#I STILL LOVE YUNAKA

[ringthief]

I'm terrible at keeping up with blogs but ... if you ever wanna plot and stuff. PLEASE let me know. ~

[fayesdiary]

If I didn't already plan to give the Pact Ring to Veyle I'd absolutely give it to Yunaka and in a romantic way this time around, her and Alear just fit so well as a couple parallels-wise

[waywardsalt]

fe engage absolutely just leaned into being absolutely totally okay with more than a few of its characters being silly freaks

[viivie]

uhhh so I finished fire emblem engage today. Fun game, gameplay was great and everything but I just. Could Not connect with the story or characters too much. Gonna try keeping this kinda brief since I haven't rlly sorted out my thoughts fully yet and also I don't wanna bum people out who do like the game but be warned,, Spoilers Ahead

I was expecting the story to be a little lighter going in and I enjoyed it for what it was for the most part,, but idk after the whole. YOU A R E THE FIRE EMBLEM! bit where Alear. Dies twice. And then. Comes back as an Emblem. it was just hard to get invested personally, and I feel like the story just kinda fell off from there

No shade to anyone that does like the game tho!! If you enjoy something then that's a good thing! I just couldn't get too invested personally

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Hello! ^-^

Can I please request Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie hearing that their S/O worships the fell dragon, but when they question them it turns out they're just a massive fan of Robin?

This kind of scenario has been in my head since I started the game hehe.

Have a nice day ^-^ thank you for the stories!

(FE: Engage) Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie's S/O worshipping the "Fell Dragon"

Now that I think about it, if you did worship the fell dragon legit but were still part of the good guys, would you get persecuted?

Alear immediately tenses up when S/O mentions they worshipped the Fell Dragon.

(Alear) "...Are...you truly okay helping us then, S/O? I'm the Divine Dragon after all."

(S/O) "Hm? Why wouldn't I be estatic? I get to fight alongside Robin, it's like a dream come true!"

(Alear) "O-Oh. That's what you mean."

Marth suddenly appeared next to her.

(Marth) "I'm not exactly sure Robin would feel comfortable being called that."

(S/O) "Hm...I suppose that is kinda insensitive."

(Alear) "...In more ways than one."

She simply sighs and shakes her head.

(Alear) "Saying that kinda thing will give people the wrong idea, S/O. Please make sure you choose your words more carefully."

Yunaka's eyes widen at the mention of the Fell Dragon.

(Yunaka) "You what?! But...Why are you even here, and why did you mention it so offhandedly?!"

(S/O) "Huh? What do you mean?"

(Yunaka) "People just don't go around saying "Oh, I worship the god trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "OH! No, I mean Robin!...Do you even know the history of Emblems Robin and Chrom?"

(Yunaka) "Probably enough to know that he'd probably hate being called that! Who the heck would start that as an icebreaker for a conversation!?"

(S/O) "I worship the Fell Dragon."

(Framme) "You

WHAT?!"

Framme screams out, waiting to beat S/O to death with her hands, or the accounting book of the fan club for the Divine Dragon.

(S/O) "Hey, what's wrong with liking Robin?! They're pretty cool!"

(Framme) "...Oh, that's what you mean!"

Framme quickly tossed aside a large rock.

(Framme) "Listen, you can't just casually saying that, considering what's going on out there!"

(S/O) "...Oh yeah, guess that does sound bad."

(Framme) "You think?!"

(Etie) "Oh, neat you worship the Fell Dra-What?"

Etie immediately stops wiping the sweat off herself and turns to S/O with an extremely concerned expression.

(Etie) "Are...you alright?"

(S/O) "Hm? I'm fine, why?"

(Etie) "You just said you worshipped the Fell Dragon, and you don't expect me to be surprised by that?"

(S/O) "But Chloé loves people like Sigurd for being fairy-tale esque. Can I not like Robin for being cool?"

(Etie) "OOOOOH! Okay, you meant RObin! Well, next time just say that instead of the freakin' dragon trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "Oh, yeah that is a good point."

(Etie) "Besides, I don't think you should just casually bring that up. If it were someone other than me, you might have gotten beaten up considering all of us here worship the Divine Dragon."

===

Bonus:

(Robin) "I'd...really appreciate if you didn't call me that."

(Chrom) "Honestly, I'm surprised that even got in the stories told around here."

(Lucina) "But it seems...distasteful, does it not?"

(Robin) "I suppose it makes sense, our past is just a story to them."

(Chrom) "Kind of like how Hoshido and Nohr's war is a story in our world, but current events for Camilla and Corrin."

(S/O) "My bad, I'll make sure not to call you Fell Dragon anymore!"

(Robin) "...Well, at least you're not going around, shouting "I love the Fell Dragon" to everyone you meet."

(S/O) "..."

