#Pandreo surprises some people who know me bc he's not immediately apparent as my type but here I am

[loregoddess]

For the character ask list: 2, 12, and 20 - Anyone from Fire Emblem: Engage and Anna from Triangle Strategy

Starting with Anna bc, she was the easier of the two to write (I've been thinking about Anna a lot lately).

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Hmm...I like pretty much everything about her, but if I had to choose one thing to talk about, it'd be her unwavering kindness that isn't hidden behind a thorny shell. Like, there's a certain character type Anna looks like she fits into at first glance (stealthy rouge who seems quiet and mysterious), and I typically see characterizations for that type that follow the gist of "edgy, antisocial or closed off, occasionally snarky" (Therion from Octopath being an pretty good example). Which is a character type I like a lot, but does get predictable.

But like? Anna's not really any of that. She almost feels like a inversion of the "quiet, edgy rouge" archetype in that while she does technically have a dark and tragic past (the entire thing with the Jackes Clan), she was raised surrounded by adults who loved and cared for her, and despite the fact that the writers could have had her still be kinda edgy bc of the whole "dead parents" thing, instead we get a character who, despite being a spy and doing a lot of "darker" work, is still unfailingly kind to her allies, and even to "enemies" (i.e. her entire dynamic with Milo), so much so that most of the characters, even children, feel safe around her. And she's incredibly level-headed and thoughtful about everything, which plays into her kindness because we see that Anna actively chooses kindness as well (her character story being about finding the truth of her parents, not about seeking revenge for them).

The tension between the stereotypical "edgy rouge" and Anna's actual characterization gets played with by the writers a bit too--i.e. Rudolph immediately assuming Anna has a "dark past" (from his battle dialogue with her in his recruitment map), and her "mind your tongue" reaction; or Trish's "we're outcasts of a feather" remark about Anna in her encampment dialogue (which is so funny, since Anna is like, very much not an outcast in the Wolffort demense)--which makes me think that the writers were definitely aware of the sort of first impression she gives off (both to players and characters in the story), and decided to write against that archetype for her core characterization intentionally.

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

I don't have anything to support this, but I think Anna probably got stuck with babysitting Serenoa a few times when he was younger, and this is part of the reason she's really good with kids. I also have this headcanon that Anna just lets people assume she's younger than she is (i.e. Milo's "Anna is so much younger than me" encampment dialogue, even though we know Anna's at least 30), and doesn't correct them because she kinda of thinks it's funny.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Hmm, now this is an interesting question for Anna, since the characters she's closest with in the narrative also act as surrogate family in some way (Benedict and Erador), or mentor/vaguely surrogate family (Archibald is her mentor, but he also talks about how all the "young folks" of the army are the closest thing to grandchildren he as, so...), or Anna plays a sort of guardian/older supportive role for (Rudolph, Trish, Quahaug, Decimal). Although I think Anna's relationships with Rudolph and Trish is much closer to friendship than just Anna being a supportive older person in their lives. I do like her dynamics with Milo a lot, but they almost have a frienemies (or enemies-to-lovers for enjoyers of their ship) feel, rather than besties feel.

In my heart I feel like Anna and Avlora could be friends. There is the faintest glimmer of a kernel of an idea for how this works somewhere in my head, but I think I'm gonna have to wait for it to stew a bit longer before I can expand the idea. I also have this currently unexplainable feeling she'd get a long well with Maxwell, somehow. Anna, Maxwell, Avlora, and Milo all have similar but different narrative roles to their respective countries/lords in my head, so if Anna and Milo can be friends, then it makes sense that they should all have some sort of dynamic. I've also started to wonder what the interaction dynamics between Anna and Lyla would be like, since Anna was basically Quahaug's guardian for a while.

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Aaaand, for the Engage character, I choose...Pandreo, bc he's my favorite character and I don't. Talk about him ever. (I haven't talked about Engage a lot lately though, so...)

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

A lot of the Engage characters have really good writing in my opinion, and almost the entire cast has a certain duality of character, but Pandreo's duality gets me bc like, sure he's this silly party animal on the surface, and then you get his supports with Panette and learn that his home life was utter shit up to the time his parents left him, and it's like. Damn, he rebuilt his broken home and the broken church his parents left behind, and made it into a place of healing and joy for his entire community and I dunno. That just gets me.

And he's incredibly in-tune with the boundaries of the people around him, like Pandreo knows Bunet doesn't do well in the party atmosphere and never tries to pressure Bunet into attending. With Alcryst, Pandreo does push him a bit to try out a party, but I get the sense that if Alcryst had reacted badly to it, then Pandreo wouldn't have forced Alcryst further on the issue. Like despite everything and how bitter a person he could have become, Pandreo actively chooses kindness and understanding, and actively makes spaces for the people around him to exist comfortably and like, I love him for that.

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

None in particular at the moment (for like, 99% of the cast honestly), but I do think Pandreo being the eldest sibling probably affects a lot of his core characterization in ways not immediately apparent. I just have to replay Engage again and let the characters and story stew in my head a little longer before vague impressions I have start blossoming into proper headcanons and stuff.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

I enjoyed all the supports Pandreo has, and get the impression he kinda befriends almost everyone in the army (or makes a damned good effort to befriend them), and clearly Pandreo's besties with Bunet and Fogado, and their dynamic works so well for me. If I could have had more supports I'd have wanted to see a support between Pandreo and Gregory, bc while I get why the DLC characters don't have a lot of supports, I think the dynamic between those two would have been super interesting to see.