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sarcasticdolphin · 3 months

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On Todesengel

So. The Todesengel. Tod’s minions. Many of the different productions take slightly different approaches to them, so the generalizations I make and the language used for those generalizations are going to be a bit imperfect. This is a regular essay because I don’t have the video editing skills for a video essay.

But let’s begin. What are the Todesengels? I’ve certainly called them many things in my head. Tod’s minions, most of the time. Tod’s backup ~4-6 dancers (though some productions have more and others less). Their presence in the musical is like Tod’s in a way, though Tod appearing (or not appearing) in a scene doesn’t necessarily mean that they will or will not appear. Add to that their relationship with Tod is very much open to interpretation most of the time and that only compounds when you get to fanfiction (yes, this is going to include some fanfic analysis).

But enough with some initial musings. Let’s get onto the productions.

Vienna, 2005. First revival.

The first time we see the Todesengel is with the ensemble in Prolog, interspersed amongst the dead. They each have a single colored wing, some silver, some red, some gold, and are dressed in blue and black suits. For Prolog they are part of the ensemble, but still very much associated with Tod. They remain standing when the dead freeze and fall to the ground, though it is important to note that for this opening they do not match Tod’s attire - Tod is in white while they are in blue and black. The pose is with their single wing wrapped across their chest, almost posing like silent sentinels to the entire story. Ultimately for the prologue, I would argue that the angels are part of the ensemble first and Tod’s servants second. The association is clear - from how they act around him to the fact that their hair does match Tod’s even if their uniforms don’t for this song - but it takes a backseat to their roles as part of the ensemble.

As well as where we do see the Todesengel, it can be equally important to look at their absence - be it that Tod is appearing alone or be it that neither Tod or the angels are present. When Sisi falls, just before Schwarzer Prinz, we see Tod carry her back onto the stage, notably with no angels present. Tod is alone with Sisi for this moment. The lack of angels here seems to be more to make the Tod/Sisi dynamic feel more intimate than anything else. I don’t see any technical reasons for omitting them here - they aren’t needed to run on at the beginning of the next number or similar. One other thing to note here is that this is the first time we see Tod in the black and blue uniform - so even if the angels are not here, we get a further connection between them and Tod through the matching costumes.

The next appearance is an extremely brief one, and one with Tod. During Jedem gibt er das Seine as the mother is being dragged out, we see that she is actually being dragged toward where Tod and his angels are. The glimpse is a very brief one - they are quite far upstage and the moment itself is quick - but it is consequential as the first time we see Tod and the angels together in uniform. With the dim lighting on that part of the stage they look like a matched set - Tod is in the middle, but he doesn’t stand out aside from being in the middle. I would call Tod and the angels more a group here than a lord and his servants. Based on how they are sitting I don’t believe the angels have their wings on here, which does mark the first time that they are seen without the wings, though with the uniforms they are still easy to identify.

Tod and his angels then miss the next two songs, not reappearing until Alle Fragen sind gestellt, where they take a very forward role in the acting of the scene, if not the singing. The scene begins with two angels dropping Sisi and FJ’s white robes from the balcony before three other angels dress them on the ground floor with the robes and Sisi’s tiara before taking their places at the front of the ensemble. Here they are certainly part of the ensemble - the uniform is hidden beneath white robes - but with their hair the reference to Tod is still present. They continue to act as attendants to Sisi and FJ throughout the rest of the song, parachuting Sisi and FJ’s robes and then acting as pages, in a way. This includes Managing the robes when Sisi and FJ kneel to say their vows and kneeling themselves - here they are the only members of the ensemble to do so, though I think it is as much so we can still see Sisi and FJ as anything else. This is one of the very few times that we see the angels mostly without Tod (he does make a brief appearance at the end of the song) and again here I could classify them as part of the ensemble first and associated with Tod second, but the association is impossible to ignore even if is is more subtle and requires having seen the first several songs to understand fully.

Neither Tod nor the angels appear in Sie passt nicht, and the next time we see them is during Der letzte Tanz. The use of the angels in Der letzte Tanz is an interesting contrast to how they are used in Prolog - entering with Tod instead of with the ensemble, though once they enter they seem more a part of the ensemble than Tod’s, and remaining still in the background form much of the song until the ensemble begins to sing near the end. They do have their wings again, and while we don’t get an obvious gesture from Tod, who seems very focused on Elisabeth, I think a reasonable interpretation of this scene is that the angels are freezing the wedding guests while Tod is focused on Sisi and maybe FJ. And that the angels are acting more as Tod’s than part of the ensemble here, though this is splitting hairs to some degree.

The angels and Tod then get a longer break, not appearing again until Act I Schatten, though Lucheni does give us a line during Die Ersten Vier Jahre which implies Tod is responsible for her misery, though we don’t see him, and the misery that we do see is Sophie’s doing, not Tod’s.

The angels are in the background for Act I Schatten, only present as escort to little Sophie’s body at the beginning of the song and more part of the set here than active participants. They are gone incredibly quickly, leaving Tod and Sisi alone for the song proper until FJ reappears towards the end.

Die fröhliche Apokalyps, directly following Schatten, gives us the second instance of the angels appearing without Tod, interspersed amongst the coffeehouse patrons. Here they are more of the ensemble than associated with Tod, though they are still in their uniforms even if the wings are absent. So the association remains. It’s also important to note that while there are many little solos during Die fröhliche Apokalyps, the angels don’t sing them - it is just the coffeehouse patrons, and I tend to interpret this scene as Lucheni seeing the Todesengels everywhere, but the coffeehouse patrons don’t. They just see other coffeehouse patrons.

And that’s the last time we see the angels in Act I in this production. Tod reappears for Elisabeth, mach auf mein Engel and Ich will dir nur sagen, but without the angels both times. And I think that makes sense. The angels here seem as a way that Tod interacts with the ensemble, and for those songs Tod is interacting with Elisabeth alone (though FJ is around).

But I digress. Moving on to Act II.

We see the angels very early in Act II, even before Tod. They act as canopy bearers during Éljen, reprising their earlier role from Alle fragen where they act as attendants to Sisi and FJ. This is a relatively brief appearance, and I would call them more part of the ensemble here than Tod’s attendants, though he is present, albeit somewhat hidden in the background in his priest’s robes. This poses an interesting contrast to Alle fragen as well, as while we can see Tod he is somewhat hidden in the same white robes that the angels and the ensemble wore for Alle fragen, whereas the angels are in their uniforms and without their wings. It is a pretty brief appearance - the angels exit with the ensemble, leaving Sisi and Tod alone for Wenn ich tanzen will. And that is actually it for quite a while.

Given what I said earlier you might think that we are due to see the angels again in the next ensemble number or the next time Tod shows up, but you’d be mistaken. They don’t appear in the asylum or Nur kein Genieren. They don’t appear in Mama, wo bist du?. They don’t appear in Maladie or Die rastlosen Jahre. In fact the next time the angels appear is during the reprise of Schatten, halfway through the act. It felt surprising when I went through the songs in a similar way to how it can feel surprising to realize how little Tod is actually on stage (only 35 minutes or so). Because Tod feels omni-present, even in his absence. And one might think that the best way to show Tod in his absence is through the angels. But in the second act they are even more absent than he is. Some of that, I think, is due to the lack of any full ensemble numbers - there are numbers with fairly large ensemble components, but nothing with the full ensemble like Prolog after Éljen.

And even when they do reappear for Schatten, it is in a very subtle role, more there to adjust the set twice than anything else. They leave after the second adjustment, though it is impossible to tell if they then join the chorus of the dead due to the lighting. Interestingly they perfectly match Tod here - uniforms and no wings.

But just as soon as they reappear, they are gone again, and don’t return until Mayerling, missing (among others) Hass in particular. Their appearance at Mayerling is a particularly interesting one, as it marks the only full costume change we see from the angels through the entire production - into the green Mayerling dress to match Tod. And this is the song where they match Tod the best. The hair, the dress, the frenetic way they throw the gun around. It feels confusing even watching, trying to see where Tod is until Rudolf is already in his grasp. And that, I think, is on purpose. The angels feel almost like pieces of Tod, each confusing him after the other until he is so lost that he cannot help but to end up in Tod’s arms. But again as quickly as the angels returned, they are gone again, dragging Rudolf’s lifeless body offstage.

The angels do reappear one last time in Am Deck der sinkenden Welt, very much paralleling the roles they took in Prolog or Der letzte Tanz, though there is one major contrast with Der letzte Tanz. There the angels were not present at the beginning, instead entering with Tod, while as in Am Deck der sinkenden Welt the angels are very present as Lucheni introduces each of Elisabeth’s unfortunate relatives in turn, flashing their wings up in a way that I interpret as them dragged the unfortunate relations to their demises. They are present for the rest of the song, intermixed with the dead and all around FJ before taking up positions at the corners of the platforms that come across as them shepherding the Dead, almost. And that is a thread that I think is reflected in earlier songs as well, where the angels seem to stand guard over the dead when they appear.

But all that being said, what role do the angels play in this production? I would argue that they are members of the ensemble first and Tod’s second for how often he appears without them and for how they most often appear with the ensemble, especially when contrasted to other productions. Their relationship with Tod seems to be somewhat fluid, and I’ll discuss that more later.

For now, on to the next production. From now on I’m mostly going to be talking about how productions differ from Vienna 2005 and using it as a reference.

Plzeň.

This is the Czech production, so I will be referring to Tod by his Czech name (Smrt). One important fact that one ought to keep in mind about this production while reading my analysis. Smrt kills with a touch. He can’t get handsy with anyone the way he does with Sisi and Rudolf in most productions.

The first time that we see Smrt’s angels is just after Sisi’s fall - they don’t appear in Prolog - and they very much appear associated with Tod rather than associated with the ensemble. Smrt doesn’t carry Sisi out for Kein Kommen ohne Geh'n, and he rather quickly dismisses the angels before getting into the song proper. It almost seems like someone who wants to be alone with Sisi rather than accompanied by his attendants.

