Profile
Anise Pemperton
SOLO SONGS
songs that only pertain to the individual
Sweet Hibiscus Tea
— Penelope Scott
Anise's main theme song. It encompasses her feelings of inadequacy. She is insecure about her ability to be the leader -- the protagonist. Her lack of self-worth comes out in dissociation from the world around her.
7 O'Clock
— Penelope Scott
This song captures Anise's general routine. She feels out of place amongst her peers, and her state of mind throughout the day boils down to a constant feeling of unhappiness and dissatifsaction. She needs a hug.
Feel Better
— Penelope Scott
This covers a very specific point in Anise's life: the months immediately following her transfer from Eugene, OR to Portland, OR. Because of her relocation, she and her first partner, Eddie Hudson, broke up. At nineteen, she felt as if there would be no recovering from the breakup. No one could love her the way Eddie loved her. It was an angsty phase of her life.
brutal
— Olivia Rodrigo
This song, like "Feel Better," is catered to her angsty phase at nineteen. Anise debated quitting the Guild and returning to Eugene, OR, where she felt happiest. Obviously, she didn't follow through with anything in spite of the Guild's lifestyle being brutal on her young self.
Numb Little Bug
— Em Beihold
Anise is medicated -- prescribed with antidepressants for her dysthymia. The dosage she takes often results in emotional blunting, where she is less receptive and more aloof than usual.
Serotonin
— girl in red
Anise struggles with keeping her mental health in check. She suffers from intrusive thoughts brought on by her persistent depressive disorder. There are times where they become overwhelming.
Cloudy Day
— Tones and I
A more positive song to counteract all the negativity in her playlist finally. Growing up, Anise's mother would remind her not to get caught up in her negative thoughts and to instead look for "one good thing" to brighten her mood. To this day, she still reminds herself of this advice when she starts getting pessimistic.
Blow My Brains Out
— Tikkle Me
Anise is envious of the people around her who live in ignorance, unaware of the demons that roam the earth or the Guild that fights tirelessly to keep the monsters at bay and civilians like them unaware of the truths of their world. She often wishes she could return to a state of obliviousness -- though the truth is, she's known about this world from a very young age, thanks to her demon caretaker and half-brother.
Oh Glory
— Panic! At The Disco
In recent weeks, the Guild post Anise is responsible for has fallen into a state of disrepair. Her authority often is undermined by both old and new post members. She is beginning to feel unfit for her role, as it seems as though everyone around her is unhappy with her performance as Guild Master.
Catch A Break
— Set It Off
Another song that addresses the difficulty she's having being in charge of the Vincent Guild post. Just when things begin to look like they're getting better, she's thrown a curveball. With a minotaur attack, several agents going missing, demon-related murder sprees, and a demon requesting a meeting with her all happening over the course of a few weeks, Anise is finding it difficult to find time to relax.
Call Me Maybe
— Carly Rae Jepsen
This more lighthearted song is a joke based on in-game events. Anise has handed out her personal phone number twice to people she's just met -- the first being Revere the weretiger, and the second being officer Reod Live (who she has also agreed to go on a date with).
SHIP SONGS
songs for romantic pairings that include the individual
Everything Has Changed
— Taylor Swift (feat. Ed Sheeran)
For Anise and Reod Live. While they're not officially dating or anything, their relationship is the closest to canon thus far. They've only just met, and they're about to meet up for a pseudo-date under the guise of Reod hand-delivering some police documents to Anise as a favor. Therefore, their relationship's dynamic isn't fully realized. Instead, their relationship comes down to a state of anticipation as they (or, at least Anise) look forward to getting to know the other better.
Absolutely Smitten
— dodie
It's no secret that Anise is a hopeless romantic, finding herself swooning with lovey-dovey thoughts feelings well before her peers. Such is also the case for her and Xavier. Though they don't know each other all that well -- they're practically strangers -- Anise is already starting to get butterflies.
Willow Tree
— Twin Wild
Another one for the Anise and Xavier ship (Aniver). While technically this song could be applicable for any relationship within the Guild, I especially like it for the Aniver ship. Romance within the Guild is unique, and this song captures that particular mood.
Stutter
— Marianas Trench
Another Aniver song. Spoiler Alert: the rest of the ship songs in this playlist are for the Aniver ship. Xavier has a stutter (genetically; not out of anxiety), and while the lyrics are meant to convey a man who is stuttering out of nervousness, I like to imagine them as a witty comment from Xavier as he flirts with Anise. He isn't one to shy away from flirtatious banter, and I can easily see Xavier playfully teasing Anise.
Shower
— Becky G
Xavier has been a comfort to Anise since his arrival at the Vincent Guild post. His presence has begun to make her feel less tense, and this could eventually evolve into a situation as described in this song, in which Anise enters a puppy-love phase where she can't stop thinking about him and how he makes her feel.
Telepathy
— Egg
When romantic feelings eventually form between the two, Anise would find it difficult to express her feelings to Xavier, being afraid to act on her temptation to come out and admit that she likes him as more than a friend.
Two
— Sleeping At Last
Xavier is inherently very chivalrous and caring. In a relationship, I feel like these traits would be amplified to express a self-sacrificial love as demonstrated in this song.
Sofia
— Clairo
Now to address the elephant in the room: Anise is Xavier's boss. There's no way to skirt around this in their relationship. No matter how you slice it, this ship has an element of inappropriateness. While I know this song is actually depicting a gay relationship, I think it's still rather fitting for the taboo dynamic between the two of them.
LINK SONGS
songs that link the individual with one or more others
You're Somebody Else
— flora cash
This song is for Anise's relationship with Chance, her half-brother, with Chance being the speaker. When Chance finally gets to see Anise again -- a reunion he has been long awaiting -- he finds that Anise has changed drastically from the last time he saw her eight years ago. Sure, she's grown up now, just like he is, but there's another element of change at play: she acts completely different, pushing him away rather than embracing their reunion.
From These Heights
— Jelani Aryeh
Another song from Chance to Anise. After Chance finds that Anise is trying to shut him out of her life, he feels a distance between them that he hasn't experienced before. Even so, he won't give up on her that easily. Instead of leaving her alone as she requests, Chance insists on trying to find that connection between the two of them and pry Anise to open up to him.
Come Back Home
— Two Door Cinema Club
Chance to Anise. (Most of these are.) Chance wants Anise to quit the Guild and return to living with him and her mother -- or to at least to quit pretending that he isn't such an integral part of her life, or at least her past.
Talk to You
— Ricky Montgomery
More than anything, Chance just wants the opportunity to talk to Anise after all their years apart. He'd admit that he's a little too obsessed with the notion of reconnecting with her, but he can't help but yearn for her. After all, to him, she's the only person who could ever understand him.
Witches
— Good Kid
This song really captures the history between Anise and Chance. They made a pact to always be there for each other no matter what came their way, only for Anise to join the Guild and abandon Chance after their father's death.
Guiltless
— dodie
Anise to Rakí. The demon tore her family apart simply for the fun of it, completely derailing the future Anise had planned for herself. Of course, Rakí will never admit guilt or take any responsibility for her actions, and Anise is carrying a grudge against her. Even so, Anise can acknowledge that there's no point in trying to get an apology -- or any kind of remorse -- out of Rakí.
Shapeshifter
— Brye
From around the age of eight up until the murder of Anise's father, Rakí burdened Anise with her demanding behavior, caught up in her goddess complex. During this time in her life, Anise grew into her submissive behavior, bending over backward to appease her caretaker. As she grew older, shortly before her father's death, Anise began to realize that she didn't need to submit to Rakí's every command -- she was her own, independent person.