#oh my god also he's enabling my nature as a teacher's pet | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

ghoultyrant · 8 years ago

Text

FoZ Notes 1

In part as an attempt to force myself to finish Familiar of Zero and move on to Twig, I’m going to be posting my notes to Tumblr, one volume worth of notes per day. I can read an entire volume in a day if I don’t put it off, it’s just so stomach-churning I struggle to make myself.

We’ll see if it works.

-----------------------

Familiar DETERMINES affinity. Interesting implications for crossovers. Though really it's probably more like "this is how we discover your affinity". Familiar runes take a minute to apply, uncomfortably hot. (Inconsistent whether it's "just a moment" or more on the order of a full minute) Occurs post-kiss. No explanation or justification is given for why Louise kissed Saito on the lips, rather than the forehead -I find it difficult to believe the ritual actually demands lip-to-lip contact, given some of the creatures being summoned. Louise is treated badly, openly, with authorities (Colbert, in this case) not interfering unless she pushes back. People essentially ignore Saito. Unclear if it's because he's a Familiar or because he's being interpreted as a commoner. Unclear why everyone assumes he's a commoner -how would they know he's not a mage? Louise finds it plausible Saito has never seen a few magical beasts, including griffons, by virtue of interpreting him as a commoner. Saito passed through a "sparkling mirror-like object", which was elliptical, floated above the ground, and had no thickness at all. He felt electrocuted passing through, though only mildly. Two giant moons. Louise is quick with the groinshot when Saito seems to be attempting to rape her. (Because Saito is a fucking moron) Claim that familiar contract is unbreakable. Skeptical. No commentary on whether the summoning step is too late on a physics level or just on a social level. On the social, unclear whether Louise was entrapped in general or only specifically by the fact that she'd failed repeatedly prior to summoning Saito. Louise is near-instantly convinced by a laptop. Never mind that it wouldn't be anything other than a glowy metal thingy to her, and never mind that she doesn't know all there is in the world to know... "I've never seen anything like this" she says about the glowy metal thingy. So? Proves nothing. Louise refuses to actually try re-doing the Summon Familiar spell. Cites reasons, ignores how the situation is extraordinary. Saito, being a moron, gives up instead of pointing out that if this is unprecedented they might as well try. Familiars' senses can be tapped. But not Saito's, because that would be too consistent. Inexplicably, Louise assumes that if Saito were to go home, she could summon a new Familiar, having previously insisted only death ends the contract. Possibly she's being dismissive or treating "going home" as a euphemism? Louise is disturbingly at ease with slotting Saito into the Familiar/property/object mental slot. I assumed the 'comfortable being naked around Saito' thing was some commoner/noble thing she was doing, but no, she's treating it like getting naked around a pet. Louise is quick to punish disrespect by withholding meals. Kirche has a Charmander. Flaming tail (which apparently proves it's from the Fire Dragon Mountains) and the size of a tiger. Constantly heating the area up, passively. [Note from the future: the story seems to essentially forget about her Charmander past the first couple of volumes] Oddly, dialogue implies Kirche knew her affinity was fire before she summoned her Familiar? Or just bad writing/translation. Brown/black/purple cloaks for first/second/third years. Louise and her peers are second years? Seems... odd, given the primacy of affinities. Why didn’t they summon as first years? [Note from the future: even though we only hear about three years, Louise is still in the Academy more than three years later into canon. Consistency, what’s that?] Familiars are barred from the main hall, at least during breakfast. Louise somehow requested Saito be exempted without him knowing, which seems wildly implausible. "Oh, Great Founder Brimir, and our lady, the Queen, we thank you for this humble meal that you have graciously provided us this morning," is said by all students, simultaneously, before breakfast. Somehow Kirche's Salamander can sleep underneath her chair, curled up. I thought it was as big as a tiger, minimum? Floating eyeball creature=bugbear. (??) Teacher Chevreuse is an enabler of people being horrible to Louise. As per the first teacher (Colbert), she only intervenes when Louise fights back. She at least does punish people for giggling when a student insists that Louise really is a "Zero"... The "basics" of Earth is transmutation. Not manipulation of the dirt or whatever, alchemy. Chevreuse has never worked with Louise before, and strangely is unaware of her explosive results. Just heard of her being a "hard worker". Inconsistent as to whether chanting is necessary or just "concentration" for running spells. [Note from the future: it gets worse. So much worse] Headmaster Osmond is irreverent. He's basically Perverted Straight Dumbledore. Saito is a dumbass asshole and now I know why he sees nothing wrong with how Louise is treated. Oh god. The author wants us to think Saito being an asshole is somehow noble, too. "Nobody" has been "kind" to Siesta the maid since she showed up at the castle. Saito being grateful for eating at all is some giant shock that causes her to burst into tears, because this is such a pleasant world you see. Saito hopes Guiche would just die, because he views the boy as a horrible narcissist. Glares of death, etc, leading all the way up to getting into a fight with the guy and refusing to back down. This is particularly horrible because Saito isn't exactly holding himself to monogamy on any level, so his loathing of Guiche is basically either hypocrisy or an obnoxious form of self-loathing. Guiche is also a moron, boasting openly about how he's a playboy and then immediately expecting one girl in earshot to believe she's the only one for him. Even if it weren't for Montmorency's perfume falling out of his pocket... really, Guiche? Guiche gets pissy with Saito, frames things as "two girls' reputations have suffered". What? Because you're a two-timing asshole, their reputations suffer? What kind of insane troll logic is this? Guiche's own toadies are quick to recognize that if Guiche hadn't been two-timing them, this wouldn't have happened, though, so he's maybe half-effective at spinning things, if that. So many cases of chantless casting. Saito is implied to have been made into the Gandalfr by Louise contracting him, having been genuinely ordinary before then. Suggests that whoever Louise summons and makes into her familiar becomes the Gandalfr, rather than Saito having an internal quality that makes him such. Longueville has the subtlety of a freight train. ("I'm very interested in this vault and how to break into it for entirely innocent reasons and every time the conversation moves away from that I promptly drag it back to that”) Colbert is a moron and somehow fails to figure out what's up with her. Kirche sleeps with a LOT of people. And is too stupid to avoid having three separate dates (one of which was three boys at once!) show up the same night within minutes of each other. She also frames her actions in such a way as to absolve herself of responsibility for her decisions at every step, that being a Zerbst means she's 'destined' to fall in love with people on sight and blah blah blah. I don't think the author understands how agonizing being whipped is.

