The Paint Shaker

IT'S 11:58pm on JUNE 30TH PEOPLE LET'S GO OUT WITH A BANG!

Hi! Like my headcanons post, this is a post I've been working on for a loooong time, and similarly to that post I feel like this could be an entire video essay if I were into that medium lmao. But I'm not. So this is a ginormous tumblr post instead. But I digress, because no matter where it is, I want to talk about all the reasons I think Mirabelle is good aro/ace rep and why I love her!! I talk about this as an aroacespec person myself and also someone with many aro, ace, and aroacespec friends. Over my life and in being in the aroace community I've done a lot of research and learned a lot about how to properly represent aroace people in media, some of my opinions on which also come from my own experience! But, OF COURSE, I do not speak for the whole community nor do I know everything about aro/ace/aroacespec stuff and we are not a monolith!!! AND SO here is your disclaimer that I in fact am just a random person on the internet, and you should ALWAYS do your own research and talk to multiple people and all that jazz if you want to know more about good rep, and especially if you are trying to write or represent a marginalized community (and especially one(s) without a lot of good established rep like the ace, aro, and aroace and aro/acespec communities). PLEASE do not use this as your only reference point for writing an aro/ace character. I'm making this post because I want to talk about and appreciate one of the best aro/ace characters I've seen in recent times, not as a guideline on how to write one. Thank you!

(Also I use "aro/ace" to mean aro and/or ace, and "aroace" to mean... well... aroace, just to be clear. I didn't want to type out "aro and/or ace" every time, it'd just make my sentences clunky...)

In In Stars and Time, Mirabelle is not our main character, but I would say she's a close second. She's the emotional heart of the party we all know and love. She is their Housemaiden, their drive for Change and the reason they are all here; after all, this is her quest.

I have a joke I like to come back to, from the Secret Sleepover Society isat streams, where every bit of lore they learned about mirabelle in act 1 they’d jokingly go “we get it, Mirabelle’s the fuckin main character!” But like… she kind of is tho. I mean, Sif is the main character, but that’s arguably only because they got their ass stuck in a time loop. If we were playing a different, more traditional rpg—say, one focused on the pre-canon gathering orbs time (which would be a kickass fangame btw)—Mirabelle would be the main character, and she’d be a good one at that.

And Mirabelle is aromantic and asexual (and she kicks ass).

In Stars and Time is an unassuming game (although I want to say less unassuming now with Truth Scrapper, given that it's creator is Adrienne "yes it's a pronouns game with pronouns. take my hand" Bazir), and one that from the outside you would not think would have some of the best not just aro/ace but also queer rep in general that I've ever seen, but the fact that it does is one of the things that feels so magic about it (and yes, I am biased. I love this game, we know this. I tried to come at this from as objective a standpoint as I could with the research I've done, but I do get a little gushy at times. Bear with me 😅). When Mirabelle essentially came out to Siffrin as aroace I could barely believe what I was fucking reading, and it only got better from there. Now having said that, it's pretty needless to say that I think Mirabelle is really good aro/ace rep. But it's pride month, and I want to uphold my fellow aro/aces, and I want to talk not just about the bad representation and what we should fix but also about the good!!! I want to appreciate her and just why she makes me and others feel so seen!! So let's go!

Probably the thing I hear discussed most often in the aro/ace, and particularly ace, representation sphere is the "emotionally unavailable intellectual" or, essentially, "repressed nerd" stereotype. While I don't think I should have to say that aro/ace people can of course be smart, academic, amazing and cool, and can of course struggle with their emotions and emotional closeness, an overwhelming majority of aro/ace representation we get is this: An academic who is glued to their work, feels and expresses little to no emotion, has trouble connecting with others coupled with little to no desire to, and potentially has a character arc where they become more open to connection and showing emotion (which may parallel an openness to more romance or sex). I could name Peridot Steven Universe, Mordecai Lackadaisy, Victor Arcane, Lilith Owl House, Jonathan Sims Magnus Archives, and several others. Another older and less currently prominent but related stereotype is the aro/ace character as an inhuman being foreign to the concept of human emotion or connection in general, which those do not fall into (...except for maybe viktor. little worrying that he's the only ace character in that show), but I thought it worth mentioning. These characters are often standoffish and unfriendly, and while they may or may not have an arc in which they grow to be more comfortable with closeness and emotional vulnerability, this stereotype sets a worrying precedent. Namely that the idea of being aro/ace is inherently tied to a lack of emotion, little desire for connection, and in some cases, a lack of empathy.

(I will say that, as it is the more widely known term, these characters are usually only explicitly 'asexual'. However, the terms 'aromantic' and 'asexual' are often confused or paired automatically. In the context of at least two of the above examples, I've seen the creators use 'asexual' when they definitely mean 'aromantic'.)

For as long as I can remember seeing aromantic and asexual people on my screen, a large majority of them have fallen into this stereotype, and even current media with other very well done queer representation often plays into it.

