#when i tell you i have 6 different renditions of this piece because i coULD NOT find one that i liked 100% | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

aibafiles · 4 years ago

Text

RWBY Score Breakdown - Midnight (V8C6)

Okay!! This is something I've wanted to do for quite a while this volume. What I’m hoping to do is a series of posts breaking down the musical score of each episode, looking at character themes & leitmotifs, their instrumentation, how they interact with each other, and how they’ve developed. I was going to start with the second half of the volume (and then maybe work my way back) but I decided I really wanted to cover 6 and 7 first, so here we go!

As a quick aside, I’m relatively new to RWBY and its music. I got caught up between volumes 6 and 7, and spent an even longer time trying to familiarize myself with RWBY’s huge backlog of music and dozens upon dozens of leitmotifs. I think I have a decent ear by now but there’s always stuff I want to go back and pick apart! I do have some experience studying theory & composition, but I am by no means an expert, and if anyone wants to chime in and correct me on something/point out a detail, please do so! Also, this is my own interpretation of the music and in no way a definitive statement on Alex Abraham or Jeff Williams’ intent. (Or any of the other new composers brought on this volume!)

(I don’t think I can work audio examples into this post so this is more of a “pull up the episode and listen along, if you want to” kind of deal. Or hopefully I’m descriptive enough that you can just read it if you’d prefer not to.)

So, Midnight starts us off with some slow strings that lead into Cinder’s leitmotif—but it cuts off before we can reach that last note. It’s still incomplete—put a pin in this; we’ll come back to it. We cut to Atlas, where we hear a really nice jazzy rendition of a piece from way back in Volume 2, when Cinder returns to the dance. (Alex actually responded to a Reddit post about this particular callback and described it as a “maybe? it could make sense in a meta way” decision. I think it’s fitting for another place with a fateful stroke of midnight.)

And then...the new song! I'm mostly here to talk about the score so I won't dwell on it for long, but it is worth noting that this song's melody borrows heavily from Sacrifice (here’s a quick comparison!). It's almost an exact match save for one interval. I’m unreasonably excited for the full version of this song. I can feel the guitars begging to kick in after the episode version cuts off. But I digress...

The next music we hear is a piano variation of Cinder's leitmotif during her training montage with Rhodes. Cinder’s theme is one of the most abundant and easily recognizable in the series. Her leitmotif, as we’re used to hearing it, is typically a perfect fifth up, major second down, and a tritone down. The tritone is a very dissonant interval that is rarely used to end a phrase because of its unresolved sound. That sound is perfect for someone like Cinder (see also: Raven) because it makes her feel harsh and sinister. But in this episode, she hasn't become that person yet, so we get this variation. Instead of her usual tritone, the last note is a step lower, making it another perfect fifth. She’s landed on that last note she didn’t reach at the start of the episode. It’s a friendlier, more hopeful sound that hasn’t had the chance to warp into something twisted yet.

This Cinder variation moves to the strings, and the piano changes to something else: a version of the music from the beginning of Chapter 1 this volume, when we saw young Cinder scrubbing the floor. We can associate that piano with her old life in Mistral, trapped and toiling away endlessly. In a sense, Cinder is still in a very similar position here—but she has some kind of hope now, and this piano line has moved into a major key. Both her established leitmotif and this new idea are coming together, her past meeting her future. And both of them are the sweetest we may ever hear them.

And then it all crashes down. As far as I can tell, Casey’s vocal line when Rhodes walks in on Cinder isn’t based on any established idea. But it does sound sick as hell, as does Awake, which you should absolutely listen to the full version of if you haven’t already.

Back to the present with Hazel and Oscar! The bulk of this scene uses some musical ideas for Hazel established back in Volume 5 in the low brass and strings. There's also the slightest hint of Ozpin in the bells (? I think? it’s tricky to pick out the instruments here) around "I know how you see me."

When Salem gathers everyone, we hear a few different ideas associated with her—her slow, menacing leitmotif in the low strings, and a creepy choir chant. This phrase the choir sings has actually been around since the very end of Volume 3, but hasn’t had much use until the Atlas arc. It was subtle back in the confrontation in Ironwood’s office last volume, and over the course of Volume 8 it’s grown more and more prevalent as we get face-to-face with Salem. To me, this theme feels like it represents the immediate threat of Salem’s presence. She’s right here, and she’s about to do her worst.

But before that, she turns to Cinder, and her eerie choir morphs into something else. It's a bit tricky to make out over all the dialogue and sound effects, but this is Cinder's new song. Salem's own choir is turning these lyrics on her, all the while manipulating Cinder back into her good graces. The music builds and builds, and as Salem takes Cinder’s hand, the melody of "no one's ever loved you" echoes behind them. The scene finishes with Salem in the low strings/brass again.

Salem strikes Atlas. The melody the choir sings appears to be based on the piano from Chapters 4 & 5 when the Grimm rivers appears in the tundra, but now it’s loud and out in full force. (Interestingly, this melody shares some similarities with Lusus Naturae and Cinder’s new leitmotif from Volume 5, both of which are four-note, dissonant descending phrases. While the latter was simply intended to be an additional idea for Cinder to add variation, there was some past speculation about it representing her Grimm arm. All three of these ideas would have an association with Grimm of some kind, although I can’t say that’s necessarily intentional. But it is neat!)

The episode ends with one last version of Salem's leitmotif on a haunting piano, accompanied by the massive low strings that signify Monstra's presence.

Next up: War! There’s a lot going on in there so it may be some time, but thank you for reading!

#rwby #rwby8 #rwby music #rwby score #cinder fall #salem #salem rwby #maybe i'll add images or something later... uh #rwby score breakdown #rwbyposting

17 notes · View notes

birdy-bat-writes · 4 years ago

Text

Final Conclusions

A/N: So Fish and I came up with this Dad!Constantine concept while talking about this one OC I created and a few OC’s she created. The one I created is named Maya. The premise of her story is that she’s a love interest for Damian and she treats John like a mentor/father figure since he’s teaching her to control her magic. This plot is basically what has sprouted any of the Dad/Uncle/Mentor Constantine content I’ve created. Fish has contributed a lot and I love her so much. The basis for this interaction is that John finds a lot of amusement in the fact that Damian likes Maya and he just hates John so much. Even though it’s based on an OC, I’m going to write it x reader style with the reader having the same powers as my OC. So now that there’s context let’s begin!

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

It’s the opening night of the Gotham Academy’s festival of the arts. The night where young artists and musicians show off their talent in the galleries and performances, and two people who never show up to these things- like ever- both happened to be here at the same time for the same reason. You. And it irked them to no end.

Both John and Damian arrived at 6:30 pm on the dot. Damian looked so irritated to see John there. Why is he even there? He doesn’t even like going to these things. But then again, neither did Damian. He decided to put his irritation aside and began to walk into the building with John. He had to admit, John stepped up for the occasion.

John cleaned up, did his hair, shaved and actually wore a jacket that was not his usual beige trench coat, all to attend some crummy high school art show. But he did it anyway because it was your work that was being displayed. The disdain he felt towards these events was replaced with a sense of pride he had in you. He sported a grey blazer and black shirt with matching slacks, that contrasted Damian’s black suit.

“Nice to see you here, Damian.”

“Likewise.” The conversation stayed stagnant for a while as they looked around at the different works displayed. Neither of them walked around much. The silence was broken when you walked up to them, looking elegant as ever in your green dress.

“Hey, guys! I’m so happy you both could come.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Damian said sweetly. And that was a rare sight for John to see. Damian being sweet?!

“Do you want to see my display?” They both excitedly nodded “yes” and followed you to a wall at the end of the hall. You cautiously cut through the crowd and pointed. “Tada!”

“That looks amazing, Y/N. You’re more talented than you know.”

“Not bad, kiddo. It’s the best thing I’ve seen from you since that chicken you managed to turn green.”, John said ruffling your hair. Thank goodness you left it down. If it was done up, it would have taken ages to fix, but since you knew john was coming, you took the precaution. He had a habit of doing that when he was proud of you, and it made your day every time.

“Thank you. I’m just going to check out the ceramic displays, you guys want to come?”

“No thanks, dear.”

“I’ll just wait here.”

“Okay, see you in a bit. I’m so happy you both are here.” You chimed. You had that little gleam in your eye that you always did when you were happy, and Damian didn’t fail to notice. He lingered on it. Just as he did with your smile, and the soft glow on your cheeks. He was regrettably brought out of his love-trance by the sound of John’s voice.

“Does that look like ketchup on paper to you too? Or is it just me?” Damian wanted to roll his eyes and say something snarky, but instead, looked up at the painting john was talking about. It really did just look like a glob of red paint.

“I can’t even tell what that’s supposed to be. If it’s abstract, they did a good job.”

“To be honest, I don’t really get this ‘art’ thing. Half of these canvases look like something a two-year-old could muster.” John said, and Damian sighed in return.

“You have to look beyond the surface. Art is about the emotion behind the paint and pencil.”

“Alright, Picasso, what’s that one about then?” Damian stayed silent. “I thought you were an artist; you don’t get art?”

“I sketch sometimes but that doesn’t make me an artist.”

“Ah, damaged closet-artist.” Damian groaned lowly.

“There isn’t anything in that piece to understand. It’s just paint splatters. Half of these can only be admired for their technical skill; there’s no emotion behind them. If there is one, it’s not one that I understand.

“Whose work do you like then?” Damian gave that one some thought,

“I like the classics, I suppose. The only current artist whose work I’ve liked is Y/N.”

“Interesting, so, what emotion do you get from her work?” John had his trademark devilish grin plastered upon his face. He knew Damian was head over heels for you, and it sure was fun to get a rise out of him with that. Damian was trying not to let his mind wander off to the charcoal sketches he has framed in his room. You drew them for him and left them in his room one day. They were all sketches of Titus, Batcow, Alfred the cat and his personal favorite, a charcoal rendition of a polaroid you took. It was the two of you at the beach with the family, and Damian was smiling. It was rare and reserved just for you, so he couldn’t help but think the emotion he got from it was love. That photo stayed between the two of you, and the drawing wasn’t shown to anyone but him. John doesn’t get the luxury of knowing that. Why did he even ask? Why is he even here?

“Why did you come here?” Damian asked.

“Y/N invited me.”

“You don’t like going to these events. Why’d you say yes?”

“Same reason as you mate, I care about her more than I hate the rest of society.”

Damian gave a light nod that anyone would have missed if they weren’t’ looking for it. “What about you? It’s not like you enjoy school activities and such.” Damian looked a little flustered.

“I wanted to support my friend and classmate. It’s important to her.”

“Right, you wanted to support your girlfriend.”

“She’s not my girlfriend!”

“Aye, but you want her to be.” John said with a smirk.

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t give me that. Its plain as day that you like her.” Damian scoffed and looked down for a while.”

“How did you come to that conclusion?” He tried to play it off like sarcasm, but that didn’t really go as planned.

“You hate people and yet you love being around her. You’re an artist and can’t understand anyone’s art but hers. You want to protect her from anyone who you think isn’t good enough for her, myself included. The signs are pretty obvious.” Damian looked a little flushed but remained speechless. “And besides, she’s pretty easy to fall in love with, I hear. My home phone gets calls from boys on the daily.”

“What?! From who?!?”

“Hehe, and that’s how I came to that conclusion.”

“Constan-!”

“There you guys are! I’ve been looking for you. Art awards are going to be announced soon. Want to go find a seat?” You had just found the boys and were ready to take them into the auditorium for the Art Awards.

“Sure thing.”, John said cheerily.

John smiled and Damian just returned a cold glare.

***

They were seated next to each other and chose not to complain about it. Instead, opting to tense over the fact that they were nearing the end of the awards ceremony and your name hadn’t yet been called. This meant one of two things: Either you were about to win one of the top cash prizes or you weren’t going to win anything. And the thought of the latter had both John and Damian gripping the arm rests of their seats tight enough to dent them. The anticipation was building in all of you, but it flooded away from you when you turned and looked at the boys. They looked more stressed than you did, and it made you want to laugh. Of course, you stifled it. This is what you liked to call “Chaotic caring energy”. And truth be told, these two were awfully similar for a pair of people who can’t stand each other.

It was down to second place. You had lost hope and accepted you wouldn’t win anything. The boys hadn’t, though. They were literally at the edge of their seats, and you swear you saw Damian grab John’s shoulder at one point. Just then, you heard your name called. First place, Y/N L/N, 8th grade.

“Yes! I’m so proud of you!”

“Well done, N/N! I knew you’d be up there!” They could be heard over the Loud cheering from the rest of the audience. You walked up and received your award and you waved at them from the stage. John looked at you with a genuine smile and adoration in his eyes. He knew you were talented, and he was so proud of you for working so hard for this. You had finally gotten the recognition you deserved and the look in his eyes reflected how happy he was about it. Damian noticed too. John really cared about you. Damian saw it now. Maybe he wasn’t such a bad mentor for you after all.

While leaving the hall, the three of you saw Bruce, Dick, Jason, Tim and Alfred waiting by the doors. They congratulated you and showered you with hugs. They had seen the ceremony as well, but they watched it from the auditorium balcony. While you were off showing your plaque to everyone, Damian took an opportunity to say something he felt he needed to say.

“Hey, John?”

“Hm?’

“When you said I want to protect Y/N from people who aren’t good enough… I don’t consider you to be someone I should protect her from. You’re a good mentor.”

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” They shared a look of agreement. Perhaps they had finally settled a truce. “And of course, I’m a good mentor for her. I’m the master of my craft.” John added smugly.

“I saw you light your tie on fire once.”

“Who said that was an accident?” They shared a chuckle. Meanwhile, Bruce and Alfred were making celebratory dinner plans, and you were standing flabbergasted with the boys because Damian and John were smiling at each other??? They walked up to you and overhearing Bruce’s discussion about dinner, Damian took the liberty of inviting John to join you.

You choked on your saliva, Tim looked beyond concerned and when John said he’d be delighted, everyone freaked. Bruce looked terrified, Dick squinted, and Jason was about to take a picture while Alfred just stared.

“Are they smiling at each other?”

“No, that’s not possible.”

“Um, they’re walking side by side and talking without grimacing.”

Y/N looks like she’s about to pass out. Someone catch her.”

102 notes · View notes

booksarelife-stuff · 3 years ago

Text

The Story of Us- Chapter 5

Jily (James Potter/ Lily Evans), minor wolfstar

Word Count: 3,999

Modern Muggle AU. When Lily Evans meets the man across the hall due to a fire alarm, she has no idea that a new chapter of her life has begun. Featuring a librarian Lily and sports journalist James.

Masterlist Read on A03 Chapter 6

Chapter 5- but we were dancing

The options Mary presented to Lily were amazing. Lily didn’t think she could pull them off, despite Mary’s insistence that she would be stunning. In the end, Lily settled on an emerald green velvet dress that Mary insisted would look amazing on her and bring out her eyes.

Lily had gotten Dorcas to come over to do her make-up because Lily was hopeless at eyeliner and she didn’t feel like winding herself up by re-doing it ten times before it only came out decent.

“Can I see your dress?” Dorcas asked, lightly blending out the blush on Lily’s cheeks.

“Sure,” Lily said, glancing at her analog clock on her bedside table. “We got time.”

“Do you know what James is wearing?” she asked.

“Probably a suit,” Lily replied. Dorcas snorted.

“Yes, probably,” she agreed. “I bet he is going to look dashing. Better than that walrus Petunia is marrying.”

Lily knew for a fact that James at his worst would look better than Vernon, but she didn’t even want to think about James and how dashing he’s going to look.

“You’re all done!” she announced after putting some highlighter on the tip of her nose. She held out a mirror and Lily couldn’t believe how good she looked. The winged eyeliner and bright red lipstick were a bit much for the “natural” look Lily wanted, but Dorcas’s work was amazing.

Lily told her as much as she went to her bathroom, the dress in the bag hanging from the door. Mary had already pressed it and made sure it fit her measurements, but Lily still hadn’t opened it.

The dress was off the shoulder, so it exposed her collarbone and shoulders. There was a ruffle along the bust and sleeves to make her bust look bigger than it was. There was a slit that opened up to her knee and Lily was thankful it didn’t climb higher.

When Lily looked in the mirror, she realized that Mary was right. The dress hugged her beautifully and her green eyes were shining. Her red hair stood out as well, even though Dorcas had pulled it up until an elegant knot on the back of her head, with a few pieces curled and framing her face.

Dorcus gasped when Lily stepped out of the bathroom.

“You look drop-dead gorgeous,” she said, as Lily reached for her shoes.

“It’s not too much, is it?” Lily asked.

Dorcas shook her head.

“No, but I don’t know how James is going to feel,” she said, a cheeky smile on her face.

Lily spun around.

“What does that mean?”

“Oh come on Lily,” Dorcas said. “You have got to be joking.”

“I’m not.”

She sighed.

“He couldn’t take his eyes off of you at the party,” she started. “You guys have lunch, what twice a week now? He watches Outlander with you! Outlander!”

Lily turned away and tried to focus on putting her heel on. She tried to ignore the implication of what Dorcas was saying because then that would cause her heart to start racing.

“I’m just saying, if it isn’t into you, then I don’t know what he’s doing,” Dorcas said.

“What if I’m not into him?” Lily whispered.

Dorcas scoffed.

“Then I’d be doubting your sexuality Lily,” she said. “I’m a lesbian and I think he is quite fit.”

“I don’t know yet,” Lily said. “I really like him but…”

“Scared?”

“A little yeah.”

“I think you would regret not trying,” Dorcas said, a tone of finality in her voice. Lily didn’t say anything more as Dorcas began checking her face and seeing any final touches that needed to be made.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door. Lily felt butterflies erupt in her stomach as Dorcas went to go answer it.

“James! You clean up nicely,” she heard Dorcas say. Lily took a deep breath and walked out of the hallway towards her living room where her front door is located.

When she stepped in, her breath caught as she got sight of him. He was wearing a grey suit, one that had to be tailor made because it fit perfectly on him. His hair was a little more tame, but artfully messy. When Lily met his eyes, he was looking at her with wide eyes and his mouth open a bit.

“Hey,” he said, breaking the silence.

“Hi,” Lily replied.

“You look gorgeous,” he said.

“Thanks. Mary and Dorcas really came through for me,” Lily said. “You look nice.”

Lily wanted to kick herself. That was the lamest thing she could have said.

James didn’t seem to mind as he smiled back.