From this initial appearance and the lack of any angels in Prolog one might think that the two productions are very different, but there are also many similarities. The angels appear during Jedem gibt er das Seine associated with the mother, but the mechanism is slightly different than that in the VIenna production. Instead of the woman being dragged toward Tod and the angels the woman is instead dragged offstage and the angels run after her without Smrt. He doesn’t appear except through the angels.

There is another major contrast as we don’t see the angels during Alle fragen - the next time they reappear is during Der letzte Tanz, and we see quite a similar treatment to the 2005 Vienna production - the angels do some manipulation of the frozen wedding guests - dragging them to Smrt - but mostly just interact with the ensemble here while Smrt focuses on Sisi, though they do leave earlier in the song rather than staying with the ensemble to the bitter end, departing once Smrt has started puppeting Sisi.

The angels do once again get a bit of a break before making a very short appearance at the beginning of Act I Schatten and almost immediately departing. In contrast to Vienna, though, we don’t see them in Apokalyps, though they do make one more appearance in act one, standing beside Smrt during Ich will dir nur sagen.

The angels are more present in Act II than they are in the Vienna production, though in different ways. They don’t appear in Éljen, but are with Smrt the entire time during Wenn ich tanzen will, though it should be noted that the staging of WITW in this production is quite different to Vienna’s and that a the Hungarian ensemble is still around and frozen the same way the ensemble is in Der letzte Tanz.

Mama, wo bist du? is the next major difference, with the angels being present during the stage transition and at the beginning of the song, seemingly enticing Rudolf to come to them (though he just hides under a blanket) before Smrt arrives and dismisses them. This dismissal occurs when Smrt starts to sing for the first time and feels like a parallel to the way he dismisses the angels in KKOG.

The angels do then get a bit of a break, not appearing again until Schatten, but because they did appear in WITW and MWBD it feels much less marked than the break in Vienna. Their role in Schatten is also greatly expanded. I should first note that in this production Rudolf is meant to be high on drugs for Schatten (and we see him with the needle on stage, so this isn’t me reading into anything). The angels appear one by one from the wings, and they do some fairly frenetic dancing as Rudolf and Smrt go on what I want to describe as a carriage ride of sorts (Adri please correct me here if you’ve come up with a better way to put it). Rudolf seems frightened of the angels as they appear from the wings, though for most of the song he focuses on Smrt and his attention only returns to the angels towards the end of the song after Smrt has given him the gun. Rudolf is then surrounded by the angels and he almost uses the gun early, taking it to his temple before pulling it down. The angels and Smrt depart together as soon as he does with a flurry of wing and coat swishes.

We do see the angels and Smrt again before Mayerling as they are present for Hass - Smrt with what looks like a timpano to me in the back while the angels are initially in the back with Smrt and then dance in a large circle around the stage, which makes them much more visible.

After that they do have a bit of a break until Mayerling, which consists of the angels quite literally throwing Rudolf around a bit. In contrast to the Vienna production Rudolf still has the gun (Smrt gave it to him during Schatten) and isn’t chasing the gun, more running away from the angels than anything else. He does end up in Smrt’s arms and uses the gun. The angels aren’t quite as all around him for this as they are at the end of Schatten, but they are still all quite close, arrayed around and behind Smrt and Rudolf.

Instead of then dragging Rudolf offstage, the angels then form his tomb with their wings, draping them in rows. In this form they are on stage for a good chunk of Rudolf, wo bist du?, though once Smrt and Sisi are singing they do leave. They take Rudolf with them, but they aren’t dragging him, just effectively hiding him until he gets offstage.

We next see the angels in Am Deck der sinkenden Welt, playing a very similar role to the one they do in the Vienna production and miming out all the various deaths before some more dancing. This is not the last we see of them, though. Instead of Smrt dropping the file to Lucheni the way Tod does during the Vienna production the angels pass the file hand to hand until the last angel gives it to Lucheni. It actually reminds me of the way the gun is passed hand to hand in the Vienna Mayerling.

A good chunk of the ensemble is on stage for Der Schleier fällt, and the angels are included in that chunk. They perform two actions before the singing gets started, seemingly driving Lucheni to commit the murder and then chasing/stalking him offstage.

All in all, while there are similarities to the Vienna production in some songs, the way that the Czech production uses the angels seems to be on a fundamentally different philosophy - that they serve Smrt first and are part of the ensemble second. They still partially fulfill the role of interacting with the ensemble for Smrt, but he interacts with the ensemble himself and the angels primarily seem to serve him more than anything else. I should make a quick note about uniforms here - Smrt’s angels only have one uniform and it includes their wing. There is no on-off of the wings the way there is in the Vienna production, and no Mayerling dress. Smrt also only has one costume. It is different from the angels, but similar.They look like a matched set, but Smrt is clearly differentiated by the tuft of feathers at his shoulder and by his different coat (without a wing, among other things) in a way that Vienna’s Tod isn’t in the blue and black uniform he sometimes shares with his angels.

Those are the only two productions that I am pretty much going to go through the entire musical for, though anyone else who wants to do a different production is more than welcome to do so. There are a few more notes that I will give:

The Takarazuka production is one of the hardest to make a good comparison because it changes the story itself and what songs certain characters (mostly Tod) appear in while adding or deleting whole songs as well. I do, however, want to touch on a few things regarding how they use the angels.

Tod’s angels in the Zuka productions are a larger group - a dozen or more - and do make an appearance in Nur kein Genieren. It is quite subtle and the easiest way to tell is from the wigs - Tod’s angels wear light purple wings throughout the production, in contrast to Frau Wolf’s other girls, though aside from the wigs it is impossible to tell the angels apart from the normal girls - the costumes are the same, and different from the relatively simple black attire that the angels wear for most of the rest of the production.

Milch is one of the songs that is quite different from all other productions - Tod appears and with Tod come the angels, though they stay mostly in the background while the mob still provides most of the ensemble for the song.

The last difference thing I want to note is that the angels carry off Sophie during Die rastlosen Jahre. Vienna 2005 doesn’t show her death, merely having FJ mention it during the same song, while the Czech production has Smrt follow her offstage after Bellaria.

There are a number of other things that could be mentioned, but I’m going to leave it at that. This essay is getting out of hand as it is.

That being said, this is hardly a full list of all the ways the angels appear. The Korean production makes heavy use of them in WITW, where Sisi fights off Tod and all his angels, and the Hungarian production has the angels throwing Rudolf around during Schatten in a way that seems similar to how the Czech production has him thrown around during Mayerling. But I’m going to restrain myself (and I don’t want to do deep dives on productions that I only have very limited clips for).

So, Tod’s angels appear in so many different ways. Is there a point to all this, Dolphin? You ask.

I’ve always found the different ways Tod’s relationship with his angels is characterized or implied to be very interesting - it is one of the things in the musicals that tends to be quite open to interpretation, while valid points for multiple different perspectives present within the same musical.

The scale that I’m going to use here has Tod as the first among equals on one end while the Todesengels are pieces of Tod is at the other end. Between that I would put Tod and the Todesengel as a family of sorts, Tod as King and the Todesengel as his servants, and Tod as God and the Todesengel as his slaves. That last pair might feel like splitting hairs to an extent but we will come back to it later. I’ve made the distinction for a reason.

All the productions lean in more than one way. The way the angel’s costumes match Tod’s for a portion of the musical in Vienna 2005 could easily be interpreted as Tod being the first among equals, but I don’t think that is the correct interpretation there, and that it would be more proper to be on the opposite extreme with the angels as pieces of Tod. This also seems to be more along the lines of how they interact with the ensemble on behalf of Tod in that production. The Zuka production appears to be a more King/Servant relationship - we do see the angels without Tod and they are distinct and in separate attire, but always serving Tod. I would say a similar thing about the Czech production - the angels are distinct and in a clearly separate costume white clearly seeming to serve Tod - in the Czech production he dismisses them with a hand gesture twice.

The Bruxellons production goes with the angels as a sort of family to Tod take, though I’m going to say much of that production. Those who know more, please feel free to chime in.

But back to King/Servant and God/Slave. The way that I am going to split these hairs is that it boils down to 1) do the angels have free will? And 2) does Tod know his angels’ thoughts? If the answers are no free will and yes he knows his angels’ thoughts then we are in God/Slave territory. These aren’t hairs that can really be split in the musical productions, and the relationship that Tod has with the angels tends to be ambiguous enough that splitting these hairs tends to be the least of our worries - after all, we can’t read Tod’s mind. At least in the musical.

Which brings us to the one venue where we can (sometimes) read Tod’s mind, fanfiction.

First a quick aside - for the avoidance of controversy and because I don’t want to track down a bunch of authors that may or may not still be part of the fandom (and/or willing to talk to me) to get their permission to talk about their fic in a public tumblr post, I’m just going to use my own fic as specific examples though I will allude to other fic as needed without using names. I’m not trying to insult anyone, this is just the easiest way to do it.

That being said, I have no doubt that there are as many interpretations on Tod’s angels as there are Elisabeth fanfics that include them. But sticking to the generalities that I have already spelled out:

Tod as the first among equals. This tends to feature in fics that are generally softer and involve quite a bit of time in the afterlife. Examples would be any of the Smrtolf drabbles I have written (pick your favorite, there are 30+ of them). Some are more explicit in this than others, but they are all set in very similar universes with most being in the same universe. This lends itself to OC angels being fairly major characters and having relationships of their own with canon characters beyond Tod/Smrt. I will say that fics based on the Czech production lend themself very well to this concept in no small part because Smrt and Rudolf can’t touch - and so if cuddles are to happen then Rudolf must be cuddling with non-Smrt individuals. That being said, I don’t think the actual Czech production itself falls into this category. I tend to think it is more King/Servants.

But this isn’t by any means limited to fic based off the Czech production, and it lends itself well to any fluffer or lighter fics - ones where the afterlife is more akin to heaven than anything else.

