#Novect

[valk-eri]

[afleetingfatamorgana]

[wyrdzpiral]

baby boy and his evil baby sister thing

[helshollowhalls]

The House in Fata Morgana key charms

[gischelweek]

🕯️ Gischel Week 2023 🌹

Hello everyone!

This year again will be held a Michel/Giselle ship week from The House in Fata Morgana!

Just like before, it will take place from April 27 to May 3!

It will also follow the same rule; anyone can participate with any type of media (fanarts, fics, edits, etc.) You’ll just have to tag your post #GischelWeek or @ this account to make sure I’ll see it and reblog it.

NSFW/sexual or related mature content are allowed, but just be sure to warn/tag the post properly and put it under a “read more.”

The week will have prompts for each day — new ones will be proposed, but you can also do the ones from last year if you prefer. Although you can choose whether you follow them or not! There’s no obligation and you can just do whatever inspire you.

You can suggest prompts for the week here on curiouscat: https://curiouscat.live/GischelWeek, or just directly submit them via the blog’s inbox; after which the 7 most popular will then be chosen by a poll. You can also ask any questions here if you need.

🦋  Please don’t hesitate to participate and feel free to send as many suggestions as you want! 🦋

[connandoods]

So that one was meant for Morgana and Michelle’s birthday as well as for Day 8: Final Door - Fairy Tale for @fata10thanni

It got late 💔 But I still got around to finish it! Happy birthday 🦋

[fata10thanni]

🦋 All right, so this is officially the end of FataMoru’s 10th Anniversary Week! 🦋

I intended to post this earlier but oh well, better late than never! So technically, February 10 should be the last day for submitting late works. However, if anyone still want to post late content and that I happen to catch it, then I’ll still gladly reblog it.

This asides, thank you very much to all who participated! It was amazing seeing all those new fan works for the event!

And especially, thank you to the people who helped organizing this week as well: this wouldn’t have been possible without them!

Please come check some more creations over on the Twitter account if you want to as well!

🌹  Thanks again for supporting this event and let’s celebrate FataMoru together again! 🕯️  

[footloosephoenix]

Every once in awhile I must share my love for The House in Fata Morgana or I WILL DIE, so here's Giselle.

[ravnervn]

Got emotionally devastated reading Seventh Lair by NOVECT. I have some thoughts about how the use of FataMoru assets (since it was originally an April Fools game) leads to some interesting opportunities to subvert expectations, because the characters have surface-level similarities to those in The House In Fata Morgana but very much develop into their own characters. I enjoyed what it was doing on its own terms -- and by enjoyed I mean "this was very funny until suddenly it swerved and began emotionally flaying me".

Contestant for one of the most obscene and horrifying musical tonal shifts I've ever experienced in a videogame.

[scitydreamer]

The Book Club of Fata Morgana - 1

I’ve reached a game that’s been on my list for a long time, and considering the length of the game and the fact that I can’t easily play it on Steam Deck, I decided it’d be best to take coverage chapter by chapter. Welcome to the House in Fata Morgana book club. The House in Fata Morgana is a 2012 visual novel by NOVECT (formerly Novectacle). I remember the game getting a big boost in notoriety…

[transflynnscifo]

i dont think ive been as whiplashed by something like i had been over reading a little bit of novectable's seventh lair. i remember getting it nearly a year ago because it was on sale. had no idea what it was about besides that it was an april fools joke with the fata morgana characters

i thought at the time "ok. based on vague info and without trying to spoil myself, people seem to be loving it. and i do miss fata morgana sometimes. why not!"

then i was barely able to sit through about one hour of the vn before i completely gave up lol. it felt exhausting to read, it felt off. i initially paused it thinking "ill try to get back to it later" but unlike the instances where im reading/playing smth decent and i forget to come back to it because life happens too much, i just did not feel compelled to even Try to return to it

for one, the humor from what little i witnessed was especially a huge miss for me. it felt like an ideal instance of when a creator/writer/artist decides to throw the characters and initial story they made in the trash by creating a caricature of it. and it just rung really hollow for me

a negative review i found had noted that part of their displeasure over the experience was that the translation really made the characters sound "robotic" and that its still Somewhat better in japanese. i cant confirm this sadly but at the time of reading the review i found myself thinking "that could explain why it felt off". and under normal circumstances i would have gone digging in the japanese script to compare tidbits and come to my own conclusion but frankly i did not and still do not care enough to do that in this case

i think the particularly bumming part for me is that while fatamoru has its issues and flaws, it was still a meaningful read for me a lot of years ago. i guess if i really wanted to revisit it i just have to stick with going through the original and frankly i havent been in the mindset where i could bring myself to revisit it fully yet

