Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard.
Where anything goes.
-//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7
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Where chaos stops and more chaos ensues. Where Filia plays the electric keyboard. Where anything goes. -//o_O\\7 *Home of the Awful, Mediocre and Pathetic* -//u_u\\7 |
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Saturday, February 14, 2004 - A Way with Words, Part V.ii - 18. There's nothing to fear but fear itself. Honesty shouldn't inhibit one's health. "Aei," I began as confidently as I could, tossing the finished apple's core into the bin and raising my chest as she turned to glance at me sweetly, "I ... I think I can take it from here." "Wha ..." Obviously, she hadn't been expecting a declaration so profound, or so inept, as that one, "What do you mean?" "I mean," I stammered a little more cautiously. It was difficult putting this straight to the eager little child, "I mean you can go home now. Thanks for your help." "Y ... you're telling me to ... to go home?" she cried out as she gazed right into me with those weepy little eyes of hers. She certainly is a girl of infinte expressions. "Yes," I sighed as I breathed the difficult words, "I think I can get myself home from here. I don't want to trouble you any more, or to keep your parents waiting. I shouldn't hold you back, and when I get home, I'll make it a point to visit you again someday, all right?" "I ... Charlotte ... you've been a great friend," she stuttered, wiping a little tear from the corner of her eye, "I don't want to ... I can't ..." The poor dear. But it was as hard for me as it was for her. "You too, Aei, even though we haven't known each other for that long," I replied as soothingly as I could as I knelt down to place my hands upon her shoulders, "It's difficult for me too. I'm sure I won't be forgetting you for a long, long time ..." I breathed heavily as a little bead of saliva lodged itself in the middle of my throat, constricting it. Trust me, it was hard for me too. And then she caught hold of my hands and yanked them off her shoulders, while that incongrous but essentially recognisable expression of humour washed over her face again. Oh ... oh great. "Haha!" she laughed maniacally as I suddenly realised that I had got myself into a most embarrassing position yet again ... and this time it was in front of quite a number of passers-by, "Gotcha again! I just love it when you get that teary look in your eyes! That has to be the most innocent and convincing look I've ever seen! I bet you, if you did that and said 'Will you marry me?', any guy would certainly accept. You're on the road to success in life, dearie!" The road to perdition, more like it. Easy for her to say ... has she ever seen the way she looks in the mirror? Nevertheless ... "Right. Thank you for the compliment," I grumbled as I quickly leapt back up on my feet, dusted myself off and gave threatening looks to any wandered who was still glancing in my direction. It seems I'm more emotional than I think I am. "Now that you've proceeded to make a fool of me one last time, be a good little girl and go home." "Me? Go home and leave you to get yourself lost a second time?" she mocked rather cuttingly, causing a blood vessel just in front of my forehead to rupture, "You couldn't even find your way here! And now you want me to go home? I'll have you know, my parents would give me a right and good telling off if they found out that I let a helpless little girl like myself wander off and get herself lost or killed or something." "Hey! I'm not that pathetic!" I protested, restraining myself from giving the brat a good thumping. Yeah, it was all just mischievousness, but it was getting on my nerves. "I'm sure I can find my way around by myself. Now go home." "Shan't," she responded defiantly, folding her little arms and giving me a nefarious grin. "Go home," I repeated, my patience hanging on its tether. "Shan't," she repeated, winking at me to reinforce the degree of her defiance. "Grr ..." I gritted my teeth and almost said something not very nice, but decided to try something different instead, "As your most honourable and royal Princess, I order you to go home." "I thought you said you didn't want to be the princess?" she remarked cynically as she loosened her grip to let her hands fall to her side, "Why should I listen to you?" "Well, you wanted me to act like the Princess," I muttered, scrunching up my lips in frustration, "So I shall ... for a few seconds. I order you to go home." "I'm ... not ... listening!" she huffed to herself like a spoilt little child as she turned her back on me. "Fine, then I'm going on without you. Goodbye!" I asserted as, chancing upon the fact that her back was still turned, I resumed a majestic stride, stomping away from her without looking back. "I'm following!" she giggled as, within seconds, I discerned the patter of agile little feet behind me, "I want to see this for myself!" "I'm ... not ... listening ..." I muttered to myself as I continued my royal stride at a soldierly pace, not looking back to notice the little wonder hopping and skipping about behind me. The moment I spotted the fountain, spouting water cheerfully in the middle of the town crossroads, I felt that I had walked into a fairy tale village. Nowhere in sight were amenities that reeked of modernity, like skyscrapers or streetlights, everything was authentically constructed out of simply bricks and planks, and even the fountain appeared to be built on a natural spring as travellers passing by nonchalantly stopped by it to drink a mouthful of the crystal clear water. This place, so beautiful, so dreamy ... there was only one problem. "Just where in the world am I?" I wondered aloud as I stood stranded in the middle of town, catching the glances of the local folk who were not used to seeing such a confused character simply blunder into their humble village. "Ouaiie, didn't you know that from the title of the news paper?" chuckled a mischievous little voice from behind me. Of course I knew who that was. "Hehe ... see? Without me, you're practically doomed." "Wha ... where's that?" I inquired as I turned about to watch the child gleefully sniggering behind me. As much as it pained me to admit it ... yes, it looked like I needed help, and from a wincing little girl at that. For where in the world existed a town named ... well, it sounded like 'Over Here', and that was good enough for me, "What country is this?" "What? You're already a teenager and ... you don't know where you live?" Aei glared at me, practically flabbergasted, "What in the world have you been doing for the past ten years of your life? Living in a cave?" "I ... I know where I come from!" I protested, inwardly cringing at my obvious ineptitude, "It's just that ... well ... it's not here! And I've never heard of any village in the world named Ouaiie!" "What, are you mocking us?" Aei planted her hands on her hips and stared at me accusingly, "We might be a small village ... but we're a major port city that specialises in agricultural goods, and we're well known as a trade centre for all kinds of produce including marine fish, our great quality rosy red apples and the freshest and sweetest cow's milk in all of Va World. Not only that, as a town on the border of the evil nation of Consonance our local militia have recorded countless victories against hordes of savage, barbaric invaders ... come to think of it ..." Her rant, which sounded like that of a disgruntled urban planner or a real estate dealer planning a hard sell, suddenly ceased as she gazed at me with wider, more wary eyes, "You're not from ... Consonance, are you?" "Consonance? Va World? I've never heard of these places ... or things!" I insisted, throwing my hands to my side in frustration, "If you're telling me these are places where you live ... then ..." "You must be really stupid," provided Aei helpfully, "Or really lost." "I'm lost ..." I sighed as my shoulders caved in, and a tear of desperation trickled down my blush-tinged cheeks. "Anyway ..." continued Aei, after respectfully keeping a moment's silence out of mourning for the death of my sense of direction, "Didn't you say you wanted to find out how to get home by yourself? Or do you want me to help you now?" "I ... well ... I guess I do need your help," I breathed as I placed a palm smelling of apple juice to my face, "But let me do the talking myself. I suppose I need to ... adapt ... to this place, if I ever want to find my way home, and hiding in the corner to let you do all the talking isn't going to help me to that goal in any way." "All right ..." she grinned as she gave a little curtsey, "Most pleased to assist you, your highness!" "And no more princess references ..." I quickly retorted, before noticing that a rather perplexed passer-by was glancing in my direction, "N ... no, I didn't say anything. I was just leaving ..." "And where might you be heading, I'd like to know?" she gazed at me out of the corner of her eye as she sniggered quietly to herself, "Do you need any recommendations?" "I think I'll head for the tavern ... or the bar or pub or whatever," I replied as I spotted a small shop with a sign bearing the picture of a mug hanging above its door, "I heard that it's always a good place to get information ... in a medieval village." Having said that, I purposefully strode off in the respective direction without giving a second glance to see if the little goblin was following. "Medieval?" Aei murmured to herself, before quickly dashing up behind me at an impish pace, "You're going there?" "What?" I remarked callously without turning about to face her, "They won't let you in because you're too young to drink?" "No ... it's just that ..." "Hello, stranger, and welcome to my shop!" exclaimed a genial and portly old man standing behind a small counter. He was bald on most of his head and he had a small, neatly trimmed moustache, all a shade of grey, Wearing a pair of overalls and a plain buttonless shirt, he looked like a stereotypical bartender. The only thing was that ... it wasn't a bar. Still holding the door open, I gazed about the shop to see wooden shelves lining the walls, filled with books of all shapes and sizes in various states of disrepair. The only aspects of this place that resembled a tavern were a couple of wooden tables and stools strategically placed in front of the counter, in the space between all the shelves, and several barrels and empty glasses resting on the counter top. "I ... is this place a tavern?" I murmured, pushing past Aei who had keenly followed behind me to take a glance at the sign outside the establishment. Yep, it was a mug, all right. "I ..." "No, this is a library," the proprietor corrected as I watched him with a face fully perplexed, "I do have some drinks, if you're staying in here to read. The tavern is across the street, but ... aren't you a little too young for alcohol?" "Well, excuse me!" I retorted instinctively at being so regarded in front of a little kid always eager to poke fun at me in any way she could. This must be one of the few times that I actually felt indignant for being considered younger than I looked. "I shall have you know that I am above the legal age, and am entitled to liquor of any kind if I so desire." "Oh ... right ..." the shopowner