#Odile and Bonnie are just sure in their identities

[sillylittlecharacters]

Isabeau, Siffrin and Mirabelle are very fun to consider in relation to each other because they're all characters who have - for different reasons and to different extents - crafted their identity for the benefit of others.

Warning: Spoilers and gratuitous theatrical metaphors below! They're light (the spoilers, not the theater imagery), but this analysis is really only for those who've finished the game.

Siffrin and Isabeau play the roles of the Funny-Jokes-Person and Team Himbo respectively - the comic relief duo, needed to keep the journey's tone light and moral high. This 'Act' is genuinely part of their personalities, but - and this is made clear in the Loops for Siffrin - they both rely on it to avoid expressing their genuine thoughts or feelings. I mean, there's a reason why it took until the DAY BEFORE THEY FOUGHT THE KING for Siffrin and Isabeau to have an 'important conversation' - these two are professionals, after all, and nothing less than a country ending catastrophe would make them break character. The difference between their performances is why they made those characters for themselves in the first place. Isabeau crafted his personality actively, to make himself as different as possible from the person he used to be. On the other hand, Siffrin, like Mirabelle, accidentally, or passively stepped into his role. (more on that in a moment)

Ah, how could we forget Mirabelle? Now, the nature of Mira's 'Act' is slightly different from our dynamic duo, as it's less to do with her personality and more to do with her status as a Saviour. Or more specifically, as the Change God's Chosen One. It's a lie she maintains, a part she plays, to give hope to the people of Vauguarde, but it wasn't one she chose. It was an accident that she was blessed, an accident that people assumed it was the Change God who did it. She's similar to Siffrin in this way: His performance is also based on how other people perceive him, only the 'other people' in his case is the party. Before Siffrin met them, he was effectively a blank slate, and he used the parties' expectations and reactions to his actions to build an identity. Take this dialogue from Act 4, fittingly found in Isa's friendship quest:

(That you didn't know how to describe yourself, you didn't know who you even were, until you said a bad pun once and he laughed so hard you thought he was going to pass out.)

Neither of them were looking for the role, but they both got type cast.

And in terms of the beauty alliance? Their biggest similarity is that they're both unsatisfied with their roles. Mirabelle hates being treated like the hero: hates the attention; the free gifts she feels like she doesn't deserve; the weight of the entire country's hopes and dreams she feels unable to carry. And Isabeau says that he hates being treated like he's stupid, hates that people assume he's brainless just because of his friendly demeanor. But they feel unable to step out of their roles, because that's what everyone needs from them, right?

(I guess this last point technically applies to Siffrin too, but that's after the Loops. Before they start, it seems like he's more than comfortable and even enjoys his role. It makes sense that he'd enjoy the feeling of having a concrete identity when he's so used to vague emptiness that comes with no memory.)

It's so fun ~!

[lucabyte]

Finally: The NoHats AU doodles. Plus some sprite edits.

Usually I'd let things speak for themselves and keep my chattering in the tags, but I'll ramble about my context thoughts...

So. First of all here's a link (x) to the Nohats Origin Post for those coming in and going ????.

Anyway. These doodles are not in any obvious chronological order, though Loop going from pilfered bandolier (my headcanon for how Siffrin has all those pockets) -> custom outfit made by Isabeau, is supposed to generally denote 'just after the ending' -> 'a few months down the line'.

And speaking of, Design & Characterisation notes:

Overall: NoHats is suppooooosed to have the range to not just be ULTIMATE MISERY ALL THE TIME (but if you're a major whump/angst fan. go fucking nuts.) so these are supposed to be. The steps toward overcoming and living with grief but. The Misery Is Kind Of The Punchiest Part.... Oops....

Mirabelle: Taking the lead, continuing to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. In the game proper she's already shown to, while yes, be emotionally fragile at times, be prone to trying to hold the team together. I feel she'd do the same here. It also would help that she'd presumably be medicated again? But I can't imagine her chosen-one anxieities would be super ailed by the death of her friend. I wanted to try and give her more differences? She follows the change belief after all and is thus liable to switch up her style in general... But I didn't have a strong vision for this, so. The ball is in anyone's court. Her design changes here are keeping one of Sif's safety pins a la qpr bonding earring, and has the bell pendant at Loop's (oddly pushy) suggestion.

Isabeau: Taking it. Badly. Depression mullet and beard in tow. However, you best believe he is trying real badly to hide it. Loop very much does not reveal their identity to him because What The Fuck Would That Even Do. That's Scary. but they do try to comfort him while mentally regarding him "off limits". Backs themselves into some very unfortunate corners by alluding to their unfulfilled relationship with their Fighter as a point of common ground. I don't imagine this would go super great when recontextualised later after Loop is inevitably found out. Just in general oh good god what the fuck. this is like a radioactive pit of survivor's guilt.

