#nathaniel mcl

I missed having these kind of problems tbh

anyway here are some songs that fit nath

this is the second part of my series of observations on melody's behavior, if you'd like to read the 1st part you can click below !!

Melody wasn't manipulative nor evil

While her behavior was very immature and sometimes bordered on distressing (specially if candy was on Nathaniel's route), she isn't genuinely a bad character!

It can be observed through many episodes that melody didn't have evil intentions, she may get passive-aggressive in some dialogue choices, which is proof of her insecurities; but her behavior doesn't relate to a mean girl behavior.

In the early HSL episodes she is genuinely kind to candy, greeted her friendly in episode 5 and felt bad for nathaniel regarding the key situation. And unlike Amber who picked up on candy since episode 2, Melody seems happy to befriend candy.

In episode 7 she may get upset given certain dialogue choices, but if you choice neutral-positive choices she is friendly, at the end of her pyjama party she is shocked and happy the girls brought her gifts for her birthday. She doesn't try to guiltrip the girls nor to make the party about herself.

During the deborah situation melody believes deborah blindy, when she learns the truth at the end of the episode along with the rest of the school she avoids candy out of shame along with the rest of the girls and when lysander takes them all to the classroom to help them apologize to candy she shows remorse for believing deborah.

A good comparision of this is when peggy showed no remorse for treating candy unfairly during the deborah situation. That's how being mean shows like, unlike the rest of the girls she never apologized or showed shame. This is how melody would have reacted like if she was manipulative.

After Nathaniel's arc, melody gets more reactive towards candy given how close candy and nath became; and her getting jealous over nathaniel as if he belonged to her is very petty but stems from a place of deep insecurities rather than a big character flaw like being manipulative or narcissism.

During episode 24 after Nathaniel's arc, melody starts showing resentment towards candy in front of both iris and capucine, clearly driven by emotion instead of a manipulative tactic; when candy reasons with melody she recognizes she was in the wrong and apologizes to candy so hey retake their friendship. If melody wanted to manipulate the situation in her favor she would have made a scene to make candy look bad or tried to get Nathaniel's "love" by making a situation that isn't favorable to candy in any way possible like amber childishly did with candy's homework.

Overall her behavior may come off as mean regarding nathaniel, but her actions aren't fueled by any intention to hurt the characters or to take advantage of them by manipulation.

Something very important to take in mind is: melody struggles to connect and relate to her peers which make it difficult for her to befriend others and regulate her emotions!

In episode 34, melody shows two important things: if candy decides to approach her and talk either about the party in an attempt to recognize her feelings or simply ask melody how she is doing, melody's Lo'M would go up! But on the other hand if candy doesn't talk to melody to talk about the party or to ask her how she is doing, melody's Lo'M would go down without any mean dialogue! It shows melody's insecurities and struggles stem from feeling ignored and/or dismissed by her peers as melody doesn't react defensive or mean, just merely upset as she was feeling dismissed / ignored

During episode 36 when she learns candy and nathaniel are dating, she doesn't try to hurt candy or nathaniel and on the following epusodes melody avoids candy. Instead of reacting with bitter vengeance or manipulating others, she isolates herself as a way to cope with the new information.

In episode 39 during prom, melody breaks down and gets defensive at peggy for Peggy's petty insinuations and while she gets defensive with candy as well she ends up recognizing she was in the wrong for the nathaniel situation and apologizes to candy (Nathaniel's route), and when candy tries to help her melody accepts candy's help. This shows despite being resentful or upset at candy she still sees candy in a good light and keeps being friends with her.

This shows melody wasn't the mean girl archetype as amber was, or even deborah who was extremely manipulative and exhibited narcissist traits. Melody was merely an insecure girl who struggled to regulate her emotions and struggled to connect with others.

High expectations at home.

While melody is very intelligent (if we don't take in mind her slips in UL during Mr. Zaidi's class) given she was very organized (to have such role as the professor's assistant) and to be always on time to hand her assignments (as she handed her thesis for Mr. Lebarde's class quite early) — and she may be naturally determined and focused on her goals, she doesn't show any personality traits beyond being studious and helpful in both HSL & UL, which for a 17 year old (and later as a 23 year old) is odd to naturally focus exclusively on her grades and a people she isn't actually in love with (Nathaniel and later Mr. Zaidi)

In episode 22 (HSL) melody's parents are seen (for the first & last time), as rhey were talking to Nathaniel's parents whom mentioned Melody approached them previously — to which Nathaniel's parents complimented melody's parents for raising her to be the girl she is.

Knowing Melody's dedication to her grades — it is very likely her parents instilled such pressure on her.

In episode 33 when melody answers the truth question (what's your biggest ambition?) during the truth or dare game, she admits she doesn't know what is her biggest ambition and says she only wants to be happy, maybe have a job with responsibilities, be respected by co-workers; and lastly: to have a husband who loves her. Which was very telling on how she views her future and why it is very likely her parents pushed her to focus on her grades so now she doesn't know what she actually wants for her future !

Later in epusode 34 if candy talks to melody aboit the party melody admits to candy she has an aunt she loves a lot who was an ex-alcohlic and being around her was heartbreaking and difficult specially when she was drunk, which then explains why she was so anxious when alcohol was mentioned or used. For a kid to grow up with parents who had high exoectations on her, having an aunt struggling with addiction would have ncreased the pressure on excelling on her studies and avoiding any bad habit.

It is also very telling how In episode 7, Melody's parents weren't home the night of her birthday to which is the most likely reason on why melody wanted to have a pyjama party with her friends. At home when candy buys the snacks after amber stole them, melody mentions she doubts the girls would like the grilled endives at home if thwre were no snacks. These details are sort of unsettling considering she is a teenage girl on her birthday.