(Robin) "...Oh my gods.-"

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Panette is one of the greatest fire emblem characters in the series' history. Her design is so over the top but I love it so much, she seems really goofy and nice/cordial on the surface but uses that to hide away such pain and rage and sorrow that she's experienced. At first it seems like they just wanted a good Berserker/Wrath + Vantage user but her backstory really ties into why she has these proficiencies. Even still, despite these harrowing experiences, she's still searching for a family or a place to belong or just something to ground her and that's apparent especially in her supports with Alear and Ivy. Instead of hiding away from the world and the possibility of more pain, she still tries to reach out and make new friends and be herself unapologetically and that's so fucking healing for me to see. Also her supports with Pandreo give off really big trans vibes so I headcanon her as a trans woman which is surprisingly common in Engage tbh as I've seen a lot of people feel the same about Ivy and Yunaka and Merrin. I love Panette so much and I kinda doubt there will ever be a FE character I resonate with more past or future.

.

[amitieos]

toa anniversary munday!

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is.

Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing!

Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: Nic

Pronouns: they/them

Birthday (no year): 14th July

Where are you from? What is your time zone? UK, GMT (or BST but don't get me started on daylight savings I'll explode)

How long is your roleplay experience? Does playing A Bug's Life on the playground when I was 5 count? If not, I started with rping HP characters with my friends when I was like 11-12 over MSN after school and whilst there have been breaks it's something I've always found myself coming back to.

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? As above, I made a couple of friends on (unrelated) forums and we all just thought it'd be fun.

How were you introduced to TOA? I thought I missed rp and looked for an FE based rp.

Do you have any pets? Yes, all hail Catcat the Great.

What is your favorite time of year and why? (Season, holiday, general period) Summer. I hate the heat and humiditiy but once there's no daylight the seasonal affective disorder bass boosts my chronic mental health issues and it's just a bad time really.

What is your IRL occupation? I've gone back to uni to study Law :)

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? I love reading, I'm fascinated by linguistics and astrophysics, enjoy DnD and playing video games in my spare time. I'm a particular sucker for the Sims franchise.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? Recently I've been playing BG3, Stardew Valley, The Sims & Fields of Mistria but I'm a big fan of the Persona series and really, really excited about Dragon Age The Veilguard

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: I don't really play Pokemon much anymore but I'll just say Sylveon I guess

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! I met the fourth Doctor when I was 11 and he complemented my vocabulary lmao. I once got published in a poetry anthology with a poem about Shadow the Hedgehog and my parents we so proud of me.

How did you get into Fire Emblem? I think I saw a review on TV

What Fire Emblem games have you played? I've attempted to play every game except 1/2/3/5/11, although I've really wanted to play Thracia I just *need* some QoL updates and controls. I haven't finished every single one because of lost/deleted saves and stuff but I've watched playthroughs and read up on scripts on everything I haven't actually played myself.

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: My first was Fates but Jugdral, Magvel and 3 Houses are my favourite

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Elincia, Mercedes, Franz, Myrrh and ughhhh I can't choose between Chole/Yunaka/Sylvain so I'm cheating

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! I saw Ryoma in all that red armour and it grabbed my attention.

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 Miss Mercedes if you're free Thursday night

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: Chrom, originally be accident but now on purpose :D - Fates: My first was Takumi and I didn't know what an S support was and was very confused. Nowadays usually Kaze or Laslow if playing F!Corrin and Orochi, Nyx or Charlotte if playing M!Corrin. Niles for either. - Three Houses: Mercedes. She's still my go to ofc but I'm also fond of Dorothea, Dimitri and Sylvain. If I'm playing M!Byleth Yuri or Ingrid - Engage: Yunaka was my first and now it's either Yunaka, Diamant or Chloe. Or Mauvier maybe hahfsdgfsd

Favorite Fire Emblem class? I love Pegasus Knights!!!!!!!

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Probably a reluctant recruit who accidentally gets involved. Weirdly magic based armoured character.

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? (Black Eagles, Blue Lions, Golden Deer, Church of Seiros, Those Who Slither in the Dark, unaffiliated civilian, other - for example Almyran) Either unaffiliated civilian or Blue Lions probably

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? Boons: Lance, Reason, Heavy Armour Banes: Bow, Faith Budding Talent: idk Axes or Flying?

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? (Firene, the Kingdom of Abundance; Brodia, the Kingdom of Might; Elusia, the Kingdom of Knowledge; Solm, the Queendom of Freedom; Lythos, the holy land of the Divine Dragon; Gradlon, the desolate land of the Fell Dragon) No idea! Probably Elusia or Firene. The Solm heat would literally kill me.