Bonnie: Taking it probably The Worst. This is a child. Who was already feeling guilt. This is who everyone else is trying to keep it together for. Mirabelle and Isabeau would likely be putting up far less of a front without Bonnie around. They take the hat and take on Pocket Duty. They also have slightly more sif-y hairstyle but... Don't worry about it. They'd have Nille to fall back on once she's picked back up, and Loop almost certainly attempts to redouble efforts on making them feel better but seeing as how closed-off Bonnie can already be, it'd likely be difficult. However they would probably take Loop's identity reveal best...?

Odile: Odile's design.... ! Does not seem to have changed? How odd! Well. I'm sure she's dealing with things in a regular and non-cloistered manner. I already think that a regular Postcanon Activity for Odile could be her finding out about the potential for sif/loop to translate books and thus Knowledge in their native tongue assuming that ability sticks around postgame. Something something culture can never truly be wiped out etc etc. But putting it in this context. Makes it more desperate, more of a deflection for something else.

Loop: Helpful Loop. Well. They win! I feel like the entirety of ISAT being about Siffrin's mental state means I don't need to spill much ink here? You get it I think. I can't outdo the source material man. Anyway I imagine Loop is given clothes by Isabeau before they know who they are, but after they've become genuine friends. The outfit is in genuineness, on both sides from Loop and Isa, in having the cloak be a nod in respect to Siffrin, since Loop's "shared culture" would have to come up vis a vis cultural funerary traditions. Hard to avoid divulging that one...

[starsisstars]

Pointless ISAT Headcanons

Hi I have to get up for opening shift tomorrow but who CARES it's time for headcanons. Except not the normal or angsty ones, it's goofy ridiculous hours ONLY. (Please send me more goofy niche headcanons I want to consume silly details like candy.) Filled with spoilers despite the sillies.

Bonnie invents potato chips 10 years after the end of the game after many failed attempts to make Sif like potatoes (Sif LOVES their chips, so this is Bonnie's win in the end).

Immortality fiction is super popular in Vaugarde because they're witnesses to change over decades but are prevented from changing themselves. Tragic wisemen usually. This got way less popular post-King.

Teachers get paid good wages in Vaugarde because they help kids through the period of the most change in their lives.

I think it's so funny everyone in fanfic thinks Sif sleeps in trees. It's universal and y'know what? Sure. I'm adopting that. Y'all had me scrolling through dialogue for ages just to make sure I didn't miss any tree nap mentions.

Loop spent the majority of Sif's first run through Dormont and the House training their voice so that it wouldn't be a dead giveaway to their identity when Sif showed up. They wanted it to sound like Odile. It does not even a little bit.

Mira is RED. Bonnie is ORANGE/YELLOW/BLUE. Odile is PURPLE. Isa is GREEN/BROWN. Sif and Loop are MONOCHROME.

Mira has a notebook FILLED with edgy poetry from when she was small. She buried it somewhere but knows exactly where it is and once every couple years digs it up just to make sure nobody found it.

Bon is a reptile person. Wants a bearded dragon as a pet.

Mwudu is Acadia (in the same way Vaugarde is France, etc.). Not a colony of Vaugarde or anything though, just a lot of cultural exchange. (Vaugarde is NOT imperialistic.)

Post-canon Sif sometimes has such a tight grip on Isa in his sleep that Isa can get up and walk around with them still latched onto him. One morning Isa even brushed his teeth and styled his hair before the Sif on his back woke up.

Nille is swole af. Taller than Odile too. I like it when people give her a braid.

I changed my mind; everyone has really ugly colors because they can't see them and they all look terrible. I do not care about the practicalities of more colorful dyes being difficult to obtain; this is fantasy logic and I say they all should cause eyestrain.

Sif's all-black look under the cloak and hat (both of which he didn't choose) is the only good fashion choice they're capable of making. If you ask them to get creative it's a disaster. Isa indulges this anyways because hell yeah fashion disaster rights, but Sif will inevitably ask for help once he actually sees the design in person.

Isa was a hardcore STEM person, while Odile was properly studying anthropology/writing but is actually SUPER into linguistics.

Fishermen from the Forgotten Country were given additional pathways to easy fishing crabs on Vaugarde's shore because Vaugarde didn't want 'em. The overfishing caused a minor ecological crisis that was then fixed by Wish Craft.

Pre-canon Sif tried to make some money via an eating competition in one of the unnamed countries but was so uncomfortable with the attention from winning first place they refused to ever step foot in the country again. They don't even remember why they refuse to visit anymore but still don't wanna go. It wasn't even that big a contest nor a big deal emotionally long-term (like the party would suspect) for Sif, they're just stubborn.

Since we have a classic RPG setup I think the party's inventory is not limited by logic and they carry around 78 tents and 23 cottages somehow.

