Let Me Speak First Of Revelations
And Next Of Dark Deceit
Then I'll Speak Of Champions
Of Lovers, Gods, And Beasts
My Song Is Long And Twisted
It Worms, It Winds, It Wends
It Carries Few, It Drowns Many
And Those I Love, It Rends
My Song Has Taken Hold Of Me
It Grips My Tongue, My Throat
My Voice Cries Truths I Never Knew
And To Fight Is Just To Choke
So Let Me Dwell Eternal
And In Ruined Flesh Ascend
For My Song Has No Beginning...
And The Current Flows On Without End
If I Could Trace With Bloodless Fingers
If My Hands Could Shape The Flow
I'd Bear This Song To The Precipice
And Rend Us Both To Dust Below
We'd Both Go Plunging Downwards
One Final Fall From Grace
I'd Howl, I'd Scream In Victory
And We'd Be Gone Without A Trace
But We'll Never Be Rid Of Each Other
My Song, My Sorrow and I
So I'll Bear It Trembling Onwards
To Drift On, To Dream, To Die
And Where My Final Footsteps Fall
Something Dreadful Shall Arise
Its Gaze Shall Fall O'er Trembling Plains
Its Wrath Shall Scald The Sun
And Where Its Howling Forebears Walked
Some Day There Shall Be None
The Wise Man Knows The Taste Of Rot
All Lovers Part As Dust
And Even The Kings In Their Bowers Of Steel
Shall Wither In Ruin And Rust
This Rotten World Shall Wheeze Its Last
This Hateful Hymn Shall Cease
But As My Last Breath Splits My Throat
I'll Wheeze Through Splintered Teeth
One Last Song Of Revelations
Of Prophets' Dark Deceptions
Of Love, And Gods' Defeat
Once We Get Up There is supposed to be THE villain song of season 2. Is it really, though? Let's see.
ONCE WE GET UP THERE VS HELL IS FOREVER
Once We Get Up There is the second song of 2X1, so it shares the same spot as Hell Is Forever in 1x1. The two pieces are villain songs that fulfill a similar role, as they have to establish who the villains are, what they want and why they are dangerous. At the same time, Once We Get Up There presents itself as the opposite of Hell Is Forever for two reasons.
1- Big Bad Villain VS Villain Trio
Hell Is Forever is a solo song, a shortened rock-concert, where Adam gets to shine as an idol. Once We Get Up There is instead a group song. The title itself says it all. It is Once WE Get Up There, which shows the Vees are a team, a villain unit. This is conveyed by both the lyrics and the visuals.
Lyrics
Vox uses the "we" throughout almost the whole song and calls ALL the Vees gods with the expression "unholy trinity".
Vox: Once we get up there
And snag that angelic throne
Our unholy trinity could make their realm our own
The beginning and the end of the song mirror each other. Vox opens up the musical number inviting Velvette and Val to join him (like you and you and me). Velvette and Val close it by singing the final chorus together with Vox (Once I... And I!... And I!).
Vox: With new management in charge
Like you, and you, and me
Vox: Once I...
Valentino: And I!
Velvette: And I!
The Vees: Get up there! (laughs)
The Vees all harmonize with each other. Sure, Velvette and Val sing together the most, but they also have solo parts and Vox and Val sing together here:
Vox and Valentino: And what's best is...
Velvette: That dumb princess showed us the way
Valentino: To make those haloed cabrónas pay!
Visuals
Vox opens up the song with a giant electric "V" aka the symbol of the group (and yes of Vox himself :P).
The visuals play with the Vees' colors. In the central part of the song they all appear with their defining color in the background (red for Val, pink for Velvette and blue for Vox).
Later on, Velvette and Val step on three platforms each: one red, one blue and one pink.
This shows that the Vees plan to social climb together by combining their abilities.
Their individual ascending platforms come together so they can dance arm in arm in the finale.
This may not be wanted, but considering the meaning of "platform" when it comes to technology, it's fun to imagine each one of the Vees on its own "platform" uniting into a bigger one as a metaphor of them creating their technological empire. Each one has their own "platform" and expertise that become intertwined with the others' to make the V-brand.
2- Angels VS Demons
Hell Is Forever is about an angel that uses his supposedly "moral high ground" to hurt weaker people:
Adam: Fair is fair, an eye for an eye!
And when all's said and done (Said and done)
There's the question of fun (Ah-ah)
And for those of us with Divine Ordainment
Extermination is entertainment!
