in the inferior position would approach that conversation with more tact yk

>”they’re just rumours. they don’t know anything.”— “they know everything.” liam literally asks corey why he only shows up when there’s bad news because he’s so blunt about the situation throughout 6x14.

>6x2 is a good ti vs fi conflict (with mason’s fe on the side since he’s inbetween liam and corey.) liam gets mad at corey in kind of a moralistic way, angry that he didn’t try to help hayden and mason more during the fight against the beast, when corey just remarks that he literally wasn’t physically capable of doing anything useful. & liam doesn’t take that for an answer at first bc he tries to do the right thing & he’s kinda stubborn yk. liam’s definitely more idealistic in that way, and i think it shows how matter of fact corey is by contrast and why he doesn’t really comment on liam’s feelings at all.

another interesting thing to note in the difference between INTPs and ISTPs: ISTPs are (stereo)typically colder. INTPs can actually end up seeming a little nicer/softer than ISTPs, because INTPs can use their ne to sense underlying social patterns, even if they end up awkward and scattered. ISTPs have the double whammy of inferior fe and se seeing everything as just the way it is. this is why “your friends aren’t my friends” and “you like me, go out with me” are very se/inferior fe examples. corey doesn’t see underlying themes as easily, and the inferior fe makes that even worse.

(also if any of this came out harsh, i literally have inferior fe too. this is me personally attacking myself. i will also roast the other characters about their inferior functions so dont you worry)

enneagram 5w6

i’m still considering 9w8 as a valid option for his ennea too, but there are a few reasons why i lean a bit more into 5.

first of all: triads!! remember that they actually do mean things.

what triads do 9 belong to? positive outlook, attachment, and withdrawn.

withdrawn totally checks out. he’s an introverted guy. he literally turns invisible when confronted. if that isn’t the most withdrawn triad shit idk what is.

but things get a bit muddy when we move into the other 2. attachment triad types struggle to separate themselves from others, and after what i discussed before, i think corey has the opposite problem. positive outlook types have a positive outlook. enough said. he’s pretty far from optimstic.

what triads do 5 belong to? competency, rejection, and withdrawn again. i’m damn near certain he’s withdrawn.

competency fits. reactive could kinda work too, but i think competency works the best. when stressed competency types kinda just work as hard as they can & focus on what they can do. corey doesn’t seem to fall into his emotions like a reactive type would, nor does he literally ignore reality like a positive outlook type. he also visibly worries about his ability to do things, like in 6x3 when he had to fight for the first time, and in 6x15 when he’s upset about having stood by while liam “got his ass kicked.”

and rejection is what sold it for me. his family seems neglectful, judging by the fact that they didn’t notice him literally dying. even if that was an exaggeration on corey’s part, you don’t say stuff like that about parents lightly, so they obviously lack some sort of care that parents generally provide. rejection types basically learn at some point in their childhoods that they have to fend for themselves and need to learn how to do that yk. 2s generally try to help everyone else & resist help from others (even if they secretly want affection back,) 8s refuse help because vulnerability feels like weakness and weakness leads to being controlled, and 5s observe the world around them and don’t know how to ask for help or reach out.

so about 5s in general and why i think corey’s a 5: despite lacking in the stereotypically intellectual area of 5s, corey is basically a stereotypical 5. they’re called observers for a reason. when 5s don’t think they know what they’re doing, they retreat. this is literally what corey did for the entirety of season 5 because he thought just being able to turn invisible wouldn’t exactly fare well against werewolves & chimeras and the fucking beast of gevaudan (who turned out to be his boyfriend poor thing) so he retreated. when he realizes he probably has to fight in 6x3, he’s openly insecure about this and needs a ton of reassurance before he can even try.

it’s why 5s sorta stay in their caves and don’t initiate things, they’re afraid of incompetence and stuff. he has no idea how to navigate this world that is already terrifying as all hell for him. 5s are also in the fear triad, and from what i can tell, he’s a 5w6, which is literally DOUBLE fear center!! we love to see it

i also don’t think he’s a 9 because he isn’t scared of conflict. physical conflict sure, but he has every right to be, and that ties into the competency thing. emotional conflict is completely different, and he’s never seen sugarcoating anything or avoiding conflicts to please people, which are hallmark 9 symptoms.

side note that may or may not be canon: so on the tw wiki i found a transcript for superposition (https://teen-wolf-pack.fandom.com/wiki/Superposition/Transcript) and it’s REALLY descriptive. like as an aspiring screenwriter myself i’ve looked for screenplays past 3A and been generally unsuccessful, but some of the descriptions in here are like more descriptive than the actual ACTING in the show, so i wanted to share a couple of them that definitely support my theory:

COREY: I didn't even know it went that high... I'm stuck at a 2.7.

[Mason immediately tries to comfort his boyfriend when he realizes how insecure he is about his academic life]

MASON: Liam, look-- it's not like chameleons are the apex predator of the animal kingdom. All Corey can do is disappear.

[Corey's expression darkens, visibly hurt by Mason's comment, and when Mason realizes what he has just said, he starts to feel guilty for his unintended rudeness. Liam, however, continues to reject their attempts to argue Corey's case]

like??? who wrote this and why is it so descriptive???

anyways if that was what was intended then uhh 10 points for gryffindor

and my w6 explanation. he seems a lot more security oriented and dependent than a 5w4. that’s the only reason. i also don’t really see much 4, although it also seems like the only possible heart fix, so even though i dont really believe in tritypes he’d be a 594 probably. merry christmas tritype fans

sx/sp

let’s look at what the 5 subtypes are so we’re all kinda on the same page because enneagram info on the instinctual variants are so painfully inconsistent that sometimes arguing with other people about them is like arguing with a brick wall because we’re literally going off different definitions.

sp 5: Very protective of personal space and privacy, this type sets clear limits and boundaries and is very comfortable living a relatively solitary life with just a few close friends. They would much rather observe social life than participate in it. Often truly introverted, they prefer not to reveal much of their inner self, finding it difficult to lower their guard for fear of losing their privacy or sense of safety.

sx 5: The typically cool, analytical Five connects to passion in this subtype, focusing that passion on one or two people in an otherwise reserved life. They experience strong ‘chemistry’ with another person, enjoying the connection and trust and openness this permits. They risk depending on this other person to make them feel vibrant and alive, leading them to ‘test’ their partner’s loyalty or resist sharing them with others.

so 5: The SO Five searches for the essence or meaning of situations, with a focus on the big questions as they pursue wisdom and knowledge. They connect with groups or experts who share their brilliance and high ideals, often disconnected from everyday issues or emotions. While sharing values and ideals with energy and enthusiasm, they may resist sharing space, time or inner resources, disconnecting from the people around them

so uhh yeah i think he’s sx/sp/so in that order. he is generally indifferent to having friends throughout the show but seems to really care about mason, and i’m sure if the show went on or we got a spinoff he’d eventually open up to liam and maybe even theo too. 5s are just guarded like that. i don’t see any so 5 so i mean yuh thats about it, it’s pretty self explanatory

conclusion

anyways this ended up way more rambly and long than i intended but if you enjoyed then hope you look forward to the other ones i may or may not write!!

#corey my beloved #i have adhd and i made this in 2 hours #my eyes are burning #corey bryant #teen wolf #mbti #enneagram #instinctual variants #personality theory #personality typing #character typing #fictional typing #typing characters #teen wolf mbti #myers briggs type indicator #ISTP #5w6 #sx/sp #goblincave666 personality typing

23 notes · View notes

canary3d-obsessed · 4 years ago

Text

Restless Rewatch: Nirvana in Fire, Episode 02

(Masterpost) (Other Canary Stuff)

Warning: Spoilers for All 54 Episodes!

A Cunning Plan

Let's start by checking in with the in-progress schemes. Nirvana in Fire features many, many overlapping schemes that stretch across multiple episodes.

Princess Nihuang's Marriage: Princess Nihuang is betrothed to a dead guy, and that's fine with her. If she needs tender emotional care she's got Xia Dong. Xia Dong is married to a dead guy so this works well for both of them.

The Emperor wants to marry Nihuang off, because she's got a loyal heap of troops at the southern border, and he's a paranoid old fuck, who doesn't like anyone to have the power to overthrow him. Marrying her will sort of force her to hand her troops off to her impulsive younger brother, or something.

The Emperor has a soft spot for Nihuang, however, so he's allowed her to set a bunch of impossible conditions on the marriage, including a martial arts contest. NIF is a hybrid palace drama and Wuxia drama, so there are courtesans and backstabbing and sneaky maids and sneaky eunuchs but also, people can fly.

The two main power seekers, Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, have flunkies that they want Nihuang to marry, but their flunkies suck at martial arts, so if they want her to marry one of their dudes, there will have to be cheating.

Note that Nihuang's good friends Jingrui and Yujin are taking part in the contest to marry her, which might be weird, except they both know she can beat their asses so they seem to just be joining in for fun & prestige.

The fact that she doesn't want to marry either of these loveable cuties means that she's pretty serious about staying betrothed to her first love, despite his apparent deadness.

(more after the cut!)

Recruiting Mei Changsu / Killing Mei Changsu: Team Prince Yu wants to recruit Mei Changsu. Team Crown Prince wants to recruit him or kill him, if recruiting him doesn't work.

Mei Changsu acts like this is so tedious; all he wants to do is rest. But they only want to recruit him because he and his pal Lin Chen made them believe he is the answer to their problems. Whenever Mei Changsu acts annoyed at something, it's probably something he actually orchestrated. "Pork chops again?" (secretly buys more pork chops).

The Duke Qing/ Landgrab Case: In Episode 1, the Jiangzuo Alliance protected some witnesses against Duke Qing in an enslavement/land grabbing case. It's difficult for me to find anything about historical land grabbing in China because Google is full of 21st century land grabbing information. Anyway Duke Qing works for Prince Yu, so the witnesses are (whether they mean to be or not) on The Crown Prince's side. The Emperor has an interest in this case, because land grabbing is bad, apparently, even by corrupt-emperor standards. Xia Dong is in charge of investigating.

The Chiyan Army Case: This is the big conspiracy that the entire show is about. 11 years ago, the Emperor received evidence that Prince Qi, Lin Xie (Mei Changsu's father), and the entire Chiyan army were going to rebel. This was supposedly reported by Xia Dong's husband, Nie Feng, before Lin Xie supposedly killed him. The emperor ordered executions for everybody.