This is why it means so much to me that Mirabelle absolutely defies these stereotypes. Mirabelle is a bubbly, anxious, and incredibly caring friend--and of course she is very, very human. She's the first to ask Siffrin if he needs help in act 3, actually, which, in fact, sets the friendquests in motion. Siffrin likely would not have done them if it weren't for her, which is a fun little tidbit! But my point here is that Mirabelle is off to a great start in the simple fact that she does an excellent job of not playing into aro/ace stereotypes. It irks me for many reasons that the only characters usually seen as 'fitting' to be aro/ace are the repressed nerd type, and Mirabelle is such a breath of fresh air in that area. Not being able to feel sexual or romantic attraction and not feeling the desire for those things does not estrange her from the concept of human emotion or empathy or love, nor human connection. Like all the characters in this game, Mirabelle is beautifully, heartbreakingly human. She breaks the mold so well, and she doesn't just break the mold, but she creates a unique, intricate, and thoughtful aroace story that I truly adore with all my heart.

Notably, it will never not be both incredibly funny to me and an absolute triumph that we have THREE ace characters in isat, and none of them are the one actual emotionally unavailable intellectual that we have in the group. Odile is SO confirmed not aro and so very implied not ace that it's actually funny. We have thirst traps of her. One could argue she is one of the least aro/ace characters in the entire game lmao (maybe second to isabeau...) (obligatory yes she has decided that romance isn't very important to her but I think she would define that differently from being aro as she has ALSO explicitly stated that she's been in love before (Also sidenote, I love the distinction between those two!! Odile IS the kind of academic who'd rather focus on things other than romance and she is also straight up NOT our aro/ace rep. It's a different thing. Thank you isat you're the best to ever do it!!)).

And now I'd like to add an excellent quote from one of my lovely moots/irls before we move on: "We cannot take another aro/ace character who is an edgy lone wolf who runs on logic and feels nothing" -@thegayestaddams when I was having him proofread/sensitivity read this post lmao.

I haven't watched Bojack Horseman myself, but I've heard that there's some pretty good rep in that show! Todd, I believe the main ace character's name is? He's been seen as the gold standard for ace representation for quite a while now. And that is fucking AWESOME and we are getting more rep by the day (yippie!!!), and especially for it to be in such a mainstream show, it's SO COOL and I don't want to understate that. But I bring up that character to say that he is also a white, cis, heteroromantic man. And while I'm sure the rep he brings is great, he can't be one person to represent everyone. And Mirabelle is... well... different from him! She is a black woman, and I must say that never, in my life, have I seen a black aro/ace character, let alone a black aro/ace woman, before Mira. (that isn't to say that there aren't any, just that I haven't seen them. Don't withhold your recs, I WANT to see them 👀). Now, I can't speak to how good of POC rep Mirabelle is as I still need to research more and am not a POC myself, although I do think she's a pretty slay lady, but in terms of her intersectionality we are three for three and she is goated with the sauce.

There is a notable lack of most kinds of discrimination within Vaugarde, as you'd be hard pressed to find anyone prejudiced on the basis of skin color, gender, sexuality, very much most kinds that we have here in the real world. So her intersectionality is not explored as much as it could be in a different setting, but I still think it just being there, and being there so casually and openly at that, is really, really nice. There aren't a lot of aro/ace characters who are women, and there certainly aren't a lot who are POC. The choice to make her both of those things is, in my opinion, pretty meaningful on it's own.

This game is, of course, not as long or as versatile as, say, a show, so we're not going to get several episodes of Mirabelle POV focus, going all the way in depth into her experiences and struggles. The game is Siffrin POV, and Siffrin is struggling, so there's only so much of her experience we can truly explore. But guess what. We still get more exploration into her experience than most shows give their aro/ace characters.

Mirabelle's friendquest is, of course, the center of the aro/ace part of her narrative. The conversation between her and Siffrin is an incredibly meaningful exploration of Mirabelle's feelings towards romance, and as it progresses, she talks about her faith and how it brings her such conflicting and complicated feelings, not just in reference to her lack of attraction but her identity as a whole. I really love Mirabelle's story in general, she like all the other isat characters is complex and nuanced and multifaceted and all of the time we spend with her is undeniably great. The way her aroaceness and her experiences with it is woven so carefully, making it an important part of her but not the only part of her, making it feel like an identity not just for rep but personal to her that she has Feelings About, making her struggles feel real and human, all feels so intentional and has such care put into it, it's lovely <3.

The way she talks about it feels very integrated into her world, too! A world where maybe they don't have proper terms for these things yet, or at least not ones that the main characters know about, and so they have to get all messy and wild and wade into their feelings to try and describe them. No therapyspeak!! Not only is this rep thoughtful and personal, but also integrated into the world just like the rest of the queer rep is. For a community that often gets let down even in places with good rep for other orientations, this feels... really, really nice. Especially to have her queer story be one of the central ones in the game, it's clear we're genuinely cared about here.

We've lived for too long with the notion that aro/ace people need to be fixed. That there's something wrong with us, that a life without romance and/or sex is a life without living. One of the things I enjoy most about Mirabelle's narrative is how seamlessly it turns this on its head, how even though Change is so important to her, her story is not about needing to change these things about herself, it's about breaking out of that idea. The intersection between her orientation and her faith adds an extra layer to her identity, and... augrgh, it's all just so good!! I love the conclusion she comes to, that she is not broken and that she doesn't necessarily need to change, but perhaps the faith needs to change for her. I love the journey she goes on, I love the fact that she wants to go on this journey for herself and not be spoiled about it, I love the fact that her god themself validates her.

