#but to me when people say ‘this fire emblem character is bad bc they did a war crime’ I cannot fault them for it bc it feels

[controversial-blorbo-bracket]

Ok i dont know why but for some reason edelgard makes me feel physically uneasy. Like i cant look at her without feeling either physically ill or uncomfortable. I dont know i its her huge fuckass eyes, boob hole in her academy outfit or the way shes all fond and uwu towards the avatar/professor that makes me feel that way

Guess this could be considered edelgard propaganda? Ultimately i dont care much for the war crimes bc arguably fire emblem is the warcrimes game i just have this strong reaction against her that makes me unable to genuinely like her even before anyone knew who she was as a character.

[limpfisted]

while wyll is a very well intentioned person part of the game is about subverting tropes, and to ME hes MY special princess. he is by no stretch of the imagination “perfect” n hes not SUPPOSED to be perfect, n he has glaring flaws present in the text in subtext that make him very interesting narratively

while wyll trying to fight monsters and devils to save people is objectively good

in dnd, monsters, devils, goblins, even animals in the context of this game. theyre still literally people. theyre capable of language and complex thoughts and motivations

while im not about to be like (fire emblem vc) DIMITRI. KILLS. WOMEN. wyll’s quest to be a generic lawful good human warrior male is not as black and white as he wants it to be

and he can be a hypocrite and a liar

and he can be dumb and needlessly vicious. he stands in the middle of the room with priestess guts and to her face goes “tav lets just kill her. lets kill everyone here lets blow this nasty wench to smithereens” and u have to go priestess guts i am so sorry my friend would fucking say that to you. while we are. trying. to be SNEAKY, WYLLIAM!!

he DOES try to kill karlach. he probs killed other innocent prisoners of zariel. he thought it was the right thing to do, its reasonable. but he still did it. n he never faces tbe consequences or even the guilt.in fact he only faces consequences n guilt when he does the RIGHT thing

wyll IS a very kind and tolerant person to a point but its interesting to see like. who deserves second chances to wyll. and why

like obviously being a generic goblin killer doesnt make u a bad person or anything. its good to kill momsters that are hurting ppl. but hes eventually going to hv to look back on the things hes done for mizora and the devils hes killed, and go “hm.” bc even tho he HAD to do it. he also justified it. and that makes it worse

its honestly kind of interesting he doesnt hv anything to say abt freeing 7000 hungry vampire spawn. n when ascended astarion mentions them, wyll asks how many ppl astarion has killed. “dozens, hundreds?” bro it was 7007 ppl, u know the exact number. he cant even wrap his head around it

like everything else in his life—i dont think he really knows how to weigh the burden of that decision bc he can really never let himself feel the full severity of anything without going “ok moving on” or “let my next action prove my worth.” (ie when he tells karlach hes been a beast but he still wants to prove himself, when u tell him hes a monster, he will still prove himself to the sword coast n be tbeir protector.)

its a very rich thing, hes going on his own little narrative journey here where hes realizing what kind of man and hero he wants to be, same as all the rest of them

n a part of that is coming to terms with things like balduran being a lie, n baldurs gate being so much less than he remembers

something i really enjoy abt the game as someone who considers themself an existentialist is. the burden of freedom. we are condemned to be free. despite the facticities and realities of the world n other ppls reactions to our decisions—we alone make our choices n deal with those consequences

wyll is always, always making the best of a bad situation, hes always doing the best he can, hes always doing what he thinks is right, he always tries to be kind and good and gentle to the people “who deserve it.”

but hes only human, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions

when it comes to morals and “goodness”—sometimes being guided by fairy tales and legends is…. lazy moralizing, that will lead to more pain for everyone, wyll included

wyll DID do good things for the people of the sword coast. and that matters. but u know what. everybodys got something to atone for, pobodys nerfect

again this is not a wyll hate post this is actually a WYLL IS AN INTERESTING CHARACTER AND INTERESTING CHARACTERS HAVE FLAWS post lol. hes really not as goody goody as people think. he loves murder and blood tbh, just u know, the murder and blood of evil doers

[lewlthea]

I think I’ve never seen a Fire Emblem game where the characters feel like set dressing instead of an important part of the story like they do in Engage.

While they all have different character traits and designs, most of them have the same dynamics with almost every other character and theres just. A lack of flair there that I cannot understand. Because half of the cast are nobles, and because for some reason the game itself hides important character backstories from the player unless they go into supports (e.g citrinne and diamant being childhood friends, panette and pandreo being siblings), they all feel flat- they’re either retainers or nobles and theres no interesting dynamic outside of that. For example, you’ll never see a support like fe7’s priscilla/lucius in this game because while these two share the same roles as most characters in engage (noble and retainer), their dynamic is hostile and uncomfortable to each party because of their connection to other people and their past, which we already know of because to recruit lucius, priscilla must reveal to raven that she is his long lost sister - and because of that even though their conversations are very stinging to one another and it gets interesting fast because it brings to the table yet another character’s intentions and feelings, they manage to sort it out. Literally close to none of the Engage characters have any of that because almost none of them are allowed to have a shared history to anyone other than the lords theyre bound to serve or the retainers that protect them.

So far to me very few supports stand out in my mind, the most clear being alcryst/ivy (which actually uses the game’s threadbare story and ivy’s actions as a former enemy unit as a jumping point, i wish the c support did not resolve their animosity so fast but i do appreciate how the character whose entire personality trait is to apologize for everything he does actively refuses to do so when consumed in anger, thats character depth baby!), pandreo/panette (which i do enjoy but i can confess that i havent finished yet bc i do not use pandreo) and lapis/rosado (just has general good vibes and uses past chapters for reference in a clever way, plus this is the support that rosado explicitly confirms that theres no concept of gender in their hometown and i did not ever imagine a fire emblem saying the word gender in a positive way in my entire life). Overall, so far not much has impressed me in terms of characters in this game- the most I’m doing is hyping up Alcryst to myself at all times to at least get attached to something so I can bring myself to continue the game - and I’m already at the doorstep to chapter 25, at this point im only grinding for supports - and the last time I’ve had to do this sort of thing was to complete PERSONA 4 (aka hatecrime the videogame) so yeah engage is. Bad.

[atomatowriter]

Highlights from Prismatic Dawn battle (the Remire Village battle for those who know FE3H):

Celin got dropped to 9 HP because she was in the center of a big AOE spell (not fireball but idk what it was) an took a shit ton of fire damage, ran over to heal Dimitri and Dedue who also took a shit ton of fire damage, and she then took more damage at the end of her turn bc she wouldn't leave the big fire without them. Also at one point there was some action confusion and Dimitri got to run out of the big fire but Dedue didn't leave until Celin was out. They truly are both like that. 😭

I learned that Celin's horse has a higher wisdom score than she does.

We were so spread out across the battlefield that we all had pieces of what was going on and nobody had all of it. Celin did not actually do a lot of fighting, she mostly got some kids to safety, pulled some knights out of fires (we joked about modern AU firefighter Celin and I want this), and, as I put it "ran back and forth like a frantic collie just going 'EVERYBODY STAY IN ONE PLACE.'" Consequently, she has no idea that a) the Flame Emperor was there, b) Sven's dad (the main Slither guy in our game bc Cressida replaced Thales and Solon, etc. with other characters) was there fucking shit up again, c) the unconscious girl she healed and ran out of the battlefield was an Agarthan but also sort of Sven's half-sister? and d) the kids she got out of the fire at the start of the battle were Kyrie's resurrected siblings????????

Cressida on some of those points: "But does she have kind of an idea?" Me: "She has a wisdom of 9 so no."

At one point Dimitri went into a rage and ran off the map to go fight the Death Knight and half of us were like BITCH and followed him but my brain leapt from that to remembering how, historically in the Fire Emblem: Three Houses video game when Dimitri goes off map to charge after an enemy, it does not go well for him to realizing, "Yeah if Dimitri dies, Celin is gonna straight up tell Dedue about our Crest of Flames shit and also our access to resurrection rituals. I know we promised to keep it a secret but if he dies she's IMMEDIATELY gonna tell Dedue that she has a way to bring him back to life because she doesn't trust what he'll do if he thinks Dimitri is permadead." (We have, in the past, resurrected Mercedes.)

After the fight was over, Dimitri was super pissed, as...you know, is canon. Celin saw how there were so many more bodies of villagers than there were the people who actually caused this and in the mindlink to Sylvain was like "Yeah I get the anger though." Also on that point, she said "FUCK" or "GODDESS DAMNIT" in the mindlink in a panic like three times during the battle so I think she's fully embraced that she is now a person who swears. This is her life now. She lost her religion, she and her friends are in dangerous and emotionally wrought situations every five minutes, someone experimented on a bunch of innocent villagers, and she is a person who says fuck now.

Kyrie and Solstice had a talk with the Flame Emperor that was very tense where FE was basically like "Join me." And Kyrie and Solstice were like "Give us more information please." And FE was like "No information, only join me." However, they did say the whole "the world will be purged in flames and made anew."