Throughout his song, Adam constantly looks down on Charlie and puts himself on an elevated position.
Once We Get Up There is about a group of amoral demons that plan to take over Heaven. Once again both lyrics and visuals convey the Vees' nature and goal.
Lyrics - The Vees' Nature
The song is full of words and expressions that refer to the Vees' plan as an enterprise. Vox mentions a "new management in charge" and says "it's time for growth".
Vox: It's time for growth
Let's rule 'em both!
Take total control
This is not how a religious zealot speaks, but how a CEO does. In this way the Vees immediately set themselves up as very different villains from the Exorcists. The latters are brainwashed soldiers that are dangerous because of their numbers and their strength. The formers are a trio of successful business-partners that draw their powers from their influence and technology.
They are the "new money" of Hell, who strive to go higher:
The Vees: What's an overlord to a deity?
They ain't got a prayer!
In this way the religious symbolism of the series is tied with the concepts of "modernity", "abundance" and "progress". For example, consider the idea of "the promised land":
Vox: Once we get up there
Up to the promised land
A hundred billion souls await our every command
This expression comes from religion, as it indicates a piece of land God promises to Abraham's descendants. At the same time, the myth of a "promised land" is often associated to the "American Dream" as the new continent was supposed to be a new Eden. Here, Vox uses the saying to mix together a religious rhetoric with some kind of "heavenly dream" propaganda. In this way Vox empties "religion" of any moral meaning. To be "religious" and "good" means to simply be "successful".
Visuals - The Vees' Goal
The song makes use of ascending platforms and stairs to symbolize the Vees' "climb" towards Heaven:
In particular, whenever the words "Once We Get Up There" are sung one or more characters ascend.
The first time, Vox goes higher while playing the piano on an ascending platform
The second time, Vox symbolically reaches "Heaven", as the "Golden Kingdom of God" appears behind him
The third time combines the first two "ascensions", as the Vees all go higher on moving platforms and dance in front of a background picture of "the golden promenade"
The fourth and final time has the Vees go even higher, as they exit the tower to look at their future Kingdom (Heaven)
THE VILLAIN SONG = DANGER + CHARACTER + THEME
Once We Get Up There does a great job establishing the Vees as different from Adam. Still, does the song fulfill what a good villain song should? To be specific, what does it tell us about:
The danger the villain represents?
Who the villain is?
Which themes the villain embodies in juxtaposition with the hero?
Let's see and let's focus on the season's true villain: Vox.
1- DANGER - VOX THE COMMUNICATOR
Vox displays here for the first time his strongest power: communication. He puts up a show to enthrall Valentino and Velvette, so that they will back his plan up. This is made clear since the song's opening:
Vox starts the song by playing the piano, as a flash of light is on him. In short, he sets it up as a theater performance. He is delivering a big show for his squad.
How does Vox's show work?
He makes use of:
Two rhetorical techniques
His main medium (TV)
1- Vox's Rhetoric
Vox's performance is built on two tricks:
Vox promises Velvette and Val what they want the most (a new market and new resources for their businesses)
Vox: Think of all your dreams that could come true
Valentino: Even the wet ones?
Vox: Yeah, those too! Imagine what it could enable!
Velvette: For my label!
Vox: Yes! A heavenly host that bows to none but us!
Valentino: I can have hot new angel sluts!
Velvette: Tear off their wings and make 'em dresses!
Vox progressively involves Velvette and Val, until they stop being spectators and start performing too. Specifically, Vox starts by singing "a slogan", interacts with the other two Vees in the middle part of the song and finally has them join in the final part, where they all sing the slogan together.
This modus operandi is not unique to Once We Get Up There, but Vox replicates it in other propaganda songs:
In Bad With With Us, Vox wins the Overlords over by promising to fulfill their desires, even if he has no proof Heaven is going to be this famous "Promised Land"
In VOX POPULI, Vox progressively involves the crowd, up until they all sing his slogan, just like Velvette and Valentino repeat Vox's refrain in Once We Get Up There
2- Vox's Medium
Vox uses TV aka his artistic medium in three different ways.
Background Screens
Vox uses the screens in his office as props in his show. He projects background images to embellish his narration. For example, Heaven's pearly gates and its holy cities are not just some imaginary setting. Vox truly projects them on the screens, so that they can serve as sets.