“Well, I should get going,” Dorcas interjected. Lily looked at her, a little ashamed to admit that she had forgotten she was in the room with them.

“Bye! Thank you for the make-up!” Lily said, giving her friend a quick hug. Dorcas patted James on the arm before leaving.

“So, ready to go?” James asked. Lily nodded and grabbed her phone and her keyes. She realized that she didn’t have anything to carry them in, but James took them and put them in the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

Lily liked that he offered his arm to her as they waited for the elevator. She also liked that he volunteered to drive them there after Remus told him that Lily was a tiny bit scared of driving. He helped her into the car and Lily thought her heart was going to burst.

“So I made a road trip playlist,” he said. “I put some bangers on there. I hope you don’t mind.”

Lily turned to him and smiled. “No I don’t.”

The drive was fun and it alone almost made Lily thankful this night. She was surprised that James knew every lyric to the Taylor Swift songs he put on the playlist. They had just done a wonderful rendition of “Better than Revenge” when James pulled into the parking lot of the ballroom that not doubtedly, Vernon’s family rented out.

“So why did her sister decide to have a black-tie engagement party?” James asked, turning his car off.

“To show that she's better and classier than the rest,” Lily replied, rolling her eyes.

“If this is the engagement party, I wonder what the wedding will be like,” he replied.

“Probably the most outrageous thing you’ve ever seen.”

“I don’t know about that,” James said looking at her. “Some of the kids I went to school with are having some crazy weddings. One of them had the whole bridal party on horses.”

Lily laughed.

“Don’t tell Petunia that. She’ll get ideas.”

James opened his door and stepped out. Lily went to open hers but James was too quick. He hurried over to her side and opened the door for her and offered a hand to help her stand.

Lily didn’t expect to be jumped on by her mother the second they walked in.

“Lily, dear!” Rose Evans yelled, making Lily jump. She barely had time to drop James’s arm before her mother’s arms were around her.

“Hello, mum,” she said, hugging her tightly. Her mom pulled away and inspected Lily.

Lily looked awfully like her mum, but in a slightly different font. Lily was a head taller and her dark red hair was the obvious difference, but other than that, they had the same nose that turned up and eyes.

Mum was looking her up and down. Lily inspected her as well. She was still looking good in her willowy frame. She was wearing a light pink dress that was only fitting for the mother of the bride.

“You look beautiful, dear,” she said. She looked at James, and her eyes widened. Lily could see the excitement in her eyes. “You must be Lily’s boyfriend Tuney talked on the phone with!”

“Mum-” Lily started, purposely not looking at James. “He’s not-”

“You are dashing! What’s your name, dear?” Rose said, talking over Lily. Lily felt her stomach drop.

“James Potter, ma’am,” James said, not missing a beat. He flashed her a charming smile.

“Lovely! It’s been awhile since Lily has brought anyone over to meet the family!” Rose said, looking like she was on cloud nine.

“That’s because-” Lily started.

“I’m a special one, what can I say?” James said.

“Well, go get your seats! There’s gonna be a toast before the party kicks off,” Rose said, ushering them forward.

James smiled and nodded and grabbed Lily’s hand. He laced their fingers together.

“I did not tell Petunia you were my boyfriend,” Lily whispered as soon as Rose was behind them.

“I know,” James said. “But I couldn’t dash your mum’s dreams.”

Lily snorted.

“Was charming mothers a class at your posh boarding school?” she whispered.

“Yes, actually. It was after ‘How to smile like a politician,’,” James remarked.

Lily laughed a little as they walked to the main ballroom.

Lily couldn’t believe how much Vernon had dished out for the engagement party. Lily knows there was no way Petunia could afford it with her career as a make-up saleswoman for that pyramid scheme she worked for.

The centerpieces were huge, filled with roses that were painted gold. There were fancy name plates in a cursive that was barely legible. Petunia’s colors were an awful combination of hot pink and a bright orange. The table cloths were alternating between those colors.

There was a live band that was setting up, composed of cellos, harps, and other instruments that indicated to Lily she was not going to be able to dance to the Cupid Shuffle tonight.

“Wow, this is something,” James said. Lily could tell she was holding back laughter.

“I think that pink is bright enough to burn my eyes,” Lily whispered.

There was an usher, who guided them to their seats. Lily wanted to roll her eyes at her sister, placing her in the back corner and probably with Vernon’s cousin who they had deemed to be lesser than them.

James pulled her seat out for her. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

“What a gentleman, thank you,” she said.

“My Mum would have my head if I didn’t act my best today,” he replied, sitting next to her.

“Does your mum know you’re here?” Lily asked, looking over at him. He nodded, his black curls bouncing a little.

“I tell my mum everything,” he said. Lily wondered what that must be like. “Speaking of which, you have been invited to an event of mine.”

Lily raised an eyebrow.

“Really?”

“Yep. Sirius and mostly likely Remus will be going,” he said. Lily hummed.

“What kind of an event?” she asked.

“It’s the Potter’s annual charity event and auction,” he said, like it wasn’t a big deal. “It’s more laid back than this, like a cocktail party if you will.”

Lily blinked at him.

“How rich are your parents?” Lily asked. James glanced at her, smiling a bit.

“My father is Fleamont Potter, Lily,” he said.

“No offense, but am I supposed to know who that is?”

“I’d be surprised if you did. He invented hairspray,” James said.

Lily laughed.

“Okay, you got me,” Lily said. “What did he really do?”

James took a sip of his water, his eyes not leaving Lily’s.

“You have got to be kidding.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, my pretend girlfriend.”

“Give me my phone.”

He handed it to her and did a Google search, only to see that James was absolutely right.

“What the fuck?” she whispered.

“Language Evans!”

She handed her phone back to him, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.

“Crazy, I know,” he said.

“Why didn’t you mention this?” she asked. James shrugged.

“Didn’t seem important.”

Lily rolled her eyes. Only James would think it wasn’t important that his father had invented the very product she had sprayed all over hair for most of her life.

Turns out they were seated with Vernon’s cousins who they had deemed untowardly. Surprisingly enough though, they were the ones that Lily actually imagined having a shot at getting along with.

James had so much charm, it was practically oozing out of him. He had charmed the socks off of Vernon’s cousin, Elizabeth with a simple tale from his uni days.

Mingling was not one of her strong suits, but James made it a lot easier.

Lily’s gut twisted when the speeches started to kick off the night. The first one to go was her sister’s best friend from secondary school, Makayla, who had assisted in making Lily’s life a nightmare.

Her speech was fine until they started talking about the “good ol’ days.”

“One of my fondest moments from our friendship early on was when we found her sister eating alone outside,” Makayla started. Lily’s breath caught at the mention of this and she stiffened.

She felt James grab her hand. He laced his fingers through her’s and squeezed once.

“We felt so bad for her! So we decided to sit with her,” Makayla continued. “We knew it would damage our reputation, but that’s what you do for family.”

There were a few laughs.

“That was until Lily started to get smart with her mouth and Petunia dumped her lunch all over Lily!”

Lily remembers it like it was yesterday. She had been reading a book, when her sister’s hoard of girls descended over her. They were spewing fake compliments, Petunia’s backhanded ones as well, Lily had had enough and looked straight at her sister and fired back at her.

Lily had beans in her hair for the rest of the day.

No one laughed, but Makayla trucked on to the story of how she met Vernon.

Lily’s pulse rate was up and she could feel her cheeks flush with anger. She almost wanted to leave the room, but James was holding her hand. She squeezed it and James leaned over.

“I take it, that's not the whole story?” he whispered. Lily shook her head stiffly.

She didn’t pay attention to anyone else’s speeches. She kept her eyes down and was content to staying in a bad mood until James started a thumb war on her lap.

He had just won for the second time when everyone started standing. Lily looked around in confusion.

“I think we can get up and mingle now,” James said. “Or maybe we’re supposed to go greet the bride and groom?”

There was a line forming in front of Vernon and Petunia. Lily’s eyes passed over them and on to the snack table that only a few others were at. Lily eyed the champagne.

“Snacks?” she asked.

“Lead the way.”

James, once again, lended Lily his arm as they made their way through the crowd.

“What kind of party doesn’t have a chocolate fountain?” James asked as they neared the snacks.

“They probably thought it wasn’t posh,” Lily replied.

“I’ve been to plenty of posh parties and there has always been a chocolate fountain,” James replied. Lily laughed a little.

“What about a cheese fountain?” she asked.

“That sounds disgusting.”

“You can grab a tortilla chip and cover it in cheese.”

“Nasty, Evans.”

James grabbed a plate and let Lily fill it with whatever she wanted. She made sure to grab enough for both of them, James only turning down champagne.

“Well, I’m going to need a lot to get through this night,” Lily said, taking a sip.

“I wish I could,” James said, sighing.

“Thanks for driving,” she said, smiling at him.

“You only use me, Evans,” James lamented before popping a strawberry into his mouth.

Lily was about to reply when Makayla walked up. She was looking at James though, like Lily was completely invisible. Lily fought the urge to grab James and run but Makayla was quick.

Lily wasn’t in the business of hating other women, though it was hard to fight the societal pressures that had been pushed upon her since she was a kid. She didn’t hate Makayla because she was pretty or because popular in school. She hated her because Lily had spent many days crying and fearing her presence.

“I don’t believe we met before?” she asked, extending a hand to James. “Are you one of Vernon’s cousins?”

James almost snorted, but Lily could see he was fighting his prep school education. He shook her hand.

“No, I’m Lily’s boyfriend,” he said, smiling widely.

Lily didn’t miss how her face fell a bit. She took a big gulp of her champagne. James put his arm around Lily and brought her closer.

“Oh! I didn’t know Lily had a boyfriend. Petunia failed to mention that,” she said.

“This is the first time I’m meeting the family,” James said, smoothly. “We haven’t been dating long.”

“Oh well, this is a perfect occasion for that,” Makayla agreed. She finally turned her gaze to Lily. “How have you been Lily?”

“I’ve been good, thanks,” Lily said, forcing herself to smile and keep her tone light.

“Still in school?”

“Post-grad,” Lily replied, evenly. Makayla hummed and turned her eyes to James again. James quickly stuffed food in his mouth, avoiding having to answer another question.

“This has been lovely, but we really should be queuing to see Petunia and Vernon,” Lily said. “See you later.”

James followed Lily as they walked to the back of the queue.

“I’m offended,” James said when they stopped. “She thought I was related to Vernon.”

“I bet she didn’t,” Lily mused. “She probably used that as an opener.”

James scoffed. “That’s a bloody fucking horrible opener.”

Lily laughed. They shared the snacks and Lily told him about the people she was recognizing. She didn’t have any cousins and her aunt had passed sometime ago, so it was only Vernon’s family and she didn’t know much about them.

The couple in front of them started talking, revealing them to be Vernon’s cousins who had been shunned because she had gotten a divorce. It was nice bonding by being the family outcasts.

Lily didn’t feel nervous until she was staring at her sister.

Petunia was wearing a dress that Lily could admit was very pretty, but the sneer on her face is what made her ugly to Lily. Vernon was wearing an black suit with an orange shirt that blinded Lily’s eyes.

“Lily,” Petunia said, stiffly. “How lovely to see you.”

Lily was determined not to live up to Petunia expectations, no matter how much she wanted to yell at her.

“Lovely to see you as well,” Lily replied. “And Vernon as well.”

Lily saw Vernon eyeing James.

“I’m James,” he said, a posh smile on his face. “I’m Lily’s date.”

“Or boyfriend, as you had decided to call it,” Lily added.

“What do you James?” Vernon asked, shaking his hand.

“Oh, I’m a trust fund baby,” James said smiling. “I don’t really need to work. I may go get a job at a McDonalds though. It’ll keep me on my toes.”

Lily bit back a smile as Vernon started to turn red.

“Really?” he gasped.

“No, just kidding,” James said. “I’m a journalist.”

The way Petunia’s jaw dropped, Lily would think that someone had committed a horrible sin right in front of her.

“Is this the company you’ve been keeping, sister?” Petunia hissed.

“Yep. Every night. We live together now,” Lily said, knowing it would make Petunia blow a gasket. It worked.

“Vernon and I aren’t even living together yet! And we’re engaged,” she whispered scandalized.

“Hm, maybe we shouldn’t tell them about the pregnancy scare?” James said, turning to Lily.

Lily pulled him away as Petunia let out a little shriek. Lily was holding in a laugh as they walked through the tables.

“Too far?” James asked. Lily shook her head.

“No, just far enough,” she said. “They’re going to think you’re a sinning vagrant like me.”

James rolled his eyes. “If anyone here is a vagrant, it’s me Evans.”

Lily’s mother was waiting for them by their table and Lily’s laughter stopped. She hoped her mother wasn’t going to be stern with her. She felt like a kid again.

“What did you say to get Petunia so mad?” Rose asked, swirling her glass around in the cup.

“Oh, normal stuff,” Lily replied. Rose smiled.

“I can’t believe you found a willing accomplice,” Rose said, gesturing to James.

“I prefer partners in crime,” James replied.

Rose smiled.

“I’m going to ask that you guys stay for about an hour before you sneak out,” she said.

Lily huffed as she was just about to ask James if they could leave and go get McDonalds.

“Fine.”

With that Rose left, giving them a small smile. Lily and James some more snacks and soon the little band was playing. James stood up and offered his hand.

“Uh,” Lily said, staring at it. “I don’t know how to dance.”

“Not a problem. I’ll teach you.”

The truth was that Lily could probably get the gist of it fairly quickly, but the issue was that she had never danced with anyone before. Like never, ever, danced with anyone before. Not even at the little dodgy dances that school threw. She went to one and no one had asked her.

For some reason, it was nerve racking, being that close to James. Sure, she sat next to him on the couch, shoulders bumping, their legs touching. But this seemed intimate.

Too intimate for their friendly relationship.

James squeezed her hand as he led her to the dance floor. He gave her his wide, easy smile. It made her feeling comfortable, knowing that he was going to be embarrassed by her as they danced.

They ended up doing the stereotypical slow dance that wasn’t really a dance. Just swaying with their arms around each other.

Petunia only seemed to have picked ballads for this occasion because not a single song went to an upbeat tempo. So their position was cemented, one hand with their finger’s threaded together, his other on her waist and her other resting in between shoulder blades.

“I’ll teach you to properly dance,” he said. “One day.”

“When will I ever need that?” she asked, smiling a little. James smiled too.

“If you are accompanying me to any and all Potter events, you’ll need to know.”

Lily groaned but she wasn’t bothered in the slightest.

It fell silent between them. Lily looked up at him, taking in his jaw and the way the lights of the room reflected in his glasses.

Another ballad started and Lily realized she liked this. A lot. She liked being this close to James, she liked grabbing his hand, she liked sharing laughs between them.

She liked James. A lot. More than she ought to. She wondered how this snuck up on her like that. She didn’t know the exact moment she started feeling that way, but based on the intensity, it had to have been for a while.

James glanced down at her and she averted her eyes, staring at his tie.

He adjusted their position. He encouraged Lily to get closer and she obliged. Her arm went around him and she rested her head on his shoulder while his hand rested on her back. He kept their fingers threaded together though.

Lily’s heart was thumping and she hoped James couldn’t feel it, as there was no room to speak of between their bodies. She could hear James’s thumping..

She could melt right there in that very spot, that’s how close they were. She wanted to be this way forever.

Lily forgot that the back of her shoulders were bare from how the neckline of the dress was until she felt James’s hand gently trace a circle on her bare skin. It made her body start to tingle and long to feel his hands everywhere on her.

The song changed and Lily realized she was going to have to do something about this. But not right now.

“I think it’s been an hour,” she whispered.

“Wanna get out of here?”

“Yes please.”

#jily #James Potter #Lily Evans #lily evans potter #James Potter/Lily Evans #minor wolfstar #harry potter #muggle au #marauders era #jily fic #jily fanfic #Harry Potter fanfic #James x Lily

7 notes · View notes

a-mellowtea · 4 years ago

Text

Sarah’s Soundtrack Corner | RWBY Volume 8

Today: Episode 1 // Divide 22/11/2020: Episode 2 // Refuge

Hello everyone!

This year, I’ve decided to do something new. Rather than waiting for the Volume to end or the soundtrack to drop to talk about RWBY’s music, I’m starting this little side project: cataloguing and somewhat analyzing the show’s score and songs as they’re released.

This is also a way for me to keep myself engaged in something other than academics (’cause quarantine be gettin’ to me), as well as pointing out some details folks might overlook: there’s always a lot to talk about with the music, and it plays a pivotal role in the series.

A mini-disclaimer beforehand: I am in no way well-versed in music theory. I can’t really tell you how things are composed so much as how they more generally sound, and what the intentions behind certain choices might have been.

So, without further ado, let’s begin!

The first cue of the Volume, coming in gently against the slow fade-in from black of a young Cinder scrubbing the floor, is on piano and sparse strings. I’m hesitant to label this as anything in particular with any degree of confidence, but the progression of notes makes me believe it could be an abstract variation on Cinder’s core “theme” - specifically, the haunting choir we tend to hear around her. It would make sense: bridging the visuals with something just familiar enough to catch the ear, but also distinct.

There’s a brief pause as Cinder and Neo approach the storm, with only a small bit of ambient, tense strings; then it’s into a development of the new melody we got accompanying Salem’s arrival in Volume 7 under the usual first-episode credits. This section has a wonderful female choral element added: I’m actually half-convinced that it’s a specific “theme” for Monstra (the whale Grimm; apparently that’s her official name), rather than Salem herself. The bass percussion makes the cue feel almost literally alive, giving it a slow, steady heartbeat.

The piece crescendos as Neo catches sight of Salem, then fades away into more tense strings when Cinder kneels. A small quote of what I believe is “One Thing” kicks in when Cinder takes Neo’s credit for stealing the Relic of Knowledge.

The next quote is equally small, coming and going in the span of about 5 seconds between the 03:25 and 03:30 timestamps, and references the strings from “Party Crashers”/the Volume 7 Mantle massacre.

I can’t quite peg the following string melody - under Cinder’s declaration that she’ll return to Atlas and take the Maiden’s power from Penny - as anything specific, though it sounds similar to the opening piano.

What I’ll tentatively label as Monstra’s “theme” takes over again as Salem communicates with her, and the cue ends on a tense crescendo along with the scene.

On our heroes’ end, this is quite the episode for abstract little melodies, because I can’t seem to nail down what plays under Oscar’s respite in the slums either. What I do recognize, however, is a small section of Mantle’s melody at around 05:42, continuing until 05:52 where it’s briefly interrupted by a vague handful of notes from the Grimm “theme”.