I realized that while I would love to have a Golden Route, I don't know if CELIN is gonna be capable of it. Because she's very "reform not abolish" - and also feels like Slither is at the root of most of the bad shit, so while the Church has some things to answer for it's not...the big bad here??? - and she would respond to "the world will be purged in flames" with like " respectfully no?????????? we live in the world???????? a lot of people live in the world???????? people die when you purge them in flame." Also Edelgard's whole "Yeah I don't want children to suffer anymore...and so I'm going to start a war and kill thousands but after that when the world is exactly what I want it to me then they'll be fine" is not something I ever see her siding with. Our Black Eagles character, Sven, has like an A support with Edelgard and may have a shot at persuading her out of the war thing (but a long shot since Edelgard's main personality trait is being...unyielding), but has said that ultimately if he can't, he's already pledged himself to her and would side with her. So we might go into the post timeskip with some of the PCs, who all deeply love each other, on opposite sides of the war. 😬

[rinzis]

what your favourite genshin impact character says about you: no holding back edition

i’m finally allowed to post again!!! great joy

aether/lumine: you’re basic as hell sorry . also stop fighting over who the better twin is they’re literally the same person but different genders. you’re pretty fun to be around ig but i feel like you eat food off the floor. 5 second rule not 5 hour rule ok

amber: ok i’ve actually met a bunch of people whose fav is amber and you guys are actually really sweet but pls learn when to stfu you’re so loud . also you guys go feral whenever someone (everyone else in the fandom) says amber sucks like chill bae

kaeya: jesus fucking christ your horny is off the scale. every kaeya stan i’ve ever met cant keep it in their pants. and we know the only reason you like him is bc of his giga bouncer supreme ultra man rack 3000. stop saying you want him to smother you with his tits. get some help.

lisa: YOU GUYS ARE COOL AS HELL!!!!!! as someone who relates to lisa you’re very cool. most chill people to be around and you’re definitely super smart. not lazy but just reserved. 11/10. oh btw do you use her for climbing?

diluc: do you have daddy issues? you guys definitely have a thing for the tsundere archetype and you probably like zhongli too. just admit you want diluc to do the kabedon thing on you and move on. we know what you’re like. also how does it feel being so short? i swear every diluc stan is small as hell

jean: YOU GUYS are so sweet pls whenever i play co op with a jean main it’s just like wow you’re so strong and nice and thanks for healing my entire team wow........ however although you’re so responsible you probably enjoy cancelling people on twitter for fun . sorry

venti: VENTI STANS. I LOVE YOU. is it partially because i myself am a huge venti stan? yeah no. you probably missed out on his first banner and are saving for his rerun..... same......... anyways you guys give off the best vibes n it’s always so fun to be with you. i love you all

razor: i have one question for you guys . did you either like warrior cats or were you a wolf kid?

albedo: you guys are so smart wtf !!!!!!!!! you’re so rational in co op mode too and if you have albedo you probably use him as a sub dps for your teammates bc you’re so good at reading situations........ then again you also have some weird shit going on like cmon it’s milk after cereal you psychopaths

sucrose: you either kin sucrose or are creepy sorry . ok but she’s so underrated like her passive 3........ WOAH.............. you definitely use her in spiral abyss,,, also are you a burnout successful kid who used to kiss teachers’ asses and middle school was a breeze before getting to college/university and realising that professors don’t give a shit anymore? wow who would have guessed

diona: wannabe catgirls assemble! please move on from your warrior cats phase you’re almost as bad as the razor stans but you’re adorable too. you probably want qiqi or klee but don’t have them so you’re settling for diona

barbara: thanks for healing my team in co op barbara stans !!!! you guys are genuinely so nice omg thank you for being so reliable all the time,,, do you highlight your notes so it’s more art than notes? yeah that’s what i thought

mona: ok if no one else is gonna say it i will,,, no one understands shit about your astrology thing going on. i’m a caprisun? great

bennett: YOURE ALL ADORABLE. thanks for helping us out in co op!!!! you definitely advocate for bennett rights and yes pls do,,,, we all love benny deep down!!!! you either don’t have him or have him at like C218372

fischl: jojo stans

just kidding but you all probably act like fischl irl. also did you have an emo phase

klee: ok if your favourite is klee you definitely don’t have her . waiting patiently for klee’s rerun!!!! shes just so adorable and so are you guys,,,,, so fun to be around !!!!! you probably have diluc and hate him

noelle: you guys....... the rarest of the rare. you love trying to convince people that she’s a great healer dps n everything else...... no bae you probably use her because you like geo and claymores like hmm yes i will now hit things hard with my big sword and rock power

ok onto liyue now sweats nervously

childe: you guys are ALL simps. ALL OF YOU. go n touch some grass bro!!!!! you either think he’s super sexy or you bully him and make the ed sheeran jokes (not funny) . you follow griffin burns on tiktok too dont you

zhongli: you either love him for his gentle demeanour or you want him for his fat giga dumptruck 3000. make up your minds!!!!! you guys are so clueless in co op mode but you’re hilarious. you probably have his energy recharge at like 200% so you can use his ult and hear I WILL HAVE ORDER every 4 seconds

xiao: STOP GROWLING AT PEOPLE. every xiao main is so aggressive not joking . yeah the only reason you saved for him is because you want to stare at him all day n listen to him growling . you guys genuinely scare me . no he would not hold ur hand and do cute things with you,,,,,, if given half the chance he’d probably decapitate you

ningguang: alright jeff bezos, hand over the cash. yeah so you’re either rolling in it or want to be her sugar baby. but you guys have such an intimidating aura like playing with ning mains is just .... you always build her so well she’s an absolute tank!!!!!! thanks for scaring the shit out of me but also protecting me

beidou: YOU GUYS. you’re fun to be around but i also feel like you could probably destroy me in 3 seconds flat !!!!!!!! do you hate diluc too? i love playing with you guys because all i hear is TO ASHES every 2 seconds and she’s just cool as hell so yeah i really like beidou stans. i feel like you all have her so congrats

qiqi: you’re so cute,,,,, best healer !!!! you probably love playing qiqi because her skills look so cool and you prefer playing heal/support,, if you don’t have her you just love her bc she’s so tiny . spoiler alert but do you have a thing against xiao for killing her lol

xiangling: you’re so chaotic help,, you definitely pair her with xinyan too because you give off the most uncontrollable vibes,,,,,,, did you level her to use her in the spiral abyss or do you just think polearms are neat and don’t have xiao or zhongli

xinyan: please reread xiangling paragraph but replace polearm with claymore . you like either bring me the horizon or bubblegum pop there’s no in between

chongyun: you’re all the nicest people ever and you’re so chill . you love chongyun with your whole hearts and i adore you !!!!!! the animation of him eating the popsicle melts your hearts (no pun intended) and you just think he’s really cool :( ily all

xingqiu: chongyun vibes but make it kinda unnerved . burnout successful kids 2.0 ,,,,, are you clever too? you also love xingqiu and believe he’s worthy of being a 5 star with his heal and damage reduce !!!!! he’s so helpful wtf and so are you . please stop going on about his legs though it’s highkey weird asf

keqing: COOL PERSON SYNDROME! i main this gal so i love you all . do you get as mad as i do when people say she doesn’t deserve to be a 5 star? yeah . are you a procrastinator and try and take lessons from keqing but are just so lazy? do you use her teleport because you can’t be bothered to climb mountains? yeah that’s what i thought

ganyu: you’re all the nicest people alive and i adore you all . thanks for being so kind in co op mode . every ganyu main i’ve met is so sweet and you’re all so powerful too woah....... you hate the cocogoat jokes too >:( pls mihoyo give her more attention !!!!!

scaramouche: you have rights guys we know you exist. also we know you want him to be playable. we know that you think his hat is neat. we know you love this shawty but please be quiet.

signora: wait you guys exist

hu tao: you prank people for fun like pls stop im so on edge when youre around . plus i feel you laugh at videos of babies falling over n shit,,,,,,, you cant wait for her banner but also please shut the fuck up

dainsleif: please leave me the fuck alone we did 1 (one) quest with him and you’re all obsessed with him . ok second hand dmitri from fire emblem you want a medal for being a fucking simp?

[lochnessies]

so when I frist played fire emblem and saw rhea I was like “wow!! A great morally gray character this is literally what everyone say they want out of a narrative I love her” and I was fully shocked to see how many people hated her and hated her on (low key) because of things that weren’t real in cannon why do you think that is?

well there’s a lot of reasons and it’s hard to pin down since it’s not a one size fits all option but here’s some i can think of at the top of my head

lack of supports obscures character

lore being hidden in the game with the unreliable narrators being in main cutscenes

general distrust of religion

church = catholic apparently since no other religions exist especially in japan 😒

dragon = bad guy (despite that not being a fe staple there plenty of good ones)

headcanon being treated as canon to the point people forget it’s fandom origins (rhea is homophobic)

self insertion. well rhea yelled at me and that makes me mad so therefor she’s in the wrong and my actions have nothing to do w it

complicated relationship with the player who forgets that byleth is not sothis

bad eng voice directing in important scenes

well she’s cRaZY and everything CraZY people do is crAzY and bad

forgets all context of actions so it’s easy to spin her as the bad guy

people just making shit up (literally got into an argument the other day where i had to tell someone that no rhea didn’t make an army of dead bodies and stuff all the crests into them to revive her family she only did that with sothis. and even then she made the body and didn’t desecrate a corpse)

well edelgard said she was bad and edelgard would never lie to me and is 100% right about everything

if rhea is good then that means edelgard isn’t and that’s impossible

downplaying the objectively positive influence she has over other characters and spins it to a negative (rhea and cyril aren’t loyal to her bc she saved them it’s bc they’re brainwashed and rhea doesn’t actually care about them she just wants pawns)

straight up taken from half the game and when she’s finally allowed a break from npc jail she has like two lines then dies

is this everything? no but it’s 3am and my brain is broken and my app glitched and turned off and made me lose my original answer.

it’s a damn shame though since rhea’s story is so interesting. seeing how she did her best to navigate a world that was out for her race all while keeping her family and humans safe with what she was given is really neat. is she perfect? nah. she was dealt a really shitty hand in life but she made it work for the most part even if there was some fuck ups along the way (byleth situation which she thankfully acknowledges and apologizes for). girl straight up owes humanity nothing but goes out of her way to help guide and protect them

[kippin-art]

4,5,13 & 15? 👀🙏

hi hi Lorei sweet friend💕 thanks for popping in!