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔(separate letters, to-ah, other?) TOA ;) (like Noah)

Current TOA muses: Elincia & Mercedes

Past TOA muses? A lot but most memorable to me are Sylvain and Julia, though I'm so excited to see Sylvain in good hands <3

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Elincia and I still have her.

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? White magic girlies though I'm trying to change things up.

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Hm, I wish I felt I could write more of the male characters I enjoy effectively. In most other fandoms I've written in most of my muses have been men but it's just not so in FE. I'd also love to write a villain okay I once genuinely considered Hilda FE4 lmao

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? (If you filled this out last year, has this changed in any way?) I like writing dialogue and characters bonding but I'm starting to like more action oriented scenes too.

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? For Mercedes in particular I get excited to write her steel and strength, especially when it's combined with her gentleness rather than opposed to it.

Favorite TOA-related memories? Every thread I've writen with Elincia and Rua's Byleth <3

Present or past tense? I tend to default to present in TOA but usually past tense. I'm flexible though and will try and match my partner.

Normal size text, small text, no preference? I actually find small text easier to focus in on and read (I can find normal a bit too cluttered and it can send my eyes wandering lmao) but I'm perfectly happy to use normal text, it just takes me a bit longer to comb through.

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 I can't see a shake up happening soon but... Zephia or Chloe are probably forerunners. I've thought about Palla and Astrid too but I'm not sure if I can see the longevity. Also Neimi, Myrrh and Rodrigue have sparked.... ideas. For muses I've written before, Julia is the most likely but I think she's having a nice break right now :)

[mikittalabs]

in a mood right now and i've been playing fire emblem again, recipe for disaster so let's just get on with this post.

anyway it feels like every time an fe fan mentions liking something about engage, it's in spite of it. there's always a "but" tacked on. like you can't really like engage, alear's hair is red and blue and isn't that so dumb!

and i get it, engage is tonally light. it's not about poorly written politics like 3h is. it's great that 3h has a sad line from dorothea a few dozen times and that characters love to talk about how much war sucks every 10 minutes.

it's weird and annoying. every criticism of 3h is fought back against because actually you just missed this single piece of lore from a random npc in ch6 you fucking nincompoop. did you even play the game? the fact every character loves to exposit information at you is actually a good thing and a sign of good writing and doesn't completely muddy up the experience.

meanwhile you have to prove that you actually like engage. and yea. i love engage. i think it's great. i'm gonna talk about things i like because i think the game is good. there is no "but" here.

think a perfect example of this whole "in spite of" thing is yunaka. that's not to say i don't like her, i think she's great, too, but she's also the character who angsts the most out of the cast. her ass is not slick when it comes to hiding her backstory.

naturally, the fandom likes her in spite of engage. like i'm sorry that hortensia is so offputting that you completely missed her story about abusive families and desperately reaching out for something that you can't go back to, and might not have existed in the first place. it's so sucks that celine talked about tea in the 2 supports of hers you got. it sure would be a shame if she's hiding some odd feelings of resentment towards alfred or her cruel tendencies.

sorry guys, supports can't have subtext. if your characters aren't saying exactly what they feel and exactly why all of the time, then it's bad writing. actually subtext is just bad. exposition dumps are where it's at! i loved that part where rhea looked at the camera at the end of verdant wind and told us the entire history of fodlan. or like, the majority of 3h supports.

i forget if i ever posted it but i called 3h characters a vehicle for more lore, and i think i was kinda on to something. engage has a lot of silly supports where characters are just goofing around, but they were never used for more lore in the way 3h uses its cast.

3h supports typically involve someone just telling the other their entire backstory and i'm not about to argue that it isn't giving you more information on a character. in an extremely physical manner, it is. but it's obnoxious. it's an extremely unsubtle way to get across information.

in a very literal manner, you, as the player, are learning about this character. things have in fact happened to them, but i think the crucial difference lies in how this doesn't usually tell you anything about the character as a person. you can draw connections between how they act and their backstory, sure, but what does that actually say about them?

sylvain acts like that because his family fucking sucks. this is true, but he's still acting like a fucking cunt. i understand that crests are so highly valuable in fodlan society that he was objectified and reduced to the fact he had a crest. he says that himself in his support with mercedes. it does not change the fact that he is still a piece of shit to women. contrary to popular belief, i don't think the fact that he's nice to annette changes that fact. also like, mercedes's own backstory is completely glossed over in that support, but that's another conversation for another time.

contrast that with pandreo. he's a silly goofy party guy. there can't be any depth to him because this is engage. except you read his supports and realize he's a deeply faithful man. he found faith when his parents were being The Worst and he parties because it's how he expresses his faith. perhaps you're initial perceptions of a character are not always correct. something you would think fe fans would know considering sylvain has supports where the support partner says something to that effect.

ok i'm starting to get a headache so i'm just calling it here. see you all in hell or however people end these long posts

[stalwaria]

"Hiya Papaya!" For once, she's ready, and the cheerful greeting comes with genuine laughter as Yunaka circles around her friend. Weird to think Etie's a student of the house that Yunaka's been asked to teach, but they've both seen way stranger.