Next we have the angels as Tod’s family, with Tod as the father or head of the family. I wouldn’t go as far as to call him the paterfamilias in this category - he doesn’t have absolute power over the angels - but the look to him, as it were. This is another concept that will generally result in fics that are lighter and fluffier than the source material. This isn’t one that I tend to write a lot of, but I’ve certainly read fics along these lines before. “Beneath Your Wings” is towards this idea, but I wouldn’t put it in this category.

Tod as king and his angels as servants is probably the most common interpretation in fic. Most productions lend themselves to it on some level, and it can vary widely depending on how much control Tod has over the angels, how willing they are, and how independent they are, going on the one hand from the angels being almost Tod’s family, just subordinate to him, to the other extreme where Tod is a all but a God and the angels are his slaves. A couple of examples include “Beneath Your Wings,” which is toward the fluffier end of the spectrum. The angels are very willing but clearly subordinate to Tod in a non-familial way. A more even tempered example (though a very ambiguous one) would be what is seen of the angels (well really angel) in Mirrorverse. He's clearly Tod’s subordinate but they have a pretty casual relationship - not something that feels god-adjacent. For something that does tend toward a more god-adjacent outlook it would be along the lines of Ornithology - the angels are very submissive to Tod, with the lower ranked among them not even meeting his eyes.

The boundary to the God/Slave category is somewhat blurry in spite of the hairs that I attempted to split earlier, but there you run into things like “It’s (Not) Mercy” or the Tod of the drabble “Preener.” The angels are distinct from Tod, but he treats them more like objects than anything else. And they don’t object. Even when Rudolf doesn’t like what is happening in “Preener,” he still doesn’t so much as question what Tod has decided to do - he just accepts and endures with the line of thought that it is Tod’s choice so it is the right one. “It’s (Not) Mercy” is a little more vague about it, but the angels again come across more as objects - Lucheni compares them to marble statues.

Which brings me to the final category - angels that are pieces of Tod and not distinct from him at all. I’ve never explicitly written a fic that falls into this category and really spells it out or even strongly implies it. With fics where the angels don’t appear but Tod does, there is some room to interpret this into existence, especially in something like “Nightmare(s)” if you want to read Rudolf’s mistress as an angel (and there is certainly room to do that). But it’s not written in and really Rudolf’s mistress is supposed to be Tod there. No fic is honestly coming mind for something that explicitly does this, but I do feel that given the latitude available for interpretation of the 2005 Vienna production and the fact that some fics also leave a great deal of latitude open for interpretation it does need to be mentioned as an extreme beyond even the God/Slave dynamic.

But there is more to the Todesengel in fic beyond whether or not they show the same sorts of relationships with Tod as the specific production that a fic is based on. No discussion of the Todesengel in fanfic could be complete without a mention of Rudolf as a Todesengel - this is a pretty popular concept in fic, and can itself vary from something very fluffy with Rudolf basically in heaven to something incredibly dark with Rudolf as Tod’s unwilling slave for the rest of eternity and everything in between.

Again, there are as many interpretations on Rudolf as a Todesengels as there are fics where Rudolf becomes a Todesengel, but I will highlight five distinct ways this trope can be used or subverted.

Soft and fluffy. Here Rudolf is basically in heaven with minimal responsibilities. This is the realm of the Smrtolf drabbles where Rudolf is an angel as well as things like “Beneath Your Wings.” A happy ending (for Rudolf at least) or as near as one can get in this fandom.

Next is the exact opposite, something where Tod is horribly abusive to Rudolf, though the specifics can vary. “Preener” would be here again, as would anything where Rudolf didn’t realize exactly what being a Todesengel entails, that he has pledged himself to being Tod’s slave for all eternity. This is quite a wide category and it definitely has a blurry edge with the soft and fluffy category - something can appear soft and fluffy while in reality being horrific.

But it is also possible to subvert the classic tropes in many ways, and one way to subvert the Todesengel Rudolf conventions is to go with (as I call it) ‘fake todesengel Rudolf.’ This consists of when Tod has an angel that looks like Rudolf, but for any one of a number of reasons it is not the real Rudolf. This is something that shows up in “Cold as Death,” where it is very much open to interpretation as to whether the angel is Rudolf as a Todesengel or whether it is an angel that Tod has made in Rudolf’s image to keep as a trophy of sorts after getting the prince to kill himself. Interestingly, the exact opposite of this - a sort of husk that Tod wanted to be a more vivacious angel!Rudolf would also fall into the same category. Technically the shell is an angel, but it isn’t the angel Rudolf that Tod wanted, just a fake. And instead of being a trophy that Tod keeps, it is more a monument to his failure.

Next is Rudolf as Tod’s lieutenant - this is a pretty specific subgenre, and it shows up in fics where the afterlife portion is a relatively significant chunk of the fic - enough to merit the worldbuilding required for Rudolf to be properly described as Tod’s lieutenant. This is where Chimes at Midnight falls, and this is the type of endgame that Ornithology is looking at. In some ways this feels like a way for fate to laugh at Rudolf - he fought so hard against a military upbringing and ended up in a rather military post anyway, even if it is just the title.

And finally we have Rudolf as Tod. This is the farthest extreme I could think of and is exactly what it sounds like. Rudolf becomes Tod properly rather than just a servant or a lieutenant. Chimes at Midnight is arguably going toward this in the long run, though in the timeline the fic covers Rudolf is never anything more than Tod’s lieutenant. That being said, it is very purposeful that Rudolf introduces himself as Tod to the human he is reaping at one point. A more explicit example of this is the last subdrabble of drabble #77, in which both Tod and Rudolf die when they kiss, with Rudolf becoming Tod and Tod dying, leaving his role to Rudolf.

But there is more to the todesengel in fic than how they interact with Rudolf after he is dead and one of them. They can also be used to convey Tod’s influence when he isn’t there, something that honestly I wish we saw more of in the musical, though given it is only a bit over 2 hours and covers ~50 years of history it isn’t that surprising.

They can do this by stalking or simply accompanying characters. Stalking is perhaps a somewhat strong word, as usually it isn’t in a manner than one would classically call stalking. The first manner that I want to highlight is when the Todesengel are acting as either Rudolf or Sisi’s servants. When I write this it is with Rudolf, so I will continue down that vein. Angels acting as Rudolf’s servants can serve a number of purposes, not the least of which is simply exposing Rudolf to their presence, which while not usually as despair-inducing as Tod’s, is still a non-negligible force and can help to ever so slowly push Rudolf over the edge. And it can be another way for Rudolf to end up isolated, with no one to turn to other than Tod. A valet might not be Rudolf’s equal, but it is still some form of human interaction that Tod can take away and replace with interaction with angels. This tends to be the calling card of a more manipulative Tod, albeit one who is exceptionally patient.

To some degree, that is the crux of it. That ultimately the Todesengels are there to be Tod’s and to serve his purpose and the author’s purpose, tools to push Rudolf (or others) in whichever direction Tod has chosen.

In this they can be very useful writing tools, especially in universes where Tod is a more distant figure either by necessity or to preserve his mystique. Which renders the angels quite a nice gift from the showrunners to those of us that write fic - built in servants for Tod, but ones that are ambiguous enough in the source material that there isn’t a ton of ret-conning that has to be done to make them fit any particular fic. I will mince words here and differentiate this from any sort of world building that has to be done - and with characters as ambiguous as the angels are in the source material for any sort of very detailed fic there is a certain amount of worldbuilding that does need to be done to flesh out the angels as a whole and any specific angel OCs that may end up being major or minor characters in a fic.

I would welcome any additional thoughts from others - be they examples from more productions or from fanfic. This isn’t meant to be some be-all and end-all of Todesengel analyses, though the length certainly got a little out of hand.

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adridoesstuff · 1 year

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Rant/Roast/Personal thoughts on the 2022 Schönbrunn concert version of Elisabeth das musical

So, inspired by the insightful video on this topic by fellow content creator @fitzrove , I decided to write down all my impulsive thoughts while watching this production, since Fitz's video will probably be the only bearable way I will watch the concert version.

Disclaimer: any criticism in the following list isn't meant as a direct criticism of the actors, they are just on that stage doing their job. But this is mainly a criticism of the creative team behind the production (i.e. director, choreographer, designers, casting directors...etc.), who are the main driving force and reason behind how a show looks and feels.

Disclaimer no. 2: The following text contains swearing. A LOT OF IT. And a lot of capslock. This production brought forth the worst in me while writing this and I wrote this at 4 am in the morning, so, you have been warned.

• Already hating the picture frame set and we didn't even begin

• The choreography for Prolog is already abysmal

• Why are we going off on the pyros? We didn't even get through the Prolog

• Whatever they have the Todesengel doing on the frame is dumb

• THE CROTCH CAM. Who's idea was it, because that is literally the worst angle they could have chosen

• Abla is so cute, but they did her so dirty with that dress and they didn't even try when doing her wig's hairline

• I miss Max wearing hunting clothes :( because where the hell is he going dressed like that?

• Why did they omit the line about Sisi wanting to join the circus if she weren't a princess? (Is it because of that damned swing?)

• Why did they decide to make a 3 year gap between Wie Du and Schön euch alles zu sehen? Because that makes Sisi 10/11 or younger during Wie Du, which just seems like an unnecessary change

• The amount of skirt hiking I see here is already exceeding my limits and we're not even 15 minutes in

• No costumes for the ensemble? I thought this was supposed to be the SPECTACULAR new version

• THE DREADED SWING. And it's even dumber than I expected

• I could already see Mark creeping in the background, so talk about an anticlimactic reveal

• And the inclusion of KKOG, my beloathed.

• The entire staging of KKOG here makes zero sense

• Mark, please get off that fucking swing. I don't care that you can take a seat on it from behind, just get off

• Also, why is Mark in white? Literally, why? When they kept in the lyric "Ich erkenn dich, schwartzer Prinz"? It makes no sense

• Ok, Lucheni on the swing is cute and understandable

• Andre was a good Franz back in the 1st revival, but at this point, he's too old to play a younger Franz in Act 1. If you're gonna split cast Elisabeth, do a split cast for Franz as well.