Gandalfr weapon competency goes past "master-tier" and into "overtly laughing at physics" -acknowledged by the story, itself.

Kirche is very deliberate in plotting to steal Saito for the express purpose of fucking with Louise. Everyone in this story is horrible. [Note from the future: the author apparently forgets that Kirche is a horrible person and switches over to her being Louise’s best friend after Henrietta, and acts as if this was always true]

Also, Kirche bullies her "best friend", Tabitha, by using her height to keep her book away. Which isn't really anything that should work, but Kirche is still an asshole.

Yes, Tabitha has to specify to her dragon that the people they are following are not to be eaten, as a casual assertion she apparently makes on a routine basis. Yikes. [Note from the future: this never crops up again and doesn’t fit with later characterization. Consistency!]

The academy is apparently only a few hours-by-horse away from Tristain's palace.

Mages/nobles wear capes in Tristain to signify their status. Saito is stupid enough to assume that no cape=no mage.

Bizarrely, an arms dealer is quick to guess Saito is Louise's familiar on the basis of her clarifying she's buying a sword for her familiar??

Fouquet (ie Longueville) has been stealing stuff, unclear whether it's Tristain-the-city or Tristain-the-country, stated to specifically be from nobles. People know it's a mage. Later implied to be Tristain-the-country.

I like how the shopkeep is obviously long-suffering about Derflinger.

