#Rich Brat Johan

[theverifieddramafangirl]

JOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTHJOHANNORTH

Gaaaaaaah

JohanNorth for the win!

[elemental-daddy-neos]

The Chazz himself

It’s real loving Chazz hours, let’s go

Why I like them/why I don’t Chazz was a very interesting character for me when I started watching GX for the first time since I was little a couple months back. I went into it expecting not to like him from what I remembered about the show, and at first, I didn’t. He starts out as a spoiled rich brat who isn’t above cheating to make things go his way, so I figured I was right in assuming I wouldn’t like him, but... About 20+ episodes in, Chazz really started to grow on me. After the Interacademy duel, his character really starts to develop, and just... Man, I could talk about Chazz for way too long honestly, but I’ll go ahead and keep it to me loving how he goes from what he was in the first season, where his whole identity revolves around being the best and seeing losing as worse than death, to where he is in season 4, where he’s learned to accept loss as a part of life and doesn’t let it destroy him. Instead, he just gets up and tries again. I love that boy. Proud of him.

What I like about their appearance

Chazz has very pretty eyes, and just a pretty face in general. I also like the shirt he wears, which I’m convinced due to fanart is a halter top of some kind. The purple is a nice contrast against the black. Oh! I also think it’s funny that he wears heeled boots, considering that he’s one of the shortest rivals. He likes to feel tall.

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? See I’m definitely weird in that I think Jun Manjoume is the better name, but whenever I’m talking about him, I tend to use his dub name just because I’m used to it.

OTP

Gxrivalshipping will always be my favorite ship for Chazz, which probably surprises no one following me. I really like the way their friendship develops over the course of GX, and like... The gay tension was always there, and he even blushed when he got called out for quoting Jaden’s philosophy on dueling during the Genex Tournament.  Special mention to Hornetshipping (Chazz/Bastion) for being my second favorite.

NOTP Valentineshipping (Chazz/Alexis). I will admit, having rewatched some of the earlier episodes, it does seem like he had some interest in her before the end of season one, but it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth seeing what they chose to actually do with it. Once Chazz has this revelation that Alexis is totally in love with him because of their minds connecting in space or whatever, they just use it as an excuse to make a joke out of Chazz whenever his attraction to her comes up, and it’s never used for anything else, so it’s impossible for me to view it as anything but one of the many contributions to Chazz’s downfall as a serious character. Not to mention Alexis herself is shown to be pretty against the idea of the two of them as a couple, so... Yeah, when one of the characters involved in a ship is canonically against dating the other person, that’s more than enough reason for me to not want to ship it.

OT3 I know a lot of people like Competitorshipping (Jaden/Chazz/Johan), but you know, I think that Jaden/Chazz/Bastion has to be my pick here. Three rivals = 3x the gay tension. There’s a lot to explore there.

Favourite card they use

I love the Armed Dragon line, and at level 10 it’s a fucking beast.

Favourite moment they were in That nightmare loop he wound up in during season 4, where he was doomed to lose an important match over and over again, because it really proves just how far he’s come as a person where loss is concerned. It doesn’t destroy him like it would have in the past, and he doesn’t let himself stay down in the face of defeat. It was just really nice seeing how far he’s come.

Least favourite moment The Ojama suit. That is all I have to say.

Would I fuck, marry or kill them Chazz, like many characters I love, is one I view as a gay son, so I can’t in good conscience pick any of these options.

[hamliet]

Hi! What are your favorite siblings' relationships in stories?

WHY HI FRIEND

So in general I think sibling relationships offer incredibly rich potential to a story, but are somewhat underutilized? At least in comparison to other relationships. Or maybe that’s just the kinds of stories I’m drawn to. 

