#and I need Timerra and Fogado

[felikatze]

i need to study fogado like a bug i need to blorbo assign him one of my fake emblems for au paralle purposes he CANNOT remain the only one of the young royals i dont have deranged blorbo thoughts over

hortensia and alcryst were easy because Bias and celine took. a lot of cooking to hook my claws in but. i'm coming for you fogado just you wait I'LL BRAINWORM YOU YET

[bi-leth-eisner]

the Solm squad are so precious to me

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #6081:

Something I dislike about Fire Emblem Engage is the pact ring feature. If they did not have romantic supports for characters, they did not need the pact ring. The pact ring lets the MC, Alear, create a special bond with any character she gives it to. (Female Alear is the only valid one, so Alear will only be referred to by she/her.) Sounds great and all right?

The only problem is that you can give the pact is that you can give the pact ring to the literal children of the game. The youngest being 10! Like... what the fuck?! It is a red flag if anyone gives the pact ring to any of the characters younger than 18. Y'all know what you are.

Anyways!

Timerra, Fogado, Zelkov, and Rosado are best characters in game. Timerra, Fogado and Zelkov because they are the few black characters in game. And Rosado for being a trans icon.

Meanwhile all the other characters are just generic comedy relief white people.

[nonbinaryspy]

Meta: Timerra and Tellius

Timerra’s (belated) birthday gives me an excuse to talk about one of my favorite Engage topics: the parallels between her and various Tellius characters.

(Spoilers for FE9/10 and FE17.)

The obvious place to start is Ike. As Timerra’s personal Emblem, his build and paralogue in Engage focus on turning defense into offense to endure and protect others. This synergizes with Timerra’s Sandstorm ability as well as her priorities as Solm’s future queen.

Compared to other Emblem summonings in the game, the scene where Ike is summoned is quick and to-the-point. The Solm royals are highly competent, with a wide spy network, and already had a plan in place for when Alear shows up. They have a healthy wariness they don’t immediately display, as they welcome Alear with open arms while secretly testing if they are the true Divine Dragon. By the time Timerra meets Alear, their identity has been confirmed and bandits are already attacking, so she jumps straight into action to get Ike’s help and protect the village.

I’m sure Ike would approve of her no-nonsense approach and her focus on keeping people safe, especially after all of his own bandit fights. He has no patience for bureaucracy or noble trappings, but he understands the need for discretion when danger and politics are involved (see: his own ‘sometimes you have to fool your allies’ maneuver in RD part 2), so I think he would appreciate how the Solm royals handle this.

But you don’t have to take my word for that. Between Timerra and Seforia saying they always wanted to meet him, Timerra calling him family, Ike telling Fogado that Solm castle reminded him of being with the mercenaries, and his first Somniel dialogue saying that he already misses Solm, I think it’s safe to say there’s a lot of natural fondness between Ike and the Solm royals. Is there any wonder, when one of Solm’s main norms is accepting people regardless of their origins, possibly Ike’s defining ideal?

My favorite example of this is when Alear’s origins are revealed, and Timerra and Fogado have some of the most affirming reactions:

[ID: Four screencaps with the following dialogue toward Alear: Timerra: What matters to me isn’t how you were born. It’s what you do with the life you’re given. Timerra: If you choose to live as a Divine Dragon, then that’s what you are! Timerra: Nothing’s changed as far as I’m concerned. The you that’s in front of me—that’s all I need. Fogado: The people of Solm don’t care about origins. We care about the you NOW. And you are amazing.]

This aspect of Timerra shines throughout her supports, most notably in her relationships with Merrin and Panette. Their love and loyalty toward her stems from a time before they even knew she was a princess. They both see her as a beacon in their lives, as they wished to escape the confines of their pasts and find new futures for themselves. Timerra saw them for their ideal versions of themselves—Merrin as a chivalrous knight, Panette as someone who isn’t caught in a destructive cycle—rather than the situations they came from. Her acceptance helped them create those realities for themselves.

Anyway, unrelated to the above, just a completely random pair of images that don’t make me cry at all:

[ID: In a screencap from Engage, Timerra is saying, “No matter what’s happened, you’re still you. Let’s go save the world, Ike!” In a screencap from Path of Radiance, Ike is telling Soren, “No. It doesn’t change anything. You’re still you, Soren!”]

Another example is Timerra’s attitude toward Veyle. In the main plot, she’s one of the few main characters to express distrust toward Veyle even after the truth is revealed. However, once Veyle has proven herself as an ally, Timerra is extremely friendly toward her in their supports, with Veyle appreciating how Timerra treats her like any other friend rather than a Fell Dragon’s daughter. Again, this is reminiscent of Ike’s blend of skepticism and treating everyone the same.

I think it’s also interesting that Timerra struggles with conflicting desires for freedom vs. connection, as shown in her S support. Despite Ike’s love for people, he doesn’t always deal well with the responsibilities and expectations that get placed on him, and his ending shows he shares some of her wanderlust.

Timerra: When we connect with people─you know, really bond with them─those bonds make us stronger. Timerra: I mean, our closest allies help us do things we could never do all by ourselves. Timerra: That’s powerful stuff. But those bonds─those friendships─can feel like obligations too.

Finally, one of my favorite parallels between Ike and Timerra is a shared charm point: the fact that they live as they please, regardless of what others think, while also acting like everything they do is super obvious. An extremely ‘have your cake and eat it too’ mentality that I can only respect. 