• And this gets only more apparent with Sophie, since the actress playing her looks about the same age as Andre. They literally look more like a husband and wife than mother and son

• Sophie's dress isn't bad per se, it is just very bland

• The male ensemble got some truly hideous coats for Jedem gibt er das seine

• Why are we skipping over the historical goodies of this scene? Literally, those were the whole point there

• PROLONGED HAND SHOT

• The costume department seems to have bulk bought that chunky gold trim and just said fuck it and put in on everyone's coat

• Abla stealing the conductor's wand and trying to conduct is so cute

• Her dress? Not so much. Very bland

• Literally, why are they cutting so much of the book? And especially Lucheni's lines in the middle of So wie man plant und denkt?

• The age difference is even worse now, that Abla and Andre are standing side by side (not looking forward to Nichts ist schwer)

• I miss Lucheni messing with Helene and Sophie :(

• I didn't think I'd like David Jakobs as Lucheni, but he and Abla are the only saving graces on that stage thus far

• Imagine what David could do with good staging and direction a la 1st revival and a complete book

• I even dare say that he could pull off being a Der Tod in the vein of Martin Markert, because he does have that chaotic "came here to fuck around" energy

• Yep, Andre and Abla look more like father and daughter together than a freshly engaged couple

• Okay, Lucheni holding the box with the necklace while giving the most dead pan face straight into the camera is honestly funny

• That necklace doesn't look the least bit heavy. It's literally just felt with some rhinestones

• They literally couldn't even give Abla's wig some forehead curls to mask that god-awful hairline? And they couldn't even curl it properly?

• Was the budget so tight that they couldn't even give the ensemble ladies ONE DECENT COSTUME?

• And they couldn't even iron or at least steam the wrinkles out of that wedding dress? And yes, I don't like it in all it's polyester glory

• The decision to have Mark's legs framed in the shot between Abla and Andre is a CHOICE

• Also, it doesn't look like Mark will change into the black costume anytime soon. Or at all for that matter. So much for the angels being in black

• Talk about "spectacular concert production". Yeah, spectacular that over half the costumes that should be here aren't even present and the set is amateurish at best

• And did Mark literally only stand there to do that evil laugh and then leave? Couldn't he have done that somewhere else?

• Oh, god, did I already mention that the choreography is bad. I can literally do better in my room at 3 am and I am an utter klutz

• I can't even make an argument for the exaggerated whisper motions being camp, because that clearly wasn't what they were going for

• Those colored gloves on the ensemble ladies are so fugly

• Also, the choice to have Elisabeth present while the entire nobility talks shit about her is a MASSIVE CHOICE

• Did Mark have in his contract that he must appear for a certain amount of time on stage? Because why is he standing there in the background?

• MARK, STOP CLIMBING UP THERE

• Okay, him telepathically controlling Elisabeth like a puppet could be an interesting idea anywhere but in a post 2012 production, where in their last scene together he told her "instead of ruling over you, I will be loved". Just makes Der Tod look like an ass

• WHY ISN'T THE ENSEMBLE FROZEN? WHY ISN'T ANYONE FROZEN FOR THAT MATTER?

• Manhandling your love interest is not the way to go unless you're Maté!Tod, who is essentally a giant cat in a human body. It's understandable then, because it does go along with the characterization there, but not HERE

• That was literally the unsexiest hip thrust ever

• Did Abla and Andre literally just flee the scene so that Mark could have his lead man big number finale moment for himself?

• I don't know how I didn't mention this already but MARK, TUCK YOUR GODDAMN SHIRT IN

• Did they literally cut the entirety of Die Gaffer?

• But when I think about it, it's probably better not hearing about the onsetting wedding night in this casting situation

• But they are doing David dirty by cutting so many of his lines

• And they literally cut the entire first verse of Eine Keiserin muss glänzen. Like, what's the rush, besties? You don't have a train to catch

• That change over between Abla and Maya was interesting, but I still am very much against the split track and plus the place they did it makes zero sense

• Did they hire the shittiest wig makers in Vienna for this? Because Maya also didn't get a wig with a decent hairline

• And they couldn't make the puffed sleeves on the nightgowns any less awkwardly short, could they?

• But Maya and Abla both slayed the vocals

• WHY DID THEY CUT STATIONEN EINE EHE??????!!!!

• If someone were to see this show for the first time here, they must be so fucking confused

• And if they want to excuse that by "oh, we're making it more understandable for a mass audience" BULLSHIT, YOU'RE NOT! You're making it LESS understandable by cutting all the context

• Also, the atillas look hideous. What did they make them out of???? Felt????

• Death now provides coffins for your dead kids! Also, for that coffin to have a 3 year old kid inside, it's kind of small

• That dress Maya got for this scene is so bad and just makes her look frumpy

• Yes, because nothing impresses your lady love like you doing a super manly power stance over her freshly deceased kid's coffin

• Homeboy, you didn't "float in a dance". You first telepathically controlled her movements, then were walking around all broody before you started manhandling her in the roughest way possible

• And yes, nothing calms down your beloved so much like wrapping her up in a coffin cover

• Maya looks so confused and yeah, girl, same

• Didn't they literally have anyone else but Andre available to carry the coffin away? What about the Todesengel? Is their only job climbing onto that frame and slowly spreading a wing each?

• Also, where is Mark walking to?

• DAVID IS BACK <3

• If they dare cut a big chunk of Fröhliche Apokalypse, I will scream

• Did they literally tell the male emsemble to bring their own beige trenchcoat to the job? Because it sure does look like they did

• They cut the second verse of Fröhliche Apokalypse...at this point, I don't even have the energy to complain about that

• At least they kept Lucheni's café apron, but it is kind of out of place since they have no set change to make it look like a café

• The amount of side-eye little Rudolf gives is honestly so funny

• Maya looks rightfully outraged at this production, but at least for once, she gets a costume that isn't outright bad (at least that robe looks decent, because that silky orange-y thing peeking out from under it doesn't

• Okay, that almost kiss was too close for this only being Act 1

• I would have liked it better if maybe Mark just remained sitting absolutely stunned for a moment longer than him immediately standing up after Maya pulls away

• I would have liked more smashing the Milchkannen onto the stage but I'm happy to see David back

• Why are they pouring the milk into mugs if it's meant to be for a goddamned bath? Filling an entire bathtub mug by mug seems kind of counterproductive

• OF COURSE THEY CUT A VERSE OUT OF THE SONG

• The cardboard cover for the frame is such a bad solution here. It literally could have been solved by different blocking and lighting but they did the laziest thing they could

• I feel like too much of the volume of the skirt of the Star dress migrated onto the sleeves. And what happened to making the Star dress looking soft and ethereal? Ever since 2012, the European versions just keep on getting stiffer

• At least the wig looks alright. It isn't the best, but it is, an improvement from that previous one

• They had multiple instances, where I feel a side entrance for Mark would benefit his presence. But this is the only time I feel like the top center entrance would be good, but they manage to screw it up once again and have him come on stage from god knows where only for him having to awkwardly time when to take the stairs to get the high ground while trying not to bump into Maya

• WE'RE ONLY AT THE END OF ACT 1???!!!

• Lucheni strutting through the audience with a hand held mic is honestly a mood, although I don't like the plastic toy crown they gave him

• Also, no Kitsch bedazzled jacket? :(

• And him not actually getting prop souvenirs, but the pictures being shown on the LCD screens seems like a massive cop out

• In short: they are doing David dirty with this staging

• The ensemble with their flags are just so unenthusiastic

• Okay, the carriage is a nice idea and Maya finally got a decent dress!

• But why is she already here? We're literally in the middle of Kitsch. Don't tell me they cut Éljen

• David is slaying, ngl and I would have liked to see more shots of him during Kitch rather than literally everyone else around

• Like, this is his big number, let him have his moment!

• Of course they cut Éljen

• And Mark still hasn't changed costumes, so I guess he's doing the entire show in the white version

• What are the ensemble ladies doing there during Wenn ich tanzen will? They are literally just there to block Maya from twirling in her dress

• Okay, Maya stealing one of their Hungarian flags is nice

• And we have a return of Der Tod telepathically controlling Elisabeth's movements and it's even worse than in Act 1

• I'm sorry, but where is all the spice this song is supposed to have? Maya and Mark literally have so little chemistry as Elisabeth and Der Tod due to this horrid staging

• Why is the lighting so severely purple and blue?

• I miss them flying at one another for that final chorus and pushing one another to the other end of the stage

• The camera operator must really like Mark's legs, because they make a comeback!

• They gave little Rudolf the blandest blocking

• But Der Tod taking Rudolf onto his shoulders is kind of cute

• Wait, I liked that blocking for once! Where are you going, Mark?

• Little Rudolf could literally not give less shits about Der Tod here

• Why did we cut the interlude and Lucheni's introduction to the insane asylum?

• Maya's dress has some nicely pleated cuffs, but that duochrome fabric looks so wrinkly. And her hat literally doesn't match her dress at all

• Okay, what is this weird newly added dance sequence and music interlude? Did they literally cut all the above mentioned songs for this??? It doesn't even sound like it belongs in this show

• That was the lengthiest and most confusing and unnecessary sequence ever

• Why did they light this scene in BRIGHT ULTRAMARINE when the only person on stage is Maya and she's wearing a RED/ORANGE/BROWN DRESS? It just washes her out

• And I forgot to mention that they couldn't have picked a more dull and unflattering brown shade for both Abla's and Maya's wig

• Why did they keep the mad woman there in the middle of the frame for the entirety of Nichts nichts gar nichts?

• DAVID IS BACK <3

• At least Sophie got a costume change and I like it much better than her Act 1 dress

• The return of those ugly out of period men's ensemble jackets :(

• They cut the middle of Wir oder sie. WHY ARE THEY CUTTING ALL THE HISTORICAL REFERENCES??????!!!!