(come to think of it, i never finished requiem for innocence either but every time i remember the point at which i stopped reading the main story, i think "im not missing out on much. im good")

[valk-eri]

Giselle & Michel

[afleetingfatamorgana]

2017 Birthday Art of Giselle by Moyataro, 05/03/2017

[ravnervn]

NOW THIS IS OUT

PROPAGANDA TIME

Please Play The House In Fata Morgana (2012) by NOVECT:

The House In Fata Morgana is a gothic horror/romance/mystery visual novel set in a strange abandoned manor. You play as an amnesiac who wakes up in this manor and is greeted by the enigmatic Maid, who tells you that you are the master of the house, and shows you the histories of past masters to try and jog your memory. You witness the stories behind three doors: a slice-of-life turned tragedy in ~1600s England, a slasher-esque horror in ~1700s Netherlands, and a tragedy of errors in ~1800s New York. The Maid is present as a background witness to all, and in each story, a mysterious girl with white hair plays a central role. The fourth door supposedly shows your story, but there might be more to this manor, to you, and to the mysterious witch who supposedly haunts the story.

Okay, hook done: This is my favourite work of fiction ever written, it made me cry multiple times, and nothing has ever touched me as viscerally as it has. It is, at its heart, a story about love and about how necessary love is for people (romantic and otherwise). The characters are all painfully human, both in their flaws and their positive points.

This song, Giselle, in specific is one of the standouts of a great soundtrack, and I cannot tell you exactly why without spoiling major sections of the plot. It's the theme of one of the central characters of the story and plays over several important scenes, one of which holds the honour of making me go from starting a play session to openly weeping in under five minutes. Like, it's really fitting this was the first track from this game on the blog because if I wanted to make every FataMoru player on Tumblr start weeping uncontrollably from hearing one note of a song, this is the song I would pick.

It does come with an absolute laundry list of trigger warnings, and some plot points may make people quite uncomfortable. It's not for everyone. But it's one of the most highly-acclaimed visual novels for a REASON.

...and because I know this website: it IS queer media. Specifically, it has a really well-written transmasc character who is a fan favourite for a lot of people. I'm people. It's me. Were it not major spoilers for a visual novel I am actively imploring you to go read, I could talk about my blorbo from this game at length.

[fatamorushortstorieseng]

Entranced by her golden eyes and singing voice

―Until now, I had only just felt pity for her.

One year had passed since the day of that stormy revolt, and my life was almost completely back to normal. I was less prone to surveying the area, cautious of soldiers arriving, and was less likely to get paranoid that my regular pub has been set up.

However, there was only one thing that had not gone back as it was before.

A young girl I kept by my side after last year’s events.

Though even after all this time, the gap between us was still wide.

“You should stop already.”

I heard a low voice filled with a resignation and life-weariness that I couldn’t imagine coming from a girl of about ten years. Puzzled, I raised my eyebrows and asked her what she meant.

“This ointment… that you’re applying…”

“Huh? If you don’t speak more clearly, I can’t hear you.”

“You should stop applying that ointment. It’s a waste of money,” she said, looking down to hide her face.

A waste of money, huh. I wonder how many times she’d told me those words.

“If I thought it was a waste, I wouldn’t do it. Plus, hey, look at that. The wounds on your arms have gotten remarkably better, haven’t they? Your face will also be the same in no time. When that happens, you won’t need to hide it with this ugly hood anymore.”

She― Morgana had been abused by the lord. Her limbs had been cut by a knife, and her face festered in a disturbing way. When I took her to the brothel after slipping away from the revolt’s chaos, even the prostitutes who should be used to seeing strange things gasped at the oddness of her appearance. What on earth would push that guy to go so far as to inflict wounds like that on her…? I felt indignation and grief, but above all I was dumbfounded. The lord of this city was truly twisted for injuring so badly a little girl like that.