4. Favourite things to draw?

i love to draw romance and romantic things. couples with lots of skinship, sweet kisses, etc. physical touch and quality time are my love languages so there’s so much joy in drawing those sorts of scenes

5. Anything you haven't drawn yet but want to?

hmmm… there’s two big general ideas i want to do at some point. one is illustrating one of my favorite parts of Masa’s route. and then another drawing of Leona from Twisted Wonderland in his fairy gala attire. too many interests too little time ( ；∀；)

13. Show your favourite drawing from last year

this probably doesn’t make much sense if you don’t play fire emblem/fire emblem heroes, but in FEH i draw these one off comics based off of quotes characters say in game. i did a series of these for fun, but this one in particular was a commission which was a big deal for me bc i didnt expect ppl to like my comics so much they’d commission me for it!

15. Biggest artist pet peeve?

hmmm…. i think when women are deliberately drawn with unrealistic proportions or shown in very suggestive ways compared to any other person. especially in fanart when i see characters with exaggerated breasts or posed in physically impossible manners it kind of sucks idk, especially if canonically they aren’t like that at all. if i’m a fan of that character and all someone likes about the same character is their lewdability then it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. i avoid that sort of art and media in general.

don’t get me wrong women are wonderful and beautiful and they are sexy and should flaunt it! i just hate that some people perceive that sort of criticism as people being jealous or unimaginative etc.

want to learn anything more? check out the other prompts i’ll answer as best i can!^^

[forestofbeginnings]

while I do agree with what you’re saying about character’s sexualities needing to be explored rather than being seen as the easy option, having “just a few” LGBTQ+ characters means every LGBTQ+ player is SEVERELY restricted in terms of who they can choose to be with, ESPECIALLY since those few LGBTQ+ characters run the risk of falling into harmful stereotypes to make it “obvious” that they are those characters. it leaves a LOT of room for separation rather than inclusion, for distance between players and characters bc the player may not think the other characters are worth getting to know when those characters arent the “few” LGBTQ+ ones. as much as it is important to have the detailed representation, as a member of the LGBTQ+ myself, I am equally happy with stories going in depth on character’s sexualities as I am with them just being completely normalised. video games are pleasant, peaceful escapes for people, and as much as it would be “realistic” for them to experience some kind of discrimination or self hatred, I personally prefer the idea that in the world of the game, everyone is just fine with it, as they should be. that leaves room for discussion on why the real world ISNT like that already, how we can HELP it become that way by assisting in the normalisation of it, etc. this is in no way a direct argument against you, it’s solely my standpoint on the whole LGBTQ+ marriage options. I just think it should be a fair game to everyone, and no player should feel their options are limited based on their own sexuality and having just a few characters in the game who match that, instead of it being equal for everyone, if that makes sense

That's a very good point, thank you for sending this to add to the conversation! I'll try my best to respond to all the good points you make.

(my reply is very long and under the cut and includes a lot of my Opinions of queer rep in video games so here we go)

I know you're probably talking about Fire Emblem when you're talking about the severely limited LGBT+ options. And it does suck, I'm pretty lucky that I fell hard for one of the few bisexual offerings in FE3H (looks fondly at Mercedes). But on the other hand...my primary experience with LGBT+ rep are Bioware games, where everyone has their own distinct identity. In Dragon Age Inquisition, out of the romance options there's 1 straight woman, 3 straight males (albeit two are limited to elves/humans), 1 pansexual male, 1 bisexual female, 1 gay male, and 1 lesbian. And most of the writing does not focus on their identities. In a majority of the romances, the most you get is a "sorry, not interested" from a character if you're not what they're into. The only route with clear focus on sexuality is for the gay man, which is fantastically written (and is written by a gay man about his personal experiences so take that as you will). All of the other LGBT+ characters’ stories don’t focus on their sexuality at all and don’t face discrimination for it. 

The game isn't perfect (the writing for the lesbian is bad in the base game, just straight up bad), but it's what I think of when I say "everyone has an identity." No matter who you play, not all options are open to you. Doesn't matter if you're straight or LGBT+, your options are limited. And honestly, despite the more limited options...the impact that games like Fire Emblem and Dragon Age gave me are still things I remember fondly as a bi/ace woman. I loved Mercedes' romance in FE3H because she was specifically bisexual like me. I was absolutely giddy when Josephine's romance (the bi option in DAI) did not include a sex scene, which meant she could be asexual like me. And to me, I don't get as much excitement playing SoS or SDV. The girls like me because I'm the player. That's it. It’s not because they’re bisexual with their own identity, it’s because I’m the player. And it just reminds me of that quote from The Incredibles like "if everyone is super, nobody will be." Everyone is ""bisexual"" and...

I think when you talk about people not being interested in learning about other, non-LGBT+ characters, that's more a flaw in farming sims in general? Because you can't really...befriend a romance option. You can't learn their full story unless you're romancing them. Which, again, isn't a thing in Fire Emblem or Dragon Age. You can A support anyone in FE and it only becomes romantic if you choose to S support them. In Dragon Age, you learn a character's full story and learn about them regardless of romance. I don't think people will be less interested in knowing other characters...it's just if you don't want to romance them...you can't really know them? So why befriend a character if you can’t just be friends?

But I do really want to touch on the point you make on how LGBT+ romance doesn't need to be realistic and can be idealized. I 100% agree. Making it not a big deal and not put under a microscope helps it become normal. It's actually the kind of rep I prefer. I don’t like when huge deals are made about LGBT+ characters because it just accentuates that they’re different and ‘the other,’ rather than just another person that happens to not be heterosexual.

But literally the only romance-based video game I've played where a realistic struggle of an LGBT+ person is focused on is Dragon Age Inquisition. With the gay route I mentioned and touched on with a non-romancable trans man. Sexuality is not really spoken about in FE3H. Some characters are just...bisexual. Nothing more to it. Mercedes certainly doesn't say anything about it. She can just be romanced by both men and women. It is barely spoken about in Dragon Age games aside from character preference and Dorian's romance. In Dragon Age 2, one bisexual romance option mentions his first experience with a man. Another option is hesitant to date a female because of cultural reasons. That's it.

I do get your point. We don't need to include the realities of the world in our video games. But also...we're allowed to still acknowledge sexuality in video games. I joke about my bi/ace-ness all the time. Even in a perfect world of a farming sim...I'm pretty sure a character can make wisecracks about liking both men and women...or only men/women. Being bisexual always means some kind of discovery that you like more than one gender. Has this love interest dated someone of the same or opposite gender before? Will they tell me off-hand that I'm the first girl they dated? Will they express interest in a character of the opposite gender but can be romanced by a same-sex player? Representation doesn't need to be a sanitized thing completely removed from reality. Even in a completely perfect world where there is no such thing as discrimination against the LGBT+ community, we’re still allowed to speak about our sexualities. It’s a part of who we are. 

When I say I want specific representation, I don't want a realistic depiction of the current-day struggles our community faces. I just want a character to say something that makes me know that they're like me. That they're specifically bisexual or specifically pansexual or so on. That they have their own preferences and are their own character and aren't blindly into me because I'm the player.

I do get why you want representation to be equal across the board. It is the easy option and a simple thing to do. But I want quality over quantity. I don’t want a character to marry me because I’m the player. I want a character to marry me because they’re bisexual or pansexual or a lesbian or asexual with romantic preferences or so on and so forth. And the reason why I’m so passionate about this and want farming sims to go towards this direction is because I’ve seen it done in other genres! It can work! 

Inclusion of LGBT+ romance options does not have to be at the sacrifice of the identities of bisexual and pansexual individuals. And now I get off my soap box and drink some water because I just got my 2nd COVID vaccination. 

[yurileclercseyeliner]

A Dumb Rant About A Webtoon

Okay so I’m actually super into reading webcomics (I read them on both Webtoon and Tapas), and although this has nothing to do with my blog (I AM considering making a side blog for webcomic content/reviews tho) I sort of feel like ranting about one that I saw. I’m sorry, but if you like Athena Complex this is probably going to piss you off. Admittedly, I couldn’t get far into the comic without being upset about this so I stopped reading a few chapters in, so that may affect my opinion here. This is mainly my opinion though, and if you disagree with me it’s fine.

So I did mention in my Fire Emblem kelpie beast unit post my opinion on mythological adaptation. Essentially, I believe that when you adapt any sort of mythological being into your story you need to keep these two things in mind:

The recognizable features/symbols/abilities: by this I mean what physical features is this being known to have, what are their physical/magical abilities, what objects are they most associated with, etc. You don’t need to have every single thing that is mentioned in the source material, just a decent combination of them that can allow the reader to easily connect the adaptation to the source material.

This factor mainly applies to individual characters as opposed to a full species or classification of creatures (I have read a decent number of mythological adaptations and have seen a mythical species depicted as evil in one adaptation and benevolent or neutral in another and enjoyed both, it all depends on if it makes sense in the context). What are the character’s main personal views, goals, and motivations? By this I mean how do they think and what are their views on the world around them, and what is the context surrounding that? Essentially, what can their main personalities and motivations be boiled down to and why?

After those two factors, I think that you can then go buck wild with any other characterization as long as it isn’t contradictory and makes sense in your story.

Now that I have set that down here’s my deal with Athena Complex. Athena Complex is a Webtoon based on Greek mythology that follows Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and strategy. She falls in love with Poseidon, the god of the sea, and is rejected by him. Fueled by vengeance and a desire to win his heart she takes the form of a high school boy in order to take revenge on his reincarnation. Basically, this entire Webtoon is practically a public execution of a large part of what makes Athena, well, Athena.

First off, I will give credit to Athena Complex for at least getting the symbolism correct, Athena is a goddess of wisdom and war and when in the form of a goddess her design reflects that with her armor, among other things such as her association with owls, so the first aspect that I mentioned is fine.

