#TS and FE16 comparisons

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Just thinking about it but -

UO : MC learns the "greater" plot that explains the reasons - and their origins - why things happen, and picking the right choices, is rewarded with the best ending.

FE16 : Claude gets some infodump, still puts in danger the remaining Nabatean (granted Rhea dies off screen so it's not that important!) for being hunted for parts, still uses the shiny bow he got despite learning what, rather who it was, grows as much as a beansprout in a dark closet regarding his beliefs about isolation and acceptance, even after listening to Rhea's history about how humans fucked up her people and why she needs to hide her identity.

UO : Alain talks to Gilbert and Hodrick, learns his country is pretty privilegied compared to the other ones, doesn't want to take advantage of this position but wants to create a lasting peace between his kingdom and the other countries

FE16 : Claude spends between 3 weeks (Nopes) and 1 year (FE16) at least at school, doesn't bother to learn anything (or it doesn't show!) about Fodlan and ends up with some hilarious takes like "Church BaD and promotes isolationism but my slave holders besties from House Gonerils are chads", complete with "Fodlan is to blame when it comes to having relationships with its neighbours when they just want to engage in one little bloodbath every thursday" only discovering water to be wet when the goddess' avatar becomes his teacher.

Guess which game is praised for its "complex" and "masterpiss" of a writing?

[gascon-en-exil]

Of course I won't be able to draw any real conclusions for several weeks (something I've been saying quite a lot lately), but my working thesis statement for Triangle Strategy is basically that the developers looked at FE16 and decided to make a game that took all of its political angles seriously instead of just using them as set dressing for character drama and a self-insert dating sim...and also axed the school mystery bit.

The characters are all pretty bland and the queer subtext is outright nonexistent at the moment, but it's a give and take affair.

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I'll never understand the idea that Claude is smart. This is the guy who, no joke, didn't understand there were poor people in Almyra until one was literally right in front of him.

To be fair,

That's also something I ranted about in Birthrout when Ryoma went all "i never knew people in Nohr were starving" because there's no way a crown prince and future heir of a nation doesn't know basic things about his immediate neighbours -

Claude isn't supposed to be their heir though, just one of many princes - and yet this isn't about knowing what a neighboring nation is like, but knowing what Almyra is like. What kind of education did he receive in Almyra? Were they talking about the border regions and how people there lived in miserable conditions due to the friday raids and the War (Goneril interventions?) and how this situation affected civilians?

Almyra is supposed to be vast - so maybe people living in the capital don't really know how the people living far from the capital or near the border live... but we're not talking about the miller's son, but about a prince! Again, maybe because he's just "one of many" princes, he didn't get a special education or his was lacking (but his parents made sure he knew how to untie himself from a rope while being attached to a horse, so they had different priorities??) - but it's jarring to compare how little Claude and Supreme Leader know about their own territories to Dimitri, who can give exposition about the various events happening in Faerghus and knows more or less what are its current issues.

I've seen in the fandom some people comparing Claude to an undergraduate student entering Uni, like he is sure he knows everything about every topic, when his knowledge is very superficial at best, downright utterly wrong at worst.

But not knowing about Almyra's lack of social structure comparable to the CoS who does the majority of Fodlan's charity work and hosts the biggest orphanage in those lands really makes him look... ignorant about the country he speaks so highly for, which is not a good look at all.

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Trying to finish triangle strategy's golden route -

I legit forgot how much I love Gustadolv, after all the uwu shit and sycophants we got in Nopes and Fe16, Gustadolv being a bastard, manipulating and using everyone he can, and being called out for being a bastard but hey, at least he's winning, is so refreshing.

I miss the Era when you could love "bad" characters without having to embrace their ideology or write 10k words essays about how the game is full of earl grey and #mytrashfavedidnothingwrong

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And it was a disappointment :(

Idk how to call this ending, a golden route or a fanservice ending?

The way the game rushed to "we must erase hyzante" was hilariously bad, even if Serenor's reflexion time was kind of funny.

"We will ask Gustadolf to give us the giant cannon to destroy the goddess's shield"

Ask Gustadolf?? Seriously? Even if Svarog was here to back up Serenor's position, was he really thinking it was possible to get a deal with the man known as an oathbreaker, without rekting him??

"But Roland might not agree"

No way Jan, Gustadolf killed his father, brother, raped his sister and slaughtered the people he swore to protect, on top of killing his father figure and starting that damn war - if not for Roland having 0 ego and being willing to literally sacrifice himself for the sake of the world, I don't know how that plan could have worked...