“…Even you should have realized it by now.”

“…Realized what?”

“My face… is beyond healing.”

For a moment, I found myself speechless. I didn’t think that her face couldn’t heal ― however, it was true that this ointment just wasn’t working. The cutting scars were healing, but her face’s inflammation didn’t change, as if her skin had always been like that. There was no amelioration but no deterioration either.

“Don’t say that. I’ll find a different ointment next time, and then���”

“It’s not… a scar.”

“Huh?”

“It’s not a scar. It’s not a disease either…”

…What was she talking about?

I patiently waited for her next words. Morgana’s heart was tightly closed, and she was always talking in a roundabout way like that. Still, she had started to open up a little. I had realized that the more I urged her to speak the less she’d be keen to do it, so I took the decision to hold myself back when this happened. To be frank, I have a short temper. So there are times I get irritated, but if I were to raise my voice we just wouldn’t be able to reach any kind of middle ground.

Morgana glanced up at me. Her eyes had a faint color, and it looked like it was turning from tawny to golden ― even more so during days like these where the sunlight was strong. Although she was just a normal girl, I’ve always felt like those eyes had something magical in them. But I didn’t hate that.

“The lord did not… hurt my face.”

“You say that, but if nothing had happened to it then it wouldn’t be such a―”

“Don’t touch me!”

…Without me noticing, I had tried to reach her face. My hand froze midway, floating in the air, and my eyebrows furrowed instinctively.

…What’s with that tone? I only did this because I was worried here, you know.

It’s already been a year since I’ve started taking care of her, so why did she still refuses to open up her heart a little more? No, wait… calm down, don’t get frustrated. I should know better than anyone that her circumstances are too special. Her trauma won’t heal after just a year, it’s just not enough. Maria said it too, didn’t she? “So plan on at least three years of ice-breaking if you wanna get through to her.”

I let out the sigh I’d been holding on, then turned my palms towards her to show her I was inoffensive.

“Morgana, I don’t mean you any harm. I’m not like the lord. I’m not going to do something like hurting you. Please understand that.”

“…”

“…So. What did you mean earlier?”

She glared at me like a threatening cat, then hung down her head again.

“I… was surely punished… Because my Father found me defiled… He was… angry that my… blood… was used for such feasts…”

“Huh? Hey, I couldn’t hear the last bit at all. Say it once more.”

“…”

“Silent treatment again, huh.”

Still, what was that about her father? Don’t tell me that Morgana was not only being abused by the lord, but by her father as well? Was her face’s scars from that time?

“Hey, where’s your father right now?”

If that was the case, I had to find her old man and have a few words with him.

“…”

“…Morgana.”

“…Over there.”

She slowly raised her arm to point at the heavens. I followed her fingertip, and my stare pierced through the blue sky.

“Did he die?”

“…”

“Hey, what does that mean?”

“…”

“You really are a weird kid.”

I let out a sigh, though I couldn’t help but smile a little as well.

This was the first time she had ever talked about her family. It felt like I could carry on the conversation in that direction.

“Hey, Morgana. You don’t have to go back to the lord and you don’t have to be scared of your father ever again. This is the slums, so of course poverty is going to be in the way, but even so there is a huge difference between now and how it was before for you, right?”

“…”

“So don’t be so stubborn. If you’re ever in trouble, you can go talk to the girls. Well, I don’t mind if you come talk to me either.”

“I don’t need to talk.”

“…I see.”

I gently grabbed her arm as the corners of her mouth turned down. Given she kept refusing I do her face, I was going to apply the ointment only starting from the arms today. It would be nice if one day all of her body could completely heal. I really wanted to see what her real face looked like. It was hard to imagine as it was now, but I’m sure that when she’ll be cured her golden eyes will glow even more. And then, when her wounds will be all healed, I’ll give her a new colorful outfit. Though no matter how I think about it, she’ll probably hate it. But well, I don’t think she’s ever been one to dress herself up in her life until now, so it should be fine to do it once in a while, right?

“…Say.”

“What?”

“What you’re humming…”

As she said this, I realized I had effectively been humming a song to myself.