Mirabelle certainly struggles with her attraction or lackthereof, but at no point is she treated as lesser by the narrative for having it. It's implied that she's faced a whole lot of amatonormativity in her life to make this such a thing she is so guarded and hesitant about, but the narrative treats her like there is nothing wrong with her, because there isn't. Her story is one of accepting herself, about accepting that not everything about her is something she needs to change, and that this doesn't mean she's broken or unlovable or anything. Her main narrative is one where Siffrin connects to and validates her, and any references to her being forced to change--to endure romance, to have sex, to do the things she "should" be able to want to do--are treated in a negative light. To me, this is really refreshing. Often aro/ace characters and aro/ace people are treated like they need to be fixed, and sometimes in fiction they actually are fixed, which is something that I absolutely resent.

And also, of course, I love how it's a consistent thing throughout the story. NOT just something said once for the sole sake of it being rep and then never brought up again, never or barely to influence things and not explored or given any meaning or significance. Her narrative is given as much room to breathe as all the other queer narratives in the story, and treated with as much respect by the larger narrative and the characters as the others, and it does this while still not downplaying her struggles with it and making an actually interesting story.

This is an incredibly aroacespec positive story and I am SO here for it.

I resonate with Mirabelle a whole, whole lot. The way I write these long, essayish posts is I have a first draft where I plot down all my thoughts in bullet points and little incoherent rants, and then I try my best to put it all into a finished product in a separate post. In one of those bullet points in my first draft, I got super duper passionate about this point in particular, one place where I resonate with her story immensely, and the way she talks about and views her aroaceness. And I still stand by that long ass paragraph, so no matter how messy it is, I am still gonna put it in.

One thing I love in particular about Mirabelle's flavor of aro/ace story is how well it makes clear that both: being aro/ace is not a choice, and, not every aro/ace person is always yearning to be able to feel the things that “everyone else can feel” or needing to be “enlightened” or “find the right person”. Not every aro/ace person is hopelessly lonely and wishing they had love—not every aro/ace person, arguably not most, are to be pitied or seen as “poor unfortunate romance-less souls” or “something to be fixed” or “something to prove wrong”—and some done want love. And that that does not mean they don’t want connection, but Mirabelles narrative feels like breathing in and suddenly choking on all the amatonormativity out there because it’s so hard to notice, but why is there so much of it!? And… what really is wrong with not wanting romance? Sex? Why does it have to be “this wasn’t my choice” for people to respect it? Mirabelle gives us a narrative where being aro/ace is not a choice, because it’s not, and also not a bad thing!!! Not a horrible life-hindering thing!!!! Yes, it's something that gives her difficulties in interacting with her faith and with society!! But her struggles with it are not due to a supposed inherent lack of ability to feel connection or empathy or emotion, they are not due to not having something wonderful and magical that eeeveryone else has (although aro/ace stories where a character wrestles with not being able to feel romantic or sexual attraction but wanting to are also perfectly valid!!), it's about people's expectations of her and how she feels like she needs to change to conform!!! Not how being aro/ace is something that will leave someone lonely and unfulfilled all their life!!!!! It's not a strange alien disease!!!!!! IT'S NOT SOMETHING INHUMAN!!!!!!!!! And she struggles with it and she has worries and doubts but it’s NOT PRESENTED IN A WAY THAT’S PROMOTING OR PERPETUATING THE IDEA THAT ARO/ACE PEOPLE ARE MISERABLE AND INHUMAN AND CONNECTIONLESS AND THAT IS WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!! She doesn’t feel romantic or sexual attraction, and she also doesn’t want romance or sex—maybe as a product of that, or maybe not—and either way that is okay!!!!!!! [insert heavy breathing here] That is all. That’s all I wanted to say.

And that right there is the (one of) thesis(es) ladies and gentlemen. That's some good aro/ace rep.

Some more extra points for it that I just think are awesome details, which are also some more of my bullet points from draft 1:

the game respects her wishes as a character and does not sexualize or romanticize her

AAH! AAAH!! SHE LIKES ROMANCE NOVELS!!! WE'RE PORTRAYING AN ARO/ACE CHARACTER WHO CAN STILL LIKE READING ABOUT ROMANCE OR INTERACTING WITH IT!!!! BECAUSE ARO/ACE PEOPLE ARE NOT IGNORANT TO THE CONCEPT OF ROMANCE OR INNOCENT SOULS WITH NO REASON TO WANT TO INTERACT WITH THINGS LIKE THAT!!!! MANY REAL ARO/ACE PEOPLE READ ROMANCE AND ENJOY IT!!!!! I DO!! I HAVE NO INTEREST IN REAL LIFE ROMANCE BUT READING ABOUT IT CAN BE FUN!!! SHE'S SUCH GOOD REP MY CHAAAATTTT!!!!!! Id5 really did go above and beyond with this one the more I think about it lmao id5 are you aro/ace??? ...I just like how much nuance her queerness is given my chat. Aro/ace characters almost never get this amount of attention or love or care put into them. It's so gooddd <3333