• That was the most awkward transition in between songs ever done

• The female ensemble finally got some form of costume!

• And Frau Wolf is SLAYING

• Why did they cut the first verse of Nur kein genieren? And at this point I am convinced that someone has a last train home to catch and cutting down on the ensemble numbers was the only way for them to make it

• But, I like that we do get chemistry between Lucheni and Frau Wolf and that they got to split the lines in that one verse they kept in

• That fall down the stairs looked like it did take a while to practice

• And with it comes a costume I utterly hate: that goddamn lilac robe with the black lace chevrons Elisabeth wears for Maladie

• They literally couldn't have made that cape Mark wears here any less awkward in the amount of gaping it has in the front?

• Which is made even more awkward by him being in white

• If everyone remembers that gif set of Mark not catching the necklace at the end of Maladie during the 2nd revival: I think that is the reason why they kept him at ground level here

• And he does catch it, but that was literally so devoid of climax

• Sophie gets a nice bonnet/cape combo for Bellaria!

• Background framed power stance, but this time, they at least added some flavor with some contra lights

• At back to cutting more of the book for Rastlose Jahre!

• We finally got to Shatten!

• And Rudolf is a little too tidily dressed for my liking

• Oh, here comes the fishing rod/cat toy!!!

• Why are they sitting not looking at one another?

• Also, why are they literally 5 feet apart? As far as I remember, COVID wasn't that rampant in summer of 2022

• Matching one leg up on a stair poses

• The homophobia of not having the slightest bit of physical interaction between Der Tod and Rudolf

• But either way, I love Lukas as Rudolf. Still great 19 years later

• NO DON'T YOU DARE PICK UP THAT FISHING ROD/WHIP/CAT TOY

• Screaming at each other across the stage just like a couple of guys being dudes

• BEHOLD, CAT BOY RUDOLF. When the fandom said that Rudolf is our poor little meow-meow, we didn't mean this!

• You can tell from both Lukas and Mark's faces, that they also think this is ridiculous

• Why did they cut out so many of the feel good historical bits, but not Hass????? That is literally the only song I would prefer they skip here??????

• Lukas is so good in Spiegel (thanks for the feels!! Finally some good content from this performance!!!)

• And even though I dislike Rudolfs being dressed in Austrian style uniforms, Lukas has an especially nicely tailored one

• Lukas going to the ground to beg Maya????? My heart can't take the feels????

• MARK, STOP CREEPING IN THE BACKGROUND

• Oh, dear, the dreaded no-homo version of Mayerling

• And why did they choose to keep Maya on stage? During this scene? Why?

• Okay, the choreo is dumb again

• WHY DON'T WE GET THE TODOLF KISS ANYMORE VBW?????!!!!!

• AND WHY DID MARK NEVER GET TO WEAR THE MAYERLING DRESSES????

• Maya cradling Lukas's jacket during Totenklage is touching tho

To summarize: I wouldn't pay the insane prices for a ticket to this production for the amount of bad scenic solutions, lack of costumes and some truly abysmal directing choices.

#elisabeth das musical #elisabeth schonbrunn 2022 #rant #take everything written here with a grain of salt #but I think that by this you can tell my dislike for this version #already dreading the 2023 edition of the concert

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rist-ix · 1 year

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What were your favourite cartoons to watch when you were a kid?

The obvious aside, I was in LOVE with a German-French show called Der Kleine Prinz (“The little prince”) based on Saint-Exupéry's novel with the very same name. It would air on the German kids' channel every day, without fail, at 7 pm, and since the 20 minute episodes were two-parters, I absolutely could not bear missing one, or I’d never know how the plot of the episode resolves. Woe is me pre-internet.

Seriously though, I cannot describe the hold this had on little me. This is pretty much the only show I can think of that can be describes as “magical girl for boys”, the costumes and character designs were STUNNING and don’t get me started on the world building for each planet. The little prince's German voice was the softest, warmest and most trustworthy voice IN EXISTENCE, and the magical chimes that came every time he transformed still bring tears to my eyes.

The plot is pretty simple, basically he and his snarky animal companion, Fox, travel the universe chasing the Snake, who ALSO had an amazing voice and design, to foil his evil machinations. I am now noticing that the Snake also had a bit of an obsessive villain crush on the Rose, who the Little Prince writes letters to each episodes and who had to stay behind on his home planet due to being, well. Rooted to the spot. I am now realizing this may be a pattern for me. But that really wasn’t the focus here.

Anyway, the story, safe for that very weird finale, was so. Good. Very slow and nuanced, treating each character with care and understanding, even though most of them never appear beyond their two episodes. The story arcs were always closed, no open ends, but never felt meaningless. And even though every one of them had a different plot with different points of focus and different flaws to overcome, they were incredibly consistent in their messages of growth, compassion and forgiveness. The Snake was a very thinly veiled devil-metaphor I think, befriending characters at their lowest point or using their greatest fears, and helping/controlling them to reach their ends while dooming their planets in the process. Until the Little Prince arrives and begins his work to figure out what the problem is and how to defeat the Snake here, before it moves on to the next world.

#he had a lightsaber I just remembered!#and he could summon gigantic gentle creatures with it by drawing them on the ground #AND he had a magical sketch pad #asks #it was a French show so it was ✨ARTSY✨#one of the few genuinely stunning stylized 3D shows #back then at least

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sithwitch13 · 2 months

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AEW Dynamite 2/14/24

Starting late since I made dinner and hung out with @weareallkosh and @lurkz

Ugh I used to live near the HEB center, not going to all the Texas shows is one of the few things I miss about Texas

Starting with Mox! Beat the hell out of FTR Bald!

Kisses for Valentine's day, I hope all the matches tonight involve kissing

Dick joke lol

I was gonna make the shepherd's pie pierogis from Renee's cookbook for dinner but I've been low on spell slots lately, so I made pork chops from Freddie Prinze Jr.'s cookbook instead. (Delicious but I forgot it's a pepper bomb while cooking)

*headbutts homoerotically*

Not the hugest FTR fan but I do love that when they try to do rope stuff it pretty much always ends badly

Takeshita and Ospreay gonna have to fight to see who is Best Son

Why is Wardlow watching himself flex so funny to me?

My gremlins are here! In biohazard chic!

Please let Copeland adopt Danny so he will then have three dads and be three times as immune to Christian Cage

When can we have another dance off?

Screamed at Danny countering the spear

The Patriarchy ruins everything again 😠

Daddy Magic is such a good dad, I love him

Christian making out with the belt again, oh god

Jesus is back! Always nice to see him.

Every week Swerve just gets better.

ANGRY COWBOY

"Walking domestic dispute" I MEAN...

I'm so here for this dynamic

TONI

"You were my young girl" Ma'am

"You bit the tit that feeds you" why is she the best

Oh noooo she covered her ex-girlfriend's tattoo

The business gremlins just get more adorable the pettier and bitchier they get

The Bucks are tearing the announce team apart!

"I'm impressed that week after week they find new and grotesque things to do with their facial hair" thanks excalibur

Oh nooooo leave Schiavone alone

Aww the Cody chant

I don't think All Friendship Wrestling is the sick burn Darby thinks it is because that's basically what I picture anyway

Aww poor Austin

Willow!

"Your shirt is gold and mine's Texas orange because we're in Texas and I OWN THE COLOR ORANGE"

Commentary is wild tonight

I just keep thinking how Skye's new gear involves collars and she does the Frank Frazetta pose with Julia

Blood Orange

Awww Valentine's gift from Chuck

(The gift is thumbtacks)

Oh lord he has a chain

The pipe in the flowers lol

NOT THE POCKETS

Did the chain get used?

.. did Orange just kiss the belt?

#aew dynamite

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nyursi · 3 months

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I see that one of thy's servant is awaken from their slumber , the prinz is quite curious how art thou fairing these days ?

oz : mein fraulein saw you online and is quite curious on how you are in the past few days?

HIII!! i missed you mootie,, im doing good rn! Hope you are too >< and goodluck on your new blog!!!!!! :D

#ᡴꪫ‎ㅤuser vanillaclaws sends hugs!

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microwaving-tesilid-argente · 8 months

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my current thoughts on where the Mirror Princess dungeon arc & where it might go, as of Ch 158:

Honestly i'm not even worried about Bianca lol. We haven't seen her in forever, there's no way they're going to maim or kill her right now. and thr eye overseeing chaos would be so sad. She'll be fine! Aillette is on her way.

I'm more concerned about whatever on earth Reed has cooking up. He's probably aiming to eliminate the 1st Prince & Princess to throw the Vinchester kingdom into chaos, since the 3rd Prince is absolutely bonkers. It's a little curious that he chooses to do this by making the demons do things for him though. Guess he's too tired to do shit himself idk. Take a good rest king (?)

Anyway he'll definitely be turning up again or at least watching once Ailette shows up. I think it'll be cool if Reed and Tesilid fight one-on-one, but idk if they'll actually do that at this point in the story. I really want a scene where Tesilid is forced to fight Reed directly and Reed realises that he's stronger than he's supposed to be in Round 17. Although he might just chalk it up to Ailette feeding him cheats. I think Reed's reaction to [spoiler] would be so incredibly interesting and devastating, but tbh I don't mind if they do the hokey pokey for a little longer. It's kind of funny seeing everyone including Reed think that Tesilid is weaker than he is. (Although Tesilid is kind of is pretty weak rn because he hasn't recovered even i think half his strength. And he did get one-shotted by Reed last time, what the hell was that? He got taken down with just one off-hand move. He's going to die if he fights Reed by himself at this point, so Ailette definitely isn't going to let that happen. Rip my hopes and fantasies, maybe in another fifty chapters.)

Reed testing the demons' reactions to his face is pretty interesting though. What was he hoping to see? What would he have done if the demons did recognise him?