Alear: Still, you never cease to amaze. You take it upon yourself to help root out bandits… Timerra: What, is that not normal? Timerra: I’m just protecting my people. I thought that’s what royalty was supposed to do. Alear: You say something completely radical like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Timerra: Hahaha! That’s my charm!

Ranulf: Well…a little crazy, yeah! I’ve never worked for a leader who’s as blunt and straightforward as you. It’s pretty shocking to have a commander who doesn’t care what anyone thinks, no matter how powerful they are. Ike: Well, that’s just my style. I don’t have to be like someone else, do I? Ranulf: Why are you so confident? I don’t get it. Normal beorc just do what people tell them and try not to make a fuss. But not you. I heard you even yelled at the apostle! Ike: Yeah, that wasn’t my brightest moment. Ranulf: Then again, worrying about a beorc like this is definitely not normal laguz behavior. I guess I’m a fish out of water myself… Wait, did I just call myself a fish? Ike: Wha–? Ha ha! You’re a cat, remember!? I thought you ate fish. Ha ha ha!

Okay, that last bit isn’t relevant, but I just want to highlight that while Timerra and Fogado talk about how serious Ike is compared to them, they would definitely enjoy his secret love of bad puns. Here’s a bit of Timerra’s own sardonic humor that brings Ike to mind:

Alear: What?! How do you eat that much?! Timerra: Oh, you know. Open my mouth, bite, chew. I won’t bore you with all the details.

Of course I have to mention their love of meat, even if I don’t find that to be an important part of Ike’s character. What I will say is that Ike is shown in his supports with Oscar to have a genuine appreciation for artful cooking, so I think it’s neat that Timerra is one of the best cooks in the army. It’s also endearing that she feels bad for cooking around Ike when he can’t eat, though he tells Fogado the smell is enough.

Next, I want to talk about a couple of characters who aren’t in Engage: Mist and Elincia. I adore that the focus on Timerra protecting Ike flips his dynamic with both of these ladies on its head. Speaking of protection…I believe that Mist and Ike’s relationship mirrors Timerra and Fogado’s, with their fond, casual banter. It makes sense, since both duos are close in age.

Interestingly, despite Timerra being Fogado’s older sister, he is as protective of her as Ike is toward Mist. In Fogado’s case, he seems to almost see himself as Timerra’s retainer, given that he will one day be her advisor. He travels around to prepare himself for this role. Timerra, however, doesn’t always like this, as she wishes they could hang out more and that he would be more candid with her. While they’re clearly close, the distance still leaves her lonely.

Though it’s a different situation, Greil’s death puts Ike in the role of Mist’s protector at the same time that he gains dangerous responsibilities. He also takes it upon himself to get revenge on their father’s killer. She stresses that she does not want him to do these things if it means she’ll lose him, too, and as the game goes on, they lose some of the lighthearted dynamic they had at the game’s start. Having already lost her parents, it’s easy to assume Mist feels lonely in this circumstance. She even has her own protective streak toward Ike, such as in her battle conversations with the Black Knight and Ashnard. Like Timerra, Mist wants to stay close to her loved ones and protect them, and she joins the fighting to that end, even learning swordplay despite being a healer.

Despite their troubles, Mist and Timerra share a bubbly personality. They tend toward optimism and try to hide their cares them. Their sunniness gets them and others through tough situations. However, those around them still want to be able to support them even when struggle with being vulnerable.

In my opinion, some of Mist’s designs evoke Timerra’s, such as in the colors and flowing accessories. While the clothes aren’t super similar, I think the two of them would definitely enjoy going clothes shopping together. I also think they’d like to sing together. Timerra’s silly songs may be a far cry from the galdr that Mist and Elena safeguard, but that would suit Mist just fine.  

Possibly my favorite character to compare Timerra to, though, is Elincia. Timerra’s bangs and the fact that her hair is tied up even follow in the character design traditions of Elincia and other characters in her archetype, such as Nyna and Guinevere. Granted, Timerra’s ponytail is a lot looser than those other characters, which is an excellent design choice as she has a much more free-spirited personality.

Still, Elincia once upon a time was not so different. She grew up in secret, frolicking in the countryside with no expectation of becoming queen. As a result, she did many things most princesses didn’t do, such as chores, horseback riding, and sword fighting. It’s commented many times that due to cultural differences as well as Timerra’s own personality, her lifestyle and activities are often at odds with what others expect from a princess. While their allies might find both princesses strange at times, they end up trusting and supporting them due to their approachable natures.

Elincia is shown to have a playful streak in PoR when she is reunited with her retainers, around whom she feels comfortable enough to drop her more stately personality. On the flip side, while Timerra is more frequently playful, she never forgets her role. Even her more casual supports show this, such as when she susses out Ivy’s weakness during a camping trip, or interrupts a training session with Diamant to ask if he believes peace is possible. Many of her exploration quotes show this as well, with her referencing the other nations’ politics and even in her response if her allies die.

“My brother, my stewards…gone. It’s so cruel. But as the future queen, I will not crumble!”