[transflynnscifo]

im sure its been talked about already but what i particularly love abt isat is the way it incorporates culture and language with one's sense of identity. theres honestly a LOT i could say on that matter mostly because i take interest in depictions of fictional languages (even if they are not directly shown to the player) but i think ill hold back from going full-rogue with those thoughts now. i think its so fun to see a fantasy video game that indicates the existence of more than 1-2 languages (where in some cases the second language is some ancient one too) it feels extremely refreshing to be directly told there are multiple languages, as well as acknowledging the existence of accents!

from what i understood while playing, everyone shown in game is speaking in vaugardian. there exist dialects of it, given mirabelle and isabeau's accents differ from bonnies. in turn, this confirms to us that odile and siffrin are bi/multilingual. and i dont know, but the way talks of language and accents was presented in dialogue made me feel really excited because its just something that was treated so casually in the text. again its not often you encounter this stuff in video game stories! not to mention pulling this off without even needing to invent a fictional language to show the players!

and of course my favorite aspect of this is the way language affects siffrin in particular. (spoilers & some speculation under cut)

i dont think i need to go into detail how the disappearance of their country affected siffrin. however, the loss of language is the aspect that especially grabs me because there is an implication that the party, and siffrin especially, are not aware of.

you know how they forget words sometimes? his native language got deleted from his memory, so this means he would have trouble working words out together. thats mostly because ppl generally think in one language without being aware of it.

and even if siffrin picked up on vaugardian quickly, keep in mind that they would probably never know vaguardian the same way they knew their native language. and that's because i think his brain unconsciously is still "thinking" in the forgotten language. for example, if you cant recall the word for "stuffed animal" in your native language, what are the chances of remembering it in your second language, which you had to pick up on in the wake of being alone and with no memory of your home? it's actually notable when you try to interact with certain objects in the pottery room in act 5, for example! (does not help that they are also having a really bad time)

sif's case is unique as a bilingual speaker, so i sadly dont feel equipped talking more on it. however, i want to specify that i dont think the loss of language is the ONLY factor contributing to sif's memory problems. moreso that its one of the multiple ingredients that got added in his brain as a result of the country being deleted, essentially

anyway dunno how much this makes sense! ive been awake for a while so sorry if ive phrased myself badly at certain places lol

[cyten0]

A Symphony in Crimson

Act 2: A Movement in White

Chapter 2-A

You tap the device, and the woman appears on your screen. You… What do you say?!?

✦ “H-Hello? W-who is this?”

You look over the screen, hunting, searching for ANYTHING to go off of!!!

They're at an Inn, there’s a symbol over the counter, concentric circles, change belief, in Vaugarde. Other voices, similar accent as you? Next to another person, young, Vaugardian garb. Looks familiar?

✿ “Wait, is that Nille?!”

Wait WHAT?!?! HOW???? I mean, now that you look you can see it, the two are REALLY similar looking. Nille has longer hair, and has it braided into a ponytail, and is def a bit older, but past that they're nearly identical.

❁ “I- Bonnie, Where are you?!? Are you Okay? You’re not hurt right?!”

✿ “I’m fine Nille! I’m in Dormont, We just kicked the King’s butt!”

❁ “Wait you WHAT?!?”

Mirabelle leans over your shoulder, to look at the screen.

◉ “Oh, um, Hi! You must be Petronille, right? H-Hi! I-I’m Mirabelle, Bonnie insisted to join us when we went to fight the King. We made sure to keep them safe!”

▲ “We just sent a letter to you, but this works too!”

As Nille cycles through their emotions, you also feel your head spinning. The woman. The woman who KNOWS you. She… She’s been silent. Staring… slowly tearing up…

✦ “um. Are… are you okay?”

She instantly starts to bawl.

♯ “I… just…. I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE OKAY!!!!!!”

!!! She just. Continues to cry. Another woman comes up, with an eyepatch and long hair.

♪ “Hey Fa. Long time no see, huh?”

Fa?… Is… is that… your name? Your real name?

✦ “...Fa?...”

A woman off screen speaks in a calm and direct tone.

𝄢 “I would like to remind you that they most likely don’t remember us, or likely anything else. We’re likely complete strangers.”

Odile peaks over your shoulder.

◆ “Not entirely, presuming you are their presumed loved ones. Siffrin, or Fa, I presume? Regardless, they recently had a reminder. Though that is about the extent of it, as far as I know.”

♯ “OH THANK STARS!!! At least there’s SOMETHING!!! Oh wait, I should make it so you can see all of us!”

The image on the screen moves, and you see it lifted up, showing all of them standing around a table. A battlemage, a scientist with horns, the two knight women, and a moth person with a guitar.

𝄡 “Ti. Short for Titania.”

♫ “Oh! Um. Mi! Mi Calistege! H-Hi Fa!!”

♪ “Names Aurola, that’s Regulus. La and Re for short.”

The scientist just looks at the camera, their face strangely upset. You saw it change from cheerful within seconds after seeing you.

𝄢 “So. Song Polaris. STARS this is weird.”

P-Polaris?!?!!!! Oh!!! Oh stars!!!

✦ “s-sorry.”

Their face suddenly flickers, into a more even tone.

𝄢 “No worries, I had somewhat expected that to be the only face within your memory. But my emotions around my brother are rather complex at the time.”

She smiles again, as she looks at you.

𝄢 “I'm just glad you're alright."