"Saw the show you put on in those arena fights! Man you are soooo lucky, I would've killed to get my hands on some of those fancy weapons." The training would've been nice too, it's been a while since Yunaka's had the chance to cut loose, but the weapons. Man.

"What was up with that last guy though, that was crazy! I was worried for a second you guys might not finish in time, which would've be soooo unfair."

There's...there's way more she should be talking about, and none of it has anything to do with the arena but. For now at least, this is easier. She hopes Etie doesn't mind. "Great job though, next time we should tag team and show 'em what some real strong girls can do, yeah?"

"Wh—Yunaka!?"

The last thing Etie expects to see is the other woman bounding towards her, having expected her to be... well, Etie didn't know where she expected Yunaka to be. Last she heard, the thief had gone off traveling after the war, and she hadn't exactly kept in touch.

After so long of wondering what happened to her, it was a relief to see that Yunaka was still alive and kicking. Of course, with her skills, and that gorgeously toned figure? Etie wasn't surprised to see that the woman could take care of herself.

Kind of curious to see her here of all places, though.

"It was fun to experiment, but I'm definitely most comfortable with my bow and arrow." Scoffing, Etie runs a hand through her hair, flipping it over her shoulder. "And that last guy? A real piece of work. He might've even given you trouble... but I guess that's the sort of bulk a good set of muscles will get you."

Shame he hadn't exactly been real. She would've loved to ask him about his training routine...

"But never mind that. We have got to catch up!" Beaming, she takes Yunaka's hands into her own. "How does tea sound? I just had a new crate of leaves sent in from Firene. After all those fights, I could really use the break."

[starrook]

a kiss to prove a point 

"It's not that big of a deal. It's all part of the show, and sometimes you gotta kiss somebody to tell the story." She...forgets how the conversation got here. He'd asked her to tell him about her travels, to try and be half the storyteller that Seadall is, and somewhere down the line of retelling all the places she's seen and all the shows they'd performed, they ended up here. How hard is it to kiss someone on stage.

"You're both playing pretend, you know. So as long as you don't go and do something stupid like fall in love with the other actors, then it's easy. Like a fight scene or any other talking scene or..." Or lying to everyone you know. Easy!

Alcryst is looking like he still doesn't believe, and that's enough to plant the incredibly stupid idea in her brain. It's risky. It's dangerous. She shouldn't. Yunaka puts her drink down and adjusts herself in her seat to face him. "Here, see."

She puts a hand on his cheek so he doesn't go flailing back from him and leans in. No one's watching. She doesn't have to put in the effort of making it a big show, but she does have her own personal pride to satisfy.

Yunaka's grinning to cover nerves when she pulls back. "See! Easy."

Listening to Yunaka weave tales of her adventures with Seadall and plays they performed together, Alcryst becomes convinced of one thing: that Yunaka is truly a talented person, clearly capable of doing anything she puts her mind to. “That’s amazing,” Alcryst finds himself saying to each and every one of Yunaka’s professed accomplishments. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

The current topic is his fault—one of their most popular shows is a romance, where they play as star-crossed lovers. Alcryst isn’t a stranger to those kinds of plays, but he’s always wondered how people could just… go through the motions of love without any feelings at all. Yunaka says it’s just pretend, and Alcryst could see that, but he can’t see himself being able to do what they can while separating himself from the character. He’s never been good at pretending to be someone he’s not.

Lips pressed against his startles Alcryst out of his thoughts. Yunaka—how did she get so close to him so quickly?! He jumps back in his seat the moment he’s released. Eyes wide. Processing what just happened. What just happened?!

Easy, she says. Did Alcryst really seem so unconvinced? “S-So, that kiss just now, there was nothing behind it. Just going through the motions.” A fake display of love. And yet somehow, this feeling of rejection is very real. Alcryst deflates with a sigh. “I… I see…”

[teaveetamer]

Considering Bernedetta is still up there while Alcryst isn't the top 5 of Engage characters but Diamant is, you can infer Bernie fans and Alcryst fans aren't merging. Ironically Leo and Takumi being in the top 20 could mean you're correct and fans of Takumi and Leo intersect with Alcryst thus he's not getting as many votes because Leo and Takumi are getting them. Look as a Fates fan I really don't get the Bernie love because Fates is a bunch of anime tropes but she's fine just rubs me the wrong way, but she has a hardcore base I suppose

Leo and Takumi have always maintained a top 20 position/top 5-10ish Fates characters so I can't say conclusively if there's any sort of real vote siphon going on. If anything, Alcryst is probably siphoning their votes because people probably figure he has the best shot to win this year.