Mo Dao Zu Shi: Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian

Honorary shout-outs to the other siblings in this story, namely Lan Xichen and Lan Wangji and Jiang Yanli’s relationship with both Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian. Sorry Nies ILY but too much tragedy. But I think Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng’s exceedingly complex relationship is one of the best in the novel, and just as thematically rich as Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji’s relationship. I’ve written quite a few metas about the two of them, but overall they’re a great portrayal of brothers who adore each other but whose worst instincts and inability to communicate just how much the other means to them drives them apart... but then they get a second chance. I also interpreted the ending as them slowly moving towards communicating better and reconciling; hence, I loved it. 

Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment: Rodion Raskolnikov and Dunya Raskolnikova

Yes I’m choosing these ones over The Brothers Karamazov mostly because I’m in perpetual mourning for Smerdyakov. I love them. I love them lots. Dunya truly loves Raskolnikov and is about to see through him, to defend herself, and to be kind to Sonia (her foil). What could come across as patriarchal doesn’t because Dunya is just as protective of her brother as he is of her, railing against anyone who speaks ill of him, and much like Rodion is able to see her flaws for what they are (she’s too self-sacrificial), is still able to see her brother’s flaws rather than live in denial of them (unlike their mother). It’s noteworthy that it is Dunya who defeats Svidraigalov, who represents a dark path towards spiraling and destruction, for Rodion. Her steadfast commitment to and honest appraisal of her brother, are, much like Razumihin’s and Sonia’s, key towards Rodion deciding to pursue redemption. 

Hunter x Hunter: Illumi, Milluki, Killua, Alluka, and Kalluto Zoldyck

I’ve written some metas on these brats, too. But I love all five of them and their relationships, even though many of them are severely dysfunctional. They all foil each other in excellent, thematic ways, and all their best traits are the ones their parents use to manipulate them against each other in the guise of protecting each other. 

Frozen: Anna & Elsa 

I wrote a bit about them here, but I actually think the first Frozen (haven’t seen the second) is a wonderful portrayal of two sisters and reconciliation in a relationship. It also very well captures the experience of having a sibling struggling with mental illness you can’t help with--and the feeling of having a mental illness a sibling can’t help you with. 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Sam and Patrick

They’re technically stepsiblings, but I love how they take care of each other. They’re both important to Charlie’s journey of healing. 

Harry Potter: The Weasley Siblings

They all have distinct personalities and relationships with each other. Even if I have an issue with fed and George being basically clones of each other, their presence in the story is a delight. Also, I’m never forgiving the movies for omitting Percy, since I really liked his prodigal son subplot. 

Monster: Nina/Anna and Johan

Your recent meta articulates why. But despite the twin stuff, it’s exceedingly well done, and they are both such complex characters that their relationship, from its beginning to the end, get me every time. 

2ha: Mo Ran and Xue Meng 

Yes, actually. I think their brotherly/cousinly relationship is beautiful and hopeful, but it’s hard to articulate exactly why without major spoilers. Let’s just say I enjoyed how they were both foils--neither were who they even thought they themselves were--and they didn’t always like each other, but they learned to love each other. 

To Kill a Mockingbird: Jem and Scout

Let’s add another literature reference here. As problematic as some parts of the novel are, I love their relationship. It captures siblings in all of their complexity, how they get along and don’t, and is innocent yet realistic. 

Tales of Arcadia: Aja and Krel

They have complimentary arcs that allow them both to walk their separate ways in the end and be closer for it, which I found beautiful. They make opposite choices, but at the core of each of their arcs is the desire to find out who they are and what their place is in the world. 

[moczothe1st]

Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War; Part 20: He’s Blume, Dabba Dee Dabba DIE

Part 19

Welcome back for another week of Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy Oh Shit It’s Chapter Eight.  

I… have some war flashbacks going about this one.  I… yeah. Okay. Let’s… let’s just start the story.  Story. Please.

The peninsula’s north, once ruled by several small kingdoms, is graced with rich pastures, while the South, the Kingdom of Thracia, is a harsh wasteland dominated by vast mountains.  In ages past, seeking to claim the life-giving northern land as their own, Thracia’s infamous dracoknights have led countless brash attempts to conquer the north, only to be repelled at every turn by the might of House Leonster. Thracia looked to have won at last following their slaughter of Leonster’s army in the Yied Desert, only to be defeated in turn by Blume of Freege, who claimed the land as his own. And so, the so-called Kingdom of North Thracia was born as yet another servant state of the Empire.