Also I kind of like that her struggle focuses mostly on aromanticicity?? Like she's definitely undeniably both, but that feels nice when most of the other representation we have focuses mostly on asexuality. (Next I want to see a narrative about a character who is aro but not ace! Please... give us all the rep please we desperately need more)

Also this is more of a fandom thing, but I often find myself appreciating how much this fandom also respects her. Obviously no fandom is perfect and not everyone does, but I find that the isat fandom respects its characters asexuality and especially mirabelle's aroaceness a lot more than soooooome fandoms I could naaaamee... but I won't... because that would be rude... and this is a positivity post. U. U Still I've read some of the best queerplatonic and platonic platonic fics I've ever seen in this fandom, it's awesome how much we embrace it!

this is a bit of a strange one. It's a sentiment I've seen expressed in conversations about aro/ace rep as an easy way to solve the stereotype issue, but I kinda just like it in general too. This is that she is not the only ace character in this story. Not just one and done for rep!! Actually awesome cool rep with multiple of us!!! Fun!!!

the way she talks about sex and romance separates them very subtly, in a way that makes them still related but not necessarily intertwined, and I like that little detail, for one because, well, they're not necessarily intertwined. And, especially not (again, necessarily, I just find aro/ace people have an easier time separating the concepts and tend to incline towards it more, but we are not a monolith and I don't speak for everyone) for aro/ace people, I've found. Also because it is a wonderful narrative segway into Sif's ace but potentially not aro experiences. it makes room for both of them who experience these identities differently, and I think that's wonderful!

Also I must give an honorable mention to sif who is also ace, and ALSO not a stereotype! Sometimes stories do a thing where they have one aro/ace character who isn't stereotypical and then one who SUPER is, and that's perfectly cool with some aro/acespec people, but I... don't really dig it, idk, I just judge it on if they've done the rep well lol. But none of the ace characters in isat are stereotypical so!! Yippie!!! (Alright, one could argue he's a bit of a lone wolf and very emotionally unavailable, but those attributes are: 1. already not portrayed in the typical way an aro/ace character with those attributes would be, 2. flaws that everyone in the party agrees he needs to work through including siffrin himself and also poor sif would literally rather die than go back to being a lone wolf again!! don't make him!!! 3. his entire. character. arc. is about wanting connection. And not learning to want connection. wanting connection FROM THE START and not knowing how to properly express that which leads to them inadvertently trapping their friends in time. You CANNOT call that an ace stereotype. It's GOOD. I'm a little sad we didn't get more exploration into Sif's experience with asexuality in the game, but it was a nonzero amount (which is more than most characters get!) and let's be honest okay they had much bigger problems, especially considering they didn't have much religious or otherwise pressure to especially care about these things in the first place. Their asexuality not being explored is more of a character thing imo, which is perfectly valid and lemme just say, on brand for them)

Here's one final note that I think ties it all together for me.

As this is in fact a game and not a show or movie or another form of media, there were almost certainly a myriad of ways to integrate her representation. A game can go in a million different ways, especially one like isat with so many choices and side quests and storylines oh my!

And so one choice that I really, really like--one that feels intentional and and... really caring, is that her quest is not optional. And I like that, because it means it isn't hidden, and it means that it can't be sidestepped. It isn't shoved into a corner for people who "disagree" or find discomfort in it to ignore. You can't complete the game without doing it, doing the friendquests is a requirement for completing act 3--and I think there's something to be said that this is her friendquest, and not one of her sidequests. It could have been, but it's not. It’s not missable. It is treated like a human struggle, treated like any of the other friendquests, but it is not sidelined and it is not kept out of the way or secret or anything. It's not hinting or coding, it is there, and through that and it is recognized and it is normalized. The game tells you that Mira is here, and this is part of her internal struggle, and it is not something "political" that can be hidden or taken back when it's unsavory, and it is not something the game (and by proxy, its creator) is ashamed of. The game enforcing this as a necessary point to its completion is both functional and symbolic. There is no Mira without this, and without Mira, there is, quite literally, no game.

(^me wishing I could leave comments on parts of a post like fuckin google docs... but...

"No, I couldn't have done it without everyone else--"

"You did it!!!"

"No, I--"

"You did!!!"

"N--"

"You!!!"

"..."

"You did it!!!!!!"

". . ."

"I did, didn't I...?"

"I defeated the King..."

"I saved Vaugarde...?"

"You saved Vaugarde."

"O--oh...!"

"Oh Change...")

And that, right there, is the thesis ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you for reading this, it was a delight to put together (if a little stressful to finish so close to the wire), and I hope my fellow aro/aces out there resonated with at least some of my points! I love Mirabelle and I love the representation she brings us and I hope you do too!! Or if you don't, feel free to tell me why I'm totally wrong about all this lmao.

Have a good night, day, or whenever, and HAPPY PRIDE!!!!!!!! 🎉🌈✨

No joy. No anger. No sorrow. Nothing to latch onto.

This is your fault.

This was supposed to be funny, then I got kind of spooky.