Prince Jing thought this was a bunch of bullshit and didn't hesitate to say so, which got him sent off to distant regions to do army things for years at a time, and landed him a place high up on the emperor’s shit list.

The Hazelnut Pastry Scheme: This is a small scale, benevolent scheme, in which Concubine Jing will eventually stop making cookies with hazelnuts in them, because Mei Changsu is allergic to them.

Ok, that’s the scheme roundup for this episode. On with the show!

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

After a quick expository chat between the Emperor and Gong Gao, laying out the reasons for the Nihuang Marriage Scheme, we go to Prince Yu’s place to watch superhot Meng Zhi, commander of the emperor's guards, whip some ass. Not, alas, literally. Despite his leather shoulder thingies and his handsome beard, and his commanding ways on a battlefield, when it comes to interpersonal relations he is pretty much a labrador retriever puppy in human form.

Meng Zhi is kicking the asses of Prince Yu’s fighters to determine if they're qualified to compete in the Marriage contest. They are not. He points out to the Prince that they can't put such terrible wimps into the competition because it will make the country’s defenses look weak.

This beatdown is observed by Prince Yu and by Xie Yu, who Prince Yu thinks is on his side. Xie is 100% on the Crown Prince's side, but is carefully hiding that fact; he has his son working for Prince Yu as part of his cover.

In determining how severe an ass kicking is, everyone talks about how many moves it takes to defeat someone, like it's chess. Meng Zhi can beat literally anyone else in the show. He's number two on the Langya List of fighters & we never meet #1.

Fe Liu Was Fast as Lightning

Mei Changsu is hanging out in the garden at Xie manor while Fe Liu jumps around. Fe Liu wants Mei Changsu to play Roblox with him, and pouts when MCS opts for staying in the garden and reading a book.

Fe Liu is utterly devoted to Mei Changsu; I really love their relationship. Fe Liu’s backstory isn't fully explained in the show, but apparently he was raised from an early age to focus on being extremely lethal, and didn't spend much time learning to talk or other skills, making him the epitome of the asynchronous/ gifted teen. Mei Changsu isn’t who raised him to be like this; MCS and Lin Chen rescued him, which is why he is now Mei Changsu’s personal murder pet.

Fe Liu is both a complete fantasy character and also a really believable teen, beautifully acted by Leo Wu, who DMBJ fans know from Tomb of the Sea, and who Xiao Zhan fans know from Battle Through the Heavens.

Fe Lui promptly gets into a fight with Meng Zhi, who's visiting Xie manor. All Fe Liu was doing was leaping about the rooftops like an assassin, but since Xie Yu is the sort of guy that a lot of people would like to kill, Meng Zhi doesn't think this is so good. They have a hilarious, entertaining fight with many, many wire-assisted moves.

They're pretty evenly matched, and Xie Yu watches them with extreme interest until Mei Changsu shows up and tells Fe Liu to stop. Xie Yu is watching because he needs to know how many dudes he should send to assassinate Mei Changsu. Answer: more. Always more.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately since it’s probably all part of MCS’s plan) Fe Liu's extreme skilz make it obvious that his boss is someone important. Mei Changsu discusses this with Jingrui and Yujin in an open-air setting where Jingrui's brother Xie Bi can totally hear them. In no time flat, father and son have reported his identity to their respective princes.

Over at Prince Yu's place, Qin Banruo and her awesome eye makeup join the party. She's Prince Yu’s advisor/manipulator, working for the (fallen) Hua kingdom, led by the (deceased) Princess Xuanji . She has a network of spies who work for her, that she deploys for Prince Yu's schemes. Her ultimate goal is not to help him, however, but just to fuck up the Da Liang Empire, which conquered the Hua.

(Nearly) Everybody Hates Jingyan

Xia Dong heads out on her assignment in the Land Grab Case, and Nihuang goes to see her off. They talk about gender expectations and how annoying it is to have to marry a dude, and briefly hang out being WLW goals with their mutual devotion, excellent fashion sense and deadly fighting abilities. Nihuang, in particular, wears the prettiest things and also stands at attention like she's commanding an army; I adore her.

They're interrupted by the arrival of Prince Jing, who is greeted cheerfully by Nihuang and eye-rollingly by Xia Dong.

He's wearing an awesome brass-and-blue armor that we never see again after this episode. It's too bad - it's a good color for him and it has a cool vampire cloak with a high collar.

Prince Jing takes the opportunity to snark at Xia Dong about her investigation and the Xuanjing Bureau’s penchant for inventing finding conspiracies, and then rides off before she can reply.

This leads Nihuang and Xia Dong to get into their chronic argument about the Chiyan Conspiracy and the Lin family, and then Xia Dong hits the road.

Prince Jing and his subordinates stand around outside the palace waiting to report to the emperor while the emperor ignores him. They get sweatier and sweatier while they wait. which makes me like the Emperor a little bit more.

Prince Yu and CP Xian are busy sucking up to the emperor as they look at a manuscript. They are a bunch of assholes and you can see that Gao Zhan isn't a fan of this bullshit.

Eventually Gao Zhan reminds/persuades the emperor to summon Prince Jing, whose brothers snark at him like a couple of 12 year old girls while he radiates manly vigor and handsomeness.

Consort Jin is bummed that she can't see Prince Jing for another 5 days, and her maid sidekick says random comforting things. This maid, Xiao Xin, is actually a little snake, who works for Qin Banruo's network. We don't learn that until sometime later.

All of the maids have this same hairstyle. If you are a westerner and you think this hairstyle is crazy, have a look at some Roman and Byzantine historic hairstyles. I'm not saying this hairstyle is NOT crazy, mind you; just that crazy hair was a feature of many, many historical empires.

Consort Jing has someone deliver her hazelnut cookies to Prince Jing; she doesn’t know about Mei Changsu yet so hazelnut is still on the menu. Nicest mom. Also smartest, helpful-est mom, as the story develops.

Suck-Up Contest

At Xie manor, Xie Bi tries to get Mei Changsu to go meet the Empress, who has stopped by with Nihuang specifically to meet him, as part of the Recruit Mei Changsu scheme. Jingrui says nope, fuck that, he's not going to be a pawn in your political games, fuck off. We get to see Jingrui being steely and righteous, which is both cool and hot. Nihuang should totally marry him.

The Empress is annoyed that Mei Changsu doesn't show up, and Nihuang is like, it's ok, I don’t actually give a fuck about meeting new men. But I did want to meet his murder puppy Fe Liu.

Grand Princess Liyang says they don’t need to bother meeting pugilists, despite her son being one and her supposed best friends/co-parents also being pugilists.

Grand Princess Liyang will probably be glad Mei Changsu didn’t come to her little party, once she realizes what tends to happen when Mei Changsu comes to a party.

Then we go to the suitor tournament, in which everyone more or less sucks.

The princes really want to go over to Mei Changsu’s balcony to meet him, and they have a hilarious silent interaction where they both try not to be the first one to move. They finally cave, and go together.

Then they compete to see who can be the most cringe and blow the most smoke up Mei Changsu's ass.

They ply him with gifts and flattery, which he mostly manages to resist.

Cookie Time with Granny

Then they get summoned to go meet the grand empress, who is (I think) the mother of the previous emperor, the grandmother of the current emperor, and the great grandmother of basically every highborn character of the current generation, including Nihuang and Yujin, although it’s not clear where they sit in the family tree. Historically, cousin marriage - particularly of maternal cousins - was no big whoop in China, so it's not surprising that a lot of nobles would share a great-grandmother.

The Grand Empress is a sweet lady with dementia. She can’t figure out who the hell anyone is. First-time viewers feel the same way.

Her dementia is pretty well depicted, unlike a lot of TV dementia, or at least it matches up to my experiences with my own elders. She remembers the distant past more vividly than recent times; when she understands who’s in front of her she connects with them emotionally, but she falls off track easily. And she projects the identities of people she misses onto people who are around her.

Like many other grannies, no matter who is visiting, she wants them to 1. get married 2. produce offspring 3. eat something, you’re so skinny

When Mei Changsu meets Granny she immediately calls him Lin Shu, either because she recognizes him or because she really misses Lin Shu, or both. She calls Nihuang over and joins their hands, and Mei Changsu grabs onto Nihuang's hand and holds it for a while.

Everyone thinks it's adorable that Granny has dementia and is confused about that guy who was horribly killed, except Nihuang, who was already checking Mei Changsu out and is somewhat verklempt. She might have to revise her anti-man feelings a little bit.

Everyone leaves, and Nihuang hits up Mei Changsu to take a walk with her, casually mentioning that she could have his hand cut off for touching her, but since she's not in the mood, he's ok.

She prods a bit to find out what he's doing in town and what he's up to. “Do you have a girlfriend? Like a serious girlfriend or just a stalker who works for you?” She asks him which of the two princes he's going to support, but they’re interrupted by a eunuch beating a slave child. That’s the price you pay for trying to have a date in the palace, I guess.

#nirvana in fire #langya bang #nirvana in fire gifs #restless rewatch nirvana in fire #canary3d-original #my gifs

101 notes · View notes

a-day-in-the-afterlife · 4 years ago

Note

Your afterl!fe x obey me crossover is so good!!! It got me thinking about how the reapers would react to Mammon calling the manager "his human" and saying he was their first 😳

🥺🥺🥺 You are too nice, anon!

And now that you asked that, I am curious, too, so behold:

The Reapers Reacting to Mammon Calling the Manager “His Human” and Saying That He Was “Her First”

A.K.A “The Soul Reapers Are Very Good at Jumping to Conclusions”

Mane

Ell is an uncomfortable mix of dubious and nervous. He gave up his title of an angel for a chance to be with the Manager: now she’s gone off to be the property of a demon, allowing him to call himself “her first?” No, no, Manager wouldn’t! ... Right?

I reckon I should prob’ly congratulate him or somethin’ thinks Jamie. He only has a vague idea of what “first” means—it probably had something to do with “makin’ love,” which causes him to blush, before he decides that Manager has more sense than to do that with a troublesome demon. ‘Sides, ‘ts not like Manager’s a human, anyway—she’s an Otherworlder like the rest of us, so we’ve got her all to ourselves.

Ghilley is cackling at this announcement. Ufufufu, her ‘first?’ By the God of the Celestial Realm, he was the first Soul Reaper of the 14th Department—being the first of whatever this demon was to the Manager means nothing to him.