Oh wait, it didn't, and Gustadolf refused to lend - omg who could have guessed it - the canon to break hyzante's walls because he wants to rule norzelia. So Roland still had to fight him, Svarog joined and -

It's completely ridiculous how this scene is framed in this path, and in the Roland path. Here, apparently Aefrost loldiers have a moment of self reflection when Sycras does and when they listen to Roland (and imo Svarog!) words about making a better Norzelia and the war being nonsense, and they start to worry about participating in an "illegitimate" war or something -

Like dude, even if it was "legitimate", you still slaughtered civilians, invaded and destroyed a country and its loldiers who were planning a wedding - but now you wonder about your morals???

But when Roland knocks at the door with Hyzante's forces and Serenor, saying the same thing and saying how people will be spared, suddenly Sycras has his very tearful goodbye scene with his fam, soldiers and civilians shout "Aesfrost" and are willing to fight until the end, fueled by Gustadolf's propaganda and even follow Svarog in his delirium when he decides to destroy his own city and citizens under tons of molten lava??

Aesfrost suddenly reconsiders and isn't 2000% supporting their charismatic leader?? At least if it was more played about Svarog and people loyal to him and Dragan instead of randomly popping up Sycras, who also discovers suddenly that lies really bother him to the point of challenging his leader, too bad for Rudolph Sycras's morals weren't coded then, with his supposed death scene and then moving on to random 34 and random 55 being worried about their war based on a lie.

As for Benedict's side... Oh well.

I can't say Ayxame was retconned when the Hyzantese characters never received any spotlight, but Ayxame comes from a seemingly sympathetic (?) character, who also came to understand the rock salt secret and wasn't an asshat to Rozellians and who wanted to change Hyzante, into an egoistic piece of shit, who's ready to let the world burn if it means being the one on top because he's that ambitious.

What a disappointment for what could have been the Svarog-like ally but coming from hyzante.

Instead we have Layla, who was complicit in Idore's schemes because he forced her uwu (this reminds me of something) and she only wanted to see her son again, but feels like she did so much wrong that she doesn't want to live anymore. Wow. What a mess of a cool character, at least from the one we saw in the first chapters, reducing her to "woman go did much wrong because man forced her by threatening her child or something and she feels so remorseful that she wants to die".

Also the game keeps on mentioning her medicine skills and researches and how it could help people - but it is not mentionned that her "study of life" and researches use(d) Rozellians to work. Again, what little earl grey that could have went to hyzante was just, never explored - what if Layla's super medicine needs Rozellian parts (or any human's parts) to function, basically being a sacrifice switch (I'll use the life of that dude to cure another dude?).

Layla and Ayxame were disappointments and Kamsell?

The party never even tried to explain him - like Roland tried to with Gustadolf and the Aefrost loldiers - what they were trying to do, just give the dude a fragment of the salt pillar, just to taste, like they did for Ayxame, his faith would be shaken and maybe Idore would have Enigma'd him ; nah, Kamsell is here to stop a rebellion and to maintain order, and dies without even knowing why the Wolfforts are ruining Hyzante, or even giving him a chance to react and maybe join them. Hyzante bad after all.

(save for Layla, she's a mom, remember?)

Hopefully we have a tidbit of Frederica self reflecting, saying Idore and Hyzante's Goddess lied to the Rozellians, but also to the people of Hyzante themselves (she returns to the characters who empathised and tries to save everyone!) - even if it doesn't work, because Hyzante and the cult of the goddess existed before Idore, so while the guy is your jrpg villain, his nation was already based on shaky foundations - that needed Rozellians to be scapegoats/sacrifices to survive.

And unlike the Aesfrost from Roland's path - Hyzante is in shambles after the destruction of their wall and the revelation that the cult of the goddess was nonsense -

But don't worry, the game said Layla managed to save what could be saved and have the people work together, how? I don't know.

At least Svarog "arresting" and managing to strike a deal with Gustadolf's loyalists (he had sycophants?) felt more reasonable than Layla, but then, everything looks better when it's compared to Hyzante - especially the writing.

Come Idore and the final jrpg fight - poor guy can't know that Serenor resetted, in the ideal pt, 3 times before coming up with this solution - and, well, again, I expected more from the gzlr that really managed to tackle politics like no other, afaik, rpg did.