Over a decade has passed since then. Not even Thracia’s King Travant, an ambitious man with a thirst for power and glory, dares to challenge the will of the Empire. And so, a strange peace looms over the region. Or so it did, until the arrival of Seliph and his liberation army

Blume’s defeat at his own capital has abruptly tipped the balance of the Thracian stalemate. Both the Alster and Leonster territories now lie under the liberation army’s control, forcing Blume to retreat to Connaught and muster the strength to take Alster back.  

(Oh fuck it’s Ishtar)

Braces itself for the threat of Thracian invaders.

Meanwhile, across the border in Thracia itself, both King Travant and his border watchman, General Maykov of Meath Castle, remain eerily silent. The people are united in their fondest wish: For the Thracian Peninsula to return to the rule of House Leonster.

And so dawns yet another battle…

Blume: Banba! How could the three of you let yourselves be cowed into fleeing? What a disgrace!

Banba: A thousand apologies, milord. However, you’ve nothing to worry about anymore.  Even as we speak, General Muhammad prepares his brigade to lay siege to Alster, and General Ovo’s cavalry are en route to Leonster. We, too, shall rejoin the fray shortly.

Blume: Hrm… don’t fail me this time.  And what of King Travant? Why are the promised Thracian reinforcements nowhere to be seen?  

(Because he’s arguably the one person in this peninsula who’s more of a douche than you, Blume ol’ buddy.)

Banba: We’ve yet to receive any response to any of our messengers so far.

Blume: Gah… what in the blazes is that snake thinking?

Banba: King Travant is an ambitious man. To blindly trust him would be foolish.  

(Shame you’re just a recolor of the standard female villain model, Banba. You just marked yourself as the smartest person in this country.)

Blume: … No matter. Even without his forces, we’ve enough power to stop the rebels cold. Banba, Fotla, Eriu!  Move out at once! This time, leave not a single rebel alive!

Banba: Yes, milord. We will not fail.  

Mr. Needypants: How long… how long will it be until Manster is free from the Empire?

Ced: Don’t lose hope now! Even as we speak, Lord Seliph and his liberators are out there fighting for the district. They’ll be here before long. Go! Tell your friends and family that your freedom is so very nearly in reach! Please, my friends, believe me. Manster’s freedom is fast approaching!

Beautiful Man 57: The Empire has already lost both Alster and Leonster to the Isaach rebels. He wishes to hire us to help reclaim them.

Travant, Ew: The Isaach rebels are led by that Seliph brat… Sigurd’s spawn, correct? Heh… poor, poor Blume. He’s getting so old, even little children are a thorn in his side! Pay Blume no heed, Arion. The Empire and the rebels are best left to break themselves on each other for now. We’ll mop up the leftovers once they’re nice and weak.

Arion: I should have known, Father… all along you’ve been waiting out Blume’s little storm, haven’t you?

Travant: But of course! It’d make no sense to bend over backward for the man who snatched the hard-won north out from under our noses, would it? Leonster’s downfall should have meant a peninsula unified under our rule… I’ll neither forgive nor forget Blume’s craven conquest.

(‘Craven’ by whose standards, Mr. ‘Take a Baby Hostage’?)

Arion: Even now, we still lack the power to truly face Grannvale on an even battlefield… I can only imagine your frustration, Father.

Travant: Thracia’s fate depends on a unified peninsula. The verdant northern soils are the perfect cure for the famine and poverty wracking our south. We’ve been shunned and vilified for centuries,  dismissed as ravenous hyenas… Yet what choice did we ever have? If not for our answer to this world’s craving for sellswords, Thracia would never have had the funds to barely survive as we do. We’ve toiled in poverty long enough, Arion. It’s high time Thracia carved itself a future! A future, I might add, which depends on the outcome of the game laid before us…

(I think, unfortunately, this is kind of a writing fumble. We’re apparently really supposed to buy Travant as a patriot willing to do terrible things for the good of his country, and yet everything he does just oozes liquid smug and cheerful evil. Just, I mean… once you’ve seen a man take a baby hostage so he can murder her dad more easily? It’s really hard to view him as well-intentioned on any level.)  