Version 1 — Licht cannot fathom what Mammon means when he dares calls the Manager “his human” and himself “her first!” Was his darling tainted by this wretched demon? Had his baby lamb been coerced into something so heinous? He loved her either way, but for his darling’s honor, he resented Mammon with every fiber of his being—to the point where even harmlessly flirting with him seemed repulsive.

Version 2 — Oh, “her first,” was he? Licht could live with that. Really, why make things a competition? If his darling consented, then there really was no problem, was there? He’s content with being her third or fourth or whatever the number was. But Mammon calling her “his human,” was too much. His baby lamb was was her own human—er, Otherworlder!

Die

As soon as the words enter his ear, Theo grabs Licht’s rifle and heads to the Devildom. No thoughts, no feelings inhibit him as he makes his way to avenge the good name of his Manager.

June congratulates the Manager. Surely if she is "first,” then she must have won some amazing competition and been bestowed a great honor!

As prince of all, Louis is pretty sure that makes the Manager his “human.” “Foul demon, thou art mistaken! The Manager can belong to none other than I!” (He doesn’t know why Manager punches him in the stomach for this statement.)

Ethan makes the appearance that he doesn’t care (“He is only a demon. You need not worry about his words, ma’am.), but inside, he is incensed. How dare someone as unworthy as Mammon say such words to the Manager! Such scum should never have even laid eyes on her in the first place, much less claimed her as his own!

Hesperide

What the—? Surely Mammon couldn’t mean “first” like that, could he? I—it wasn’t like Sian cared about what that dude said, no way! And, well, anyways, it wasn’t as if all these implications had an effect on him, hell, no! Sian was only worried for the Manager’s well-being and good name, that’s all! He wasn’t feeling any sentiments of jealousy, or anything!

Cyrille doesn’t really know how to say anything against Mammon’s claims because the demon is just so cool. Sure, he much preferred his plain red coat and harness over the demon’s absolutely badass fashion-forward denim-and-aviator-jacket combo, totally! He may have stared at it in not-jealousy for so long that he forgot the entire point of the confrontation.

What the bleep did that annoying demon say about Big Sis? Kati was going to bite him next time he saw him, and bite him hard!

Noah wonders if this whole thing is a big misunderstanding, and, by way of common sense, asks Mammon what he means by that. When Mammon explains that being “her first” meant that he was the first demon that the Manager made a pact with and nothing more, he is satisfied, even though he can’t help the twinge of jealousy that flares up. Noah somewhat resents Mammon for calling the Manager “his human,” because really, that’s untrue as the Manager is no one’s but herself’s.

Noctu

Nine is lost. Like Noah, he is intelligent enough to ask for elaboration on what Mammon means by calling the Manager as such, but, even still, he doesn’t fully know where he stands on the issue. No one can really tell how undecided he is, for he keeps such a calm front, but he is quite in emotional turmoil on the inside. Nine knows everyone is entitled to their secrets, but how long had the Manager been bent on keeping this one?

“Three cheers for you, boss!” Day thinks Mammon Bro is super cool and it must be super cool as well for the Manager to have him as her “first,” whatever that meant! Maybe they’d have cake and games to celebrate, heehee!

Kirr is relieved. He doesn’t know what business this demon has in being her “first”—whatever that entailed, he could not guess—but he, unlike the other Soul Reapers takes comfort in knowing this information. In the forest, the first hunt of the season is always unsuccessful, as animals have yet to grow comfortable to their new environment and are more skittish than usual. Kirr’s heart is full with this knowledge, for Mammon being the Manager’s “first,” means he is merely expendable and not worth much at all.

This must be the greatest dishonor of all! thinks Aitachi. To be claimed by a demon as his own! To be robbed of one’s own humanity! Poor Miss Manager! He has half a mind to perform a cleansing ritual that is sacred to his tribe on her, but she only laughs and says not to take Mammon too seriously.

Diluculo

Youssef takes a page from Noah’s book of maturity and thoroughly examines Mammon’s words when he explains what he means by saying that he is “her first.” He is troubled but only a moment, for the whole ordeal is quite benign in nature. “Dear, as long as you’re not hurt by his words, then there’s no reason for me to worry ... right?”

Being someone’s first must have a lot of value, Mori wagers. While he kind of wishes that he had the value of being the Manager’s “first,” he can’t dwell on it, however, for instead, he has to inquire of Mammon how much it would cost to get himself one of those demon pacts the Manager apparently has ... it seems like having one could be very useful.

Quincy laughs and laughs and laughs at what Mammon is trying to insinuate. He is fully aware that he means demon pacts when he says “first” and cannot believe that Mammon would try to make it sound lewd just to lay claim on the Manager. That being said, he’s considering offering a pact to the Manager, too. Why? “None of your business!” he says with a blush.

For some reason, Verine’s heart feels weaker at Mammon’s words, and he feels faint. He blames it on his condition, punctuating the statement with a bout of coughs, but he knows that his words are just a delusion. How could he have been so stupid to think that he, sickly and bothersome as he was, could be anything special to the Manager when she was consorting with handsome demons on the regular, it seemed?

(Please note that for all AFTERL!FE content, I will be using she/her pronouns, as that’s what’s presented in the game. For regular Obey Me! content, I use they/them.)

Hopefully, that didn’t suck too much. I apologize for any spelling mistakes, for I’m sure that there are many.

#obey me #obey me mammon #obey me shall we date #afterl!fe #after l!fe #afterl!fe nhn #after l!fe nhn #obey me shall we date mammon #asks

98 notes · View notes

thoughtfulpaperback · 3 years ago

Text

In the Heights (2021 Film) Review.

Okay after four watches. And I truly mean four seperate watches. I am ready to talk about this film and address some of the controversy.

I'd like to hit the biggest criticisms out of the way before going into just my general thoughts.

1. "There are no black people in the film"

False. First addressing the main cast and main supporting characters with substantial screen time (they get names and feature heavily in two or more of the main characters storylines) there are three black actors portraying African American or afro latino characters. Obviously this is disproportionate and of all those main and supporting characters the two with the biggest storylines are light skinned or have "traditionally euro centric thought of" physical features such as light green or hazel eyes.

So this hardly is grand representation for black or even "indigenous" (usually meaning dark skinned but not black) looking peoples. But it is more than we've traditionally seen in films about latinos they skew more towards Antonio Banderas looking (he's not latino just fyi).

I think where the film actually does well in its inclusion of black people is in the background scenes/dance numbers. I tried and you cannot count the number of black background characters in the first half of the film.

The second half of the film is arguably less inclusive. That is to say that as the film progressed there was notably less black background characters/dancers. Most notably during a dance sequence in a Merengue club. I could actually count the number of black people in the scene (three black men). But if I am honest the movie/plot itself falls apart towards the end with the inclusiveity it tried to have.

I also am going to mention this as both a pro and con for the film, I loved that we had black women who were deep dark. Like Amara la Negra dark, what I dont like and I think it needs to be said is that like most film there are more dark complexed men than women and there is a disproportionate amount of lighter skinned black women than both dark skinned black men and women.

The film (at least in its first have) does try to showcase diversity in the heights and amoung latinos, but it by no means is free from the same issues of colorism and favoring lighter skin tones black or non black, because the film was also devoid of more indigenous looking peoples. And I will admit my view of indigenous peoples is skewed by my knowledge of indigenous mexican communities i know nothing of the islanders or South American indigenous communities. But i didn't see much of that in the film from what I could tell.

So overall is this film anti-black

... I dont know if I can make that call, but I would think no because it does try to include that history in film and does try to be inclusive with its casting and dance numbers, but it for sure does not escape colorism and by no means is the best form or representation of afrolatinos and arguably more indigenous Groups.

It is for sure disproportionately light skinned in the second half and again unlike the first half you can count the number of black people in the background or in dance numbers.

2. It's a completely different story from the Broadway show.

.....not false, but not 100% true. In fact I think this is why it falls apart a bit. The film keeps a number of the songs from the original Broadway show with minimal changes. It works for some songs such as no me digas, Benny's dispatch, in the heights, carnaval del Barrio, 96,000, and breathe. But it makes others such as "when the sun goes down" seem out of place.

It also, imo, minimizes the role and impact of Abuelas character. That isn't to say that the character isn't still a big part of the story they fit her in differently than in the show, but it is so minimized that when we finally get her big number (and only number in the film) "Pacencia y Fe" it is a bit out of place

It is still the most heartfelt number (and made me cry each time I've seen it) and most relatable to my families experience so I loved it but being honest it is a bit out of place with little build up to it except a scene which is in the trailers where abuela talks about her mother.

Okay so with those things out of the way I want to talk general and key thoughts.

1st: style of the film and disjointment

I personally am still unsure about the style of the film. It sort of blends campy and unrealistic with the real. So you get numbers in people's head where fabric falls from the sky, self-moving wig heads, dancing on the sides of building in gravity defying fred astaire ways, and animated gestures and moments. I think its cool for the kids, but was a bit of a choice in my opinion. I didn't hate it, but almost every time something cooky happened I was just a bit unprepared for it and I dont think that'd how the audience should feel.

In fact the whole film felt disjointed because one moment you had these grand dance numbers with lots of people and minimal effects but great use of camera work like 96 000, but then you'd have scene in a very small space that felt more "Jersey Boys" film/camera work like Benny's Dispatch.

The worst camera work in my opinion was during When the sun goes down. While the idea of dancing on the side of a building was initially cool I kept wishing the camera would have moved differently at many points. Fred astaire's dancing on the walls is still the best filmed gravity defying dance sequence in my mind.

2nd: reducing the drama for Nina and Benny.

Okay so whether its colorism or just time considerations. I didn't like how the changed around Benny and Nina's relationship and build up in the film. In fact my favorite moment for the two (and my favorite songs of the play) from the original show happen in Blackout and then Sunrise. The moment in black out was given to Usnavi and Vanessa and sunrise is not in the film.

I think the shift in the role Benny plays in the business (Rosario's Cab Company) is more complex and better in my opinion and I do love that was added in the blackout scene rather than just doing away with seeing anything of that character with the removal of relationship drama.

3rd: LGBTQ+ representation. I won't claim that there is a bunch but having Daniela and Carla as a couple was pretty cool.

4th. Representation of Latinos

Flawed as it is, I think what in the heights gets right is the telling of complex stories of latinos that don't revolve around violence and crime. I love the look at latinos as business owners and as members of vibrant communities. From my own experience, latinos in film are or tv are not usually seen as such and when you do get look at a latino business owner it is a scene where they are being interviewed by the cops, or the neighborhood is shown as being run down.

