#monk-of-figaro

[wsancho]

YESSSS!! Let the juices flow! 👀

I don't think Sabin's reaction is out of character, but the heat of the moment is missable. He just finished fighting off someone who was close to him and was trying to kill him. Normalcy is jarring right after you've been in a setting where your survival is threatened. It takes time, space and mindfulness to readjust (soldiers get PTSD because they don't get none of that. I heard that the Roman Empire had a ritual of several days specifically meant to bring their soldiers back from "combat mode" before sending them home. Makes sense). This moment with Vargas is treated as if Sabin just stepped on a bug, but I take it as one of those things where all the emotional charge get lost due to lack of expressions and dialogue. It also makes it make sense when he overreacts with Ultros. I don't like his reaction but I see where it comes from.

Also I doubt the brothers have an inner narrative where the other is casting judgment (condemnation). But when you love someone to death and at the same time you witness them doing things that you utterly disagree with; you'll give them tough love, not treats or kudos (Sabin saying that he feared Figaro turning into a puppet state isn't exactly praising Edgar's work). I think of Sabin's reaction to seeing Edgar as that of a parent who sees their kid choosing a dangerous career path, as in "I love you and let you make your own decision, but as long as you go down this path I don't wanna hear a fucking thing about it". He asks Edgar what he's doing in Mount Kolts, but may be anticipating a very unsatisfying answer.

They let the other be his own self and they still trust each other blindly because at the core it's the same pure heart that drives both. That unconditional love is always there, untouched. But they take opposite extremes about how to solve the problem at hand, which undeniably causes conflict, but it doesn't break them apart. ❤️😤

I have theories about the unknowns you mentioned 🫡

The twins' shared flashback ends with the coin toss. There are some logistics afterwards that are never shown (because the flashback is about the twins' bond, not about logistics), mainly:

Sabin leaving. I think he leaves immediately, considering that he doesn't wanna deal with the people in the castle. Were there obstacles for him leaving? Not great obstacles, in my opinion. I think Edgar telling the priestess to leave them alone (and her understanding it as "get everyone to leave us alone") granted them enough privacy for Sabin to silently get out and people just taking it as "he's being emotional, he needs some time alone and he'll come back to his senses in the morning". I know of kids "escaping home" only to come back hours later because they didn't figure out the next step. 🫤

Revealing the decision to the other politicians. Edgar would tell them only after Sabin was out of reach. After this reveal it could get difficult for Sabin to make any move. There's the semi-canon Figaroan belief that twin monarchs are a good omen so the commoners, more than anyone else, would object to having only one twin ruling. I'm thinking that the politicians have their preference too, either for the one who behaves more like them (Edgar), or for the one who seems more simple-minded and easy to puppeteer (Sabin).

King's funeral. By Sabin's reaction of denial, I get that he didn't see his dad's corpse (and wouldn't wanna see it). If the show Six Feet Under taught me anything, it's that funerals are for the living, to give them closure and facilitate detachment. Sabin not taking part in the funerary rituals could contribute to this boy not being over his daddy issues ten years and lots of meditation later.

Edgar's coronation. Again, I don't see Sabin sticking around for this. At this point it's settled, whether Figaro likes it or not, there's only one heir, and it's much easier to get them to accept this if there's no other choice available. There's a fanfic that brushes on some Figaroan rumors of Edgar exiling Sabin to take the throne for himself. Awfully unfair and typical in these circumstances. 😞👌🏼

Sabin getting Duncan to take him in. In the flashback Sabin is just finding out about his dad and then that leads to him wanting to leave the place and expecting Edgar to come along:

Seems that Sabin wanted to be with his brother, nothing more. And he didn't realize Edgar had been preparing for his dad's passing. Sabin wasn't planning to go to Duncan's and bring Edgar along, he wasn't planning for his dad to get murdered and run away to train to avenge dad's death, or train to fight the Empire just because. My take is that in this moment he felt more pressured than ever and considered that this was the perfect moment to go for what they really wanted. I think Sabin's "plan" goes something like this:

Phase 1: Collect underpants. Escape.