Multimedia Experience
Vox is the Media Overlord, so he is "multimedia" :P As a result, he freely goes from a theatre setting where he dances in front of a screen to inside the TV, where he can experiment with more daring angles. All in all, he bombards Velvette and Valentino with multiple stimuli, so that he can generate more engagement. Hence why he interacts with them and even harmonizes with them from the screens.
Holograms
Vox uses holograms as extras in his TV program. First he has a bunch of faceless winners carry him. Secondly, he materializes "bowing exorcists" to bait Valentino and Velvette to "climb the stairs" towards Heaven. In the next frame Val and Velvette interact with the exorcists to have "new hot angels slut" and to "tear off their wings and make them dresses". In short, Valentino and Velvette get to use Vox's holograms to imagine their happy futures and this brings them onboard. Isn't this one of the greatest powers of fiction? To make you feel as if you are experiencing your fantasies?
2- CHARACTER - VOX, THE FAKE GOD/KING
Who is Vox? Once We Get Up There does not answer the question directly, but it gives some hints, like his piano number at the beginning of the song:
Vox opens the musical number playing a piano, which ties into his foiling with Alastor, since the Radio Demon has a preference for this instrument. At the same time, Alastor uses a traditional piano, while I think Vox prefers an electric one (I can't tell for sure, 'cause I know very little about music).
Vox reveals that the piano actually played itself, which fits both Vox's technological attitude and his tendency to "fake" things. His very first musical performance in the season (the piano intro) is after all a fake.
Vox chooses the piano to imitate Alastor and he symbolically "steals" Alastor's art to appear better himself. This small moment sets up Vox's pattern to copy others and it shows Vox's obsession for Alastor. In a sense, Vox sees the Radio Demon as an ideal self he aspires to become.
So, Vox's first moments in the song hint at who he is: a fake, who takes from others to look better. This tendency to always perform and wear a mask comes up throughout the entirety of the song. After all, Once We Get Up There is very upbeat and does not feel threatening. It is a villain song masked as a Broadway razzle dazzle number. There is only one moment where the mask drops and both music and character show their "true colors":
Vox: And once we're gods, I can't wait to say...
To everyone who doubted me
Your doubting days are done!
You'll be cornered, trapped, and tortured
Then I'll end you, just for fun!
Here, both lyrics and music become more sinister (and electronic probably :P). It is a small window into Vox's real self. What does it say about him? Two things:
Vox is a fake King, just like Scar
Vox is a fake God, just like Adam
Vox and Scar - Fake Kings
Once We Get Up There references The Lion King's Be Prepared. The stanza above makes the allusion obvious visually:
In general, though, the entire song is strongly inspired by "Be Prepared".
Both Scar and Vox are planning to change the world order. Scar wants to be King and goes against the Circle of Life, whereas Vox wants to conquer both Hell and Heaven and goes against Heaven's Order. They use the song to convince others to support them. Both songs use:
Imagery linked to "climbing up" - The hyenas and Scar go higher as the earth brings them higher + The Vees climb stairs and ascend
Imagery linked to propaganda - Scar says hyenas will "never be hungry again"+ the hyenas march like an army in a dictorial state / Vox promises Velvette and Valentino whatever they want + Vox bombards Velvette and Valentino from multiple screens to better get through them
A final frame of the villains at the top of a tower with a moon-like object in the background. Interestingly, Scar and Vox are above the people they are singing to. They say they are doing this for the hyenas and the Vees, but they are actually acting only for themselves:
Vox and Adam - Fake Gods
The stanza sets Vox and Adam up as foils:
Adam: And for those of us with Divine Ordainment
Extermination is entertainment!
Vox: You'll be cornered, trapped, and tortured
Then I'll end you, just for fun!
After all, both speak of tormenting and killing others to get a kick out of it. They exercise violence for "entertainment" and "fun". Even more importantly both Adam and Vox are satanic archetypes, since they both want to become Gods (which is the Devil's Sin).
Adam makes it clear with his last words, where he compares himself to a God:
Adam: No... you don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam! I'm the fucking man, and you're just some fucking clown or something! I started everything on Earth! All of mankind came from these fucking nuts! You all should be worshipping me, you ungrateful, disgusting, fucking losers-!