Everything in Mantle is quite bleak, including the instrumentation: it’s soft and somber, even the gentler moments. Oscar’s melody kicks in at 07:06 on slow strings after Weiss asks how he ended up in the crater, which transitions into a despairing little quote of Penny’s established “theme” from Volume 7. This “theme” is of particular note this time around - Alex Abraham (composer) switched up the sound of her melody to a more subdued, lost quality, and it’s quite something whenever it pops up.

“Bad Luck Charm” makes a brief appearance at 07:30, and it’s interesting to me just how darkly the quote drifts off - the final note sounds almost distorted, lending it not only an air of uncertainty, but also danger (totally not hinting at things to come - no way).

Mantle’s theme makes a reappearance at 09:03, following a lead-in on strings as Yang argues that they need to help the people. The “theme” for Amity follows at 9:18 when Pietro begins talking about the titular colisseum, then drifts into Ironwood’s once he’s brought up, and then into one of the “Atlas tension” motifs from Volume 7. The orchestration of this entire section is notably quiet; almost not there, and all with a sense of unease. As the idea for the plan begins to come together, the Atlas Military “theme” (introduced at the end of Volume 6) plays, but fades out largely unresolved with Pietro’s uncertainty about it.

Once the small argument begins in earnest and the group divides, what sounds like a gentle quote of the as-yet untitled opening plays, easing into simple strings once Jaune interjects.

A sneeze-and-you’ll-miss-it soft interruption of Penny’s melody plays again, almost lost in the strings, then a third time when she volunteers to go with Ruby’s group.

And now for the fun part.

I’m not horrendously biased, I swear.

The tense silence of this scene once Penny’s Scroll begins to ring is perfect; as are the dark, sparse, ambient strings and the fourth instance of Penny’s “theme” - played on piano, with an almost music-box-like quality. The juxtaposition is horribly fitting for the moment - James is playing on Penny’s role as a guardian, her desire to protect people, her uncertainty about a situation in which she has had very little control, and that’s all beautifully reinforced in the music.

Speaking of juxtaposition.

Upstairs, we get a gorgeous rendition of “Hero” on brass; played slow, full and in earnest, with a small bit of Winter’s melody thrown in the middle once the camera briefly shifts focus to her. The way this section is orchestrated piques my interest as well - it’s not dark, it’s not particularly somber. It’s gentle. It still has that, for lack of a better term, heroic quality to it.

And that becomes such a twisted thing by the end of the scene.

Before that, however, there’s an instance of the Grimm “theme” clearly at 14:56, and it continues to be a personal favorite.

Another intriguing little reference hits at about 15:12, when the Council members show up - if you have an ear for it, you might pick up on it as coming from the scene in the office from Volume 7 Chapter 11 “Gravity”, complete with Ironwood’s “theme” at 15:33 (this cue might actually be directly taken from “Are You With Me?”) and to say it’s appropriate for a moment where James slips even further would be putting it mildly.

Closing out the episode proper is a freaky new melody for the Grimm hound that I can honestly say I cannot wait to hear more of.

Overall, the score for the premiere isn’t quite as bombastic as the last two years, but that’s fitting - it’s largely understated, with lots of tension and somber takes on the leitmotifs that crop up. This is actually one of the things about the episode that left me feeling like it was more of a firm and simple continuation from last year than the start of a brand new chapter, and that’s certainly not bad.

And now you stand alone, opening!

I don’t think it needs saying that every RWBY OP will split the fandom to some degree, and this one has a very different style. It doesn’t have a name yet - I personally labelled it as “The End” on YouTube, unfortunately confusing a few people - which is odd, but Jeff professed that he just couldn’t settle on one yet.

The standard guitar and heavy percussion are present, kicking off in the usual instrument-focused intro, and are mixed with layers of different instruments, synth and backing vocals throughout the song once Casey’s vocals start. Speaking of, our leading lady delivers with her usual grace, and her matured voice lends a lot to the tone of the song (the growl on “Some roses will never bloom” is amazing). Almost every line on the verse and pre-chorus has an echo behind it - either as an effect or as part of the backing - giving it a forlorn yet powerful quality.

In the lyrics department, it reminds me quite a bit of the second opening - “Time To Say Goodbye” - save with a darker undertone. I’d be hardpressed to believe that the line “We said goodbye / To all the things we loved” isn’t, in fact, a direct reference to “Now it’s time to say goodbye / To the things we loved and the innocence of youth”. In a Volume where a lot of people were clamboring for a “When It Falls 2.0″ - yours truly included - this was a surprise, but a welcome one.

Second opening is the best opening. That is a hill I will die on.

Come to think of it, this might become a trend. If I remember correctly, several lyrics in “Trust Love” harkened back to “This Will Be The Day”; what springs to mind immediately is the contrast of “When the day you waited for won’t come” with “This will be the day we waited for”, and “Always hoping that a lightning bolt / Is going to save you from this gravity” with “We are lightning / Straying from the thunder”.

If this is the case and Volume 8 goes as I believe it will - setting up for another Volume in Atlas where the huge fight happens as everyone struggles to hold the line until help arrives - then we could be due for some “When It Falls” references then.

I’ve heard some say that this opening sounds a little too crowded, that it doesn’t hit quite as hard as they expected/compared to “When It Falls”, that the darker tone relies on the lyrics rather than anything in the instrumentation, and those are valid critiques. Personally, this one’s an ear-worm - I love the sound of it; Jeff made a lot of interesting choices - but the melody itself isn’t as discernable as previous years and is going to take a while to grow on me.

I’m not going to rank these or anything because that feels a little arbitrary, but I really enjoyed what we got this first Chapter. Knowing the team, they find ways to step it up every year, so I’m seriously looking forward to what’s in store.

Until next week!

#rwby #rwby volume 8 #rwby music #alex abraham #jeff williams #casey lee williams #and yes #predictably that 'hero' quote is stuck in my head too #gimme an ironqrow fight and a back and forth between 'hero' and 'blc' and i will die a happy woman

14 notes · View notes

littlemisssquiggles · 4 years ago

Note

Something I noticed: Ozpin and RWBY both came up with outlines of plans but have nothing concrete. Both were rejected, not because said plans, but because they lied to their allies and the lies were revealed at the worst possible time, place and way.

…Hmmmmmmm….I dunno about that Miki-chan. With all due respect, I’m going to have to disagree with you on this one point m’friend since I wouldn’t go as far as to say that RWBY actually had a plan; at least not one that went beyond withholding the truth from General Ironwood.

Since we’re comparing Oz’s actions to that of RWBY’s---Oz was the only person with a legit plan---one that more or less worked successfully in his favour for the past few lifetimes. You know what I just realized? The only thing that Oz didn’t have a plan for was a way to stop Salem and that was technically the ONLY relevant piece of information that he withheld from his allies; inclusive of our heroes and the members of his inner circle.

Other than that, Oz told them everything else that he knew and had things in place for.

The existence of the Brother Gods, the Maidens of Magic, the true purpose of the huntsmen academies as strongholds for the Vaults containing the Relics and the identity of Salem herself---our heroes (mainly the RNJR group at the time) garnered all this info through Qrow Branwen who would’ve have been able to pass it onto them if Oz hadn’t disclosed it to him in the first place.

Herein lays an issue I have. It’s for this reason why it bothered me (and still bothers; mind you) how in RWBY V7CH4, the CRWBY Writers---mainly Eddy ‘Double D’ Rivas---had Qrow Branwen deadass tell Ruby that her choice to withhold information from Ironwood is no different from Ozpin’s deceit since according to him, Ruby is choosing to place her trust in others.

“…Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You’re trusting others but you’re making sure they prove themselves first. I think that’s a pretty big difference.”

… I have never heard so much wrong in one sentence from a character I like. Brace yourself Miki-chan and to anyone who happened to be reading this response post for I am about to go off on small tangent as to why I strongly dislike this one line from V7 and why it peeves me so much that this dribble came from Qrow Branwen.

If this line had been said by any other character; I probably would’ve been fine with it. If it had come from someone like Yang or Weiss or Blake or anyone of our other young huntsmen characters who didn’t know Ironwood personally then I would understand for them to have this impression of him since V7 is technically our group’s first time getting to really know and understand the General through working with him and his associates.

But the fact that this line was said by Qrow of all people is such a huge contradiction in my eyes. No matter how I look at it; it felt incredibly off to me to have Qrow say something like this regarding the team’s choice to deceive the General. It was off to have Qrow say this to Ruby when outside of Oz; Qrow is the only other person who knows James given the fact that the two were forced to work together via their association with Oz as members of his Inner Circle. Qrow may not share the same rapport and level of respect towards James like Oz once did---on the contrary, back in V3, there a bit of tension between Qrow and James given the Branwen man’s displayed disagreement against the General’s actions during that season. Needless to say, in spite of their differences in the past, Qrow still knew the General a lot better than Ruby and the others to gage the type of man he is. So to have Qrow condone his own niece and their entire group deceiving one of their own allies; especially given the events of V6 is SO bothersome to me.

And I guess the biggest reason as to why this bothers me so much is because, if I recall correctly, back in V3, Qrow literally instigated a courtyard battle with Winter Schnee because he detested how Ironwood had went behind Ozpin’s back to get the Vale Council to waver in his favour for bringing Atlas military forces to Vale for the Vytal Festival despite Oz voicing his oppositions about it earlier in the season.

“…Despite what the world thinks; we’re not just teachers or generals or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies; we’re the ones that keep the world safe from evils no one even knows about. It’s why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows so you tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you being discreet or did you not just give a damn?!”

Qrow didn’t like it went Ironwood went over Oz and did his own thing so it feels awkward to have him basically do the same thing to Ironwood here in V7 especially coming off of V6 where part of his anger towards Oz was because he had kept such a huge secret even from him---one of the people he claimed to have trust.

This brings me back to my biggest gripe with this quote from Qrow. How can Qrow imply that Ruby’s deceit is no different that Oz due to him ‘only keeping the whole truth to himself while Ruby only told it to people she trusted after they had proven themselves worthy of her trust’ when…Qrow himself is an exemplar of Oz’s trust.

So was Ironwood!

As a matter of fact, let me share a quote that Qrow himself said back in V3 that justifies my point. This was taken from the same episode that I mentioned before--- RWBY Volume 3: Chapter 3- It’s Brawl in the Family.

“…Discreet wasn’t working. I’m here because this is what was necessary.”

“…You’re here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this Inner Circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that’s in front of us!”

Referring back to what I said earlier---our heroes (meaning JNR_RWBY) eventually learnt the truth through sources like the Branwen Twins. V4 was when Qrow told RNJR the truth and V5 was when Yang and Weiss heard it from Raven.

However, neither Qrow nor Raven would know any of this info if Oz hadn’t trusted them with it in the first place. And Oz only trusted them because, just like Ironwood, they had proven themselves worthy to be drafted into his inner Circle of allies. After all it was stated back in V5 that Ozpin had his eye on Team STRQ the minute they were assembled, just as how he had his eye of RWBY.

“…Your Uncle Qrow and I didn’t attend Beacon to become huntsmen. We did it to learn how to kill huntsmen. Daddy and uncle left that part out, hmm? Aside from the Grimm, huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce. And Qrow and I were the perfect age. The entrance exams were child’s play compared to what we’d already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon’s very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in…”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should’ve. Sound familiar?”

“What’s your point?”

“How much do you know about Professor Ozpin?”

“He was…a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school.”

“Because that’s how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else.”

“That doesn’t make any sense! How could he have---No. Why would someone even do that?”

“Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no good back…”

This was taken from RWBY Volume 5: Chapter 6 – Known By Its Song. I just want to draw attention to the part where Raven told Yang and Weiss that Oz entrusted the members of Team STRQ with presumably the same information that gave the members of his Inner Circle .

This is why Qrow’s line from V7 is like his name; a load of crow; in my opinion. Ozpin kept the whole truth to himself? Ruby is different because she only trusts people with the truth until they’ve proven themselves?

…Even though, that is EXACTLY what Ozpin did with Team STQR and his Inner Circle? The only exception with him being the truth about Salem’s immortality. Speaking of which; how can Qrow imply that Salem’s immortality is the whole truth given everything our heroes (and by extension, the audience) have learnt over the past couple of seasons?

As a matter of fact, let’s take a gander at this so-called “whole truth” that Qrow Branwen spoke off; shall we? Allegedly, Qrow had implied that Oz failing to mention the fact that Salem is immortal and therefore undefeatable to be the whole truth and nothing but the whole truth, right? But this simply cannot be the case since, as we know, there is a whole bunch of other stuff that also falls under that category. Basically, the whole truth can be divided into the following.

Salem the True Leader of the Grimm

The Brother Gods

The Maidens of Magic

The Relics

The True Purpose of the Huntsmen Academies

Oz and Salem’s History

Our heroes first learnt all this information from the Branwen Twins. As I stated before, V4 was when Qrow first told this to RNJR during his rendition of the Tale of the Brother Gods and this was ultimately followed up a bit in V5 when Raven passed on what she knew about Salem to Weiss and Yang.

While I understand that Salem’s history with Ozma that led to her curse of immortality is an important piece of information; I’d hardly call that the “whole truth”. It’s not even half of the whole truth. It’s only a very small fraction compared to everything else on the board. What about all the stuff concerning the Maidens? The Relics and the Vaults? The Brother Gods. All of that information falls under this so-called “whole truth” that Qrow implied to Ruby and as I’ll repeat again, Qrow was only able to do this since Ozpin told it to him.

Referring back to Raven’s quote from V5CH6, Qrow was among the few people that Oz chose to trust with everything.

While he didn’t tell them about Salem’s immortality, he did entrust them with everything else. Therefore Oz didn’t trust only himself with the whole truth. The only information that Oz kept to himself was the one piece of info he didn’t have a clear plan for. A clear method of stopping Salem is the ONE thing that Oz couldn’t account for since even after living many lifetimes, it’s the one thing that he and his predecessors had failed to come up with a solution to.

But for everything else, Ozpin had things put in place. The protection of Maidens of Magic by erasing them from the public view and knowledge. Having the four huntsmen academies double as a fortresses to hide the Vaults keeping the Relics away from Salem and her forces. Designing the vaults in such a way that they can only be opened by a Maiden of Magic and creating the huntsmen class---warriors trained as humanity’s protectors to safeguard the world against the plight of Grimm---all of this came according to Oz’s plan. Well…the Wizards’ plan.

It’s just like Raven had said back in V5. Oz had a plan for mostly everything---a plan that worked in his favour for his lifetime as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy and during his life as the King of Vale, contributed towards the People of Remnant being able to live eighty full years of peace and harmony within the kingdoms in the aftermath of a war that spanned for ten years.

Oz even had a plan in the event of his death and inevitable rebirth. What was it that he told RNJR back in V5?

“…But I thought the headmasters all took their orders from you.”

“That was the intention. Four lieutenants I can trust, especially during times of reincarnation…”

That was taken from RWBY V5: Chapter 3 – Unforeseen Complications. Oz had people he trusted. Qrow was among those people.

The one thing Oz did not have a plan for was how to deal with Salem, but in spite of this, he fell back to focusing all of his efforts on the main mission that the God of Light first tasked to Ozma.

“…Mankind is no more; yet your world remains and in time, your kind will grow to walk its face again. However, without our presence, they will be but a fraction of what they once were. Creation, destruction, choice and knowledge were the ideals upon which humanity was made. Now I leave them behind with the hope that you may learn to remake yourselves. If brought together, these four relics will summon my brother and I back to your world and humanity will be judged.

If your kind has learned to live in harmony with one another and set aside their differences, then we shall once again live among you and humanity will be made whole again. But if your kind is unchanged. If you demand our blessings while still fighting amongst yourselves then man will be found irredeemable and your world will be wiped from existence. Until your task is complete, you will reincarnate but in a manner that ensures that you are never alone…”

In the Lost Fable, the God of Light never told Ozma to stop Salem. She wasn’t supposed to be his priority. On the contrary, Light attempted to sway Ozma from pursuing Salem entirely since he already knew of her fate.

“…I’m sorry but…that world just isn’t dear to me with her. If I may, I’d rather return to the afterlife to see Salem.” “You will not find her there.” “…You mean…she isn’t gone?” “Salem lives. But the woman you hold dear in your memories is gone. Heed this warning. Where you seek comfort, you will only find pain…”

Taken from RWBY Volume 6: Chapter 3 – The Lost Fable. From the beginning, Ozma’s purpose was never to stop Salem. He, and by extension his other lives and successors, were supposed to work towards uniting humanity and ensuring that the world doesn’t fall to ruin in the event of the Gods’ Return.

It’s why the efforts of the King of Vale---King Phadrig as I’ve dubbed him--- were so extraordinary to New Remnant’s history. You can say that during that lifetime with that successor, Ozma succeeded in fulfilling the duty he was given.

As the King of Vale, he helped unite the world during a time of war and peril. Could you imagine what would’ve happened if the Brother Gods had been summoned back to Remnant during the first Great War?

But here in lies a question I now wish to ask--- why didn’t King Phadrig summon the Gods back to Remnant after the Great War had ended?

After all, he didn’t just end the war but also put things in place to ensure that Remnant never fell to war again. Through the efforts of the King, the People of Remnant were able to enjoy 80 long years of peace and prosperity among the four kingdoms for the most part. There was even the establishment of the huntsmen academies to train Remnant’s next generation of heroes against the Grimm.

Even still, why weren’t the Gods brought back then? I’m guessing that the King of Vale probably perished before he got a chance to summon the Gods. In the RWBY World of Remnant episode on the Great War, it was eluded that King Phadrig used three of the Relics---Choice, Creation and Destruction to finally put a stop to the War during the Vacuo Campaign. So I’m wondering if there was a penance that Phadrig had to pay---a sacrifice he was forced to make with his own life as a means of ending the war after which he didn’t have enough time left to summon the Gods but…the least he could do was ensure that no matter what happened, Remnant would be safe and the Relics kept out of Salem’s grimm-y clutches.

I’m going to assume that, much like in Ozpin’s case, the King must’ve left ‘specific instructions’ to allies he most trusted in those days for them to carry out his mission in his place after he died until his successor---Ozpin---would appear sometime down the line.