Additionally there is the fact that they also did heavily tap into the prideful aspect of Athena’s nature. Essentially in the source material Athena is a VERY prideful goddess and will take any opportunity to prove her worth if someone attempt to upstage her, and gets very angry when she fails or is insulted in the process (ie the story of Arachne, the story behind the double flute). This aspect could also be seen slightly in Athena Complex’s Athena’s behavior, which I can also give them credit for.

But that’s where a lot of the similarities end. Tbh a large majority of these issues surround the second aspect, the basics of the figure’s personality and motivations.

First, Athena’s stance on romance. Original Athena...literally wanted nothing to do with any sort of romantic relationship. Seriously it’s one of her main things one of her epithets is literally “Parenthos”, which means virgin. No lovers, no sex, no marriage, no intentionally created children (I say intentionally bc she and Hepheastus accidentally created a child when his snot got onto a torn piece of her cloak, but that’s a different weird story), nothing. She solely focused on the expansion of knowledge and learning. She had no time for any sort of relationship. Making Athena in Athena Complex heavily motivated by an unrequited romantic attraction literally rips one of her main core values to shreds.

And this in my opinion one of the worst offenses, MAKING THE SUBJECT OF THAT ROMANTIC ATTRACTION POSEIDON. Literally one MAJOR thing for the original Athena and Poseidon is that they HATE each other. (Also Athena is literally Poseidon’s niece, but tbh that’s a less heinous crime bc Greek mythology was weird about that shit, multiple gods married their siblings/cousins/uncles/aunts/nieces/nephews/etc., it’s weird. Also in Athena Complex Poseidon acted the main person raising Athena, which is ALSO really fucking weird and concerning, anyway back to why they hate each other).

The Contest for Athens: Basically before the Greek city of Athens was called Athens the people were looking for a patron deity, and both Athena and Poseidon tried to lay their claim. In order to determine who the city would go to, they decided to have a contest of who could give the city the best gift. Poseidon gave the city some horses (for transportation and farmwork) and a small spring in the middle of the city (note: the water in the spring was salt water and therefore undrinkable). Athena gave them olive trees (for food, making oil, wood, etc.). The peoplr decided that Athena’s gift was better and thus named the city “Athens” after her, leaving Poseidon incredibly salty.

The Medusa Incident (TW: possible rape/non-con): So Poseidon was having a nice little affair with a mortal woman named Medusa (you notice how this name is familiar, right? that’s important). It’s a little iffy on whether or not this affair was fully consensual on Medusa’s end due to the sort of victim blame-y aspects to this story, hence the trigger warning. So Poseidon his having his fun and decides to find a nice little place they can go to do the nasty. Where does he think would be a great idea? One of Athena’s temples of course! You know, a literal place of worship dedicated to his rival who is known to dislike involvement in romantic/sexual relationships? Nothing could go wrong at all! They of course get caught, and Athena, being pissed, decides to curse Medusa with snakes for hair and the ability to turn people into stone just by looking at them (see why the name was familiar?) For good measure she also curses Medusa’s two sisters with the snake hair. The sisters are then dubbed the Gorgons and then go live in isolation on a island until they are killed by Perseus (a hero that Athena was helping).

So this Webtoon completely ignores the context behind this hatred and decides to make it into an enemies to lovers story based on unrequited feelings (the feelings of a person for their childhood caretaker too...still weird). I guess they wanted to do enemies to lovers and such based on a rivalry dynamic, but in doing so they erased most of the actual substance behind that rivalry by making it romantic and destroying the characterization of one of the main characters.

I can understand taking creative liberties, but before you do so you NEED to have a full understanding of the characters that you are adapting. If a mythological character is known for a certain practice (refraining from romance) or for having an extreme distaste for another figure (Athena hating Poseidon), INCLUDE IT. You NEED to have all of the bare bones basics before you start taking liberties.

For example, the original Athena:

Goddess of wisdom and strategy

Association with owls, olives, carries a shield known as Aegis

Highly values learning and knowledge

Prideful to a fault

Virgin goddess with no interest in romantic or sexual relationships

Extreme hatred for Poseidon as a result of repeated negative encounters

Those are the bare bones basics, after that you can do what you want.

Honestly I don’t think that this Webtoon is necessarily BAD, but it is VERY annoying when you have the context behind these characters (hence my frustration and inability to make it past 10 chapters). In my opinion, if the author wanted to write this storyline, they should have made their own OCs as opposed to butchering a pre-existing figure’s characterization.

(Also I’m so sorry I know that this isn’t relevant to my argument BUT THE POSEIDON REINCARNATION LOOKS SO BORING HE LOOKS LIKE A BACKGROUND CHARACTER WHERE IS THE FLAVOR????)

[nbapprentice]

You said a while back that while Supergiant games (Bastion, Transistor, Hades) was mostly okay, you had some words about them. I was curious as to what those words were, since Hades' full release is soon.

okay. alright. ive been playing hades lately so i definitely want to give my two cents (or dollars by the size this is gonna get). but let’s go Step by Step

the good: i want to throw a whole Endorsement over supergiant games with the art direction and its characters, which is what keeps me coming back again and again, and what i can assume is that most people are attracted to. 

gameplaywise, they have a Format they stick to which has become their staple, not to their detriment but to their advantage, like... gameplay tropes, so to speak, that they stick to (such as the addition of special conditions that give a disadvantage in exchange for more long-term rewards)

i fucking adore that they take one concept per game, go for it, and when they’re done they are Done; they don’t bother with sequels, they don’t want to run things to the ground and i fucking respect that. They have their themes, and they stick to them (to various degrees of success).

that said, like every piece of media, they are not perfect and this has to be analysed and spoken about

CONTENT WARNINGS: genocide and ethnic cleansing, antisemitism, misogyny, homophobia, suicide, and mentions of incest, and a general Spoilers warning

bastion: touches on ethnic cleansing, and not in a way i’d say is satisfactory. our narrator and one of our Sympathetic characters is one of the men who worked on a world-ending weapon meant to use against the Ura (a group of people coded as East Asian) which after a bit of googling is literally called “the final solution” if there was ever a war between the Ura and the Cael (who feel like rly tan white people to me). jesus fucking CHRIST.

we also meet more Ura other than our two named characters and we have to kill most of them. so that fucking blows.

the game tries for “being a genocidal monster will get you fucked up and blown up” which duh, but i feel we shouldn’t have had a person responsible for war crimes be one of our friends no matter how bad he feels about the whole thing, or the people victim of war crimes become villains in the latter half of the game. zia’s father could’ve taken ruck’s role ez pz.

transistor: the weakest of their games, imo; the lore and writing are fairly flimsy and i did not come out feeling Satisfied, especially because it had this rly good build-up that did not pay off. not to mention... their villains? 3/4 were gay people. lol. two married guys (not even explicit, you only realize by their shared last names) and the ps*cho lesbian trope (iirc she wanted to kill the protagonist’s lover or something). the female protagonist also ends up killing herself to live forever in a digital paradise with her dead lover. it’s. god. 

very Aesthetic, GORGEOUS music, interesting gameplay; had potential, i do not feel like it lived up to it at least as far as the story goes.

pyre: now this one. this one’s BEEFY. where transistor felt flimsy, pyre is rich; lots to sink your teeth into, rich in lore and loveable characters, again w the beautiful music, themes of cooperation and togetherness. my favorite of the cast is volfred sandalwood, the only Black (or, well, Black-coded) revolutionary i’ve ever seen portrayed with this amount of sympathy.

onto the bad: they literally have a Class of character named “Savage”; there’s the “mystical mentally ill person” trope; there is an overwhelming amount of explicit m/f pairs (one of them being. a romance that formed in a single day and then both of the characters were somehow willing to risk it all for each other? PLEASE) while the only hints of gayness are... hints. especially when Jodariel (another of my favs) is teased to have feelings for the player regardless of gender then only gets an ending with a male character with whom she has nothing in common 🙃

hades: and now. this one. music: gorgeous. character designs: spectacular (aphrodite is straight up naked but it’s so... natural and casual, it doesn’t feel sexualized at all). voice acting amazing. character interactions charming and endearing. as a greek mythology nerd, it was nice to see them go for the obscure shit like Zagreus at all, NOT portray Persephone and Hades as a loving couple, AND portrayed the gods as the bunch of petty assholes (some more benevolent than others) that they are. imo they’re too generous with their portrayal of achilles but i’ll allow it.

and finally... it seems all those criticisms about having all the gay characters hidden in the shadows paid off, cuz we got (aside of patroclus and achilles) a bisexual polyamorous protag. Holy Shit! and it’s not even playersexual, romance whomever you want shit without the routes recognizing each other: he explicitly talks about how he’s thinking abt them both (though it’s like “yeah usually mortals take one lover but gods love many huh” polyamory is a human thing too bro!!!!!)

and this is where it all goes, well, at least vaguely downhill lol. ok so the incest warning i gave up there? well. it’s not... outright incestuous. but it has some ugly implications. i want to emphasize: the characters never refer to each other as siblings, nor do they treat each other as such (thanatos, in fact, only recognizes hypnos as his brother, and megaera only sees the other furies as her sisters), but they were all raised by the same woman, Nyx... zagreus and thanatos even grew up together (im assuming megaera didnt meet zagreus until he was fully grown).

this is complicated even worse by the fact that they tried to trick zagreus into believing Nyx was his mother. he realized pretty early on this was not true but like... adoptive mothers, anyone? granted i can believe that bc of the attempt at deception that probably ruptured any attempt at actual familial closeness, and it’s not like hypnos and thanatos saw zagreus as their brother at any point, so they were p much aware of the truth too. with the fact that thanatos even looks like goth miles edgeworth (im not kidding you can google him up right now its literally edgeworth in a cowl) i rly feel they were aiming for Childhood Friend Anime Rival Man than the “surprise kiss bc ur not actually related <3″ shit. zagreus never once refers to nyx as his mother in-game, and also refers to thanatos and hypnos as her sons, never his brothers.

so yeah, like. if one’s feeling generous, zagreus and thanatos are more of a “my father is emotionally closed off and neglects me so my best friend’s mother basically raised me” kind of situation... just pulled off in, perhaps, the worst way possible (why didnt they just say Zagreus was told Hekate was his mom, that’s such an easy fix? or that he was born of nobody other than Hades??? [gestures at athena])

but then, the gods. aaaaaaaahhhhahahahh the gods. demeter shows up! and she calls zeus, hades and poseidon... her foster-brothers. which somehow would make the persephone thing less fucking awful, apparently. they really. really really did not need to do that. she could’ve just said “my fellow gods” or whatever. or my “god-brothers” or something, to pretend it was just a weird god alliance thing??? i dont know but implying that foster family isn’t family is just... bro, the dynamics still exist.