Vox's whole song is about him wanting to become God. At the same time, Vox's "evil stanza" makes Vox's satanic motif very clear both visually and musically:
Visually
1-Vox goes down the stairs:
Vox is juxtaposed to Valentino and Velvette, who are ascending. The difference is also in the music. Val and Velvette are singing low-to-high notes, while Vox sings high-to-low-to-high
Vox goes down in a song, which is about him and the others "going up". This visual choice emphasizes how Vox is tricking himself and others. He talks of becoming God, but he is truly acting as the Devil.
2- Vox torments "Sinners" with fire in his imagination, just like the "Devil" would:
Musically
The following lyrics call back the idea of "never doubting God" and of "God punishing people who doubted him":
To everyone who doubted me
Your doubting days are done!
In other words, Vox and Adam are two satanic archetypes who act as fake Gods. This similarity is highlighted by Once We Get Up There with small parallels:
Both villains look down at the people of Hell from a position of power:
Both villains conjures "fake" exorcists to serve them during their musical numbers
Both are linked to the idea of "fake" during their villain songs in episode 1. As seen above, Vox fakes his piano playing, while Adam himself is a hologram hence he is a fake :P
In conclusion, Adam and Vox may superficially appear opposites, but they are very similar thematically. They are two satanic archetypes who want power for fun and are linked to the idea of "fake". Why these similarities? In a sense, Adam and Vox call out their respective Kingdoms' hypocrisy by being alike.
On the one hand Hell is going to cheer for Vox and to give him power without realizing he is just like the leader of the Exorcists that tormented them. They have escaped a violent abuser just to choose another one.
On the other hand Heaven acts as if Vox is a monster and calls his ideology blasphemous (which it is). Still, they are not as quick to call out Adam for the exact same behavior. In the end, even Vox's idea that if he wins he becomes God is really not that different from Heaven's own beliefs. I mean... it is not Vox, who came with the term "Winners" for people who are in Heaven. The angels are the ones who strongly links the idea of "goodness" with the idea of "success", "power" and "strength". All Vox does is to take their ideology and turn it against them.
Political Power + Religious Power
Once We Get Up There sets Vox up as a fake King (political power) and a fake God (religious power). This positions the Media Overlord as a foil to both Lucifer and Sera that he faces in episode 5 (VOX POPULI and VOX DEI). Here Vox successfully snatches for a little while both the political and the religious power:
Vox combines both Lucifer and Sera's poses in his. On the one hand he is in front of the Vee Tower (a symbol of political power) with his signature animal flying next to him, like Lucifer. On the other hand he is in front of Heaven (a symbol of religious power) with six wings and an eye in the middle, like Sera.
3- THEME - OUTSIDE VS INSIDE
What theme does Once We Get Up There convey? Why is it in juxtaposition with Charlie's ideals?
Vox and the Vees plan to reach Heaven physically, while Charlie wants the Sinners to do so spiritually. Both villains and hero want to "climb the ladder". However, for the Vees it is about "social climbing", while for Charlie it is about "redemption". This is something made clear in Hazbin Guarantee/Trust Us:
Charlie: We can live in harmony!
Valentino and Velvette: Why be nice when you can be famous?
Charlie: That's the Hazbin
The Vees: Sign and cash in!
Charlie: Guarantee!
Charlie wants people to change inside, while the Vees pursue an outside change. Charlie wants people to transform so they can fit better into the world. The Vees want the world to change, so it can better fit them.
TWO VILLAIN SONGS: ONCE WE GET UP THERE VS BRIGHTER
Once We Get Up There is definitely a well done villain song. Still, is it THE villain song of the season? Not really. The song that conveys who Vox truly is, his themes and why he is dangerous is without a doubt Brighter. In a sense, Vox has two big villain songs:
Once We Get Up There is Vox's facade. It is the villain song he performs for others.
Brighter is Vox's truth. It is the villain song he performs for himself.
As a result, the two songs have similar motifs, which are used in opposite ways.
Stairs: Friends VS Stepping Stones
In Once We Get Up There, the Vees climb a colorful stair that represents their team-work (red + blue + pink)
In Brighter Vox climbs a stair where each step is one of the people he used as stepping stones to go higher:
Screens: Outside VS Inside
In Once We Get Up There Vox's screens are part of his performance. He uses them to build an outside narrative
In Brither Vox's screens mirror his inside world and tell us his past:
The Tower and the Flood
Season 2 has two main motifs that comment its major themes:
The Babel Tower/voice motif that comments the theme of Power
The Flood/meteorological motif that comments the theme of Identity
Once We Get Up There sets these motifs up, while Brighter has them fully bloom.