Hiiiiya Loop how’s it going? :)

Masterpost

Hey what's this?? I already posted this art! This version is only slightly different but I'm putting it in a separate post entirely because I want to yap about my LGBTQIA+ headcanons for these characters! So just in case you haven't seen the other post, here's a disclaimer:

Not all of this is confirmed! This version of the art features both the canon orientations and my personal headcanons! Below I put the confirmed identities in pink, because I think it's epic and cool that these characters have so much confirmed queerness!! But I also wanted to do something with the ways I personally see and connect to them, and talk about why I do!! If you're hesitant to interact with art with headcanons in it, go to this post instead. Thank you!

Isabeau: trans man, marsic, pansexual

Now. I. Actually don't know if Isabeau is confirmed transmasc. I think he is because if nothing else like... every person I've ever met who's played isat has read him as transmasc and it's pretty heavily implied. So I'm just gonna say it is because even if it isn't. It is now. For us. Okay. Anyways!! So onto the actually interesting stuff. First off, there’s another much longer rant for a future post about how I’m not sure how much Vaugardians consider the concept of a “sexuality” at all, given… y’know the whole “Change” thing. At the very least I think they view the concept much differently from us, and Isabeau is definitely someone who upholds the idea of Change not just as a part of his culture and religion but as an integral part of his personal identity. So with that said, I don’t think his attraction is very strict at all. I gave him marsic because he both strikes me as and I think is somewhat characterized as someone who would be drawn towards masculinity and androgyny more than femininity. And that is, of course, not to say that gender is determined by how you present (in my pride post?? Fuck no!!), but just as Vaugardians absolutely view sexuality and attraction differently, they also view gender very, very differently. In Vaugarde, I imagine a sexuality would be more like another facet of “your type”. One aspect of the kind of people you’re into—which it… kind of is in our world… but it’s also kind of different, if that makes sense? And I specify “in Vaguarde” because we do have at the very least some definitive proof that some places in the world of isat are not like this (see: Mirabelle and Odile’s bathroom conversation). Of course I imagine not all parts of Vaugarde have exactly the same culture either (wouldn’t it be cool to explore different denominations of the change belief?), but on a whole I only mean to say that their views, biases, and assumptions on this would likely differ wildly from ours over here in the real world. Anyways— back to my main point. My main point is that I think Isa is most immediately attracted romantically to androgyny and masculinity, and, within the bounds of isat’s world and his culture, if he had a label for it, he would define that as marsic. (although, again, they would definitely have different labels and meaning for labels than us (……which is another thing I want to explore sometime (can you imagine how different pride flags would look in isat???) I KNOW I KNOW this paragraph has SO. MANY. Asides… this is the longest one, I promise. I put him at the top so I could do all these asides and then do the rest with all this out of the way (I lied Sif’s paragraph is the longest. But it doesn’t have as many asides!))). However, Isa also is definitely (Change aside, even) the kind of person who, if he has a partner who he loves, he loves them for who they are and not how they present or anything like that, so if they want to look more feminine, if they’re a straight up girlypop, if they do whatever, That Is His Partner and He Will Support Them. This is one of the reasons I also gave him pan because I do think he identifies with both. The other reason is because in terms of sexual relations I don’t think he gives a fuck lmao.

Odile: Definitely Queer In Some Way That Woman Is Not Cis/Het, intersex, omni

…I also don’t know if the first one is confirmed but. Just look at her. Just study her character and her dialogue and her interactions and the minuscule information we get about her country. Because if it’s not confirmed then it is at least heavily implied, or at least that’s how I read it. I had a reblog on my original post that said “#odile #the only one not openly sharing her specific identities #because she’s an queer elder #and what are you #a cop?” And I LOVE THAT. SO MUCH. Because YES. That is EXACTLY what she is. She is Queer and she also is 1. A person with a lot of life experience 2. A person with nothing to prove To You Or Anybody 3. A very guarded person in general 4. Someone who comes from a country that is maaaaaaybe (implied) not as accepting of or open about these things as Vaugarde is. So I think I can say with confidence that she simply cannot have been intended to not be queer at all. Or at least isat’s queer-adjacent. Whether she doesn’t define it, or even if she doesn’t examine it, she… she simply must be. (Suspicious knowledge of underground Body Craft, anyone?? Hello??? Knowing how id5 writes I’d be incredibly surprised if that wasn’t hinting at something). However even with that in mind, I did want to share my headcanons for her. Her flags are still more subtle on her than everyone else because I wouldn’t dare disrespect her character like that, but there are a few of them there soooo let’s talk about them :33 This was the one I went the most vibes based with because we… truly don't know all that much about her backstory, at least not in this regard. I thought about putting her down as cis but something about that didn't sit right with me, I also considered putting her down as trans, but somethin about that also didn’t seem entirely correct… and I was sitting there like “man I wish there was a third kinda in between option…” when intersex kinda hit me in the face. There are plenty of fanony ways to tie Odile’s story together and to make more exploration for her and her life (…and I have not read any of the Odile fics that many lovely people recommended to me yet ToT sorry), and I found my interest in Odile’s story as an intersex one. This is a topic that requires more in depth discussion than I can properly give in a summary here, as well as examination of Odile’s larger life, her relationship with her dad, and Ka Bue’s culture—and the way Odile feels about all of those things. But given some of her dialogue and the implications it leaves us with, well, let’s just say the conclusions I came to make me want to write more fics about her lmao. I’m finding that I’m less inclined to blab about my specific headcanons for her, probably because of her aforementioned “what are you, a cop? Fuck off” mentality, and doing so would feel like disrespecting her, so maybe I’ll end up doing that examination in fic form. Overall I feel like she is, of course, prideful and supportive—but in a quiet and strong way. She doesn’t hide herself, but she doesn’t flaunt it either, because it’s None Of Your God Damn Business (if she were comfortable with it though I definitely think the rest of the gang would drag her to a pride fest and get her some flags :3). I do have to give my explanation for her being omni though because I wrote it down preemptively and I do feel like it’s something she would be comfortable with sharing (as opposed to her entire journey being intersex lmaoo) and also I’ve laughed at it too many times by now not to leave in: As for omni, well--we all know that Odile is lesbian catnip, but to me she has the vibes of a pan person who is Done With Men By Now, so she identifies as omni (for the specification that gender does play a role in her attraction, not that she necessarily lets people know what role), with an internal preference for women and enbies. That way, we can make all our loopdile dreams come true...