Also keep in mind, the top 5 is not divided by gender. There are three women taking up three of the spots (Ivy, Yunaka, and F!Alear) so for all we know Alcryst could be the #3 Engage male character behind M!Alear and Diamant. The top five rankings are neat but I wouldn't take them too seriously.

But yeah I'll be completely honest: everyone who was predicting Alcryst would siphon votes from Bernie clearly do not understand the demographics of FEH/the primary target demographic of Bernadetta. And I don't mean this to be demeaning, but Bernie-as-a-character is written in a way that indulges in a fantasy primarily held by straight men. She's the "broken girl who only trusts you and needs you to protect her". That's why her Byleth supports go all in on "omg I'm usually such a mess but I feel safe with basically zero effort around you professor because you're special!" Alcryst, I would guess, was not written with that demographic in mind. He definitely has his appeals to his specific demographics, but I highly doubt there's a lot of overlap between who he was designed to appeal to and who Bernie was designed to appeal to.

Even if they were a 1:1 comparison just with the gender flipped, that doesn't mean they're going to appeal to the same people. The way they're perceived is going to be affected by their genders. For example, a lot of straight men probably find Alcryst whiny or feel like he needs to "man up". If we went back in time about 10-15 years I'm sure they'd even have some choice slurs for gay men to call him. That's no doubt because in our society we view men who are shy, overly apologetic, jumpy, lacking confidence or self-esteem, etc. as weak and shameful. Whereas with women, lacking confidence and self-esteem is not only expected but often desirable. So you can wind up with two characters who are exactly the same but one will be perceived differently based on gender norms and socialization.

Something similar happened with Corrin back in the day. While both Corrins got flack, M!Corrin, particularly M!Corrin in Conquest, got hit particularly hard with criticism complaining about how he was whiny, he was weak, he was stupid, he was overdramatic, etc. while F!Corrin (who Conquest was likely natively written around) slid under the radar more.

Honestly you could do a whole essay on Conquest v. Birthright, the way they were written/localized with a particular Corrin in mind, and what that says about how society treats gender (particularly how F!BR!Corrin doesn't get shit for taking on more """masc""" traits of being headstrong and violent, but M!CQ!Corrin gets shit for taking on the more """femme""" traits of CQ, such as making an "emotional" decision to side with Nohr, being all about pacifism and cooperation, and openly expressing strong emotions of sadness and regret). But idk if I wanna be the one to write it.

[fayesdiary]

7, 8, 12, 15, 18, and 25 for Micaiah?

Ooh, I never get to talk about her! Micaiah Fire Emblem you will always be famous ^^

7) What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

I definitely appreciate the fact the fandom has eventually mellowed out to her over the years. More people are starting to appreciate her and I'm all for it! Especially those who acknowledge she did some reprehensible shit ^^

8) What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

I don't know if people still do it but man, I remember years ago most hated Micaiah. As in, whole threads dedicated to calling her names as well as the dreaded Mary Sue.

That was for a number of reasons, but most of all that she dared to dislike and take the spotlight away from Ike. Nevermind she has legitimate reasons not to like the man (and she still comes around him) and Ike hoards like 80% of the screentime from characters who desperately need it while he stays pretty much the same from the end of PoR. FE fandom be normal about women challenge

As for a more recent example... Look, I also hate Micaiah/Sothe and think it's gross because she practically raised him, but can everyone please quit it with the groomer jokes? They're not funny and most importantly you shouldn't throw such a serious word around like you're a far-right politician complaining about queer people to the point it loses all meaning.

12) What's a headcanon you have for this character?

I imagine her relationship with Sanaki is pretty... Rocky at first.

Sure, they're happy they found out they're sisters, but also Micaiah kinda tried to burn her alive in Part 3 so, you know. At the very least an apology is due.

15) What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

I don't have any strong ships for her... So I'd probably go with Yunaka! I feel her dynamic with the real Micaiah especially would be so interesting given both of them have quite a number of skeletons in their closet🤔

Also they cute 💕

18) How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

As I mentioned before I think her relationship with Ike is so interesting because you spent all of PoR knowing him as the hero and yet she dislikes him because from her point of view, he's the one who conquered Daein and forced it under Begnion's foot, so of course she can't help but roll her eyes whenever Sothe speaks highly of him.

(I'm also realizing it's kind of a callback to that base convo in PoR after Talrega where its citizen tell Ike where he can shove the food he gave them after being the reason their homeplace got flooded and Shiharam died)

And sure, eventually she re-evaluates her opinion of him (although admittedly in a very easy-to-miss boss convo), but to me it's their initial dynamic that's so intriguing.

25) What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

I played Radiant Dawn blind after watching a playthrough of Path of Radiance, so my first reaction to her was the very common "No Ike, who this?"