1- Vee Tower VS Vox's Tower
In Once We Get Up There the focus is on Vee Tower, which is a metaphor for the three Vees' media empire. The Vees' different platforms come together in one because the three Overlords combine. Similarly, Vee-Tower is decorated with three Vs whose colors (red + blue + pink) reference each Vee
In Brighter the focus is on Vox's tower of television, which is a metaphor for Vox's own media empire. It is a Kingdom Vox built by stealing from others and hypnotizing the crowd. Symbolically, his tower is a pile of TVs with Vox's hypnotic frequency inside:
2- Small Fish/Splash vs Shark/Storm
Once We Get Up There mentions the "flood" motif twice:
Vox: We'rе the biggest fish in Hell
How 'bout wе upgrade the bowl?
Valentino: With a splash of vice
They'll pay the price!
Brighter takes the "small fish" and the "splash of vice" and turns them into a shark:
Vox: Fish like to swim next to sharks
Yeah, you eat or you get eaten
And you're feasting on their hearts
And a full out storm:
CONCLUSION: FROM "WE" TO "I"
Once We Get Up There gets two reprises:
1-Don't You Forget Reprise
Vox: Now I'm the master
And you're my bottomest bitch
No more Al, the high and mighty
Now that I flipped the switch
Here, Once We Get Up There plays as Vox sings these lyrics. Symbolically Vox is getting "on top of Alastor" (and yes the sexual joke is clearly wanted and present in the song). He is now in control of his enemy and so he is "higher" than him. This moment is Vox reaching his most personal objective, which is to defeat the Radio Demon and to control him.
2- When I Think About The Future
Vox: Soon I'll be up there
The one and only true God
No more playin' house, once they're devout, I won't need a squad
Climb the stairway up to Heaven, live on every TV
Always knew the guy they're prayin' to was gonna be me
Once I get up there
This stanza is the opposite of Vox's first refrain in the original song:
Vox: Once we get up there
And snag that angelic throne
Our unholy trinity could make their realm our own
We'll pack up all their piety, and redecorate
Bet our tower would look powerful with pearlier gates
In Once We Get Up There Vox speaks of "we" and "unholy trinity". In When I think About The Future he says "I" and "one and only true God". He even mentions he won't "need a squad" and that he is "the guy they're prayin' to". In other words, When I Think About The Future cements Vox's villain journey. He starts as a member of a group, but he progressively drops his act and reveals himself as overly selfish and individualistic.
Deep down, Vox's arc in season 2 is one that goes from "we" to "I" and Once We Get Up There perfectly sets it up in all its layers and complexity.
Dialogue adapted from Doctor Who s8 e11 Dark Water (scene here)
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Related to this and this. Maybe someday I'll pull this particular arc together into one thing without any borrowed dialogue, since it's one of my favorites. There's a lot that happens before this part.
The Troubled Teen Industry exists, child trafficking is not an adult topic.
Children get raped, sexual assault is not an adult topic.
Children have alcoholic parents, addiction is not an adult topic.
Children get beat to the point of hospitalization at school, that level of violence is not an adult topic.
That when these things get into "kid friendly" media at all, they tend to be heavily censored is about protecting adult control over kids, not about protecting children.
I’m always on here talking about fakiru from Fakir’s perspective but actually it’s Duck’s turn.
Thinking about how Duck spends the majority of the show passively (if not actively) suicidal. She's just a duck so her life is worth so little to her—in the first episode she says she'd trade her life for a single dance with Mytho. She isn't even especially upset about vanishing as Princess Tutu if it means Mytho will get a chance to be happy.
But then in her pas de deux with fakir she says this:
It’s his influence—the influence of someone who truly, wholly loves her as opposed to mytho and rue who only know facets of her—that inspires her to want things for herself. He’s the one who insists she should be around to see Mytho smile.