stammered, a little surprised but not at all offended by the bluntness of my reply, "But make yourselves at home, anyway. You speak so ... elegantly ... that you almost sound like royalty." "Wha ... I do?" I gaped as I found my own index finger in my face, pointing at me accusingly while my little cherub of a companion was gleefully sniggering away at my expense, "Well, uh, oh, no, I don't, I'm, kinda like, just that way, ya know?" Okay, that was pathetic, but it was a relief seeing a jovial grin across his face instead of a look of wonderment. "Well," he continued after quietly chuckling to himself, "Why not pick up a book, and sit down for a good read? It won't cost you anything, unless you want to take it home." "Um, no, actually ..." I stammered as I sauntered up to the counter in a valiant attempt to look casual but seemed more like that of a distorted mannequin, "I was just wondering ..." "Ask him about how you can get around," suggested Aei, giving me an encouraging (and resounding) slap across my back before flitting off to one of the bookshelves, "I'll just be taking a look here ... I think there's a book that might prove useful to you!" "Right ... er ... I was just about to ask," I continued as I rested my arms on the counter while at the same time timidly clutching them to myself so that I looked nothing short of uneasy, "Is there a way of getting around here?" "Getting around? What do you mean?" he asked as he took a short sip from a mug of plain water. "I mean ... like, for example, are there trains around here?" Well, that was the oldest form of transportation that existed apart from riding horses and carriages (expensive), taking a sailing ship (unreliable), or plain simple walking (too lazy). "Trains?" he repeated as he gazed at me inquisitively. "Yeah, trains. You know, like, trains that I can take?" I suggested , waving a hand about in a pathetic attempt to express myself. "Hmm ... oh, wagon trains, you mean?" he replied a little helpfully, "Farmers usually travel alone, but sometimes if they've got a bumper harvest or they're cooperating with someone else on a deliver, they might do that ..." "Not exactly what I was thinking of, but, yeah, you know any trains?" I asked again, slowly getting into the hang of all this conversation with the local folk. I guess he was right ... unable to speak like a villager, I did stand out very visibly. "And you want to rob them?" he glared at me again, his eyes wider than before, "What are you thinking, kid?" "W ... what?" I was taken aback by that last statement. As I said, I frighten easily ... before I realised just what he had misunderstood. "No, you know, I mean take a train, as in, to ride a train out of here, like ... a horse, or something." "Heh, I don't really understand what you mean, but it's a relief to know you aren't stealing anything," he chuckled to himself, knowing full well that I had no intention of doing anything of the sort, "You speak really strangely for such a young kid. In fact, you remind me of one of the books in my library ..." "Is it this one?" piped up Aei as she burst in between the proprietor and I, "I've seen it before, but I've never thought of reading it ... until now ..." "Well, what book is it?" I asked as I squinted at its front. It was decorated with intricate patterns of some kind that looked like they had been meticulously inscribed ... er ... or maybe that was the title of the book, scrawled in some language that I couldn't discern, "I can't read it ..." "Illiterate too? Shocking ..." remarked the bartender to himself in an inoffensive tone, "What are you doing here?" "Can't you see?" Aei lifted it up in front of my face, grasping its base with both her hands so that I could see it more clearly, "It says, 'How to Sound Upright and Royal!'" "Upright and Royal?" I repeated to myself, before turning on her, seething, "Didn't I tell you to stop making references to the royal Pr ..." "Pretentious puppets! Infernal infidels! Confounded cavaliers!" cried a slick, and distinctly accented man's voice from outside the shop, as the heavy clank of armour started to ring in the air, "I request ... I demand ... I absolutely insist, that you unhand me this moment! Or, I swear by my royal name, I shall have the two of you strung up and tortured like the slaves you are!" "Though, I must say ... that must be the most twisted, but very familiar accent that I have heard, living here," commented the bartender, "Too bad I've never bothered to understand what they're saying." "What? You don't understand?" I interrupted, shocked, "Sure, he sounds different from the people here, but ... can't you hear what he's saying? His voice doesn't sound that distorted ... here he comes again!" "I promise you that, from the very deepest recesses of my heart, I will condemn you both to a most painful and untimely death! I vow unwaveringly, upon the sun and the moon and the stars in the sky, that I will dig you both a deep grave for you to be buried alive in! I avouch, with my sacred and immortal soul, that I shall plague your every waking moment with disasters and nightmares! Upon the most blessed and fertile land of my country, I shall ... blah, blah, et cetera." "Shut your indiscernible babbling, imbecile," roared another gruff voice who sounded like he was speaking through a piece of metal, "Or you shall be clapped in the stocks!" Aei's ears perked up. "They're going to clap someone in the stocks? That sounds harsh ..." she murmured, missing the point completely. "No, don't you hear it?" I protested fervently, raising my arms in frustration, "There's a guy out there, yelling and making stupid threats ... that's what I'm talking about. Can't you understand him?" "No, the guard's right," considered the bartender rather calmly, oblivious to my antagonism, "He must be drunk or something, I can't make out a word he says." "But, he spoke quite clearly, and ..." As my heart sank back into its little cavity, I knew there was no point trying to persuade either him or Aei with words alone, "Come outside, and I'll show you what I mean." Stomping off, I swept aside a chair that was in my way and flung open the door, looking back only to see Aei exchanging a few words with the man before dashing up to me with the book in her hands. "You know, Charlotte," she puffed as she slipped between my arm and the door, and out the shop, "Sometimes, you do things so strangely I'm inclined to think you're just hiding the fact that you're a princess after all." "Shut up," I grumbled as the door shut behind me. Charlotte got the book! Interesting! Mmm ... read read ... flip flip flip. - My adventure ends here. And hers, and his, and theirs. But yours doesn't, haha! - posted by Charlotte | 3:35 pm (0) comments Thursday, February 12, 2004 - War of Words, Part V.ii - 16. My magic will destroy you! Honestly, I had no idea that I would be getting into trouble of this magnitude. After casually sweeping me right into the swiping range of the polearm-wielding guards, Pwyns Xjrmynq had well and truly scarpered, leaving poor little me to fend for myself while carrying a nonsensically heavy sword that I couldn't even carry, let alone swing. The adrenaline that surged through my blood did give me strength enough to actually run with that thing, but I didn't know how long I could hold out in the painful pattern of alternately running like a plucked chicken and glancing back to look out for the next thrust of the left guard's fearsome spear. Some royalty, some leader, some cavalier, seeing how quickly he had abandoned me to a grisly fate of being served as Sunday roast. Or at least looking like one ... I'm not so conceited like him to consider myself all that tasty. Speaking of chivalry ... "Why in good heavens' name ... watch that thing, damn it! ... are you trying to kill a defenseless little girl? Do I look like ... whoa ... I actually want to cut you to pieces, let alone be able to?" "..." The guard remained disturbingly silent as he raised his spear for yet another attempt to add another hole to my skull. "I don't think this really defines chivalry, you know ..." I whined as, rolling on the ground to avoid the thrust, the spear nearly nicked the hem of my dress flailing in the tumult. It's a good thing that he never thought of actually throwing the spear, possibly because he didn't really desire a stuffed and preserved little girl with stitches all over her front strung up and mounted in a glass cabinet in his living room. "Chivalry is following one's orders unwaveringly," intoned the left guard in his deep and dark voice as he struck the ground where I was just standing with his spear, "Our mission is to eradicate all enemies of the state, and that includes all traitors, without exception! Now comply and accept your punishment!" "Mercy is granting you the privilege of a swift death," philosophised the right guard in a gruff and husky tone, as he struck the ground with the handle of his halberd, "Kindliness compels us to bring you death with one stroke, and concentrate all your pain into a single second. Now ... where did that skinny guy go?" It wasn't the best thing to do to consider the utterings of a pair of scholarly, proselytising guards who spoke in tandem while a sharp object was continually being sent toward one of your vital body parts, chosen at random. Thank goodness for the fact that while they spoke together, they certainly didn't attack together. Not yet, at least. But the situation was becoming increasingly bleak as while the little speed left in me did help me dodge the deadly spear thrusts, the guard was quick enough to prevent from dashing out on one of the roads leading out of town, and might soon have me cornered against the wall of a building if my fatigue didn't slow me down enough for a killing blow. It was a vicious circle, and the only way to avoid certain death was to do something drastic to break out of it, something like ... Pwyns Xjrmynq always told me to take "most exceedingly good" care of that blasted sword of his, even though it didn't do much other than serve as a very large paperweight. Considering that I couldn't swing it, there seriously wasn't much point lugging it around, without him here to tell me off (if only he was, so that he would draw their attention ...) and with a furious guard hot on my heels. I hadn't thought of this so far, but now that I did, perhaps I could give it a try ... I nearly ran straight into the pole of the spear as the guard put a thrust that was slightly too quick just in front of me. As he swung it to try and catch me in the side with the pole, I knew that this was the perfect opportunity for my surprise attack ... because any later and I might have been left sprawled and skewered on the ground. "Take this!" I yelled, as with all my might I raised the worthless artifact I carried with me and hurled it with all my might at the guard, defenseless beyond layers upon layers of armour plating, as I deliberately fell to avoid being hit with the pole. Striking true (well, as much as an artillery shell would ...), the flying sword smacked him full in the chest as he was unable to dodge or knock it aside in time. Barreled over onto the ground in a heap of armour with a heavy sword over his legs, and the spear still in his hand, it looked as if he had been rendered temporarily immobile. Now was my chance ... "Partner!" wheezed the