Phase 2: ❓

Phase 3: Profit. Happiness.

He proposes the same thing that these fools did (probably would get the exact same result):

If you haven't seen this, it's a great film. It sucks.

There may have been a vague idea of that idyllic life, but not a real roadmap: spending most time in nature, answering to no one, doing only the the things they're passionate about; and since Gestahl started some shit, maybe one fateful day they'd be going to knock on Gestahl's door to kick his ass or something. Good stuff! Good wishful thinking stuff. 🥲

Wishful thinking, or rather the ability to take the mind outside the boundaries of linear thinking and logic is what I believe allowed Sabin to become mind-blowingly skilled and off-the-charts strong. He did not follow the predictable trajectory he was on (as a prince and as a sickly child), and once off the beaten path, anything was possible. This is one of Sabin's most important strengths, it contrasts Edgar's mind-blowingly strategic thinking and off-the-charts foresight. But in order to succeed they still dip their feet in the other's field: Edgar is not only doing diplomacy, he's secretly arming his nation. Sabin didn't go on a 10-year vacation, he devotes himself to a real life project after leaving the castle. I think Sabin only realizes the need to do something about the Empire after cooling down, away from the castle drama, dwelling in the loss of his family.

Sabin knows what Edgar is trying to do. He knows Edgar knows what's right and fair and just. Both boys think they know where the other's approach is lacking as they lack the ability to fully grasp what the other can achieve. But they do have enough respect to let the other do his thing while in disagreement.

Meeting again and being in agreement was unexpected but not a coincidence. Each went and perfected himself without the other's influence only to come back together in a moment when Edgar took an uncharacteristically dangerous stance while Sabin had been uncharacteristically subduing his eagerness in favor of his martial arts roadmap and to let Edgar's strategy play out. As all paths lead to Rome, whatever these boys do leads them to each other because the opposite life choices are external things, but on the inside, they're one and the same. ❤️‍🔥

And in the end they get to live how they want to; not for a season or a few years, but for the rest of their lives. Sabin's idyllic life (which both twins desire) can only be secured after both decide to play the long game. Edgar may have known this pretty early, but it'd take Sabin some time to see the full picture. 💪🏼👑

Figaro Twins’ Coulda, Woulda, Shouldas

On a previous post I wondered if the twins could have maintained communication during their 10-year separation. My guess is that they didn’t, given that the High Priestess doesn’t know what Sabin’s been up to; Edgar doesn’t seem to know either, and he’s surprised to find out where he’s been living and who he’s been hanging out with.

But Sabin’s initial reaction to seeing Edgar felt off. Too casual and carefree for someone who sees his beloved big brother for the first time in a decade. Even if they had maintained communication, this still feels off, impersonal and unaffected.

The brothers shoulda hugged and celebrated seeing each other but they didn’t. With the characters being who they are and without putting blame on the devs, how could this make sense for these boys? Like, WHY WOULDN’T THEY HUG, GODDAMNIT?! 😖🥺

When Sabin first saw Gerad he didn’t react much either. We can blame it on the good ol’ “platform limitations” and “time restrictions”, but I like to take canon as is and figure out how it could work in service of my personal, self-indulgent narrative that makes me happy 🧐

So my theory is that, as much as Sabin looks up to Edgar emotionally and intellectually, he doesn’t really expect Edgar’s diplomatic approach to work.

Before leaving Figaro, Sabin wanted to avenge his dad, but his rage completely deflates when Edgar puts the focus on politics, like everyone else in the castle. Sabin may have convinced himself that he’d have to do this alone, even against Edgar’s established diplomacy. Not only does Sabin know Figaro’s situation before Kefka’s attack, he knows of the Returners hideout (some gamers interpret this as “the Returners not being great at hiding”, but one can know, for example, that Edward Snowden is in Russia or that Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan; but finding them requires slightly more knowledge than that. Sabin knows exactly where the Returners hide). I don’t think he had direct contact with them, but seems he had been actively looking for the information, not just learning whatever came his way.