Elincia and Timerra’s upbringings contrast with each other, since Timerra has always known she would be queen. Her free-spirited nature stems from Solm’s ideals and the role of its government. After Daein invades, Elincia has to travel incognito, giving her a chance to learn about the world. She develops a strong desire to protect her people. The endpoint of her character development in PoR is where Timerra is already at when we are introduced to her—Timerra has been training and traveling incognito and is ready to defend her country. Regardless of where they start, Elincia’s compassion and resolve are reflected in Timerra, who only wants to make her people happy and believes the best way to do that is to get to know them, so she can better understand and protect them.

The games’ plots present challenges that test both characters’ resolve. While Elincia has to make a variety of decisions, the one I want to highlight comes at the end of RD part 2, when Lucia is taken hostage. Elincia is told that Lucia will die unless she gives up the throne to a usurper. However, she refuses. Despite the sacrifice of someone dear to her, she will never give up on protecting Crimea. In the end, both Lucia and Crimea are safe, but it has nonetheless been demonstrated what Elincia would do under that pressure.  

I thought of this when I got to one of my favorite moments in Engage, when Timerra and co. have to take back the palace from the Elusians. Hortensia holds her mother hostage, assuming Timerra will bend and hand over the Emblem rings. However, doing so would doom Solm along with the rest of the world. Timerra refuses to back down, and she saves her family along with her country.

[ID: Five screencaps alternating between RD and Engage. Elincia and Timerra look resolved, while Lucia and Seforia as hostages look on proudly. Elincia: But I will see Crimea through this trial. I will give my people the future they deserve, no matter the cost. Timerra: So threaten us all you want. Take my whole family hostage, if it makes you happy. Timerra: But I stand for Solm, and I always will. Lucia: People of Crimea... Behold a true queen! YOUR queen! Long live Queen Elincia! Seforia: There she is, the future queen of Solm. And her ally, the Divine Dragon.]

Back to characters who are in Engage: the other Tellius Emblems. As with Elincia, Micaiah is presented with a series of trolley problems throughout RD. There’s a big focus in the Tellius games on making decisions for personal vs. political reasons, and whether to prioritize a loved one/a situation that is right in front of you over the bigger picture, and I think this is most complex with Micaiah’s story. This is highlighted when Sothe is held hostage and she is told to stand down to save him. This recalls the situation I already discussed with Timerra.

Like Timerra, Micaiah is a tactical thinker who has to foresee long-term plans as well as use strategic approaches in situations where she’s outnumbered. Micaiah ends RD as Daein’s queen, despite not being brought up for that role and having traveled in disguise, getting to know and love Daein’s people. Again, this fits with Timerra traveling around incognito and being passionate about protecting Solm.

Timerra expresses that Solm didn’t reach out for help when Sombron returned because they’d have to return other nations’ support when it was taking all of their efforts just to keep Solm safe. This brings to mind Micaiah’s conflicts, as she has to make difficult decisions to protect Daein from Begnion’s occupation and the blood pact, which sometimes involves rejecting outside help when a situation is too complicated, such as in her 3-13 battle talk with Ike.

Unfortunately, Emblem bond supports don’t have the scope for these sorts of complexities. However, I was tickled by the fact that Timerra invites Micaiah to sing with her, as a reference again to the Galdrs.

Speaking of bond supports…I don’t have anything deep to say about Timerra and Soren, but just look at how precious they are:

[ID: Two Emblem Bond screencaps. Soren is bowing with his hand over his heart, and he and Timerra are smiling at each other. Soren: You’re the princess of Solm, is that right? I thank you for protecting Ike. Timerra: He’s told me so much about you. I expect big things from you, talented advisor!]

Her careful approach to protecting Ike’s ring won the trust of someone with deep trust issues and a protective streak toward Ike, aww. They’re friends in my files every time. It’s also sweet that she wants to understand him and Ike better by learning about the mercenaries. I know she loves her moodier Emblem pals, but I’m sure she’d feel right at home with the whole rambunctious crew, like how Ike felt at home in Solm.

While this post is long enough without going into depth on Yunaka, as Micaiah’s guardian she also has a combination of Tellius influences, between her obvious parallels to Yune and Sothe as well as some of the themes of Micaiah’s character. Micaiah’s introduction, with her calling out to Yunaka, even mirrors Micaiah hearing Yune’s voice. For these reasons, I really wish she and Timerra had talked. I think Timerra’s simultaneous hidden wariness and acceptance of people regardless of their backgrounds would definitely play well with Yunaka’s arc. Fogado, as someone who shares Timerra’s ideals, certainly had a positive influence on Yunaka in their supports with his compassion. Plus, can you imagine the silly phrases Timerra and Yunaka would invent together?

I’ll end this before it strays too far from the main point, but I hope someone else enjoys these observations! Timerra is my favorite Engage character, and since Tellius is so dear to me, noticing these connections definitely made her character even more special.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

So in FEH, as of right now we don’t have duos for Thracia (seliph/leif is actually a harmonic cause Leif is Thracia but seliph is geneology), Engage, and TMS.

Not sure what pairings we could logically get but I’ll just force everyone to read my ideas for Engage (don’t know much about Thracia/TMS).

Engage:

King Moron with YOUNG DIAMANT AND BABY ALCRYST (King Moron as lead, also this is how you spell his name the i is a typo actually)

M!Alear/Alfred (no lead pref., M!Alear is mandatory)

Nel/Nil (no lead pref., poor siblings need some hugs🥺)

Fogado/Alcryst (no lead pref., love their chemistry)

Queen Ève/Queen Seforia (no lead pref., two lovely strong queens)

Jade/Chloé (Jade as lead, yes yes Chlomerrin BUT these literally look like they could live in a cottage together, gentle badass author and fairytale maiden)

Timerra/Amber (no lead pref., I ship them ok?)