Isa leans over to the screen.

▲ “Well, if you knew Sif, or Fa, from before, you must know all sorts about them! Can’t say we’re not interested!”

♯ “Yeah Same! We havn’t seen the poor kid in seven years!!! I need to know SO MUCH!!!”

◉ “...Kid?”

♫ “Hey, they're not that much of a kid! I think they turn 21 in two weeks, actually!”

WHAT!?! Your entire family jumps! You thought you were like, 29?!??

◆ “… Congratulations, Siffrin, you have gone from being the second oldest to the second youngest.”

✿ “Can we do a birthday party? I know they got one last month, but I wanna make nother cake.”

▲ “It was a really good cake. I’m down!”

♯ "Lucky you, Fa!"

◉ “Isabeau, you better help me with gifts!”

▲ “Huh? Hm. I don’t know. Not sure what to get myself!”

◆ “Really? You and Siffrin literally had a love confession yesterday. Think anything would work.”

Everyone except Nille on the other side of the phone jumps in surprise!

𝄢 “Fa did WHAT?!?”

𝄡 “Congratulations.”

Oh stars everything is moving so fast and you are not prepared for literally any of it! You have an entire new, extra family after you JUST obtained this one, and you didn’t even know they were alive, and you can’t remember any of your life with them, and they're already talking so much and you’re not ready!!!

♯ “SEE?!?? THIS is what I mean!! We gotta swap stories SO BAD!!”

♪ “Maybe after we meet up? We did promise Petronille to reunite them with their sibling, and We’d like to be able to meet back up with Fa.”

✿ “Heck yeah! We get to meet Frin’s family!”

◆ “If you were planning on traveling, shall we meet halfway?”

♯ “I’m down!”

♫ “Y-Yes! I’d love to see more of Vaugarde!”

What?!? Meet them?! They want to- You were already holding back so many emotions, you're barely holding yourself together at all right now!!!

❁ “… Fine, if it means I get to see Bonnie sooner. You better keep them safe.”

♫ “A-And Fa! Please!”

▲ “Course we will! Think Carrefour is a good spot to aim for, if I remember the route right?”

𝄡 “Good. You can use that console to Call if we need to adjust.”

♯ “Or any other reason!!! We have SO BLINDING MUCH to catch up on!!! And you better send me Pics!!”

♪ “Any questions before we go?”

Stars you have so blinding many, but your brain is too confused and emotional to begin to think of any!!! If you so much as open your mouth you feel like you’ll start crying!

◆ “Hm. One thing. When Siffrin, or Fa, opened this device up, there was a strange symbol and some craft? Any idea what that was?”

𝄢 “Ah, something Ti recently designed. It prevents further memory alteration by the wishcraft surrounding our home. Actually, do you know where that is?”

◆ “The Island up north, as far as I know.”

𝄢 “Ah good, at least a little up to speed. You should be able to talk and think freely about it, though anything already lost might take some effort and prompting to recover.”

Wait, but then…

Does that… does that mean….

✦ “Can you tell me it’s name?!? I… I…”

Regulus chuckles, and looks to you. There’s this gentleness in her face, that makes your heart ache.

♯ “It’s Astravia. That’s the name of our home.”

You… You think… You can feel your emotions start to break through...

A strange beeping noise starts happening, and Re jumps.

♯ “Ack! Blind it, I kept this thing on too much today, It’s about to run out of charge! Gonna have to end the call here, but it should be back up by tomorrow morning!!! Make sure to call us!”

◆ “I'm sure we'll figure out how soon enough, so yes."

▲ “Course! See you all soon!”

They all wave. Your old family all waves at you… you slowly. Lift your hand. And wave back at them… Before their image vanishes from the screen… In a mere blink of an eye.

And as they fade… you… you can’t hold it in anymore….

You start to cry. You can’t help it. They're alive. They're alive and… and they… even after everything. After EVERYTHING…. They still care about you. They still!!!!!

You can barely breathe through your tears. It feels like it’s barely real. It feels like it can’t be real!!! Like any second, all of this is going to crash down on you and fall apart!!! But it’s not!! It’s still here!! It’s still real!!! And!! and!!!

You can REMEMBER your home! You can remember THEM!!! Even if it’s just the names! It’s not being ripped away from you! You can hold it this time!!! For once, for ONCE, You can keep SOMETHING of it!!

And… the one thing… you never thought you’d never had… even before, you didn’t know you ever had one… didn’t know if anyone would ever have bothered with one, even if they cared for you… That it was too far a reach to give a monster such a thing… But… They did… They said it…

….Fa…

...You don’t even know what to do with that. You’ve been Siffrin for so long. As long as you can remember. So much that your family here don’t know what to do with it. Even as you're crying, you can faintly hear them, comforting you with the name you had with them. And you don’t even care to stop them, because you know they mean you. And you’re too busy crying, mumbling between your sobs about all your feeling.

Okay. Breathe. In. and out. In. and out.