Lewyn: Do it. With Blume still on the loose in Connaught, there’s no sense in skimping on the defenses. Oh, and we’ve received a plea for help from the people of Manster Castle. The sooner our forces reach them, the better.

Seliph: Very well. We shall make the first move!

…………………….. And it shall be to go to the Arena!

Seliph: Seven wins, gained four levels: +6 HP, +2 Skill, +3 Strength, +2 Speed, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance

Julia: Seven wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Speed, +2 Luck, +1 Resistance

Shanan: Seven wins, gained two levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill. Told you they were his only two good growths.

Oifey: Seven wins, gained one level: +2 HP, +1 Strength

Ulster: Seven wins, gained two levels: +1 HP, +1 Strength, +2 Speed, +1 Luck

Larcei: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Strength, +3 Luck

Lester: Six wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Strength, +2 Luck

Dermott: Six wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Strength, +1 Luck+2 Defense

Fee:  Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck

Arthur: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Skill, +2 Speed, +2 Magic, +1 Luck

Tinni: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck

Patty: Six wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +2 Strength, +2 Speed, +3 Luck, +2 Defense, +1 Resistance

Johan: Four wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Defense, +1 Resistance

Ares: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Strength, +1 Skill, +3 Speed, +2 Luck, +2 Defense, +1 Resistance

Leif: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Strength, +2 Skill, +1 Magic, +1 Speed, +3 Defense

Nanna: Seven wins, gained levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +3 Strength, +2 Speed, +2 Luck, +2 Defense.  She has apparently decided she won’t be a healer this run, but holy shit she’s going to break some heads.    

Finn: Seven wins, gained two levels: +1 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Strength, +1 Speed, +1 Defense

Oh, that’s the stuff. Now, let’s look at the actual chapter.

We start off with two castles, both on the far west side of the map; Leonster in the north and Alster in the south, the two castles Leif was bouncing around near in the last chapter. There’s only one path to take in this one: go straight at Blume in Connaught, then south to Manster, then right on further south to deal with Thracia inevitably being dicks.  However, do not assume. This is gonna be a slog. First order of business is to get some units up to Leonster; right now they only have Finn, Leif, and Nanna, who almost definitely cannot hold against what’s coming their way.  On the way, we have two conversations to share.

Julia: I’m… scared. I sense an evil presence… something dark… and it’s closing in…

Seliph: What do you mean?

Julia: Seliph… be on your guard… Ishtar is a fierce foe… you cannot fight her… you must not…

Seliph: Julia?! What’s happening to you?!

Julia: Ahh… I… w-what in the world just…?

Seliph: Julia… you’re…

(And Seliph gets +1 Luck from that, because…… shut up, that’s why. In fairness, Julia isn’t wrong.)

Arthur: Hrm… yeah, I guess.  

Fee: Hmmmmmmmm.  Who knew you had it in you? I never would’ve guessed that you’re even able to worry about anyone but yourself? I might have to rethink everything just a bit!

Arthur: Well, er, you’re a special case…

Fee: Eh?

Arthur: Er, never mind! Anyway, just don’t do anything too rash, alright? See you…

And Fee gets +3 HP, because… the worry… makes her more… able to take damage…?  Look, I don’t know.  It’s weird. And since there’s no enemies able to reach us, end turn here.

(Game, for fuck’s sake, that’s not even a palette swap of Chagall. It’s just him.  I know you need to save memory, but that’s just lazy.)

Muhammed (Seriously?): If anyone dares to question my command, come forth and allow me to relieve your neck of your head! No volunteers? Good. ATTACK!