Diamant/Ivy (Diamant as lead, basic but based imo)

Sommie/Lumera (Sommie as the lead, the dog kicks ass you heard that right)

.

[emblemxeno]

Oh good. Your ask box is finally open. I've been preparing this so you'd have something fun to return to

Ahem

You know how everyone likes to compare Ivy and Hortensia to Camilla and Elise? I started thinking of how the other Engage royals could relate to the Fates royals

After careful thought, I think Ivy is actually the Xander of the game. Despite being a magic wyvern, Ivy's desire to reform Elusia is much more similar to Xander's desire to reform Nohr. Plus, despite appearing strong and collected, they're both massive dorks

Hortensia is still the Elise as they're both kindhearted healers with charming personalities

I'd say Timerra's the actual Camilla. Both are the most outwardly friendly of the elder royals and are overly doting towards their family and friends. Ivy's caring, but not affectionate in the same way

Fogado is definitely the Leo. They're both strategic cavaliers who are more willing to commit underhanded tactics than the others. The main difference is that Leo's outwardly cold, but secretly softhearted, while Fogado is outwardly cheerful and secretly deadly

Diamant is obviously the Ryoma as the usually serious crown prince who has a hearty laugh and is adamantly following their father's footsteps

Alfred is the Hinoka. Alfred wants to be remembered for being the reliable warrior prince. Hinoka wants to protect everyone by being strong enough to shoulder the burden alone. Both ultimately want to be pillars of strength their armies can depend on

Alcryst and Céline are a bit more complicated

Alcryst and Takumi are both self-conscious archers who compare themselves unfavorably to their elder brother, but Alcryst and Sakura are both very anxious people who find their courage when their loved ones are threatened. Being shockingly bold when they need to be

Céline and Sakura are both gentle princesses who are pacifists by nature. The main difference being that Sakura is a healer who learns to fight and Céline is a fighter who learns to heal. On the other hand, Céline and Takumi are both shrewd warriors who are merciless on the battlefield. Yes, Céline is both a pacifist and a warrior. She wants to just be a pacifist so bad, but life is cruel and is forcing her to be the violent one. This poor girl

So, these are my comparisons between the Engage and Fates royals

Great write up!

What I really appreciate is how you pointed out similarities and differences between all the sibs.

Like, I'd also posit that Xander split into three characters, with Ivy's resolution and complex relationship with her father, Diamant's station as crown prince of a nation he's at odds with in terms of policy, and Alfred being a blonde knightly cavalier prince.

Alcryst and Fogado being like the younger Fates brothers as well as pulling from the sisters (Sakura's meekness and Elise's woes over peace and warfare)

I never considered the Hinoka and Alfred connection! Having singular goals that were originally at odds with their stations as a way to cope with something difficult is another way they're similar too.

Thanks for sending this in!

[nowis-scales]

🔥 for whatever's been bugging you lately

🔥 For FE-related things, I think for sure one thing that’s been getting under my skin is the notion that Timerra is the least popular Engage royal because she’s “just not that interesting” and is one-note because honestly? I don’t really see it. She’s honestly probably my second favourite of them all. I think for some people, they have this misapprehension that her default state is just perky-happy all the time, which is… not that accurate, I would say.

For me, the big thing that stuck out to me about Timerra right off the bat when meeting her in game was that while she was charming and funny, she was also clearly clever and had her own sense of morality that was a bit different than what you would usually see in a leading Fire Emblem character.

The Solmic way of thinking really interests me, particularly in the way it manifests in Timerra. I think there’s a lot to be said about how the country has a sort of carefree approach, but when push comes to shove, they know how to knit themselves together to keep themselves safe. They’ll lend help to one of their own if they’re in a bind, as they’re still people and they care about the world around them… but they also know when to say when and when they need to look out for themselves. Their morality is very much about choosing when to care, and who they will care about. While Albert’s first instinct as prince of Firene was to run off to try and help other people and connect with others, Timerra and Seforia agreed that Solm’s resources would best be spent trying to deal with the problem themselves, and not worry about anyone else because… well, their hands were full already. They had to look out for their own first.

I think that says a lot about Timerra because it’s not a demonstration of a lack of kindness, but rather a dedication to her OWN people. They are her priority first and foremost. The fact that she, Seforia, and Fogado all knew about Sombron but made no indication, instead focusing on protecting themselves and being certain that they could get help from the Divine Dragon, says a lot. It speaks to the degree of thought that Timerra puts into the way she conducts her life, and how she may come across as a silly, cheery girl — but she’s actually much more clever and has a stronger sense of duty than anyone seems to give her credit for. Hell, she doesn’t even react in fear when Hortensia threatens to kill her mother.