The way bloody no one except for Ailette & Agnes recognises him is also pretty interesting. Handsomest man in the world and somehow you're unrecognisable; you're so far outside of even demons' reaches and you're just an unattainable abstract to everyone, not a person. Although maybe it's because no one important has gotten close enough to him yet, because otherwise they would've died. (I wonder how Ephael and Hestio would react. I hope they join Ailette and Tesilid's Order soon.)

Also the way everyone wants to get a piece of him, corrupted or no, is pretty sad. Guy's cursed to be seen as the most irresistable piece of meat on the whole continent by almost everyone he encounters. It's so dehumanizing. :(

#s-class heroine spoilers #webnovel reaction #mirror princess arc #i also miss prinz......... when are you coming back :( will we ever get answers on whether youre ailette's brother in her prev life as well #or is that thematic point just being dropped... (obligatory 'no one tell me or even give me hints about this' disclaimer)#also just. sad reed thoughts hours #i did say no more tesilid thoughts this week but hahaha #thinking abt this story is what i love doing when i dont wanna think abt other things #might be slow on replies tho

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2nd-mushroom-circle · 1 year

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Need to hear about both jairix and Gemma so a lot of questions for the dnd ask:

Jairix: 2, 22, 42, 62

Gemma: 8, 16, 43

ohohoh I'm not complaining

Jairix:

2. Before they met their party, what was their main goal?

Before working for Skyship Guild as an adventurer, Jairix was studying airship engineering under Professor Volni Eo, one of the most respected airship engineers in the world. Halfway into her time in Eo's workshop, her best friend left for a mysterious internship without saying goodbye and never returned. Jairix spent the few years between Mina's disappearance and meeting her party trying unsuccessfully to find out whether she was just overreacting to a friend not wanting to talk to her anymore, letting her anxiety and her imagination get away from her, or if there was really something nefarious going on (spoiler alert: there was).

22. what is a promise they’ve broken?

oh ok I see how it is

I'm certain she once promised Violet that she'd protect her, or at least that she'd try. That she wouldn't leave her behind.

She also promised Krurr'ash that she'd get some sleep, but at least that one she technically kept.

42. what are three words they would use to describe themself?

at the beginning of the campaign: curious, stressed, confused

at the end: capable, focused, logical (she's still stressed and confused but she'll never admit it out loud)

62. outside of otherworldly forces, what do they believe in?

not a whole lot. they believe that the consequences of your inaction are just as much your responsibility as the consequences of your action, and often turn out worse. she believes that the stars are bright and beautiful and feel like home, but no matter how much she wishes, there's no one out there looking back. she believes, a bit ruefully, that divination's not particularly useful when all your worst case scenarios seem to keep coming true.

Gemma:

8. what are three songs that suit them?

you KNOW I have like 3 Gemma playlists how can I choose

ok let's go with Mama by MCR, Bad Prescription by Hospital Bracelet, and just for you, I Love You Like A Brother by Alex Lahey. she may not see Griffin a lot but everything she does is at least a little bit about being a big sister.

16. what are their feelings on the people who raised them?

complicated, to say the least. Gemma loves her mom so so much, and she hates her mom nearly as much, and she'll cry every time she lets her down. They've always wanted to be just like her. The two of them can't spend an hour together without getting into an argument. Every time her mother leaves, she breaks Gemma's heart, and she misses her the whole time she's gone, and can't stand her as soon as she returns. Not to mention the adult adventurers (which includes Gemma's mom) have let the apprentices down a thousand times. I think every month that the adventurers failed to save Prinz or to find Ozrai eroded some of Gemma's trust in her mom.

She loves her dad with all her heart too. Gemma's like that, when she loves someone it's completely and fiercely and doesn't get diminished by hate or anger or betrayal, only complicated. I think their dad is kind, and doing his best, and I think half of Gemma wishes they could just curl up in his arms again and be safe forever, and half of them sees him as one more person to protect.

43. why do they fight?

because there's so much to fight for and who else is gonna do it. because that little kid who got kidnapped, or sacrificed, or poisoned by tree monsters could be Griffin (or Thorn, or Walter, says the ghost in her head). because Gemma was always gonna be a hero, even when she was just a little nuisance stealing cookies from the castle kitchens, she's always cared so much and always half believed she was invincible, and maybe she's not wrong, that would explain why she's always fine while everyone around her gets hurt. because they can, that's why, and because then it follows that they have to.

#jairix #gemma #both use she/they but jairix doesn't really care as much #we Don't Like volni eo she was trying to do a coup #she did get eaten by a vampire though so I guess that's one problem down (12 new bigger problems to go)#I'm not certain this is intelligible at all I made so many oblique references to campaign happenings #got a lot of Gemma Feelings right now #was tempted to put little lion man down for 8 but that's a direct response to recent events

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noctechoro · 1 year

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@valiantroyalty sent: “Vil!” The Little Princess called out as she sought him out, the dorm filled with the scent of baking. “mein süßer Prinz, happy Birthday!” Snow held out an organized box full of various baked goods.

Violet eyes turn towards the strange voice, a brow raising slightly as he regards the speaker. An unfamiliar yet oddly familiar face. An invited guest he assumed, seeing as in a rare occurrence the queen had decided to offer a few invitations to his to those party outside of the school.

Glancing from her, to the box in hand, then back again he eventually speaks, making sure to still sound as polite as he could seeing as they were in fact still within public eye. “That is a kind gesture miss.” He begins waving a hand lightly to the table where gifts were to be placed. “But, I respectfully ask that you do refer to me by my proper title, for I am not a prince, I am a Queen.”

Vil B-Day Asks: Accepting til the end of the day!

#valiantroyalty #𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕰𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝕺𝖋 𝖄𝖔𝖚𝖗 𝕿𝖗𝖆𝖌𝖎𝖈 𝕱𝖆𝖎𝖗𝖞𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖊 || answer #test muse tbt

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kararisa · 1 year

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marigold promises

— 16. hell week [☕︎ = 0.4k words]

cw: disorientation caused by illness

There’s no other way to describe it: you feel like absolute shit. If you were just a bit more coherent, you’d curse yourself for not sleeping in today. But alas, here you are in this damned clinic when you could have been acing that recitation in Communications.

You don’t know how long it’s been since you tried to fall asleep — the persistent hum of the AC combined with the fact that it feels like you stepped into Snezhnaya without proper winter clothing makes it hard for you to get some rest, and the towel on your forehead, while helping in the reduction of your temperature, certainly doesn’t make the chill more bearable.

You’re unsure of whether you’re awake or asleep when the opening of a door breaks the silence. You strain your ears to listen to the sound of footsteps, barely able to hear a familiar voice.

“Is it alright if I watch over my friend?” he, Albedo, asks. The nurse says yes and tells him you’re currently resting.

The footsteps get louder until they’re right next to your cot, then you hear the creaking of a chair as you presume he’s taken the seat to your right. You don’t bother to ask why in the world he’s chosen to be here, your piercing headache and lightheadedness discouraging you from moving.

The hum of the AC lulls you into a half-awake half-asleep state and you barely notice when Albedo starts to gently caress your head. You won’t deny that it helps ease your headache, even just a little bit.

A part of you wishes he’d do this more often. That he’d do this while you weren’t delirious from a cold and barely able to focus.

“You need to take care of yourself more, Cupcake,” he mumbles, “How am I supposed to do my best when you’re not there to compete against me?”

At this point, you’re sure the meds are kicking in or you’re in the middle of some fever dream. Because you definitely mishear what he says next.

“I miss you; sometimes I wonder if you miss me too.”

A pause. A breath.

“But I hope you don’t. It’s easier for us that way.”

Is it really, though? Or is that just an excuse — something we tell ourselves to justify keeping our distance from each other?

A buzzing sound interrupts his train of thought. You hear the chair creak, his footsteps moving away from you.

“Hello? Yes, I’m okay,” a pause.

“I’m… not in class right now, why? Do you need me to pick her up?” another pause.

Albedo hums, “Alright. Take care.”

He doesn’t even make it halfway out the door when the bittersweet embrace of slumber finally overtakes you.

— previous || masterlist || next

summary: it was evident that you and albedo have changed in the five years you’ve spent apart, but you know better than to view him through the lens of nostalgia. with one goal on your mind – graduate valedictorian – who better to stand in your way than the studious, intelligent, ice-cold albedo? one thing’s for sure: he’s going down.

author's notes:

the bitter irony here is that i'm posting this while battling a headache

i had a bit of trouble writing this scene since yn's keeping their eyes closed in an attempt to quell their headache and ignore albedo but i think it turned out pretty well

taglist (i): @fvkkyu @mintreen @edreee @khyllynnn @xxmirrorballxx @aiikalvr @yaefics @unsterblich-prinz @aequha @alch3myy @lovely-althxa @nei-rinn @cridtiins @zestrya @skylions-den @moriiartt @theother-victoria @sunsethw4 @dazaisfavgf @serossidechick @koiir @lazy-sanns @sweetbunnybunbun @dee-zbignuts @redactedhimbo @yurstepm0m @fanfictwarrior @fuyaa @saoiirsee @ireallylikehamsters @elfxiao @whos-angelx @kitsuvil @orionicchaos @blurr3db3rry @semi-orangeapple @kunikuzushiit @atlatcaheart @wrrapedroundmyfingerlikearing @jewelscara @lost-wicked-artist @kairxse @elysiasbae @eurekatanya @empathum @tatiratty @zannivrs @mikismusings @sunoo-bby @astolary

— the taglist is currently open! if you’d like to be added feel free to reply or send in an ask! – if your blog isn't highlighted it means i can't tag you.

#genshin smau #albedo x reader #albedo x you #albedo smau #genshin x reader #genshin x you #genshin fluff #albedo fluff #genshin angst #genshin imagines #genshin modern au #marigold promises smau

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ripley95 · 1 year

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9 People You Want to Know Better

Tagged by @ljandersen @alphahelices and @nerdyspeechy ! Thank you so much for the tag, everyone!