(… Ah, I see. You had to re-use Chagall’s sprites so there was enough memory available for the most amazing looking man in the entire game. Okay, I forgive you.)

And with that, it’s our turn again. Ovo and the three mage sisters (… Are they sisters? I actually don’t know. They look identical, but so does) are moving toward Leonster and Leif, while Muhammed (Seriously, though?!) is moving toward Alster and Seliph. I have the cavalry brigade head up to reinforce Leif, along with Ulster since he can run very fast with his Leg Ring, while the rest of the ground-pounders stay with Seliph to help him stomp the armor unit.  And of course there’s bandits moving toward the villages, because fuck you, so we will need to hurry somewhat. I move right into the edge of the enemy range, and prepare for the assault, because I’ve worked out that this is the best way to do it. Boring but practical, man.  

Also, Finn can talk to Leif, somehow missed that last turn.  

(I hope you enjoy the politics of the Thracian Peninsula, because the next map is here too and it never stops sucking.)  

Finn: We aren’t in for an easy battle, but no matter what happens, we must persevere.  

Leif: I know, Finn.  

(“Did you seriously just tell me ‘fighting is hard but we should try to win’? Did you think this was a revelation?”)

Leif:  I’ve always dreamed that this day, the day of Leonster’s freedom, would come… I’ll do all I can to bring peace to the peninsula and save the people from King Blume’s tyranny. To fulfill Father’s final wishes at last… and if I need to lay down my life to make our dream a reality, then so be it.

Finn: Please, my lord! It ill-befits a future king to do something so rash! You mustn’t say such things!

(Okay, maybe Leif did need to be told that he should try to win.)

Leif: Er, you’re right… sorry, Finn. I know how hard you worked to protect me from the Empire’s pursuit in my youth. I recall how often you’d let yourself starve, just so I wouldn’t have to go without food… all my life you’ve made sacrifice after sacrifice for my sake, and only now do I understand this. I’ll always be grateful for all you’ve done, Finn.

Finn: My lord, the Thracian region has been plagued by strife for generations, but your father dared to dream of uniting it under a lasting peace. He may be gone, but you still yet live, and so too does the hope of fulfilling his dream. Only you stand a chance of uniting Thracia.

And with that Leif gains… holy crap, +3 Strength?! Okay, damn, Finn, tell Leif that he needs to win more often.  Never stop telling him he needs to win.  

End turn! Come at me, Blume.

Special Cousin Friend getting smashed in the face day! Now, let’s let them repay the enemy.

Okay, Seliph’s team pretty much owned, thanks for that very good dance, Lene, but Leif’s team is still undermanned and if they try to go toe-to-toe with the enemy, they’re screwed. So, to give them a chance to hold out until reinforcements arrive, I have Finn take out the vanguard:

And then they run south to park on the forests there.  I do not think any of them are in serious danger of dying, and this puts them close enough to the rest of the army that next turn Ares will show up to kill the entire enemy army by himself with his sheer awesomeness.  End turn!

(Where do these people keep getting reinforcements?!)

Faval: Look, Blume, I’m a busy man. Tell me what you want, or I’m leaving.  

Blume: Tch… Listen carefully. I’ve an employment opportunity for you.

Faval: … An employment opportunity?

Blume: Yes, Faval. I require your services in putting down the rebel army.  

Faval: Pass. I might be a mercenary, but I’m certainly not about to do your dirty work.  

(…. Then why did you come? You’re a mercenary, what did you think he wanted to see you for? A tea party?)

Blume: Oh, really? Then what will become of all those orphans in your care? Rumor has it your dear sister has taken to stealing the money you need to take care of them. Are you content with such a life?

Faval: I guess you’re right. I dunno if I can take Patty risking her life like this much longer. And we do sorely need the gold…

(I was going to make a crack about the SUBTLE HINTS as to the identity of Faval’s sister, but he kind of took the fun out of it.)

