#anyhow thanks for the ask!

[loregoddess]

10, 12, 14, 33(and if yes 34) and 35!

10. Who is your favorite royal? Gosh, it's hard to choose, bc I actually like all of them a whole lot for different reasons, and also used every single royal as part of my main team for my first playthrough. So I'm cheating and saying all of them.

12. Who is your favorite retainer? Again, it's...hard to choose just one. Party bc the entire cast of Engage is so, so good and this is the first time I haven't been neutral or disfavorable towards at least one playable character for a FE game. I guess if I were to choose just one retainers per royal, I'd go with Clanne and Framme (bc there's only one "royal" for Lythos), Etie and Chloe, Amber and Citrinne, Zelkov and Rosado, and Pandreo and Panette...and Mauvier for being Veyle's only retainer.

14. Who is your favorite recruitable character of the ‘other’ category? Aside from Veyle who feels a bit too plot-important to slot into an "other category", probably Yunaka. She's such an interesting and fun character!

33/34. Did you give the Pact Ring to anyone? If so, who was the first person you gave it to? Pandreo, his supports with Alear are really sweet and I just love the two as a pair. Which is funny since I'm usually pretty neutral towards or just uninterested in most "avatar" pairings. Something about how well Alear's characterization and writing are handled I guess.

35. Spoiler slot! Talk about whatever spoilery thing you want and how you feel about it. (Ask this one at your own risk.) Hmm, I've vaguely mentioned this before but I find a lot of the recurring themes in Engage really fascinating, especially bc I actually think the story is one of the most well-written for a FE game I've yet seen, but like, how well the themes of the story echo through every part of it. I'm not gonna write an actual analysis essay or anything, but I wanna chat about the theme of identity and self a bit, bc it's like, amazing how interwoven that theme is into the fabric of the story. (under the cut bc spoilers, and of course, length)

So obviously there's Alear, whose entire arc is sort of "becoming the divine dragon", but like, it's also interesting to note that, as we see in the one cutscene where Past Alear gets zapped through the heart by Sombron and is "dying" in Lumera's arms, Alear says they want to be a good dragon, rather than a divine dragon per se. Which is a fascinating distinction bc like, while early game Alear comes to associate fell dragons as being "bad" and diving dragons as being "good" (though late-game Alear knows this isn't true), the story goes out of its way to show the audience that fell does not equal bad and divine does not equal good, since Veyle's true nature is incredibly kind, and even with all her divine power Lumera's still able to be brought back as a corrupted and twisted to try and kill her own child. So when Alear has the crisis about actually being a fell dragon, all their friends backing them up and talking Alear down from fleeing isn't just a really good bit of team dynamic writing, the scene also reaffirms the idea that it's not about whether Alear is fell or divine, but rather that Alear is actively choosing to do good and has, in that way, actively become the "good dragon" they wanted to be a thousand years earlier.

I feel like this sense of struggle between "who the character was and who they want to be" is echoed in a few other characters as well. The most obvious is Yunaka, who is at the active transition point between being an assassin and trying to be...well, literally anything else, but she's notably trying to become a better person. And we get to see her right in the messy part of trying to become someone she's never been but wants to be, where she doesn't know how "normal" people talk and act so she's trying out everything to see what fits in. And the neat thing is that she runs into Alear and friends who all just, more or less, accept Yunaka at face value. Alfred makes a point of telling her he doesn't care about her past and refuses to pry (although given that he's hiding secrets about his illness, is this even really surprising that he'd afford Yunaka the same privacy he wants for himself?), Alear also has no issues trusting Yunaka, and when Citrinne (who was deeply suspicious of Yunaka) learns all of Yunaka's story, Citrinne also moves to accept that Yunaka truly isn't an assassin anymore and is making strides to be someone better.

Everyone being so willing to accept and work with Yunaka really sets the narrative stage for the Elusian characters to switch sides and join the team, and even for Veyle and Mauvier to switch sides, bc we already know that Alear is willing to work with people who've done bad things in the past if they're willing to work towards being better and doing good (and this is, of course, also a major part of Alear's character arc, having gone from Sombron's pawn to actively fighting him).