Don’t Like That.

i even contacted supergiant games over this. they reassured me they were even trying to avoid the incest of the original myths bc they didn’t want to mess with such a heavy theme. i believe them... but i really think they didn’t think this through. compared to something like fire emblem fates this is nearly benign, but the implications don’t look good :/

tl;dr of the tl;drs: i admire their artistic philosophy and the heavy emphasis on fresh gameplay, characters and their relationships; i appreciate that it seems that they listen to criticism?; i don’t appreciate that they didn’t think to at LEAST talk to adoptees when making a game about family.

[mobagehelllocal]

OK IM COMING OFF ANON BC IM LIKE 👀👀 FIRE EMBLEM BUT OK.... bc my brain is circulating around fe and twst, what dorms do you think the three houses cast would be in? (and the girls can go into the girl school you created :))

A/N: *PTERODACTYL SCREECHES* 

Now! I normally don’t do headcanons, but honestly this is the type of headcanon fun that I’ll do so I’ll... probably edit my rules so I can do more stuff like this since it’s fun! I’ll do you one better and do the girls twice! I went really ham. 

--

For Night Raven College:

Heartslabyul

Edelgard von Hresvelg - Edelgard is in Heartslabyul because her response to being pissed off is a lot like the Queen of Hearts--she decides to topple the monarchy and recreate Fodlan. On that note, I can see her fitting Scarabia too, but closer to Heartslabyul. She’s probably Riddle’s favourite junior. Trey likes her, Cater has tried to flirt with her (Cater: “never again”). Ace and Deuce are probably intimidated by her, and she doesn’t try to get along with them.  

Hubert von Vestra - I was pretty close to putting Hubert in Diasomnia, but he’s a pretty stubborn guy and will push himself into Heartslabyul. Plus, he’s a pretty strict guy so Heartslabyul isn’t so bad for him... What’s that? You want to know who Hubert gets along with? *chuckles* oh how naive, he only sees Edelgard. I can see him getting along with Riddle and Trey. Trey more than Riddle because Trey makes great coffee. He thinks Cater, Ace and Deuce are frivolous and a waste of time lmao. 

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd - Dimitri is in Heartslabyul because his response (”KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM”) to getting completely pissed off mirrors the Queen (“OFF WITH YOUR HEAD”). IRONICALLY, he and Edelgard are very alike in that aspect--but while Dimitri is hot anger--Edelgard is cold anger. They both have pretty terrifying rage. Pre-war, the two really did get along so hence I don’t think Heartslabyul will implode. Other than that, he’s actually a pretty peaceful guy unless completely set off. He’d be respectful of his seniors (especially Riddle and Trey), a little miffed at Cater because he’s like Sylvain. He’s okay with Ace and Deuce, but likely gets along better with Deuce. They vibe pretty well. 

Dedue Molinaro - Honestly, I could see Dedue in Scarabia too, but I figured he’d find some way to make sure he was with Dimitri. He gets along well with everyone, with their only note that he’s a pretty silent, careful guy. He gets along best with Trey because they like to exchange recipes, and Cater appreciates how Dedue is always willing to help out with the gardens. 

Ingrid Brandl Galatea - Actually might compete with Edelgard as Riddle’s favourite junior. Riddle probably likes that Ingrid is strict on herself. She is, however, definitely Trey’s favourite junior because of how enthusiastic she is with his cooking. He think that’s adorable. Cater is scared of her because she treats him like Sylvain LMAO. Ingrid probably also sees Ace in the same way. I think she actually likes Deuce and would help him where she could. 

Savannaclaw

Caspar von Bergliez - Savannaclaw has the most because I put the “punch first, ask later” characters into this lmao. Caspar being the most telling. Ironically, the Savannaclaw characters who are named are anything but that lmao. Leona is either dismissive or annoyed by Caspar’s energy. Ruggie thinks Caspar is hilarious. Jack and Caspar would probably get along really well, with Jack probably becoming more noisy/enthusiastic with a friend like Caspar. 

Felix Hugo Fraldarius - Leona and Felix might get along well, especially with how Felix dislikes chivalry. Leona, however, will be irritated if Felix kept trying to fight him--as Felix does. Felix probably doesn’t think much of Ruggie, and probably likes Jack a lot because of his strength. Jack and Felix will likely agree to disagree on underhanded techniques. Though I think Felix thinks it’s situational. Underhanded techniques in matches are a no-go, but underhanded techniques in a life-or-death sort of thing is a yay. 

Raphael Kirsten - Again, “punch first, ask later” character. He also has that hardworking trait, because he wants to help his family. Probably gets along well with Jack the most tbh. Ruggie probably doesn’t care much about Raphael, until Raphael comes up to him asking for saving tips and stuff. Then Ruggie would see him in a different light. Leona just thinks “great another one.”

Leonie Pinelli - Leonie is primarily here because of her tenacity. She definitely gets along well with Ruggie, and they share tips on how to save money/reuse items. Leonie’s likely to hang out with Ruggie the most, when he’s not with Leona. I think Leonie is pretty 50/50 with him. Like she can respect him, but she might not agree with everything he thinks. Definitely gets along pretty well with Jack though. 

Balthus von Albrecht - Leona probably thinks “why did I get a third one?” He probably doesn’t do to well with Leona because Balthus is a very loud guy. Ruggie definitely thinks he’s amusing, and is shook when Balthus admits about his debts and his need to pay back. Another one for the “Ruggie-senpai how do you save money” (I’m also a part of this club). Also gets along well with Jack. (Jack can try to deny it but he’s actually a person who is easy to get along with.)

Octavinelle

Mercedes von Martritz - The most terrifying Octavinelle member. The Donna of Octavinelle. Look, Lorenz is terrified of her. She can still see the Death Knight as Emile, her little brother. She mothers the whole of Octavinelle, and Azul probably pretends he doesn’t like it but actually enjoys it. She can out squeeze Floyd, and now Floyd is probably also a little terrified of her. Jade finds it all funny. 

Ashe Ubert - Honestly considered Ignihyde and Diasomnia from this boy before I ultimately chose Octavinelle. He fits in with the Octavinelle trio with his skill sets, but unlike them--Ashe is only mean to the people who he thinks are deserving of it. He uses his skills for good, and he’s a very Robin Hood character if you think about it. Also Ashe in a tux is sending me, help. Floyd probably enjoys threatening him with squeezes. Azul and Jade appreciate Ashe’s honest hard work, and probably enjoy it even more when he’s willing to use his skills to get back at others. He’s definitely one of the lead workers at Mostro Lounge--when people know he’s on schedule to cook, Mostro Lounge is flooded and Azul is happy. 

Yuri Leclerc - Yuri, Azul and Jade on the same side is terrifying. Like can you imagine the amount of double crossing they’d do? But here’s the thing, Yuri is also incredibly generous to those he thinks are deserving--which I think is what makes him suit Octavinelle. Yuri especially gets along well with Jade. He probably flirts with the Octavinelle trio. Azul and Jade would probably be impressed because I imagine Yuri can say what Floyd wants to hear so that Floyd would listen to him. 

Scarabia

Petra Macneary - I wasn’t too sure where to put Petra. I almost put her in Heartslabyul because she’s pretty strict onto herself, and I almost also put her in Pomefiore because she’s a huntress... but it’s essentially because she’s a huntress that I decided to put her in Scarabia. I figured as a huntress, she probably has that ‘deliberation’ aspect of Scarabia. Jamil respects Petra a lot for her craft, Kalim thinks she’s slightly scary but pretty okay all around. 

Annette Fantine Dominic - Annette probably wanted to be in Diasomnia, but she won’t complain and will instead work really hard in Scarabia. She’s probably Jamil’s favourite junior because he can relate to her strive to work hard and prove herself. In turn, she admires Jamil the most from the way he handles himself and Kalim. Annette enjoys her time with Kalim though, they often have small food appreciation sessions though. She also tries to help tutor Kalim, but Kalim is one tough nut to crack. 

Claude von Riegen - Jamil hates Claude HAHAHA. Primarily because Claude figured out that Jamil is definitely hiding something, and he’ll spend the rest of his high school(?) life figuring it out--much to Jamil’s despair. Jamil can at least appreciate that Claude helps bring up Scarabia’s average (with Annette). Claude and Kalim definitely get along well because they probably both enjoy parties. 

Pomefiore

Dorothea Arnault - Um hell yeah! She’s probably a popular MagiCam cover artist, with a couple of her own original songs. She’s pretty and classy. She and Vil would definitely also get along--they’d probably exchange beauty tips and stuff. She probably would have a soft spot for Epel, because they have similar roots, but she’d probably take him aside to tell him he should take advantage of his looks to win. She probably thinks Rook is weird. 

Ferdinand von Aegir - His appreciation for beauty is Ferdi’s primary reason for being in Pomefiore. Vil probably appreciates Ferdinand a lot more than what anyone thinks because he has a fresh and sweet admiration for beauty. Ferdi and Rook are pretty okay because Ferdi would probably not? call him out. Ferdi and Epel is a bit of a 50/50, wherein Ferdi probably unknowingly insults Epel, Epel fights back, and now they get along. 