Sabin loves his big brother and wouldn’t go against him, which is why he waited for diplomatic efforts to fall apart, as they did. But until then, Edgar’s decisions are very much the same of those who let his father perish. Sabin might have mixed feelings about Edgar because they had been on opposite ideological sides (imagine if Edgar had replied “We're climbing this mountain to meet up with my guest Kefka and escort him to the castle” Yuck! 😒).

Edgar had been reacting a little more to hearing about Sabin and to seeing him again, but I believe he prevents himself from showing too much and tries to keep his cool at all times. Also, after seeing so little reaction from Sabin, he might have gotten the impression that Sabin isn’t as comfortable with him as he used to be, so Edgar keeps his distance and accepts whatever Sabin chooses to express; after all, he set Sabin free in all possible ways. He’s not conflicted about Sabin and is not trying to maintain the distance, he’s just respectfully passive.

Of course Sabin trusts Edgar’s intentions. I think he’s having a bit of “emotional jet lag” (like he just learned that his surrogate dad got murdered by his surrogate brother and then tried to kill him too, or something 🤔), but as soon as Edgar tells him that diplomacy went to shit and they’re getting ready to strike back, Sabin is onboard, driven and even excited; if there were any doubts, all dispel once he finds himself on the same team as his bro.

Then there’s the part where Sabin jumps into the river to fight Ultros. It rubs me the wrong way that he pushes Edgar aside and jumps anyway. Sabin is not listening to reason and he’s not really a team player here. He’s trying to protect Terra from Ultros, but it’s very much an overreaction and I think it has to do with his need to prove himself and his disfavor for Edgar’s more passive methods (and with Sabin not having been part of a team ever before).

Sabin coulda listened and stay put, but I think his detour helps build his character. Sure, he meets and brings along new people and new information about what’s going on in the world, and all those are very important things for the plot; but I see a subtle mellowing down of his temper. He’s separated from the group and can’t help to constantly wonder if his brother is safe (the English translation makes it about the group, but in the original he’s worried about Edgar). I think he knows he kinda fucked up. Things worked out fine, but he seems less impulsive afterwards and more willing to listen.

Knowing that Edgar cares and worries about Sabin as much as he always did, I can see why it’s a little jarring when Edgar doesn’t try to save him after the encounter with Ultros, especially because recently the FF6 Rom Hack, Divergent Paths, was brought to my attention (thanks @monk-of-figaro ❤️) and it had me thinking whether Edgar woulda jumped in like “any sane brother would”, to quote the mod. And well… I don’t think Edgar is a “sane brother”. He’s a righteous king and there’s nothing sane about that 🤷🏻‍♀️

Seeing Sabin float away hurts my feelings way more than the devs intended to, and I’m sure Edgar would fear for his little bro, like he probably feared for him for an entire decade (Sabin was a sickly and overly emotional teenager leaving home for the first time to go who knows where). But if there’s one thing that distinguishes Edgar’s way of ruling is that he makes the hard choices:

Observes his father’s poor health knowing that he’ll soon die an untimely and unnatural death. Edgar makes the hard choice of seeing his own powerlessness for what it is and accepting that all he can do is witness his dad’s decay. Someone sane would have been in denial of this and focused on finding the culprit and avenging his father. Instead, he went through the same emotional turmoil as Sabin, but quietly, alone, and in the course of weeks or months as his father’s death came closer. And this is how Figaro was spared from becoming another Doma.

Witnesses Sabin’s meltdown after the king’s death and makes the hard choice of giving him the freedom to remove himself from the toxic environment. Someone sane would have escaped with him or tried to talk him into staying, and Sabin would have probably agreed to it if Edgar guilt-tripped him or simply told him “I want you by my side”. But Edgar wouldn’t sway Sabin in any way, no matter how badly he wanted him around. Sabin was too attached to Edgar and could never define his individuality if he kept doing whatever Edgar did or told him to do.