left guard, as with his free arm he tried valiantly to swat the blade off his chest, "Assist me!" "Comrade!" called the right guard as, finding the search for the other man futile, he lunged for me instead, "Here I come!" Freedom! Or so I thought, before the mercilessly sharp blade of a halberd sent itself crashing just inches in front of my chest. Great. Now they were both after me. And I just realised another reason why Pwyns Xjrmynq told me never to throw the sword away ... because like it or not, it was the only real weapon I had. Besides ... The noise of a heavy metal object clattering to the floor emanated from just a little to my left, and hopping backwards I noticed that the spearman had once again regained his position, having effortlessly shoved the metal monstrosity off his chest. Perhaps it was not so much the weight of the object himself that stunned him, but the fact that a shrivelled, scrawny little girl was carrying (made to carry, rather) the infernal object, and was actually able to. It took him a few seconds to steady himself before he, like his compatriot with the halberd, made another lunge for me. "Traitorous rebel!" roared the left guard, apparently deciding to offer me a free frontal lobotomy, "All treachery shall be punished by death, no matter who the perpetrator or the extent of their crime!" "But ..." I stammered as I ducked and dodged, avoiding the blow. "Worthless vermin!" growled the right guard, helpfully attempting an incision as an aid to my autopsy, "There is no use in talking! The only words we seek are your dying onese!" "Er ..." I stuttered as I deftly leapt away from the descending blade. For starters, who were the ones talking here? And wasn't it painfully obvious that talking was my only recourse, apart from banging on their thick armour with my bare fists? What would it take to convince these guys to leave me alone? In avoiding the halberd blow, I leapt backwards ... and promptly tripped over the pole of a spear which just happened to be there to destabilise me. I lost my balance, and, not being able to react in time, was sent rolling on the ground, with the scrolls in my pocket jabbing me painfully in the gut. Wait ... scrolls ... the scrolls ... magic? Since I obviously didn't come from a magical world, and even in this world I had no proof of the effectiveness of magical abilities of any kind, to resort to something untried and untested would seem the worst bet in the form sheet. But, like a desparate gambler, I had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and better to die murmuring something vaguely threatening than to be dismembered while weakly pleading for mercy and forgiveness. And so ... to resort to spells ... the only spell I knew. I raised my hands ... Come to think of it, what was the only spell I knew? What did it do? That positive-emotion thing? And ... how do you 'cast' it? I was reading the scroll when that strange feeling came over me ... was I actually reading it? Or was it something more than just words ... but senses as well? Or was I simply faking it all and it was just all in my head that I happened to break out in a happy mood? And there I was with not one but two angry guards trying to kill me. There was nothing more I could do ... except mumble something and look serious while inside, I was fervently trying to remember just what it was I had seen on that scroll. "Wait! Stop!" the right guard cried as he steadied his halberd which he was on the verge of sending crashing onto my head, "That girl ... what kind of deception is this? I've heard this procedure being mentioned in our soldier's manuals. Be on your guard!" "Be careful!" the left guard cautioned as he raised his spear to a defensive position instead of gearing up for another thrust, "That pose ... I remember it clearly! The tales speak of chosen Consonance able to wield mystical power. Look out for it!" "I ... er ... well ... mumble mumble ... hyah!" Was I supposed to utter some magic words or something? Not knowing whatever they were, my lips still moved involuntarily, and I thought it more effective, and more darkly humorous, to make a loud cry at the end and get the guards all alarmed. But ... just what did I do? And what really happened? The guards gazed at me warily as I crouched there, my hands to myself and watching them similarly with leery, paranoid eyes. And then they gazed at each other. And then they turned back to me again. "What just happened?" asked the left guard inquisitively, shrugging his shoulder plates, "I haven't a clue." "Got any ideas?" replied the right guard curiously, scratching his helm in surprise, "I don't know what that did." The worst fears crept up in me. Nothing happened ... and so I was to prepare for death. This is it, Charlotte. Your final moments, your swan song, and you didn't even have an opportunity to write a will or say some last words. This is the end. "But ..." considered the left guard as he leaned his spear against his shoulder, "I think it's funny how she frightened us with a loud noise that didn't do anything." "Yes ..." added the right guard as he leaned against his halberd with his shoulder, "In fact, I don't think I've ever been tricked by anything so hilarious in my life." Wha ... was something happening? "Heh ... hahaha!" snickered the left guard. "Hee ... hehehe!" sniggered the right guard. Eh ... so did it work? They started laughing stupidly, just as I had back there at the farm. Did that mean ... since they weren't injured ... they fell under the spell of happiness? So was I really a true sorceror? But the answers to those questions weren't what was really important right now ... what was more important is, escaping! Carefully watching to ensure that the two guards were still engaged in hysterics, I sneaked rightward, toward the path which I knew led out of town and back to the farm. "Ha ... hoohahahahaha!" guffawed the left guard, not noticing me slipping away from him. "Hee ... ehehehehehe!" chortled the right guard, not observing how I sidled just past him. Until ... "Hahahahaha ..." laughed the left guard as, in a cheerful, buddy-like manner, he knocked his shoulder against his partner's, not realising how his halberd was leaning precariously against it. As the left guard bumped him, the force, accentuated by the hearty laughter of the guard himself, was enough to knock the deadly weapon out of its delicate balance and send it plummeting down ... down ... on me. Whack! The full force of the pole of the halberd slammend itself against the back of my neck, knocking me over and pinning me to the floor while the axe head, with the aid of gravity, dug itself deeply into the gravelly ground, essentially trapping me between the pole and the floor. "Ow ... aah!" I wailed and screamed as I struggled and flailed but could not wrench myself out of the wooden vice the halberd made to trap me in, "I ... can't ... escape!" Noticing this rather unexpected turn of events, the two guards strode over, still laughing nonsensically like bewitched fiends, and gazed down at me as I lay trapped and immobile. "Hahaha ... she's trapped," remarked the left guard as, hoisting his spear, he glanced down at me, "Now that we've captured her, we don't have to kill her right away!" What? "Hehehe ... you're right," commented the right guard as he knelt down to address himself to me, "I'm sorry, kid, but you're now in the custody of the royal town guards." Really? So they didn't have to kill me all along? Or was it just a twist of fate which led them to realise how pathetic a fighter I really was? Or were they just in a good mood, as a result of my spell. Who knows? But perhaps this time, Charlotte the intrepid spellcaster would survive to fight some other day ... and hopefully with the knowledge of just what she was doing in battle. What splendour! What power! What flagrant exaggeration! Level up! Charlotte is now a Level 2 Priestess! Yipee! Wahey! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! - Ereh dne t'nseod erutnevda ruoy. Because you must be dyslexic if you can't guess it yet - posted by Charlotte | 3:52 pm (0) comments Wednesday, February 11, 2004 Final Fanatisty, Part II ... a continuance. Well, actually, I was lazy and didn't wanted to chuck everything into one big post. Besides, I've posts to burn due to my laziness so ... why not be lazy, if it helps me get over what wrong I've done? Oh, what a loser. Anyway, here we go again, more ranking of great pieces of music from our favourite games of all! Best Walkabout Music : "Yay! This should be the other piece you hear really really often, since most FF life, like real life, is spent on either resolving conflicts (by killing all your enemies) or simply getting from here to there. The earlier FFs had several 'worlds', so that you had several walkabout musics. Later on, even if there is only one 'world', after a while as part of the plot the 'world' changes irreversibly so while all places and locations are the same, the music is different. Therefore, I shall attempt to evaluate both (and sometimes all three) while again considering the amount of time spent listening to them so that there is some form of weightage." 6. FFVIII "There is only one walkabout music in this game, and for the life of me I can never remember it. FFVIII isn't the one to look for if you want music that will knock you off your feet, unless you are a Faye Wong fan." 5. FFIV "You can't really fault it, since it is the earliest game here after all. The main walkabout theme is pretty nice, somewhat emotive in fact, but the underground theme is fairly ordinary, and the moon theme is, well, weird. What really holds FFIV's walkabout music back is the fact that the theme resets each time you get into a fight, which means you never heard the whole thing. What a pity, since all I've ever heard of the underground music is up to ... um ... the first trill." 4. FFV "Haha ... the walkabout theme in the first world is so laid-back and easy going it reflects Butz's and friends' relaxed nature in the process of saving the world, especially with that old geezer Galuf along to provide comic relief. That in the second and third world, however, isn't fantastic firstly because again I never remember it. It probably sounds better in dungeons." 3. FFVI "Again, a great emotive pieces as your walkabout song. However, it is also one that you will never heard the ending to, as you spend very little time walking about in the World of Balance. The theme for the World of Ruin isn't that dull, but the problem is that it also serves as the music for the Falcon which is a total waste in my opinion, since it flubs disastrously as airship music. See below for more." 2. FFIX "The first part of the FFIX theme song Melodies of Life serves as the walkabout song, and you don't really find it a very significant song until the end. But, in fact, I preferred the original walkabout tune to Melodies of Life, since it was lighter and more vibrant ... in fact more emotive than Melodies of Life which is just, well, that kind of happy, optimistic song overflowing with saccharine. Great stuff." 