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portraitofwhite · 2 years ago

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fatamoru spoilers (up to final door)

i want to talk about… the unexpected dynamics! (or interpretation) and also characters relationship with hope. I NEED TO RANT!!

the last door

very obviously, pauline/maria first as childhood friends strikes first. i also appreciated pauline teasing mell (maybe on the meta level that’s why javi from door 2 isn’t here—or on the story level his soul possibly wasn’t bound to the mansion but rather circumstances, being here at the right time or something or the sort). and the discussion between michel/yukimasa, bonding over their ‘unusual’ appearance and resulting weird looks or rejection.

michel and morgana

it makes me wanna bawl when i think about the possible innuendo that michel eventually views morgana as a friend but also an extension of his family. i didn’t catch this at first read but the fact that he is willing to depict her along him and his brothers on georges’ painting… fatamoru hits very strongly even in its details. i’m such a sucker for the ‘found family’ trope—kindred spirits where blood isn’t what ties them together in the first place.

i won’t go back on morgana’s admiration (or should i say idolization? adoration?) for michel, as her severed soul is modeled after him and her saintly persona, that is something the og game describes well. i just want to point out one thing: morgana’s christian upbringing and beliefs from her time prevent her from cursing her birth mother and other stuff (e.g. the WHG reminding God’s teaching about killing oneself). she does not only project her ideal self on michel, but also her desires by proxy—part of why she’s so insistent on him deserving revenge on the Bollingers and not understanding why he wouldn’t find joy in it.

giselle and witch morgana

the cocoon concept from hayden (hiding your true self and risking to lose yourself to your persona) and morgana’s gaslighting to the maid weren’t ultimately good and broke her spirit, but at the same time i don’t think they were ill-intentioned—that’s what i really like about this novel. morgana’s natural way of viewing the world, as a bleak and painful place where smiles are filled with betrayal, is very pessimistic, but that’s how she copes and somehow appears as the best way of thinking. she tries to convey those beliefs into the maid, out of annoyance (bc giselle is very lighthearted and optimistic as it gets) at first. however, she takes a liking to her. it is a way to ‘protect’ giselle’s heart, just like the cocoon.

morgana does not act in giselle’s best interest, she trusts that what worked for her will also do the job for her attendant, but that’s what breaks giselle in the end. because the latter grows in hope, in light, in truth ; not in illusions and dissociation (e.g. morgana’s fractured soul resulting in the WHG’s creation, and convincing herself she doesn’t belong in the realm of humans—both as a saint and witch). morgana is being self-conceited, to the point that her idea of ‘helping’ is twisting giselle’s core into the maid and discarding humanity.

despair truly results in tunnel vision and losing sight of what you are in essence, even accepting the horrors. that is something that is very well explored by all the characters in fata morgana.

i do find morgana/giselle’s relationship very interesting. the witch tries to mold giselle into her puppet, the conductor of the mansion’s tragedies, and ultimately as an observer to distance herself from the horrors (hence the famous ‘you were able to bear them because they weren’t your tragedies’). morgana calls giselle foolish a few memorable times, and while i think she means it, there’s also a tinge of affection? plus the door 4 aka illusion door to make everyone feel better, was also made for giselle… it’s complicated.

resistance

morgana is still very firmly opposed to michel and giselle’s reunion at first: what place does happiness have in this mansion? what do they have that she does not and makes it okay? the moment she’d reach the answer, it would mean that she is wrong for not casting aside her spitefulness. that is why she doesn’t want it.

the witch ultimately longs for companionship, she even makes a deal to both of them to curse the three men alongside her. she wants to partake in despair. she believes that is what is right.

but neither michel nor giselle were fit for that role, for they are compassionate, for they were able to give each other a second chance and believe in a newfound love. they do not hold a grudge, they do not find solace in that, that is why it fails!

despite their failings, they’re able to communicate. they are far from being perfect (their misunderstandings stem from their insecurities and secrets), but they’re able to reassure each other, they’re willing to listen and accept the stories of other people. that’s how they’re able to save morgana and the souls.