And when Sabin gets his ass beat by Ultros and is at risk of getting drowned or found by the Empire and killed, Edgar chooses to stick with the program. A sane brother would have gone after him, but the mission was to keep Banon alive and getting him to Narshe for negotiations. It’s not only “game over” because you fail the minigame, it’s game over because Edgar has been a double agent for a decade and the resistance can’t fully trust him like they do Banon. For the rebels to be on his side, Edgar depends on having Banon’s trust (this isn’t stated anywhere, but it’s only logical). Terra was not a Returner then, she was still doubtful and Edgar never wanted to force his ideas on her (like Banon), so leaving this to her was not an option either. Losing Banon is losing all chances of saving Figaro, while losing Sabin would cause Edgar to lose his mind, an entire nation would still survive. The right choice is the hardest of choices and Edgar’s judgment is on point; as it has been since his adolescence.

Hell, even when Edgar proposes his idea to Banon and gets rejected, it happens to be exactly what they end up doing (in the English translation he proposes “to make magical weapons” but in the original he talks only about “acquiring magic of their own”). Who knows what Banon’s plan was before meeting Terra. After meeting her, I believe his plan goes something like this:

Phase 1: Collect underpants. Talk to Espers.

Phase 2: ❓

Phase 3: Profit. Peace.

Anyway, I’ve always wanted to see more interaction between the FF6 cast (still do 🥲). Fanworks do a great job filling in the blanks, as I’m sure the devs intended, but self-indulgence is a tradeoff that prevents from discovering character traits that are easy to overlook and can be difficult to make sense of, especially for characters who operate in a state of maturity or conditioning or emotional strain that is difficult for us to access or even begin to understand.

I love that Sabin is such a lively, honest and self-motivated dude, that he grows and learns exclusively by doing. He does, he fucks up, he learns. And he laughs out loud while at it 😁❤️ Ultimately that’s how true wisdom is acquired, only by experience (there’s no such thing as acquiring wisdom from others’ experiences, you only remember the wisdom your soul already possesses by learning about how others articulate and express theirs).

On the other extreme it’s heartbreaking that Edgar is so freaking talented that he can see where the system fails, and having both talent and power, it’s up to him and him alone to come up with real solutions. No other character in this entire cast could pull off any of this shit as smoothly. To paraphrase La Femme Nikita: “[...] because when you lead, we survive.” And Edgar knows this 😕

This is unfathomable for most of us. I’m nobody, so I get to sit on my ass and talk about what the politicians should do, and what the sports coaches should do, and what the movie directors should do. I also get to make mistakes and fuck up my health and my finances and my career and my relationships and my home, but no one else’s. And because I’ve got this luxury it’s easy for me to say what would have been. If the FF6 devs did things my way it would have been not the masterpiece that it is. Heartbreaking as it is, it tells the stories of these (fictional) people organically and faithfully.

[monk-of-figaro]

I've been wondering if I should post more regular updates about my writing progress.

Despite the fact that my last update to "The Passage of Mt. Kolts" was posted about a month ago, I've been working on it very regularly. In fact, since that last update, I've written an additional 9,487 words amongst five additional chapters.

However, I haven't posted any of them yet because I want to make sure the later chapters work without having to revise anything that's already been posted. So I may wait until I have most of the story finished before posting any updates.

I've also been working on a short (<2,000 word) story that's just a scene showing some Sabin/Umaro interaction, just for fun. I'm actually considering doing similar short stories with Sabin and every other party member, one story per member, just to see how the interaction plays out.

Finally, while this is a Sabin-focused blog, I also have a really great backstory forming for Shadow that I'll probably take a crack at in the future.

I'll try to post more regular updates, even if just for myself.

Suplex safely, everyone.

-CJ

[nerdyperday]

Day 2743 Sabin Rene Figaro

[soysaucevictim]

Time to aNOTHER art to do list to the pile...

Drawing Remus punching/kicking the shit out of people… and Roman wielding a gd chainsaw a la the Figaro twins in FF6.