When Idore mentioned how the people would be happy under a puppet, Roland could have drawn a parallel with what his father was and what Patriatte wanted him to be, or even Benedict because this scenario is the endgame of his route!

But no we get the traditional jrpg dialogue.

The ending is ripe for nonsense, are we supposed everything is well that ends well? Roland wants an unified Norzelia, not through annexion but a slow and continuous process coming from the people...

And yet the fact is that he and Serenor still work together, so the main issue remains, why should people listen to king Roland and not to Serenor?

And big lol at the balance and the "a good leader leads his people to make the best choices" or something they had, Serenor imposes his plan - of course everyone agrees - but by doing so he is the de facto leader of our group... When he's supposed to be Roland's vassal, and Frederica's husband - he's not their lord, so why should he get to decide?

The last dialogue with the Regna bros made me pause a bit, Roland's praise "wow you should be the king because a good king leads his people to a better tomorrow when I would have abandoned this duty" felt a bit too much, and again, I can't help but remember the Benedict ending and ultimately Patriatte's biggest fear - Glenbrook won't be able to remain stable and standing if a vassal becomes more powerful/prestigious than his liege.

But hey, let's not talk about how the continent will be at war again in 10 years, let's end the game with the wedding that was announced in chapter 1!

Tbh this is the only thing I liked from this route lol

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I traded in my copy of Three Houses for Triangle Strategy and I regret nothing

Good for you anon!

Both games play differently, and while some characters are developed in TS, some aren't...

Don't get me wrong, idgaf about Bernie and love Decimal to bits, but Bernie has more (useless?) dialogue than him, thus we are supposed to know more of Bernie than of Decimal.

But regarding the plot, consequences and alternate roads? It delivers where FE16 ends with some "and everything's well that ends well".

they both share though some surface reading "religion bad" but in wildly different contexts

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Thoughts on Earl Grey and blonde prince who fight using a lance

If there is something I noticed in the two fandoms, it’s, in general, how many people use the argument that “religion is inherently bad”. 

With various justifications - often coming from a certain part of the world - but they’re just bad, period.

So a prince who is affiliated with a religious body is shat upon, because religion bad.

But bar this argument - that only seem, again, to find an echo in a certain part of the world - Roland is mostly shat upon because he “gives up” his duties and people to Hyzante, who is a corrupt state that thrives because of slavery.

(Funny how the Benedict ending flats out has him saying he never gave 3 fucks about Norzelia’s randoms and wanted to put Serenor on the throne to make him the Supreme Leader out of spite of not having been able to fuck Destra - and Frederica... doesn’t give a fuck about any non-rozellian being, save for Serenor, but he dies).

Roland, bleeding heart Roland, wants to protect everyone, but when he realises he is powerless to do so, and ensure the happiness of his people, decides to ensure the happiness of the majority, at the cost of a minority (and what cost!!).

And his decision... sucks. 

It is something people, in general, cannot accept. You cannot doom even 15 people to live as less than humans to ensure 15k of people are better off. It is not something you want to think about, and the first reaction is a reaction of revulsion.

And TS takes time (eff this map I cannot see it anymore) to develop those 15 people Roland wishes to sacrifice to ensure the well being of the 15k randoms.

However, as repulsive as it is, this answer is the pragmatic or strictly “utilitarian” option, the number of people who would benefit from his decision vastly outgrows the number of people who will suffer -

but human lives are not mere numbers, and they cannot be treated as such!

Frederica, fueled by her need to do something “just’n’fair”, wishes to help said minority, 15 people, at the cost of million of randoms (and even the ones the player character, through Serenor, swore to protect).

TS fandom, especially on several spaces, completely shit on Roland’s plan, calling it stupid or outright evil, while praising Frederica’s.

With FE16?

It’s the inverse (bar the common ground we could find where, to certain fans, ditching your responsabilities to live with your “loved one” is an attractive thought).

For the greater good - at the cost of 5 lizards - a character is put on a pedestal, because ideals, and even if some people will fall on the way, or if a war “couldn’t have been avoided”, the changes brought by said war will make it worth, somehow, for the future generations.

The 5 lizards + 142 k randoms living in current Fodlan are sacrificed, for teh sake of millions of future people who will live in world free of pointy ears and concepts such as nobility.

On the other hand, the character who lied to the world (grave crime indeed!) to protect herself and her 4 relatives is demonised for having lied - even if she put the... full Truth (that actually really matters, and is more important than survival for avid drinkers of Earl Grey) under a lid, and lied to millions for the sake/survival of 4-5-6? people on the continent (+ descendants of the Elites).