Blume: Bring me Seliph’s head, Faval, and you’ll have all the gold your orphans will ever need and more. Your dear sister would approve.

Faval: Deal. I know this’ll come back to bite me, but if it means saving the kids… you have my bow. Just this once.

Soooo. Patty’s brother. Means he’s Bridget’s son.  You know what bow he means, and we definitely need to get his sister up there to make sure he doesn’t shoot us with it.  But first, war:

Why do you people hate Nanna so much?!  Well, at least she badly wounded all of them, so we can just mop up an-

*sigh* Why do they have five healers with them? Seriously? Am I being trolled?

…. Fuck.

*phew* He can’t double. Okay, we got this  then. First step, remove that motherfucker.  

Thank you, Best Finn. Now, Lana busts out the Physic Staff to heal Nanna, and we send a few jerks to join their commander

Ulster’s amazing level would normally be the highlight there, but I honestly kind of prefer Leif busting out that weird multiform Dragonball Z shit for his critical hit animation. Way to rock, buddy.  Southern front, can you top them?

Awesome! Seliph is ready to promote, so I should maybe have him run back right now and sell the Paragon Ring for someone else to purchase? I mean, he actually hasn’t gotten very far yet. Either way, Muhammad’s group is now taken down and the other one has the whole horse division to fight, so we have things mostly under control. All that remains is to get people to those villages, and get Patty up to make sure her brother doesn’t murder us. End turn!

All right! Nanna continues her quest to become a frontline fighter, and honestly when she promotes she’s basically gonna be there. Is there someone else who can use her staff? She can’t really put it to the best use, frankly, and she can use the money to buy more swords.  

Our turn, and the mage sisters are almost to our doorstep, so it’s really time to finish off Ovo’s group. Luckily most of them chose to commit suicide by Nanna on their turn, so there’s actually only two left. So it’s as simple as staying just outside their range, except for Fee with her Bolt Sword handy  to meet Banba head on; Banba is the fire one and Fee’s going to have weapon triangle over her, so it should be a good way to soften her up to start off with.

Oh, and killing the last two guys, obviously.

Heeeeey, way to rock out, Johan! You don’t often impress me, but I cannot complain about your performance here.  I don’t think anything can ruin this good mood. End turn!

(OH FUCK IT’S ISHTAR)

Ishtar: What’s happened, Father? How could a pack of simple rebels get to you, of all people? This is so very unlike you.

Blume: These are no mere rebels! They’ve already slaughtered Ishtore, and Tinni is lost to us as well because of them… the defeated Banba and her sisters… I can’t leave this task to them again. You’re all I have left to depend on!

Ishtar: Understood, but I have one condition. I need the Book of Mjolnir. If I’m wielding Mjolnir, I won’t need an army with me. I alone will be more than enough.

(SHE’S NOT JOKING)

Blume: W-what?! You want me to… Fine. Very well. You can take Mjolnir.  But don’t you dare fail me now!

Ishtar: You can trust me, Father. By your leave.  

(NOT THE TIME, LADY)

All right. Okay. Okay. I have Larcei move toward one of the villages, kill the stupid mage sisters…

And… and prepare for the… issue.  The issue that’s coming toward us, very slowly, and we’re fucked.  

So this is Ishtar, and she’s just… she’s just the worst.  I mean, Mjolnir always turns anyone holding it into an utter bastard, but just for fun, compare her stats to the other two users of the tome.  

Look at those comparisons, and tell me what you see.  Reptor has more magic, certainly, both of them have more defense.... but speed. Ishtar’s speed is fucking 39, breaking the game’s speed cap, and of course her ability list includes Adept. So unlike her predecessors, she can double-attack, and getting hit twice with Mjolnir is a death sentence. 

And I don’t know, maybe all this sounds like she’s a super exciting challenge? But that’s also not true. See, she also has Vantage, meaning once her health gets below half she’ll always attack first, regardless of turn.  And if that happens, your odds of beating her drop a ton, because there’s not a lot of units who can take one hit from Ishtar, much less two if she procs Adept (and she will, right when it’s most inconvenient, because fuck you).  So fighting Ishtar is basically a game of tag with nuclear bombs. The actual fight is only going to last about thirty seconds when I actually meet her: either I take her out in one combat round, or she’ll kill someone and force a reset, period.