Lorenz Hellman Gloucester - Lorenz and Rook probably get along well because they both have a similar appreciation for beauty. Lorenz will be a bit confused as to why Rook likes to stalk people? But other than that, Lorenz’s position in Pomefiore is because he appreciates beauty and considers himself beautiful. Vil probably thinks Lorenz could stand to try harder at it, but as long as Lorenz is trying then Vil has no issue with him. Epel doesn’t like him, “grrr eat the nobility” (Doro is proud of her son).

Hilda Valentine Goneril - I’m going at this because Hilda is really talented in the arts. ALSO CAN YOU IMAGINE THE POWER OF VIL SCHOENHEIT AND HILDA GONERIL? TOGETHER? Oh my god, Hilda’s my favourite FE3H girl, and seeing her side by side with Vil is sending me! They’ll be so popular, like can you imagine Hilda making Vil’s accessories? Them, featuring on each other’s accounts? Match made in beauty influencer heaven. Epel would start out disliking her, but then when he sees how strong Hilda is, he’d start to like her more. Hilda just think he’s cute. She also finds Rook strange. 

Ignatz Victor - His position in Pomefiore is also primarily because of his artistic sensibilities. He’s probably flirted with most of Pomefiore just because he keeps bringing up how beautiful they are. Vil probably commissioned him once to do a painting, and Ignatz became an overnight celebrity on MagiCam. He can get along with Rook, and a little with Epel. 

Ignihyde

Bernadetta von Varley - I MEAN. Where else would I put Bernie? She probably is shut off in Ignihyde, and is terrified of Idia because she think he’s out to get her--because whenever she leaves her room he’s also there. (In Idia’s defense, he think SHE’S out to get him because she’s always there when he leaves his room... it’s a never ending cycle with these two).

Linhardt von Hevring - I almost put him in Diasomnia, and honestly I could still put him there... but the reason I chose Ignihyde, is because I think his love for research outweighs his interest in the actual magical feats of Diasomnia. Also, if I remember from... Chapter 1? We didn’t see any Ignihyde students in the cafeteria, so I’ll believe that they all prefer to just stay in unless it’s an important event (which suits Lin very well). I can definitely see Linhardt being interested in Diasomnia though. He’s probably sleeping buddies with Silver. 

Constance von Nuvelle - I almost put her in Heartslabyul BUT THEN I REALIZED! Constance is basically Ignihyde personified. She’s more Ignihyde than Idia himself LMAO. Like she’s all quiet, and shy during class, but when she retreats to Ignihyde’s dark dorms--she’s loud, bossy and generally unlike them all. Idia gets a whiplash whenever he sees the 180. Ortho thinks she’s fun. 

Diasomnia

Sylvain Jose Gautier - Okay honestly, I almost put him in Pomefiore, but then I realized how much Diasomnia suited him more. LISTEN, everyone would be convinced that Sylvain is definitely Pomefiore material, only for everyone to be surprised when he’s put in Diasomnia because of how smart he actually is. Though he acts a little bit like the black sheep of Diasomnia because of how unlike them he is--he’s definitely going to stun a lot when he comes out with really high grades. Malleus would be impressed. Lilia would just know. Silver is asleep. Sylvain and Sebek... I can see Sylvain having no issue with him but not the other way around.

Lysithea von Ordelia - OF COURSE I’m going to put Lysithea in this house. She’s the little spitfire and darling of Diasomnia. I can see Malleus being really fond of her. In Lysithea’s pursuit of knowledge, I can imagine Lysithea would bug Malleus a lot for help--and Malleus would genuinely be pleased that this tiny little human bothers him so much. He’d love to teach her. Lilia would probably tease Lys often, but would always help her when she needs it. Lys would fight Sebek, and is pretty neutral to Silver.

Marianne von Edmund - Marianne thinks she deserves to be in this house because of her bloodline, and it probably makes her very sad. Lilia probably realizes what she feels and does go out of his way to cheer her up. Lilia probably pushes her towards Silver a lot though, because Silver is a pretty low maintenance friend. Marianne and Silver would also get along really well because they both get along well with animals, and spend a lot of time just sitting in the middle of a forest somewhere--just doing that. Marianne is probably scared of Malleus (and knowing her situation, Mal probably won’t push). On the other hand, Marianne is the one person Sebek can’t fight.  

Hapi - If she can summon magical beings with her sighs, then I can see her in Diasomnia just so that Malleus and Lilia could watch out for her. I can definitely see her bantering with Lilia, and just chilling with Silver. She probably... gets irritated with Sebek actually. They fight each other a lot with the use of petty insults lmao. Sebek does not appreciate it, but Lilia finds it funny so he sometimes eggs on their fights haha. 

Special Thought: Byleth/s are probably Diasomnia graduates. 

--

For The Garden Academy:

House Cosmos

Mercedes von Martritz - Mercie’s ability to remain positive in the face of all the things she was faced with is the primary reason I chose this house~

House Zinnia

Dorothea Arnault - Because Dorothea is kind to those she knows deserves it. I think I see her very similar to Cinderella, except a tad bit more jaded. 

House Eglantine

Constance von Nuvelle - it’s the House of Sophistication! Need I say more? I do believe that Eglantine suits Constance the most, especially for the sake of her noble house. 

House Anemone

Petra Macneary - Her interest, and general curiosity--plus willingness to learn more about the world is why I thought she suited Anemone the most. 

House Rose

Bernadetta von Varley - I chose this because she shares a love for books with Belle. I think, like Belle, she uses books as a form of escapism. 

House Jasmine

Lysithea von Ordelia - her desire to be independent and seen as an adult capable of making her own choices was the primary motivation for this placing!

House Sage

Marianne von Edmund - Marianne’s preference of interacting with animals, and her love for religion is the primary reason why I chose House Sage~! 

House Peach Blossom

Ingrid Brandl Galatea - because she understands the importance and weight of honor. And also because I think in Peach Blossom, she could learn that she could gain honor by remaining as she is. 

House Water Lily

Annette Fantine Dominic - Annette is honestly a lot like Tiana--determined to prove herself through honest hard work! 

House Chrysanthemum

Hilda Valentine Goneril - As the House of Artistry, I think Hilda would love it here because she’ll be allowed to pursue the one thing she enjoys--creating accessories~! 

House Thistle

Edelgard von Hresvelg - placed her here because she’s a lot like Merida, wherein she wants to choose and create her own path. 

Hapi - Honestly, I put her here because of her distaste for authority. She’s very, openly critical about what she thinks is wrong. 

House Hibiscus 

Leonie Pinelli - Ironically, House Hisbiscus shares the same belief as Savannaclaw which is tenacity. Since I chose that house based on Leonie’s tenacity, I decided to keep with it. 

[ravenempress101]

~Revolution Of Maddness~ Dionysus Greek Imagine Chapter 1

Authors note: finally made a Greek imagine. the legends of tomorrow did that on the episode. they picked my favorite love child to be Dionysus and had to write about it so here it is a new update and it will be a series cause it deserves one so enjoy my sweethearts! With everything going on have to spread happiness and love all of you my followers people who come across my story and heart i love you and truly be safe and love you! <3

Warnings: mind control, pure temptation, no smut, alcoholism, parties,swords

Words: 4.2k

"en grade newbie" "i am gonna kick your ass' Sara began to toss her frame in air cartwheeling her legs. her formation was about to take a final destination, she pulls her sword and swings upon y/n's side. y/n retracts her back inches toward the ground from the blow. as y/n stands up at Sara, the sword swings toward Sara's right side. the blow broke her defenses. twirling in the admits, her body collides with the floor. clenching her soft jaw at a winner of the sword fight. nick appeared from the door cups in his hand emblem with a mermaid locos monster on them.

"ooooo Starbucks thanks Nate"

Nate nodded at both of them while preparing the projector for the seminar. y/n paced over toward the cups capturing one in her hand, and niche her metal blade down onto the coffee table. Sara stood up and capturing one of the coffee. as she sat sat down sipping the espresso. Nate began to say 'your welcome i got you guys, double shot of espresso over ice, an american with a dash of mint, and a green tea with a hint of spearmint cause i was feeling freaky fresh today'

a mild chuckle escaped from y/n's lip at Nate. Sara slapped your arm to hide the laugh as she raised her cup in toast formation a smirk plastered on her lips commending Nate for the peace offering.“okay Nate no more reading joke books for a while”

as she takes another gulp of the raven liquid,he threw his hand up in embarrassment everyone making there way in the assignment lab. a meeting for a new mission were under there belt. as Nate said his hello to everyone for showing up to the meeting. capturing the red folders in his hand he gave a folder to all the members. y/n reaching for a red one Nate having one more folder with black and gold symbols on it. he placed it in your hand. y/n captured the folder in her hand wearing a puzzled expression.

"i think you gave me the wro...'

"alright case no.177 Dion's returned to his father Zeus by Dion or to be known as Dionysus" Nate flicked the screen. the screen appear to have a royal cup from the era of 950 BC. y/n blinked her eyes, refocuses to her folder opening it. there was a photograph of a young man with raven loose curls, deep dimples that covered his cheeks on his caramel cast a minority of freckles. "wait the god of winery is at a university, interesting" y/n scanning at a picture with the boy Dionysus with a basketball jersey of no. 52 in black bold on the front. Hes smiling but somethings off about how he poses for the picture.y/n was astound by the Greek god of winery. Zeus's son behaving like a animal. it was impossible for Dion to have any manners.

"sure is very" "that is an awesome cover up" Sara booming scribbling characters on her paper. Nate change the slide, the university and the sigma fraternity of the college that Dion was ruling over appeared. Dionysus was a regular kid on the outside but on the inside a bloodline of 1,456  years of pure immortality youth. 