Once upon a time, I shared a RWBY Musing with an analysis on the Ozma Cycle, during which I deduced that following the death of a Wizard, it possibly takes up to 50 years before his next reincarnation. Given the fact that Oz felt the need to leave specific instructions in the event of his death and the reactions of the villains when they discovered that he had returned so soon (according to Tyrian Callows in V6), I’m left to believe that, unlike other representations of reincarnation in media that happens instantaneous, in RWBY, there is a huge time gap in the Ozma Cycle leading to a new Wizard being “born” in a different period in Remnant’s history.

That’s my hunch. The one except so far has been Ozpin’s rebirth into the mind of Oscar Pine.

I’m still waiting for the show to address this. There seems to be something very unique about Oscar’s case in the cycle. Not only is our veteran little prince the youngest within the Ozma Cycle but his pairing with Oz seems to be premature given that past incarnations have been older with a longer time gap. But…that’s a talk for another time.

Overall what I’m mainly trying to say here Miki-chan is that I really, really cannot compare Oz and RWBY; at least not on the grounds you presented. It’d be like comparing; not even an apple to an orange; but like a cherry to a full-sized watermelon. Between the two factions, Oz is the only one between them who had anything remotely resembling a concrete plan.

The only place where Oz fell short is not having a defined method of stopping Salem. That as much is true. But in spite of this, Oz kept working diligently to uphold the time of peace that his predecessor has worked to create following the Great War. He may not have had a way to stop Salem but at least he still had the failsafe that his past lives had put into place. It’s like what Jinn said in the Lost Fable.

“…Thus began a long and painful cycle of death and rebirth for Ozma. Some lives were spent in mourning, many were spent attempting to forget it all but no matter what, his mind would eventually turn back to the task he had been burdened with.

And as the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired. But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt. If humanity were to ever stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear…

“…He had to destroy Salem.”

“Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics. Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfil his promise to the God of Light…”

Was Oz wrong for withholding this information from allies he deemed he trusted? Yes. I’m not faulting our heroes for being upset with Oz about that. But at the same time I don’t particularly like the idea of the narrative having most of the characters bastardize Oz actions since when you look at the whole picture, Oz’s actions were just.

RWBY on the other hand, I still can’t rationalize their actions towards Ironwood at all. It wasn’t that Oz lied or didn’t have a plan or didn’t trust others.

He did. He did trust others.

That’s why his whole Inner Circle exists in the first place. He didn’t lie entirely. He told his allies all the information for the things he already had planned for. He just didn’t tell them about Salem because she’s the only thing that he didn’t have a plan for. And after RWBY forced the truth out of him, he had no choice but to tearfully admit his failures in that out of shame and remorse.

But even then. I STILL understand why Oz and his past selves did things the way they did. It’s exactly as Oscar rationalized in V7. Oz didn’t tell anyone the last bit of truth concerning Salem since he didn’t want them to lose hope.

Because fighting an enemy who you know can’t be killed sounds like a hopeless cause.

Hence why we saw characters, like Raven Branwen, either abandon the fight all together or straight up join Salem out of fear for their own survival as in the case of Professor Leonardo Lionheart.

I’d even like to bet my bottom dollar that Ozma gave up as well. Probably more times than he can count. My theory is still that Ozma possibly became the Hermit AFTER Jinn’s revelation.

According to the Lost Fable, Ozma gave up several times but no matter of how many times he tried to quit, at some point he always came back to the mission he was given---to unite humanity and save them from damnation.

And what’s remarkable is that despite learning the truth about Salem, Oz and his fellow Wizards never gave up. At some point, they always got back up and did what they could to fulfil their god-given duty and the King of Vale was probably the first time in a long time where Oz actually succeeded.

Norman the Inquisitor found the Relics and learnt the terrifying truth about Salem from Jinn. Isaac the Hermit created the Four Maiden of Magic. But it was King Phadrig---leader of Vale who used the knowledge and tools left behind by his past lives to end the first Great War and bring about an era of peace. It was in his lifetime shared with the King where Ozma finally succeeded in uniting humanity.

But in doing so, he also knew that it would only be a short-lived peace if he didn’t find a way to stop her. Hence were Oz comes into this mix. All that was left for Oz to do was uphold the peace the King had built while working to figure out a way to stop Salem once and for all.

In his pursuit of this solution, I think Oz probably suffered one of the hardest failures; more so than Ozma or Diggs. Despite his own efforts, Oz failed in discovering a sure way to stop Salem. Not only that but he additionally failed in preventing her and her pawns from undoing nearly ALL the work that the King had worked to achieve.

Needless to say; even though he didn’t have a plan to stop Salem, at least Oz had the knowledge and experience that he inherited from his past lives to fall back on some form of a back-up plan to say the least.

Team RWBY, on the other hand though, what even was their plan, exactly?

Compared to Ozpin, can I even call their actions towards Ironwood a ‘plan’? No. Not really. From my perspective, it’s safe to say that RWBY did not have a plan. At least not one beyond just simply lying and withholding the truth from the General for as long as they could which was foolish of them in the first place; especially after how they treated Oz. If anything, the only thing RWBY had was intentions. An intention to keep deceiving someone who was supposedly their ally and was willing to trust and work with them so long as they gave him that respect in return.

But in his pursuit of this solution, I think Oz probably suffered one of the hardest failures; more so than Ozma or Diggs. Despite his own efforts, Oz failed in discovering a sure way to stop Salem. Not only that but he additionally failed in preventing her and her pawns from undoing nearly ALL the work that the King had worked to achieve.

Now that I think about it, I guess I can say that this is one part where I can say that I do see a bit of your point Miki. Team RWBY didn’t have a clear plan and figured they could prolong the inevitable by seeing how long they could continue to deceive the General until they figured out an alternative.

To some degree, it was the same for Oz too. Similar to RWBY, Oz didn’t truly have a clear plan to stop Salem either. The most he had to work with were the tactics and strategies left in place for him by his predecessors in his memories.

In looking at it from this angle, the upper hand that Oz had over RWBY was experience. Based on their actions in recent season, the impression I’m getting now is that none of our young heroes fully understood the gravity of Oz’s past actions. You can almost say it’s like watching children playing adults when they don’t fully understand the weight of all the important decisions that the adults have to make in given scenarios.

And this fits in with our heroes since RWBY are children compared to Oz who is the old soul with wisdom built upon life times of strife and triumphs. And in handling things the way they did; I think RWBY completely missed the mark and wound up moving rather foolishly in comparison to Oz.

This is especially reflected in their whole treatment of Ironwood. Because take a look at this---

Oz may not have told Ironwood the truth about Salem …but he still kept him in the loop. Remember that Qrow quote I shared earlier about Ironwood from V3. Ironwood was only brought into the Inner Circle because Oz wanted him there. Oz made it an active choice to include Ironwood. It was Oz’s decision first hand to place his trust in Ironwood. And even when Ironwood acted out of place or did things that Oz disagreed with; even then, that didn’t stop Oz from trusting him. He still shared with him the same information that he told all of the people he chose to trust; for better or worst.

This is the REAL difference between RWBY and Oz. Not Qrow’s nonsensical statement about Ruby choosing to trust others with the truth when they proved themselves to her. Get out of here with that.

The difference between RWBY and OZ is that Oz trusted Ironwood. Despite the soldier’s flaws; even when he didn’t agree wholeheartedly with his choices, Oz trusted Ironwood because he was willing to see the good in what he was trying to do. And in return, he received Ironwood’s full trust and loyalty.

RWBY on the other hand, took one look at the state of Mantle and rather than try to see the good in the General’s attempted actions, they---or rather Ruby--- immediately misjudged him and deemed him untrustworthy…even though, he’s supposed to be one of their allies who they risked everything to meet with in Atlas?

Even when Ironwood went out of his way to prove that the group could trust him as he was willing to work with them, they never did truly reciprocate that. Not only does this highlight just how wrong RWBY (well technically Ruby) was, it also adds another layer of lunacy to Qrow’s comment from V7CH4.

“…Oz only trusted himself with the whole truth. You’re trusting others but you’re making sure they prove themselves first. I think that’s a pretty big difference.”

Yes Qrow; because Ironwood rightfully arresting you for illicitly commandeering an Atlesian airship and entering the kingdom while at the same time choosing to turn a blind eye to your clear crimes; returning the Relic to you (as opposed to putting it inside of a highly secured vault) while at the same choosing to accommodate you guys during your stay in Atlas while also being a LONG STANDING ALLY OF OZ THAT YOU YOURSELF KNOW AND HAVE WORKED WITH isn’t proof enough that he should be trusted?

…Really?

I can’t compare RWBY to Oz. I mean… I can but…it’s NOT really the same, y’know what I mean? It’s like I can compare them but at the same time there is no real comparison, you get what I’m saying if that makes sense?

No matter which way I look at it, I always return to my original opinion that Oz’s actions and mistakes are far more justifiable and sympathetic than RWBY’s.

And in doing this post, it just adds another reason for me to not be okay with their actions in V7.

RWBY---well Ruby---was immediately wrong the moment they chose to lie to Ironwood. And what’s worse about is that their actions made them look like hypocrites given how they lambasted Oz for withholding the truth from them, only to turn around and do they exact same thing to an ALLY just days later. It still bothers me when I think about it. But for the most part, I hope I actually answered your inbox Miki-chan.

Sorry if this answer took so long for me to respond. It actually took me a while to come up with a decent answer because there is really a lot I can say on this topic. I don’t even think I covered everything I wanted to say but this answer is already 7 pages long in MS Word sooo….I think I will leave it at this for now XD Even still, I hope I answered you and if I did, please do let me know if you can.

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#squiggles answers: rwby #professor ozpin #general ironwood #team rwby #rwby volume 7 #miki-13 #squiggles answers

26 notes · View notes

capricornus-rex · 5 years ago

Text

The Haunt of Redemption (6)

Sequel to: A Path I Can’t Follow

Chapter 6: The Hermit | Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: It has been months since your last encounter with Cal, at that time he was a fledgling Inquisitor. In an ironic twist of fate, you cross paths and blades with him once again, and he’s keen on turning you into an Inquisitor as well—unless you bring him back to the light first.

Tags: Dark Side! Cal Kestis, Inquisitor! Cal Kestis, Redemption Arc! Cal Kestis

Also posted in AO3

Chapters: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 | Previous: Chapter 5 | Next: Chapter 7 | Masterlist

6 of ?

So many questions rang in Cere’s mind, though she took her time in listing them up neatly in her mind. She started with the question why Imperials have arrived to the planet and started obliterating the biggest settlement.

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask Cal,”

“Cal?” Greez was taken aback by the mention of his name. “Cal was there?”

“Yeah,” your pursed your lips and clicked your tongue. “I suppose he’s an Inquisitor now.”

“What? An Inquisitor?!” the Lateron captain exclaimed in disbelief.

“Well, given the last time we saw him, we all thought it was highly likely, innit?”

Cere ticked off that question and went on with the next.

“[y/n],” she cautiously spoke this time, gulping the lump stuck in her throat. “Did Cal do all that? The town?”

You swiveled your chair to face Cere—and Merrin who’s standing by the woman’s chair—and sighed.

“Yes. He told me that it was his directive to attack the town. How he found us here is something I don’t know, but I have a theory: they might have had spies in the town, though I shouldn’t be surprised since there were troopers there in the first place. My gravest assumption would be anyone in the Yewa Docking Bay.”

Loud sighs and nervous murmurs spoke for everybody in the cockpit. Everyone couldn’t utter a word. You swiveled the chair back and started inputting coordinates on the computer.

“What are you doing now?” the captain scolded.

“He’s still after the Holocron we retrieved from Magyon. I know someone who can be a better keeper, he’ll be the very least the Inquisitors—or Cal for that matter—will expect. At the same time, we’ll make our trail cold.”

The captain confirmed the coordinates that you’ve encoded into the navigation computer and got the ship ready for a jump to lightspeed. He cranked the lever and the ship enters hyperspace. When the situation has calmed down, you spun your chair again to face Cere.

“Cere, a word?”

“Of course,”

The woman promptly stood up from her seat and settled yourselves on the couch at the holotable.

“Something on your mind?”

“When I fought Cal, he was so different—he’s gotten more aggressive and heavier with his attacks. It’s like I barely knew him, even though he was such a familiar face. Frankly, he was scary,”

“It apparently has something to do with the training he received as an Inquisitor,”

“There’s another,” you adjusted yourself in your seat. “You know about my Force-Halt, right? The day we left Bogano.”

She nodded, urging you to continue.

“Well, it turns out, Cal knows how to use it too,”

The uneasiness became more evident in Cere: her eyebrows furrowed, her head turned to the floor, staring blankly at it while she registers that information.

“But,” that word cut off Cere from further zoning out. “He bragged to me that he’s mastered it, though, it also lasted for a short time. That’s why I was able to break free.”

Comparing the durations between your Force-Halt and his, you recalled the last moments that unfurled in Koboth—that day, you were able to keep him under the ability’s influence even from a long distance; though you couldn’t pinpoint whether the distance or voluntarily letting go factored to him breaking free. Both possibilities were logical, but there only has to be one.

“Then it could only mean he’s learned it later than you did. Perhaps, he’s still learning the ropes of it. Either way, you have to be careful whenever he does use it on you,”

Without a doubt, Cal will use it on you the next time he does. For now, the thing on your mind right now is getting to the planet where that person may be, and then hop to the next planet.

The trip was long so you retreat to your room, changed into a tank top and fresh pants to let your drenched outfit dry up. You donned a poncho to keep yourself warm from the Mantis’s air-conditioning.

You fished out the Holocron that you have been keeping in one of your bags. You sat in the lounge, joining Cere who was strumming away with her hallikset, she noticed the cyan cube pulsating its light in your hand.

“[y/n]?”

“You know, we’ve kept it all this time and not a day goes by without me thinking what could be inside,”

You look to Cere for some sort of affirmation or reassurance. The cube weighed on the flat of your palm and you channeled the Force from yourself to the Holocron. A rhythmic clicking noise emitted from the golden frame of the artifact, the once-whole pieces reduced into floating shards until a projection hatched out.

It was Plo Koon’s list of the Force-sensitive children he’s discovered throughout his journey.

“It’s exactly like the first one,” Merrin commented.

All eyes wandered across the luminous, indigo hologram riddled with the names written in Aurebesh. The projection is visualized like a sort of map, hence its circular image, with the dots signifying the planets where they could be found. The projection continued to hover and illuminate the room.

“There’s something on my mind that I want to say to you, [y/n],”

“Shoot,”

“This planet we’re heading to, how did you come to know it? What makes you think there’s someone who can keep it safer than we could?”

It was a good question. You search for the Cere’s holocron, you reached for it using the Force when you spotted it sitting on the corner of the dining table. Cere understood your plan, and you haven’t even activated it yet.

“You actually think that he’s there—in the planet that we’re heading to right now?”

“Look, Cere, I know it’s funny and you probably think I’m crazy or stupid or both. I don’t blame you if you think it’s illogical but…” you scoffed out a weak laugh, trying to gather the best words to be coherent. “I can’t explain it. Even when meditating, I feel it, the Force—as if speaking to me, telling me to trust my feelings. At first I didn’t listen to it because I thought the Force is toying with me just because I’ve become vulnerable all this time. But this time, I don’t think I have an excuse to not trust in my own instincts.”

There was a silence in the lounge. The microphone’s feedback crackled and a muffled rendition of Greez’s voice rang through the speakers.

“We’ve entered the planet’s orbit.”

All the women marched to the cockpit and got a view of the beige, sandy planet. Even from that a great distance, you felt a strong pull of the Force leading you on. That feeling was enough of a reassurance.

You assisted Greez in steering the ship, pinpointing safe areas that you could find in your navigation computer and then transmitting them to his own screen for him to follow. The Mantis landed behind a ridge where they’re safe from prying eyes. You suited up a poncho over your jacket so you blend with the sand and then pull up the hood; your bag containing the holocron and a few necessary items slung across your back. BD-1 crawled up your arm and then perched on your shoulder.

“How long do we have before the next jump is charged and ready?”

“Give it a few hours,” Greez replied.

“I won’t be long,” you tell Cere.

“Be careful out there,”

“Don’t I always?”

“Not really,”

It was the truth, though it warranted a laugh out of you.

You left the ship and began your trek through the flat, sandy wasteland. The low-lying haze of dust swept through your calves as you stamp your feet across the terrain. It felt like you’ve brought yourself to a purgatory of nothingness—save the extreme combined heat of two suns and the winds constantly changing direction to whisk up towers of dust clouds.

The golden brown sediments pricked the pores on your cheeks, you’ve already pulled up the flaps of your poncho to cover your nose and mouth but it didn’t do much. When the winds have picked up again, you found yourself passing through a low trench, shielding yourself from the inconvenience out in the open.

“Spooky, isn’t it, BD?”

“Boooo…”

“Don’t worry, I’m here, buddy.”

You unclipped your saber but didn’t ignite it, readying yourself for any attack that comes in the way.

An animalistic howl echoed between the crevices of the rocks and then you were jumped by a Tusken Raider! The end of its staff struck you across the cheek before you could even attack, causing you to drop your saber. Its weapon jabbed hard on your shin—and the pain was stomach-churning. You scuttled away from it and towards your lightsaber lying in a cushion of sand.

You had your hands literally full—on one, you were pulling for your saber; on the other, you inflicted Force-Halt on the Tusken. With the enemy frozen, your scuttling doubled its haste in going for the lightsaber. Certain with your ability, you took your time in hobbling back to the Tusken Raider you’re your saber ignited while it was standing painfully still.

You struck it down and snapped for a stim. It wasn’t a total recovery, the stim only numbed the pain tolerable enough for you to run with a shattered shin. When the curb of the pass was in sight, you slowed down with the running, presuming there might be more waiting once you make the turn. You stalked the path carefully, apparently your would-be assailant lost its patience and sprung out of its hiding place; holding the staff above its head and bobbing it up and down to assert dominance while doing its primal call.

The broken shin messed up your balance, and subsequently your fighting form. A swing of your saber severed its war club and then you introduced the sole of your boot to its chin, disorienting it and preparing to strike it down—but you were denied that chance when another gripped you by the shoulders to drag you across the floor.

“GET OFF!” you growled, violently shaking its grip off of you.

You threw your sword arm upward and drove your saber into the Tusken’s jugular—which you assumed it to be—and then its lifeless body disturbed the sand. This angered the one whose staff you just severed. It charged angrily towards you, there wasn’t a shred of sentience or humanity in its stride; you felt something or someone land from behind—you were too afraid to look and it would kill you if you glance over your shoulder. The Tusken Raider, once so wild with its movements and flailing its arms with great assertion, shirked in fear and retreated to the pass where it came from.