So what can you savor in your cup of earl grey?

Protecting the few at the cost of the many is a good thing? No, because Rhea BaD, and yet, Frederica good.

Protecting the many at the terrible cost of the few? No, because Roland BaD, and yet Supreme Leader good.

So why are Roland and Rhea BaD? 

What do they have in common, if they are vilified in the fandom despite their different methods to bring peace? 

They both have ties to a religious organisation and it is VeRy BaD? Or because they both propagate a lie to build some sort of peace?

Since this doesn’t give a conclusive answer, let’s wonder why Supreme Leader and Frederica are treated so favorable despite having completely different opinions on how to protect their people.

And...

The only answer I can give is the general rule that 1 named character who dies is a tragedy, but 1000 randoms is just a casualty.

We see Rozellians, we talk to them in their village, some are named, we see children, we defend them, we can even see some dying in the Source, the player, as Serenor, vowed to protect them.

So when Roland suggests to kill those people, it’s unacceptable because the player came to know who are those people he has to kill (by accepting the plan).

But the millions of Norzellians who will suffer a long and never-ending war between Gustadolv, Benedict and what is left of Hyzante? We don’t now them. I don’t know the name of that old woman located near the shop in the Wolffort’s desmain. The kid who wants to hide in a crate? You might only see him once, depending on your choices. Sycras’s wife and children? We don’t see them in this route. Random Hyzantese #25 who doesn’t know what happens in the Source and drinks his glass of koumis? Who gives a fuck.

Serenor met and talked to them maybe once or twice, but never made any promise to them specifically.

If they die, they are just a casualty.

In the same vein, we see and are supposed to care for those characters who were wronged in life, allegedly because they do not have lizard blood or are not nobles, they are the player’s beloved (since parasocial relationships are a thing in FE16) students whom they have to protect.

Gatekeeper? Random Knight #55? Kingdom Merchant #87 we accidently killed by Waldi’ng him? Who cares. But Doro? Apparently her life will be better once Nobility will be abolished, and the war over.

The player is supposed to want to run this extra mile, by terminating randoms and starting a war, for their precious students.

Both Roland (his plan at least) and Rhea/Dimitri (only because they oppose the war) involve opposing, for FE16, and killing, for TS, named characters the player spent time with.

So, in the end, what is earl grey?

An answer would be a fine beverage enjoyed while playing a game, engaging in a parasocial relationship.

If someone opposes the character you are parasocially involved with, that someone is BaD.

But if the characters you are parasocially involved with decided to do something, then it will be good - or not as horrible as some pretend.

Granted, TS suffers the most from Earl Grey, because the game was well-written and Serenor is also supposed to love and look after the people of Wolffort, not dumping them all on Benedict to run away.

Billy doesn’t build any meaningful relationship or has no ties with the randoms who die during Supreme Leader’s war of unification.

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Wtf

Rightful lord reconquered his land and castle, but in true Fe5 Npc fashion, his randoms are sour bcs the battle, to reconquer the capital, made several casualties all around.

In true redshit discourse fashion, the randoms put the blame on our party for destroying the city, and, uh, not the asshats who invaded first and slaughtered every royal soldier.

"B-but they lowered the taxes and never brought the battlefield to our doors, only to the castle, so living under occupation wasn't that bad!"

Coupled with the invading force promising "muhritocracy" to randoms living under a traditional/noble system...

(which is hilarious, in hindsight, bcs "muhritocracy" led Gustadolf to appoint his useless brother in charge of defending the city, and what was the useless brother doing instead of defending the city? Smuggling stolen paintings and jewels on a boat to run away. 100/10 muhrit)

Lord wants to be a good king, but when randoms are calling him the prince who fled - when he fled because the alternative was going to be executed, it's very harsh, but in tone with the game.

Damn this world sucks.

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Honestly for everyone who wanted 3H to be “teh” political game...

TS delivers... in a way.

The Lord has to protect his land and his people, regardless of his friends, so Serenor sold Roland -

and also opposes Hyzante who wanted to capture some pink haired randoms from Wolfort to “force them to work” in the salt industry (reddit?).

Cordelia plans something to save her country, snatching her lady knight’s allegiance because Thalas is a dick, and telling to your general how she’s a tool and doesn’t need to know everything isn’t the best way to keep her loyal, but Gustadolph didn’t get the memo.