1. FFVII "Now, there is really, really, really a gulf between one and two. The FFVII walkabout theme is a masterpiece, no question about it. For starters, it's more than five minutes long! It is part of the de facto theme song of FFVII along with the Highwind music, and it is well worth it to sit through to listen to the end. While I was scrolling around the map on the Tiny Bronco, I certainly did. It just goes on, carrying you along, and when it actually ends and repeats again it comes as a great surprise ... as well as a massive shock as you have just been walking around doing nothing for several precious minutes. Download it and listen." Best Airship Music : "The humble, um, airship is often your main means of transport in FF games, and so it makes sense to evaluate that as well as a form of comparison between the games. Airship music is generally supposed to be optimistic, inspiring ... "and stuff", since it's main purpose is to make you feel good and provide you with a sense of accomplishment, as giving you a vehicle that can take you almost anywhere is basically breaking nearly all transportation barriers. Some games also have more than one means of transportation, in which case I'll consider them all as 'airships' despite the pretty obvious inaccuracy." 6. FFVI : The Blackjack "Setzer and his airship the Blackjack are probably the best incentive to become a gambling king. The feel-good music of the Blackjack shows how you can live life as a breeze, do as you please, and be so relaxed that one actually gets tricked by a double-headed coin. The other airship, the Falcon, actually uses the World of Ruin walkabout music as its theme which, as I already said, is neither original nor really great. What a waste." 5. FFIV : The Airship, The Big Whale "Great, fast music that really blends in as you spin your airship round and round the continent. The problem? After spinning your airship round and round, you realise the whole tune is less than twenty bars long, and the repetition starts to get ... well ... nauseating. The Big Whale is more of the same, grand, optimistic, and very, very short." 4. FFV : The Airship, The Hiryuu, The Submarine "An honest confession ... I never ever listened to the whole of the airship music. Because I never even flew the airship for that long! But listening to it separately, it is actually pretty nice. I used to despise the mournful submarine music, but after a while I started memorising it and ... gasp ... humming it everywhere. It's an acquired taste, I guess. What is really impressive, however, is the Hiryuu music, the only 'airship' music that actually, well, can sound sad when you slow it down enough. Then again, the Hiryuu must be the most pathetic airship of all since it can't even cross mountains the Black Chocobo can. It's not very long, but for as much as it lasts it really sounds grand." 3. FFIX : The Hilda Garde III "It sounds like a lift off the Ragnarok theme from FFVIII, but then again the Ragnarok is theme is one of the best in the whole of FFVIII (which isn't a game of exciting music, anyway). It's a bit more loud and jarring than the Ragnarok but the happy optimistic nature of the song goes better with FFIX's characters, who are infinitely more cheerful that Squally sitting and mourning in the corner. But this is an evaluation of songs, not characters. Furthermore, if you know where to go, you will never heard the full song of the Hilda Garde III. Least pleasant of all, you lose the airship after going to Terra (the planet, not the character!), and it is replaced by the Invincible which hands down has the worst music of all airships ... and the same one as the second walkabout theme. But it is great while you can still hear it." 2. FFVIII : The Ragnarok "The trills at the beginning sound a little corny, and it takes a while to get to the real song, but when you're there you know this is going to be one of the best airship songs ever heard. It is all of optimistic, inspiring and emotional, and hearing it actually made me feel glad and relieved that Squall and you-know-who managed to get back to earth safely ... she should have been lost in space forever, damn it. Considering how late in the game you get the airship, however, it is again highly unlikely that you will hear the full theme. Pity." 1. FFVII : The Highwind, The Shinra Sub "The Highwind music is as good as the theme song for FFVII ... it's the same as the one Cloud plays on Tifa's piano, remember? Blah, I shouldn't have to rant about how great it is, notice my description of airship music as 'and stuff'? You just have to listen, you must listen. And, with the Highwind coming in halfway through the game and sticking with you for the rest of it, you can. The satisfaction of getting halfway to beating Sephiroth and the anxiety of the challenges in the half ahead are equally expressed. And it modulates. I am an absolute fan of music with modulation ... if the original piece of music is to my liking, of course. No contest." Best Chocobo Music : "The, uh, not very humble Chocobo, is, of course, your other main mode of transportation for the rest of the game. In the earlier games, Chocobo riding was compulsory to reach the next part of the game. In FFIV and V, you actually had to chase after the chocobo to catch it which was hellishly difficult since it travelled in a random direction and you had to corner it. Later on, it became optional, and sometimes its only purpose was to allow you to access secret areas or secret prizes in the game. Catching it also became easier. Nevertheless, the pervasive Chocobo music has remained with numerous remixes so I shall evaluate each of them anyway. Wark!" 6. FFVI : Techno de Chocobo "I heard only five seconds of this. Why? Because that's the time it takes to get from Figaro Castle to Figaro Cave. And after that, you never have to touch a chocobo again in the whole of FFVI, and you probably won't need to seeing how you get the airships less than half-way through each world. I certainly don't hate chocobos, but maybe like the poor moogles in FFVII and FFVIII they should just have left the chocobo out of this one." 5. FFIX : Ukelele de Chocobo, Aloha de Chocobo "The chocobo music as great because it is funny and fast, and of course it is the catch-theme of the FF genre as a whole. So what's the worst thing to do to it? Cut it in half, and slow it down, which is what happened in FFIX. Sure, it's still the same theme, but it's just ... well ... uncomfortable having it slow. Riding around on the chocobo isn't supposed to be the most relaxing adventure of all (actually, it's 'sat and watched the waves of the world'). It's not as if we're expected to feel sad for poor Choco, right (er, we aren't ...)? KWEEEEHH!! (Kweh ...)" 4. FFIV : Chocobo, Chocobo, Samba de Chocobo, Big Chocobo "The FFIV Chocobo music is basically the original one, the Black Chocobo music being a slightly faster and souped-up version of it. So, as far as rankings go, this should be considered the zero-mark, with everything below in the negative and everything above in the positive. But FFIV does have the Fat Chocobo music, however, a funny and nonsensical piece that also appears in FFIII but isn't heard after this one. Too bad ..." 3. FFVIII : Odeka de Chocobo, Modes de Chocobo "The Chocobo forest music isn't too great, since I mostly have bad memories of it after getting cheated by the bloody little Chocoboy quite a number of times and getting that stupid Choco-ziner stolen yet again. Grr ... I just want to slice him up with the gunblade. However, once you do get the chocobo you're treated to one of the better chocobo themes. The only bad thing? Squall looks absolutely ridiculous riding on a chocobo ('Whatever ... Wark!') ... not so much that the Squall is too serious, it's that the Chocobo is far too cute for a seemingly real-life character like him." 2. FFV : Mambo de Chocobo, Boco's Theme "'Take a trip around the world in a Chocobo!' says the weird guy in Mirage Town. And that is what teaches you to love the Chocobo music, if you don't already. Better yet, you're riding on Boco, the friendly chocobo who just happens to be Butz's best friend in his absence of an ability to find a love interest in his three travelling companions. And the Black Chocobo music which, as usual is just a souped-up version of the original, teaches you to add the 'ooh!' at the end of the Chocobo song. Well!" 1. FFVII : Electric de Chocobo, Waltz de Chocobo, Cinco de Chocobo, Fiddle de Chocobo "The Waltz is the one you hear when you first talk to the chocobos at the Chocobo Farm, and the Cinco is the one you hear when you travel and at the Chocobo Sage's house. Neither of these are particularly great, the Cinco messing around with the timing of the song such that you get a somewhat cute but strange-sounding version of it. What really stands out are, of course, the Fiddle which is the music you hear when chocobo racing. Yeah! Ride em, Cloudy! And of course the Electric is the one when fighting with chocobos, and in the only numbered FF when you can actually fight against chocobos (but not kill them, unfortunately, even with Omnislash). The fact that they actually managed to make a fun-sounding fight theme out of chocobo music is a fabulous achievement, made greater still by the really funny scene of Cloud and friends beating up monsters to the chocobo theme while tossing greens to keep the little pest busy. I would say the only thing missing from FFVII's chocobos would be some degree of identification with the player, just like Boco in FFV and to a lesser extent Choco in FFIX, so they won't behave like brats that run away the moment you let go of them. But you can't have everything." Most Emotive Music : "Er, you know how there are some pieces of music in the game that are intentionally made to make you feel sad, and cry, and all that. Sometimes it can be admittedly embarrassing to get worked up over a game, but when that happens, we not only recognise the powerful intricacy of the plot, but also the successful interweaving of the music to help stir those emotions over each individual character (since, arguably, the story of all FFs could be told using a single template). However, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, and when it doesn't ... Nevertheless, as a credit to Uematsu for tugging the heartstrings of all us little foreign children we shall take a special look at those little melodies designed just to make us cry." 6. FFVIII "I wasn't sad at all for FFVIII. Period. The saddest thing was probably seeing Squall simply waste away after finding out he cannot live without somebody he had been throwing insults at all the time since he met her. Ah ... the saddest song, then? Go look at the other sections. FFVIII isn't one for great music." 5. FFIV : Gilbert's (Edward's) Theme "Like FFVIII, FFIV isn't a particularly sad game, however, at least it has a sad theme for when people 'die', or leave your party, and it usually accompanies Rosa and Rydia (typical ... those chauvinist game desginers!). I probably felt the most sad at the end, with Kain, and with the 'prelude' music playing even though it is supposed to be a happy occasion. But since the 'prelude' doesn't count since it appears in all the games, I suggest the song Edward plays when he mourns the loss of his dear Anna ... and gets whacked by a Sea Hag who apparently doesn't like his voice much. And Edward isn't remembered for being sad, but not much more apart from being the most spoony bard ever." 4. FFV : The Hiryuu, the Music Box "A lot of NPCs (and one PC) die in FFV, and thus the sad theme gets pretty frequent use. The problem, however, is when you overuse a theme its effect gets nullified. Which explains why after FFV the sad theme was phased out and replaced with a slower remix of each character's theme song to give a more mournful feeling. For characters, although I don't think much of Butz or Lenna, I did feel bad for them during their flashbacks with the aid of the songs above." 