Derflinger asks if Saito is a "user" hinting that he knows or suspects Saito's nature. We're also given the impression Derflinger can't speak when sheathed. [Note from the future: Astoundingly, they actually stick to this consistently. Yes, I know, I’m amazed too]

Kirche's idea of haggling is to basically strip as the other party goes lower with their offers. She is, quite frankly, creepy.

"The royal mage guards" -implying the royal family has nobles as full-time guards?

Fouquet steals, taunts, lets everyone know it was her. Either transmutes walls into dirt/sand or summons a giant goddamn golem to smash her way in.

Somehow, Louise knows nothing about Tabitha, didn't even know she's friends with Kirche.

Fouquet can walk on walls. Probably an earth spell. [Note from the future: nobody ever do this ever again and the implications are entirely ignored]

Fouquet instantly feels Louise's explosion is unprecedented, because of course she does, can't not drop nonsensical hints that she's more than the Zero, can we?

Saito is a moron who can't imagine he can roll while tied up. Louise is a moron who can't come up with a better answer than "untie Saito" when he's tied up and about to be crushed.

Louise, in a moment of frankness, admits "no respectable" master would abandon their familiar. Interesting. Honor and duty, Louise?

Fouquet is perfectly comfortable incidentally murdering people with her golems. Wow, lady. Also, she can apparently alter the golem's composition and give it orders? Are the fans SURE characters can only run one spell "actively" at a time? [Note from the future: Yes, no, maybe, depends on the author’s mood, the position of the moon, etc. In a word? Whatever suits the story this very second]

Chevreuse was sleeping instead of on watch like she was supposed to be. Wow. Maybe Longueville did something?... [Note from the future: no, because why rite gud?]

Longueville reports herself. Guessing trap.

Osmond calls for volunteers to go after Fouquet. No teachers volunteer. Louise volunteers, because no one else did. Kirche volunteers, refusing to be shown up by a Valliere. Tabitha volunteers, because "she's worried", presumably for Kirche.

Tabitha is already a 'Chevalier', a title conferred by imperial authority and earned by merit. In short: she did something fucking AMAZING already. Osmond knew this, pretty much no one else did, Kirche included. It's the lowest such title, but whatever.

People don't count Saito as a person, seriously.

Longueville comes with... definitely a trap.

Kirche assumes that Longueville, as a mage, must be a disgraced noble, after Longueville says she's not a noble. Louise blocks Kirche attempting to dredge up whatever disgrace might have happened, because Louise is considerate and conscientious when it comes to honor.

Kirche continues to dodge responsibility for her own decisions. Indicates she only volunteered because Saito would be in danger.

The group is astonishingly professional about coming up with and implementing a plan. What are they, Naruto ninja?

Bafflingly, Kirche hitting a golem with a fireball... lights the thing on fire? What kind of clay is it made of, exactly?

Louise continuing to prove she is about Honor And Duty, also pointing out Saito's hypocrisy.

"Staff of Destruction" is a rocket launcher... and is somehow already/still loaded?? Close-range explosion fails to spray our heroes with lethal shrapnel because shut up.

The trap was so Longueville could find out how to use the rocket launcher. She monologues because shut up.

Chevaliers for everyone! Except Saito, because he's not a noble, and Tabitha because she has the rank already. [Note from the future: the author apparently completely forgets about this in later volumes, as we get a scene where Louise not getting a Chevalier title is treated as if she’s actually missing out in like Volume 15. Or maybe it was 14?]

Rocket launcher came with an unfortunate soldier who saved Osmond from a dragon.

Oh jeez. Derflinger going "clothes really do make the man!" in reference to Louise.

Louise admits she didn't REALLY believe him prior to the rocket launcher thing.

End volume 1.

----------------

Overall plot arc: Fouquet/Longueville steals rocket launcher, is stopped.

There's also dropping hints of why the protagonists (Louise and her familiar) are the protagonists, but not much payoff as yet.

#Familiar of Zero #Notes

3 notes · View notes