Bonnie: non biney

They are non binae and they are babie that is all we need <3

That is literally all I have to say about them. I love them and I don’t think they’re even considering attraction yet. They just a kiddo and I know they will ABSOLUTELY be accepted no matter what <333

Mirabelle: cis, aro/ace

I'm not sure if this really counts as headcanons really, it's pretty heavily implied that she's cis? I don't think she'd have nearly as much trouble with the Change belief if she were a flavor of trans, and I believe she says stuff that's like the isat equivalent of 'I'm cis' at multiple points (the whole 'every housemaiden has completely Changed at least once, but I haven't' thing?). So like. Cis woman Mira! We accept u girly <3. It's really interesting to think about how it might be more controversial to be cis in vaugarde than it would be to be trans, but it does make sense for that culture! (Sidenote I love that isat’s cultures are not afraid to be their own thing with views not necessarily influenced by the real world but instead by their own history and beliefs…). Also she is canon aro/ace and she is some GOOD FUCKING REP GUYS. I have another post in the works abt all the reasons why I think she's good rep, but for now just know. She's good my chat. She's good. I’ll talk about her more there, that’s the only reason I’m not talking more about her here, she has her OWN DEDICATED POST and AN ART PEICE and I will be pouring soooooososososoo much love for Mirabelle into that post. I ADORE her I PROMISE but this is a headcanons post and her whole thing is arguably the Most Canon and Most Explored queer plot IN the game, so just wait for that post I promise it’s coming!!! (TOMORROW/LATER TODAY!!! Istg I’ll do it before june ends… I MUST) <333

Siffrin: agender “masc”/androgynous alligned (confirmed to be some flavor of non-binary), demiromantic, sex-averse ace, biromantic, АМАВ..?

Aaaahh look at my darlings loop and siffrin. Definitely not suuuuper obviously the ones I've thought about most for this list... what would ever make you say that... Okay so Yeah. I’ve thought about Loop and Siffrin a Lot. But in my defense your honor they are my favorite ship and also I have an entire six part non-ship fic dedicated to them that I am working on Right Now so I had to do a LITTLE thinking, okay? I’m gonna yap about Siffrin first but these last two are gonna be a little bit of both for each, because Siffrin and Loop’s identities are inherently intwined given that they are, in fact, the same person.

Starting with Sif of course, our “boy” (/very gn lmao) is confirmed non binary—not outright by the game but definitely by the artbook (which yes I know is not canon canon, but I take it as a good indicator of the writer’s intention for these characters and this story). So yeah, I can say it’s confirmed. Gotta say I LOVE the rep of a multi pronoun using enby <33 and it warms my fuckin’ heart how often the characters alternate between their pronouns. It really is that easy folks. More multi pronoun users is what I want to see in media!! Anyways, though, that is amazing and so so so so so cool!!! And I have Words to Say about my more specific headcanon for his non binaryness. So, I think that Siffrin is agender. (and that isn’t just because I’m agender, I swear (though that does play a part as these headcanons are for me <3 and allow me to feel closer to my favorite little guys)). This ties into my headcanon for why he uses he/they pronouns, which is that they don’t have any particular gendered significance for them, He Just Thinks They’re Neat :3™️. And I believe this because I think Siffrin is in an interesting position with gender, where his perception of themself and their presentation or expectations would not be determined by upbringing or culture for obvious reasons, and might not even be influenced by their birth sex, because all they’d have left is themself and the perception of those around them wherever he’s traveling (which I think would at first be Vaugarde, and therefore, unhelpful lmao). And given their loneliness and their few remarks about how things were before they met the party (I’m namely drawing on “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”), I wouldn’t be surprised if gender was tied into their larger identity struggle too.