You start to ease out of your crying. Your family’s words start to become clear again, bit by bit.

▲ “-okay Sif, it’s okay. Take it easy.”

✦ “i-i’m okay… i…. they're…”

◉ “Yeah! They're okay!”

You nod. Still exhausted from your tears, too much to speak.

◆ “Must be quite the pleasant surprise. Though, Seeing them here and now. And With Nille of all people… That is quite the coincidence.”

◉ “… I think, Change might have nudged things a bit when they saw them…”

✿ “Woah! Is that why you asked bout them?! Cause then Frin pulled out the thingy!”

Mirabelle thinks for a moment.

◉ “Huh. Maybe? I’m still sorting this whole thing out a bit… But I’m glad I could help!”

✦ “yeah. Thank you. I… I think… I might need some time to think.”

◆ “Take your time. There has been a LOT packed into a very short while.”

✿ “Dile! Let’s get the thing we talked about!”

◆ “Ah, right. We should have plenty of time to look through the options.”

Part of you wonders what they're up to, but your mind is still too muddled to bother. Those names and faces are still bounding around, including that one name...

▲ “You both do that! I think I’m gonna be resting for the whole day. Whole body still hurts a bit.”

◉ “I’ll stay here too! Don’t really have much to do right now.”

◆ “Thought you had more to settle with the House?”

◉ “I can do that tomorrow morning, did plenty today! And could use a bit to settle myself, anyways.”

✦ “Fair. I’ll…. I’ll just be… Up. I guess? Shout if you need me…”

The others give you some questioning looks before you lasso one of the upper rafters with your tendril, and pull yourself up into the clockwork, and up to the face.

You can hear a few comments about it below, but you just let it fade away, into the background noise.

You listen to the sound of ticking, of the movement of gears.

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

… You came here often, during that time. Gave yourself a chance to think… The view is different this time, given it’s mid-day, but you don’t mind. The stars were a bonus, but daytime is new.

More importantly, No matter how bad a time you were having. No matter how much you were struggling, or what you were worried about… This was a place you could just. Breathe. And relax…

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

… It makes for a nice metronome, doesn’t it? For both body and mind. Easing you into a calm, steady rhythm…

You start to sing. No words to your song, but voice none the less. Not that you’d have the words to speak. Too much to say, too little ways to say it. Your song sounds somber, yet happy, as it echoes through the clockwork. You watch the town below, busy yet safely distant.

… Fa…

You still don’t know what to think about it. It’s short, it’s simple. It’s more a nickname then anything. But… It was for you. You could make it yours, couldn’t you?…

You don’t know if it’s okay. You still can’t remember them all. They're still lost. They still didn’t get a chance to live. And you’re still known as Siffrin, even if just in part. You always thought that, even when you stopped being Siffrin, you’d pick another to give a second chance to, but…

You… You never… never realized how much you wanted this. Wanted to be someone. You always told yourself, if you could just do it right, if you could just play the part right, you’d be happy. But…

But they cared. Even when the illusion shattered, and they saw you for what you are. Even to those who you likely never played a part for. They cared. They still care.

They… they really care about you, don’t they? You. Not Siffrin. You.

… Maybe… Maybe just for them… You can be that?

Even if it’s just a bit, you… You can find out who Fa is? Just for them, right?...

You remember what Isa said that one night.

Change is destruction, you know? To bring change, you might hurt people. Might hurt yourself even. So you always have to be careful, make sure it’s worth it.

You’re scared. Siffrin has been safe. Siffrin has been reliable. Siffrin has been your life for seven blinding years now. And doing this…

You’d never be able to go back to it. Not really. The moment you let go of being them, it’ll start to fade as your new you takes it’s space.

And you have no idea what’s on the other side. It could be worse. So much of what you’ve done as yourself instead of Siffrin has felt like it breaks everything it touches, but…

…You...

...You think… You can do this. You think. It’s worth doing this…

The fact that, within mere minutes of hearing that name, you are at war with yourself, wanting it so badly… It’s worth it. It’s worth trying…

You think… You know what to do with that name.

… Thank you Siffrin, for carrying you this far. Rest well.

And good luck. Fantasia.

[torchstelechos]

that everyone loops AU makes me insane bc we know that siffrin is fairly observant even if they miss stuff (... missing eye) a lot.

which means everyone has to be constantly whispering to communicate when they think siffrin isnt listening. which siffrin would. 100%. so obviously pick up on the literal first loop onwards. and they'd NEVER improve their opsec because siffrin would NEVER even let out even a remote hint he can hear them whispering and talking without them. even if they cant make out the words

actual hell for siffrin "my family hates me actually" nolastname

It does make me insane actually, I know I like to joke about Siffrin being oblivious but a lot of his general "oblivious" nature comes from a variety of things that would NOT interfere with their ability to realize the party is hiding stuff from them. As you said (and iirc Basilpaste has mentioned), their eye causes them a lot of trouble as it's a recent disability that interferes with their ability to find things (the key in Euphrasie's office and the key in the mirror room + the trap in death corridor) which would explain his general "oblivious" nature when it comes to physical things such as the counter. Its a disability! But he doesnt react to it as such! So a lot of the fandom tends to also forget that it's interfering with their own perception of how Siffrin see's themself and the world. Then, we also have their "oblivious" nature to social interactions but honestly, a lot of it comes from his memory issues (losing a TON of cultural identity and language can absolutely fuck up your ability to ask about certain things) and his self esteem/mental issues that make it so that he can't accept that they are desirable or wanted so... good things tend to be assumed to be something he made up or isn't true despite it being true. (I highly doubt that Siffrin isn't aware on some level they are loved and cared for by the party, it's why some of the scenes in the game hit harder for them because they know! He does! He just can't accept that reality)