This is a series of posts where I lay out my observations of Melody's character from the MCL games (HSL & UL).

I genuinely believe melody was poorly written and that she had a lot of potential as both a character and a Love Interest given some of my observations!

As my theory is that melody is a sapphic (likely lesbian) who is closeted and struggling with Comp-Het which would make sense why she acts the way she does in both games (HSL & UL).

DISCLAIMER: this is just my theory, the writers and developers of the MCL game series more than likely didn't inteend for her to be sapphic but from my own sapphic experience she fits into this narrative and had lots of potential!!

so these are my observations on melody:

No allo-straight behavior unlike her peers.

Unlike other characters (outside the routes) melody doesn't exhibit organic allosexual/alloromantic but she still fot into the straight/hetero narrative for both games (HSL & UL) as she has "crushed" on both Nathaniel (HSL) & Mr. Zaidi (UL); and some could say that's because she is monogamous / or very loyal.

But most character had exhibited allo behavior throughtout both games (considering theres around a 6 year gap between HSL & UL given candy met Melody in the beginning of her last year at sweet amoris & Candy re-meeting Melody in their last year at Anteros Academy; so Candy spent a year in Sweet Amoris and another year in Anteros Academy) and such characters evidently have momentary crushes or date other characters while Melody stays fixed on Nathaniel during HSL and later on Mr. Zaidi during UL.

Examples & comparison between Melody and the characters:

Lucy (HSL): she is evidently allosexual and clearly feels attraction or a pull to most good looking boys she mets observed with Dakota, as well as Kentin and Candy's Love interest/route and of course considering Lucy's list of past boyfriends.

Amber (HSL) despite having a crush on Castiel, she still hints at liking Dajan in episode 3 of HSL (that's why she stole the necklace) and as well she kissed kentin in episode 11 (HSL) and expected kentin to be reciprocal with her unrequited feelings on a few episodes, and around ep 39 she seems to feel something towards armin after he comforted her after Amber learned Candy and Castiel were dating (Castiel's route).

Iris (HSL) also seemed to like Armin on episode 13 but later on episode 36 it is revealed she was dating Charlotte's boyfriend.

Violette (HSL) admitted to candy that she liked Alexy after few days of meeting him.

Rosalya was deeply in love with leigh and later married to him. (HSL, UL, & LL). Candy has had crushes before enrolling on sweet amoris as well (HSL). And dated someone else after breaking up with her route, before returning to town (UL).

Chani (UL) mentioned how she fell in love with someone during a party but let them go and embraced the fact some relationships are momentarily, she also seemed to like one of the members of Crowstorm as she talked with one of them and she also recognized Mr. Zaidi was attractive.

Melody doesn't genuinely show interest in other characters beyond Nathaniel or Mr. Zaidi, and while she may have a type which would explain why she "crushed" on such men, her attraction doesn't seem organic or natural unlike the listed characters. Melody never mentioned casually a good looking boy, a casual fling (UL), or a momentary crush. Something important to take in mind is that: Nathaniel and Mr. Zaidi share some traits melody both admires and tries to implement in her own personality like being determined, studious / organized, excellent at their field of study, figure of authority, serious and hard working.

She wasn't in love with Nathaniel or Mr. Zaidi

if you played the MCL games briefly it may be odd think melody wasn't in love with such characters but if you look at her behavior very closely since the first episodes in HSL there are several hints that melody wasn't as in love with nathaniel as she was portrayed.

her behavior may border on obsessive but obsession is way more intense and overwhelming, a good example of obsessive was Nina in HSL given she always tracked down lysander and knew almost everything she could learn from lysander. Unlike Melody who despite being clingy to nath, she didn't fully track him down and knew everything she could learn about him.

my argument relies on these observations:

In episode 5 melody is aware of the key situation nathaniel was involded in, despite her being described as a girl who looks forward helping nathaniel. Melody didn't get involded to help either nath or candy and showed no jealously towards candy later on regarding candy's closeness to nath.

In episode 6, when candy noticed nath was in a low mood due to the amber situation, melody was unaware of nath's mood and when candy wanted to cheer nath up melody told candy anything cat related could help cheering him up! Melody didn't try to cheer nathaniel up and didn't show any jealously or bitterness towards candy.

In episode 7 when candy mentions she likes nathaniel melody doesn't show any jealously or territorialism at all, when candy asks melody if she's friends with nath, melody talks good of him without any expression of being in love with him.

Melody also was unaware of the whole deborah situation, someone who is obsessive would have dig through gossip to learn what happened and why was nathaniel involded, she didn't. She was also very happy to see deborah back as melody missed deborah.

Melody only liked nath's public persona — she wasn't genuinely interested in his true persona, his likings, his opinions. She only liked the validation of his attention, beyond that she wasn't in love with nathaniel, she just wanted to be loved by him.

The same applies to Mr. Zaidi, she tries to get his attention and approval despite failing multiple times — like answering Mr. Zaidi's questions only to be in the wrong or trying to accommodate her opinions and wishes to his as seen in episode 19 UL when Mr. Zaidi talks about his wished vacation and melody says it's her dream vacation as well. Not out of genuine interest but out of an attempt to get his attention.

Pt. 2 below if you'd like to read more !! <3

"Sweet taste in my mouth

I can't get it out

I want you back now

And we're making out

Drunk, sleeping on my couch

Now when I hear you're in town

I just want caramel

Ooh

I heard you're in town

I want you back now

Come over to my house

There's space on my couch"

Rzadka estetyka: Słodki flirt, Love Life, odcinek 14!