To clarify—I’m not saying Sif is non binary because they struggle with their larger identity, but that that struggle led to them discovering that they’re non binary in a different way than most people would. And perhaps they didn’t even really think much of it, because that feeling of emptiness, of not knowing anything about themself or who they are or who they’re supposed to be, was already so integral to their experience existing that the absence of gender just felt… normal. Not like something to be questioned or even acknowledged, because why would they feel any different? Additionally, if they had felt a strong pull towards either gender or some amount of presentation or, especially in Vaugarde, some kind of Change, that could have been something for them to latch onto. Something that might have kept them busy or helped them find a new home or a new identity for themself, but it’s very much implied that the party is the first thing they really have to aid in that, which I think is important information in considering his experience of gender. It’s possible, even, that Siffrin took up ‘he’ as a pronoun to get closer to Isabeau, as it’s implied that he’s the first party member sif really figured out how to make friends with. And we know from the very same conversation mentioned earlier as well as others, including artbook content, that Siffrin is no stranger to basing aspects of themself off the potential to appeal to others. This is also a possible explanation, or one of the potential reasons, for why Loop no longer uses ‘he’. If they grew apart from their party, or felt the concept of a “gendered” pronoun to be associated with them and their time with them—or even if they had a falling out with Isabeau, maybe a Bad Touch esq. incident of their own (or a few) in their own loops. Of course I have my own headcanons for Loop’s pronoun usage as well, but those can go right alongside this one. This is also kinda why I wrote “masc”/androgynous aligned for Sif. Because I don’t think Sif necessarily identifies super strongly with masculinity, or at least it’s less of a gender expression thing and more of a “will this make you like me” thing, and I do read his design as very androgynous.

So yeah, the label “agender” fits for me, as the specific experience of lacking the feeling of gender at all seems very fitting for Sif—especially since, while we know isat does employ the concept of gender (“…if you decide to switch genders…” -Mira), I don’t think Siffrin ever mentions that word or that concept in his god damn life. Not even when he’s talking directly about pronouns with Loop, and he… he’s just so suspiciously agender coded, I can’t not put him there, as an agender person myself. His MINUSCULE care for gender on a whole as a concept alligns so perfectly with my own experience, and I feel like if he had a label this is the one he would choose. Now in terms of attraction obviously we have Sif confirmed as ace, which is awesome!! I love the art id5 has drawn of them and Mira with their ace/aroace bling for… asexual awareness week I think it was? And there’s probably more idk but that’s the one I saw. He reads to me as sex-averse, so yea. I know that’s… very specific, but fuck you (/jk <3 love you whoever’s reading this post, ur a real one) this is my headcanons post I can be as specific as I want. Anyways. He’s also pretty demiromantic coded in my opinion, or at the very least arospec, given how unsure he is about what his feelings for Isa are and how oddly he tends to view romance in general. I went back and forth but the reading I ended up liking best was a demiromantic one! As for bi, given that Sif’s lack of regard for the concept of “gender” seems to extend beyond themself; towards others as well, I’m inclined to say they also don’t really have any presentation-based inclinations in attraction—at least not at present moment. I like Mira’s friend quest because technically you can kind of choose what kind of person Sif is into in that scene (sidenote “we have one of those at home” will never not be funny to me lmfao it makes me crack up every time), but still none of the responses are especially opinionated, as we know Sif is also inexperienced in this regard. And so there’s a potential that they actually might have a type, but it strikes me as a thing they haven’t really thought about, but feel comfortable enough just kinda going with the flow on, so I think they’d feel most comfortable with the label of biromantic. It adequately describes their feelings (essentially chill with whatever), and it’s a well known label with a straightforward meaning. (disclaimer: the definition of bi is NOT straightforward at fucking ALL, I know this is an ongoing debate in the community. Also this is not to say that bi people are simple or that it’s a “haven’t really thought about it” sort of orientation. I’m not sure how well I explained my reasoning for making him bi, I just feel like they’d feel at home in the bi community and comfortable with the label and whether they stick with it or not is currently. Not. my business. For the record I think a non-Loop siffrin would probably stick with it and be very proudly bi even if he does develop a preference because bi people CAN have preferences (I… think. Bi people back me up here??) and it’s all chill. My main goal in choosing bi is just an air of. Chill. as it’s described as the broadest multisexual label—but for the record I do think he could also fit under pan or omni, I’m not really here to argue semantics like that but more how the characters would define themselves.). OH also I say Sif is, quote, “AMAB..?” Because well. Okay. Generally I read Sif as AMAB given his resistance to change, implied lack of body craft use coupled with no boob, etc etc however I do also like transmasc readings of Siffrin, and… the idea that Siffrin and Loop could have different assigned genders tickles me just a little bit lmao. I just don’t know how much I actually believe in any of those headcanons yet. Anyways! PHEW that was long. Now onto the GOAT.

Loop: agender fem/androgynous alligned (confirmed to be some flavor of non-binary), demi romantic, ace, omniromantic, AMAB.