Even the usually heavily used storyline of undocumented latinos was done in an interesting way in the film.

I haven't connected so much to a film before and I cried multiple times at the feeling of relating to certain characters and feelings.

I would recommend it to others, but I would also be clear that stylistically it is a choice. I think it probably works better for someone who hasn't seen or doesn't know of the original show. The friends i have taken enjoyed it and my siblings also loved it.

#in the heights

17 notes · View notes

cheiyunn · 4 years ago

Text

AAside Main Story [1章] Part 3

Ren: εpsilonΦ … If I recall correctly, they’re one of the bands participating from Kyoto

???: Isn’t this so cool!! Tokyo’s venue is way huge!?

Ren: ..!?

Shu: Oh what… an energetic onii-san has come huh

???[2]: Oi Fuuta! Can you act a little more behaved! You look like a country bumpkin!

Fuuta: What's wrong with that Aoi! I’m a country bumpkin after all! Like, there’s so many people so I’m feeling super energetic anyways!

Aoi: Aah- give me a break, we’re already sticking out!

Ren: (Those people, I’m pretty sure I’ve seen these people in a video before. From Kyushu..)

Reiji: Fujin Rizing’s vocal and trombone correct?

Shu: Ah, right. Those people huh

???: Fufu… Truly, an lively and interesting band. This Fes will be quite an entertaining one right?

Ren: Eh.. uwa! That surprised me… w-who?

Shu: So you came… the vampire onii-san

???: Oya, why isn’t it Dark River’s president’s son. You seem to be in a good mood today.

Shu: Fufu.. well yeah. A festival is one to enjoy right?

Ren: (Are they.. Acquaintances? Though, I’m pretty sure I’ve also seen this foreign man in a video before..)

???[2]: Feli-san! You were over here?

Felix: Oh, Tomoru. You were over here, I’ve been searching for you

Tomoru: I’M the one searching for you! You always end up wandering off and disappearing

Ren: Ah, right! They don’t have makeup on right now, but these people.. Are members of Nagoya’s Fantome Iris!

Yuuto: So sorry Ren! The drinks station was really full! .. This, what kind of situation is this…

Yuuto: All the participating bands gathering up… are you all already butting heads this early on?

Ren: It kinda.. Became like this

Felix: ..oh my, It seems that final band as arrived

Fuuta: Aoi, look! Don’t they look pretty cool?

Shuu: Fu~.. took a while to come out. You act like a big deal huh…

Ren: Gyroaxia!

???: We barely made it right, Nayuta. The kick off meeting has already started

Nayuta: What a pain… you go and listen Satozuka

Kenta: Fu… understood

Moderator: From now, we will be commencing the Live Royal Fes kick of meeting!

Moderator: First of all, we will give an overview of the entire festival

Moderator: Participating bands will first perform a starting live as prelude to the festival

Moderator: This will be held for two days, from the day after tomorrow. With the division of 3 bands and 2 bands, the lives will be held online

Moderator: The number of viewers and votes from watchers will be combined to determine the performance order of the festival, the main event

Yuuto: I see… so basically getting a rough idea of the bands’ popularity by appearing in the starting live?

Ren: It really is.. A competition

Fuuta: I don’t really understand it but, we just gotta liven up the crowd right?

Aoi: It's off a bit… but its not wrong I guess

Fuuta: Then that’ll be easy! We’ll be sure to have ours more lively than the others!

Tomoru: It seems like the other people from the other bands… are all way younger than us huh… must feel good to be so energetic…

Felix: You were worried about such a thing Tomoru? Don’t worry, don’t worry!

Felix: In the world Fantome Iris has created, we just have to sing. We definitely won’t lose

Kenta: Oi Nayuta.. where are you going?

Nayuta: I’ve shown my face. I can go home now right.

Nayuta: Whatever happens with the order of performance, in the end, we’ll win anyways

Shu: Huh, that onii-san’s pretty full of himself. The others too, being so hardworking and giving their all..

Shu: Really, it's no use. No matter how hard they try, it’ll never work

Reiji: That is true

Yuuto: Ooh, somehow it feels like the mood is getting more lively! … is something wrong, Ren?

Ren: No… its nothing

Ren: (To compete… I really don’t like it… but..)

Ren: (All the bands are overflowing with confidence… What kind of live will they show us?)

#Accents make me age at 3x the speed #nayuta what a mood #FanIris are old wheee #aaside #aasidetranslations #argonavis #gyroaxia #εpsilonΦ #fujin rizing #fantome iris #1章 #aasidemainstory

26 notes · View notes

astra-musings · 5 years ago

Text

catch a break, part 2

requested? yep, continuation of a request by @faithiebrock01

this fic includes: owen grady x ready, fluff(?), ooc? kinda? lots of question marks today

warnings: some graphic imagery, the indom kinda uh eats a person so there’s that, but i don’t think i got too much into the details so,, also im pretty sure my grammar and tenses are all over the place in this lmao

summary: chaos. that’s... kinda it. a lack of understanding and a great deal more of underestimating a genetically-engineered animal’s intelligence and abilities definitely creates a mess that you can’t even begin to clean up.

a/n: so... my last update was... apparently a month ago... im SO sorry... covid really fucked me up, it got IB exams cancelled and idk how to feel! im sorry! but uh i will definitely try to be more consistent (ahem) with updates, i feel so bad oh no but 🥺please still give this lots of loveee

word count: 1.8k+ (oops)

part 1 // part 1.5

masterlist

Your body involuntarily tensed upon entering the Indominus's enclosure. You were looking for an entire dinosaur (which, when you think about it, was weird; how did something that enormous go missing?), and yet couldn't help serenity that bubbled inside you from being in a forest and submerged in nature's sounds. Talk about conflict.

Owen immediately walks over to the claw marks, hands reaching out to trace over the whitened cement. If you didn't actually know him, you might've called him excited to be here. You knew he wasn't.

You'd only been standing in the heat for a few minutes but could already feel your clothes gradually dampening with the sweat that started to gather. "How the hell would that thing have gotten out, anyway? Not like it could've walked out without anyone seeing it."

Barely a second passes before the too-familiar sound of rustling leaves comes from behind you. Too far to be something on the ground. Too crisp to be just a few leaves you stepped on. And much too loud to be just the wind. Owen's shoulders tense visibly before he turns back to you, already trying to make sure you were close by.

Your eyes meet his in silent confirmation. It's still here.

Right before the warning signals from your brain can reach your limbs, a roar rips through the jungle-like enclosure, so deep and so loud that it vibrates in your ribcage, as though you stood too close to the speakers at a party and someone was playing bass-boosted hits.

Owen reacts before you do, grabbing your wrist and turning the other way. Your legs move on their own accord, stepping into a sprint before your brain actually registers what's happening.

The security guard that was frozen stiff in the control room must've been keeping an eye on the two of you with the cameras while you were in the enclosure, because the reinforced gates a few feet away from you started sliding open. You only hoped you had enough time to slip through the opening before the Indominus did.

But just as you and Owen closed in on the gates, they started to close again. Owen throws the briefest glance back towards the control room, as if the guard could hear the nearly audible 'what the hell?' his face was giving off. You push the wrist he was holding towards him. Keep moving.

Adrenaline fuels your bodies, steering you and Owen on autopilot towards the gate that, at this point, seemed like it was moving further away. The gap through which you’d escape wasn't getting any wider either.

Owen reaches his hand out, extending his form, as though he was holding open the doors to an elevator. As if it would stop hundreds of tons' worth of metal and cement.

Your ears ring. Owen's body slips swiftly through the still-narrowing gap of the metal gates as his grip on your hand tightens almost painfully. A reminder that both of you were going to make it out of that enclosure. I've got you. You're with me.

And you do; you nearly crash into him as you push your legs just that much more so that you could catch up to Owen.

You turned back to look at the gates, feet still running on autopilot. Instead of seeing the gates close and finally allowing your body to come to a halt, hooked claws slipped through the seemingly too-small gap, its tips digging into the hard, layered cement as though it was anything but.

"You're fucking kidd–" You barely get the entire sentence out before Owen pulls you to the side, pushing you under an SUV as he followed a second later.

You manage to turn your head to the side, straining your eyes as you tried to gauge what the hell this animal was trying to do. Turns out, it wasn't that hard to figure out – you watched the workers' scrambling feet run across the gravel, trying to get themselves to safety, only to be followed by the too-large and too-scaly feet of the Indominus. You watched as its claws came to a brief halt behind each man and woman, before a distant thud ensued, followed by a headless or torso-less figure dropping onto the ground. You watched as those same claws grow nearer to where you and Owen were.

You gripped his hand. Your breathing was still labored, not having been able to come down off of the adrenaline that still kept you going.

Owen's hand pulls out of yours, prompting you to snap your head towards him in worry. What are you doing? Where are you going?

He seems to read your mind, nodding slightly as a response. He pulls a drop point knife from his back pocket, reached up above him and immediately started to tear apart some of the thicker linings on the underside of the vehicle.

You jab your elbow into him as silently as you could; what the hell was he doing? Was he going to blow up the car while you were still under it?!

He ignores you, continuing his relentless crusade on the wiring. Soon after Owen pulls them and empties its contents over the both of you as you scrunch your nose and eyes up. You're showered with cold liquid – water? No, water didn't stink; this was gasoline. Would this hurt the baby? Now you're really worried. You'd always trusted Owen in making decisions before, especially regarding your raptors, but now you were starting to question him for the first time.

A crunch in the gravel makes you spin your head to face the exterior of the car. It's those claws again. You'd almost forgotten about them in your, what now seems like blissful ignorance, worrying about Owen and his knife work.

Owen's hand grips your outer forearm, swiftly turning your body sideways to face him as he does the same. He didn't want you to keep looking. You feel his hand cradle your head to his chest.

Warmth spreads across your back. No, not from what Owen was doing. It was a literal, physical warmth. Like someone turned a fan on, but it spun out hot air instead of cool air. Like what you'd feel if someone whispered so close to ear that you could feel their breath on you.

It was the Indominus. Didn't take a genius to figure that part out. Except, now that you knew what it was, your nose seemed to involuntarily hone in on the metallic hints of the air that continued to fan across the both of you. Blood.

Your eyes screw shut as you press your forehead farther into Owen as the Indominus lets out a low growl from the base of its throat. It was so close to you, you felt your chest vibrate with the sound.

Almost as quick as it came, the Indominus struts away from the vehicle, away from you. The thumps and vibrations ripple across the ground, fading with the Indominus's continuous, low growls.