I guess to some people that’s not terribly hypnotic, but I personally find it quite compelling that Timerra, as Solm’s princess, is able to strike that balance between being warm and caring, but also thinking with a focus most immediate to herself and her people and what they need. She’s not the type of girl who wouldn’t help a friend in need, but at the same time, she recognizes that politically it’s never that simple. She sticks to her guns, regardless of whether or not it’s comfortable — and she’s never particularly ashamed of the way she thinks, either. I think that creates a neat duality in her character, because yes she is kind and often wants to help, but won’t always do so if she thinks it will cause her and her people an undue amount of trouble. It sounds relatively minor to some I think, but we so often see characters who try to help even at the expense of themselves, so it was refreshing for Timerra to still be a nice girl and know when to say when. Granted, that doesn’t mean she would have been right to decide not to help the others with Sombron, just that she would have had her own set of priorities that weren’t as easy to sway as some others. When it benefits the people of Solm to have the allyship, that’s when she’ll go forward with it.

Even outside of this, though, Timerra is still allowed complex feelings outside of the main storyline. Her support with Fogado is really charming for this, because she makes it clear that she loves her little brother, but she also feels a bit quietly resentful of him at times because of how often his escapades left her lonely. We as players know that Fogado has dedicated so much of his life to supporting Timerra in his eventual reign as queen, but at the same time, we get to see the effect that this distance had on Timerra, too… and realistically, I think Timerra is aware of how much effort Fogado is putting in to support her as queen, but she tries to express to him that she wants her little brother around, too. There’s not an animosity there, but she still has clear and concrete feelings about it, and is open to expressing them to Fogado. It shows a tendency to not shy away from difficult conversations, and to take the opportunity to handle things as they come up.

The more I play Timerra’s supports, the more I feel like just lots of new and interesting stuff comes up, which makes it a bit tiring to me that she’s so frequently dismissed as one-note. Yeah, a lot of her character IS about being cheerful, but there’s more there than what meets the eye. I think a lot of people have trouble understanding that with FE characters it’s about actively looking for things, rather than just having them fall in your lap. The cast will always be simply too big for everyone to get a big piece of the story, so if you want to know more about a character, you tend to have to make a more conscious effort to look.

[tiabwwtws-art]

Been playing a little game called pretend that I was given a written premise for fe engage characters and had to design them as if they didn't already have designs*. Here's Timerra, Panette, and Yunaka !

*kind of. I keep color palettes and generally follow that rule loosely but that's what it is in theory

Explanations/thought process bullet points below the cut

Timerra

I gave her Fogado's feathery sleeves and her mother's feathers in her hat to make them feel a little more connected

In her support with Alear she talks about wearing jewels and she straight up is not. Unless her balloons are jewels¿? So I gave her some

Because she starts off with Ike's ring, she now has Ike's sleeveless-nes with the one shoulder pad and the big cape.

Changed her hair a bit to fit jewelry I thought would be neat

Tried to keep metal off of her skin directly so she doesn't overheat

Flower motif. Just felt like the vibe

Tried to vaguely keep her original silhouette, in that her center of gravity is at her hips. Everything else "points" in that direction

Panette

With how dedicated she is to being a Solm Retainer, you'd think she'd present herself in the Solm fashion more. (Not that Solm fashion is very concrete; I mainly worked off of Seforia and my Timerra redesign for consistency in that regard. So she has the signature lightweight fabric and the tassels + beads to indicate wealth.)

She needs a hood because she is so pale and she is going to sunburn to death . Also it's a little bit gothy

She's significantly less gothy overall bc it seems to me like Presenting As Dignified As Her Station Requires is her whole thing, and being goth is just a hobby

Tried to make her center of gravity higher so that everything points to her shoulders and she's parallel and opposite to Timerra. Don't know how well I succeeded there

Had a difficult time fitting in her brawling into her design. She's embarrassed about it so she wouldn't really want to indicate it...but it's also practical to be ready to throw down if needed...I worked that out by having wraps around her arms that are mostly covered, but on second thought I could stand to extend those to wrap around her knuckles too

Yunaka

Wanted to lean into her mysteriousness + practicality while also letting her be flashy

She's transfem. To me.

Tried to contrast very lightweight assassin-y cloth with big chunky leather

She lowkey reminds me of wolfwood trigun so she obviously keeps her low cut neckline. In reference to him 🙏

Kept it simple but with flare (hopefully). Flashiness is in how her clothing works as she moves (the two-toned "cloak" flitting behind her should be striking) instead of flashiness in jewelry or accessories.

Spare knives at her belt seem appropriate

Tried to keep fluttery strips of cloth throughout her design as a motif

Piercing. Real and true

[sieglinde-freud]

i think the fell xenologue does a great job at characterizing some of the royals beyond the vanilla game mostly because every single royal has like one or two core principles that really make them who they are and so getting rid of those one or two things completely converts them into a completely different person. like alcryst losing his self doubt, celine loses her empathy, hortensia loses her resilience, etc etc. but i think my favorite version of this has to be fogado, who has in my opinion the most drastic change. i think all of the other royals have very outward presenting traits that you can easily catch onto and see theyve lost. but fogado is just a little different, because what fell fogado lacks isnt really a trait; he loses his sense of love. (rest under the cut bc it turned into an essay. my bad also fell xenologue spoilers obvs)

