Sciel, a herald of hope (and what she taught me about fortune)
When I first saw Sciel in e33, I immediately fell in love. She may be my favourite video game character ever. There's something about her that just piqued my interest instantly. Each sentence was full of grieving, bleeding words, but there was more to it. Hope was gleaming, breaking through the pain of it all. I wish to try and give people a better understanding of why I like Sciel, and what I have learned from her.
A living contradiction, a dreamer, a worker of the land, a lover, a fighter. She is fortune, she is hope. This is (some of) the story of Sciel.
In literature, every character has a purpose. Each and every character teaches you, along with the main character, something that you were missing, or to remind you what you lost in the way. Sciel, at first glance, embodies grief. She bears scars that gives us a hint about a bigger story. Before I was born, my mother has gone through a stillbirth. The scars on Sciel's body, with the big one on her belly instantly clicked, and it occurred to me, Sciel has been through the same.
Later, another part of her story is revealed. Sciel is extremely thalassophobic. Before we continue to the story we are told in the game, I would like to talk about the meaning of this phobia.
The fear of oceans, the sea, deep or vast bodies of water here is a metaphor for something greater. Yes, this is a way for the creators to tease and foreshadow her origins. But there's more to it, in the literary mean.
From the beginning of mankind, an enemy we could not conquer completely is the sea, or rather, the uncertainty of life. Jonah and the Whale, The Iliad and Odyssey, The Old Man and the Sea, Moby Dick, even 'Suzanne' by Leonard Cohen speaks about this fear.
Before we are born, all we know is the womb. Its waters caress us, nurture us, and all of a sudden in a bang we are born in a world that separates us from the comfort of our mother. The same uncertainty, of life, death, and all that comes between, is often represented by the sea. The dangers of water, which nurtures us and brings us life, is also the power of destruction. There is something very absolute about death, the comfort that it brings. Some even prefer to achieve death and not to be shaken, sinking and floating and sinking and floating just to sink once again.
Sciel's story is revealed to be this exactly, one of uncertainty, and a change of faith. She starts as a friend of Gustave and Sophie; they all worked together on a big farming project. She becomes familiar with the scythe, a tool that becomes her weapon of choice, the same one the grim reaper carries - but also the farmers who harvest wheat and grains, presenting some duality. A tool of both making and taking, the Scielson is indeed a great weapon.
At some other point we learn about Pierre, a member of the Outdome teams, when she was asked to plant samples that they have taken from surrounding islands. Pierre is told to be teaching the kids at school to sail and survive in the wild. And I am going to repeat one word. Sail.
Pierre was a sturdy rock of certainty, a man who could conquer Sciel's only fear: uncertainty. Sciel, working on the farm, only dealt with life and death. She sows - she reaps. Both giving and taking life. Nurturing it, and with the same hands uprooting every remain.
Pierre was a sailor, a brave and wild explorer. Furthermore, he was a teacher! He was the only person who could ever give Sciel certainty.
And when he died in an accident, all hell went loose.
Sciel was never worried about being gommaged. A farmer knows that a flower that does not get picked will eventually rot. But an accident, not certainty, took her husband. Her anchor. And without an anchor, all you can do is pray that the sea will guide you to where you want.
Sciel, drowning on the inside, could not stand life anymore. She jumped to the ocean, to end her suffering. To let the water wash away her soul, wash away the pain, to succumb to the uncertainty of life and maybe stick a finger in its eyes too.
Sciel swims and swims until she gets tired. The sea grows on her, maybe it was an attempt to conquer it? To take revenge, to feel closer to Pierre? Maybe just to die? After she fails at her attempt and finds herself back at Lumiere, she gets checked up and finds out she was pregnant. The baby was killed. Not only she has failed to conquer uncertainty, but she has also lost an unborn baby, a remainder of her love to Pierre. And so, Sciel decides to step in Pierre's shoes. She starts teaching the kids, bonding with them and becoming a motherly figure. Taking care of someone makes you forget about yourself, to become the anchor you so needed once.
When she leaves for the journey, she wears bracelets from the children she was teaching. A physical trinket, but with a deep meaning. Through the children, she was able to find Pierre again. She was able to be anchored. Taking that with her, Sciel is able to keep her calm, to remain anchored, even when exploring uncharted lands. Pierre was the explorer, and now is her turn.
Sciel's combat is a unique take on a classic JRPG rogue/thief, with hints of a support. She gets stacks that can turn into a big damage or a big overall buff, but she still hits these big numbers.
But this is not a tactics guide. I would like to focus on her Twilight mechanic, and it's deeper meaning.
Merriam-Webster, my favourite dictionary, gives these two definitions for fortune:
prosperity attained partly through luck/the turns and courses of luck accompanying one's progress (as through life)
a hypothetical force or personified power that unpredictably determines events and issues favourably or unfavourably.
I would like to attend to the second definition first, then move forward to the first one.
Twilight, by definition, is the light of day diffusing into full night. It is a synonymous with times of decline. To enter her twilight stage, Sciel must stack both sun and moon charges. I would like to talk about these two symbols.
The sun - the sun is life itself. It provides warmth, life. It melts snow into water; it gives every living creature vital nutrients. It's rather easy to see the sun is a blessing, or rather a favour or a good fortune. It's a part of Sciel's personality, to stay positive, to stand tall and proud and dare to say: "Tomorrow comes!" - but we do not reach twilight until the sun is declining and the skies start to turn black. So why a moon charge to complement it? Why not a "darkness" charge instead?
The moon - the moon is an echo of the sun. A guide to the lost, a promise that life will bloom again. In Egyptian mythology, there is a moon god named "Khonshu". He is the god of travellers, thieves, and all those who use the roads at night. He is a healer, a caretaker.
But what is to heal, exactly? To be healed, means you have to be wounded. Without wounds, there is no reason to be mended.
I think this quite sums up well another aspect of Sciel, to draw her strengths for being broken. She has overcome hardships - physical and mental. Life happens, and it's not always in your favour. But to know a better day may dawn, to keep on living and fighting for something, that is... rad.
In the first chapter, we learn Sciel giving some advice to Sophie, that she should live the life SHE wants, and not whatever is expected from her, even if death comes. There is so much to explore, to see, but one should ask themselves: what do they want? What is there, that I haven't done yet? What do I WANT to do?
It is a great lesson to all of us, Sciel, at the end, is still a teacher. Sophie's choice was not to leave a big legacy, not to be remembered, but to live happily and truly.
With all that said, by now I have only addressed the first definition. But there is more to what fortune is.
"Prosperity attained PARTLY through luck."
Sciel realises her still living, still breathing, still carrying on was all an event of luck. Something has turned the tides in her favour.
But what is the other part someone needs to do to become prosperous? To bask in twilight, knowing they are a victor, and not declining?
The other part, my friends, is her power to see both sides. It is to wander in the light of the sun, letting your scars and wounds show. It is to sing after dark and imagine every beautiful colour that will be seen tomorrow.
It is the freedom of choice, of perspective - day or night, accidents or incidents, favours, disfavours - you write your own destiny. Your own fortune.
This is the true power of Sciel, to rewrite the twilight, a time of in-between, a time that all is happening and nothing is moving at the same time, from a time of decline to a pivot point. I encourage you to ask, how many times in your life are dark? How many times are gleeful? How many wounds do you hide? Sciel has taught me life is short. We should not fear of change, but to shape it. Make a better future, create our own fortune. Maybe for us, maybe for those who come after.
Thank you for reading all that :) I have no idea what to put in tags, shoutout to @stomiidaeart on giving me the courage to post anything like that, and for reading my infinite blabbers on Discord.