The gravel shifts once more, only this time it was right next to you, and the source of the sound was Owen – one you knew and one that was much, much, more comforting than some genetically-engineered beast. Fishing for his phone, he pushes his hips up to reach into his back pocket. His fingers move deftly across the screen, swiping and punching for some currently unknown number. The hand behind your head holds you closer to his chest.

The dull ringing of the phone is interrupted, "Owen! The Indominus esc–"

"Yeah, I fucking know it escaped! You didn't see Y/N and I running for our fucking lives, Claire?!"

So it was Claire on the other end.

"Of course I saw, Owen. I saw everything. Are you okay? How's Y/N?–"

"You don't get to fucking ask how we are, Claire. You put us in that room. You put your workers, your security guards and yourself in danger. You put Y/N in danger," at the mention of your name, you lift your head away from his chest and place a hand in its place. You could tell he was getting a little heated. Ever since you'd gotten together and started working with the raptors, he'd been extra-sensitive about your getting in harm's way.

"Speaking of security guards; the one that was with us in there? Yeah, his head's just making its way down the Indominus's digestive tract. So yeah, we're fuckin’ peachy."

Silence follows on the other end. Owen heaves out a sigh, as though reluctant to be having this conversation.

"Y/N and I are gonna make our way back to you. Keep an eye on that... thing. You need to keep it the hell away from your park guests, otherwise–" Owen pauses. Not a single one of you wanted to say, or even think, about what would happen, otherwise. He hangs up with a huff.

"C'mon, baby, let's get you outta here." He slides himself out from under the car as you begin to do the same, getting to your side just as you're about to get up. He dusts off your shirt, taking your face in his hands with the gentlest cradle.

"Are you okay?" he tilts your head from one side to another, looking for injuries, "Did it getcha? Scratches? Bruises? Does it hurt anywh–"

"I'm fine, Owen," placing your hands on his forearms, you bring his frantic movements to a stop, "this head might just fall off if you move it anymore, though." You try to joke.

He lets out a breath, "S'not funny, baby. I don't know how you're still laughing after that."

"I'm just tryna make you smile, love," you give him a gentle but reassuring grin, "no, but really, I'm okay. Promise. A few scratches, I think, but that was from the gravel."

"Besides," you start, "some 40-feet tall dinosaur could never lay a claw on me." You puff your chest out comically.

Owen laughs heartily. "You're somethin' else, y'know that? God, I dunno what I'd do without you. Too strong for your own good," he pauses briefly to entwine your hands, "c'mon, we still got a long way to go before we get to the control room. We'll take the bike, yeah?"

You let out a small 'mhm' in response, smiling up at him before he turns to lead you to where his motorbike was still, supernaturally, scratch-free except for the fact that it was turned to its side.

Owen turns back to give you one last smile before letting go to pick up and reposition his bike. You take those few seconds to let your smile drop as your mind and hands wander back to your stomach for the nth time that day.

"C'mon, Y/N," he beckons you from the now upright bike, "you alright?" He seemed to notice your sudden change in expression.

"Yeah, I'm good," you bite your tongue, not wanting to add onto his currently growing list of worries, "Let's go."

#owen grady x reader #owen grady imagine #owen grady #jurassic world #jurassic world imagine #chris pratt #chris pratt imagine #chris pratt x reader #owen grady reader insert #chris pratt reader insert #fic #faithiebrock01 #catch a break #astra-musings

200 notes · View notes

thepandapopo · 4 years ago

Text

His Star

This is my first FE fic in over ten years. The last time I wrote anything for FE was back in FE7 which, to this day, is my second favourite game of all time.

I have been on a Claudeth binge lately and since it is our favourite deer’s birthday tomorrow, I thought I would try my hand at a fic.

This is most likely going to be a multi chapter fic as I am spinning the plotline in my head as we speak, but whether or not that plot bunny makes it to paper is a different story.

Pairing: Claude x F!Byleth

In which Byleth falls sick for the first time in her entire life, but those who slither in the dark insist on making her life difficult.

The one where Claude fears he won’t make it in time.

Chapter List: 1 / 2 / 2.5

Masterlist

XxXxXxXxX

“Professor, you need to rest!”

For someone so demure and dainty looking, Marianne is deceptively strong. Though, Byleth thinks absently as she lets her former student push her back down onto her large 4 poster bed, she shouldn’t be so surprised since she’s seen even Raphael himself bend to the gentle bishop’s will in the odd instances that he sustains a critical enough injury to land himself in the healer’s tent.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’m sure Seteth will be able to hold down the fort while you recover.” Leonie says from her place at the foot of the bed. Despite the fact that the war has been over for nearly 6 months, her lance is still clipped neatly to her belt, next to her sword scabbard - close enough within reach to attack on a moment’s notice.

Since the end of the war, Leonie had taken it upon herself to act as the new Queen’s Head of Royal Guard. When Byleth had questioned the orange haired girl about her decision, she was merely met with a grin and a simple “I would be a terrible apprentice to Captain Jeralt if I let anything happen to his only child.”

“I’m... sorry.” Though the words themselves are not strange on her tongue, the unfamiliar dryness of her mouth and stuffed nose make Byleth sound weaker and more hesitant than she would have liked.

Leonie snorts, “you don’t have to apologize for catching a cold, Professor. Especially one due to stress. Despite what I think of you when you’re on the battlefield, you really are just a person like anyone else - of course you’re bound to get sick every now and again.”

Still, Byleth broods silently as she watches the blue haired healer usher her other student out the bedroom door, she has never gotten sick in her entire life until now and it just seems a tad bit unfair.

Fusing with the progenitor goddess has several advantages, but unfortunately it seems like being immune to illnesses is not one of them.

As her eyelids begin to lose the fight against consciousness, Byleth cannot help but let her mind wander longingly until she falls asleep dreaming of beautiful emerald eyes and a crooked grin that shines brighter than the dawn.

----

It only takes one week of being bed ridden before everything goes to hell in a handbasket.

Byleth is finally starting to feel well enough to stand up without feeling like she has ingested a vial of Claude’s infamous dizziness poison, when the scouts return with a report that the remnants of the Imperial army have joined forces with Those who Slither in the Dark and are marching for Derdrui, the country’s new capital.

It does not take a tactical genius to figure out that they are coming for the newly appointed Queen and Archbishop of the United Land of Fodlan.

Urgent messengers are sent out to all the nearby houses, requesting any available troops they can spare without leaving themselves vulnerable. It’s almost laughable the pitiful number of men that show up to help fight, but the arrival of all her golden deer is enough to raise Byleth’s morale and hope that she can conquer this disadvantaged fight without her schemer by her side.

Despite the protests from her students - former students, she corrects herself - Byleth steels herself and leads the meager army at her disposal in a defensive formation. This is her duty, after all. Without her, troop morale would falter and that in itself can be the deciding factor in a battle. Additionally, though she has not used it in several months and truly, she does believe in all her students’ skills, Byleth cannot help the unease that creeps up her throat when she thinks about her precious deer on the battlefield without her Divine Pulse. She has fought so hard to make sure they lived to see the peaceful world Claude and her dreamed of, that it would seem like a cruel joke only for them to fall now.

Even sick, the Ashen Demon earns her reputation. Fells of enemies fall to the Sword of the Creator as it burns with power, whipping around its wielder like a snake striking with deadly precision at the enemy’s weakness. Byleth refuses to let any enemies get close to the city. Her people have already been ravaged by war. They deserve peace, not another battle at their front step.

Hilda is somewhere to her left swinging Freikugel and cleaving through enemies with all the difficulty of a hot knife slicing through butter. Byleth is tempted to relocate the pink haired girl to the back line to act as a final barrier, but she knows that those orders will fall on deaf ears.

“If you insist on going out there Professor, then I have to come and make sure you don’t die. Can you imagine what Claude would say if he came back to find you dead? He would mope for the next century!”

Ignatz and Lysithea are further back providing cover with their long ranged attacks. Arrows and black magic rain from the sky, piercing through unsuspecting enemies and carving a path for Byleth’s battalion to advance and cut through the ranks of the enemy.

Somewhere to her right, she can hear Raphael’s battle cries above the cacophony of sounds. Judging by his sheer volume, Byleth knows that he is doing well despite being far outnumbered. Besides, the brawler is accompanied by Lorenz and Bernadetta, and while Lorenz specializes in black magics, he knows enough healing spells to keep them afloat. Plus, no matter how timid she is off the battlefield, Bernadetta is a force to be reckoned with when protecting her loved ones. Especially her mountain of a husband.

Marianne, Leonie, Felix, Ingrid, Seteth and Flayn are scattered elsewhere to protect against the enemies from crushing them in from both sides, but as the battle wages on, it becomes more and more apparent that their ranks are thinning and those that still stand are beginning to feel the fatigue of being outnumbered three to one.

The battlefield has long since warped into a jigsaw of cracked earth and chasms, courtesy of some nasty earth spells from Those Who Slither In the Dark. Where there should be rolling plains leading out onto the salty water of the ocean, there are now steep cliffs of jagged rocks jutting out of the ground, and despite her best efforts, Byleth eventually finds herself cornered on the precipice of one such cliff.

It can’t end like this.

Another enemy falls to her sword and Byleth barely has time to parry an oncoming arrow before another wave of nausea assaults her body.

She knows she’s probably burning up right now. Mint green strands of hair are matted to her skin with dirt and sweat, and the pounding behind her eyes is growing increasingly difficult to ignore. Byleth is pretty sure that had it not been for her father hammering in years of battle instincts into her, she would have had her head lopped off ages ago.

Despite how much she tries to will herself to stay in that cool, collected mindset that has won her numerous battles, Byleth cannot stop the tightness in her chest that accompanies the tears of frustration accumulating at the corner of her eyes.

She wanted to see Claude again. To feel his arms around her. To fall asleep to the steady pounding of his heart that seemed to inexplicably speed up every time she let her body melt into his. To let herself drown in the scent of pine needles and spices.

She could try using the Divine Pulse, but where would she rewind to? A few minutes would not be enough to make a drastic enough decision to turn the tide in their favor.

It’s not fair.

Goddess. She is so tired. But she cannot give up. Not when she has a promise to keep.

“I love you. With everything I am. And the next time we see each other... it will be at the dawn of a whole new world. A peaceful, happy world.”

Claude...

The ground beneath her feet teeters and he sky is suddenly above her. It is a brilliant blue with fluffy white clouds and even though she knows she is falling, she cannot help but be reminded of the first time Claude invited her out on his wyvern and they spent the afternoon soaring and diving through the air on a beautiful day just like this.