"not so awesome, y/n you would have to get Dionysus in your corner, his father Zeus needs him for his kingdom' y/n stalking off in a pointless huff. her anger burning at the words from Nate. "really me" "Oh no" "why me?' it's my first day"

Nate claps his hand together as rambling stopped. strutting over toward yourself placing your hand on your shoulder "you'll do great if i didn't know i would have never recruited you, this will prove to us and you that you can handle anything" a slight grin creep on her face at his encouragements. y/n knew she had a flame in her to fight but the god of madness was unknown to her. y/n praying that her charisma must prosper on him.

therefore, they appear a few days later at the university of the sigmas. college kids sprinting through campus. the teachers pulling out pink slips and the teachers sprinting after the kids, the smell of rose perfume in the air of the sorority woman dressed up in dresses of coordinating pink.y/n rolled her eyes of the desperate childishness memories  that back when she was a 23 year old. The tables of the fraternities, sororities, and forities. mission was calling her name to sign up for one of the Greek organizations. Dionysus has to be in one of the big Greek leads.

"where is the god of destruction' a pink set of shirts wore by girls past her. y/n scanned her surroundings for the mysterious boy Nate set for her. the smell of dark chocolate feeling the air as Nate and her distracted by the rumbles of there stomachs. "dang can't believe it's been so long, they used to call me shot gun Nate'  Nate walked over to one of the fraternity beer coolers and captured a beer. poking a hole in the side of the can and then cracked the seal at the top . downing the beer in seconds, y/n heart stopped at Nate her words held captive at what he did. the empty can collided with the floor and a 'woo" erupted from him as the students clapped an cheered "shotgun Nate" at his reenactment of his college days.

"shot gun Nate really" y/n giggled at the praised man. leaving the college students with amazement. "yes could drink a whole keg in three minutes or less, that was the big bang and then Dion.." college men with bullhorns started chanting"delta sigma phi" from across the sanctuary . men dressed in college t-shirts in formation convey a perfect angel from above.

"there he is"

y/n pointed at the tint shades being his hidden drunken state. His tan chubby frame leap off the throne.strutting over toward Nate and you at the sorority table you signed up for "where here, i love this day where i can meet all the fraternities and sororities with sweet alluring angels, hello angel whats your name' his orbs dance on your masterpiece. y/n nausea creep up at her throat. she took a big gulp forcing the food back down in her. y/n knew she was sick from his cockiness of attitude.y/n whispered to herself while Nate overheard her. "I'll break your bon...

"wow wow aye now" 

Nate raising his index finger and gave her a death glare.y/n smiled innocently at her mentor transforming her attitude to positive. returning back to Dion’s gaze at her chubby frame while capturing his bottom lip in between his teeth. curves carved by Aphrodite herself set Dionysus in a vibe. "i mean hello and what is your name sir" "well its Dion and i see your participating in the zeta omega the charlie's angels of the sorority' Dion purring at her.the god of ecstasy pools of chocolate appear slight soberness toward y/n as she side eyed Nate. Nate couldn't get her out this one. it was time to prove her worth. "yes i am and what fraternity yourself apart of" y/n placed her free hand underneath her chin. soaking up Dion's beauteous features he portrayed "the sigmas also known as the forbidden fruit of the campus but Hun i'll make arrangements for you" Dion stepping closer toward y/n. his slender rough finger guided along your arm. y/n's body quaked from the touch of Dion. y/n stepped back from the gorgeous man.

"ugh i’m good Nate, i am done with this mission' a fire-seed rose up in y/n, as she began gritted her teeth. silence fell upon her as she stormed off. her footsteps were acid like movements burning the ground she walked on. the sparks in her brain at Dion's actions where uncalled for. Nate chased right after yourself. furrowing his eyebrows your way.being selfish was the only option y/n had made this whole mission.it was time for y/n to be selfless this one time for the legends. "then your kicked off the legends, y/n hes not that bad' Nate placing a burden upon y/n. Dion as went through nails and dirt and y/n couldn't even pushed down her ego.his attitude toward girls can change for the better. a journey for the both of them was underway.

"yes he is, a childish boy that thinks hes so awesome but really not look at him" both of you glanced at the Greek god as he downed his golden cup of wine that he created from his vineyard. the 5 gentlemen that followed him waved there hands in front of his chiseled face. a smirk came your way as he waited for your presence to disrupt his atmosphere.Dion wanted yourself so bad and he would do anything to get you sprung over him.time and patience is all he needs. "just try the best you can do with him we need him for Zeus and he needs care' as Nate scanned a cocky Dion placed his finger pointing at y/n wiggling it for a gesture of "come my why" y/n clenched her jaw as she saw red giving him the death glare on the naive men. Nate jumped right in front of her for a distraction. he soothed her anger.

"ugh fine' y/n through her ego away and walked back over to her project. "alright Dion i'm y/n do you wanna help me pick out a sorority crown i have to wear' capturing the catalog in her hand. scanning at all the majority diamond crowns and looking back up at Dion with a shy smile. side eyed the followers of men for agreement.they all nodded Dion captures his arm in yours. 'oooo first day and you wanna hang with me leggo' y/n and Dion walked out into the building and on the sorority neighborhood he owned.

"great!' victory was at hand for y/n and she couldn't be more happy next, Dion sitting in the kitchen chair. a laptop placed on his lap as he organized a guest list for his ultimate party of the century. the god of ecstasy made euphoria a place for all his parties. "so y/n coming to my party tonight since i helped you pick out the tiara for your sorority" "mhmmm i don't know i have to get stuff together for this sorority' Dion and you were in his house. a silent whisper fell upon both you.y/n thought Dion had classes but he skipped and bride somebody to go to his classes for him. 

"it will be fun if your there, sound like the party type and it will get me a better chance of having fun if your there with me' 'mhmm i don't know i have to get stuff together for this sorority" pointer finger captured in between her teeth as she bite tiny marks on her fingernails. Dion plastering a smile convincing you to his rage. y/n didn't sign up for a drunken teenager as the mission went on. staying on her feet and having her senses high alert was her main priority. "okay okay stop your begging Dion i'll go" "that’s what i do best and great i'll save you a spot" while Dion winked your way. his head found his way onto your shoulder. once came in contact with yourself y/n's organs shivered. her soul glowing from the Greek god that touched her. as Dion was scanning his computer screen. y/n forehead flared up with sweat droplets. puzzled on how her body react with his touch was amazed. 

Stumbling over her "great" the words stayed in her throat. Dion retracts his touch from her and y/n inhales deeply as her insides stood at a still. everything going back to normal, and the sweat disappear. Dion getting up from his seat and walking into the kitchen. y/n looks over her shoulder while capturing her iPhone from her pocket. as she unlocked her phone. started typing a message to Nate, "omg Nate i have to go to the party Dionysus is planning really???" the iPhone buzzed and y/n scanned at the text  that he left on her phone "yes you do! the mission must be going really well, don't drink to much" cursing under her breathe. as she typed away the next text and pressed send. "omg fine you owe me one"

Dion made his way back into the room. a plate of rice in his hand and chop sticks in the other he sat down and took a bite and held the plate to your face. as y/n shook for a refusal he went back to planning. the darkness filled the air as the stars decorated the sky. y/n walked toward Dion's fraternity house. two boys Turing up beers and smashing the cans on there heads while shouting violently. wandering eyes landed to the lawn of all the toilet paper from the trees and the signs the sigmas created for there fraternity. y/n turned on her heels and walked back over toward her sorority house. y/n was in defeat at the accomplishment "look who made it, know you show up' Dion wrapping his words around your body. pulling yourself back towards the fraternity house. Dion ran down the steps capturing your hand  guiding yourself into the sweaty body's grinding on each other. "hey Dion yes i'm here' "good i'm very glad you are,we have a long night ahead of us, lets get a drink shall we?"

"its a very special drink i want you to try' Dion forcing your body to his wine table. the table was covered with Hennessy and vodka. the bottles labeled with his name on them and sliver ribbon were around the alcohol bottle. "you have a lot of wine' guiding your free hand over the wine. y/n capturing one in hand and about to slip it in her pocket. Dion captures both of your hands in his some grapes from the table and starts smashing it between his rough palms with your soft ones. a fine liquid filled the glass of the self made wine that he mastered. "yea i make it here try a sip' the navy blue liquid filled to the rim. y/n captured the glass from his hand and placed her nose above the special drink. the contents were sweet but a bitterness tickled her nose. "cool so how long have you been part of the fraternity?" y/n scanning down her glass while mixing the drink. the drink was filled with darkness. a raven liquid filled with night. "a few years, i really find myself humble while ruling over the campus, drink up sweetheart"

placing the wine glass toward her heartshappes and tossed back the glass. the bitterness wine gliding down her throat. a Delicious taste invade it her taste buds. as sweat flared up on her forehead. her body temperature rising. "i feel hot Dion' Dion took a sip.the alcohol entering both of your bodies.y/n body felt hot to the touch. she felt like she wanted to strip all her clothes and jump in the pool just to release the steam she was feeling inside. "oh you'll cool down, how’d that taste?" Dion's cup colliding with the floor and he took your cup and the cup following behind. y/n's mouth erupted with coughs. pupils dilated and a source of enlightenment to her frame. her body floated from the high that his drink possessed. 

"well tastes... awesomely delicious and i feel..' y/n's word started to muffle out her mouth. placing a foot in front of the other sounds of the crowd becoming a blur. her foot steps boomed in her ears. her heart at a slow steady speed. a clogging feeling to her ears. Dion's smiled turned dark staring at your frame. "Free almost right?, i'm going to ask yourself some questions" y/n felt like her body gave up on her conscious and were following her new leader. Dion, his voiced boomed in your soul. her orbs made its way toward Dion's chocolate ones. swimming the the looseness he conjured upon yourself. "are you really here for a sorority?' y/n blinking her eyes, refocusing on coming back to her body. the siren he position was a strength like no other. y/n mentally fighting but physically giving into the temptation. fading out of conscious.