Meanwhile, in 3H, the Gloucesters side with Supreme Leader for fear of retribution against his people, but he can ditch her (and his people) bcs prof Billy is awesome or something.

We never know or even see what happens to Gloucester randoms after Lorenz’s betrayal, especially since we don’t spend any time in the Alliance in SS/AM (arguibly even in VW) so who cares if half of his people were Waldi’d?

TS offers at least a plausible dilemna to Serenor, with obvious pros and cons for each pick. 3H doesn’t go that far, and the only person who had to pick a shitty choice because the other alternative sucked too much is demonised for having pointy ears.

Roland wants to take his Kingdom back, to save his sister and avenge his dead family - but if he wanted to ally nilly-willy with Hyzante, after seeing the salt lake he doesn’t know what to do, is he really going to side with people who treat Rozellians as - at best - livestock ?

But if we refuse - we get rekt’d - and it means Aefrost has won? The guys who betrayed a treaty for funsies, killed one of their own to use as an excuse to start a war, treats his people like crap (they’re not enslave or put in labour camps, they just die from hunger because they don’t have merit/money, I guess) and FFS started a war ?

(I’m pretty sure Redshit, being the worst US can offer, spits on Hyzante with all their might, even if I wonder if some Tumblr people will make a parallel with the closest entity used to give Hyzante its aesthetics to prop Adresti-frost “muhritocracy” and wars aren’t that bad, after all)

I mean, this kind of dilemna could have been raised in Tru Piss, are we really siding with the racist and experimenting on people Agarthan to take down the lizards ? Is there any other alternative? What have the lizards done to make this choice look acceptable?

“But I’m going to get rid of them later”

Sure Supreme Leader, I wonder though, Serenor managed to buy time and another shaky alliance with hidden salt - what can Supreme Leader offer to Agartha to protect herself after Rhea’s been beheaded ?

“Send Emile and he will deal with them, the ending card said so”

lol

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I actually love these characters though Roland is a whole vibe (on the outside) My life doesn't matter! 😜 🤙 (on the inside) my life doesn't matter 😔 😭

:)

Don't worry, you'll get to see a lot of Roland later on, someone even suggested that TS is actually his story, from how and where he starts to how and where he ends.

tbf, my favourite scenes with him are when he hugs his sister, it's just so cute ! We don't often see siblings caring a lot for each other, and coming from FE16 where Seteth doesn't give any fuck nor hugs his sister, it's refreshing.

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Third Run with the Liberty Route!

All those talks about Supreme Leader/Supreme Ruler of Norzelia reminds me of something...

Benedict, my goodness.

In every other path, it is the person who “lost” the duel who asks to be killed or says they’ll follow without discussing, but here?

Roland, as usual, asks for Serenor to kill him and Benedict just goes “do it if he’s alive there’s a chance your claim won’t be legitimate”, my god.

I had the insight (bcs I messed with this vote during the first run) but damn if this is super cold, especially since Benedict’s plans always, always involve getting rid of Roland, putting him in danger or ruining people of Glenbrook (never Wolffort) while those brave people will, for some reason, accuse the Royal Family.

“Cordelia is already under our control” Guy you just told Serenor she’s his sister, now she’s something to be controlled ?? After kicking her brother out because he was a possible threat to Serenor’s accession to the throne, Benedict thinks Cordelia is harmless?

Gustadolv thought so, and if things happened the way they planned, Avlora would have turned against him so... Of course, we ally with Cordelia’s beloved husband (to be, even if that wedding was already consummated) and before the “talks” Benedict confesses to Anna he wants to create a perfect world where Serenor will be the Supreme Ruler of Norzelia.

Mmh, I love this.

Ensue the “talks” where Gustadolv notes how Serenor is just Benedict’s sock puppet (almost like... Frani and Regna were to Patriatte? Except Benedict doesn’t do it for his own financial gain, but because both Simon and Regna cockblocked him, I don’t know which is more pathetic).

Gustadolv apparently accepts the fact Serenor will rule over the future Norzelia where salt will be free so everyone will have access to it and the world is going to enter the modern age... while no one notes that Gustadolv, this Gustadolf who hates to lose, will act as a loyal lapdog?

Lol

At least Benedict fully buys the “liberty” mindset, if the people will regulate the salt, no one will control it and there’ll be no Hyzante left - so everyone will get access to salt, right?

Double lol, Gustadolv knows it’s impossible, because this is what happens in Aesfrost, and look, there’s still salt sold in the black market and poor people dying in the streets.