“our” fogado (?? idk how to differentiate between them. work with me here) is not an easy person to read in universe. he makes it very clear in chapter 13 that he’s pretty good at deception and is very willing to make use of that skill. his supports with timerra and pandreo also tell us he’s gotten used to keeping up a specially crafted persona meant to kind of suppress his feelings (that timerra and pandreo can see through but. like 1. theyre smart 2. sister and bff ok moving on). but he doesn’t do it out of malice or because he just likes being tricky, he lies because he loves. everything in fogado’s life is shaped by what he loves: his country, his friends, and his sister. every single motivation he has is fueled by this: the constant partying, how often he leaves the castle, all his acting. its even in his goddamn class name (cupido) and birthday (feb 14) if you needed the game to spell it out for you

so thats why when we get to the fell xenologue, the fogado we meet is changed in that one specific way: his love is gone. we know this because of a few things, the first of which is that he is honest. aside from the robe (in which he is assassinating someone! but also. lets be so honest with ourselves here. you can see his fucking face) he’s immediately upfront with his intentions: he wants the bracelets, he wants power, and he wants you to die. and thats it. he just kind of hands you that information, and then fucks off when you win. on what earth would our fogado do that? dude wouldnt even tell you if he broke his leg, he just partied a little hard last night. but thats just it isnt it? our fogado lies because he loves people, hes protecting them. fell!fogado is transparent because he’s not protecting anyone, he doesn’t care.

but the biggest kicker in fell!fogado’s lack of love is in his interaction with our timerra. our fogado loves his sister more than anything, as he literally plans his entire life around making HER life easier. he sacrifices even just spending time with her just because he needs to make sure hes fully prepared to keep her safe (not that timerra wants that for him but he doesnt really get that. which is another topic i could dive into but this post is long enough lets not make it a novel). fell!fogado though? well you see–

any love fogado holds for his sister, or any love at all really, is just not present in fell!fogado. and you could say that maybe its just because of the corruption, but then why do we still see love between the fierenese and brodian siblings? even fell!timerra still loves her brother if her conversation with our fogado is anything to go off of. but the writers know that fogado lives and dies on his love for people, its his entire being and so much more so than the rest of the cast. which is why thats what had to change in him for the fell xenologue. it wasnt really just a flip of the switch haha murder thing (though. it could have been handled better. lets be real) but it was the loss of everything that makes fogado him. and i think the fact that this gets to be highlighted in the dlc just makes base game fogado all that much more interesting, because it cements his motivation now that we know what he's like without it. fogado is a guy driven by love and its just fucking great

[dazzlerazz]

How Characters Died In The Fell Xenologue

Mostly for my own use but if you need it feel free to use!

This is based strictly off of dialogue that main game units can have with the FX characters

Spoilers ahead!

-----------

Edit: Jean, Yunaka, Anna, and Seadall aren't listed because there's no dialogue referencing them from any characters.

First off, I'd like to say that I am aware that all the royals we fight against are corrupted, but this is much more fun

Firene

Etie - Unknown. Alfred was unable to view the flowers he left for Etie, stating it was too difficult for him to do.

Boucheron - Fell defending Alfred in battle.

Chloe - Fell while surveying Brodia by pegasus in preparation for Celine's attack. It's implied that she died, but it's possible she could still be alive. Celine had awaited Chloe's return.

Louis - Unknown. Celine has been unable to drink a certain tea that Louis brewed for her since his death in Fellyos.

Brodia

Citrinne - Though exactly how is unknown, it's implied that Citrinne fell away from the rest of her family in her dialogue with Alcryst, due to Alcryst mentioning that the rest of her family had died. Alcryst wouldn't have mentioned this if Citrinne had fallen with her family.

Lapis - Fell protecting Alfred in battle. Alcryst speaks of wishing that Lapis would have seen him ascend to the throne.

Jade - Succumbed to her wounds laying in a bed with Diamant by her side. Diamant had hoped that she would one day spring up, that they would be able to laugh again, but she fell asleep and never woke again.

Amber - Died protecting Diamant in battle.

Saphir - Fell in battle protecting King Morion, it is also noted that this was long ago.

Elusia

King Hyacinth - Was killed after attempting to stop the ritual to resurrect Sombrom in a cathedral not far from the battlefield, even offered up as a sacrifice.

Zelkov - Unclear. Ivy mentions that Zelkov had died for her, but also asks about Zelkov's travels, which means he may have left Elusia on a journey of sorts and died along the way. Zelkov is Ivy's favorite retainer.

Kagetsu - Sacrificed himself for Ivy. Ivy notes that Kagetsu was a faker, never a genuine smile, and he seemed to despise her.

Rosado - Stayed behind while Hortnesia fled the Corrupted and didn't make it out alive.

Goldmary - Completely unknown. Goldmary is described as withdrawn with no elegance or grace. Depending on how you interpret Hortensia's dialogue with Rosado, it's possible that both Rosado and Goldmary stayed behind and fell to the corrupted.

Lindon - Unknown, no mentions of how he died, only that he is gone. Ivy says that, with Lindon, Sombron would have already returned to Elyos.

Solm

Merrin - Died shortly after becoming Timerra's knight. Merrin hated animals of all kinds.

Panette - Unknown. In their conversation, it's said that Panette always hated graveyards, and Timerra was a vegetarian as well as hating music.

Pandreo - Slain in front of Fogado.

Bunet - Unknown, but bled out while Fogado watched. Fell Bunet is described as a brute, and useless in the kitchen. Implied to be a bit of cannibal (unconfirmed, just my own speculation based off dialogue).