[engineerofmyownmisery]

It IS so insane how many times Sabin gets himself swept downstream! Like 3 times?? (Lethe river, Baren falls, serpent trench). 2 of them on purpose?! What a maniac lol, no wonder Shadow got out of there once the shenanigans started

I’m surprised Sabin didn’t get swept away by the ocean and end up on the other side of the world, knowing him.

[werewolfetone]

The monk is the craziest gothic novel ever written fr though because there's all the catholicism stuff which is genuinely harrowing to read with the hindsight that lewis was, somehow, right about literally all of it, but he also is constantly throwing in things along the lines of and the ABUSIVE NUNS had to fight AN ARMY OF TWO HUNDRED WEREWOLF DRACULAS who were extra powerful because they were RACIST and also controlled by FIGARO FROM THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO who was secretly THE DEVIL the whole time and it's just like come on man

[funniestbitchinfaerun]

WIP Wednesday

Thank you for the tag @vividiana!!! This scene involves a wee break from all the Act 3 drama for a bit of shopping. I love Figaro. <3

“How much do I owe you?” “Well, considering your preferred-customer discount…” Figaro mulled it over. “Ten gold pieces.” “Ten?” Kestrel gaped at him. “Surely that doesn’t even cover the materials.” “My dear girl.” Figaro laced his fingers together and regarded her sternly. “First of all, you saved my life from that nasty little assassin gentleman. Second, every time I’ve seen you, you’re somehow dressed like a clown and a monk at the same time. I consider it my moral duty to clothe you properly.” He smirked. “Just don’t let that big brute of a man you’re with rip it to shreds, eh?” Kestrel flushed. “Halsin would never. He’s a gentleman, I assure you.” “Oh?” He gave her a wink. “Perhaps usually, but when he sees you in this…”

(as you may remember from that Kinktober story I posted, the outfit Figaro sells her does survive...but not for very long)

I tag @arcanearcherayz, @roguishcat, and @optimisticgrey (also anyone else who would like to)

[puppetmaker40]

I have a Dragon

Today I took Pheobe and Figaro to the vet. Pheobe for a checkup and find out how much she weighs. Figaro because she is fourteen and half and has been losing weight. Mostly because she is an elder cat. The cats behaved for the most part. Pheobe calmed down when I cut off her escape plans by closing a door. I have a very good vet that cares about these cats he has been seeing for a long time.

Saturday and Sunday I watched a personal favorite and comfort show, Galivant. It is a hard show to describe. The Hero is in love with a girl who is forced to marry the King, and we go from there. How is it different? It’s a musical that would, trimmed down, work on Broadway. 

They were not a lock for a second season, but a strange thing happened when Cancellation Bear predicted its demise. Letters were writing. Fans of the show worked on getting others to watch it. And they were renewed for a second season.

The First Episode Second Season was entitled “A New Season aka suck it Cancellation Bear.” The season was more insane than the first. I liked that characters grew and had realizations that effected the plot. The King traded a priceless jewel for what looked like an iguana, but he swore it was a dragon.

The main cast was fantastic with Timothy Omundson leading the pack. The guest spots were well cast too. I don’t want to spoil any of those because there are some you must look carefully to realize who it is. Others are blatant. I’ll give you one, Weird Al is in it as a monk.

I give it a high thumbs up and it is available on Hulu.

During my rewatch, I have been sorting medical papers and gathering the information I need for Medicaid. Seriously crossing my fingers on that one considering the political climate. Let’s see what touching the third rail does

. I am grateful for all the help I am getting. It helps my mental health a lot.

[artandsomethingcreated]

The first drawing i did for Pride month!

A couple months ago i saw a post by @monk-of-figaro with a little sprite of Sabin in trans flag colors and it stuck in my head.

To the point that like a week or so later i had to get up out of bed at like 3am and sketch this out before i could go back to sleep.

At the time i wasnt even sure i would finish it, but then i started thinking i could do pics for pride month! So this is 1/4 :D

❤️ HAPPY PRIDE MONTH! ❤️

The post i saw is this one :D

https://www.tumblr.com/monk-of-figaro/746491596463374336/trans-pride

[friends-w-ghosts]

Some Edgar & Sabin headcanons because I love them. If they make a FFVI remake I hope we get more dialogue and have side quests relating to each of the characters, I just think every one of them is so interesting and I’d like to see them each get more time to shine.