And there’s only a few units in our ranks who can pull that off: Arthur/Ares if they proc Critical, Shanan/Larcei/Ulster if they proc Astra.  

Most of the above cannot survive a counterattack from Ishtar.

It’s… it’s not a good situation.  

End turn. Nothing happens on the enemy phase beyond the slow inexorable approach of death, so I start off our new turn by clearing a village out:

And send Fee, Dermott, and Finn up toward the other one. They should be able to clear it before it’s totally destroyed, at least, and I’d like Fee to get some more money; I think she’s a good choice for the Paragon Ring after Seliph sells it in a minute here, since her level’s lagging a bit.  Ares and Arthur are both moving into position to deal with Ishtar, and hopefully between the two of them nobody will die, but before her Faval is in place and he’s going to be a problem all his own because we can’t kill the little prick.

I mean, we could,  but Patty would be sad.  End turn, and-

… Really? Right next to each other? You two are asses.  Okay, let’s try this.  

All right, Patty is now right at the edge of Faval’s movement, and to the south Arthur is ready to swoop up and fight Ishtar as she comes in behind him. This… will be tricky. Patty absolutely cannot fight Ishtar, probably not even after promoting, unless you somehow got very lucky with Luna and a Brave Sword.  For now, though, there’s nothing left to do but end our turn.  

Okay. Okay. We can do this. We CAN.  First, I have the northern troops clear that second village. Not because I’m procrastinating, I just enjoy clearing villages.

Nice Girl: I’ve heard all the stories about your army, and I’ve been praying you’d come. Lord Seliph is our beacon of hope! Here, take this power ring. It’s not much, but it’s all we have to show our gratitude.

… I didn’t remember that was there, but it’s pretty much exactly what Fee needed most of all, so happy coincidence.  Down at the front, Patty moves in to slap some sense into her bro.

Patty: Ugh… don’t tell me you actually let Blume buy out your bow arm!

Faval: Patty? Wait, why are you with the rebels?

Patty: To protect people, of course! We’ve come this far working together, and I know we’re gonna stop Blume for good! I don’t get it. Did you just go and forget everything?! That if it wasn’t for the Empire, none of the kids would be orphans!  But no, here you are, kissing up to the man who ruined all our friends’ lives!  What the heck were you thinking, Faval?!

Faval: You’re absolutely right…. I’m so sorry, Patty. I guess I just wasn’t thinking at all.  

Patty: Any scumbag can apologize until they’re blue in the face! If you’re really sorry, then get over here! Come help us fight for peace!

Faval: … Alright, Patty. I’m with you. You’ve certainly come a long way lately…

Patty: Hee hee… I guess I have!

You do you, Patty. Faval, welcome aboard. 

So here’s Faval, and he’s a solid unit overall, like his mom before him. His highest growths are going to be in Skill, Luck, and HP (a whopping 175% for that last one, thanks to having two Holy Bloods and a tanky father) but none of them are particularly bad other than Resistance. And he has a Holy Weapon, so he’s never going to be useless.  His only skill is Pursuit, but that’s really all he needs; he shouldn’t be up close to the enemy anyway.  

Now then. Ishtar.

Ares and Arthur are ready, and they’re our best options with Forseti and Mystletainn to rock out on her stupid face.  But because I love you, there is a little extra convo to have with Ishtar first, so… save state.    

(Remember they’re cousins, they know each other pretty well. Protip: Do not try to have this conversation in the actual game, Tinni is about to get crushed into a fine paste.)

Ishtar: You’ve turned traitor, then? I’m disappointed in you, Tinni!

Okay, now let’s do our real turn.  Arthur, you’re on point.  