[rubywolf0201]

People might give Engage a lot of flack for some of its character design and parts of the story choices but can we appreciate the fact that:

Engage gave us a WOC who is not only a Lord (yes I consider Timerra as a Lord), said WOC and her brother’s VA being POC (Dani Chambers and Zeno Robinson respectively), they’re just as complex as their other Lords (Timerra) and siblings (Fogado) meaning they know when to have fun and when to be serious, their retainers are white-passing (more obvious with Merrin and Bunet), therefore flipping the Black Best Friend trope but still having character in them. Best of all, neither Timerra and Fogado were villianized and when they gave out reasons for protecting their country and needing the Divine Dragon’s help (see Chapter 13), all of the characters are understanding of what they had to do to protect their country (though this was later expanded a little on with Fogado and Céline’s A Support).

[yanderefairyangel]

Can I get more context on that Timerra thing?

I never saw that post, and I feel like I need more information to decide if that's a red flag or not

There's being happy for more representation, and then there's being tokenizing

Just trying to make sure we're on the same page

Alright so it's been quiet a while however from my foggy memories

Before she decided to make F!Alear her thing, she was obsessed with Solm and Timerra, by that time she went by the alias of flower and often changed to something like Queen of solm or dancer of solm or so

I remember she made some weird post about how disliking Timerra's singing (you know, something she canonically is bad at) was a red flag and a sign of racism... she then tried to cover it up by going "but there are people who dislikes Timerra and Fogado for their skin tones !!" or smth

She got into an argument and said something about how she likes Solm because they have dark skinned and that she related to them because of that

That's the extent I can remember, that said people who have recognized her from other fandom did point out that she wasn't being normal about dark skinned character in the same way she borderlines fetichisizes sapphic relationships so yeah..

Oh and she also tried to accuse the manga of whitewashing Saphir...even though the mangaka never drew her, it was at the time where everyone (for some reason) mistook Alcryst and Diaman'ts mother for Saphir (never mind their design being different)

Anyway, I hope it helped

[w0rld0flight]

No more desert banners in Fire Emblem Heroes, society has progressed past the need for desert banners in Fire Emblem Heroes

Seriously, I hate looking at the desert alts in the game. It makes my heart, mind, brain, body, and soul hurt so badly.

Can they just stop putting orientalism in that game (And not just in FEH, but also in the FE series as a whole) 😭

How about instead of doing another freaking desert banner next year, they instead do the much cooler desert banner. The one where they finally add in the Solm characters from Engage.

If you're confused, no, I obviously don't want ANOTHER desert banner because again, I hate them.

What I meant is that I want them to finally add in the Solm characters in FEH in a REGULAR, NON-SEASONAL banner.

Please, put in Fogado, Merrin, Panette, Pandreo, and Bunet.

And most importantly, RELEASE TIMERRA FROM THE "SEASONAL ALT ONLY" BASEMENT

Seriously, we need the regular version of Timerra (As well as Ivy) in the game. You know, non-seasonal versions of them.

And most importantly, I hope they stop doing desert banners in the future

[enbyleighlines]

Emblem. Ikesoren <3

(Awesome, thanks for the ask! I put this one under a read more because it got kinda long.)

"Mm, listen to that sizzle! That's how you know it's going to be good."

Soren watched over Clanne's shoulder, his face as impassive as ever. It was true that the meat was making a crackling sound as it cooked, but Soren wasn't sure what that had to do with the meal's flavor. He wished that he had the ability to take notes, so he could remind himself to research it later.

"What spices are you going to use?" Soren asked.

"Hmm?" Clanne glanced up, seeming reluctant to take his eyes off of the pan. "What do you mean? The meat's already marinated."

"With the brown sauce from yesterday, yes," Soren agreed. Clanne was young, so he was trying his best to be patient, but sometimes the boy could be so slow. "But you said the sauce had a sweet, tangy flavor. I assume, then, that it isn't particularly spicy."

"That's true," Clanne said. "It's a sweet, savory kind of dish."

Soren frowned, crossing his arms. Ike liked savory food, he knew, but he wasn't all that fond of sweets. "It should be spicy, too," Soren declared. "Solm has a good variety of spices, I hear."

Clanne blinked. Soren thought he was about to protest, but then his expression turned contemplative. "Sweet, savory, and spicy," he muttered to himself. The boy had an irritating habit of speaking his thoughts aloud. "Yeah, yeah, that might work..."

"Good. I'll seek out Prince Fogado," Soren said. "He'll know where the best spices can be found." His first choice would have been Timerra, but Ike was likely to be with her, and Soren wanted to keep this dish a surprise. That, and he couldn't guarantee that Timerra wouldn't devour all of the meat before Ike had his fill of appreciating its smell and appearance.

—

"Meat! Meat, meaty meat!" Timerra sung in her terribly off-key way, not even quite managing to clap on beat, as they stood in a circle around the completed meal.

Soren grit his teeth and bore the irritation, because Ike was currently hypnotized by the delectable sight before him.

"Wow, that smells good," Ike said at last.

Soren crossed his arms and tried to not let his smugness show on his face. He was hovering as close to Ike's side as he would allow himself, considering all of the people around them. Their relationship wasn't a secret, but Soren didn't need them nosing around in his personal life any more than they already did.

"I'h tases efen bedder!" Timerra squealed around a mouthful of meat.

"Soren had the idea of adding Solmic spices to the marinade," Clanne remarked. "I wasn't sure at first, but the triple combination of savory, sweet, and spicy is divine!"

