say, why all the tears?

aren't you supposed to be... cheering? nat, she/her, 21 [my icon is a picture of ena, a low-poly animated character, from the shoulders up. The right side of her face is blue and the left side is yellow. She has short dark hair and is wearing a grey shirt with black suspenders. She has her head tilted to the right with a blank, wide-eyed expression. my banner is ena drawn with a white outline, with a white-outlined hexagon to her left. she is floating in space, surrounded by debris.]

[natbplease]

2026

i am gonna make it through this year if it kills me

you can start today btw

I WILL SUCCEED BECAUSE I’M CRAZY!!

i’m on that down and out

read a book

post fanfiction

graduate on time

get off of that damn phone

bake cookies

quit spotify

be gay and have fun

[natbplease]

euphrasie.......

[heartpdf]

happy pride 😢💕🫶🏽 im a Black nonbinary lesbian artist in recovery for some p severe trauma, please donate if you can so i can afford soup to take my meds on a regular basis while i get a lot of painful dental surgery and go through physical therapy c4$h4pp v3nm0 p4yp4l k0fi

[heartpdf]

goal is soup, please help if you can my friend’s cat just threw up and we have to take her to the vet, still havent gotten to eat

[heartpdf]

still on the bus to the vet er, havent got to eat, even $1 will help <3

[heartpdf]

and i have more dental surgery at 9am 😭 genuinely feeling unwell

[smilesbag]

i feel like people are overlooking the moment at the beginning of obsession where nikki straight up asks "do you like me?" and once bear lies and says no she replies "ok, good." for starters, it was a chilling moment to me because this is such a classic experience of having a close guy friend, only to realize that he wants more from you. girls aren't dumb! nikki isn't dumb! of course she knows that bear is into her, she has eyes! she can see his stuttering and sheepishness and she's just dreading the moment she has to turn him down, to tell him that he's like a brother to her. just before she had told him that she doesn't feel real love in her life, and i don't think it would be a leap to attribute a small part of that feeling to her fear that her friendship with bear isn't as simple as she wants it to be.

it's also a chilling question from nikki because once she walks away bear knows that she doesn't feel the same way about him, and he makes the wish anyway. he is incapable or unwilling to take a hint and see that she doesn't feel the same way. and that question is the last thing she says to him before he ruins her life forever. it's unfair.

[natbplease]

JUST LEARNED THE PLOT OF OBSESSION? HOLY PEAK?

[segamascott]

[gardensnakie]

i showed my younger sibling a drawing of the director and said they looked like a whiskerpip??? i looked it up and decided it was too good to pass up

see xem whiskerpipping, so cutes, so whimsy

[natbplease]

once you name a fic with “_____ au” it’s all over

[natbplease]

working nine hours today but i’m not letting that distract me from my real career (thinking about my major character death au)

[barbed-snile]

(Full game spoilers! If you havent finished the game, go do that and then come back.)

Odile does stutter occasionally, but only when she's completely caught off-guard, shaken, or extremely worried by something. Can't cram every instance into the post, but here's most of them.

Why am I bringing this up? Im glad you asked! Because I want to make you think about this particular scene.

[barbed-snile]

#oh- #oh no-

#my take away is that she's blindsided and also plausibly wounded by it

#'oh yeah i have the solution to your problem :D' #'but also no fuck you im not helping there's something more important to me right now'

#which from Odile's perspective probably looks like her being vulnerable with Siffrin #and asking if he'd be willing to help her out and also accept her vulnerability and talk about something really important to her

#and really hoping/borderline expecting they'd say yes because their plan for the day was to nap so like- #clearly they dont have anything pressing going on?

#and sif going 'maybe later' implies that what is like- pretty obviously a big emotions conversation #that they may not have another opportunity to have #is of lower priority than like- a nap to them

#(she thought she had a close bond with them... something like family... was she wrong?) #(is she doomed to a family that just doesn't care to stick around??) #or something like that #anywho anywho #im being so fine and chill and normal about this #*low opacity png of screaming into a pillow appears behind me*

(Tags by @phoenixwithapencil )

YES YES YOU WORDED IT. Her offered out wasn’t really made with the expectation that Siffrin would actually take it. She tacked it on at the end because, well, its the polite thing to do. She doesn’t want to inconvenience Siffrin all so they can be silent emotional support as she marches towards the accumulation of all her years in Vaugarde, searching fruitlessly for a familytale she'd be allowed to hold in her hands. She's a grown woman, she can handle this herself if she has to, but treasured company would still be incredibly appreciated during such an important moment.