It’s the type of melodies that you can hear all the time in places like pubs or brothels, so there shouldn’t be anything odd about me humming it now ― or so I thought.

…But somehow, I felt like I’d done something weirdly embarrassing. Just when I was about to say an excuse like ‘Sorry for having let you heard something awkward,’ she let out a small sigh.

“I quite like that song.”

“…”

What did she say right now? The same Morgana who always reject everything just told me she liked something?

“What is it?”

Perhaps I’d been staring at her for too long without realizing it, because her eyes took on a dubious shine as she faced me. Now I felt at a loss as to how to respond without suspiciously dodging the topic.

“Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I absolutely love your song. The prostitutes sing it often too, right? So it just got stuck in my head.”

“I-Is that so.”

Hey, in that case why don’t you try singing it too?

If she did, maybe that depressed voice could brighten up a bit. If there’s one thing poor people and prostitutes alike never miss to do, it was singing. It was because they believe songs have life-changing powers.

My thoughts were circling in my head like that, however before I could say anything ― this suddenly started to flow in my ears.

“―”

In a very, very small voice, she started humming that song ― a melody that seemed to be on the verge of vanishing when the breeze blows, but even more limpid than anything I’d ever heard. Even the wind that shook the grass and the flowers stopped for her at that exact moment.

―What is this?

Even though she always, always only express herself in a low whisper.

Even though the only times I remember her speaking properly, it’s when she’s preaching God’s words about this or that in a detached voice.

Even though even when I apply the ointment, she never says a single word of thanks.

Even though she’s only ever emotionless.

Despite all of this…

You… this is…

It’s unfair.

This is just so―

“…”

I could do nothing but keep silent. Even I honestly, obediently felt like I didn’t want to interrupt her singing voice. Please, makes it so that this moment can keep on for a long time―

And so, even if it was out of character for me, I prayed.

                                                                    ◇◇◇

I opened my eyes with a burning sore throat. The bed’s canopy vaguely entered my field of vision, but as always it appeared as flabby and distorted. I barely managed to focus my attention, got off the bed and poured water directly into my throat from the flask.

I squeezed it a few times, and noticing the soft liquid rolling down my cheek, I roughly wiped it off. The sigh I spat out was tinged with heat.

I headed towards the window, and checked what time it was thanks to the moon’s position. In the end, it seemed I hadn’t even slept a little, and even if I relied on alcohol, my condition stayed awful.

“Morgana, I don’t mean you any harm. I’m not like the lord. I’m not going to do something like hurting you. Please understand that.”

In my dreams, my past self kept blaming me. Why had I not been able to stay like that? Where did I go wrong? Even though I had myself said I would never hurt her, in the end I was the one who made her fall into despair.

Illuminated by the moonlight, a church far away in the distance came into my view.

On the top floor of that watchtower was the girl I loved.

No, using ‘love’ was much too insulting now. I was not qualified to have those feelings anymore.

“On the day of the festival, without fail…”

I had a concealed dagger inside my pocket. It was originally meant for self-defense, but now I intended to hand it over to her. I just didn’t know how else to save her anymore, so all I could do was to give her this life.

I know.

It was a very shallow solution.

But even so, I was already―

I couldn’t do anything else.

After all, even doing something like apologizing―

―felt like a horrible thing to do…

[gischelweek]

Alright, the poll is now closed! Thank you to all of those who participated! ❤️💚

The 7 prompts that were voted are the following:

Day 1 - Reading together

Day 2 - Video Games

Day 3 - Couple Cosplay

Day 4 - Date Night

Day 5 - Childhood

Day 6 - Little acts of love

Day 7 - Waking up together

As said before, you’re in no way obligated to follow the prompts if you don’t want to! You can come up with some of your own, uses multiple ones for the same day or simply do as you wish, there’s no rule on this.

You can also use the ones from last year here, or the ones that weren’t kept from the poll, which were:

Seasons

Trading gifts

Favorite moment from the game

Royalty AU (royal/liege)

Museum date

At the convenience store

Birthday (Giselle/Michel/Morgana)

Growing old together

Please don’t hesitate to participate! I'm looking forward to see what you come up with for the 27th! 🦋