Having said all this, it makes the scene's where the party tries to play keep away with information even worse! Because that's Siffrin's whole job! Knowing when things are sketchy or bad, as to keep everyone safe from unexpected things like traps or blockades is his job!! It is literally his job description, and as much as the party tends to overlook this, Siffrin would catch on as soon as it became apparent even Bonnie was in on it. I'm sure Siffrin could write off Odile, Mirabelle, and Isabeau discussing something in whispers if they thought it had to do with Bonnie (this Siffrin would still think Bonnie hates them and wouldnt understand why) but at the point that even Bonnie is clearly in on it, it becomes apparent that Siffrin is the only one out of the loop (lol). Which, holy shit, the absolute wreckage of realizing you are being kept away from something that a child is in on... the only reason that happens if its something about you specifically. And as you said! Siffrin wouldn't say anything! Because they want to stay with the party, so if they help, and do better, maybe they can get back in the parties good graces? Maybe if they help more, maybe if they can do something that the others cant, they can be kept around? Even if its not for the same reasons Siffrin wants to stay with them, maybe they can get the others to want them to stay? None of this gets communicated because if its something wrong with Siffrin, then they have to fix it himself! Which gets the oroboros tail stuck in his mouth, because the more Siffrin tries to help in this au, the more they fuck up the plans the others have. Its so messed up!! I love it dearly.

This is Bonnie's secret quest dialed up to an 11 on how much it hurts Siffrin and the party would literally never realize this until it hits them in the end. Like oh god, I think I would simply have to make it up for Siffrin forevermore after the loops lol. Patron Saint of go fuck yourself over here is a sniffling sad wet cat of a fella. I love this au, I love it so much

[the-bitter-ocean]

For me personally I think I just like analyzing what their dynamic could be like (whether it be romantic or not doesn’t matter and I say this as someone whose drawn art of Odile/ Euphrasie/Claude and Euphrasie/ Odile before )

I’m a sucker for the islander! Euphrasie theory so apart of my characterization/ interpretation/ analysis of Euphie is based on that for this but yeah TLDR LARGE MASSIVE ANALYSIS RAMBLE UNDER THE CUT:

- I think both come from different backgrounds and are knowledgeable of different things, which could be unique to see how the two would learn to come to understand about one another

I think there’s a neat parallel/ juxtaposition in Euphrasie, who is from the island being disconnected from that culture and loosing memories associated with it, traveling to Vaugarde and learning to appreciate this new opportunity to meet new people and culture.. a new faith a new chance to forge a new path for herself. Vaugarde for all intents and purposes is her home.

And you have odile who is also a traveler, albeit a more recent one (started traveling two years ago) who traveled to Vaugarde in order to find connection to her roots culturally because she is half Vaugardian on her moms side etc.

I think both would know and understand the hardship of feeling disconnected in identity for one’s country and culture- to feel like something has been stolen from you and learning to make peace with it.

I also just think personality wise the contrast appeals to me- Euphrasie is very outwardly talkative smiley/ happy/ kind of a goof who is very polite. Odile is more quiet/ observant/ drier in humor. But they both I think share similarities of doing whatever it took to protect the people they love ( Euphie literally gave mira the blessing at the expense of herself and odile outright said she’d be willing to do terrible things to keep her family safe/ would die if it came down to needing to make sure bonnie was alive)

they’re both very smart/ knowledgeable of things and they both like reading. I think they should have a book club together sometime. Go out for tea/ coffee maybe.

In the context of either odile looping or euphrasie looping I like thinking about it less in a romantic way and more just analyzing those two characters as a whole and what makes them tick/ how they change. I think either regular canon or au stuff could be fun to work with it’s honestly just a matter of “are you willing to be creative and have fun writing” sort of thing. I think as long as you’re having fun / not hurting anyone it doesn’t really matter! You don’t have to ship it if you don’t want to at the end of the day lol.

Guys. Can you like... sell the Odile and Euphrasie ship to me? I wanna like it!