Frederica has a heartfelt talk with him, where she doesn’t regret offing Erika and Thalas (GODS) because sacrifices had to be made, and she says she will obviously follow the ideals of her husband -

Like wait a second, Frederica, the Frederica who stops when they’re dead, tells them goodbye, in a route wondered if there was any other way, now thinks she doesn’t regret it ? Early game Frederica would have hated it, and regretted killing her family because despite everything, she hates killing people and causing suffering.

But now, apparently she adopts the “liberty” mindset where you can do everything to reach your goal, except hurt Rozellians. Gustadolv states with Hyzante gone the Rozellians will be freed, to which Frederica agrees - I find it hilarious, really, knowing how this route ends.

AFAIR, from all three routes, it’s the only outcome where the non concerned part of the trio is upset (we don’t know what happens to Benedict at the end of Roland’s ending, but since Serenor is nominally in charge of Wolffort and still alive, he shouldn’t be super pissed, it’s just back to day one).

Then comes the nonsense with the letter from “Roland”, to which Anna, Benedict’s trusted aide, for the first time, is shocked by his ploys - but Serenor comes to his rescue, saying they already slaughtered 4 babies so what’s 1 more (we are already in this mess so let’s continue).

Kuddos to Benedict being a perfect scheming “advisor”, he apparently made a mold (?) of Roland’s ring... the second Roland gave him his ring. Meaning, he always thought a situation could arise where he would need to usurp Roland’s identity/signature, also meaning, Benedict always wanted to put him under the bus.

This route is fun, I swear.

Now, time for Decimal to decimate Ayxame who made the grave sin of, uh, defending his borders against us, when we are betraying him because Benedict wants Serenor to rule over the world, after we got rid of Clarus.

And then, Enigma will cease to be.

Edit -

The title of the final chapter is very fitting, since both Gustadolv and Ayxame noticed it, Serenor isn’t doing things on his own volition, he always defers to Benedict so, who is the puppet dancing? Hyzanteses? Serenor? The Hierophant?

Benedict, the “let’s make a plan and know everything about X before charging in” wants to rush against the puppet who vaporised people by snapping her fingers, gods this route is a mess.

Decimal’s convo with his “successor” made me sad though, because yes, the Hierophant is naught but a tool without any will, and it makes Benedict and several character’s convos completely miss the mark, accusing this thing of having propagated the Goddess’s creed - this automaton cannot be older than Laila, and is younger than Decimal so...

But all is well that ends well - the truth about the automaton is revealed to ruin Hyzante (Benedict also swap his battle line with “let’s conquer Hyzante” instead of “let’s free Norzelia” which reminds me of a certain route in a certain game) and Hyzante falls to Glenbrook, under King Serenor.

Epilogue Benedict finally confesses he never gave a shit about Norzelia nor its people (not even the Wolfforts!!) because he wanted to get revenge at the world (Simon, Regna and himself) for not being able to fuck protect Destra - if she was used as a tool, then he will take revenge by making her son the supreme ruler for Norzelia -

Which raises all sorts of “uh...” implications, since, well, mothers are non-existent in this game (bar a certain someone) but was Destra really unhappy with Simon? We don’t know what happened with Regna, were they really “in luf” or was it just a one strike encounter? Erador and the entire Wolffort people seem to hold Simon and Destra in high regards, meaning she was at least well treated during her time as Simon’s wife.

Compared to Frederica and Orlea’s situation... Serenor was raised as the son of a Lord and the Heir of one of the major Houses on the continent - we don’t know a thing about Roland’s mom (was she a noble from the Patriate side or, idk, a noble from Landroy/Silvio’s lands?) but Benedict raging at the situation, and at Simon for, uh, accepting it??? - like dude, what would you have done? Let Destra be killed by Patriate’n’co ? Thrown her on the streets? Gave her to Mc Random so Serenor would grow up as a peasant?? By taking Destra as his wife, apparently treating her well, and naming her son his heir, Simon acted in her - and Serenor’s- best interests !

But since it’s about the woman he simped for, I suppose any decision would have sucked because Destra didn’t end up with him.

Anyhow, Benedict after his confession, wants to give up his life for using Serenor as a pawn, but Serenor refuses, using his mother’s words (per Benedict) and this is fitting, in a way, because there’s no way in hell Serenor’s going to accept this mess Benedict put him in without Benedict’s support.