You felt a pair of gentle, kind hands clutch your arms, hoisting you up from the ground.

“You caught yourself in quite a pickle there, my dear,”

Still stricken with the events that transpired just now, you slowly craned your head to the side. Your savior is dressed in a dust-caked cloak whose hemlines at the sleeves and body were tattered due to time, his beard has grown past the tip of his chin and covered most of his jaw, and locks of his hair as brown as the sand flopped and hung in front of his forehead.

You know this man.

“Master Kenobi?” you uttered the only thing that came to your mind after everything.

“Well, I don’t think the word ��Master’ warrants any meaning here,” he dryly chuckled. “Come, you’ve only met a small scouting patrol. We’ll be in big trouble if we linger.”

You winced when you planted the balls of your feet on the ground. The former Jedi Master saw your limping leg and noticed the bruise forming up in your cheek.

“Oh dear, are you alright, child?”

“Yes, I’m fine,”

“I think not,” he insisted. He bent down on his knees and checked your leg. He placed one hand on the spot where the Tusken had jabbed its pommel and suddenly appeared to be focusing.

A calming sensation entered your body—it was cool like water in a stream and swirled about the length of your shin. Obi-Wan withdrew his hand and you bobbed your leg, feeling for the pain—there’s no more pain. You shot him a surprised look and a smile paints on your face, he repaid it with a kind smile but his serious and urgent tone returned in an instant.

“Come with me and we’ll talk somewhere safe.”

You followed him across the ridge, evading the areas where there would be more Tusken Raiders patrolling the plains. The rocks acted as your cover. Along the way, Obi-Wan engaged in banter with you to rid any awkward air between the two of you.

“I suppose I should start asking for your name,”

“[y/n], Master,”

“And how did you get here?”

“You mean the planet or that trench pass?”

“Humor me on both,”

“Well, I came to this planet with a ship and a crew. They’re staying with the ship,”

“While you head out here all alone?”

“Uh, I chose to be alone,” you mumbled. “Anyway, I trekked all this way to come looking for you.”

“I suppose you can tick that off in your to-do list,”

You chuckled, “Yeah, I guess.”

The two of you went uphill until a small cottage was in sight. He invited you into his house and offered you a glass of blue milk. You didn’t realize that the thirst was overwhelming that you chugged the whole glass.

“Sorry, the heat just took its toll on me,”

“It is a rather unforgiving place. Now then,” he settled himself on a seat across you. “What’s a young Jedi like you doing in this desolate planet in search of a tired, aging hermit like me?”

You unslung the strap of your backpack, producing the Holocron out of your bag and holding it in front of him.

“This Holocron was originally Plo Koon’s,”

Obi-Wan mouthed the name while running his thumb across his beard.

“This contains a list of all the Force-sensitive children in the galaxy. If fallen into the wrong hands, these kids will be tools of the Inquisitors or the Empire—not that there’s much of a difference between the two, anyway.”

“Inquisitors?”

“Basically, they’re the hounds of the Empire, snuffing out the Jedi to destroy them. Aside from the typical Stormtroopers of course,”

Discovering that he has missed out on much of the Empire’s workings, you became his window to the outside world. It has been years since he’s exiled himself here in Tatooine with barely any connection beyond the planet. You narrated everything that’s transpired—not just the events revolving around you and Cal, but for everyone else in the galaxy: the partisans in Kashyyyk and the violent occupation at Zeffo to name some.

“And how much destruction have they wrought?”

You shake your head, “Not sure, exactly. But all I can say is that the damage is irreparable.”

Eventually, you peppered in the story of Cal, how he turned into the Inquisitor, and that he’s after this particular Holocron. Without any more filler talk, you went right into your true reason why you sought Obi-Wan Kenobi.

“Hermit or not, you’re still a Jedi—whether you were or are, it doesn’t matter. I still believe it’s safer with you than it is with me. You won’t even come across the Inquisitors’ minds. I doubt it.”

“Well, [y/n], that does sound reassuring,” you couldn’t decipher if he’s serious or sarcastic with that remark.

He stands up to take the Holocron from your hands. He activated it and the relic emitted the luminous projection from its shell, his eyes trailed left and right, reading the children’s names and planets. There was a look in his eyes that you couldn’t read—unsure if it’s a look of resignation, obligation, or hopelessness. Then his eyes lit up, a secretive curl in his lip hid behind the scruff of his beard.

“I believe that he can keep it safe, but I will reveal it to him once it is time,”

Your eyes furrowed, “Who’s he?”

He lifted the lid of a box with a silver hilt resting inside, the Holocron eventually joined the weapon in the container.

“Our only hope.”

For the whole conversation, that was the most enigmatic answer you’ve heard from Obi-Wan Kenobi. You don’t believe that it’s the heat that’s gotten into his head. You truly believe that there was some meaning to his words, even though you’re not sure what to comprehend from that.

43 notes · View notes

some-creep · 5 years ago

Text

Song of the Ancients SERIOUS REVIEW(s)

I was told to review every version of Song of the Ancients, so I did. I tried to stick to things that were released officially but I’m sure I’m missing some. I know there’s going to be a new version on the Orchestral Addendum that’s supposed to come out this month. Also I don’t know a fucking thing about music so this is literally 3 pages of straight rambling. Also they’re not really in any kind of order other than Nier Gestalt, Nier Automata, and Other.

Song of the Ancients: Devola - https://youtu.be/qCKEXPXtrEU

This is it, the first version of Song of the Ancient’s you’ll ever hear, and also the last. At least in Nier Gestalt. It’s a classic, and Devola has no idea what the words to it mean. And neither do we. But it perfectly sets the tone. It’s nostalgic, it’s sad, it’s mysterious, it’s sad but written a second time. I love Devola and would die for her. It isn’t my absolute favorite rendition of the song, but I can’t deny its importance. This is the one that gave us the rest. 9/10

Song of the Ancients: Popola - https://youtu.be/IZdnJLdmRlI

This song makes a showstopping appearance in Automata where it and the library meant nothing to me or anyone else because no one actually played Gestalt before Automata, let’s face it. The more subdued of the two character versions of the song, which, y’know, makes sense. Maybe a bit disorienting and trance like if you turn it up far enough and close your eyes. Sometimes I like this version a lot more than the Devola version, sometimes I don’t. It also gets a 9/10 for being a classic.

Song of the Ancients: Hollow Dreams - https://youtu.be/fxmP4eCFR4U

I fucking love this one. The Devola and Popola duet we all wanted with none of the… extreme angst. I also read a really good fan fiction once where [REDACTED] and it started with this performance so it ranks really high for me. It has a great sort of tavern energy to it (which, no shit, right?) and I don’t know. I don’t know I really love this one. The harmonization, the piano, the percussion, it all just works. 10/10

Song of the Ancients: Fate - https://youtu.be/ady--PNMsfI

My most unpopular opinion on this song is I don’t really like this version all that much. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I knew what happened already so it has no impact on me. It’s got a lot of drum. Maybe too much drum? I don’t know I’ve never totally vibed with this one. There’s an attempt but parts of it I just really don’t care for. That’s why it ranks so low. It’s not the worst, and I recognize that it’s like. Super iconic. But eh. 5/10.

Song of the Ancients: Lost Androids - https://youtu.be/CfCEueBER5g

I just. Super. Do not fucking like this song at all. There’s so much happening in it and none of it’s very good. Devola and Popola’s sick techno dance party dot mp3. Easily the worst of the official releases of this song. It doesn’t help that the Nier Gestalt DLC just isn’t good either. Why did I beat the entire thing? The world may never know. 3/10

Song of the Ancients: Piano version from 15 Nightmares & Arrange Tracks

- https://youtu.be/orEoq7KFdrM

I’m biased and love all piano remixes and this one is good. I don’t know why there are two official piano remixes that aren’t the same, but there are. This one feels really emotional, sorta soft, and a lotta sad, but the remix-y part in the middle kinda falls off for me. Most of it is really good, but it doesn’t reach goosebump status for me which is a shame because most of the pieces are there. Overall, it’s pretty good. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: from the actual Nier Piano collection mix which is a different version than the one above - https://youtu.be/K_4HGh7Hh7w

It’s weird to think that two officially released piano versions of the same exact song could be so different but they honestly kinda are. This one feels stronger than the other, but it still isn’t quite there for me either. I think overall I might like it more, but the emotional impact of it is somehow less? Once again, it’s overall pretty good, but the vibes don’t totally match with me. 7/10

The Legend of Nier 8-bit Heroes from 15 Nightmares & Arrange Trakcs - https://youtu.be/LgvF_xRPoxs

This is kind of a bonus mention because it isn’t strictly Song of the Ancients, it’s a mix of a few songs from Nier Gestalt, but it just happens to start with Song of the Ancients. It hits pretty much all the notes from it so I’m including it here. I like it more than the hacking track from Automata, but only a little bit. It’s sad but also chiptune. However because it is quite literally only 1/8th of the entire song and for the sake of this list I refuse to acknowledge the other 7 minutes of music, I give it 1/8 / 10.

Song of the Ancients: Atonement - https://youtu.be/wNWShKuopic

You know it, you love it, and you’re crying thinking about it, it’s the Atonement version from Automata. It’s everything Fate wanted to be, but now much, much better. All of the music in this game is just, so intense and full of meaning and it just feels. Important. It’s what movie music would be if it didn’t suck. I think this one works really well in capturing the emotions around the twins trying to make up for crimes they straight up just didn’t commit. Devola and Popola make me cry. I love this song. Crying Creep emoji/10

Sonc of the Ancients: Atonement: Hacking Track remix - https://youtu.be/QD1F-staPms

So there’s like, not really a chance you’d ever hear this entire thing played out in game because of the way the hacking mechanic works. I think it’s a pretty good chiptune rendition though. I don’t care to listen to most of the hacking tracks on their own though, but there’s nothing offensive about this one. It’s Atonement, and Atonement is still a really good song on it’s own, so it just gets more points by cheating. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: from Arranged & Unreleased Tracks - https://youtu.be/lDYc9Ov4Mr8

Kinda love this one. It’s played on an accordion. Everyone I send this one to thinks it’s weird because of that, but I love it. It sounds like a romantic date in Italy. This might be one of the only versions that doesn’t make me want to start crying which is weird because it’s a remix of the Atonement version specifically again. I have really weird taste in music though. 10/10 gay dates in Italy

Song the Ancients: Atonement: from the Nier Music Concert: The Memories of Puppets - https://youtu.be/4z3wr0xATJY

Once again, Atonement fucking slaps. I’m always impressed by these things being performed live because the words aren’t real and they sound like they’d be hard to say. This is basically just a clearer version of the one from the game. I don’t like it more, though. It has a part where it slows down completely which is sexy, on it’s own. My heart tells me to give this a 9/10 though for reasons I don’t know. Perhaps because I haven’t used that ranking yet. In a hard to explain way I don’t like this version as much as the one in the game. So, 9/10.

Song of the Ancients DoD3 remix - https://youtu.be/SAJi9Q-RRmQ

This one starts out kinda slow, but when it picks up I think it sounds way more like Atonement than Fate. And when it sounds like Atonement I really like it. However I have this DLC for DoD3 and it’s the only song I ever had playing and I’m still not completely sick of it so that has to count for something. It’s not horrible but it’s not great either. It sounds like it belongs in DoD3 and none of the music in that game is great. 6/10

Song of the Ancients the… Music Video? - https://youtu.be/_iXT9eWgaMw

This one isn’t bad, but it’s really, really weird that it exists. I’ve never been able to really remember what this one sounds like so it can’t rank very high for me. It gets bonus points simply because it exists… at all. I think wikipedia told me this was like, official, or supported, I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t count, maybe it does, but I wanted to mention it anyway even though it isn’t on one of the CDs. She does a good job at performing and it’s a unique remix that takes the aesthetic qualities of Fate and dials them back into something smooth and emotional. I definitely don’t hate it, but it’s not on my phone. 7/10

Song of the Ancients: Orchestral Arrangement - https://youtu.be/Ixk5zFXldCk

This was instantly and immediately my favorite rendition of the song and not much has changed since it first released. While it is without a doubt the most different of all the renditions, it has an almost magical quality to it. Tonally, it seems to follow the story of Devola and Popola as we know them in Nier Gestalt. Maybe I’m just projecting random shit onto this song, who knows, I’m not a music major. People have said it has kind of a Disney movie feel at the beginning, which is true, but as it goes on it loses that sort of innocent, lofty feeling, and becomes more intense, and I don’t know. I just really fucking love the way this song goes. Compare how it starts to how it ends and it’s just. Ugh. This one is so good. What the fuck. If you listen to nothing else on this list, please listen to this one. 11/10.

#nier #nier gestalt #nier replicant #nier automata #song of the ancients #long post #i cant do a readmore because you cant read shit on my blog sorry #creep ranks

46 notes · View notes

lovemesomesurveys · 4 years ago

Text

If you were a witch, which animal would be your familiar? I don’t what a familiar is or anything about witchcraft.

If there's a design on your shirt, what is it? I literally just described it in the previous survey I did, but it has Ralphie from A Christmas Story on it with a bar of soap in his mouth and says, “Oh, fudge”, which is a quote from the movie.

If it was possible to colonize any planet and you were the leader, which planet would you choose? I really wouldn’t want to be the leader of anything. I’m not fit for that.

Is there a piece of technology that you just can't live without? I mean, I’m pretty attached to my laptop and phone, but of course if for some reason I couldn’t have them I would survive, but it’d be really quite boring. I don’t have much to do.

Would you ever visit a ghost town? That would be interesting.

What's the last thing you ordered from the last fast food place you went to? Loaded potato wedges and 3 egg rolls from Jack in the Box.

Which natural disaster scares you the most? They all sound terrifying. I’ve never experienced one. What're your religious beliefs and why do you follow them? I’m a Christian. I believe in God and that Jesus died for our sins and is our Savior.

What do you think happens after you die? I believe in heaven and hell.

What would you do if you found out your life was only a simulation controlled by someone else? That’s scary. I’ve had thoughts like that, though. Like a Truman Show scenario or that one day I’ll wake up and find out my whole life has been a dream.

What's the scariest thing you've accidentally found on the internet? Ugh, I HATED when jump scare things would go around. Like, people would disguise as a link for something else and then you click it and it’s some ugly, creepy looking girl screaming really loud. OH, and there was that one with the car that was driving down some winding road and you’re watching and waiting to see what the video is about and then bam! something pops up on the scream and scares you. Ughhh. Not cool. I’m such a jumpy person as it is already.

Is there anything bothering you right now? The usual stuff as always.

Thinking of every Halloween costume you've had, which one was the most creative? I never had a really creative one. They were pretty simple.

What song are you currently listening to and what song was the last you listened to? I’m not listening to music.

What's the picture on your calendar for this month? I don’t have a calendar for this year at the moment.

If you were a mythical creature, which would you be? A fairy.

If you were an animal, which would you be? A dog.

Were you ever bullied when you were younger and how did you handle it? I wasn’t, fortunately. It was something my parents worried about when I was in elementary school because I’m in a wheelchair, but honestly I never had any issues with anyone. The only bullying I receive is from myself on a regular basis.

What do you remember most from being five years old? I have some vague, bits and pieces of memories from kindergarten.

What do you remember most from being ten years old? I have some memories from 4th grade. My favorite teacher ever was my 4th grade teacher (who later ended up teaching 8th grade and I had him again) and I remember funny stuff he did and like how he read out loud to us books such as Matilda and he would the voices and made it fun for us. He also used to sing, and I remember one time he led all of us in a rendition of “I Want It That Way” by The Backstreet Boys lol. He was so cool. Oh, and he was known for doing “the robot” dance and miming.

What do you remember most from being fifteen years old? Stuff from high school.

What does the last person you found attractive look like? Alexander Skarsgard is 6′4, has blonde hair, blue eyes, is very fit and in shape, and Swedish. He’s absolutely gorgeous.

Have you ever thrown something away and then wanted it back? Yes. I hold onto a lot of stuff that will sit in a box somewhere forever, but then if I get rid of something I’ll suddenly wish I still had it or have a need for it again.

What's one random city you want to visit? Seattle.

If you owned a store, what would you most likely sell? Books. It would have a cafe, too.

If you had a garden, what sort of plants would you grow? I don’t know, man. I have zero interest in gardening.

What's your favorite phase of the moon? I don’t have one.

What're your plans for today? I’ll attend my church’s livestream and then do the normal things I do everyday.

What's the song for your life right now? I don’t know.

Do you believe that when you die, you get to see all your loved ones again? Yes.

Who would you be the most excited to see? My grandparents.

Have you lost or almost lost someone close to you to death this year? Not so far... I don’t want to think about that.

Did you lose any of your friends this year and if so, how? I don’t have any friends to lose.

Have you experienced anything new this year and if so, what? Not so far, but we’re only in January.

Do you enjoy reading National Geographic magazines? I’ve only read a few.

Would you rather read the book or watch the movie? I love to read and I’m down to check out the movie.

Do you know anyone who's serving in the military right now? No.

Does or did either of your parents serve in the military? Nope.

Has anything in your house ever caught on fire? No.

Have you ever hugged a stranger you thought was someone else? No. Omg, that would be super embarrassing. I’ve waved to someone I thought was someone else, but never went so far as to hug someone I thought was someone else. As a small child, did you ever feel as if you were different or weird? No, not really.

If you could instantly know any language in the world, what would it be? I’d like to be fluent in Spanish.

This year, how many times have you been to the doctor? So far just once. I go once a month and we’re only in January.

Do you have a library card and if so, do you use it often? Nope. I haven’t had a library card since I was in high school.

Do you like romcoms and if you do, which one is your favorite? Yeah, I’m a sucker for the romcoms. I have several favorites.

Thinking of your ex and the person you love, are they similar in any way at all? I don’t have a significant other or someone I’m interested in at the moment.

Is there something you currently want and/or need that you can’t have? Yes.

Thinking back to six weeks ago, were you happier then or are you happier now and why? Neither then or now.

Who's the first male you can think of whose name begins with "T" and what can you tell me about him? Thomas, my maternal grandpa. He sadly passed away 10 years ago. Both of my maternal grandparents passed away. I was very close with both of them and losing them was very hard for me. I miss them both every single day. My grandpa was an amazing man. He was the best husband, father, and grandpa. He was hardworking. He provided well for his family. He was loving. He was so funny. He told the best stories. He was known for being a talker haha, he could go on and on for hours, but everyone always wanted to hear what he had to say. And sometimes he’d go off on tangents, but the stories always came for circle. He was just an incredible man, well loved and missed by many.