It's just neat! I dunno, it's really interesting to see one type of character arc or narrative theme show up in so many different areas and reinforce the overall narrative. There's other characters who fit into this theme in some way or another (Panette going from being the fantasy equivalent of a biker thug to the prim and proper retainer, Kagetsu being a runaway prince, Amber trying so hard to become a hero of legend). But like, yeah! It's very, very good writing. I don't think most people give Engage the credit is deserves for it's writing bc it's actually so, so good.

[a-memory-a-distant-echo]

hey not to be deeply weird about it but just to check, has everyone else already seen this interview with xiao shunyao in which he (correctly) argues that actually di feisheng is a deeply loyal and affectionate character, and also that li xiangyi gives di feisheng a reason to live?

i'm so fucking normal about it

[terristre]

I know request says closed but I just wanted to tell you that we’ll finally be getting the Glorious Masquerade event this month. Any thought pookie? You excited?

I AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS til i can bully this man 💥🥊

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

since I saw your post of frank going butterfly hunting with their skirt, it got me wondering..what if eddie too had a skirt!

I imagine frank got him into the whole flowy dress ordeal. probably wears one when going through his mail shift or while working on the garden with frank.

oh my gosh...matching skirts!

considering that apparently Eddie has done drag, i imagine that its probably the other way around!!

i gotta a little lost in the sauce w/ these and forgot what the rest of the ask said besides "FranklyDear in skirts" oopsies <3

[sysig]

The best! The very best of skeletons! (Patreon)

[ghcstao3]

I hope your day is as amazing as you.

What would happen is soap was Makarov's son who run away to live with his Scottish Aunt? He knows Russian and how Makarov operates and wants to stop it, that is why he joined up. What would happen with the team and Makarov finding out?

Have a lovely rest of the year. I hope it is restful and relaxing

i actually love this prompt so much !! thank you, and i hope you are doing well :)

-

The first thought in Soap’s head upon being passed a photo of his father isn’t of revenge or abhorrence like he thought it might be—it’s wondering if Ghost notices the tremble in his hand as he’s given the picture.

His second thought is that he must have, because Ghost isn’t even looking at the photo pinched between his fingers.

He’s looking right at Soap.

“Makarov,” Price supplies, though Soap needs no introduction. He’s more familiar with the task force’s newest target than he’d like to be.

But he’d been waiting for this. Soap had been surviving out of spite and the hope that maybe one day he might finally reach this point. That maybe he could be the one to put a bullet in his father's skull for all he's done.

Ghost’s eyes continue to bore into the side of his face up until a passive dismissal from Price, and even then there’s a second set of footsteps behind Soap as he leaves the bar.

His shadow only lets him get as far as the elevator of the run-down hotel they're posted up in for the time being, before the emergency stop toggle is pulled just as the doors slide shut and the car moves upward.

Soap is suddenly shoved up against a wall, Ghost's forearm pressed to his throat while a handlerail digs into his spine. He could fight the lieutenant off, he could—but Soap’s senses tell him it'd be futile. That whatever it is Ghost wants from him would be inescapable, inevitable, no matter how hard he tries.

"You know something," Ghost says, barely loud enough to be heard over the blaring elevator alarm. His eyes are intense, dark—and for a moment Soap is in full understanding of the fear Ghost's enemies carry for him.

"Not sure what you mean, sir," Soap replies. And maybe a part of him knows exactly what it is Ghost is talking about, but a louder majority is panicked. Confused.

Soap's throat is squeezed tighter. A threat, from his own lieutenant.

"About Makarov," Ghost grunts. "I saw your face when you looked at that photo. There's something you're not saying, MacTavish, and I reckon you'd spit it out before I make you."

Soap's eyes go wide, never having even thought of Ghost picking up on his expression. Never having even thought there was an expression. He feels his heartbeat jump pace, thumping in his throat as he struggles to swallow. This isn't how he'd imagine telling anyone his place in this. Who he really is.

In all honesty, he hadn't imagined it happening at all, mostly because he wished for it to never have to come up.

But perhaps Soap should've known that Ghost is too smart for that to be possible.

"Don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Soap rasps. He knows it's the wrong answer for Ghost, but he's not quite sure what else he could say.

Thankfully, Ghost doesn't suffocate Soap further, though he doesn't budge his hold yet, either. Not as he hisses, "Try me."