Duck would put her life on the line to help anyone, meanwhile fakir would move heaven and earth to keep her safe. Being around someone who treats her like she’s the entire world contradicts her deeply rooted self image issues, and that influence culminates in this scene. It ISN’T okay for her to disappear for the sake of her friends. There are things she wants to do, there are people who would miss her. For the first time she truly and honestly wants to live, and she no longer sees that as a selfish choice.
right out the gate what i love about the world-building in goodbye lara is how the princesses are encouraged to find love for themselves, to explore the lengths of the entire sea to do so, and that's what keeps the kingdom alive. the kingdom's prosperity is set up for women to feel fulfilled by their self-autonomous decisions. this alone directly contradicts every other fairy tale to ever fairy tale.
the flaw of course is when they try to trap the girls who break the norm, like lara, who want to be with humans. interestingly, it's implied early on that previous mermaid(s) have done the same as lara, but instead of acknowledge this history, everyone acts like caring about humans at all is a filthy sin. "evening touching a human" is a crime, and she's scolded for touching a doll resembling a human. however, by the end of the episode, there's strong evidence to support that lara's "sin" was not falling in love with a human, but rather believing she "had it coming," that it was her fault for falling in love in the first place (which. you know. could have some interesting implications for women and their role in society at large and the queer subtext of the original text but i digress).
her second chance at life will likely also push her to her limits, but with the connections she makes along the way, I believe/hope the story will push for an ending that let's her continue to find her own happiness even when things go wrong, rather than blame herself and fall to despair.
when lara wakes up from being betrayed by her prince, she immediately is told to take responsibility for the destruction of her home. there is no comforting, no coddling, no sympathy--that's all for the audience to feel lol. then, she is told "you destroyed this, but you can also fix it."
what's critical to remember here is that, as mentioned before, her core responsibility as a princess of light is to "find true love." to find happiness. the kingdom wasn't destroyed because she broke the rules because that has nothing to do with her "light." the kingdom was destroyed because her "true love" was destroyed.
the destruction of her true love/light is visually represented by the fish-sword that appears over her head as she collapses into sea foam. notably, in the concept trailer, she holds the sword while approaching the sleeping form of the prince. this is likely a reference to the original story, where if she kills the sleeping prince, lara will return as a mermaid and live on with her family. the sword is given to her by her sisters, who sold all of their hair to trade for the sword. despite this sacrifice, she still can't do it. and so, instead, the little mermaid dies and turns to sea foam.
the common thread between the original and goodbye lara is 1) the sword is a tool of betrayal, 2) the sword is tied to the mermaid's relationship to her family. in the original story, the sword was directed against the prince, mermaid decides not to strike, leading to her own destruction, but the continued well being of her family. in goodbye lara, the sword is directed against lara, she is betrayed by the prince, lara is reborn, but her family is destroyed. these parallel plot points suggest a deliberate narrative reversal.
the signs of narrative reversal only strengthen when we consider that the sea witch plays a bit of a meta role in the anime, referring to lara's life with terms like "bad/good ending," "tragic heroine," "prophesy," and so on. other indicators of more meta storytelling include having visual references to not only the original fairy tale, but the disney adaptation as well (girl with bright red hair, recreating the iconic rising out of the water scene not as a moment of freedom, but rather suddenly being brought into a new world).
in addition, i want to point out that, technically, the little mermaid lives on in all versions of the story. the original story presents "turning to sea foam" as a transformation, a rebirth into a "daughter of air," where she will get the chance to live and then pass on to heaven because she was willing to die/despair for her prince who sees her as a friend but not lover. in the disney adaptation, she doesn't die at all and lives happily with the prince and keep a positive relationship with her family. in goodbye lara, she loses her human form, but gets reincarnated as a mermaid and then transforms into a human again, but this time with her voice. (i wonder also if this show will touch on the previous understandings of mermaids as something frightful and evil, as was the case before the popularized the little mermaid han christen andersen tale, and also the case in the historic period when lara fell for the prince, especially since it seems she will meet an older mermaid who fell for a human once, but i digress)
so let's coalesce. the story has elements of narrative-awareness, and seeks to directly contradict the previously established tragic ending to the little mermaid. a key aspect of this is the sword, which reflects both lara's duty to her family, and the threat of betrayal. it's essentially the scythe hanging over her head. furthermore, we know that lara's duty to her family is tied to her ability to find true love. when her feelings of love are destroyed, her family/kingdom is destroyed. when her feelings of love are able to thrive, her family/kingdom will be saved. what this means is that her kingdom cannot return if she approaches "true love" with a mindset of desperation, of waiting for reciprocation, of guilt and trying to prove yourself worthy. because that would mean her true feelings were not healed, that she did not find happiness. if lara just tries to sacrifice herself in an attempt to "repent" for the "sin" of loving a human, that's not true love. that's not going to be helpful in saving her family.