Can you say "happy birthday" in another language? Yeah, “Feliz cumpleaños.”

What subjects do you or did you get the worst grades in? Math was always my worst subject, I barely scraped by with Cs.

Should you be concentrating on something else instead of this survey? Nah. This is my nighttime routine.

Have you ever told someone that you loved them and they rejected you? I didn’t tell them I loved them, but I expressed my feelings for them and was rejected. Twice.

Do you know anyone else that's happened to? Yeah.

Is there anything you want to say to someone, but you can’t or won’t? Not at this time. What're your reasons for not saying it? --

Who's someone in the music industry you think is overrated? Taylor Swift. Don’t for me, Swifties.

Who's the eleventh contact in your phone and when did you last see or speak to that person? I’m not checking.

What’s your mother’s middle name? I’m not sharing that.

When was the last time you ate cake and what type of cake was it? I had some red velvet cake a few days ago.

Have you ever been told you were too good or not good enough for someone you loved? I had friends who said I was too good for Joseph. I wasn’t good enough, though.

Why do you think someone would say that to you? They didn’t like how he treated me and thought he was too immature.

If the last person you kissed said you were the only one they wanted, would you believe them? That was 8 years ago, I don’t see him ever saying that now...

Who was your first crush, how do you feel about that person now and do you still talk to them? My first crush was this kid Philip when I was in 3rd grade lol it was just some little crush, I was 9. He didn’t even know me.

Who was the last person that apologized to you and what was it for? I don’t recall.

So how're things going with the person you love? There’s no such person.

Are you "in love" with the last person you kissed? No. I moved on years ago.

Do you have photos to go with all of the contacts in your phone? I haven’t added a photo for any of my contacts.

Who was the last person to comment on one of your photos on Facebook and how did you meet that person? I think it was my Nana.

How many of your friends are sexually active?

To finish, is there anything you would like to say to someone? Sigh.

Do you think surveys are annoying? They can be sometimes, but I really do enjoy doing them. Clearly.

What career paths are you considering? I don’t know. :/

Do you watch music videos? I haven’t in a long time.

Have you ever clicked on those banner ads that promise a prize for clicking? No. I definitely don’t miss popup ads.

What kind of computer are you using? Macbook Air.

What kind of computer do you wish you were using? I’m happy with this one.

Have you ever had a weight change so drastic you went to the doctor? I didn’t see a doctor for it specifically, but yeah it was concerning. It’s still a problem I’m struggling with.

How cold does it have to be before you put on a sweater? In the 60s F, I’d say.

Do you eat things off the floor? Never.

Who do people say you look like? My mom.

Do you usually get your homework done on time? I’m done with school, but yeah I always got my homework done on time. I may have been a major procrastinator, but my work always got done.

Have you ever framed your old movie ticket stubs? Not framed, but kept.

Do you have a digital camera? Nope.

Have you ever stuck something inappropriate in an electrical outlet? No. I’m afraid to plug in things that meant to go in there as it is.

What do you have anything scheduled for the 16th of this or next month? We’re past the 16th now, but no I didn’t have anything going on that day and I don’t have anything planned for that day next month either.

Can you sleep without any pillows? No. I can’t sleep flat, I have to be propped up.

Is there a color you refuse to wear? I don’t like to wear white.

Has anyone ever pulled a gun on you? No, but I am a victim of random gun violence.

Are there any chairs in your bedroom? My chair. There’s an ottoman that could also be a chair as well.

How many pairs of shoes do you have? Like 6 or 7.

How much was the last item of clothing you bought? My total was $40 for 2 shirts, but I ordered online so there’s additional fees.

Where's your father right now? He’s in his room asleep.

Do you skip breakfast often? Yeah.

How many days has it been since your last birthday? My birthday was 6 months ago.

Do you want any more siblings than you have now? Nah, at 31 years old I can’t imagine having another sibling.

Would you make a good president or prime minister? Nope. I have no desire to be one.

Are you going out of the country soon and if so, where to? No. I don’t have any travel plans and who knows when I will at this point. :(

Do you ever feel like you want to get away from everything? Yeppp.

Do you need a haircut? I could use a trim.

When was the last time you went on a trampoline? Never.

Were you alone today? I’m alone right now in my room cause everyone else is asleep, but they’re here in the house. My dad is off today and will be home all day. My mom and brother have work, but they’ll be home at some point.

Who was the last person you saw today? The day isn’t over yet, it’s only 4:51AM, but I’m willing to bet my brother will be the last person I see cause he and I stay up late.

#personal #text #survey #surveys

2 notes · View notes

truthbeetoldmedia · 4 years ago

Text

The 100 7x01 "From the Ashes"

Welcome back to The 100 (for the last time). We have finally reached the beginning of the end and what a journey it promises to be. Last season ended with several big shockers, Abby Griffin was taken as a host for Simone Prime, the Flame was removed from Madi and effectively destroyed and Octavia Blake was stabbed and disappeared into a fine mist-ala Marvel characters after a Thanos snap. That means that the last season premiere The 100 will ever get already has a lot of questions to answer, in addition to (hopefully) managing to successfully wrap up a series that has spanned several years.

As in previous years I’ll be dividing my review into sections, previously these sections were a riff on the concept of “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”. This season, I will be separating them based on plot line-as even in this first episode there are two different ones-until those plots begin to coalesce into one.

We’ll begin with what I am currently terming:

“The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters (Two of Whom We Just Met)”

We pick up right where we left off, with Bellamy reeling from Octavia’s strange disappearance and rushing off into the woods around Gabriel’s compound to search for her. In his grief he’s less than observant and he is knocked unconscious and abducted by an apparently invisible force. These few seconds-less than 30-represent all of the screen time Bellamy Blake receives in the first episode of the final season of The 100. Fans who have been watching the promotion for the final season have become increasingly anxious over the absence of the male lead and it seems those anxieties were justified. It is astonishing and offensive that one of the core members of the show is removed completely from the story in the final season, his absence literally stripped from him as he is once again thrust back into a plot line he has only just managed to escape: his life (and thus his worth) being directly proportional to Octavia’s. As Hope escapes and Gabriel and Echo take off after Bellamy we finally actually enter “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters”.

Eventually, Gabriel and Echo run into Hope, who has discovered-albeit too late-a piece of paper lodged in her arm that states “Trust Bellamy”.That message doesn’t stop her from getting into a quick tussle with Echo and it’s obvious that she’s had some training-with a mother like Diyoza and some kind of relationship with Octavia, that’s not at all surprising. The three of them-after coming to a sort of peace with one another, journey for quite some time. It is full dark before they catch up with the invisible force that has taken Bellamy and when they do so, they find themselves caught up in the hallucinations that the anomaly causes.

Here we see Echo confronted by two ghosts from her past, King Roan and the actual Echo-the one she murdered in order to survive. Both ghosts make valid points-that Echo is a creature driven by servitude, which some I suppose would mistakenly call loyal. They even go so far as to question Echo’s purpose in life now that her current master (Bellamy) is missing. I don’t think it’s an unfair assessment. Echo latched on to Bellamy in Season 4, seeing him as an authoritarian figure and she never really let go. While I do believe that they both love each other, it seems very obvious that said love (at least on Echo’s part) is fueled by a need to have someone who she can serve. Who is Echo once she no longer has someone to answer to, who does she become when her one stabilizing figure is gone. I suppose that’s a question we’ll get answers to this season. Hope also sees a vision-albeit shorter-of Octavia telling her to stay quiet, no matter what she hears. As this is a line we’ve heard in the trailer, it seems obvious that the anomaly can also show someone memories and not just their innermost fears (what we see with Echo). Gabriel sees nothing-or at least nothing we see, but this is unsurprising given he’s studied the anomaly so long.

Finally managing to break free of the hallucinations that they’re being shown the trio manage to get the jump on a few of the invisible assailants and when they do the audience is shown the inside of their helmets. Hope they are told to kill on sight, indicating that she is somehow a known threat to them, but Echo and Gabriel are supposed to be reditioned to Bardo. I’d like to take the time to point out now that to rendition doesn’t simply mean to take. It means that you are treating these people as political prisoners who know potentially damaging information-and want to use any means including inhumane ones to retrieve that information. And Bellamy has already been taken. Despite the order to rendition Gabriel and Echo though, they don’t actually seem to want to capture them, instead continuing to rebuff them, together Gabriel, Echo and Hope manage to stop the assault and their story ends with them walking into the anomaly holding hands-so that they won’t be separated. It’s possible their next stop lands them directly in Bellamy’s path, but given it’s taken them so long to catch up with the Invisible Force I find that unlikely, especially given that the Force can apparently conjure up the anomaly whenever they choose to.

I do find it very interesting that the Invisible Force was also meant to capture Echo and Gabriel and yet-when they chase after Bellamy-the Force fights them off. I'm assuming that they choose to take Bellamy and leave the others so someone is left behind to tell Clarke that Bellamy has been taken.This makes sense as, Clarke being the main character, she’s likely the person they’re trying to ultimately take. It’s just one more piece of bait (that will produce no actual results) for Bellarke fans however. While the instinct is to be excited that whoever has taken Bellamy likely knows that Clarke will do whatever she can to save Bellamy, at this point we all know that nothing good is on the horizon for him.

This leads me into my next section:

“Almost All of the Mains are Here, but it Feels Like This Plotline is Unnecessary”

Sprinkled through this episode like bits of parsley (aka food grass) are the rest of the Arkadians (and yes I still call them that). So much of this particular plot feels like something that could have been taken care of during the Season 6 finale. Almost everything that happens in Sanctum could have been carefully tied up during the final bit of Season 6 and we could have begun this Season with the scene of Octavia being stabbed and disappearing. It feels very disjointed to watch Clarke (and the others) deal with the repercussions of what happened in space, like what to do with Russell Prime (especially as it appears that all of these things happen literally the day after the Season 6 finale). We’re expected to believe that Clarke has apparently gone through all of the stages of grief, somehow managed to find a perfect yellow farmhouse, set up Russell in what is essentially serving as a prison and begun to discuss plans for building a compound for the Arkadians all in, what is essentially a few hours after her mother’s death?

To top all of that off, we never see any cracks in the picture perfect “I’m fine” exterior until Clarke snaps when Russell hands over Abby's ring and clothes and begins to beat him rather brutally. It’s such a stark contrast to her behavior over the course of the episode that it just doesn’t align with anything that she’s done. To have Clarke go from “I want to do better because I don’t want Madi to grow up in a cruel society.” to “We’ve all made mistakes, tomorrow Russell Prime dies for his.” almost gave me whiplash. It would have been so much more believable if we’d seen small cracks in her facade over the course of the episode, but there were none. Am I meant to believe that-like Madi retains some of the memories of the Commanders before her even though the Flame is destroyed-that Josephine (and her sociopathy) linger in Clarke’s consciousness and that’s what made her brutally assault Russell? Or am I meant to believe that this is truly Clarke? I don’t know, but I do know that whatever message they were trying to sink there, it didn’t land.

I did really love Madi’s plot this episode. I enjoy that, now that the Flame is dead she doesn’t have to be a receptacle for a long dead love interest of Clarke’s. I enjoyed that she was going to school and has a house and a dog. I really liked that she was finally able to remind Clarke (and the audience) that she had a mother before Clarke and she didn’t just forget her because Clarke showed up. I did not like the fact that-even in the absence of the Flame-we are expected to believe that Madi still maintains memories from the commander and of course the one they choose to focus on is one of Clarke as Wanheda-meaning that it’s a memory of Lexa’s. It is infuriating to me that the Flame can be destroyed and yet Madi as a character somehow still exists as a mouthpiece for a character who has been dead for over 125 years at this point. It would be nice if this show could spend time actually developing the new characters they forcefully insert into the narrative every year, but I expect in the final season, that might be asking for a bit too much.

To further the refusal to leave the Grounders in the past, Jason somehow manages to have the Dark Commander transfer his consciousness into Russell Prime’s where he lurks in the background until Russell is knocked unconscious by Clarke (are we to assume Russell has not slept during this time as well?). My best guess is that he does this by using some type of Bluetooth/Wi-Ffi situation, When they are destroying the flame and uploading him into the Eligius ship. Because both are Eligius tech, the Flame and the mind drives created by Becca are similar. I assume the Dark Commander’s code searched for (and found in Russell-who was on the ship) something similar to his own tech and simply uploaded himself onto it in the background, waiting for an opportunity to show up. Now all that’s left is to see what type of fresh hell he unleashes on an entirely new planet-especially given some of the residents of said planet believe him to be a god.

I do find Murphy potentially interesting this year. For years he has managed to “cockroach” his way through situations. Staying alive through nearly impossible situations. But there seems to be a fair amount of turmoil surrounding his decisions as they relate to Clarke and Abby (and their deaths) as well as his decision to become a Prime. Given that connection with two of the three Griffin women, and my concern that Madi will find herself in danger once it’s discovered that she is no longer the Commander and once the Dark Commander manages to get her alone (which we all know will happen sooner or later), I would not be surprised if Murphy (who has never been one to make the sacrifice play) does so in this final Season.

Smaller things I enjoyed include Raven and Clarke’s relationship being on the mend. The two haven’t really been friends since Season 2 and Finn’s death, so it’s nice to see that-although it took Shaw and Abby’s deaths respectively-they seem to be leaning on each other at this time. With Clarke having lost all of her natural born family, it would not surprise me if she is willing to go to devastating lengths this Season to keep them all safe. I’m also very interested in the increased presence of both Gaia and Indra. As a fan of both Tati Gabrielle and Adina Porter (and their massive talent) in show’s outside of The 100, I’ve yearned for a deeper exploration into their relationship for Seasons. It looks like we might finally get to dive deeper into who they are now that Gaia is no longer a Flamekeeper and Indra no longer has a Commander.

Overall, I believe this is the weakest Season Premiere of The 100 to date, which is terribly disappointing given the fact that it’s the last one they’ve ever received. Even though we have yet to see the backdoor pilot (Rothenberg says it will be 708), it already feels like this final Season will serve more as a way to set up a show that will likely not take off the ground (because Rothenberg has successfully managed to upset every person in the show’s fanbase) than the sendoff to the existing characters and stories he’s spent 7 years building. It will be a terrible thing if that is indeed the case. Hopefully, based off of the title of this episode, The 100 will manage to make some sort of phoenix-esque ressurection. But for now, I don’t know if they have enough time to truly tell the story that Rothenberg wants to.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW

Aprille’s episode rating: 🐝🐝

#The 100 #From the Ashes

10 notes · View notes

nerianasims · 4 years ago

Text

Billboards #1 1963

Under the cut.

Steve Lawrence – “Go Away Little Girl” -- January 12, 1963

"Little girl" didn't mean "little girl" in songs of the era. She could be 49 for all we know. And yet, having to constantly remind onesself of that does not make for a pleasant listening experience. Nothing about it is a pleasant listening experience. Okay, he's drawn to someone he shouldn't be and doesn't know if he can resist. That's a common enough human experience. But he's so smarmy about it. And musically, it's light and boring lounge schmaltz.

The Rooftop Singers – “Walk Right In” -- January 26, 1963

It's okay. It's catchy. I can believe the singers are living breathing people, and not automatons, which is saying a lot for folk-pop of the era. There's some nice acoustic guitar work. I just can't get over the feeling this was originally either about drugs or sex work and has been sanitized. It's fine though. Which is a major improvement over the offensively bad "Michael" two years back.

Paul & Paula – “Hey Paula” -- February 9, 1963

They want to get married as soon as possible because they just can't wait. Why is not said -- this song is Wonder Bread -- but it's obviously because of sex. Also they're singing to each other's stage names, Paul and Paula. "Hey Paula" and "Hey Paul." Getting married very young because you can't handle not having sex any more is a really bad idea. Anyway, it's hard for me to think about the lyrics much because the music is so bland I think it killed some brain cells.

The Four Seasons – “Walk Like A Man” -- March 2, 1963

Can't sleep, Frankie Valli will get me. That falsetto. Dear lord. Anyway, his girlfriend has been spreading lies about him and he's gonna "walk like a man" to get away from her. I'd run like a woman to get away from his voice.

Ruby & The Romantics – “Our Day Will Come” -- March 23, 1963

Now here's a wonderful voice. Ruby Nash has a rich, beautiful contralto, and she puts a lot of joy into it. She's telling someone not to be upset about waiting, because "our day will come" and they'll be able to live happily ever after together. The bossa nova arrangement is nice, but this is all about Nash's voice. Quite good.

The Chiffons – “He’s So Fine” -- March 30, 1963

The narrator is in love with a shy guy whom she's having problems getting close to, but she's determined. "Sooner or later/ I hope it's not later." A nice bouncy girl group song. Also George Harrison ripped the melody off for a much worse song years later.

Little Peggy March – “I Will Follow Him” -- April 27, 1963

In high school, one of my friends and I made up words to this song that went "I hate him/ I hate him/ I hate him" and etc. So uh. This song. As-is, I find it annoying. It's a good jumping off point for you and your friends when you're deeply pissed off at some guys, though.

Jimmy Soul’s “If You Wanna Be Happy” -- May 18, 1963

If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, don't marry a pretty woman, marry an ugly woman who can cook. This song makes me laugh. It's dated and problematique. Whatever, I find it amusing.

Lesley Gore – “It’s My Party” -- June 1, 1963

Johnny and Judy are colossal jackasses. They timed starting to go steady at Johnny's girlfriend's party, sheesh. It's all rather unlikely. Considering she's going through something that would be both heartbreaking and horribly embarrassing, Lesley Gore doesn't sound too terribly broken up about it, even if she is supposed to be crying. It's still a good song.

Kyu Sakamoto – “Sukiyaki” (originally "Ue O Muite Aruko") -- June 15, 1963

Kyu Sakamoto had a wonderful voice for pop songs or light tenor roles on Broadway, and he used it well. This is a bittersweet song in Japanese about looking up when you walk after your heart is broken so no one sees your tears -- after your protest movement against U.S. interference in your country fails. Hm. We tend to underestimate how much people in the past knew, and it is entirely possible this song became a hit partly in solidarity with that protest movement. Or maybe because people happened to hear it on TV because of the movement. Or maybe just because it's a pretty song, sung beautifully.