Soap screws his eyes shut, huffing air through his nose to brace himself for whatever reaction he'll receive. For whatever reaction he doesn't want to wait on.

"I'm—" Soap sighs his uncertainty, his voice quivering, "Makarov is my father."

Though Ghost scoffs, Soap can feel some of the pressure on his windpipe mercifully lift. "Bullshit he is. Why would you be hunting him?"

Soap finally begins to scrabble at the thick forearm at his throat. "I ran away when I was old enough. He... he made me do awful things for him, LT, and I—can you please just let me go?" Tears sting the corners of Soap's eyes. "I'll explain everything, I just—"

Ghost suddenly frees him, and Soap doubles over, heaving in gasping breaths as he rubs at his neck and collarbone. The alarm stops ringing as Ghost pushes the emergency toggle back in place, and the car begins moving again.

It's a blur, being led to Ghost's hotel room, but he's appreciative to not have to think about his steps as Ghost drags him along and seats him on the foot of the made bed.

Soap opens his mouth to let his explanation begin tumbling out, but Ghost shushes him before he gets the chance.

"I'm getting Price, Gaz, and Laswell before you say anything," Ghost tells him. "Whether you like it or not, I'm not keeping this secret from the team if it'll help us take down your f—Makarov's operation."

Soap understands, he does—but that doesn't mean it hurts any less to hear the distrust in Ghost's voice that Soap had only recently managed to work away.

Ghost pauses in the doorway, and for a hopeful second Soap thinks he's changed his mind.

"I'm sorry," he says instead, before turning and heading back into the hallway.

The door clicks loudly shut, the electronic lock mechanism resetting. Soap sighs, feeling his shoulders slump uncomfortably low as he waits. He suspects he has a night of storytelling ahead of him, now.

If only he'd been more careful.

*

The team takes in the new information better than Soap had anticipated.

Ghost says nothing the entire time. Asks no questions and offers nothing more than a grunt or huff to acknowledge what's being said. Soap only hopes his walls haven't been permanently rebuilt.

Price takes the information in stride, just as Laswell does. They both ask questions that pertain more so to their current mission, poking and prodding to see if any of Soap's personal intel could help them find more and easier success in the near future.

Gaz sits with him and tells Soap it changes nothing about who he is. That because he's still fighting for the right cause, nothing else matters—not his past nor paternity.

Soap is just grateful that beyond his confrontation with Ghost in the elevator, no rash decisions have been made otherwise in the face of this revelation.

But after everything—Soap just wants to sleep. He just wants space.

It takes longer than Soap would’ve liked for it to happen, but it does eventually. He’s finally allowed to leave the room and shuffle to his own, though not before Price catches his arm in the hallway, once Gaz and Laswell have both disappeared, Ghost’s door having long since been shut.

“This isn’t to say I don’t trust you to do it,” Price says, “but if it comes down to it, Soap—you can’t hesitate.”

Can’t hesitate to kill Makarov, Price means.

“Of course, sir.” Soap nods. In no world does he need to be told to take action. “I understand. No second-guesses.”

Price hums. “Good,” he says, and pats Soap’s shoulder. “Now rest up, sergeant. Lots of work still to do.”

Soap nods again and bids Price goodnight before finally slipping into his own room. He barely takes the time to toe off his shoes and shed his jacket before collapsing onto the bed, more than ready to curl up and sleep for an eternity.

But alas, as Price had said—there’s still plenty left to do.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Name twinsies!

(Based on the community consensus about LWJ's grey horse's name)

[mercisnm]

Sweater weather shenanigans

Plus the lines, before I throw colours on it like an excitable squirrel:

[galedekarios]

What do you think of their decision to make Gale a teacher in his good ending? Earlier in the game, he says his attempted students’ ineptitudes irked him. Do you think he’s made enough of a change to make a good professor?

thank you for your message, anon! 🖤

i'm of two minds about it:

i am going to be transparent here and say that i am a teacher myself. i studied, i did my teacher training, and i have been teaching for a good bit now - and some people are meant to be teachers, and some are not. it's one of those professions that you have to be born for, imo. it requires an immense amount of patience and perseverance, a certain intuition when it comes to your students, among many other things.

i have said before that i can see gale as a professor, but less so in a teaching position and more in a sort of research role.