3. FFIX : Garnet's Song, Pandemonium "Moving on to character-specific sad themes, I'd say that those are a great improvement over simply using a 'sad' theme that gets repeated and lacks significance to each particular character, and that you eventually get bored of (for me because it sounds too much like dungeon music). That done with, I have only bad things to say about the 'sad' themes in FFIX. Garnet's song, the second half of Melodies of Life, is fine with me ... however, I had much rather the person didn't sing it. Garnet is sixteen, and the singer sounds like, what, forty? It doesn't match, and the song even got reused for when Eiko was singing. Now that is freaky. The song that plays on the Pandemonium when Zidane is told that he's the destroyer of the world is basically a more trancy version of the tortured flashbacks that Cloud experiences in FFVII. It was great, and I really felt bad for Zidane ... until he got off his uncomfortable seat (where does his tail go, hmm?) and started acting like a fool, calling the poor kids nasty names and being rude to all of his comrades. And you have to fight three battles to it. See below for my view on fighting battles to sad music." 2. FFVII : Aeris' Theme, Red XIII's Theme, Cid's Theme "Red XIII's music upon finding out the truth about his 'dishonourable' father and Cid's at his contemplation about going into space are some of the most emotive pieces in this game of incredible music. Aeris' theme ... well, some would say Aeris' theme is the most sad piece they have ever heard out of Final Fantasy. But I disagree. I put it here because, yes, I did feel sad. Very sad, since Yuffie was in my team, and she, well, was really sad (try Tifa-Yuffie for guaranteed tears). However, I don't rate it highly because I didn't feel so much sad as angry. Really angry. At Sephiroth, the bastard. And, as you can tell, anger and sadness often come together but angry feelings and sad music just don't go together. The worst thing is that you have to fight Jenova: Life to her theme song. What the hell? I'm supposed to feel sad for Aeris lying in the corner when my team is getting reduced to double-digit life by a suitably-placed Aqualung? The sounds of whacking and spell-casting are what really ruin the appreciation of any sad piece of music even more than angry and nasty emotions. A total, thorough waste. Still, sadder than anything preceding it." 1. FFVI : Coin Song, Aria de Mezzo Carattere, Cyan's Theme, Gau's Theme, Rachel's Theme, Daryl's Theme "The 'Coin Song' is the slow version of Figaro Castle's music, Daryl's Theme is a slow version of Setzer's. I don't know why they had to put all of the best character songs ever created together, but they did. To find out more about just why I find the slow versions of FFVI characters' theme songs so moving, read some of the earlier rankings to see my views about the characters in the first place. For example, with Celes and Rachel's music, it shifts the focus from whether Locke and Celes actually love each other, as one would think, to the degree of pain both and Rachel have suffered, thus causing sadness rather than endless speculating about character compatibility. The ability to turn from grand, funny, or easy-going to sad with just the subtraction of a few beats per minute is an incredible one." Music I Recommend : "Okay, this one is short and unranked. i'll just mention a few songs from each game that I really, really like, that I haven't mentioned already. More often than not, these are also the tunes that I can remember despite not having played the respective games for, well, a month or so ... hehe *scratches head*. Since I obviously don't know the real names of the songs, I'll just mention the place where you can hear them. So you could compare, and see if my tastes are similar to yours. Obviously, this doesn't include songs that appear in (almost) every game, like the victory fanfare, the crystal song and the 'prelude'. Take a look!" FFIV : Red Wings, Baron Castle, Mt. Hobs, *Mysidia Town*, Palom and Porom, *Dwarf Castle*, Dr. Lugae FFV : The Pirates, *Hurry up!*, Hiryuu Mountain, Karnak Town, *Library of Ancients*, *Gilgamesh's Theme* FFVI : The Empire (both mixes), Mt. Kolts, *Returner's Hideout*, Jidoor Town, Zozo, Mog's Theme, *Thamasa*, Relm's Theme, Gogo's Theme FFVII : Shinra Inc., Mako Reactor (don't ask ...), The Turks, Yuffie's Theme (both mixes), Junon (both mixes), Rufus' Welcoming March, Gold Saucer, *Cosmo Canyon*, Wutai, *Ancient Temple*, The Weapons. Why so many? Because the exact midi is available on the internet =P FFVIII : *Triple Triad*, Dollet Town, *The Concert* (guitar, violin, flute, tap), Lunar Station FFIX : Tetra Master, Steiner's Theme, Zorn and Thorn, Friendly Monsters, *Quina's Theme*, Treno, Gargan Roo, *Black Mage Village*, Eiko's Theme "As a general pattern, I like funny (as in, humorous) sounding music, light soothing music, music with consistent rhythm, and music in melodic minor. That means I usually like the music for castles, mountains, and ancient places, which tend to follow this pattern, as well as the theme songs of funny characters. And of course the card games, preferring Triple Triad to Tetra Master (the game, as well). As you can see I put *asterisks* to show my two favourite songs, the exception being FFV where the Hurry! music isn't my favourite ... but it scares the hell out of me every time I hear it (thanks, Queen Karnak ... all your fault). I dislike drawn-out music, which is the dull kind you usually get in dungeons, as well as music that repeats very quickly, of which FFIX is a great sinner (Burmecia and Pandemonium come to mind). I dislike all saxophones. Sorry, jazz lovers, but I detest jazz in all its forms. FFVI and FFVII have fantastic music as a whole, I can safely say I like all FFVI character music, and absolutely all FFVII music except for those that appear during Sephiroth and Cloud's flashbacks (I ... dislike ... Sephiroth ...). Anyway, as a conclusion, I'd say it's all by Uematsu Nobuo, it's all good. So enjoy all of it." posted by Charlotte | 3:35 pm (0) comments Tuesday, February 10, 2004 And now for the next installment of my ceaseless griping and whinging and whining and blathering and babbling and blubbering and blustering and complaining and blabbering and minging and proselytising and ranting and ... *gasp* ... out of breath. Anyway, it's so crude and hideous that maybe I should call it "Final Rant-tasy" or "Final Fan-nasty" or something like that, except that it's not the final one. Hopefully the next should do it. But until then I bid you caveat emptor. And remember that all opinions are sorely, er, solely my own, and if you disagree then tough. Well, you could always tell me you disagree, and I won't stop you from disagreeing, but I'm not changing my mind. So there. Best Fight Music "Okay ... as I said, I was going to think about music because, well, just about half of Square's successes in this day and age are thanks to Uematsu Nobuo, that nice man who composed all the music ever since, well, since FF3. Which means that all music created in all the games I'm looking at would have all been created by him, so it's not a ranking of 'best music', but more the 'best attempt at music' since it's by the same person. And I promise all this will be short because ... how are you supposed to describe how you like music? I'm not a musician, so unless I compared 'badabum bum bum!' to 'tan tara!', which I won't, it would be hideously difficult for me to say why I like it. So I shan't. First, the average walkabout fight music with non-boss monsters because that is probably the tune you hear most often in the game, and it has to be good otherwise if you hated it every fight would be insanely irritating. And I'm not writing the 'titles' of the songs because they're monstly in Japanese, the kanji of which I can't read." 6. FFVIII "Since you hear the fight music so often, it's probably something that sticks on your head for all the time you play the game and for ages after. And I can get the first few bars of every single fight music ... except for FFVIII's. The problem, I think, is that many tunes in FFVIII start with 'preludes' that you don't hear again for as long as the music repeats ... a good example would be the various character themes in FFVI ... However, those beginnings are memorable, while those of FFVIII just aren't and so you can't remember the song. And FFVIII is the only FF to have two regular fight musics, and unless you are a rabid fan of techno music you will agree that the Laguna battle music is one of the most singular and monotonous songs ... in FFVIII, at the very least. It has a beat, at least, but don't all battle musics have that?" 5. FFVI "Um, FFVI has one of the shortest battle music loops of all. It gives a nice metallic feel to the battles, which, after all, take place in a world devoid of magic and overrun with technology, but otherwise it just doesn't last long enough to merit more than a passing mention." 4. FFIV "FFIV's battle music propogates the precursor to many other fight musics in the games after that ... start with bass and then bring in the instruments (it actually began all the way from FFII), so I guess it deserves merit for being popular enough to merit being featured again in the other games, FFVI, FFIX, and the first few bars of FFVII. I though the music 'expanded' too quickly into loud chords so it can actually get tiring listening to it over and over again. Especially when you are getting the nonsense beaten out of you in the Land of Summoned Monsters or the Sylph Cave." 3. FFV "This is unparalleled. The fight music actually has a melody! This is the song I remember the most in FFV, although on hindsight I feel it certainly isn't the best. But ... it has a melody! Other fight musics simply serve as background for you to, well, waltz along to on the field, but this one takes centrestage. Fight music may be addictive, but if you actually walk around humming it you've either been playing far too much FF, or you've been playing FFV for half an hour." 2. FFIX "Uematsu really perfected the theme that started in FFII with the FFIX battle music. It builds enough, is climatic enough, and one might even say trance-inducing, and it sounds great even repeated many many times especially during irritating super-monster non-boss fights, like Tantarian. I lavish absolute praise on this. The only problem is that it doesn't really conform to the cutesy nature of all the FFIX characters ... it's difficult to imagine, oh say Vivi, Garnet, Quina and Eiko beating up evil monsters to that tune as they bounce around." 