The Essex – “Easier Said Than Done” -- July 6, 1963

The narrator's friends are saying she should tell a guy she's into him, but she can't seem to do it. It's a buoyant little song, but nothing more than that.

Jan And Dean – “Surf City” -- July 20, 1963

This song is explicitly not for me. "Two girls for every boy" sounds no fun at all. And they keep singing it in falsetto. As for the sound, it's an early 60s surf song. Yawn.

The Tymes – “So Much In Love” -- August 3, 1963

The narrator and his fiancee are so much in love, and his backup singers are snapping and woo-wooing to support him in the background. It's nice, and kind of a big nothing at the same time. There's something very assembly line about it.

Little Stevie Wonder – “Fingertips (Pt. II)” -- August 10, 1963

Stevie Wonder was 13 at the time. Which means I don't like this song. He's just too young. Also it's live and sort of all over the place, though it's mostly harmonica. I'll be much happier to hear Stevie Wonder when he's back a few years from now.

The Angels – “My Boyfriend’s Back” -- August 31, 1963

I consider this song close to perfection. It's musically fun and taunting, and the taunting is serious. "Look out now, cuz he's comin' after you." This piece of shit who's been spreading rumors about and sexually harassing the narrator is about to eat dirt. Oh yeah, I love it.

Bobby Vinton – “Blue Velvet” -- September 21, 1963

Apparently David Lynch named a movie for this? I avoid David Lynch like the plague, so that doesn't influence my hearing of the song. The narrator and the woman in blue velvet were in love, but then she "left." It's melancholy enough that I feel she may have died, not just left. Pretty, sad, but that's about it.

Jimmy Gilmer And The Fireballs – “Sugar Shack” -- October 12, 1963

The titular "sugar shack" is supposedly a coffeehouse. I have my doubts. They had to bury implications under a lot of layers in 1963. Or maybe I'm just trying to make the song more interesting, imagining the narrator wants to marry a sex worker and not a waitress. The song is bouncy and bubbly and dull.

Nino Tempo & April Stevens -- "Deep Purple" -- November 16, 1963

I find this song very unpleasant due to Nino Tempo's singing. There's something about it that grates on me, the woo-woo's especially. This is about dreaming an old -- possibly dead -- lover is coming back to you. And it's sure cheery and peppy. Also there's a spoken word section that's not good at all. I do not like this rendition of this song one bit.

Dale & Grace – “I’m Leaving It Up To You” -- November 23, 1963

No Ray Charles this year? I'm in desperate need here. Sigh. Grace's voice is high and nasal and I have nothing to say about Dale. The idea of the song is that they're leaving it up to the other person in the relationship whether to keep going. The lyrics are nothing special, but they're fine. The music is boring except that Grace's voice is like nails on a chalkboard. I don't know how much more stuff like this I can take.

The Singing Nun – “Dominique” -- December 7, 1963

Well, it's different. It’s French. Jeanne-Paule Marie Deckers, the Singing Nun, wrote this cheery song about the founder of her order. He chose poverty and only talked about God, you know the drill. I don't connect with it, and I also have nothing negative to say about it. It's a refreshing song.

BEST OF 1963: My Boyfriend's Back and Sukiyaki in a tie WORST OF 1963: Nino Tempo & April Stevens' rendition of Deep Purple, though there were many contenders

#billboard number ones

1 note · View note

nosferatyou · 5 years ago

Text

New Tune: Chapter 6 (Jake Kiszka x Reader)

WC: 6k (damn I went off)

Warnings: Cursing, Drug use, rock and roll, romantic tension, and a very sweet moment

Summary: Two guitarists meet at a Rock Festival, only having a week with each other before they have to return to their own lives. The bond they create is unfeigned and resolute

AUTHORS NOTE:I listened to an ungodly amount of John Denver while writing this. Also never written a scene like the last before soo that's fun.

I wanted to try to give them two different styles that represented the characters, and I think I got it. I always saw Jake’s more of a mess, but its still in harmony. While hers is more like mine, a need for perfection, never fully happy with the final product. But there's my rendition of reader and Jake! I hope its satisfactory (also breaking away from your art style is very hard, but hella fun)

***

After she left last night all the boys couldn’t stop gushing about Y/N, well more couldn't stop making fun of me. Holding my newfound feelings for her above my head. Sam and Danny were acting out the night before, but wildly blew it out of proportion.

Sam and Danny were sitting incredibly close on the couch, each hand intertwined with the other boys. Looking at each other with loving eyes, and the occasional dramatic, love struck sigh coming from Sam.

“Oh Y/N, the way you wield your axe is just so sexy.” Sam said to Danny, trying to replicate my voice, but was so dramatic about it he was nowhere close.

“Not as sexy as you not making a move.” Danny said with a skewed high pitch voice.

The two boys pressed their cheeks and looked at me, batting their lashes, holding back a laugh.

“If only I didn’t have a mean old boyfriend holding me back from this sexy-” Danny was cut off by me standing from my spot and grabbing my lighter and Cigs.

“Real comedians you guys are.”

I was met with my twin, Josh, already out there seemingly enjoying the morning air.

I looked over and met his gaze, a bright smile adorning his face.

“Well good morning, little bro.”

I grumbled “by five minutes.” Under my breath. I took a spot next to him, leaning against the bus and lighting a cigarette, taking a big hit before finally exhaling.

He looked over to me with more than confusion than previously.

“Something on your mind? Or should I say Someone on your mind?” A small sympathetic smile following the question.

I took a final drag and put out my cig, turning my full attention towards him.

“Sam and Danny are just doing their normal shit. I love them, but goddamn, they're getting on my nerves.”

“Are you sure that’s all that’s bothering you?”

I focused on the cigarette butt on the ground, kicking it aimlessly.

“We both know that's not all that’s bothering me.”

He nudged my shoulder and gave the smile as before. “Well let it all out. Tell me about her.”

“You’ve already met her, dumbas-”

He cut me off saying “Well I know about her, but tell me how you feel about her. Dumbass.”

I gave a small laugh and looked back up at my twin.

“ She’s just- Nothing i've ever experienced. She’s got such a diverse taste in everything. She listens to everything we do, all the Jazz, folk, and so on, but then there's everything else. If she knew every word to every song I wouldn't be surprised.”

I looked back up to josh and the smile on his face had grown. He nodded his head as if to say “Go on”

“And the sheer talent in this girl. You saw her yesterday, so you know. She can play anything man I swear. We spent about three hours playing nonstop and she did it like it was nothing. Did you know she can play like 7 instruments? Its fucking crazy. Plus the way she works with that bow is something else, maybe it's because she has cello experience. She probably has jimmy page impressed.”

I trailed off for a moment, just thinking about her. My cheeks grew warm and flushed red.

“She’s also so compassionate, you can tell she really cares. Despite her nonchalant demeanor she secretly goes out of her way to make sure everyones okay. She never told me that, but I can just tell.”

“You really like her don't you?” Josh asked.

“ I really fucking like her, Josh.”

After our chat Josh suggested that I spend all the time I can with her, make my mark, so here I am at her door, praying she’s there. With my supplies in hand, I freed my hand to knock on their door. Eventually the door swung open to Y/N with a somber face, but it brightened a bit when she realized it was me. Wearing comfier clothes then she had previously worn.

“Well hey there, Rockstar. Didn't think I’d see you till later.”

“Well I’m here now, and I brought something that'll hopefully cheer you up.”

She raised her eyebrows and noticed what I had in my arms.

“Oh?”

“Let me inside and I'll show you.” I playfully winked.

She laughed and walked up the stairs, letting me in. I walked in, shutting the door behind me, and found her sitting on the couch, knees tucked under her arms.

“Well are you just going to stand there staring, or are you going to show me what you brought?”

She asked, cocking an eyebrow.

I sat down across from her at the table, dumping all the stuff on it. A way too big sketchbook, a huge pencil bag, and gummy bears for good measure.

She stood up and her meek smile grew.

“How’d you know that I could draw?”

“I just somehow knew a lady of many talents, such as yourself, was probably talented with a pencil as well.”

She grabbed the huge bag and searched through until she was satisfied. Opened it up to the next blank page and opened the gummy bears for good measure.

She looked up to me with a confused look.

“What are you still doing over here? Grab the guitar and provide some good tunes while you model for me.”

I laughed and grabbed the guitar that was in its case next to me. I moved to the couch and unpacked it while asking, “Should I stay still if I’m you’re model?”

Without looking up from the sketch pad, she said, “Nah I should be fine. Just make sure to play something good.”

She looked up at me giving a brighter smile, and refocusing on the task at hand.

We sat quietly for about 45 minutes, her looking up at me from time to time. Sometimes I’d make a silly face, and make her laugh. Soon after though she would return to her work, not even looking up to grab more candy. When she really focused on her work she’d scrunch up on corner of her mouth. Sometimes she’d bite her lip, back up the paper, then would go to erase something. She never failed to mindlessly hum along to songs though, only proving my point from this morning.

She finally backed the paper up one final time before clicking her tongue, her eyes lighting up.

“I think I got your essence perfectly.”

She flipped it around to show me, nervousness flashing in her eyes for a moment.

I was completely blown away. She had completely nailed it. It only made my heart swell more.

She flipped it back around to look at it again “I think I kind of messed up your face a little in the big one. Sorry about that.”

“No no! It looks absolutely perfect and I’m not at all surprised. You did good, seriously. Y/N it looks fantastic.” I gushed, my cheeks growing pink.

Her cheeks grew pink and refocused on the drawing in front of her. She grabbed the pencil and eraser and continued to poke at her piece, never content with her own work.

After a little while I moved the guitar off my lap and moved towards her to nab the items out of her hands. I swiftly grabbed them and hid them behind my back, a pert smile on my lips..

“Hey! I was using those you know.” She said, holding her hand out as to ask for them back.

I quickly shook my head and said “You think I’m just going to give these to you? It's already perfect, there's nothing more to fix.”

She turned her head down with a sad look adorning her face, but I caught the mischievous grin poking through. “Fine then.”

“You're really not great at faking it, darling. I see that little smile on your face.”

She lightly chuckled and suddenly jumped up out of her seat to grab the items from behind me, but just as swiftly as she lept, I took a big step backwards.

“Gotta try harder than that, Little Bird.” I moved my hand above my head, and wiggled the pencils in the air enticingly.

She looked up at the items and then back at me, a smug look on her face.

“You may be a big rockstar and all..” She paused and easily reached up, grabbing them out of my hands. “But I'm still taller than you.” She went to sit behind me on the couch in my previous spot, but not without ruffling my hair in a teasing manner.

“You did your best, buddy.”

I whipped around and dramatically put my hands on my hips. “I totally went easy on you.”

“Sure, Rockstar.” She said, grabbing the guitar from beside her, strumming a few chords.

I grabbed all the essentials off the table, sketchbook, pencil bag, and of course the gummies. Then made my way to the couch, plopping down on her left side, dumping everything to my own.

She stopped for a moment to try and hand me back the pencil and eraser, but I pushed her hand away and chuckled.

“Don't you want these back, to you know, draw?” She asked.

“I prefer ink, but thank you, Little Bird.” I smiled.

We did the same as before, she modeled and provided tunes while I did my best to capture her. I knew we’d have different styles right away. You can tell she's a perfectionist in her work, not accepting flaws. I have messy lines, them almost seem alive with how fast I create them. I draw what I see, but add my own to it, depth can be something you make. So for the next hour or so I did my best to scratch out her beauty, mostly focusing on her face, which became apparent when I got a good look at it. I had been so careful with her face that the rest didn't seem to matter.

Id catch her glances every now and then, peaking at me over the guitar in curiosity. Every time I did I’d make a silly face, and every time she quietly laughed to herself with a content smile that follow. Every chance I could id try to catch her eyes just to see that.

Halfway through her quiet rendition of “Dink's Song” I had finally finished her portrait. Which honestly didn’t compare to hers, but still, I was proud. I flipped it around to face her, and suddenly her singing stopped, her focus completely on the piece

“Jake” She paused and grabbed it out of my hands, studying it more.

“This is fucking fantastic.” She breathed out. Her eyes rapidly wandered the piece, trying to take it all in.

A small grin broke out on my face, and quietly fiddled with my hands, not wanting to interrupt her thoughts.

She looked back up at me with wide, questioning eyes “How does no one know that you're this good?” She asked.

I chuckled and said “ Never seemed important to share. Its only a small hobby.”

“Only a small hobby.” She mocked. “As I said, this is fucking fantastic.”

“Well thank you, Little Bird.” A small blush forming on my cheeks.

“No, thank you, man.” She paused and moved the guitar to her side then grabbed my hand.

“No ones ever made me something like this. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

“Anything for you, Little Bird.” I said, and I meant every word.

She never let go of my hand, just sat back into her seat staring off in thought, I didn't mind the silence though. Until she asked

“Hey, Jake?”

“Yeah, Y/N?”

“I'm sorry I dragged you into that pit, I saw the way the media got a hold of it. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable.”

I squeezed her hand and caressed the back of it with my thumb. My heart was beating so hard, and I was incredibly nervous. She didn’t seem to mind at all though.

“Oh Little Bird, No darling this happens literally all the time. It’s nothing to stress over.”

“You sure?” She asked.

“Completely.” I paused for a moment “But I’m sorry it caused… you know. Boy trouble.”

She groaned and threw her head back “Oh god you head that?”

“Well when you yell that you’re not fucking Jimmy Page for everyone to hear its hard not to.” A playful smile on my lips.

She groaned again and said “Oh god I’m sorry.”

“It's fine man, I get it all the time.. Well not the fucking part, but the Jimmy Page part.”

“She whipped her head to face me and quickly responded “No, not okay. You and Jimmy Page have completely different styles, and idiots like him who don't even listen to Greta have no say. I could go on about the technicalities of it all, but id probably bore you.” She paused and stared

off for a moment for returning. “Plus I don't even think he listened to, nor liked zeppelin.”

“Well that's just blasphemous.”

She laughed “You've got that right!”

“Wait shit do you have the time.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and turned it on, the screen flashed 4:30. I passed it over to her and as quickly as she read it, she popped up off the couch frantically.

“Shit! I have to get ready and go to sound check at 6!”

“Well go get ready then! Want me to wait?” I asked.

“Sure, but I can't promise that it will be very interesting.”

“I don't mind, after I can walk you to the venue if you'd like.”

She smiled and said “ And they say chivalry is dead.”

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

He was kind enough to wait around and watch me do my makeup for the next 30 minutes. I of course put a little eyeliner on him, he didn't ask but he didn't seem appalled at the idea. After all of that I quickly put on my stage clothes, which consisted of Dark blue high waisted bell bottoms, a simple blue velvet bralette, a black see through shirt with white embroidered flowers (fully unbuttoned of course, and purple paisley heels for some color. When I came out of the back and he saw what I was wearing he was not very suave about complimenting it. It was honestly pretty cute.

As promised he walked me to the venue, he even added my guitar to his already heavy load. Once we got there he sadly had to go because he had his own show to get ready for. He didn't leave without a hug and a wish for good luck before going to wherever he needed to be.

One successful soundcheck later and we were all ready for the stage.

Nerves jittered through the whole band, this was the biggest crowd we've ever played, and it's all thanks to the Greta boys. All of the people in the crowd were here to see them.

5 minutes till we had to go on stage and Eli had taken a small glass jar with white contents inside out of his pocket, luckily we were alone in our dressing room. He asked Asa to hold up his bass for us as a makeshift table. He emptied enough for all of us to snort three lines.

We all let him go first since it was his, with drug equity and all. Matt went next, not that he needed it, he was already so chaotic, but it's fun to all be high together. Eli took it from Asa and let him do his, then it was my turn. We used to do this a lot before shows, but recently with a break for recording its lessened. Still our tolerances were higher than the first time we all did it together.

I bent down to snort the first line, the familiar smell of petrol hit my nose, and shortly after I felt the drug hit the back of the throat. It burned for a brief moment, but then I got that drip, my nose, tongue and throat went numb, which made it all the more easier for the next two lines.

I instantly felt that buzz, the high we’d all been chasing. We all went from nervous to ready to play in front of a million people. Matt jumped up and in tow we all did. Buzzing from our high.

Id grabbed my guitar and slung it on my back, Eli did the same, then we all made our way to the main stage. We whooped and hollered, ready to take on our biggest show. In the wings I spotted the Greta boys and quickly made my way over to them.

“You look absolutely stunning, Darling!” Josh yelled at me.

I slung my arm over him for a quick hug and replied “Don't I know it, had to show off the goods somehow. I'm a free woman! Well not yet… But when I get a mic on my hands I will be dumping my bitch ass boyfriend.”

“Hell yeah! Fuck that guy!” Sam chimed in.

“Fuck that guy!” I pulled away from the hug and told josh “Dude your skin has what I can only describe as good vibes, man. Like a warm feeling. I have to apologize, I just did a couple lines of coke and I am feeling the buzz. Like, Jake, you look ethereal in this light right now. Absolutely stunning.”

He just laughed and said “Well i'm glad i can be described as ethereal.”

“I could honestly go on about it, but I think I have to go. I hope you all enjoy, and wish me luck!”

Behind me I could hear someone say “One minute!” So I quickly darted back over to my band.

We did our lucky chant, huddled, first all crouched low to the ground. The chant really isn’t all that intricate, we just go start chanting “Fuck” in a whisper, then gradually getting louder until we are screaming and jumping around, bumping into each other.

As so we were screaming and knocking into each other, until we all chilled and got plugged up and ready to go.

We heard our bands name announced and made our way on stage. Cheers erupted from the crowd, which was huge might I add. With the coke I was ready to do anything, and this was going to be a breeze.

Before we went on I asked Matt if I could introduced the first song and he very graciously agreed.

We took to our spots, and when the crowd quieted Matt did the introduction.

“Hello, California! We are so glad to be here, and fucking jam with you guys! But we have a guitarist who wants to introduce our first song.”

More cheers erupted from the crowd, but that didn't last long. I stepped up to the mic “Hello everyone! I really want to dedicate this to my boyfriend, Sam.”

My band all gave me the weirdest looks, but the crowd awed in response.

“I see those fucking looks you’re giving me guys. This goes out to my son of a bitch EX boyfriend who doesn't deserve this much woman! Fuck that guy! This ones called Innocent Sun.”

For a third time the crowd erupted in cheers, this time just as excited as the first

I backed away, and our drummer Asa got the message, playing the count in.

Despite the name of the song it was one of our angrier ones, which is why its at the top of the set.