(Your reluctance would seem a little more convincing if I hadn’t watched you vaporize your baby cousin thirty seconds ago.)

*deep breath* Arthur procced Critical. In the great game of Ishtar Rocket Tag, we came out on top… and thank God for it, because his resistance isn’t superb and I’m pretty sure her counter would have killed him.  I realize that this makes me look like a big whiner, but that was a stroke of absurd luck and I’m thanking my lucky stars individually and by name.  

… Interesting dying quote there.  

Oooooh dear.

Julius: Come, Ishtar. I need you.

Ishtar: Y-yes, milord! Anything you wish!

Well, that was fuckin’ ominous! Yeah. Yeah. Our first meeting with Crown Prince Julius and he… well he doesn’t seem like a nice young man, to say the least.  Um. Let’s… let’s just… go promote Seliph! Hahaha, yay, promotions! Not scary!

Congrats, Seliph. You’ve officially reached exactly where your dad started.  Though he does, for some reason, have the ability to dismount his horse and go back to being on foot at any time he chooses. It’s not entirely clear why he can do this, but he can. So if you run into somebody with a Horseslayer or something, that will be nice. I’m… not sure there are any more enemies with horseslayers in the game, but if there were Seliph would be all set.

Now, time to end this.

I realize this doesn’t look too bad, but appearances can unfortunately be very deceiving.  All three of those mages and Blume himself are all packing siege tomes, meaning that while you’re fighting your way through the armor leading the way, you are also going to be getting your ass bombarded constantly.  So to start, the best idea is to kill off the first group of armors outside the range of the mages, I think. I move Faval into their range to test out that shiny bow of his.  End turn!

…

They don’t move on their own! Dicks! Okay, we do this the hard way. 

Not bad, not bad. Unless of course all three of the mages and Blume all target the same person and they all hit, but… hahahahaha… what are the odds of that.  Hahahahaha.

End turn.

………….. This… game… is being so nice to me on this map.  What’s going on.  First I lucked out majorly on Ishtar, and now I’m lucking out on Blume.  What are you planning, game?!  

Okay. Okay. We just need to kill these guys and end the update before my luck can abandon me. Guys. Guys, hurry.

What’s going on. End turn, hurry.  Hurry you strange army of winners, I don’t know you but I love you.

My God even Johan can’t die anymore.

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE…

You cannot stop me, Blume. Your lightning is weak and small.

*cough*

Sorry, went mad with power. Um…. Let’s see a shot of Tinni continuing her character growth, hm?

Blume: Gah...

Turns out little Tinni has a bit of a backbone to her when she’s not going to be immediately incinerated by divine lightning.  Not a  great fight, but unlike both his dick kids, Blume has no way to double attack or critical so he also can’t kill her as long as you make sure she gets healed between fights. If I could trust him to always go after her, I’d let her chip him down.  But he still has that damn Bolting tome, so I can’t.  So. Let’s end this.

………………. Okay, that’s Ares’s first bad level since he joined, so I’ll allow it.  From here, all that’s left is to take the castle, so I have everyone move south to get ready to cross the river when it opens, and… rock it, Seliph.

Lewyn: Don’t be too excited just yet. The real problem here is still Thracia.

Seliph: What makes you think so? What would cause Thracia to break neutrality now, of all times?

(“They are what is known, in tactical terms, as a bunch of dicks.”)

Lewyn: You’ve never had to deal with King Travant before. Just ask Prince Leif; if not for Travant, he would still have his parents. Travant’s murder of them was a cruel ambush, an insult to the honor of a knight like Quan.  Who knows what game he’s playing now…

I like that Lewyn’s summary is basically a fancier version of what I said.   See you next week when King Travant is a giant dick, because that’s the entirety of what he does, always. Laters!               

Part 21

[theverifieddramafangirl]

I understand Ter. I'd see Johan and get all excited too. That man is HANDSOME! Hill, don't worry, Ter has eyes only for you, he just admired the beauty that is Johan just for a while. Can't wait for Johan and North's storyline!