Finally I get to talk about my girlypop. So first, out of the way, I think Loop is agender for all the same reasons I think Sif is agender. They’re both agender. Siffrin and Loop are both non binary very much non binary and so please know that when I say Loop is transfemme I mean it in a different way than I would if I were to say they are a trans woman. They are non binary and I also think they’re transfemme. You feel me?? I like fanon readings where Loop ends up using she/they and in all their strange and honestly torturous life experience, if in the end they are not Just Dead but instead finally free (or honestly even in post-canons where they stay under the tree or get sent to go help another Siffrin), I really like interpretations where they end up identifying with femininity. It feels like them finding something that makes them happy and makes them feel like themself after all that. Like maybe they could actually be a person again… and they like it when that person is fabulous. In their world I see a lot of women (Euphrasieee <333) as figures of authority and importance, and I think that would also tie into their desire for femininity, as a way to take back their autonomy and show the world that they will no longer be controlled. And I think just as their character develops… maybe they’d like that, idk! There’s also something to be said about all the change they were forced into, and different ways they can reclaim that for themself, and I think transfemininity is just… an awesome way for that to happen (obviously not the only way, but still!). And maybe it wouldn’t stick, maybe it would, but they’re definitely experimenting and trying to both express themself and find a “self” to express. Needless to say, though, I like me a feminine Loop <3. They are canonically non binary though and just as much as I love a multi pronoun user I also love an exclusively they/them pronoun user!! I love the rep!!! Unfortunately though… I do think loop could be taken as an inhuman non binary archetype. For those who don’t know, that describes a phenomenon where for whatever reason (publicity, queerphobia, inability, whatever) writers often portray their only non binary characters as inhuman, and this happens far more often than they put actual non binary humans in their stories (also sometimes even inhuman characters’ pronouns are changed to be gendered?? Which is just… wild… but that’s a conversation for another day. This video has good discussion on that). This can contribute to the harmful narrative that non binary people aren’t valid or are somehow inhuman. Loop is the only adult in game (or main character at least… I didn’t check for the townspeople/housemaidens… but I do bet there are some in there) to use exclusively they/them pronouns and they’re also the only inhuman one… but… eehhhh. I’d argue against attributing this trope to them (or I’d say that at the very least they take the trope and make it actually meaningful and interesting), because Loop’s questionable humanity is ALSO a core part of their character in my opinion. Like, something FUCKED UP happened to them to get them Like That (appearance) and Like This (personality), and I can’t help but imagine they spend a lot of the game (ESPECIALLY if they have the conversation where Siffrin draws a little picture of them) wondering silently what… exactly they… are, now? Personally I think they’re still human, if not in biology at least in soul, but a character arc where they wrestle with that seems just… inevitable for them. Whether gender is a part of that or even related to it is nobody’s business but theirs. It’s for that reason that I still think they are good rep even though they somewhat play into an established bad trope. It’s a difficult thing that twohats is such a deeply hidden secret though, as without the context for their story they could still be read somewhat badly.

Anyways, as for why I put them down as omni instead of bi, I don’t think it’s so much a change in attraction or preference and more a change in perspective and how they view themself. I think they’d still identify with the bi label, but they wanted something that specifies that gender does play a role in their attraction. Not necessarily preference, but a role. They’re not gonna say how because it’s None Of Your Blinding Business (the meta reason is because I don’t know how to describe how, closest I can think is if you’ve ever seen the post where the person is trying to describe attraction to different genders and they essentially go “girls are like ooo and guys are like ahh and non binaries are like ohh”??? It’s like that kinda), but yea. Of course they are demiromantic for the same reasons Sif is as well, I don’t really have a reason for that to change at all. As for their asexuality, I’d take Loop as a canon ace as well if just because Sif is confirmed ace, but like their gender I think their understanding of their sexuality will have also been molded by their very unique life experiences, so I don’t know how confidently I can still say they’re sex-averse. My three favorite takes for this are 1. That it’s None Of Your Goddamn Business 2. That they’re open to experimentation and ultimately do not feel sexual attraction but might use the experience of sex or sexiness for other things, like to gain more confidence in themself, to process their trauma, or to feel closer to people. Notably I think they would be against the idea of doing sex just to please a partner if they ever get one, because it feels like their character arc of independence and freedom and their life experience goes against that. Or 3. They’d enjoy presenting slutty or sultry but actually still do not find the idea of having actual sex at all appealing. Currently, I think this one’s the one I like the most. But yeah, I definitely both see and like all of them! And of course I do read Loop as AMAB for the same reasons as I (potentially) read Siffrin that way and also for my transfemme agenda (or my transfemme agender?? Badum ching…) <3

…Also unrelated to queerness but we have a tailed loop because we love tailed loop. Makes for an interesting compositioning tool, and more opportunities to accessorize ✨✨

Ok that’s all lmao

Oh yeah I think Euphrasie is confirmed genderfluid too (Or she's a trans woman? The artbook makes it a little unclear. Either way she genderwiggly!!) so that’s cool!

This post was mostly for me ‹3 because l've been working on these headcanons for a while now and I wanted to share them! And in case anyone's interested in what l think idk 🤷‍♀️. But if you do end up rbing either this post or the just canon one, feel free to share your own isat pride headcanons!! I'd love to see them!!! l'd much prefer us all just have fun with it and appreciate each other and all our wildly colorful experiences than argue over which one's wrong or right. Let's just be prideful and have fun!!! Happy pride!!!!

Below: speedpaint and some other stuff!

Among my ISAT arts I've drawn in the past, there are some inspired by "Pure Black" and "One Forgotten Night."