[relatablemormonmoments]

October 2019 Saturday Session Notes

Morning

Jeffrey R. Holland

Anonymous women and men identify Christ as reason for clamor

Find Jesus at center of it all

Our faith can be overwhelming

Love of heavenly PARENTS

Recieve your sight, your faith has healed you

Skeptics and faithful still contend

Faith and service

Terrence M. Vinsen

Build the lord's temple instead of staying in our safe houses

Earneth wages to put in a bag with holes (oooo graphics)

Less wifi and more Nephi

We shouldn't let the gospel be an added extra or just go to church 2 hours on Sundays. Church is extended 6 more days a week

Fair Dinkum->being commited

If we think things will be easy we will lose

Parable of the Fat Lip and Broken Jaw -> resulted in giving our all

Giving our all =/= blessings and success, Giving our all=Happiness

When he falls he shall rise again

Never waivered in faith and goodness, but deeply hirt for a long time

Wound expanding over our hearts

Pain in heart = Pain in soul, If we go to God it can be taken away

What should I do ghat I may have eternal life, that I shall return to God?

Prepare to give up all we have

Consider your ways

I hope this guy becomes an apostle 😍😍😍

Stephen W. Owen

Cellphone intentions quickly become distractions

Missed scripture study and subsequently the blessing and spiritual healing that comes with it

24 gour news cycle = bad

We must learn to recieve revelation

Herd of deer trapped outside of habitat-could starve. Deer can't eat well meaning hay -> starve to death with stomachs full

Spiritual nourishment is not trending on social media

Pride of world causes us to abandon church

Motions of spirituality do not mean true conversion

We need to be faithful, not faithless

Home centered church helps us thrive in days of spiritual malnutrition

Master of distraction, author of procrastination = Satan

Children need more of your time, not less

Curriculum for meetings is being adjusted

Moved to new neighborhood at age 14-> feels like tragedy

Parents, let youth know they are not alone as they walk

Your influence might be the church support that that young person needs.

D. Todd Christoffersen

We can feel joy regardless of what is happening or what's not happening in our lives

Those who serve God and are chaste are more joyful than those who are only obedient

Recieving the gospel makes us feel like a free bird

Be of good cheer

Joy of returning to geaven

Bring light, relief, and happiness ro our brothers and sisters

Michelle Craig

How can I tell when God is trying to tell me something?

Be intentional about creating time and space to hear God's voice

Imagine what would happen if we were as intent in staying connected to heaven as we were to staying connected to wifi

Lord can use your ordinary skills to accomplish his extraordinary work

Dale G. Renlund

New but unwavering commitment to Jesus Christ

Unchanging fidelity to God

MY ARCHAEOLOGIST BRAIN ISNT HAPPY WITH THE IDEA OF THROWING THE ITEMS RELATED TO OUR OLD IDENTITIES AWAY AND COMPLETELY DESTROYING IT

Begin new life in Christ

Spiritual sneeze, faithful flu- doesnt work

Recieve Christ's image more fully.

Constant flow of Faith

"Isn't this the truth that we have heard"

Anchor yourself to the Savior

Oaks

No.

Afternoon

David A. Bednar

Yesss its my boy

Camoflauged cro odiles -> Satan vs. Youth (Packer)

Cheetahs, fastest accelerating mammals on earth

Cheetahs stalk Topies while working in tandem to hunt them.

Alternating pattern to dostract and decieve the Topies and keep them from knowing there was any danger

Older Topies watching give warning and Topies escape.

Cheetahs still pursue, restless.

Beware of evil's beguiling disguises

Restored Gospel light in our lives

Stay awake and be alert

Don't be complacent or careless

A cheetah is a predator, Satan is the enemy of Righteousness

PLAN OF HAPPINESS Provides direction and enduring joy to God's Children

Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression via misusing our bodies

Powerful parables are obtained from our daily lives

Ruben V. Alliad

Jesus is the Lord of Lost Things, he loves Lost Things

200 copies of the book of mormon in one room

"And when ye shall recieve these things..."

Pray about book of mormon and you WILL know that its true

Found directly through power of BOM

Think hard and answer honestly, follow up on baptism promises

Diligently seek the BOM

Holy Ghost confirms our knowlege

Russell M. Nelson

Youth Battalion

(If any of you saw my previous post this talk is what tipped my Grandmother off about Hitler's Youth)

Quentin L. Cook

Smartphones = bad

Youth must be the focus of Bishops and other leaders

Youth have more personal responsibility at you bf er and younger ages now

Announcements do not limit bishoos responsibility over Young Women

Young Women leader is besf for meeting the needs of Young Women

YOUNG MEN PRESIDENCIES NO MORE

Ward youth council, mutual is retired

Mark L. Pace

God loves us

70 steel piles provide firm foundation

Increase faith in Jesus Christ and his Atonement

Adversaries increasing attacks on our faith

Come follow me a chance to bear testimony and learn differently

Consistent Effort throughout the week

Remodel home into center of Gospel Learning

Come follow me helpsnus establish foundation

L. Todd Budge

Peace and Joy when we surrender ourselves to God

Afflictions and Sorrow prepare us for joy -13th century poet

Afflictions are small

Life full of purpose and meaning

The lord will not allow us to suffer in darkness

How can we make it through the day without the Lord?