Now it's almost the opposite, I still enjoy Ike but I love Micaiah so much more!

She is so interesting, I love her sass and overall personality, her original design is PEAK and her overall story is so good!

She's constantly put on the backfoot and forced to do some reprehensible stuff that goes against her very nature (doubly so because she's part heron) because her whole country is being held hostage, but unlike, uh, another FE lord with similar hair, no one tries to bend over backwards to excuse her actions. Her enemies know she's wrong, her allies know she's wrong, SHE knows she's wrong but is still determined to do what it takes to keep her people safe, no matter what happens to her. (And yet, the moment Sothe is threatened, she finds out she can't do it.)

She's also constantly trying to find a way out in the meantime, and the moment she does? She never looks back.

Also in general playing as the enemy army is so cool because not only are you horribly weak compared to the Liberation Army and they're pretty much steamrolling you (which is what makes Micaiah's Part 3 chapters so scary), but they can also recruit people away from you (Jill, Zihark). And that is literally one of the coolest things this franchise has done!

[hopeymchope]

Just me loving all over Fire Emblem: Engage

Years after being so thoroughly disappointed and even angered by Fire Emblem: Three Houses — which, it must be said, is deeply popular and incredibly successful because that's how it goes for me — I've found myself loving Fire Emblem: Engage. I put off playing it because the online reception was so "meh," but I needn't have been so worried. My deep affection for the series is back.

Play as Aquafresh OR Pepsi!

The two biggest reasons I'm happy? Well, FIRST, my biggest complaint about Three Houses has been... not cured, unfortunately, but still significantly alleviated. If you want to remain adequately leveled/competitive in taking on strategic battles, you still need to do a bunch of side chores that amount to "running around your home base doing boring shit" between each fight. BUT. 1) The sheer amount of those chores is significantly less now, and 2) all the blind guesswork has been removed from increasing Support levels. You'll never be trying to helplessly guess what to say at some fucking teatime or in some classroom conversation where every response seems valid, nor will be you making your best guess on what food to serve people. Because the game just fucking tells you the kind of gifts or food each person likes! (And tea events/random interstitial convos are blessedly absent.)

SECOND, however? It's the quality of the writing. Yes, I know people have complained a ton about the writing in "Engage," but in my experience, they're primarily complaining because they felt the story is so simplistic. And, sure — I get that. There's so much emotional drama built into the setups of the last three games (Three Houses, Echoes, and Fates) that this tale seems rather bog-standard by comparison. The overarching story of Engage can be boiled down to a tale as old as the franchise itself — essentially "Evil Dragon gonna Do Evil." There are also some aspects of the worldbuilding/subtextual implications that don't quite make sense. But I'm not talking about the overarching plot when I praise the writing here — I'm talking about how the characters possess more detail/facets than usual, and the dialogue/banter between characters is so damn fun.

A woman I feel completely normal about.

I don't even quite know how to explain it. Maybe the humor is just more to my taste, but I've laughed so much more at this one. And by the same token, maybe I'm just digging deeper into these characters because their dialogue is endearing them to me. But after playing the past four games before this one (yes, I started with "Awakening" like some Filthy Casual, I'M SORRY), I don't recall any other game featuring characters with so much detail to them. In Engage, many chracters possess more than the usual "two noteworthy personality traits/talents" that are typically found in FE's enormous casts. I'm talking about people like Citrinne, Lindon, Yunaka, Clanne, Ivy, Gregory... I can easily say like FIVE things about each of them. And yes, I consider this to be an important step forward.

Okay, so: I like the dialogue, I like the characters, I don't like all the side busywork, the overall story is bland. (The Fell Xenalogue's story is kinda sick though?) But hold up, what about the actual MEAT of the game — the core gameplay of having strategic battles? That's not usually a problem, mind you. But how'd it go this time around?

WELL. I'd argue we've got some of the best maps and best ways to optimize characters that we've ever had. There are still some lame straightforward corridors in here, but by and large? You get a lot more freedom in how you lure enemies to you, how you can split up and flank them while simultaneously attacking from the front, how you can now disarm (or "Break") them during one turn so other allies can attack more easily/do more damage — it's pretty rad!

One of the earliest maps to make me go "Oh cool."

There's even a main theme with lyrics, and although it's never gonna be the inescapable earworm that "You are the ocean's gray waves" became, it's not shabby either.

I've put over 80 hours into Engage so far, and although I'm finished with the main story, I'm not yet finished unlocking stuff. There's a lot to love here. I'm just happy to be back.

[yanderefairyangel]

What would I do to improve Engage

I said I would redo the post where I go into what I think in Engage is flawed, so here we go.