Edgar

- He is the furthest thing from a morning person. Unfortunately during the plot of FFVI saving the world generally required getting up before it was even light out. He would much rather get up at 8 and spend until 9 waking up and getting ready. But alas, duty calls.

- Also definitely has the WORST bedhead. I imagine him having fairly thick hair that’s straight but has enough of a wave to it that it makes it time consuming to do in the morning. That and he just cares about looking presentable so he doesn’t cut any corners.

- He loves spending time on his appearance not because of vanity but just because he enjoys it as a form of self expression. He canonly enjoys decorating his room so I can see spending time choosing outfits and jewelry for himself as an extension of that.

- Terra was enslaved to work for the Empire, Locke is a thief, and Sabin is a monk…. This leaves Edgar as the person funding everything. Which he doesn’t mind in the least, money and treasure doesn’t mean much to him. His friends being healed up, fed, well-equipped, and well-rested means much more to him.

- He’s also very good at caring for people when they’re sick! Because Sabin was sick so often when they were younger he spent a lot of time learning how to care for him and all sorts of folk medicine. He can be a little over worried and over bearing with it at times but he means well.

- At the beginning of FFVI he’s very pale because he spends so much time inside and doesn’t really have any free time. Sabin for sure teases him about this and by the end of FFVI his skin tone is closer to Sabin’s and his hair is lighter because he’s actually getting some sun. Aka, Gerad looks different than Edgar because he’s just Edgar after being in the sun.

Sabin

- The biggest morning person ever, unlike Edgar. He gets up far before anyone else to get ready and train a little before the day starts.

- He also probably has pretty bad bedhead too considering Edgar and him are twins, but it doesn’t matter as much because his hairstyle is pretty messy to begin with. He just throws it in a ponytail and calls it a day.

- He HATES asking Edgar for things (or anyone, but especially Edgar). Knowing that Edgar already sacrificed so much by becoming the king of Figaro to let Sabin go off and have whatever life he wanted, he feels bad asking Edgar for anything more.

- He still gets sick easily, but not nearly as easily and as badly as when he was younger. He also never admits that he’s sick and tries to hide it. You basically have to beg him to rest when he is.

- He actually enjoys being a little bit dressed up but doesn’t because it’s inconvenient with his fighting style and he strictly limits his material possessions to what is necessary. He does wear different bows that Edgar gives him and occasionally small earrings. (I imagine Edgar loves dressing Sabin up too so the bows were completely his idea and bypass Sabin not wanting to ask him for anything).

- Actually the best parental figure to Gau, he probably models his parenting style mostly after Duncan. He’s very kind and surprisingly patient but also very strict at times, which works well with Gau. He also probably gets advice from Cyan. I could write a whole different post about just Sabin and Gau.

- I imagine the world of final fantasy 6 is actually made up of a few different languages, with one standardized language that is none of the characters first language but is built to make communication easy. Or maybe it would be the first language of people in the Empire, because I can see that being one of their grand pursuits or something. Anyway, this applies to Edgar and Sabin because I can see them talking in whatever Figaro’s language would be called when they want to talk privately but don’t get a lot of space from at least 2+ other people.

I wrote this up quickly so sorry for any grammar mistakes/weird sentences. I just wanted to get this out there for fun. If anyone is interested I might write more!

[frozen-fountain]

Nine people you'd like to get to know better

Thank you, @clevertitlegoeshere!

last song: Spark by Tori Amos.

favorite color: Dark red and vibrant purple.

currently watching: I've been saying "I'm going to start Dungeon Meshi" for the last little while and then not doing that.

sweet/savory/spicy: Yes.

relationship status: @kisaragiyukine has been bravely putting up with my terrible sense of humour and descents into the abyss for nigh on seven years.

current obsession: I recently bought a mouse for my laptop after the built-in trackpad, which was stupidly over-sensitive and wont to develop a mind of is own at the mere suggestion a speck of dust might fall upon it, finally gave up the ghost. And it's like getting my glasses. I don't know why I didn't do this ages ago. I can aim the cursor at things, click on things, scroll past things, and highlight things, all in minimal time and with minimal effort! It's intoxicating.