Ike raised an eyebrow at Soren. "Since when have you been interested in cooking?"

Soren huffed, feeling his face warm. Why could he still blush? It wasn't as if Emblems could bleed! It didn't make any sense. "I'm not," Soren replied. "I just thought..."

"Just thought... what?"

Soren bit his lip. People were looking at them now, which made his incorporeal skin crawl. "I just thought it would improve morale," Soren finally said, lying with as much confidence as he could muster. He couldn't very well tell the truth. He would be basically confessing his love to Ike!

But Ike gave him a knowing smirk.

Soren tore his gaze away, blushing harder. Despite the centuries they spent apart, Ike could still see right through him, right to his heart. Even if it was Ike, it was discomforting to be seen so clearly. Soren was so used to hiding, to concealing. Yet, at the same time, he was glad that it was Ike.

And so, with a steadying breath, Soren met Ike's eyes once more. Though their color had changed, there was no mistaking that warmth and affection, a mirror of his own deep feelings.

It was a strange new world, this place they had found themselves. But with Ike at his side, any place felt like home.

[raxistaicho]

Is Fire Emblem bringing the aristocracy back?

So something I’ve seen claimed in the leadup to Engage’s release is that Engage would show us nay-saying Edelgard fans that IntSys isn’t gonna turn on Nobles or Dragons like we supposedly thought they would. Honestly, sometimes reading through anti-Edelgard attempts to analyze the things we think feel like Christians telling Atheists what they believe.

But anyways... yeah no duh, Engage is kinda making Dragons (Divine ones, anyways) and Nobles look good again. Sorta. Not really. It tries to SAY they look good, but actually the whole calamity with Sombron returning is squarely the fault of the current reigning monarchs and Lumera being awful at their duties.

Engage spoilers under the cut.

So what do we know? Elusia was pushed to worshipping and restoring Sombron thanks to Brodia constantly invading them and killing innocent civilians, we know this from Ivy and Framme’s supports with Diamant. Now obviously Hyacinth was desperate and after he freed Sombron he lost his free will, but he can’t be so easily be forgiven for bringing Satan back from the dead. So Morion and Hyacinth’s failures are obvious.

Lumera just watched this take place - and it’s been going on so long that it’s in history books now - without interfering. What’s her actual job as the Divine Dragon if not securing peace in Elyos?

Let’s not overlook Queen Eve of Firene either, who forged a peace pact with Brodia and Solm and just kinda ignore Elusia since they didn’t share a border. Brodia’s invasions of Elusia were known to Alfred so they were known to her, and there’s no indication she did anything to get Morion to lay off.

And then when Sombron did return, the Solmians were immediately aware of it thanks to their spy network, but once armed with that knowledge they focused solely on defending their own borders and waiting for the Divine Dragon to hopefully come to them. They almost completely missed the war and Alear’s death if not for Ivy being the Only San Woman.

So what we’re trying to do in Engage is restore or save the Status Quo, even though the Status Quo is directly what allowed for Sombron to return. The only indication things might change is that Diamant at least knows his father was a dipshit and Brodia has to stop warring on their neighbors.

So luckily Diamant and Ivy at least have their head on straight and are set to succeed their parents, but unfortunately Lumera is still being treated as a spotless paragon who did nothing wrong so there’s no sign Alear will do better than her.

I can’t comment on Solm, having only met Timerra and Fogado, but unfortunately the future of House Fierene ain’t so rosy either. Given Alfred was so sickly he nearly died while Celine was old enough to remember it, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if Eve just checked out on the idea of Alfred succeeding her and focused on preparing Celine instead (Celine’s B support with Alear even implies that Eve is still conscious of the fact that Celine might be the one to succeed her even though Alfred’s health is improved compared to his younger years) but he’s still a complete puts who seems wholly unsuited to the thrown. And Celine’s not exactly spotless either, as though she’s infinitely more mindful of her duties and responsibilities than her brother, she still travels about in disguise, alone, to get tea despite the fact that her brother’s health is suspect.

So yeah, while the writers might THINK they’re writing a story that casts the nobles, royals, and dragons in a good light, the state of Elyos just demonstrates why it’s in dire need of reforms like Edelgard’s.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Do you mind if I ramble for a bit about a really specific headcanon I have? So I was thinking one day about how there are four playable characters in Engage with darker skin tones: Timerra, Fogado, Zelkov, and Saphir. Timerra and Fogado are brother and sister and live in a desert, so that makes sense, but what about Saphir and Zelkov? *Note that I don't think a game as ungrounded in reality as Engage needs to explain why people have certain skin tones (although more of a variety would be great), but I just can't help pondering this stuff* So what could possibly connect Saphir and Zelkov? They aren't even from the same country. But! Brodia and Elusia share a border. And what if there were a group of people living there between them? And what if those people were made refugees by the constant back and forth of the war causing some to flee to Elusia and others to Brodia? I specifically decided that these people traditionally sustained themselves by fishing and were called the Sea Folk, except in their own language that would be Les Gens de la Mer. Because! This also explains why Zelkov is the only one in the game who speaks French for some reason (in his crit quotes). His parents immigrated to Elusia, and he grew up bilingual. Saphir was only five when her village was destroyed by Elusian troops and she was more fully integrated into Brodian society, so she forgot what she knew of the language. I've worked it into a few fanfics at this point, so it's pretty much canon to me.

👀