He's done her a favor, one she believes he doesn’t understand just how big, important it was for her. Not to mention, on their possibly last day alive. So she directly requests he accompany her. Reaching out, allowing herself to be completely vulnerable with someone she sees as almost family, if the word didnt carry the baggage it does.

So of course she'd be hurt if Siffrin- her easy-going party member, who never has anything going on, likes to wander aimlessly because they can, who loves to help everyone in their little group even if they sometimes suck at it and always goes on secret quests with her- suddenly has something more important than her familytale. Even if its just for a moment, they clearly dont know the full extent of what they've given her, and even when they come back right after, it still stings.

[natbplease]

ok well i can’t find it but if anyone has that post about how odile only stutters a few times (maybe only twice), once during friend quests when siffrin already knows where a familytale is and once when you tell her you’ll come back later. bc she went out of her way to be vulnerable and then got brushed off like it was nothing. please contact me. i feel normal about it

[beneathsilverstars]

id5 is so fucking smart. gems etc make such awesome metaphors for odile moments. like yeah she IS gonna crack you open like a geode. she IS gonna uncover the deepest darkest pits of your mind and bring light to the parts of you that have never seen the sun. she's gonna cut you down but meticulously, thoroughly, she's gonna reveal the true heart of you. and maybe you'll come out shining or maybe you'll come out shattered but either way there's no going back

[chimerafeathers]

reading the end talks knowing how everyone feels about staying with each other feels like being beaten over the head with a hammer. the subtext that Siffrin is taking away from each conversation confirming his own expectations of the others' expectations, versus the subtext that each of them are desperately trying to convey back to him without coming across as weird and clingy because of their OWN perceptions of everyone's expectations.

Bonnie (regular): "Wait, that's such a long journey though!!! I'm not gonna go find you just so I can punch you if you're wrong!!! That's dumb!!! [...] Okay, then I'll believe you!!! Hopefully I won't have to walk forever to punch you!!!"

Bonnie (friendquest): "...I'll miss you, Frin. ... I know you'll leave soon, but, um... Y-You should come by Bambouche one day! So you can meet my sister!!! So I can say... "That's Frin! They helped me a bunch! They're really cool!!!" So come and see me sometime, yeah? Promise? [...] I'll be waiting for you, Frin!!!"

"i know you'll leave soon" "that's such a long journey" assuming that Siffrin would never want to stay close by, that wherever he goes would be arduous for them to reach. ...and, maybe in Siffrin's interpretation, not worth the annoyance and exertion it would take to reach them.

Isabeau (regular): "I can't wait to go back to my old job, you know? Make sure to say hi when you're near Jouvente, 'kay?"

Isabeau (friendquest): "...I hope...I hope you'll at least visit sometime, Sif. Our journey is over, but don't be a stranger, okay?"

Isabeau, short and restrained after his aborted confessions. maybe keeping it brief and simple to not overcomplicate the triumph of the moment, hoping he'll have the chance to express himself properly later (they're all having dinner together tonight, after all! they'll have time for feelings talks then! why wouldn't they?). not wanting to overwhelm or assume. how can he ask for anything more substantial than a visit before Siffrin knows how he feels, what he might want, what Siffrin might want?

Odile (regular): "But now I can finally get back to traveling. [...] It'll be weird to travel alone now, but I'll get used to it again. Or I could just go home to Ka Bue... Hm... [...] Ha...I'll miss you, Siffrin. You're a little strange, but you're a good kid. Maybe try letting down your walls every once in a while, huh? And come to Ka Bue anytime. Maybe we'll meet again during your travels."

Odile (friendquest): "It was fun. Traveling with everyone. I will miss it. [...] I... I suppose everyone will go back to their homes, now... Mirabelle will probably stay here, Isabeau will probably go back to Jouvente, and we'll ask someone to accompany Bonnie back to Bambouche... And what about you, Siffrin? Will you be going back home? [...] Oh... Why no-- ... No. Sorry, this isn't any of my business. But... No home at all... I never knew. I'm sorry. [...] ...I'll probably be going back to Ka Bue soon. Our paths will diverge soon... But if you ever come towards Ka Bue... Please come by, and say hello, won't you? ...Don't be a stranger, Siffrin."

Odile, reinforcing everyone's assumptions, backing away from the opening Siffrin gave her out of respect for their privacy, and sharing more of her own hand than Siffrin may even realize—resigning herself back to the quiet of her own company after the warmth and noise of being with everyone else. but even as a fellow traveler, both ~obviously intending~ to continue their journeys, there's no suggestion that their paths may intertwine deliberately, only inevitably diverge and briefly cross by happenstance or on a whim.