Claude... I’m sorry I couldn’t keep our promise...

She thinks it is a trick of her mind, but right as Byleth feels her consciousness slipping away, she hears his voice one last time crying out her name with such fear and anguish.

Then, there was nothing.

----

“BYLETH!”

Claude feels his heart stop and clench painfully as the familiar black and green figure tumbles off the edge of a jagged cliff.

He is shooting across the battlefield on his wyvern’s back before he can even spare a thought to how absolutely reckless it is to fly so low in the range of archers.

Behind him, he vaguely registers his generals shouting at him in alarm and Nader barking out orders to support the retreating Fodlan forces.

All he can think about right now is getting to His Star in time.

Later, he will wonder to himself if perhaps he might have the power to pause time as well, because although it was probably less than 4 seconds, Claude swears that the world around him slowed as all of his senses honed in on his one goal.

Please, goddess, let me reach her in time.

---

To those who participated in the Final battle with Those Who Slither in the Dark, they would recall vividly the moment when a loud battle cry rang out from the east heralding the arrival of the Almyran army.

They would also recount the arrow of white and gold that shot across the battlefield towards the Queen whom had made her last stand on the edge of a cliff before fainting from exhaustion and tumbling down to the depths below.

Above the din of weapons clashing and cries of agony rose a single name, cried out with such fear and panic that even those who knew not whom the shout belonged to, felt their hearts clench painfully with the raw emotion.

Although not many could say for certain what happened next, all the surviving Fodlan soldiers would recall shortly thereafter seeing their former leader, Claude von Riegan, atop his white wyvern loosing arrow after arrow on the lingering enemies with such brutal efficiency that reminded everyone exactly how he had ended the war.

When the fighting ceases and casualties are tallied, fear for their Queen runs rampant through the soldiers. For those who have had the privilege of fighting under the combined leadership of Claude, the master tactician, and Byleth, the Ashen Demon, they know how strong the bond is between the two, and although they have their doubts, they allow themselves to let their worries melt away when they see Claude exit the medical tent with a look of such knee wobbling relief that he has to lean on a nearby wall to stop from collapsing.

XxXxXxXxX

Ugh. I hate how this ended. I’ll come back and fix it another day.

Anyhoo, hope you all enjoyed it!

Chapter 1

Next: Chapter 2

#FE3H #fire emblem #3 houses #Byleth #Claude #Claudeth #Byleth x Claude #Post War #S Rank Support #Continuation #fanfiction #fanfic #Claude is best husbando #Golden deer #Verdant Wind #claude von riegan #Happy Birthday Claude #claudeleth

57 notes · View notes

hairphones · 4 years ago

Text

Why Libra is my favorite FE character

(if anyone knows the artist here it’d be appreciated to mention it)

Fire Emblem has plenty of characters people give a shit about. Most of the time it’s going to the lords or any of the really popular “waifu” characters, but in recent time I’ve found people who love all kinds of people in the franchise. The best thing about FE’s characters is there’s bound to be at least 1 person in here that you’ll consider cool. Despite there a lot of reoccurring archetypes I’m willing to say FE is still able to make something that feels unique in each game, even if not necessarily good. Anyways, for me one character who’s stuck out is of course the guy in the title, Libra. I’m always kind of weirded out this guy isn’t anymore popular than he actually is. Awakening is one of the most successful games that had a cast full of characters that ended up being way too popular for their own good. And yet, Libra is one of the few Awakening characters that doesn’t exactly get to enjoy the limelight like the other part of the cast back then. With that being said though I’ve found him to be one of the most interesting in the game and as you can read in the title he’s just flat out my favorite. I guess the best way for me to start is him as a unit.

Libra comes in as one of the more unique classes in the series, war monk. As a prepromote most people probably skipped over what’s given to you here despite what honestly is a pretty solid no investment unit. I say this from his C staff rank and his fairly balanced stats that lets him handle himself quite well for the first few battles he can fight in. Of course I gotta be realistic, Libra is no way a character who’s going to stay good at defending himself. Awakening’s real emphasis of making your units snowball means that ignoring to train Libra will only really leave him as nothing more than a staffbot, and even with training a glaring flaw is that Libra is too balanced for his own good to really specialize in anything unlike the other units. Another flaw comes from his rather limited class pool that leads to Sage and Dark Knight taking up spots in multiple class trees. This does give him access to helpful skills such as vengence or lifetaker, but unless you plan to grind only Libra I wouldn’t call it optimized to constantly reclass and train him. I’m in no way a hardcore FE fan that takes into account how units play in the challenge runs such as LTCs/Ironmans/Low recruitment, but I think it’s safe to assume that Libra’s overall performance will come in as primarily a support unit. But of course, judging him on his numbers isn’t my focus here.

I want to start off talking about Libra’s character with what you can already see from his design. It’s no surprise that most fans make the connection to Libra and other designs such as Lucius from FE7, another favorite of mine. In-game there’s a gag involving him looking female to other characters. However while his face is feminine, he’s actually rather tall and with a masculine frame. As one of the tamer Awakening designs I actually quite like his outfit as it perfectly fits with war monk ( I know crazy). Though you can chalk that up to being biased.

Hell on first appearances you’re most likely ready to assume this character is going to be a born again christian character with the only joke being he’s actually a male judging from the recruit conversation. The fact Awakening has it’s share of running jokes among party members definitely could lead to you assuming there’s nothing interesting about this guy. Yet, shouldn’t the fact he wields a weapon (as opposed to the usual magic tomes these sort of characters use) surprise you? and an axe at that? Lemme emphasis that, why an axe?

Sure FE has this tradition of the 3 main weapon types, but has it ever been used to add character? Not exactly, but it has been part of character archetypes for quite a while.

Think about what kind of character uses swords: The lords, the brave mercenary leader, the heroes, the flashy edgelords that become swordmasters. Swords almost always play a role as the legendary weapon made to save the day in FE games (as well as any jrpg). The sword will always be a symbol of courage in just about any video game.

(this screencap is low quality to stay consistent with the speaker)

How about lances: As far as FE goes the lance is primarily the weapon held by the jaigen archetype and the main weapon for the more chivalrous units such as cavaliers, knights, and soldiers. The kind of characters associated with these are often the diligent or experienced members of the army. You also have the usual flying trio of characters that range from happy go lucky to those that take the situation seriously.

Now what about axes? These weapons are more often than not held by the lower class characters. Hired fighters, bandits, pirates. These characters aren’t ever bad, but they’re not exactly fighting out of heroism or for their nation. In fact these characters are the most down to earth in the grand scheme of an army full of anime characters. Maybe not sooo much in Awakening’s case with Vaike, but every single one of these weapon types have their exceptions. Also wanna mention that one of the most (in)famous weapons in the series is called the fucking Devil Axe.

Going back to Libra, why would a character like him hold onto an axe when it’s pretty apparent he’s more of a gentle character? Why the weapon type that’s the most violent looking of the triangle? Obvious reason is purely gameplay reasons involving the odd design the war monk class is, but looking at it from a literary perspective only makes it look off (especially with the female clerics). This is also something to wonder if you take into consideration his C ranking, implying he’s at least somewhat experienced. Not to mention his high stats for that point in the game.

For better or worse this kind of mystery isn’t exactly answered in the base game of Awakening. However there’s some interesting conversations that’s found in the Summer Scramble DLC that gives an idea. Specifically the one with Lon’qu.

Lon’qu catching onto the dissonance of Libra’s appearance to his skill. The first conversation is only Libra claiming there’s no reasoning behind any of it. however the second conversation has Libra open up to talk about himself more.

As you see there’s no explicit answer to what kind of “darkness” Libra has ever committed before the events of FE:A, but given Lon’qu is the one to take notice of Libra’s supposed bloodlust the implication isn’t going to be anything peaceful. In fact, it’s that violent nature that gets questioned in another conversation in this same DLC.

Again, this conversation feels more important to take note of given what character is talking to Libra. In this case it’s the hyperviolent character who takes comfort in bloodshed (at least in the western release, perhaps Henry is different in Japan?). Either way, this conversation goes hand and hand with the Lon’qu one in a pretty easily. That is to conclude that Libra himself has had a pretty rough past filled with who knows what, and that past version of himself was most likely not justifying any murders as if justification was even something to consider. The Libra you meet in-game is of course still capable of killing, but it’s extremely obvious he has a concept of remorse.

There’s no reason given anywhere as to what changes this man to become the benevolent priest. Though really I think it’s better that Libra keeps it consistent with revealing almost none of the causes in his life and instead only showing the effects. Filling in the blank is not a new thing for FE characters, in fact fans of older games in the franchise seem to really enjoy that aspect quite a lot.

Still, even the current Libra understands himself to not be a person devoid of guilt or sin. A few supports touch upon this aspect such as the one with Sully.

Libra’s doubt that he’s anywhere close to being considered a good man in the fact of the gods adds something that I absolutely love: having skepticism to one’s own morality. There’s something important to follow up this with how Libra views morality in battles in one of the supports with Gaius.

Even as a supposed man of faith he refuses to deny that living a fight against the different nations in Awakening is just a matter of being on the side that’s doing more killing. Take away all the politics of any war and you’ll find people who are simply fighting for the right to keep on living. It’s what considered “just human”. I also find this conversation to be a little more profound given that is the same franchise where one of the biggest features is permadeath. These characters put their faith in their gods to escape death another day while the average player is the one avoiding death altogether.

Finally, a support with Tharja concludes mostly everything learned so far. Where she explores Libra’s memories only to find there was no peaceful childhood.

A newfound devotion to a religion isn’t treated as a fix to a life full of cruelty. To be a good person to many doesn’t absolve you of the terrible things you’ve done to others.. I’m sure this kind of topic has been explored in FE games before or after and in countless other video games/movies/books/pieces of media as well, taking away the religion part of course. Nonetheless the introduction to this kind of thinking to a 13 year old version of me had me really second guessing back then, and it still comes up to me from time to time. Sure I’ve done what’s considered “good” but will it ever outweigh any terrible things I’ve also done? Even today I can’t pretend I have an answer to that, and that’s just only thinking of what I’ve gone through personally.

To wrap it up though, there’s his ending card.

For such a simple ending it really brings out the fanboy in me. The entire game is filled with Libra having his doubts of being a good person according to himself and to the gods he worships. To end his story with him being believed to be a reincarnation of Naga due to his reformed nature just feels so sweet to me.