Serenor also confessed not giving a fuck about Norzelia, but wanting to feel worthy of the Wolffort name, his father’s admiration, his friends’s too (well about Roland...) and ...

Well, this route is the most selfish one, in a sense. No one gives a crap about randoms, even if Benedict tries to sugarcoat it with “Norzelia will be free and everyone will get equal access to salt”.

Frederica is burnt by the Rozellian treatment, if they commit a crime they will pay, regardless of circumstances (who is Rudolph?) just like Aesfrost and yes, some people are going to lose in an ultimate “muhritocracy” but Benedict and Serenor dgaf, true to the Aesfrostian mindset.

For Frederica who stopped giving a fuck about the world and its people, to hyperfocus on Rozellians, it’s harsh.

Just as her mellow reply, calling Serenor (but I noted from the JP voices, even if the script doesn’t mention it) Your Majesty/Highness and not Serenor anymore (a far cry from “my husband” in her own path!!).

Roland gives food and assistance to people living in Wolffort territores, we see everyone, young randoms, women, old people, old Hyzantese, even Rozellians... From his route, we know Roland always puts the well-being of the people over everything else (his own, the world and, ultimately, the few “necessary sacrifices”) so of course this route would lead to his rebellion. People from Serenor’s old lands are suffering, people in the city (salt merchants and aristocrats) are thriving (why salt merchants are thriving if salt doesn’t cost anything anymore??) and randoms are suffering, just like your ole Glenbrook, or worst, Aesfrost.

Desperate people turn to desperate means, and who pops up at the end to lead all those people away? Idore himself.

Does the people know what Idore did with his false oracle?

Idk, but if the intel comes from Serenor “Roland left or he didn’t but he totes wrote a letter to people saying he’ll rebel against me and it wasn’t a strategical ploy no sir” and Gustadolv, idk who’s going to believe them, especially since Hyzante was “conquered” by Glenbrook, and Laila, the only surviving saint saying she accepts the alliance/subjugation is totally not reminiscent of Cordelia’s situation, when she accepted Aesfrost’s domination.

Not so unsurprinsigly, I can see why this ending is supported by some people in a certain fandom, the similarities are jarring, but Square didn’t back down because it needed to sell waifu merch and put the player on a pedestal.

[randomnameless]

Re-doing a NG+ route, hopefully this time I won’t erase it by accident...

Hearing (and seeing) Maxwell making his “you shall not pass” to keep Aesfrostians from capturing Roland and holding the bridge - on his own - to let people escape is so epic, especially the cutscenes with Avlora where both use their special artes!

And it makes me rage because Maxwell is voiced by Koyasu, and I would have died to see a badass Seteth moment like this, where he mimicks his younger sister by holding a bunch of Adrestian soldiers on his own, to let people (Billy + students in a post TS chapter) escape.

And to have the same feeling of powerlessness as Roland, Seteth falls during the fight against, idk, Supreme Leader or Ferdie using the Ochain Shield against him.

(now i’m picturing Seteth doing the same acrobatics Maxwell does, and it’s funny but in a good way, guy is also a lizard, if his younger sister can jump 15mt high to intercept missiles and punch crusty old men, Seteth should also be able to perform super cool moves).

[randomnameless]

Jeez I feel like I’m in Fire Emblem Three Houses with all the heavy lifting the game is giving us, not to make someone “uwu/sympathetic” in this case but to remind the player that, hey, you picked a controversed route.

(just like the other 2... or so it is supposed to be?)

First of all, during the “duel”, Serenor face tanks Frederica’s spells and I’m sure he’s fried, but w/c.

Unlike his lines with Benedict or even Roland during their duel, here everything is milquetoast towards Frederica.

Everyone knows it’s the utilitarian route (the needs of the many > the needs of the few) but while Frederica wants to stop giving a fig about everyone else to save Rozellians... No one tells her that, hey, if you fuck away to Centralia and let the Norzelia be embroiled in the war, a lot of “powerless” people are going to die, even if they won’t be Rozellians.

We still came from Frederica “we should try to find a way to talk and resolve things peacefully so no one will die” to “As long as Rozellians are safe it is enough for me” and it’s still... Frederica is happy to have been part of the Wolffort family, but “her people” to her, at this point, are only Rozellians, not Wolffortians and especially not the randoms from Aefrost (remember Frederica’s part Aefrosti?).

I still think it was a kind and nice move from Serenor to give her the choice not to follow them, and to follow her heart to save the Rozellians, even if he picked the “let Hyzante rule over Norzelia”.