Eli and I came in with a heavier riff, and with the coke, physical touch was enhanced, so my guitar strings felt so weird it was a bit distracting. I didn’t mess it up but my head was out of it.

Matt was dancing wildly along to the music, whipping the microphone around like Roger Daltrey. While he sang he’d come up to all of us and try to interact. Like he and I would play back to back, and I’d sing with him from time to time. Typically he would run around and jump off the drum risers.

By the end of the song the adrenaline of being on stage coerced with the drugs, creating something else. We all were doing new shit in every song. I was sticking new solos anywhere I could. Matt attempted a backflip off one of the bigger amps, which he miraculously made. Eli at one point just slapped the shit out of his bass, which didn't sound too bad. Poor Asa couldn’t do too much from behind the drums, but his drum fills were phenomenal.

As a black sabbath type band we were getting strangely rowdy, and lucky for me I had a wireless set up. So during a solo in one of the heavier songs I did a guitar spin and everyone completely lost it. Lucky for me I had taken off my loose shirt earlier in the set.

After I had winked at the Greta boys in the wings and they lost their shit, all cheering me on. I felt like I was on cloud nine.

My heart was pounding, my ears were ringing, and I felt like I could take on the world. I was creating new licks, killing solos, and giving off some pretty damn good stage presence. But I was starting to come off of my high, and all of those pent up feelings were starting to come out. Lucky for me our last song is when we covered “Dazed and Confused”, it didn't run as long as Zeppelin played it live but its longer than anything else we played.

When we got to the guitar solo in the song I grabbed the bow behind my pedal board and stuck my pick between my lips, quickly switching on a bunch of delay effects.

I gave it one test stroke on the lowest string, creating a bunch of haunting notes. When I got my confidence I rapidly smacked the strings with the bow and played chords rapidly. I slowed down, and went into the upper register, rapidly playing the highest string like a violin, trying to sound delicate. My mind wandered again, everything flooding my head. Me finally leaving Sam, everything he put me through, all the abuse and turmoil finally over. Which produced a dark sound with my guitar, throwing caution into the wind, and smack the shit out of it, occasionally strumming. It was a loud crescendo into chaos, but a beautiful one at that.

Sweat soaked my skin and my heart was practically beating out of my chest. I kept looking over to Jake throughout the solo, searching for something but I didn't know what. I then saw the way he looked at me when I played, then I remembered the way he looked at me in general. The longing looks, his attention to detail to everything I did, the way he listened and cared. When I was looking at him I finally realized what I had been so painfully blind to. That a man only looked at someone that was for one reason, and the way I stared back only gave him more incentive to. Thing was is that I enjoyed it. I wanted his attention all the time, so bad it hurt. And I realized that since the moment I met him I had been falling for him. I just gave him the brightest smile and he reciprocated with exactly that.

I walked to the front of the stage and went into another realm of playing. I created a brighter tone as my hand danced up and down the neck. I gave one final stroke with the bow and walked closer to the amp to create feedback, creating a loud screech, transitioning into the end of the song. I threw my bow into the crowd and took the pick from my mouth went back into the main riff of Dazed and Confused with the rest of the band.

Asa took a mini drum solo at the end and absolutely nailed it. To finally finish it all off we all went crazy with our instruments, Matt just screamed into the mic, Eli just smacked his strings over and over, Asa lost it with the drums, and I went into a final wild solo. We all looked at each other and mentally counted down, ending the song together. The crowd erupted with cheers and we made our way off the stage, all of feeling exhausted and covered head to toe in sweat, but proud of our performance.

The moment I got off stage I ran to Jake, and he quickly engulfed me in his arms, only staying there for a moment before he pulled away. He kept me at arms length minimum when he rained compliments onto me.

“Y/N that was absolutely fantastic! Oh my god that spin made us all lose our minds! You have to teach me. I didn’t know you could do all that, and that solo on Dazed and Confused? Phenomenal, I say something in you change.”

“Thank you so much! Speaking of that, Jake. I've got to talk to you.”

He didn’t seem to think too much about that last comment, he seemed rushed.

“Of course, love. Later alright? We go on right after you and Josh will actually kill me if I’m late.”

“Yeah I totally understand. Go hurry, I can't wait to see you guys go on.”

He gave me a tight hug before speed walking to one of the dressing rooms.

Nerves grew within me when I realized I had two big conversations to have.

Speaking of which, I guess I should do damage control, coked out me is a bit impulsive.

***

Finding a quiet spot was weirdly hard, I mean we were in a literal desert. But I turned on my phone, not checking my notifications. I just went straight to my contacts and dialed Sams number.

He took longer to pick up then normal. Weird.

“ What’d you do this time?”

“Well hello to you too.”

“Well you only call me when you know you screwed up, like with Jimmy Page.”

I let out a long sigh, dread building in me. “Did you watch my show?”

He obviously has not.

“ I caught the end of it, You really only looked back stage, was jimmy page there.”

That anger was building up again, he didn't even mention the actual show.

“ Listen Sam about that-”

He cut me off “Oh so you are fucking him?”

“Sam just shut the fuck up!”

The line went quiet, and surprisingly stayed quiet.

“Sam I can't do this anymore.” My voice slightly shaking with every word.

“Y/N no, I-” His tone was different than any he’d used over this week. His words were panicked, I actually don't ever think I've heard him like this.

“No Sam, I don't want this anymore. You treat me like garbage, you don't trust me, and you don’t respect me. So this is done.”

He got louder, his tone even more panicked before. I think he might have been crying.

“You don't have to do this! I'll stop, I-I’ll stop everything! I will do anything you want me to… Just please stay.”

“You know that's not what will happen.” I said slowly, I was practically hanging my head in shame.

“Y/N please.”

“ Please move out before I get home, you have a week or so. Im sorry, Sam.” and with that I hang up.

I was practically whispered at that point. I wasn't disappointed in myself, but it was shitty of me to do it over the phone. The way I handled it all was shitty.

What pulled me out of mood was josh voice talking over the PA and Jake guitar ringing through the air. I booked it as fast as I could to the venue so I could see their whole show. I pushed respectively pushed through some random workers and crew, but I made to the wings just in time.

The moment got their parked myself as close I could, wanting to see everything. I caught Jake’s eyes when I got there and he almost seemed relieved. He gave me a warm smile, then refocused on the song “The Cold Wind.”

The show was absolutely phenomenal. They all killed it, Josh with his wailing, Sams bright bass lines, Jake perfect guitar work, and of course, Danny who held it all together perfectly.

I danced and sang along with what I knew, Which was admittedly sparse. I didn't stop until I heard “Black Flag Exposition” which put me in a trance, I just couldn't focus on anything else.

I know I heard it just yesterday but this is something else. His emotion bled through his music, he created magic that night. Which bled right into “Watching Over,”and he pulled the over the shoulder solo. It was uh… quite the spectacle.

I danced and watched as long as I could, but before I could see the end of When the curtain falls I was dragged away by a roadie.

I was given my guitar and attached to the bluetooth system. They worked fast, getting me through a small soundcheck as quickly as possible. After they just placed me right back where I was before to await my que.

The moment I got there I heard Josh give a small speech to the crowd, and it was the sweetest thing I’d ever heard.

“I love you all! We are here to celebrate Life, love, and music. Where there is love, we must celebrate it, All of us! And Where there is no love we must provide it. That's what we are to do tonight. Now we have one last song, and one more person to spread the love with. Give it up for Miss Y/N Y/LN!”

With my guitar in hand I made my way to my spot on stage between Josh and Jake, the mic stand already set up.

“We took a lot of time to think of the perfect song you guys, and we decided on the one song that can make anyone fall in love. Enjoy.”

Jake and I started the solo to “Annie's Song” together, even though we didn’t have acoustics we still sounded beautiful.

Josh came in, but instead of his normal higher pitched voice, he used his lower register which still blew me away even though we practiced for hours yesterday. With Sam on the Keys it all was enough to make me cry.

When we got to the chorus Jake and I Stepped up to the mic to harmonize with Josh, but the crowd decided to join in. It was absolutely transcendent

. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Jake, and the smile off of my face. Hearing the crowd sing along with us, singing with my friends, and finally feeling free, I couldn't help but let a tears flow down my cheeks.

We stepped back to let Josh sing again, and Jake seemed to notice the tears and gave me the sweetest smile he could. All the love in the room was truly moving me. For the last chorus josh asked the crowd to sing along again and as loud as they could.

As Jake and I sang we stole glances from each other, the smiles not breaking from either of our faces. Something in me finally settled, I really was truly free.

Josh sang the final note, and we finished off the song by giving a final strum to a G chord together. As quickly as it began it had ended and suddenly walking off stage, finding myself without a guitar and being wrapped into another from jake.

I instantly could smell his cologne on him, stronger than anything else. My skin burned where he touched me, I was buzzing with adrenaline, and I wanted nothing more than to just stay there.

Without pulling away he whispered “That really was something, huh?”

“It really was, Jake.” I sniffled.

He gently pulled away, but didn't move me from his arms. Instead of saying anything he brought his hand to my cheek and gently wiped away my tears. I looked up to him with eyes full of emotion. A lopsided smile adorned his face, and I swore his eyes were full of stars.

His hand was warm on my face, and continued to gently stroke my cheek.

“You're beautiful, you know that?” I blurted out, still with a soft tone. Our eyes never left each others.

His smile grew at the comment and he seemed to drift closer to me, heat radiating off him.

“ The same could easily be said for you, little Bird.”

I reached up and brushed his hair out of his face, my fingers moving from the tucked hair behind his ear to the back of his neck, delicately entangling them in his hair.

I glanced down to his mouth, his lips partially open, pink and plush, astonishingly beautiful. I met his eyes again, searching, trying to find an incentive to move forward. He looked at me with the same expression, something of desperation and a softness read through him.

I moved painfully slow, pulling him closer to me, the same scent from before coming back to me. I put my other hand on his bare chest, inching closer to him. He kept his hand on my face, but moved his other to my lower back. My whole body was buzzing, wanting to move closer.

My eyes fell to his face for a moment, he drifted closer to me, our noses bumped one another.

I held my breath in anticipation, waiting for the moment to come.

I couldn't take it anymore. I closed my eyes and pushed forward, my lips meeting his, my warmth pushing against his. I was slowly engulfed into the warmth of his body, fleeting touches, the both of us finally emotionally letting go. When he kissed back I felt my blood rushing through my body, my heart rate rapidly increasing, I could feel his beat just as hard against my hand. He pulled me closer to him, and I ran my hand from his chest to his neck, desperately trying to feel as if we were one.

Both of us were heavily breathing through our noses, not wanting to break away from the rhythm we had created. Our hearts beat in tandem, our hands creating a pace, and our lips moving together in tandem. Creating a New Tune, something in our spirits becoming one for a small, fleeting moment.

We both pulled away, leaning our foreheads against each other, breath heavy, and our hands unmoving.

“I've been wanting to do that all week” He weakly laughed out.

#new tune #jake kiszka x reader #josh kiszka #sam kiszka #danny wagner #greta van fleet #finally some fluff #and my first kiss scene wow #i hope its not horribly embarassing #hes just so sweet im gonna die #one more chapter left #whoo boy #we gonna get a reblog lets find out #a fun mystery

28 notes · View notes

solange-lol · 5 years ago

Text

Crazier Than You - Ch 3/?

Chapter Title: Full Disclosure

Words: 1351

[chapter one | chapter two | chapter three | chapter four (coming soon)]

Read on Ao3

Will was, admittedly, a little bit distracted the following week. However, it wasn’t so much because of Nico but more of the rapidly approaching show. They were only a week away from dress rehearsal and while majority of the set was built, they still had to add doors to the center piece, build wheeling gates, put up the walls, and build the bed of nails.

Okay, scratch that; they still had a shit ton to do. Not to mention SATs were falling right between dress rehearsal and the show, and midterms were falling only the week after. They were short on people and short on time.

To put it simply, Will was stressed out of his mind. So, dumping a bucket paint on his clothes was just the cherry on top.

Lou Ellen seemed to find the entire situation hilarious, immediately whipping out her phone so she could Snapchat the entire situation. It was even worse when Cecil came over with a handful of wood chips and dust, claiming that it would help get the paint out as he threw them onto Will. (It did not).

He wasn’t even painting today so he didn’t have his already-destroyed tech clothes on. It was just that finicky bucket that caused his downfall. At least he remembered to wear his tech sneakers, which were covered with various paint stains. However, hot pink paint now streaked down his favorite hoodie (a navy blue UT hoodie from when he lived in Texas) and a relatively new pair of jeans.

Typical.

As he walked towards the back of the auditorium, he heard a snort from behind him. Turning around to accept his fate of being the next inside joke between all the theatre kids, he was both equally relieved and nervous when he realized that it was Nico. Not exactly the ideal situation.

Nico, in question, was sitting in one of the rolly chairs at the lightbox. Usually, it was where Thalia Grace and Katie Gardner sat, respectively for their light tech and sound tech positions. However, neither girl was in sight. Will knew he should be concerned, but he was too busy to keep track of them all right now. As long as they could turn on and off lights and mics, which he knows they are more than capable of after watching them do it for 3 years, that’s all he needed.

“How did that happen, Solace?” Nico grinned.

“Tilted it. Cap wasn’t secured,” Will could feel his face turning the same shade of pink as the paint on his clothes. “Why are you here?” he asked when he noticed Nico wasn’t in rehearsal clothes.

Instead of a typical t-shirt and sweats, Nico was wearing a chunky gray sweater and black jeans. Thick-frame glasses that Will had never seen before were placed on the bridge of his nose. They pushed his fringe away from his eyes, and for once Will noticed that Nico’s eyes were a dark, chocolate brown. He sat sideways on the chair, feet dangling off the end adorned in converse with rainbow laces. If this was his typical school outfit, Will was disappointed to be graduating without the chance to see him more in class.

Nico shrugged. “Admiring the madness,” he said, gesturing to the stage. Then added “and waiting for my dad to pick me up, because my sister took my car,”

Half of the stage in question was being taken up by tech, and the other half was filled with actors as they tried to learn the dance for Tango De Amor. He sees the appeal of watching it now watching it from the front. Reyna, who was playing Morticia, was pushing 6 inches taller than Leo, who was playing Gomez.

Will had heard from Travis, who heard from his brother Connor, who heard from his boyfriend and head of the costumes department, Mitchell, that they were lowering the height for Reyna’s heels, so she wouldn’t be a whole foot taller than him. Even Still, them dancing next to each other looked ridiculous

“I can’t imagine trying to tango like that,” Nico shook his head.

“The all-talented Nico di Angelo can’t dance?”

Nico went a bit red in the face as he vigorously shook his head again. “Not in the slightest.”

“Then I’ll teach you,” Will said, extending his arm without a second thought. Nico just stared at him blankly, so he reached out and pulled him out of the chair. “C’mon. We’ll follow along. You can be Morticia.”

Nico squinted his eyes, glaring harmlessly. “You better not get any of that paint on my clothes,” he grumbled, but Will could tell he was suppressing a smile.

Their rendition was horrible. The dance included so much feet work and clapping on time and crazy dips. As it turns out, Will couldn’t dance either. Even the beginning, which was essentially just walking back and forth, they bost lost their footing a few times. While Leo was able to near-flawlessly dip Reyna on stage despite their height difference, Will nearly dropped the other boy. He could see some of the ensemble members dancing in the background trying not to giggle.

They were a bit better, going back to the regular tango again, managing to not trip

completely this time. It was here that Will realized his arm was around the boy he liked and holy shit he must be sweating like crazy.

Then, Reyna suddenly slid into a split and that was where they lost it. Nico didn’t even bother trying, instead started laughing into Will’s shoulder, which made him laugh along.

This whole situation was insane and should be uncomfortable, but he felt so natural next to Nico.

And then, Lou Ellen came along to ruin it all. “Will, we need your help with the lights. We tried to get Katie up there, but you’re the only one tall enough even with the ladder,” she sighed, adjusting the bandana that was keeping her hair back. Ah, so that’s where Katie and Thalia were. She finally noticed both of the pink-faced boys standing close together, and then Will’s still-paint covered clothes.

“Lou-”

“You haven't even changed yet? I don’t care what was going on back here, we need you now,” she shoved him towards the door. Will glanced apologetically towards Nico, who just shook his head.

“My dad is probably here anyway, go do your thing,” he said with a small smile, and Will nodded back.

After successfully changing into the extra clothes he had brought previously for tech, he exited the bathroom and opened the door to the auditorium, where he nearly ran straight into Nico. Again.

“Oh! Sorry, I was just leaving,” Nico said, holding up a still-lit phone with a text from his dad.

“You’re good,” Will said, then surprised both of them with what came next. “Um, do you want to, like, hang out sometime? Out of school? Maybe after the show is over?” He mentally cursed at himself for the uncertainty in his voice.

Thankfully, Nico’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Uh, yeah. That’d be cool.”

“Cool. So, I’ll text you?”

“Yeah! But, u, I don’t have your number.”

“Oh. Right!” Stupid, Stupid Will. “Give me your phone, I’ll put it in now.” Nico swiped to open a new contact, then handed it over. Will tapped in his name and his number, pressing ‘Create New Contact’ before he handed it back over.

“Thanks. So, see you around?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’ll see you,” they both smiled, and Will noted the pink dusting Nico’s nose and cheeks. Maybe it was the stuffy lobby. Or maybe-

“WILL! GET YOUR ASS IN HERE,” Lou yelled from inside the room, followed by their director scolding her. Will shook his head and went in as Nico went out; heir hands brushing accidentally. He resisted the urge to grab it and feel Nico’s hand against his again.

When he reached the stage, Lou was shaking her head at him. “That was the most awkward interaction I have ever seen,” she sighed. “You’re hopeless.”

Will thought back to his number now in Nico’s phone. “Not completely.”

thanks for reading! tag list under cut! (message me to be added/removed)

@internallyexplodingrainbows @aleclight-ofmylife-wood @unicornsgomooo @anxiouswinter @soulangelou @number-of-fucks-i-give-0 @underworldystuff @theeloquentsnake @solangelover@thefandomsaretakingover @internallyexplodingrainbows @hairasuntouchedaspartoftheamazon @motivatedcryptidtamer @emilyfairchild @wherethewildthingsare-nt @my-face-is-a-potato @my-babies-are-no-longer-ash

#crazier than you #liz writes.com #solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #pjo #percy jackson #heros of olympus #trials of apollo

20 notes · View notes