1. Three Ships:

Kaidan/Shepard

Alistair/Cousland

Jaal/Ryder

2. First ever ship:

I think it was technically Sydney Bristow/Michael Vaughn from Alias. But the first ship I ever really fell into the deep end for was Shepard/Kaidan.

3. Last song:

Take Off by Prinze George

4. Last movie:

Everything Everywhere All at Once

5. Currently reading:

Surprisingly, nothing at the moment. I just haven’t had time to pick up a book recently.

6. Currently watching:

Cunk on Earth

7. Currently consuming:

Coffee

8. Currently craving:

A solid chunk of time to play a video game.

Tagging: I’m so late to this, and I think most people have done this already. I’ll tag anyone who happens to see this, missed getting tagged and wants to do it. (feel free to tag me as having tagged you)

#about me

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deadcactuswalking · 9 months

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 05/08/2023 (Travis Scott's 'UTOPIA', Calvin Harris/Sam Smith, Central Cee/Drake)

Content warning: More Drake than usual

For a ninth consecutive week, we have Dave and Cench at the top of the charts with “Sprinter” - welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

This sure was a week. A pretty busy one at that, one that’ll be a pain to write about, so in all honesty, my main goal is to keep this pretty brief… not that it’s all that easy when there are 12 new songs and a ton of what we always start with - the notable dropouts, which are songs exiting from the UK Top 75 after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, we say farewell to last week’s debut, “K-POP” by Travis Scott featuring Bad Bunny and The Weeknd, for obvious reasons we’ll discuss later, but also songs that actually stayed around for at least one week longer, like “Militerian” by J Hus featuring Naira Marley, “Makeba” by Jain, “Toxic Trait” by Stormzy and Fredo, “Don’t Say Love” by Leigh-Anne, “Tattoo” by Loreen, “Cupid” by FIFTY FIFTY, “Until I Found You” by Stephen Sanchez, “Boy’s a liar” by PinkPantheress, “I’m Good (Blue)” by David Guetta and Bebe Rexha, “I Ain’t Worried” by OneRepublic and “Riptide” by Vance Joy - why was that still here anyway?

We then see returns for Post Malone as his #3 album AUSTIN makes its impact. We have a debut later on, but “Mourning” and “Chemical” re-enter to take up his other two spots on the chart at #56 and #24 respectively. As for our gains, which are usually infinitely more interesting, we see boosts for “Highs & Lows” by Prinz featuring Gabriela Bee at #60, “Asking” by Sonny Fodera and MK featuring Clementine Douglas at #51, “Nothing Compares 2 U” by the late Sinéad O’Connor at #30 since the impact of her death straddled between two weeks and then gains for the Barbie phenomenon: “Pink” by Lizzo is at #27, “I’m Just Ken” by Ryan Gosling is at #14 and Charli XCX gets her sixth top 10 with “Speed Drive” at #9.

This week’s top five on the UK Singles Chart has most of the surrounding madness kind of absent, as it’s pretty standard - it consists of “vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo at #5, “Barbie World” by Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua at #4, “Dance the Night” by Dua Lipa at #3, “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish at #2 and of course, “Sprinter” at the very top. Now for the mess below.

NEW ARRIVALS

#72 - “Deli” - Ice Spice

Produced by RIOTUSA

Okay so not only is this a busy week, it’s also not a great one. A lot of these new arrivals I am not near to being a fan of - apologies to break the illusion that I write these in order - and sadly, this deluxe track from Ice Spice is no different. Sure, the Jersey club beat is propulsing and overwhelming with its slightly fuzzier but still dominant bass and the pretty cool syncopation with the large, distorted claps and the 808 - it sounds cool, bordering on intricate beatwork and unplanned synthesis. Miss Poopie here, however, tries to convince us she’s not a “regular artist” by raising her voice for once and providing incredibly basic bars in that still limited flow. Personality doesn’t really make up for everything, and given the lack of groove or really all that many dynamics in the very short time this song has to even do anything, I think I’m starting to already be kind of over the slight novelty of Ice Spice. It’d be great if someone like Lay Bankz was here to do the beat some justice.

#68 - “Rave Out” - Turno, Skepsis and Charlotte Plank

Produced by Skepsis and Turno

Who, who and who here are UK drum and bass DJs Turno and Skepsis, and singer Charlotte Plank, who’s still charting with “Dancing is Healing” as of this week. The song is… fantastic. Genuinely, this is incredible. We have three drum and bass songs to cover here, they’re all kind of the saving grace of this week, but this one is by far the best. I don’t know if this is a sample - I couldn’t find one in my research - but the hypnotic reggae beat that starts the song is really unexpected and incredibly smooth, with the apathetic blast of horns and organic bass perfectly fitting the content about the comedown from a “rave”, which I think means a lot more than a party here. The way everything from this reggae instrumental just melts down into a liquid drum and bass groove, as Plank repeats the same paranoid questions asking where the person is going to go “when the rave’s out”, is really striking, especially with the start-stop tendencies of the chorus and the splatter of spikier bass tones warping in and out in the post-chorus. The horns come back with rising synths, but none of it is worth all that much when it gets compressed into this mindless, carefree break. If I had to nit-pick, Plank isn’t exactly as enveloping as she could be to make this tone really work, but considering the song is actually relevant to men’s mental health, with the echoed reminders from Plank serving not as a complete control over the guy’s mind but rather just a sinking feeling regarding how men don’t feel like they have much of a space to actually confide in people or relax their brains due to constantly feeling like they have to be in control or stoic. It’s a touching message and a mesmerising banger of a song to tell it in, so good work - hope to hear more of it on the charts. Oh, wait, I will…

#65 - “Bittersweet Goodbye” - Issey Cross

Produced by Luude

Alright, Luude, this may be getting kind of silly now. “Bitter Sweet Symphony”? Really? When I first heard of this, I wasn’t necessarily shocked of the sample flip but it was amusing and when I first listened to the song, I nearly did a spit-take. To do my due diligence as the chart person, I should mention that the original song by The Verve hit #2 in 1997, being blocked by Puff Daddy’s version of “I’ll be Missing You”… both songs actually sample classic rock bands, funnily enough, though The Verve do it in a much more subtle way, even if the strings from the Andrew Oldham Orchestra’s version of The Rolling Stones’ 1965 #1 hit “The Last Time”. That’s right - this is sample-ception already before Luude even touched it. For the record, I’m not much of a fan of the song, but the orchestral lead - that I personally think gets very tiring over six minutes - is pretty iconic nowadays. It’s also a bit risky to sample, given the song is infamously the host of a slimy songwriting dispute, but Richard Ashcroft is now the sole writer credited on the track as of 2019 so most of the Issey Cross royalties I have to imagine are also going to him, which should help on some of the lost residuals. There is actually very little to say about the new song itself, funnily enough, as whilst Luude may be making his money doing silly drum and bass flips of classic songs, the returns aren’t always fantastic. I still laugh every time Ms. Cross harmonises with the string melody in the pre-chorus, and the drop has fairly enough push to it to work without being fully comical. I’m not big on the song overall, but it is a fairly standard flip of a very difficult-to-deny loop, with an okay vocal performance so it just by a pinch becomes serviceable, mostly on novelty factor.

#58 - “One Direction” - ArrDee and Bugzy Malone

Produced by LiTek and WhYJay

This new collaboration from ArrDee and Bugzy Malone isn’t exactly the best song ever, but what makes it beautiful is that - okay, I’ll stop, mostly because I can’t say this is beautiful. The horn line is just staccato and obnoxious, as even if it provides some needed bombast to drill that ArrDee can absolutely replicate, it does blow the song up to grander proportions that it cannot fully reach, mostly because the refrain is… awkward, as they vaguely trade bars, and the verses range from ArrDee ironically saying that comedians should steer clear of him - in a really lazy Eddie Murphy reference that doesn’t actually make any sense - whilst delivering what is basically a comedy-rap verse. Bugzy sounds more awake than usual, sure, but mostly because he’s surrounded by annoying sound effects so it’s like he has to work for the attention of the mix, which to be fair, is pretty well done considering how much it has to deal with that is just straight-up annoying. I really want to like this given the energy, but I can’t endorse something as obnoxious as this unless it embraces the silliness of itself more so than just a couple pop culture references.

#52 - “Enough is Enough” - Post Malone

Produced by Post Malone, Louis Bell, Rami and Max Martin

Dropping on the same day as UTOPIA seems like a mistake in the short-term but honestly, I somewhat doubt the audiences overlap that much anymore, especially considering that I’m convinced now that this synth-infused depresso pop-rock is the kind of music Post actually wants to make. This didn’t stop the Official Charts Company from accidentally missing the song out when they first posted the chart, so maybe they agree that enough truly is enough? Well, I don’t see how you could be convinced either positively or negatively by this track in particular. It’s 12 tracks into the album, without a video, so this really must be the fan favourite… and it’s okay. It’s got a typical acoustic frolick and Post’s signature warble, sometimes reaching into really rough falsetto, but any potential it could have had is quashed immediately by those terribly-mixed synthpop drums crashing down into the song and rendering it worthy of car adverts, with no update to the lyrical content to warrant a more serious sound, and no real bridge to be found… so this is practically just a regurgitation of a pop formula that vaguely works. I wish Post the best, but this is dull and doesn’t really make me want to check out any more of that album.

#53 - “Big 7” - Burna Boy

Produced by Danitello, MD$, Mike Wavvs, Otis and Super Miles

Burna Boy seems to be leading up to an album with these singles and honestly, overall, they seem pretty promising, ESPECIALLY this one. Sure, it’s another pop-R&B crossover, but the vintage-sounding keys function great off of the messy bounce, which may get in the way of Burna Boy’s flow initially, but he quickly grows into it and delivers one of his richer, more soulful performances, with a rasp on the chorus that sounds experienced and wiser as a result of the deaths in his life that he mentions in the verses, of Sidhu Moose Wala and Virgil Abloh, wherein he starts to come to grips with his now-international role as a self-proclaimed simultaneous “ghetto gospel preacher” and “two-times community service breacher”. It’s not exactly anything all too new or out there, but it’s an honest and catchy song about his experiences that deserves some spins.

