fortuna

Fortuna: Latin for "luck" or "fortune." By now you’ve probably noticed the copious amount of lyrics from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana (an opera based on a collection of medieval poetry) all over the layout, not to mention the title of this site sharing a name with the opera's most famous piece. These references are more than neat-o bits of Latin to spice up the site with, however! Thinking about Anise's peppy nature and love of money alongside her tragic story caused by the very thing she seems to love so much, I couldn't help but associate this paradox with the representation of "fortuna" seen in Carmina Burana and

Roman mythology. "Fortuna" is also the name of the Roman goddess of luck, but not exclusively good luck; the goddess is associated with the wheel of fate or fortune, a heavy influence in Carmina Burana, which spins to bring about both success and destruction. So Fortune is portrayed as something positive and negative: a force that both takes and gives. The lyrics of "O Fortuna" speak of this fickleness, with the nature of fortune "waning and waxing" like the moon, something out of anyone's control and always changing.

This personification of luck and the cruel nature of fate relates to Anise's story in quite a few ways. You'll notice the irony in Anise's love of money and fortune (heck, the girl has an attack called "Lucky"), something that also landed her the task of spying on Ion, a position that helped cause the Fon Master's death. But Anise essentially had no control over her fate and that of Ion, something that speaks to the portrayal of fate as beyond control. Overall, the sad irony of Anise's story correlates with this idea of "fortuna," something I've chosen to base many of my observations of her character on.

family

Anise's parents, Oliver and Pamela Tatlin, are both in employ of the Order of Lorelei and make their home in a humble room within the Daath Cathedral. The two are extremely kind and self-sacrificing (Pamela even shields Ion from an attack with her own body), emphasis on extremely. Unlike their clever daughter, Oliver and Pamela are incredibly gullible and prone to falling for scams. And to further Anise's frustration, her parents don't seem to be phased by being tricked; her father mentions at one point that someone who tricked him out of some money must have needed that money. So it's Anise's parents' debt that leaves her dreaming of a life of luxury, but also ultimately lands her in the position of Mohs' spy. When Anise was young, Mohs paid off an enormous debt for Oliver and Pamela, which is the reason they live and work inside the cathredral. This obligation to Mohs leaves Anise having to choose between betraying her friend or her parents in the end. Quite a difficult position to be in, especially for a 13 year old. It's hard to imagine the amount of guilt that Anise must have been feeling up until the Score reading, especially since she hid it from her companions until that point.

future

While speaking to Jade on the night before the final assault on Eldrant, Anise reveals that she wants to become the first female Fon Master. She'd like to reform the Order to the way Ion wanted it, as a religion that saves people rather than controlling them. Oddly, both Van and Luke's group have very similar goals: ending a world controlled by the Score, although their methods differ. Van plans to replace the world with replicas to escape the Planet's

memory, and while Luke and his companions never specifically set out to erase the Score; instead it becomes a side effect of their journey to stop Van and end an era of war and suffering. From their point of view, the Score isn't absolute and humans can choose which path to walk.

After all is said and done, Van is defeated and the world is no longer bound to the Score, while Luke stays behind to free Lorelei amidst the collapsing Eldrant. Anise is last seen in-game two years later at Tataroo Valley on the day of Luke's coming of age, where she and her companions are approached by a mysterious red-haired figure. But what happens to the world without a Score and a religion in need of reform is left up to the player's imagination. As for Anise, I'd like to hope that the poor kid gets a break! Like I mentioned before, the goal was never to eradicate the Score, but to loosen its control. So I'd think that Anise would gain some control over her own fate and the path her life takes. She's got the motivation of Ion's legacy and the support of her friends to reform the Order, so I don't think that Fon Master (Mistress?) Anise Tatlin is so farfetched ;). (This does not mean I want a sequel. Plz no.)