Gustadolf’s propaganda is a wonderful thing, really.

He’s rallying his forces under the pretense of defending against Hyzante who, uh, apparently wants to enslave them all under their Fake Goddess’s decrees - and totally not because Gustadolf started the war, Gustadolf’s building a super weapon to demolish Hyzante and Gustadolf wants to erase Hyzante to gain control of the continent.

I love this guy.

Then we have the perfect slice of onion regarding Sycras, the miniboss who’s holding the gates of Aefrost - he says goodbye to his wife and children, and while it’s very touching because they all know he’s not going to return home...

It’s so hamfisted - I don’t remember anything similar for Ayxame or Kamsell when we’re attacking Hyzante, just like we don’t meet Layla’s husband and child - no it’s just to hammer home how attacking Aefrost means attacking randoms who will suffer, and it’s very very sad.

But this scope is completely eluded in the Frederica/Benedict routes, it’s just in Roland’s. I wonder why, Hyzante wasn’t evil enough or??

We don’t see random Hyzanteses worrying about Aefrost/Wolffort attacking them on the Benedict route - granted Benedict’s route doesn’t give a fuck about people/randoms, just about who’s going to sit on the top of the world. As for Frederica, if I didn’t made it clear above, as long as they’re not Rozellians, we won’t give a crap about them.

So, with Sycras dead (TFW you can beat up Travis to recruit him afterwards, but you can’t spare Sycras?) we march on Aefrost’s capital, and lo -

Gustadolf’s still rallying his forces, conscripting even his citizens to use them as cheap soldiers (I suppose the tier 1 units are the civilians who suddenly took an armor, meanwhile the tier 3 are the professionals?) and exhorting to fight to the death.

His and Roland’s convo is really interesting, Gustadolf prefers a world where might makes right over one where everyone is equal (and lives in peace save for Rozellians) built on a lie - if Roland gave up his throne it is for the sake, at least he thinks so, of his people, wars will stop and they will be able to live happily. But to Gustadolf, living like this is just like being enslaved - and Roland’s wishes for his people won’t take away the Liberty his people are drunk upon -

Long Story Short Story, Roland sacrifices his pride and freedom for his people, Gustadolf wants freedom at the cost of using his people as meatshields - clearly having no regards for their lives, and hoping Uncle’s going to come to his rescue with his sekrit new weapon.

This path clearly shows Gustadolf is in the wrong, but given some avid discoursers here - I can see why his words ring a bell, a Daenerys expy who argues for “liberty” and meritocracy, lying to his people about their battle to be one against a “False Goddess” - when his real reason to fight is to become the, dare I say it, Supreme Leader of the continent?

If there’s one thing I can blame this game for, it is for not giving the same “apparent” complexity to Hyzante - as it must stick to the Evil JRPG religious organisation - while trying to depict Aefrost as a country who’s wrong only because of Gustadolf.

Like we have three situations.

In Glennbrook, the rulers try to be kind and just, but the people (nobles+randoms) suck.

In Aefrost, the rulers suck, but the people seems to be okay, if not a bit too prone to buy Gustadolf’s propaganda.

In Hyzante? The rulers suck, and from what we see of the people (the few NPCs) they seem mostly neutral, bordering on assholish thinking they’re better than the rest of the world and they’re racists towards Rozellians.

One of those three countries has way more “defaults” than the other 2... While Roland’s choices follow his character arc, when you play his version of the ending chapters, you still feel worse than when playing the Benedict/Frederica’s chapters.

Hopefully, unlike someone, Gustadolf never fails to provide reasons as to why he’s, imo, this game’s best antagonist.

[randomnameless]

can you seriously stop putting your triangle strategy and three houses comparisons in the triangle strategy tag. like have fun and all it's your blog, but it's very annoying to come across especially as someone who literally does not give a fuck about three houses or its discourse. Triangle strategy is not a fire emblem game.

Well,

Since you asked so politely, I was "seriously" considering not doing it, out of pure spite.

Granted, I was going to modify the tags about those posts anyways to add a spoiler tag - so people who do not want to see spoilers, if they banned this tag, won't see those posts - and maybe add a "read more" thing, since I always forget I can't do it on mobile.

However, I tag things for personal purposes and to organise this blog, and if my posts comparing the two really irks you, then I suggest blocking the FE16 tag, or even, blocking me.

Be assured, I'll still be able to sleep if you do.