1. FFVII "Right, I lavish absolute praise on FFIX's fight music but the FFVII one takes the cake. For starters, it has two drumbeats! The star feature of fight music just got better. The same stuff, great building, great climax, a joy to hear even many many times. The best part of all is, the midi instrumental used in FFVII is strangely synchronous to my ears ... though the instruments are artificial, it evokes as much feeling as a real instrumental. Furthermore, you can play the music on your computer just as you hear it in the game, with no quality loss, since all computers can play midi. Isn't that the best?" Best Boss Music : "Okay, this one will be short, since it's basically just evaluating a different set of fight music. Simply saying that one game has better fight music than the other would be rather misleading since although it is the most common tune, it isn't the only prominent one that appears, in the case of boss fights." 6. FFVIII "This is strange. I find this one of the best pieces of music in FFVIII, which I don't particularly favour the music of very much, because it is endowed with a great melody all throughout its length ... the longest boss music of all, which doesn't make you feel bored. The problem? Perhaps the game's directors thought so little of it that it hardly ever appears in the game itself, the real fights often displaced by the sorceress music Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec. What a waste. But it's largely techno, so there it goes." 5. FFVII "Oops, the other way around. No, it's not because the music is bad, but ... in comparison to the other great tunes you find in this musical game this is one of those that stand out the least. And the boss theme is supposed to be more impressive than the average fighting music, but it isn't ... really ... and you don't hear it much after the first disc." 4.FFIX "Again, another game where the boss music was really great but oftentimes was displaced by some other piece. Bonus points for sounding really profound and threatening, although one must note that just as FFIX's battle theme was partly lifted off FFIV's, FFIX's boss theme was also partly lifted off FFV's. But the few times that you do hear it, for example the Black Waltz fights, make it memorable and exciting enough to deserve a higher placing." 3. FFV "For some reason the FFs after FFVI made much less use of 'boss music' than the others, so this is the category where the older FFs are unfairly ahead, isn't it? Anyway, just as FFV has the most evil villain of all it also has the most evil boss music of all. Well, actually FFIX's is more evil, but it was lifted off of FFV's, which did very well to strike a balance between the challenge of fighting and the harrowing feeling of confronting a big boss. Of which there were many." 2. FFIV "Just as FFV provided unorthodox fight music, FFIV's boss music was unorthodox. It wasn't fierce or harrowing at all, in fact it was a pretty "fun" sounding boss music. Um ... thinks FFIX characters hopping along to that, maybe. I'm easily swayed by things in FF that put the fun factor above all, so this would be one of it. It's too bad that Cecil remains all stony-faced despite being surrounded by all manner of goofy and wacky personalities for much of the game." 1. FFVI "This also gets the merit of the shortest boss music of all. However, unlike the fight music, they squeezed so much rhythm and harmony into such a short piece that you find yourself enjoying it, yet when it begins to repeat you can't remember just what it was that was so great as you begin to enjoy it again. Not simply value for space, but for the general thrill as a whole." Best Villain Music : "I've already gone through all of this so I'll just put it down again to be sure. The results, of course, don't conform with my 'favourite villain' rankings since they're based on something else altogether, however, they are a major factor in determining just how great the villain really is. 6. FFVII : Sephiroth "You know, people old enough to play FF won't be scared by that kind of music any more. It makes you feel as if you're watching a B-horror movie. Also, I recently realised that the beginning of the actual music was partly lifted off of ExDeath's music. Sad, huh?" 5. FFIX : Kuja "Nice piano (I always enjoy piano in any game music) but not much else. It sounded like a great piece of FF music, the problem is that like so many parts of FFIX it was just bits of FF throughout the years pieced together, without necessarily making the whole any superior to the mere sum of its parts. And there are better tunes in FFIX." 4. FFVIII : Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec "Haha ... like Edea hypnotising the innocent citizens of Deling City this song will put you into a trance-like state. Plus, it is one of the few songs with voices in FF that I actually liked (no, I do not like Garnet singing, sorry!). You can even dance along to it, it makes a great cha-cha, I think. But you-know-who had to come along and spoil the great sorceress love affair, and no we are not talking about Squall or Ultimecia here." 3. FFVI : Kefka "Uwee-hee-hee! Funny evil villain music. Like him, the music is really funny while at the same time not the most pleasant thing in the world. Methinks that Yuffie's music in FFVII was lifted off Kefka's, since it uses the same instrument (and Eiko's was, in turn, lifted off Yuffie's). Villain music so good it merits a double (or triple) feature. The problem is, however, it's funny not so much because the music itself will make you laugh out loud, but it's rather Kefka doing what he does with the music playing." 2. FFIV : Golbez "This should be the ultimate evil villain music after Darth Vader's Imperial March ... well, since they're as good as the same person. The only reason why it's topped by ExDeath is because Golbez's song expresses only one emotion ... typical of the single-mindedness of the mind-controlled, while on the other hand ExDeath ..." 1. FFV : ExDeath "This evil person has two great pieces of music all for him, one when talking to him and when fighting with him. People who enjoy twisted music will savour this, since it blends the evilness of Darth Golbez and the mischievous nature of Kefka to create a truly warped piece of music that brings out both his destructiveness and his wickedness. One of the best pieces of music in a game with some of the best music of all." EDIT : Somehow, a typo went unnoticed for a week. What a shame. posted by Charlotte | 3:27 pm (0) comments Monday, February 09, 2004 - The Wayward, Part V.i - 19. They saw me. Let's hit the nail on the head. "Aah! I didn't do anything! Don't shoot me!" I screamed as I threw my hands in the air. It wasn't a good idea to get into trouble when one had no idea of where they were, or just who was approaching, so it was better to be safe. Although maybe I should cut down on the hysterics a bit. The newcomer trudged into a view, a thirty-something year old man with neat brown hair, and dressed in a simple set of plain shirt and long trousers. He wore a small straw cap which shielded his face from the sun, and bore not guns or knives or any other dangerous weapons but a small wheelbarrow which he dragged along behind me. "Hey, if I'd a bow, and I wanted to shoot you, you'd be dead before you'd scream," remarked the man, whose face wore a look more of confusion than aggression, "But I don't, on both counts, so anyway, what's your name and what're you doing on government property? Tell me now." he intoned as he took out a handy notepad and pencil from his pocket to begin jotting down information. "Well, I'm ..." then I paused as I realised that it wasn't the smartest thing to do to tell a stranger all about yourself, especially if there was no one to flee to if you needed a quick escape. Let's try being evasive. "You mean this wreck is government property? Why would any government want to own a destroyed place?" "Hey, of course the government didn't intend that it'd be destroyed!" responded the man quickly, "This was formerly a government building. However, whatever was in it and why it got destroyed is none of either my buisiness or my knowledge, and it shouldn't be of any of yours. I don't know anything about it, and even if I did I'm not authorised to tell you anything. I'm just here ... as you can see ..." he indicated his wheelbarrow, "just picking up whatever pieces that are left, to return to the government." "So ..." I thought a little, before passing a rather snide comment, "So you're just the messenger?" "I'd suppose you'd put it that way ..." the man muttered, before shooting me a glare that told me he wanted to get back on track, "But I am authorised, however, to apprehend anyone who may inhibit me in carrying out my task of carrying out the salvage operation, and that includes all unauthorised personnel who may enter the area. That includes you. So ... name, please?" "Hey, wait!" That feeling of apprehension that comes about before telling anyone about yourself was high in me, "I'm not telling you anything until I have some proof that you work for the government ... the government of ... where?" Come to think of it, he claimed to be working on behalf of a government of some kind, yet I had no idea just which, or what government it was. How careless of me. "Here it is ..." he replied as he reached into a compartment along his tool belt and fished out a yellowed, weatherbeaten scroll, unfurling it for me to read. Well, I couldn't read it, because it was written in an absurd scribble that I could not comprehend, but he read it out for me anyway, "This document hereby affirms that Io Aoi (the greatest mercernary, bounty-hunter and odd-job labourer in the land, yours truly, of course) has been commissioned by the government of the Kingdom of Va World to investigate the cause of the recent destruction of a government laboratory near Ouaiie, and to bring back any tools or equipment which can be salvaged from it. He is also authorised to apprehend ..." he repeated, "anyone who may inhibit him in carrying out his tasks. Signed and sealed by his most royal majesty the king of Va World and his loyal Grand Minister. The end." As he concluded, he rolled it up such that it was impossible for me to match the words to the illegible scribbles on the scroll, although I did notice a rather gaudy seal composed of geometric shapes proudly stamped on its bottom right corner. "Va World? Ouaiie? Is this some kind of joke or something?" Fine, I had just about no idea where I was, but telling me that I was in a place that couldn't be found on the world map was really carrying it too far, "If you're trying to pull a fast one on me, it's not a particularly good lie, you know." "Lie? A lie?" the man glared at me as if either him or me suddenly had the light switch flicked off in their brains, "Excuse me, impudent girlie, but do you even know what you're saying? Or where you are, for that matter?" I ... Impudent? G ... girlie? Yeah, sure, I was pathetic and lost but ... but well, I guess he's right. I had no idea where I was. "I give up ..." I sighed as once again I threw up my hands, "I have no idea where I am. I'll answer your questions, no matter how inquisitive or penentrating or downright rude they are." "Good. So, name?" came the blindingly obvious. "Charlotte ... Charlotte Tan ... C H A ..." I was kind enough to spell it out for him as he scribbled something furiously on his notepad that certainly didn't look like any handwriting I could perceive. "Purpose?" he interrupted without waiting for me to finish the spelling. Well, I guess that was to be expected since my dallying had delayed him for quite a substantial period of time. "I ... well ..." I stammered, knowing full well that