As much as I wish more characters could have a similar air to them in newer games, I get it’s just not really everyone’s preference. Fire Emblem is always going to be a series of good guys vs bad guys also dragons and with that comes making new characters for fans to get attached to. Still though, I really appreciate the attempt done with Libra. Once again the best thing about this franchise is everybody can find at least 1 character they love, they don’t even need to be playable.

I understand not everyone is going to grind supports to see everything a character has to say (especially not in newer FE games), but as you can see nearly all the nuance of this character was hidden away in dialogue. In a game full of joke characters and tropes, it is refreshing to see a character who acknowledges their own flaws and isn’t played for laughs. I didn’t write all of this to try to convince anyone in some clickbait manner like “THE DEEPEST FE CHARACTER INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS HID FROM YOU” or anything. Nah, I’m sure I sound like I’ve repeated myself many times here. But all of this was to attempt to put into words why I’ll stay with my opinion that Libra is my favorite FE character for being a reformed character done right. And for the fact that uncovering the secrets of this guy affected me personally all the way back from when I was a lot younger. And honestly a large part of it really stems from how Libra is in no way a major character, yet he clearly had a lot of thought put into him.

For anyone that bothered to read all of this I wanna thank you. Whether you liked it or not is up to you, no hard feelings. I know all this is the definition of “reading too much into it”, but I consider speculation on writing to be fun. Anyways hope I didn’t take too much of your time and have a nice day

17 notes · View notes

makingshortstorieslong · 4 years ago

Text

a quick tma after-the-end fic

[sound of tape beginning to record]

"Hello, hello, hello. Testing, one two three. Anybody out there?

I hope it's just me. Hey, future Angela. How's the archiving coming? Any less dusty there in the future? Did you buy a label maker yet?

Study library sciences, literally no one said. You'll get a great job right out of school, literally no one said. And I guess I love it but working at this uh, "Institute of paranormal research" was not what I was thinking. But, it is a job. I need one of those. So - I'm gonna do my best.

This is an audio log, I guess, of day 1! I just found this pile of old cassette tapes - literally just lying on the floor. And this recorder, obviously, with a tape in it. I assume it's recording? It looks like it works.

[sounds of shuffling through cassette tapes]

I guess these are probably interviews with the jokers who come through here saying a ghost ate their homework or whatever. No one warned me we were still using cassette tapes around here, but I guess that might speak to the state of the institute's funds. No updated technology for us. None of the tapes are labelled. So, I'll have to listen to them to get them all sorted out sometime in the future.

Oh, there's another tape player, great. Well, let's try one now. They might all just be blank, like this one. Uh, assuming this one is blank. I guess I could be taping over something probably. Too late to think of that now. Anyway, here's Unlabelled Possibly Blank Cassette number one.

[sound of tape player turning on]

"Statement of Laura Popham, regarding her experience exploring the Three Counties System of caves with her Sister Aleana Sanderson. Statement given November the ninth, 2014. Audio recording by Jonathan Sims, head archivist of the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement begins.

Caving has always been one of my hobbies -"

[sound of tape player being paused]

"Sorry, I guess I should stop recording. No point in having Mr. Sims here recorded twice."

[Sound of tape clicking off]

[Sound of tape beginning to record]

Well. That was wild. Must be like, a sister organization to us or something, sending us copies of their research. Never heard of anybody Magnus or Jonathan Sims, but I'm not really too knowledgeable of who's who in the wider world of supernatural research.

Genuinely can't tell if that guy doesn't believe in this stuff - wouldn't blame him, me neither - or if he does, but just has really high standards for what's real. He tells a great story though. At least listening through these should be pretty enjoyable.

Gosh, I feel like I've been talking to myself for ever. These things just make you want to do that, huh? Knowing it's recorded. Maybe I'll take some of those interviews research has been letting pile up on the archivist's desk - on my desk - ever since the last one quit so suddenly. And probably since before then. It's a big stack of papers full of, of ghosts and Bigfoot and spooky houses and whatever.

Anyway. I guess I could record some of them actually, now that I think about it. Not right away, but after I get them scanned into the online archive and labeled and situated in the physical one, I could make some audio recordings of them. Not on tape, I'll want them on the online archive too. It's accessible, right? There's probably researchers who would love that option, and probably some who need it. And also, it'll give me something to do in a few weeks when the rest of this is done. I don't want to just be sitting here all day cooling my heels.

Alright. Well, Jonathan Sims, thanks for the idea. Uh, hopefully, wherever you are, you're archiving some totally legitimate sightings of the supernatural, and not just more nonsense.

Alright. Back to work. Oh, I guess - Statement ends."

Notes: In my mind, that box definitely does not contain all the tapes. It's been cherry picked by the Web, and it's very likely that there's another box or two or three at other research facilities - previously researching nothing really, now researching a few very strange, spooky experiences a year - for other people to find. I do like to think that whatever Angela's recording at the beginning, she's probably half-taping over some crucial statement that she's really going to regret not having later.

Of course, I really love ashes-and-kites ending ( here ) and have basically adopted it as canon, so I'm not sure how long Angela's story plays out before Jon and Martin dip once more through the House on Hilltop road, pulling the Fears and the tapes along behind them, maybe with taped over additions like this added to them. And I think wherever they go, the Web plays this little game, or variations on it, which I think will mostly just irritate Jon when he and Martin almost inevitably run into whoever's been listening.

(This is also posted on Ao3, here)

#tma #the magnus archives #tma spoilers #mag200 spoilers #epilogue #after thinking about it i like the end. i would have liked it more if eps 197 199 and 200 had been one episode #and the ambiguity kills me a little #but its not bad and i'll like it on the relisten i think #but anyway i woke up wayyyy early this morning with the question 'what happens after the end?' on my mind #and ended up writing this #also i know there's that fanmade podcast in the tma universe. i forget what its called #i havent checked it out yet so idk how it reacts to canon #im really curious about what they're doing with the end of the show though #tma after the end fic

5 notes · View notes

betweenthetimeandsound · 3 years ago

Text

Three Minutes to Eternity: My ESC 250 (#220-211)

#220: Yiannis Dimitras -- Feggari Kalokerino (Greece 1981)

"Κοίτα τον έρημο γυαλό Σου ψιθυρίζω σ’ αγαπώ Τώρα θα χτίσω εκκλησιά Για της αγάπης τα τρελά παιδιά" "Look at the desolate seashore I whisper you “I love you” Now I’ll build a church For the crazy children of love" The opening shot, the rose on the piano, set the stage for such a romantic journey under the summer moon. And the soundscape created through the piano and instrumental throw us into this endearing scene, one which is also tinged with melancholy. Feggari Kalokerino is not only an ode to this beauty, but also an admission of craziness for falling in love. With such pretty lyrics, one can't help but get enveloped in this pretty world, where everything is so beautiful. The combination of Yiannis' singing and the woman's piano playing is also quite cute, albeit with some...interesting undertones to it. Either way, it's classical yet timeless.

Personal ranking: 3rd/20 Actual ranking: 8th/20 in Dublin

#219: Liliane Saint-Pierre -- Soldiers of Love (Belgium 1987)

“Neem elkaars handen Smeed nou die banden toe Hoor je die verre kreet? Geen mens vraagt dat leed” “Take each other’s hands Come on, weld those bonds Do you hear that distant scream? Nobody asks for that suffering” Top ten opening themes of anime, haha. It also helps that "Soldiers of Love" is the English translation for the song "Ai no Senshi" from Sailor Moon (which I've listened to many times but haven't gotten that far into the anime...). That said, Soldiers of Love packs a punch with the instrumentation and the high intensity of the melody. The lyrics are a powerful battle cry, albeit one which advocates for peace amongst people. There’s so much energy and determination in Belgium’s host entry, one would prepare themselves for battle for a good cause. Liliane really delivers this earnestly and with determination, though sometimes the military-style get-up stands out to me the most when I watch it again. Though those two guitarists turning their ends as if they were firing guns is a cool thing to behold.

It's one of the host entries that is better than the song which one it for the country, which is something because J'aime la vie is considered a fan favorite.

Personal ranking: 6th/22 Actual ranking: 11th/22 in Brussels

#218: Beth -- Dime (Spain 2003)

"Cuántas veces te llamé en la noche Cuántas veces te busqué Por mis recuerdos yo vuelvo Y no pierdo la fe" "How many times did I call you in the night? How many times did I look for you? I return for my memories And I don’t lose faith" For some reason, Dime reminds me of "Die for You" from two years earlier--both feature modern pop bops with ethnic influences, both imploring about the state of a relationship (while they both want to make it wor. And they're both in the same key! At the same time, Dime holds its own as one of the strongest 2000s entries from Spain. They had similar flamenco/Latin inspired entries in 2001 and 2004, which were highlights in rather mediocre years because of their uniqueness overall. But the guitar flourishes here work well with the dance beat, and it provides its own fun.

Personal ranking: 3rd/26 Actual ranking: 8th/26 in Riga

#217: Svala -- Paper (Iceland 2017)

“Drawing every bit of my truth Colour me in with your blue” I didn’t actually pay attention to this song in the follow-up to the 2017 contest. I also didn’t watch the semi-finals, which could’ve led to me neglecting the song entirely otherwise, especially I've heard a lot about Blackbird during that time. However, the summer after the contest, I discovered the song and listened to it. And I liked it! (And then I got hooked with Svala's other songs through her different groups) I was interested particularly in the lyrics, which discussed a fight between one’s mental demons and anxiety. I like the English version more than the Icelandic one; the latter is a bit more optimistic on winning against the battle whereas the former really takes the issue seriously. The production, while a bit staid, added to the feeling of helplessness with its electronic coldness. The staging also tries to incorporate this, though it didn't work in making it stand out. (I did like Svala's cape and makeup, though!) While I do love "Hear them Calling" a lot, I had a more interesting journey with Paper--it grew until it became something I highly enjoyed. Personal ranking: 6th/42 Actual ranking: DNQ -- 15th in the first semi-final in Kyiv

#216: Live Report -- Why Do I Always Get it Wrong? (United Kingdom 1989)

“You can do what you want to do now...” Honestly, this has to be one of my favorite British entries ever. While "Go" from the previous year gets a lot of acclaim because of its songwriting and Scott's performance (along with how it ended up second in the end), "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong?" is better on how it envelops a mood and could actually be found from this era (though it sadly didn't do too well commercially afterwards, sigh)

Whenever I do something wrong, or self-hate, this is the song I turn to a lot. The synthesizers drew me in—it fit well with the late 1980s-early 1990s sound elsewhere. It's also helped that Celine performed "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" earlier in the contest, which piqued my interest. And while Ray’s ponytail was a choice, it didn’t distract from how he delivered the song.