But rather then listing the flaws, I'd make it about what could make Engage even better

1- The story is too fast paced for the characters

I said the story rushed the character too much and I do stand by that. Having support was always the solution but after 3H, I do think creating characters paralogue would help not only giving more screentime to the characters and could also serve for more lore and worldbuilding info. Also I love exploring Engage's world so that would give more area to investigate as well.

2- the models

I already explained countless time my problem with models and hate love relationship I have with them. Well, first, have the in game model look like the cutscenes one. And then, have them MOVE. It hurts so much the pacing. And it would also require a lot of rework regarding the animation mistakes

3- Chapter 10/11 escape

Following the main idea, if you recall when in chapter 10/11 we have to escape, there is a fade to black and it makes the pacing so wonky. So instead of this, I'r rather place another map. Yeah, 3 maps in a row. In this map, you can't control Alear, they are a green unit and your goal is to reach them before they try to fight Veyle and the Hounds and then to escape the cathedral. And then we end up with the map of chapter 11.

4- More cutscenes

Thinking about it, and while it IS indeed ambitious, I'd like to have some cutcenes unlocked depending on your choices. For example, in chapter 10 if you choose to kill King Morion with Diamant or Alcryst, it unlocks a scene where they bid him farewell (it can't hurt to much the pacing cause after all right after there is the scene with Hyacinth getting killed)

Same with Ivy and Hortensia if they kill Corrupted Hyacinth in chapter 17

5- Bond support

I only think they should be longer

6- More dialogue and activities in the Somniel

The title explain itself. An example of an activity that could be added would be a mini-game that consist in Vander testing Alear's knowledge about the world of Elyos under the form of a quiz

7-Let us pet the animals we adopt

8- Some scenes can be weak

I think we should let Alear cry more. For example, in the scene of chapter 5, when it fades to black, have Alear cry to make it hit right where it hurts. Same for chapter 20.

Instead of what happened, when Sigurd tells Alear the truth, they run away and trip, and then they stay crying thinking they are an impostor. But their friends arrive and tell them their birth don't matter they are still who they are. Alear tell them they are useless because without a real Divine dragon, they can't save the world. Sigurd then tell them about Lumera's sacrifice and the dialogue folllows as what happened in game. Also, because people don't check the cutscenes title, I'd have Alear mentionned the dream of the prologue and say "I made a dream where we were all fighting together to save the world : let's make this dream come true!"

9- Chapter 24

I would change the compass of time travel where instead of the army travelling back in time, it's the scenery that travel back in time to bring back the Shard, however it results in Past Alear who was guarding it to appear. Like in the canon game, you defeat them and create a time loop when the spell cease to work and that they go back to the past.

10- Yunaka and Alear's C support

In their C support, Alear ask Yunaka if she is a mercenary which contradicts a bond they have with Byleth. I would keep this line but simply have Alear ask "so what do mercenaries do ?" and Yunaka answer "oh my Divine one ? Do you not know what a mercenary is ?" Alear : " Yeah, I have never meet any and I can't remember much". Yunaka briefly explains and when Alear thanks her for explaining her job, Yunaka ends up feeling guilty and confessed she lied.

That or the simplier way "were you what people call a mercenary ?" implying Alear doesn't know which workd with their character

11- Make either Vander, Lindon, Mauvier and Saphir appear younger to fit their age or be older to fit their design

and that's all I have to add for now

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Seeing less to nothing for Yunaka love in here! How's about an S/O who figured out Yunaka's past and accepted her? Like they figured out her lies but didn't bring it up once and maybe once covered for her.

Also, I love this blog, and it's a lovely chaotic mess!

(FE: Engage) Yunaka's S/O knowing about her past

Appreciate the kind words! Honestly, I sometimes forget how this blog is organized/handled is nothing less than dysfunctional, but I'm glad it has its...charm, I think?

When S/O says those words, it makes Yunaka's heart stop.

(S/O) "I know, Yunaka."

(Yunaka) "...You...You what?! You knew about my past?"

(S/O) "Well, I don't know the specifics, but I know what you were. Kinda hard not to put the pieces together...Though evidently that's not exactly common knowledge here in Somniel..."

(Yunaka) "...Honestly? Yeah, they're a bit too naïve for their own good...How long have you known?"

(S/O) "Ever since we first met. Your speed with a knife is way too good to just be a wanderer. I've even told Jean that's just how people from Brodia can fight."

(Yunaka) "Hah, I mean, you're not entirely wrong..."

Yunaka's hands starts fidgeting as she suddenly struggles to look at S/O's eyes.

(Yunaka) "You haven't told anyone, right?!"

(S/O) "Of course not! That's your business, and if you feel comfortable telling the others, than you go ahead. I wouldn't do something that cruel."

She breathes a sigh of relief as she begins laughing nervously, before feeling S/O's embrace which silences her.