it was just my luck to blunder into a place where I was just not supposed to be, but not allowed to be, "No reason. I was lost, so I followed the road and got here." Leaving out, of course, the intrepid adventures I had experienced with my untalkative companion who, strangely enough, was nowhere to be seen for once. "You certainly don't live around here," he remarked as he was about to write something, but probably found it redundant and left it out, "If you did, you'd know that trespassers are prohibited from the government property at the end of the road here." "Oh, forgive my trespasses," I murmured as I played around with a piece of rock with the back of my foot, while my hand was in my pocket gingerly fingering the small ring that the creature had dropped for me, right from the beginning. "Right, I'm done with you," he concluded as he flipped the page of the notepad back over and put it and the pencil back in his belt pocket, "Now get out. I don't want to be responsible if you hurt yourself or anything here, girlie." "Grr ... oh shut up with the girlie thing ..." I grumbled. He and I were about to turn around to go our separate ways, when it dawned upon my very much forgetful mind to ask him to get me back to civilisation, "By the way, mister Arowy," "Don't wear it down, kid, Io will do," he replied in a casually good-mannered fashion as he turned back to glance at me, "What might you want from me?" "Um ... well ..." this was kind of hard to explain, "You know, well, I'm lost right now, and since you're heading back to town or government property or whatever ..." "I'm going straight to the palace with whatever I get from here. I don't know what they found here that was so important, but I don't see much of value here ... what, you want to hitch a ride?" "Uh, er, yeah, that's about it ..." I mumbled out the difficult situation I faced, hoping that he would understand ... "No way!" The answer was firm enough, reinforced by the way he pulled back in shock as if I had just exploded at him. "W ... what? Why not? I know it's an inconvenience for you, and I can't pay you or anything, and if anything happened to me you might get held responsible ... but ..." But really, there wasn't any reason why he ought to have me along. I'd just get in his way. "No, no, no no no!" he insisted as he waved his hands threateningly in the air, "I've heard of people ... of girls like you, who hitch rides with travellers to lead them into temptation ("Wha ...?"), or maybe you're one of those innocent looking kids who're actually part of a band of highway robbers to trick people like me into an ambush ("No ...") or maybe you're an evil spy who's going to kill me, hijack my cart and sell all its contents to the villains of Consonance!" Wait, I just had to draw the line here. "You just said you didn't find anything valuable here! Why would I want to steal ... steal worthless old trash and heaps of twisted metal from you? Look, I'm really lost and I need some help. Couldn't you be, like, a nice person and help me here?" I pleaded. Obviously, not being the very persuasive sort, my whinging was getting me nowhere. "Well, I guess I could, if you'ld be a doll and help me find whatever it was that they wanted me to look for." he considered, much to my consternation ... and irritation. Doll? But there really wasn't any harm in helping him, if doing that helped me to get out of here. "There's a metal ... room over there that looks like it's still standing. I was looking into it before you came ... is that what you're looking for?" "There is?" He took a few steps forward until he was within arm's length, before his face lit up with joy, "Hey, you're right! I guess it's careless of me to say I've not found anything when I haven't even searched the other half of the place, heheh." It certainly is, good sir. The straw-capped man took a few steps past me before I ventured to ask him the question again. "So ... does that mean you'll help me get out of here?" "Well ... since you're already here ..." he considered for the moment as he stroked his cleanly-shaved chin, "I guess it's my duty to 'apprehend' you since I found you on restricted property, and I guess you might've already seen some things you shouldn't ... so my final guess is that if you help me load whatever it is on the cart, I'll arrest you and bring you back to the palace. Okay?" "I ... well ... I guess ..." I repeated as he grinned to reveal an unbroken line of neat teeth that needed nothing except a week's worth of constant brushing, "Although ... you really are going to 'arrest' me, are you?" "What, are you thinking something dirty?" he accused as he gave me that baffled look of his again. "No ... I mean ... you're not going to just bring me there, are you? Are you really going to hand me over to ... to the police or something?" "The palace's elite guards, actually. I'm sure they'll have a few words to say to you," he answered succinctly, jolting me a little, "But if you don't like that, I suggest you run as fast as you can away from here before I begin to remember your presence." "It looks like I don't have a choice," I sighed as I lifted my hands forward like a convict about to be handcuffed, "Arrest me. Just get me out of here." "No worries," he replied, ignoring my outstretched hands as he walked forward again until he could see around the corner of the metallic room, "But ... what's that, I'd like to know." "What?" I scrambled forward, slightly energised by the new lease of, well, life, and caught a glimpse of what he was pointing to ... the creature which I had followed all the way from the cliffside, all swaddled up in its laboratory clothing, and standing still just beside the entrance of the metallic room ... just as I had ordered it to do. Surprising. "Actually, that's a ... well ... a thing that's ..." "I was thinking it might've been the treasure the government was wanting me to bring back to them ..." considered the man, carefully surveying the cloaked and hooded creature, "but it doesn't seem that something like that could have been left standing if this building really exploded." "Er, no, it didn't ..." I corrected him, noticing how he seemed to become more casual and less aggressive after I had so painfully begged to follow him, "It followed me ... um ... well ... I followed it here, from a outside a farm up the road. It led me here, so maybe it escaped from here when whatever that destroyed this place happened." "Maybe. Well, I'll keep that in mind," commented the explorer as he took a few more steps forward toward the entrance, "But if I didn't find in here in the wreckage, it mightn't be the thing, so I'll keep looking. Like in that metal thingy, there," he indicated the room. "Well, let's see if you can get it open," I remarked, before I called out to the creature to move aside for him. Hey, it worked several times without me actually expecting anything to happen, so maybe it could really be listening to me, "Hey, move aside, will you?" "What?" Io Aoi, intrepid explorer, exclaimed from in front of the entrance to the metal room, "I'm just about to ... whoa! The thing is moving!" "I ... I kind of told it to, I guess ..." I shrugged as the creature slithered forward, the tails of the coat trailing on the ground, until it assumed a position a short distance from the entrance which its hood gazed at unwaveringly. "What, is it your pet, or something?" he asked, "What a strange pet to have. What is it?" "I don't know ... it just started listening to me when we got here," I replied, while observing the abomination to see if it reacted to whatever I was saying. It wasn't a command, and if the creature heard it, it didn't react, "I don't know what it is and I don't want to find out ... after it did something nasty to me." Oh, I shan't forget that for quite some time. "We can find out later, while we load up the cart," he concluded as he rapped upon the metal door, before banging on it, kicking it fervently and even throwing himself against it, "Assuming I get this door open, that is. Why don't you give me a hand here?" "Right." And so, as prisoner of the ... well ... kingdom or empire of Va World or whatever, Charlotte stepped forward to fulfill her first menial task. - Your adventure abcdefghijklmopqrstuvwxyz here. It doesn't n - posted by Charlotte | 3:22 pm (0) comments Sunday, February 08, 2004 - A Way with Words, Part V.i - 17. Better safe than sorry, I always say. I'd best stay out of trouble's way. "All right ..." I sighed at last, after struggling to come to the painful, yet very obvious decision, "I'm going to try avoiding making a spectacle of myself. You lead the way, okay?" "You've made the right choice!" she laughed gleefully with a tinge of sadism, like a playful little boy who has just got his hands on his sister's toys, "Of course, that makes sense, since I do live around here. Follow me!" As she batted me aside to scramble in front, I had that shrinking feeling that made me feel that I was just one of the little dolls in her hand. Brr. "And don't go around causing more trouble with that 'princess' thing, all right?" I reminded her a little more sternly as I fell in line behind the frolicking kid. Finishing my apple, I tossed the core into a nearby bin. "Hehe ... don't worry, you can trust me!" she grinned, with that familiar glint in her eyes and her teeth which reeked of evil intentions. But what was I to do? I was helpless ... and hopeless, too. "By the way, Aei," I asked her a few moments later, while we had to give way for a carriage which happened to be trundling past, "Just where is this place?" "What, didn't you already know?" she replied while lifting her soft eyebrows, clearly not expecting the question, "This is Ouaiie, a happy farming town located in the middle of prime agricultural land, which just happens to enjoy a picturesque landscape at the same time! Maybe you could live here someday, it's the most beautiful place in the country!"Heh. She sounded a little like an overpersuasive real estate agent. "For that matter," I asked, not sounding particularly impressed at her description, "Have you actually lived anywhere else?" "I ... um ..." she fell silent for the moment, and remained still even as the carriage passed allowing us to return to walking along the main road, "I don't really know ... whether I have." That wasn't a particularly thoughtful question to ask, I guess. Upon hindsight, I remembered it wasn't nice to ask about such things. "I'm sorry ..." I murmured as she continued plodding along at a slightly less cheerful place, "I didn't mean to ... well, anyway, why don't you show me around town? Since you live here, you should know this place like the back of your hand, so you probably know where to go next." "Why ... of course I do!" she remarked as she beamed at me with a newly-restored smile, this time one that I felt comfortable with, "I'll take you to the marketplace ... I always follow my father there when he has to bring the produce up from the farm ... he definitely needs help at his age. I know lots of people there, some of whom come from all parts of the country and might be able to help you. I'll get you home with no problems, you'll see." Appropriately enough, she grabbed the back of my hand and tugged me along in her eager childlike way. "Speaking of which ..." I burbled as I struggled to catch up in order to avoid the dislocation