#31 - “Baddadan” - Chase & Status and Bou featuring IRAH, Flowdan, Trigga and Takura

Produced by Chase & Status and Bou

Read the song’s credit and its production credits - you’ve just said the word “and” five times, and it would be generous to call whatever you constructed a sentence. If you’re thinking “Who the Hell are these people?”, I kind of am too, but apart from the drum and bass DJs at the helm that we know, as well as Flowdan from the Roll Deep grime collective who actually charted earlier this year with Skrillex on “Rumble”, we have IRAH, who seems to post at least one voice-over of Family Guy scenes on his Facebook page, Takura, who’s from Zimbabwe and has actually charted with Chase & Status before at #98 in 2011 on “Flashing Lights” and Trigga, who sure is Trigga, and has collaborated with Bou before. In fact, they all seem pretty accustomed to emceeing or at least guesting on drum and bass tracks, so what harm can be done by putting them all on a track together? The trio at the production helm have curated a pretty atmospheric and dark, menacing beat with a very 2014-feeling progression, especially with the wonky synth and reverb on Takura’s voice, and none of the emcees really impress or disappoint. IRAH’s introductory verse has the most menace, but Flowdan kind of runs away with the spotlight, mostly because his rhyme scheme is so percussive that it perfectly plays with the breaks. Most of the content are just threats, and I can’t say I’m over the Moon about the drop or Takura’s contributions in general, but the melodrama Chase & Status always bring is still there, and I could see it growing on me due to its sheer intensity soon enough.

#26 - “On the Radar Freestyle” - Drake and Central Cee

Produced by Harley Arsenault and Kid Masterpiece

“You know that’s how Jesus died, that’s how Julius Ceasar died - I bet they were decent guys, I swear they remind of me sometimes” already feels like a classic Drake bar. In fact, the song has a vintage aura surrounding it - mostly because this is the best verse Drake has delivered for about a decade, and the soul sample in the back, whilst bizarrely mixed like everything else in this “song”, adds a lot of sweetness to this otherwise hype-focused Jersey drill beat. Hell, for a YouTube freestyle video, this production is pretty unique, smattering the silky sample in a lot of filtering to the point of unrecognisability under an insanely hard and groovy drill pattern. I actually really like Drake here too - I’m not a hater, but I’ll sound like one later - as he actually delivers some pretty great lines regarding his status in Canada and he’s not going for menace or intensity here as much as he is just rampantly flexing, and it comes off pretty well, especially with that recurring “six” theme referring to where he grew up in Toronto, but being implemented really slickly - particularly in the opening line where he has to put emojis over three faces because the feds can’t see those (six) eyes. When Drake wants to, he can really deliver, and the awkward pauses after some of the weirder sex bars seem absolutely built for the reaction videos. Whilst Cench isn’t nearly as lyrical, stepping up to rap after old man Drake sits down, he sounds relentless in a lot of honestly pissy and vengeful-sounding bars, riding the beat excellently and intensely with lyrics a tad more compelling than I think is probably given credit, and his flow, whilst the same as Drake’s, sounds effortless and honestly kind of better coming from Central Cee. This may not really be a song, but it’s a damn impressive set of two verses that actually has some replay value for me so whilst I don’t think it’ll stick around at all, it was great whilst it was here.

#21 - “HYAENA” - Travis Scott

Produced by Travis Scott, MIKE DEAN, WondaGurl, Noah Goldstein and Jahaan Sweet

I didn’t like the substanceless void of vaguely-cool-sounding nothingness that was UTOPIA. At best, it was a set of guest collaborators putting in their best efforts only to be trampled on by the lack of ambition of its lead artist, and at worst, that lead artist’s ambition somehow gets way ahead of him and makes a formless mess that failed at any point to actually grip me into his world like he’d done before. We don’t exactly have the three best tracks from the album lined up here either, but at least we have one of them in the form of the opening track, “HYAENA”. It is on here that Travis sounds the most focused, and it is absolutely a convicting opener when you first press play on a Travis Scott album and are met with isolated progressive rock vocals carelessly slopping into a distorted jungle of groove. It probably has Travis’ only good verses on the entire album, delivered with energy and full of… well, nothing, but it’s at least delivered well, in place of a real hook, because it really doesn’t need one. Even when trying to deliver a crazy, industrial track, Travis ends up sounding the most human on this one, even if the content isn’t exactly thoughtful. Sadly, what I expect is for this one not to last and be replaced by a fan favourite like “I KNOW ?” next week, as can be the case when the three-song rule and big albums collide.

#18 - “Desire” - Calvin Harris and Sam Smith

Produced by Calvin Harris and BURNS

Hmm… this sounds familiar. Anyway, ahem… You know, even with a weak chart, I did not expect the hype for a new Calvin Harris track to be this [DECENTLY] high. After all, his disco efforts were met with underwhelming results, and… [SAM SMITH] hasn’t had a [SOLO] hit of [THEIR] own in years, so this collaboration being as immediate of a smash as it was kind of took me aback. I do like that Harris can experiment now and step his foot into different passions for both singles and albums markets, even if the British public clearly prefers one over the other, and with BURNS on co-production (yes, seriously, that hasn’t changed either), I think I’m predisposed to as well. [SAM SMITH] sings about a relationship that gives [THEM] a heavenly euphoria and begs [THEIR] partner to take the chance to go further, and I could not think of a better instrumental for that young-love energy, as spiralling keys and synths surround [THEIR] cooing. Once [THEY GET] into [THEIR] falsetto, the plummeting hardcore bass arrives and picks up the pace, allowing for the rickety drums to clash through. Instead of a drop after that, though, we get an – admittedly cheap but charmingly so – piano breakdown that then builds itself up through a simple emotional force. It’s a basic piano melody that then hides itself back under the catchy hardcore beat for another verse, until [THEIR] falsetto once again rubs itself against a deeper bass fuzz, except this time the escalation is immediate and grandiose, with fluttering percussion reflecting their accelerating heartbeats. It never fully locks into a groove either, because their love going further, whilst possible, is still a “[DESIRE]” – only starting to feel real. My only real complaint is that it fades out for radio purposes, when I want to hear this go further and further because it deserves an even higher level of detail, I want to hear this narrative pushed through, I want to hear what happens next, and that’s the most frustrating thing. Maybe a remix will give me more closure, but an extended edit would be great, or even just hearing how this is used in a DJ mix. The fact that Calvin Harris and BURNS have me gripped into the sonic theming of this track should be telling of how well they’ve constructed it though, and if Harris is going to briefly dip back into EDM tunes, I absolutely want to hear more where this came from - and God, if that’s what I said all those months ago when I first reviewed “Miracle”, maybe the blame is on me, but this is alarmingly similar down to even the lead vocal melodies, the song’s limited vocabulary and I have the exact same qualms, given it’s also way too short… but I’m not as interested in the Sam Smith narrative than I am Ellie Goulding’s, and it does come off as a cheap recreation. Just like this review.

#13 - “FE!N” - Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti

Produced by Travis Scott and Jahaan Sweet

This is depressingly bad. We start with cheap rage synths that don’t carry any of the filtered weight as many of the beats Carti ends up on, so it just flairs through the instrumental as Travis murmurs an intro before the beat shuts down said synth into a clogged-down bassy trap number, as it remains for the rest of its runtime. In Travis’ verse, you can hear these little MIKE DEAN-esque synth inflections that are sprinkled on top in a desperate attempt to make anything about this actually interesting, especially Travis is full of nothing as always, and Carti’s hook is mind-numbing. His verse… can you call it that? Does that fit the legal definition of a verse? His second one does, and I at least appreciate his attempt at going for a deeper voice and inflection - it’s more experimentation than Travis is doing on this. With that said, the song ends abruptly with no catharsis for any of the previous three minutes, before Sheck Wes, who’s on ad-libs, can even get a word in edgewise, which is a shame since he’s the most interesting vocal presence here. Maybe with a more lyrical rapper on one of Travis’ more mindless cuts, there can be at least something of intrigue, so we’ll see with…

#10 - “MELTDOWN” - Travis Scott featuring Drake

Produced by Coleman, BNYX, Boi-1da, Vinylz, Tay Keith, Skeleton Cartier and Travis Scott

I get so easily tired of “menacing” Drake. It never sounds authentic, and is more often just an excuse for him to say absolutely embarrassing bars and still come off as “cool” - as he does in this, or deplete himself of any required energy, as he tries not to do here but considering all three of these beats - it’s like the BTEC “SICKO MODE” - refuse to wake up. We have a rote Memphis-influenced beat with strings, followed by a beat that acts like fanfare - or at least it would if we didn’t have sound effects and Travis’ backing vocals drowning out any impact the bass could have had. I do kind of like the way that certain parts of the beats maintain their presence, even if the transitions are not as exciting or innovative as “SICKO MODE”, which it is clearly trying to emulate, especially given the last beat is a Tay Keith clunker wherein Travis kind of sounds like he’s alive… vaguely. Apparently, Drake sends shots as Pharrell and Pusha on this one, but to be honest, if I were them, I wouldn’t see much point responding as the man burns bridges for headlines that he doesn’t need. Once again, I am asking for you to retire.

Conclusion

Once again, that sure was a week. Best of the Week goes to Turno, Skepsis and Charlotte Plank with “Rave Out” though the “On the Radar Freestyle” by Central Cee and Drake was way closer than I’d usually admit, as it grabs the Honourable Mention straight from poor Burna Boy this week. As for the worst, it really is a plentiful set to choose from, but I’ll go with “FE!N” by Travis Scott featuring Playboi Carti as the Worst of the Week with a Dishonourable Mention to… hey, look, it’s Travis Scott again with “MELTDOWN” featuring Drake. Hopefully a lot of this will clear out soon enough but for now, thank you for reading and I’ll see you next week!

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