Questions and concerns -> Faith and Love

"I don't feel safe, but I am"

Wind never ceases to blow us towards the promised land

Didn't cease to praise the Lord

I really like this guy. He gives me peace and brings me joy

Jorge M. Aluardo

Some blessings come soon, late, or not until heaven, but they will come

Temple

Works at temple bless you with increased revelation and peace

Example of righteous parents

Strong familial chain link

Follow your own council (kid eating too much candy)

This man brings me joy

"Amazing Papa!"

Ronald A. Rasband

Grateful for the Lord's eternal companionship

Promises to improve

Promises to eachother increase promise to the Lord

Partnership with the Lord

The lord will be with you

Women's Session

Reyna J. Alberto

Black clouds which blind us and cause us to question God

When our minds are suffering, it is appropriate to seek help

Together we realize there is hope, and we do not have to suffer alone. Find resources about emotional illnesses!

Isolation thrives in secrecy and shrinks in empathy

When it comes to healing, we all need Him desperately

Nothing you have experienced will change the fact that you are God's child

Lisa L. Harkness

Living under Christ's name

Jesus is here for us

Do we honor the name of Christ

Bonnie H. Cordon

Sure knowlege of divine purpose and identity

NEW YW THEME ( I DIDNT CATCH THE WHOLE THING BUT): I am a beloved daughter of HEAVENLY PARENTS

Shift from we to I

Peace and Guidance will be yours

We need to have shelters and sanctuaries from life's storms

Be a light to those around you.

All classes are now unified under one name: Young Women

Every class should have a class presidency

Make the calling of leading class presidencies a priority

Revelation is real

We need the Wisdom, Council, and Energy in youth council

Henry B Eyring

Divine mission is to help lift the souls of others

We do not know the time or duration of our assignments

Preparation of a powerful loving heart

Minister to every stranger as a neighbor and a friend

We must be a mother in some way

Mold living clay to your hopes in tandem with God

God loves you

Oaks

NO!!! (Homophobic version)

Russell M. Nelson

He is now the church grandpa

Access to all spiritual treasures for Lord's children

How do we draw the savior's power in our life? Holy Ghost will prompt you

Bad men are not allowed- men must drink respect women juice

RESPECT WOMEN JUICE!!

Misogyny bad

Women are society's guardians, wonderful, magnificent

Covenants = Priesthood power for women

I LOVE MY NEW GRANDPA

Encouraged to participate in ward councils

166 temples and more to come (TEMPLES ANNOUNCED IN WOMEN'S SESS? THIS IS A FIRST)

8 new temples -> sierra leone, utah x2 , arkansas, philippines, texas, guatemala, utah

Strengthen your faith in the Lord.

[beneathsilverstars]

Hm... Bonnie's position as the sidelined helper does work for the beginning of a Page arc, and ofc Bonnie does some healing. I'm just not sure about the personality/arc aspects of Life... but I suppose it's not just about the healing, their lil bonus quest is also about death and their friendquest is about protecting. And it's not like you have to be the empathetic healer to be Life-bound, after all Meenah has her own selfish thief take on the aspect... I guess it's hard to say because Bonnie is so young, but I could see them growing into the Life aspect more and more as they get older and eventually fulfilling a Page level of potential, that is a cute arc for them. I gave them Hope, which is similar in that it's fairly literal, and gives people the strength to keep going through injury/hardship.

More thoughts under the cut this got long lol

Odile's definitely got some learning/thinking somewhere in her classpect, but idk that she focuses much on the choices/consequences of Mind? Her whole quest to learn about her half-Vaugardien identity seems much more Blood or Heart aligned to me. I'd love to hear about your reasons for choosing Mind!

I was really torn about whether to give Isabeau Blood or Heart, I ended up going with Heir of Blood myself! I chose a passive class for Blood because while he really wants people to like him, he's bad at taking the first step to initiate the relationship. But I do think that if he's Heart, an active class might work better? Less "inviting change through identity/self" and more directly "changing the identity/self", so, Witch, or maybe creating the self as a Maid.

I can see Breath for Mirabelle, there's a couple different aspects that are associated with change in different ways. Seems a bit carefree for her, but I can see it with the way she became the chosen one more by accident. And a knowledge class makes sense for her as a Handmaiden, but I think I would swap the passive/active here again and give her Seer, since she's not using her change expertise that much herself. Or, I gave her Page of Space, and I think Page would also make Breath make more sense to me – she starts out more anxious and by-the-book, and then grows and learns how to be more flexible, less avoidant, and not overly selfless.

Siffrin for Time is obvious, both literally and with the metaphorical death/destruction stuff, but I'm curious why you chose Knight in particular! Knight could be defined as protecting people using the aspect, and while he does want to protect his friends, idk that he really.. succeeds in doing so that much..? or it could be defined as serving the aspect or serving through the aspect, which.. I was about to say doesn't seem to fit, but I suppose he's serving Vougarde by using his timeloops to defeat the King?

trying to classpect the ISAT crew like