(S/O) "I don't care about who you were, I only care about who you are now."

(Yunaka) "Think a lot of people would have an issue, considering."

(S/O) "Not me."

Yunaka wraps her arms around S/O, her head on their shoulders.

(Yunaka) "...You mean that?"

(S/O) "I'm still here, aren't I?"

Yunaka's grip becomes tighter as her voice gets even quieter.

(Yunaka) "Then...thank you. For accepting me."

Tears threaten to spill out of her eyes before S/O starts rubbing the back of her head.

They said nothing else as their actions did the speaking for them.

[synergysilhouette]

Brainstorming child units for these Engage characters

I was super sad that we couldn't have child units in 3H, and this was echoed in Engage--though I will praise Engage for being able to S-support everyone (even though not all of them are romantic). So because of this, I wanted to brainstorm ideas for child units in Engage. Sadly, I have no artistic skills, but I've got my imagination.

Iliad, the child of Alear. Early to mid teens, and I'd imagine they have a different color scheme so they don't look like carbon copies of their parents like Kana and Morgan do. I thought male Iliad's hair would be predominantly blue with a streak of red while female Iliad had red hair with blue highlights in the front (similar to Rogue from "X-Men"), but it'd be a cool detail if the ends of their hair matched the hair color of whoever Alear married. I imagine since their parents showered them with love and affection, they're much more emotionally and psychologically stable than Alear, as well as being a bit of a pacifist. In a contrast to Fates and Awakening, I'd like for Iliad's gender to match Alear's.

Neciso, the son of Pandreo. Originally I pictured him as a wolf pup type of kid, but then I imagined him as a young man who's also a kind priest like his dad--but he doesn't have the energy for parties. He's more of a scholarly type, but occasionally he'll let out an energetic howl.

Adele, the daughter of Alfred. Given the fact that Alfred dies young but it's never said how young that is, I think his daughter is super protective of him as she grows up (she'd be a teen here), training herself to be the strongest in the kingdom.

Emeraude, the daughter of Diamant. Due to the circumstances that made Diamant king, he wants Emeraude to be fully prepared for the worst-case scenario if she needs to become a queen immediately. That said, he also makes sure to spend a lot of time with her just in case she never sees him again.

Lazul, the son of Alcryst. A young man very big on upholding the honor of the royal family and looks up to his dad a lot, despite the latter's embarrassment. His cousin also encouraged his uncle to give him an education befitting a monarch, as she always saw him as her equal, just as their fathers did before them.

Aquamarine, the daughter of Amber. A young woman who inherited her father's romanticism and affinity for animals, she comes across as a fairy tale princess. She strives to become a legendary heroine--along with seducing a village boy or five. She's basically the female version of Laslow/Inigo and isn't shamed for that.

Chikai, the son of Yunaka. He frequently slips in an out of situations, and has a bubbly personality. It's believed he is also a thief, though he's so likeable most people find it hard to believe. He's a sly charmer (very similar to Hermes from the Hades video game).

Rubis, the daughter of Saphir. She's a popular knight and friend of Emeraude and Lazul. Her duty takes precedence first and foremost, and is the oldest of the child units (being in her mid-20s).

Eos, the son of Ivy. He's a young man known for being even-tempered and uncharacteristically kind by those who still deem Elusia with suspicion. He frequently wears a ghostly-white rose in his breast pocket, and while he's shy like his mother, he pushes himself to be more sociable to make others lose their fear for his kingdom.

Solanum, the son of Hortensia. As a little kid, one would be unsurprised by his childish behavior--though those who know Hortensia think it's because she spoils him, and that he'll likely be that way when he's older, too. He often sticks to Eos like glue, and is quick to protect his family.

Salix, daughter of Zelkov. Considered a counterpart to Chikai, she's known for being dangerous and charming--though while Chikai often keeps his criminal activity to non-life threatening activities, Salix is known for being lethal to her enemies. Her father doesn't seem to mind, considering her loyalty to the crown.

Tia, daughter of Timerra. Known as "the wandering princess," she's often found camping with her family and traveling on her own--unless her retainers happen to catch up to her. She has a close relationship with her family, and has a singing voice that is much better than her mother's--something her uncle frequently takes advantage of when Timerra tries to sing.

Taralli, the son of Seadall. Like his father, he is a renowned dancer and fortune-teller, though he often prefers to leave fate to chance, only reading fortunes when truly necessary. I imagine his outfit is similar to Inigo's "Indigo Dancer" outfit in FEH, except Taralli would probably be called the fated dancer.

Hope you like my ideas! Who knows, I may make more for other characters--maybe 3 Houses. Lemme know your thoughts or if you have any questions!

Update: check out the art @yanderefairyangel made inspired by these posts! We've both posted them on our Tumblr accounts.