Mirabelle (regular): "...You can be so nice, Siffrin. [...] You know, um, um... Um!!! I know we haven't known each other for that long... B-But I hope you know I really treasure your company! I do! I really really do!!! And so... Thank you! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey! [...] ...I'm sure you're excited to go back to traveling on your own... But don't forget me, okay? Come see me at Dormont anytime! I'd love to hang out! Promise!!!"

Mirabelle (friendquest): "I have a lot ahead of me, still. But I never would have realized this without you, Siffrin! S-So, whenever you're done traveling, or you'd like to stay someplace for a little bit... Maybe think about coming to visit Dormont? Just to say hi? B-But you don't have to!!! It's just an idea!!! [...] I'm glad we're friends, Siffrin. ... D-Don't forget about me on your journey, okay!"

Mirabelle got so goddamn close to an actual, straightforward invitation for them to stay with her. "whenever you're done traveling or you'd like to stay someplace for a bit" could be a long-term thing of indefinite duration! but then she anxiously backtracks to "visit," "just say hi," "you don't have to! it was just an idea!" out of fear of coming on too strong, imposing too much. she's the one afraid of being forgotten, here, worrying that she'll fade as easily from their mind as anything else, unmissed. trying to balance emphasizing that his company is something that she genuinely wants, but leaving room for them to back out without feeling awkward if it's not something that they genuinely want.

in every case, Siffrin's plans "to keep/go back to traveling" are assumed, the distance is assumed, the separation is inevitable. it's all Siffrin can hear, couched in polite, socially mandated overtures to keep in touch. everyone will be gone and they will be alone again, outside of brief, occasional reunions (and always reunions that he would have to impose to initiate—how can they choose to visit Siffrin if they have no home to visit?—how can Siffrin know if they truly meant it when they asked, if they'll still mean it as time goes on?).

it's all the rest of the party can imagine, too—of course their mysterious rogue will quietly disappear back into the forests and crowds, impossible to find or contact after it's all over. they're left asking, begging, through the clenched teeth of social restraints, not to be left behind or forgotten, either. please visit, they say. don't you get it? don't you know how important to me you've become, how much i want to keep you in my life? they don't say.

and now all i can hear when i read back these lines is

i can't ask you to stay/come with me, but please, please don't let this be the last time i see you.

[chimerafeathers]

woke up thinking about how Siffrin is also giving back to them, like, the bare minimum of assurance/agreement because as soon as the topic comes up…he shuts down. he doesn’t want to think about it anymore. not even on the first pass at the end, before they realize the time loop will make it impossible for any plans to come to be.

to Bonnie (friendquest): “Yeah, I’ll come by.”

to Isabeau (regular): (You nod.)

to Isabeau (friendquest): (...) (You nod.)

to Odile (first time): (She's smiling at you gently.) (You smile back.) (…)

to Odile (friendquest): (You nod.)

to Mirabelle (first time): (You promise.)

to Mirabelle (friendquest): (. . .) “I'd like that, Mirabelle.”

everyone knows Siffrin is quiet, but that’s probably not the level of enthusiasm they would hope for!!

thinking especially in contrast to when Odile gives him the mirror picture—they don’t just smile, they beam! he doesn’t just nod, he nods furiously in excitement to have this proof of their journey together. the rest of the party is frequently reacting to and commenting on the faces he makes. we know Siffrin can be hugely expressive and obvious with affection even in their silence.

but everything here is restrained and understated as soon as the question of the future is raised.

there are some very telling (...) in several of these conversations, but i feel the shift most sharply in that first conversation with Mirabelle.

she praises them, and he blushes! she talks about how much they mean to her, how grateful she is that he joined her, and he’s smiling so hard it hurts!!

…and then she talks about them separating. about being forgotten.

that extra spacing in (You promise.) is putting in a lot of work. the moment is heavy, suddenly, instead of bursting with joy. the conversation ends.

(Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it.)

i wonder if the rest of the party could feel him pulling away in these moments, even before the loops start straining the smiles he gives them. thinking this is where we lose them, no matter how much they want him to stay, try to let him know that he’s welcome.

if he wants to leave, who are they to stop him?

[chimerafeathers]

communication is a two way street and these fools are driving blindfolded into a catastrophic traffic accident

[sprtruechara]

odile bindle for all your odile bindle needs

[ilonano]

girl who is a little green

[ilonano]

[moth-yknowtheartist]

it's euphrasie eusday

[manuciruja]

awww the like button turns into a rainbow when you press it! that's so cute...hey staff what's with all the trans women you keep nuking?

[manuciruja]

i think we should be ridiculing them more for this. you don't get to try and go all "queer website" when your staff likes to go on nuking sprees targeting the trans fem users