Besides that magic, I read the ending of The Solution by K.A. Applegate yesterday and I can't stop thinking about it and how abysmal it made me feel. Some of you may know that I've been working through the Animorphs series for the first time as a thirtysomething with my partner and another friend, and this one was something else. American Psycho has been solidly dethroned by a children's book for most upsetting literary rat scene.

last thing you googled: Krebsehalesalat (my Danish friend was telling me about a meal and didn't know the English word).

I nominate @foxgloveinthesun, @novelistparty, @monk-of-figaro, @mothboypoison, @sporebat, @moogleterra, @mothuary, @runicmagitek, and anyone else who feels like sharing.

[wsancho]

FF6 Characters' Astrological Data

In order to give myself a better idea of the FF6 characters and their personalities I often use astrology and other pseudosciences (psychology, numerology, Chinese astrology and human design. Asian media also determines personalities based on blood types, but I haven't found thorough descriptions of those, so I don't use them).

For my first fic I looked into what I initially considered a crack-pairing and found their underlying compatibility to be quite lovely. Then one day @monk-of-figaro 👀 planted in my head the idea of LeoXSabin. They certainly have harmonious traits, but it never occurred to me that there could be anything romantic between them (only because they never fuck in canon. In canon no one fucks anyway and we shouldn't settle for that!! 😤).

I’ve been looking at character’s birthcharts for a while (mostly the twins’ because their archetypal traits are fleshed out better than the rest), but I got curious about the rare ships that I’ve failed to acknowledge, so I checked some synastries (love compatility between two astrological birthcharts). It was fun 😁 Leo and Sabin (or Edgar, since twins share birthcharts) in particular set that shit on fire 🔥👀

So here's the birth data I use, in case anyone's interested:

How I pull astro data out of my ass

The world of FF6 is no place on Earth, therefore the astrology of Earth does not apply. But I don’t care 🙃 The way I go about it, I don’t use birth times (so we miss the houses and rising signs), the birth place is always where FF6 was developed (Tokyo), the birth year is always the year when FF6 was released minus the age of the character (1994 – X), and with the specific birth years, one can determine the Chinese zodiac sign and life path number. I won’t include human design data because I’m lazy 😌

Individual character data

Cyan Birth: Jan 3, 1944 Western sun sign: Capricorn Chinese zodiac sign: Water Goat Life path 4

Setzer Birth: Feb 8, 1967 Western sun sign: Aquarius Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Horse Life path 6

Celes Birth: March 10, 1976 Western sun sign: Pisces Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Dragon Life path 9

Gau Birth: April 5, 1981 Western sun sign: Aries Chinese zodiac sign: Metal Rooster Life path 1

Shadow Birth: April 10, 1962* Western sun sign: Aries Chinese zodiac sign: Water Tiger Life path 5

*The month and day are given by the fandom. Some websites mentioned conflicting official info regarding his age (one source says late 20s, other says late 30s), so I checked the Chinese signs for April 10 between the years 1955 and 1967 to see what more I can pull outta my ass which Chinese zodiac sign could fit Shadow. Looking at the descriptions of the different signs in that range, I cherry-picked Water Tiger for him, making his birth year 1962 (age 32). I like it 😌

Gogo Birth: May 5* Western sun sign: Taurus

*I ain’t taking guesses with this one. The month and day given by the fandom make numerological sense to me (month 5, day 5. Five in numerology means change). I expected their sign to be the changeable Gemini (air element, mutable modality); instead, their sign is as fixated as it gets (Taurus is earth element, fixed modality). The way I see them, fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) have mastery of their element, so changeable mastery begins to sound more like Gogo. Works for me 🙂

Mog Birth: May 11, 1983 Western sun sign: Taurus Chinese zodiac sign: Water Pig Life path 1