of my shoulder, "I don't think I've heard of a town called Ouaiie ... what country is this?" "My, goodness me!" she exclaimed in near-fright as she let go of my hand to stare at me like I was a freak of nature, "You don't even know which country you live in?" "I mean ..." I corrected as I dusted off my sleeves, "I ... I know which country I ought to be living in, I think, but I don't live in this country and that is for sure." "Eh?" she stammered, before giving me an even wider glare, "Then ... then you're from Consonance! And if the people here find out that you're from there, you'll be killed! But ... but ..." "Killed?" I wasn't from Consonance or whatever place that was, that much was certain, but the verb, and the thought of what it meant to my little life sent a shiver down my spine, "But ... what?" "But ... you speak our language. So you must live around here, right?" she pleaded, grabbing on to my shoulders with her pale little hands, "Please tell me you're from Va World! I don't want my new friend being killed right before my eyes!" "Consonance? Va World?" Um, if those two words were the names of countries, they meant as much to me as Liliput and Brobdingnag, "What I'm definitely certain about, is that I don't come from either country." "I ... well ... that's a relief, I guess," she heaved a sigh as she let go of my shoulders to hold her hands to herself, "But ... I don't know. There is Consonance, and there is Va World, and if you're not from one, you're from the other. And if you're caught in one, and you're from the other, you'll be killed. It's not even a good idea to talk about the other country while in your own, unless it involves invading and killing them. I'm definitely certain about that!" "Anyway ..." I considered, as we resumed our steps to avoid drawing the stares of passers-by, "Since we all speak English, I guess I shouldn't be killed, then." "You speak English?" This word, on the other hand, seemed foreign to her, "I've never heard of it. But we speak Va Worlds here, and I can understand you perfectly! You're certainly a strange person, dear Charlotte! Do you come from a place called English, too?" "Er, no, I don't ..." I attempted to correct her, but having returned to her usual babbling self it was clear that she had not heard me at all, "Excuse me, but I don't ..." "Hmm ... but since we can understand each other, maybe English is somewhere around here. Maybe someone at the market can tell us how to get to this place called English. Maybe ... maybe English is just a town somewhere in Va World, although it doesn't sound like one, and your English is just a dialect of the national language! Ah, yes, that must be right! I'll be sure to ask my parents about it when I get home ..." "I give up ..." I sighed as I desparately tried to hide myself while still keeping behind this walking chatterbox who was quickly drawing the attention of anyone and everyone around her. After we passed another small stretch of houses with beautifully ornamented gardens, we reached what was presumably the centre of the town of Ouaiie. Well, it sounded like "over here", and that was good enough for me. With a small fountain spraying water in the middle of the crossroads, Ouaiie reminded me of an ordinary town ... one in the middle of 1800s Europe, perhaps. While explaining to me the various amenities available and the numerous natural resources that the people of the township were gifted with, Aei took a left turn in the direction of the coastline. Apparently, the road led down to the docks where fishermen brought in their daily haul, and in a clever stroke of urban planning the entire street seemed to be designated as a large marketplace, with grocers, butchers and miscellaneous salespeople catering to shoppers travelling to and from the docks. With the street enjoying a splendid view of the open sea, I was also careful to keep my dress straight under the duress of perpetual gusts of wind, for that would not prove a very pleasant sight to people around me. "Aei? Oh, nice to see you!" exclaimed a portly old lady who happened to be running a fruit stand, "Here's another basket of fruit from our storage for your family this week. Your father's cows must be doing pretty well, the milk you passed me the day before was delicious!" The lady handed her a wooden basket covered by a soft piece of cloth, while a rosy apple peeked out from underneath one of its folds. "Thank you, Aunt Eua!" laughed Aei as she received the basket, while repaying the kindly grocer with little more than her cheeky grin. Apparently, the townsfolk here often carried out barter trade, which was another reason why it was important to be friendly to your neighbourhood stall owners, "Can I have a moment of your time, please? My friend Charlotte here needs a bit of help getting home." "Oh? The lovely girl behind you?" complimented the old lady in a tone so friendly it set my ears standing. I could do little other than bow slightly to indicate my most humble acknowledgement. "She doesn't look like she's from around here. What do you need from me?" "Er, have you heard of a place called ... what is it ... English?" Aei asked pleasantly. Apparently, I had sought not to attempt to correct her of the fact that I wasn't from a place called 'English' for the simple reason that anyone who had the slightest clue as to what 'English' meant would be exceedingly helpful in helping me get home. "Um ... no ... sorry ..." the shopkeeper apologised, "I can't say I've heard of it. Maybe you could ask some of the other people around here?" "All right, I'll try," replied Aei, without the slightest hint of dismay in her tone, while my heart sank a little, "Thanks for listening, anyway. I'll be off now." "You're welcome, Aei," responded the lady, naturally, "See you again!" Aei took her leave, and, holding on to the basket with one hand and pulling me along with the other ("We're still young, you know! Can't you go a bit faster?") we visited the next stall. And the next. And the next. But apparently, no one at all appeared to have heard of a place called 'English'. "English, you say?" replied Eou, the blacksmith, whose well-toned voice belied the hash nature of his job, "I don't know of any place by that name." "English?" repeated a shapely lady who was trading the daily catch while her husband sliced and treated the fish behind her, "What a strange name. Maybe you could try asking some of the older people around here." "English ... English, that it, lass?" Oai, the butcher endowed with the strikingly manicured white beard of a sage, considered, "Methinks I have heard of it ..." "Really, you have?" I could not help breaking into the conversation. Having been repeatedly disappointed with numerous professions of ignorance, it was only natural that I should grasp at even a thorn, "Tell me, how do we get there from here?" "It be somewhere near Eoua, I ken..." offered the butcher, much to my surprise since English, obviously not being a real place, should have a location of any kind, "Ye'd need ta walk half-wie across the country ... all luck ta ye, milady." "Um ... well ..." I hesitated. Iowa? Just where the heck was I? "Are we in America or something?" Aei glanced at me in shock and nearly dropped the fruit basket as the words left my lips. "Eh? Ye daft lass, this be Va World, home of the most braw stock of the land. Ye be one a those vermin from the other country?" Er ... I didn't know what I had just got myself into here. In any case, it wasn't a good idea to irritate someone who wielded a heavy cleaver with one hand. "Er, ah, no! No sir!" interrupted Aei just in time to save my neck from being on the chopping board, "She's one of us ... just that ... she's a bit confused, or something ..." "Aye, then go clear ye head before ye speak with me again, understood?" rebuked the aged butcher, before turning back to the meat that I would rather have on someone else's dining table. "Damn it, Charlotte," she cussed, a little shocking coming from someone who had done her best to be pleasant and polite so far, "You promised not to get in the way just now, didn't you? I don't want to get in trouble with anyone in town because of you, all right?" "Right ... sorry ..." Yes, my response was probably a bit too enthusiastic to be acceptable. I guess I had better keep my head low and hide until ... "Hey, you! You scoundrel! You ratbag! You snivelling, uncouth wastrel!" called out someone from up the street in an accent which didn't sound like that of anyone from around here, "Unhand me this instance! I'll have you know that you are manhandling royalty here, and that is totally unacceptable! If I find out your names, I shall have you next on the death row! You hear me, you barbaric pigs, you flesh-eating savages ..." As the insults rained down on someone whom I couldn't see, from someone whom I couldn't see, but in a tone I could very distinctly perceive as foreign, my curiosity leapt up again. Another stranger, like me? "Aei ... I'd like to ask you," I requested as I tapped her lightly on her shoulder to draw her attention, "Can we go back up? I heard someone strange from up there." "Really? I didn't hear anything," Aei replied with that look of wonderment which I had recently become very familiar with, "Did you hear what that person was saying? If I heard it, I couldn't make out a thing." "Well, surely you should be able to hear it!" I insisted as my feet tensed up, ready to dash back up the hill, "I heard every insult and rude word that man said, and I could even pick out his accent! Listen!" "How dare you treat a high-ranking person like me with such disrespect! If only I could see your commanding officer, I'd have him dismiss you from your post this very instant! I'll pin your portrait against the wall and fence with it as a bedtime activity! I shall gleefully mutilate your corpse and throw fungus on your grave! I shall ... (et cetera)" "Look, I don't know what you're saying," a person gruffly intoned in a voice barely loud enough to be discerned, "But if you don't shut up and stop struggling, we're going to have to chain you up." "What," Aei turned to me again, "The guards are going to chain someone up. Is that what you heard?" "Well ... yes ..." I stammered, "That and more! Didn't you hear that other guy flinging insults and other ridiculous threats at him? He sounds drunk, and yet somehow aware of what he's saying." "I don't hear anything else! Really!" insisted Aei, as she almost stamped her little foot over mine, "You must be hearing things! All I hear is just a babble, a noise ..." "This is useless. I'm going back up," I stated flatly as, without waiting for the stunned girl to respond, I galloped back up the hill as fast as I could manage. "Really, that Charlotte ..." groaned Aei as she followed rather unwillingly, carrying the basket of fruit with both her hands, "She's so weird, if she didn't say so herself I'd think she really was the princess." Charlotte got the fruit! Cha-ching! Mmm ... fruit. Yummy. - Your adventure ends. Well, eventually, at least, though I don't know when - posted by Charlotte | 3:55 pm (0) comments Disclaimer : The Slayers and Filia Ul Copt and all images thereof are the property of Hajime Kanzaka and Rui Araizumi. I don't own any of them, although if I had a choice I would want Filia ... ~//n_n\\7 |
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