in fact, it might even become detrimental. part of the reason i keep emphasizing that lara's journey to find happiness For Herself is key to experiencing true love is that the "relationship to her famliy/kingdom" is not limited to the mermaid kingdom. the sword's role as a harbringer of doom also apply on land.
in the concept trailer, we the same fish-sword design used when lara is hesistating to kill the prince (aka something that would break her heart) in the weird obelisk thing hovering over the modern town she ends up staying in. i think it wouldn't be a stretch to say that while lara has more support from humans this time around, the stakes are also probably much, much higher. it's not just her home on the line, but also the home of her new family/kingdom. afterall, whether human or mermaid, she is still a princess of light.
i might even go as far as to say that having lara around could be very, very dangerous for the town. like maybe if she gets her heartbroken again, it won't just be the mermaid folk but the entire town that gets destroyed by the fish-sword thing. but this is conjecture.
there's actually even more i want to talk about with the concept trailer and the fish sword. like, for example, when lara approaches the sleeping prince, a very big light begins to erupt from the prince's chest, and then the fish sword opens a drooling mouth to reveal teeth and a meaty tongue, as if salviating at the sight of the light. considering lara is a princess of light, this is very interesting to me. is the fish sword eating up the light/lara's true love???
we also need to consider how the fish sword has been VERY STRONGLY associated with the symbolism for specifically lara's light. This is first apparent in the concept trailer, where Lara's tear (probably from the idea of betraying the boy she loves) is depicted as a sparkling light. this is important because we just keep seeing that damn light associated with the fish sword!!!!
below depicts the direct transition between lara's light, and the fish obelisk thing during one of the more recent trailers for the show.
and to REALLY really drive the point home here's the transition in another trailer where we have the sword lighting up like lara's iconic light, and then immediate cut to lara as a mermaid exposed in front of her love who is pointing a SWORD AT HER.
THAT IS A FACE OF LOVE. AND A FACE OF SURRENDER. when she turns into sea foam, she doesn't even blame the fucking prince!!!!! she says that it's her fault for falling in love with a human in the first place!! but the story so far + even the trailers are basically screaming and wailing and stomping their feet trying to say no no no no NO! YOUR LOVE FOR HUMANS Is NOT THE ISSUE!!!! IT'S NOT EVEN JUST "LOVING THE WRONG PERSON" either. it's simply BELIEVING YOU DESERVE TO HAVE LOVE. it's not just some set-in-stone tragedy! like i truly believe it's not even the fact the prince didn't love her anymore that set her off, it was that she believed her love must have been doomed from the start because of her. You have to choose to pursue happiness. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE YOUR "TRUE LOVE" that is the kind of choice that the princesses of light need to make.
"well that's just trailers what about the show" actually the text strongly supports this?????? the light-true love-sword association in episode 1 is even more blatant. that transition scene from the princess light to the fish sword? that happens IMMEDIATELY after she starts dissolving into sea foam! literally right after she says "It was me....I was the vile one." and look at the way that light starts from her hEART !!!! and then TRANSFORMS INTO THE FISH SWORD. this is all to say. the "true love" this story is talking about is about whether LARA thinks her love is worthy. it's not about finding "the one" but about making a life FOR YOURSELF, and the finding someone to share it with!!! Idk like it's giving eartha kitt "share my love for me with me" do you get what im saying
furthermore, in another trailer for this series, a little sneak into a climatic moment features the quote "Lara, what was it that you truly wanted?" honestly i kinda think the way this quote is delivered really really suggests home that just "looking for true love" in the traditional "omg yay my prince loves me fr this time!!!!" isekai reincarnation romance is not the goal here. the goal is to not give up on what she truly wanted, even when she has her family's survival on the line. cause like, someone else in her situation might say "what i want doesn't matter, i just need to save my family/kingdom/island" and this story is so so so so strongly saying that's not the so,ution. you can't just sacrifice your way into getting what you want. in fact that could ruin things for everyone around you giant fish sword style
i'm banking on the story's message to be that you are most valuable to your family/community when you choose to pursue your own happiness. instead of drowning in guilt and homesickness and sorrow, she has to keep moving forward. to find someone she can enjoy moving through life with. that's her true love. there's (potentially) a very, VERY powerful message that they have created a set up for here!!!!!!
i could be so very off base as i tbh tend to be lolllll but this is a very heartfelt and beautiful story, just based on the first 2 eps alone. super excited to follow along with it.