Cid Birth: May 27, 1948 Western sun sign: Gemini Chinese zodiac sign: Earth Rat Life path 9

Strago Birth: June 13, 1924 Western sun sign: Gemini Chinese zodiac sign: Wood Rat Life path 8

General Leo Birth: July 8, 1964 Western sun sign: Cancer Chinese zodiac sign: Wood Dragon Life path 8

Edgar, Sabin Birth: August 16, 1967 Western sun sign: Leo Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Goat Life path 2

Relm Birth: Sep 9, 1984 Western sun sign: Virgo Chinese zodiac sign: Wood Rat Life path 4

Umaro Birth: Sep 9, 1990 Western sun sign: Virgo Chinese zodiac sign: Metal Horse Life path 1

Terra Birth: Oct 18, 1976 Western sun sign: Libra Chinese zodiac sign: Fire Dragon Life path 6

Gestahl Birth: October 26, 1944 Western sun sign: Scorpio Chinese zodiac sign: Wood Monkey Life path 9

Kefka Birth: Nov 19, 1959 Western sun sign: Scorpio Chinese zodiac sign: Earth Pig Life path 9

Locke Birth: Nov 24, 1969 Western sun sign: Sagittarius Chinese zodiac sign: Earth Rooster Life path 6

[wsancho]

I'm honored to have had early access. This story became one of my favorites before you even posted it ❤️

The overflowing brotherly love in this and your meticulous use of words gives me life 👑❤️🐻✍🏼👏🏼

I already look forward to reading more from you @monk-of-figaro 👀

Fanfic: Coming of Age (monk_of_figaro)

You can find this story on Archive of Our Own. 10,548 words, which makes it the longest work I've written yet.

Here's the description:

The annual Coming of Age ceremony is a rite performed by Figaroan teenagers once they turn 14 years old. For Edgar and Sabin, it was a formative event that forever changed their relationship with themselves and each other.

The story is based off information about Figaro's customs as presented in the semi-canonical "Figaro no Kekkon," although some narrative liberties were taken.

Mother Figaro (a.k.a Soraya Saga, a.k.a. Kaori Tanaka) detailed an extensive history of the Kingdom of Figaro, as well as some key points of Edgar and Sabin's lives. The Coming of Age ceremony was one of those key points.

I'll try not to talk too much about the work, other than to say that both Edgar and Sabin are 14 years old, and I tried to portray their personalities and maturity levels accordingly.

I'm incredibly proud of this work, so please check it out!

Super mega thanks to @wsancho for invaluable feedback and insight.

[siverwrites]

Challenge: make a poll with five of your current favorite characters, and then tag five people to do the same. See which character is everyone's favorite.

Tagged by @laughingpinecone

Tagging @azurefishnets, @tofukitten, @yunaffie, @monk-of-figaro, @nintendowife

[soysaucevictim]

Back to imagining the Creativitwins in outfits and using the kits of the Figaro Twins in FF6.

Just.

Remus as Sabin. Just some feral monk creature in the wilderness, punching and kicking shit to his heart's delight. Probably suplexing something huge Roman made. Probably not a train per se. But Something Just About As Ridiculous.

And Roman as Edgar, all pretty, flirtatious, and flamboyant... wielding a gd CHAINSAW.

(Also just love the assonance to the Figaro twins' middle names also fitting the pings - REne and ROni.)

[azurefishnets]

Last Line

Rules: in a new post, show the last line you wrote (or drew) and tag as many people as there are words (or as many as you like).

Look at me, actually remembering to answer an ask game! Thanks for the tags, @fortune-maiden and @siverwrites! (But damn my propensity for long sentences! I'm sorry, I cheated a little and wrote a little more so I didn't have to tag 23 people...)

“I guess we’ve got a castle to invade.”

Eight words... I guess I'm gonna no-pressure tag: @sunnyaliceart, @kamil-a, @kyuohki, @tinyrobotic, @monk-of-figaro, @prismagramauthor, @temsikghosts, aaand @pocketseizure