I just saw someone asking Emily to "try" because they assumed Fig's identity crisis is based on Emily not wanting to play anymore and I will NOT stand for this, therefore I must dump all my Fig Faeth related thoughts in the following:
In the words of Brennan Lee Mulligan, this is CHARACTER ASSASSINATION. Emily said she wanted to retire Fig to "give her her happy ending" NOT because she didn't want to do Junior Year.
Fig's identity issues have been a core facet of her character since DAY ONE. After finally learning that it's okay to be herself in Sophomore Year, she's now realising that she doesn't actually know who she is. A consequence strangling that 13 year old half-elven girl in the midst of familial strife.
Her behaviour is regressing back into the comfort of disguises, not because she wants to be someone else, but because she wants to be someone.
Emily wanted to retire Fig because it is the nature of storytelling that there needs to be stakes. There must be a potential for hurt to come to these characters. Her wish to retire Fig was out of love for the character, and even if that wish was not granted to her, I believe she will deliver a fulfilling arc for Fig.
I think I'm finally ready to elaborate on my conclusions from my last post about Figayda & Fig's warlock power source.
I think it's pretty obvious that Fig's conversation with Ms. Sool in episode 4 is meant to remind us of Ayda and implicate her as a source of Fig's powers. The specific use of the word "paramour", the talk of contracts, the similarities to Figayda's last conversation in fhsy, etc. Plus I don't think they would modify one of Fig's warlock spells to be Ayda-themed just for flavor.
BUT!!! I don't think it's quite as simple as "Fig's patron is Ayda". Fig's relationship with Ayda could be a source of some of her powers, yes, but I don't think it is the only source, nor do I think Fig has fully deified Ayda herself (if that makes sense).
Ayda being Fig's "patron" would imply a power imbalance that seems a little intense for high school girlfriends and isn't what I think Brennan & Emily are going for. I think the bond between Fig and Ayda acts almost as a generator, creating magical energy that is mutually uplifting and beneficial to both.
The beauty of Figayda is that both girls have become more self-confident now, but not because they define their self-worth by their appeal to the other. They put in the work to be good people to each other, and in turn, realize that they are already good people just the way they are. Ayda "gets" as much out of their relationship as Fig does (whether that manifests mechanically as warlock magic on her end, we don't know).
And there's a lot of stuff around Fig's warlock magic that isn't Ayda-related at all. The bad luck & dairy stuff is clearly Gilear. The stomach stuff could be indigestion (Gilear) but could ALSO be insatiability (Gorthalax, the one source we already know she gets warlock powers from). And I'm betting (hoping) we see some possibly Sandra Lynn-related hints in the future. I also find it interesting that Brennan specifically mentions the fact that Fig, being an archdevil, could source some powers from herself.
I don't think Fig has "a warlock patron", in the sense that there is one deity she intentionally made a pact with. I think she derives her powers from the bonds she has with all of her loved ones. Fig likes to think of herself as a closed-off loner, but in reality, she loves other people so intensely. She also has a habit of adopting other people's traits (her disguises).
Like Ms. Sool said, relationships are a series of contracts, conscious or not. Fig has made many promises to Ayda, Gilear, Gorthalax, etc., and they have made many promises to her back. I think Fig shows her love and commitment to others by integrating them into herself and using that love as a source of her magic.