that makes me think of the key difference between morgana and michel/giselle. the later, with their own share of suffering and traumas, are willing to cast aside their bitterness and focus on finding new ways to live, for different reasons.

michel is forgiving, as long as the people who wrong him expressed their will to repent. he will treasure the good memories, and not let traumas tarnish them: he will try to understand.

giselle does not hold a grudge because she wants to put that energy elsewhere—into reconstructing herself and enjoying life to the fullest. that is true to her character.

to conclude

i love how each person has a very legitimate, and sensible motivation and do not excuse everything. and how you cannot equate characters to their wrongs ; while also holding them accountable for what they’ve done. you can reason other people’s pain, while also respecting yourself. a simple message, yet, very difficult to deliver rightly. and fatamoru just does that, it trusts you to understand it.

#fatamoru #fatamoru spoilers #the house in fata morgana #my rants

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mesaprotector · 2 years ago

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So I finished The House In Fata Morgana a couple days ago. I know there's a prequel and a - sequel? - but I don't quite feel like going through another 30 hours of depression just yet, so thoughts under the cut.

The short version is - I very much enjoyed parts of it, but between how bleak much of the story is and nothing quite crushing my soul in the way I look for in stories, I don't see myself replaying it - at least not for a long time.

The first chapter was very good - what with it being light and cheerful for so long and then suddenly, Nellie in a wig. I will say that after sooo many times seeing little sisters in anime acting weird as hell and being expected to apparently find it cute, it was super cathartic to have a series finally call out that behavior as deranged.

Chapter two definitely dragged a bit - while the reveal at the end was good, I wasn't a fan of clicking through Beastie Boy's endless narmy speeches.

The mafia arc on the other hand was fantastic and Maria is probably my favorite in the whole cast. The girl freaking blows off work, day after day, to sit in her room making up villainous monologues and declare how hilarious she is. If you don't love her, you're wrong. (This makes two VNs where my favorite character is named Maria…)

Though, a side character being my favorite does mean that I didn't love the Michel/Giselle romance as much as intended. I did like Michel's backstory, and Giselle is like… completely fine as a character, and maybe it's just that I'm allergic to seeing happy couples coo at each other - but the story of them falling for each other was another part I felt was a bit too slow. And despite it all, the Maid was more interesting.

Oh, on the subject of Michel and gender issues - apparently the intention was that Michel was intersex? Which is completely not how I interpreted it. I saw him as simply a trans man, with his very sudden physical development being pretty much magical HRT. Sure, it's not historically accurate, but this is the story where people get resurrected after 800 years.

The music is always a major factor in my feelings about a story, and Fatamoru's music is honestly fine, but not memorable. It sets the right emotions for each scene, but when I went through the whole OST the only song I liked enough to listen through to the end was "Ciao Carina" (Jacopo's mafia arc theme). Some of Giselle's themes were pretty and iridescent, and I think the song that plays while Pauline is talking with Javi. Oh, speaking of. Javi was like the only character to have a sprite and then get utterly forgotten once the chapter ended. What the heck? He was fun, too, and had some depth. I know Morgana kinda took over the "blunt kid" niche eventually but he should've at least showed up in backstage. He deserved it more than Aimee.

I can't think of a way to summarize Fatamoru's message, if it has a single one. I think it works better as the tale of Morgana and Michel and Giselle and how they each found peace, than as some comprehensive statement about the human condition. Like… what if Morgana had cursed the right lord instead of Jacopo? If she had, there'd be nothing to pity him for, and the conclusion she arrived at of lifting the curse would've never happened. The story works as told, but not if you try applying its logic universally. Which is fine.

Overall… 8/10. Definitely worth playing and thinking about, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. I'm looking forward to seeing what memes the tiny community has latched on to.

If I'm wrong, and some part of this story really sticks with me, it'll probably be Michel's backstory, and his relationships with his brothers.

#fatamoru #the house in fata morgana #fata morgana #visual novel #weebposting

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