so looking at this, i think what larian is trying to convey is that gale has settled into this new life he leads, that he's found his place in life. that he's finally worked to salvage that life instead of reaching for the stars.

he's content now, more than he's ever been before. he has returned to the home he missed so very much. he's spending his time surrounded with the people he loves. tara, morena, the player, his friends. and he's dedicated himself to the study of magic.

that feeling of being content, happiness and security and love, as well as the journey he's been on, too, may have quelled the things that caused him to feel so irked by his students prior to his journey, perhaps it has given him a new perspective on things, the low lows and high highs he experienced.

but i also think that larian does listen to community feedback - imo too much at times - and this was a intensely popular headcanon for gale.

i have taken a look for you at the files for the epilogue and the notes in it seem to echo my thoughts overall:

His default state is that he returned to Waterdeep and became a professor of Illusory magic at his former school, Blackstaff Academy. General vibe here is that this a Gale who's found peace with himself - he's a great teacher, one his students are mostly in awe of.

[pixlokita]

PIX?!?!?

YOU OKAY????

WHERE ARE YOU???

Oh :0 heck sorry forgot to say anything on tumblr xD been taking a break from posting and being on social media this week :’> nothing happened 🫶💖✨ will be posting arts next week ^^💝 sorry I forgot to make a post about it bdkdbkdbdodh bless

[pushing500]

Something in me hopes that Jordan stays for just a little longer. Dunno why, just a feeling.

Unfortunately, Mechi is far too reclusive to grant permanent residence to anybody who isn't his immediate family or an android he builds with his own two hands.

Don't worry, though. The gang at Arwell are going to take excellent care of each other, and that includes Jordan. They're going to be just fine. <3

[melty-marbles]

do you take requests….. could i get. a wigfreak… wigfried rice for my weary soul…. dies on your porch

some wigfreaks coming right up

the first one is a drawing of the wigfrid outfit i use though i Dont play her lest i starve immediately the second one is the verdant which i bought because i like (most) of the set

and also a side of solaris i mean Wolaris

[yallemagne]

you there❗❗❗

Oh my gosh, Michael, you can't keep forcing me to do comics like this!! The audacity!!

Read from right to left:

Me: OH? You're approaching me? Instead of running away... you're coming right to me?

You: I CAN'T BE YOUR MUTUAL WITHOUT GETTING CLOSER.

Me: OH HO! Then come as close as you like.

[terristre]

Halloween is just around the corner! Haha so I wanna know with that event in the game depending what server you play, what dorm has the best costume in your opinion?

DO i like ignihydes costumes best or do i just like when orthos a Mischievous Little Boy

[murdleandmarot]

Hi I have a random question but what's the story behind this XD

LMAO hi hello I literally just woke up so unfortunately there will be no good formatting or grammer today teeheeeeee

It’s mostly just a reference for me to a time about two years ago when I insisted that I could ‘eat glass,’ and that it would just kind of taste like dusty water/vanilla??? And the texture would be like some kind weird variant of very dry ice.

I’m pretty sure I got the entire notion from a Mia Cole video and just continued saying it for a month. Fairy sure I made the argument that I could eat glass when no one else could ‘because I’m a girl.’

That was a really weird time in my life that I barely remember, but I do remember saying variants of ‘if I did _____ would my doctor be mad at me.’

That’s it it’s just a silly inside joke to me lolll

[hell-is-a-teenage-girll]

Incase anyone of you wonders what I have been dealing with.

I am gonna get a procedure done, and if that doesn't work an operation which involves drilling in my skull.

I wanted to give you all an update.

Hope this also explains why I have been less on tumblr for a while. Recently I've been back because I finally have some light at the end of the tunnel with finally starting procedures and there might come an end to it.

It's been hard since I barely had space for anything else in my mind besides trying to survive.

It has strained me, my life, my relationship (not as in we almost broke up but when you are in constant pain, you have to kind of shut down to not go down with it, and she understands luckily), going outside is stressful because I will be in pain, the slightest touch can hurt, temperature change hurts, painkillers don't reach the nerve, even morfine doesn't help. So I'm exhausted mentally from focusing on surviving instead of living.

I love all my Mutuals and all who follow me ❤️