Despite getting more 12-points, it ended up losing to Yugoslavia by just six points that year. While not my favorite that year, I think it was the better one of the top three; it equally reflects the times and holds up!

Personal and actual ranking: 2nd/22 in Lausanne

#215: Tommy Nilsson -- En Dag (Sweden 1989)

“En dag vi alla förstår, En dag, när stillheten rår, En dag jag finner din hand, När vägarna möts förstår vi varann,” “One day, we all understand, One day, when silence rules One day, I find your hand When our roads meet, we will understand each other” My two favorites from 1989 are sonically different, diverging between despair and hope. I listen to "Why Do I Always Get it Wrong" a bit more, but "En Dag' would stand out for me in a few different ways, more from being just the optimistic song of the two.

The intro features really good brass, which leads way to the fun instrumental. I like how it builds, and Tommy’s interplay with the backing vocalists is incredibly strong. You get a sense of energy from the both of them as they send the song to new heights.

Basically, it's just glorious!

Personal ranking: 1st/22 Actual ranking: 4th/22 in Lausanne

Final Impressions of 1989: It's a pretty fine year, both in songs in production. There are a number of good songs there, though not many classics which hold out in the long-term (except for Vi maler byen rød, which became famous in Denmark and even became the premise of a musical!). Highlights include an overactive conductor from Turkey, two children, and an awesome interval act involving a crossbow!

#214: Bang -- Stop (Greece 1987)

“Ότι κάνεις για δόξα και λεφτά Δες τι χάνεις, αλλού είναι η χαρά”

“Whatever you do is for fame and money See what you are missing, joy is somewhere else”

I’ve heard this song compared to Wham’s output, especially with its vintage rock-n-roll sound (wake me up before you go go). This doesn’t make it any less bad, with its charming tone and thoughtful lyrics about how a girl who only wants material goods should stop chasing them.

(This is another reason why sometimes, the original-language version is better that any other one--the English version to this song has goes on a completely different tangent)

The performance also falls into vintage aesthetics, with the suits for both Thanos and Vassilis and sock-hop style dresses for the backing vocalists. It's really cute, and the way they dance fits the scene.

On another note, apparently Greeks saw this as a favorite at the time, can someone verify that?

Personal ranking: 5th/22 Actual ranking: 10th/22 in Brussels

#213: Guy Bonnet -- Marie-Blanche (France 1970)

“Nous sommes là dans une douce quiétude Nous avons mis fin à notre solitude Nos corps apprennent de tendres habitudes Et Marie-Blanche est à moi”

“We’re there in a soft stillness We’ve put an end to our loneliness Our bodies learn tender habits And Marie-Blanche is mine”

By 1970, chanson was on its way out; in its place was folk, rock-n-roll (spearheaded in France by Johnny Halladay, who has a great French version of "House of the Rising Sun"), and psychadelia. Within France itself, some of the #1 singles from that year include Comme j'ai toujours envie d'aimer, Let It Be, and Bridge over Troubled Water (a total masterpiece, I tell you).

So, what does one make of Marie-Blanche, in this case?

It's a really sweet love poem, in which Guy declares his love for the girl. and conveys a particularly cute scene. Whenever I listen to this, I envision two lovers cuddling inside while watching the snow fall during the winter. There's a sense of magic and serenity in all this, and the lyrics match the pretty piano melody.

Basically, hits are important to keep the contest alive. But songs like Marie Blanche can pull on the feels in the right ways.

Personal ranking: 2nd/12 Actual ranking: =4th/12 in Amsterdam

#212: Justyna -- Sama (Poland 1995)

“I czuła się tak marnie Poczuła się tak marnie Jakby Bóg, dobry Bóg Nie lubił pcheł..”

“And I feel poor Feeling so poor As if God, the good God Didn’t love little fleas...”

If 1994’s To nie ja represented something classic and hopeful, 1995’s Sama takes it and reverses it. (And in the grand Eurovision timeline, they're only separated by the last song of 1994, Je suis un vrai garcon from France) Instead of a young woman filled with life and singing a decent ballad, we have another one pondering herself, all alone, with nobody to help her.

Also, this is more of an acquired taste with its out-of-tune recordings and Justyna’s scream. But it doesn’t feel out of place within the 1990s, with its alternative influences and production, and I like Sama a lot for that!

Unfortunately, it also caused it to do substantially worse, which is simultaneously explainable and baffling. A good result would've made waves for future Eurovision entries; the 1990s are my favorite decade, but they did misalign quite a bit from the mainstream.

Personal ranking: 7th/23 Actual ranking: 18th/23 in Dublin

#211: The Shadows -- Let Me Be the One (United Kingdom 1975)

"You and I could have an affair/make sweet music, go anywhere"

Isn't this lyric really charming? I couldn't help but have a little giggle because of it; there's a sense of naughtiness (especially with choosing "affair"; are they trying to something illicit?) underneath it.

That said, The Shadows are mainly known for their instrumental rock, but Let Me Be the One has a neat melody line. The rock-n-roll vibe, which could be released within that decade, is light but lovely, and added a jolt of uniqueness to the otherwise poppy contest up to that point. The flubbed line in the beginning ("let me be the one who literally holds you tight", haha) adds to the whole thing, but they were able to carry on, nevertheless.

And while I like all the 1970s winners to some extent, I would switch out "Ding-a-Dong" for Let Me Be the One in terms of winners vs. runners-up; like with Sama, it could've changed the contest in a positive way.

Personal ranking: =3rd/19 Actual ranking: 2nd/19 in Stockholm

#esc 250 #esc top 250 #esc greece #esc belgium #esc spain #esc iceland #esc united kingdom #esc sweden #esc france #esc poland #vintage eurovision #three minutes to eternity

1 note · View note

gra-sonas · 5 years ago

Note

Damn that ratings drop was brutal! NGL, after what they did in 2x2 I feel avenged but also I do love some of the cast so I feel bad too. Anyway, in your opinion, what do you think is a bigger factor in affecting ratings in an upcoming episode: the ep synopsis or the previous episode itself? Cuz I'm in the fandom and I don't even go searching for a sysnopsis. I highly doubt a casual viewer would. So thoughts?

Yeah, that drop was rather significant. :/

I think there’s more than one reason.

1/ The super long hiatus. Many casual viewers simply forgot the show even exists (there are still people on Twitter, who only now discover that the show wasn’t actually cancelled and is back for S2. I can’t even imagine how many casual viewers who’re not active on social media have no idea the show’s back).

2/ The total lack of promotion for the show between S1 & 2. The official social media accounts went radio silent after S1 ended, there was zero effort to attract new viewers by telling them the show’s on Netflix, or that there would be a S2.

3/ No new content for almost a year. The only new content we (as in 'the people already invested in the show’) got between S1 and 2 was random pics/vids and some spoilers the cast/Carina shared + the NYCC trailer. A trailer in super wonky, distorted quality, yet it still provided better and more exciting glimpses into S2 than the official S2 trailer did (which was only released about 2 weeks prior to the S2 premiere…) So for almost 11 months, there was basically nothing to get people excited unless they were actively looking for news.

4/ Lacklustre S2 promo. CW promo’s always kinda bad, but the one for RNM is pretty much non-existent. Leading up to S2, there was nothing but the occasional pre-scheduled promo post (with S1 promo pics and clips and the hint to download the CW app or sth like that). And they didn’t even start to promote S2 until about two weeks before to the premiere. They had to cancel a press day bc of COVID-19, instead they’ve organized the weekly IG takeovers now, which are really cool, but also mostly of interest to those who’re already following the show more closely. Any casual viewers are probably unaware.

Currently it seems like the CW PR team pretty much forgot about the show (we didn’t get any 2x03 promo pics prior to the episode, and they didn’t release a preview clip either). There’s basically no effort made to promote the show, and I’m not even talking about huge billboards or AOL Build talks (though stuff like that wouldn’t hurt), just… IDK, keeping things going and flowing between S1 & 2, and actively making more people catch up on S1 on Netflix could’ve gone a long way, y’know. :/

I think the lack of PR on every level is definitely playing a role in the dropping numbers. It shows, that not only didn’t they manage to attract new viewers, they even lost S1 viewers. Whether that’s entirely due to the lack of promo, or is in part to blame on the writing, is impossible to say.

5/ That being said, S1 didn’t exactly end in a good place, and 11 months is a looooong time to forget about characters you may have cared for (just a normal amount :P) a year ago. I don’t know how happy or unhappy casual viewers have been with the show’s writing, but you don’t have such a drop in ratings just from a lack of promo.

No idea whether this will change anything in regards to the writing of the show next season. Who knows how decisions by TV higher ups are made, where the ‘blame’ is put for stuff like that, and whether Carina would actually be ‘ordered’ to make changes? (I don’t really think that will be the case tbh)

For now, we don’t have to worry, S3′s a go, and once that’s wrapped, I doubt the show’ll get cancelled (broadcast syndication/international sales is where The CW makes most of their money, and the more episodes a show has, the more valuable it becomes for syndication and outside-of-the-US sales).

Another bonus: they’re filming in Santa Fe, which is cheaper than LA, Georgia or Vancouver (where many other shows are produced) and comes with additional tax incentives. The cast isn’t as expensive as the cast of most other CW shows either, neither does the show rely on expensive special effects (like all the Arrowverse shows) - all good reasons for the CW to keep the show in production, especially as a mid-season show.

Dropping viewership numbers still suck tho, and I feel sorry for the cast. :(

They’ve been working so hard for almost 8 months to make the show, the least The CW could do is properly promote it, and also look for more opportunities to get the cast out for interviews (like, why isn’t there a single RNM related interview with Tyler about Alex Manes in S2 - a gay amputee veteran character - or an interview with Trevino, he was at atVfest, and last year he did an interview or two, but apart from that, there’s nothing, and both Trevino and Tyler are two of the ‘bigger names’ on RNM, with people knowing them from their TVD/PLL days).

And please, for the love of humans and aliens alike, up your laaame social media game, CW pr team. The RNM Costume IG account is doing a much better job at promoting the show than you, and it’s NOT ACTUALLY THEIR JOB.

#nonnie asks #rnm ratings

75 notes · View notes