"y-y-e... no' Dion strutted over towards yourself. Dion found pleasure in what he was doing. "tha’ts it baby girl cmon' "really why are you hear of all places?" his concerning question filled with care.y/n was becoming in denial and trusting of him in all one sitting. y/n chasing her thoughts back and slowly backing up from Dion for ehat he was did. stuttering forcing on her lips. the cover couldn't be blown. 

"Hun don't struggle, you'll  tire yourself out, just let go" senses shifted from his words as y/n's legs gave out. her frame collided with the floor. trembling filled her body as Dion crouched down to her level. her eyes started to loose her natural color and form into Dion's his rough fingers landed underneath your soft chin. y/n relaxed under his touch as Dion scanned for any control your body, soul, and mind for him to rule over. her blinking ceased and tears welled up in her eyes. one tear escape from her orb and found its way down its cheek. "i'm not here for this sorority, please see your dad he needs you" the moment Dion realized what had came from your mouth is heart broke. his feeling like he was drowning underwater. as Dion paused in front of yourself at the information he gathered. his rough palms trailing up and down your arms. warmth fell upon yourself. 

"now isn't that better, the truth is better and look princess your reward is being here with me don't need you running off now your special just as your mind is" Dion's eyes filled with a soft venom of anger and a clenched jaw. a daze came over y/n as she nodded at the command. "yes i will be he-rr-e for you and only you Dion" shoulders relaxed. as a questionable peace came over her. as y/n began to embrace Dion she felled straight to the floor in front of him. her body knew his commands right away. a bow she took. Dion thoughts in his brain of your schedule he place you on.

"that’s so very tight to hear, can' wait to hear the little cries as you worship me' Dion taking your chin forcing yourself to look up at his gaze. Dion summoned one of his followers to him and Dion whispered in his ear "get the legends of tomorrow on the phone, they will be proud of me and her for what i done" Dion evilly grinned at yourself. all the thoughts of you and him were causing excitement for him.y/n trapped with the caramel man side. the euphoria crashing through  her body and Dion was the supplier toward that feeling. Dion shouted and men appeared from the shadows toward his command "men, help her change into something sexy, i found what i need and shes the kindest goddess ever. the men nodded there way toward him and captured your arms in there hands leading yourself in a room as yourself left. Dion waved his free hand at yourself of a gesture of welcoming to a new home.  

[vinatintasupernovita]

Rating Fictional Characters I at one point or another in my life was DEEPLY invested in!!

- this is so embarassingly long as we can clearly tell i am mentally ill, let’s get started:

Mystique Sonia from Hero 108: Amazing design, weird concept but was probably based on something that i wasn’t aware of at the time, my first official oc was literally a copy of her in another color. 8/10

Noah from Total Drama: This is so embarassing it’s almost laughable but it’s also not. I was projecting. -4/10

Pai/Sardon from Tokyo Mew Mew/Mew Mew Power: He falls into a similar category of Kyoya from Ouran who to save space, id like to call “stoic men who Fresa thought were hot/the reasons not to question her sexual orientation” 3/10

Rowdyruff Boys from Powerpuff Girls/Powerpuff Girls Z: I was a tomboy/‘very clearly going to be a lesbian when i grew up’ kind of person and them being my favorites was a clear sign of that. They were equal in my eyes but I did like Butch the least, very ironically considering the obvious joke in the room. Again, they were family of my longest loved OC Brittney she was their little sister and she’s the reason i started talking to people on the internet. 9/10

HIM from Powerpuff Girls/Powerpuff Girls Z: Again, clearly going to be a lesbian. minus 2 points for realizing he was just a heavily queer coded villain. 6.5/10

Tallest Purple from Invader Zim: I would like all traces of my obsession with this miserable little gay dictator to be wiped from the internet I was very clearly going through it. Now i also realize he was in a relationship with Red but being 11 i said they were brothers so i could project. 2/10

The Weird Sisters from Sailor Moon: Talk about character development!! I still call them by their english dub names bc i haven’t watched the sub so 🧍‍♀️ 7/10

China from H*talia: Nope nope nope not even going here. -100/10

Frederick from Fire Emblem Awakening: He’s a good man but not for me anymore. I would still love if he chopped me firewood. 8/10

Izana from Fire Emblem Fates: Id still let him hit for free. Lovely man and he actually still makes me smile and i will not be marrying anyone else in my birthright play throughs ever 9/10

Charlotte from Fire Emblem Fates: I would do literally anything for her literally anything baby i’ll provide for you. 10/10

Rose Quartz from Steven Universe: I was also emotionally abused as a child so big kinnie vibes here, im no apologist for her actual bullshit but i do think she did the best she could’ve. 6/10

Holly Blue Agate from Steven Universe: I.. girl call me like. I’ll still hit it. 9/10

Shannon from OK KO!: I was just being a lesbian. I miss her and this show it was genuinely one of my favorites 7/10

Athena from Hercules: The Animated Series: Imagine taking so many screenshots of a character it slows down your device and not realizing you’re gay. That was me. I still love her and her design so much and seeing her in a KH3 cutscene was the highlight of the entire game which i did not play 8/10

Jaehee from Mystic Messenger: i literally played that game cus my best friend told me there was a lesbian option 🤭 I love her so much it’s unreal babes if i had as little care for my sleep schedule as i did when i was 16 i would be playing again just for her. 10/10

Persephone from Hadestown: Amber Gray is amazing and im in love with every note she sings. Persephone as a character is so rich and interesting and i want her dress so bad. I’m gonna cosplay her eventually. 10/10

Anathema Device from Good Omens: I have written more words than several harry potter books advocating for this woman to be a lesbian. Says a lot about me. 11/10

The Four Horsepeople of the Apocalypse from Good Omens: First off who gave them the right to be that hot? Who did that?? second, They’re literally all like, in my brain, 95% fanon that me and Hannah made up. Which is incredibly valid and sexy. Neil Gaiman and a lot of the fandom wasted their potential anyway 12/10

Frannie Miller from Good Omens: ok someone call up god and ask how he made me so deranged i just made up an entire life backstory character motivations and personality for a character who has a total of like 6 lines max. 12/10

Hela Odinsdottir from Thor: me and her are married as far as i’m concerned it was a summer wedding 1000000/10

[derireo]

why does everyone hate yukio what did he do pls gimme some spoilers

almost forgot to answer this! :o for anyone who wants to avoid MAJOR spoilers, please don't proceed any further!

Okay, so here’s the thing. I also don’t know much past Act 1 as I’ve only experienced snippets of Act 2 and Act 3 on Twitter because I don’t really mind spoilers. (Doesn’t really ruin my experience of the game!)

But not everybody hates Yukio. A lot of EN only players tend to have mixed feelings about him or don’t want to judge him yet until we’ve got everything from JP server localised.

Personally, I don’t want to hate Yukio, but it’s kind of hard not to since he’s a father who left his family and friends without any explanation. Just up and left.

Now, here is what we DO know so far from Act 1.

At the very beginning of the game, Izumi receives an invitation that was meant for Yukio. Izumi’s all determined that this is how she’s going to be able to track down her father only to be met with MANKAI that is literally on the verge of getting destroyed to become a cabaret club.

(A cabaret club is kind of like a host club, just more refined and high-class. Tbh, Sakyo could have raked in a lot of cash with that if Izumi didn’t appear.)

Unfortunately, Yukio is nowhere to be seen and Matsukawa has no idea who Izumi is until she explains why she’s there.

Fast forward to where we meet Yuzo. There’s this one scene in Act 1 that happens where Yuzo thinks about how proud Yukio would be if he saw Izumi now. And then there’s another scene where Yuzo is on the phone.

I can’t remember the conversation well, but it was implied/proved/people guessed he was talking to Yukio on the phone.

And like. U know. Let me talk to my fucking dad.

Anyways, I got over that moment pretty quickly bc I was like, whatever, not worth it. I really don’t need a dad in this damn game anyways, but it would’ve been pretty fuckin’ nice right??

That’s pretty much all I know CLEARLY.

But then Act 3 comes along with the original A3! leaders.

As in, the original members of the ORIGINAL MANKAI. You know, the one that Yukio formed back in his late high school days and kept together up until his mid 30/40′s. Before he dipped. Yaknow.

Kasumi (Spring), Hiro (Summer), Zen (Autumn), Syu (Winter).

Kasumi, Hiro, and Zen are the leaders who only have good/neutral opinions on Yukio while Syu seems to despise him. Something happened in the past that left a bad taste in Syu’s mouth, (I vaguely remember what, but I don’t want to say just in case I twist the character’s words) and when he reappears, he kind of voices his distaste for Izumi’s dad.

And then there’s Reni. Oh my god, there’s Reni. I’m not too heated or surprised or intrigued by this information, but MANKAI was founded by both Yukio and Reni. (Correct me if I’m wrong.)

Reni was so enthralled and encouraged by Yukio’s acting, so much so that he agreed to form a troupe with him (or the other way around?).

They worked their asses off gathering members for this troupe, worked so hard until they finally made it big enough to qualify for a Fleur Award. One of the most prestigious of awards to win as a troupe.

But like, something happens??? I don’t know if it was explained yet what exactly happened, but this thing causes Yukio to flee. I don’t know if these are rumors or canon, but people have said that Yukio fled the damn country over something that we don’t know.

Like. Unless ur wanted for murdering someone or because u need to find refuge, I don’t really think u have the right to leave everyone and everything in the dust just because u fucked up.

Doesn’t matter if it was to save the company or the faces of the people he worked with because either way, the company nearly fell apart with Sakyo and he’s made an enemy of Reni and fuckin’ Syu, the boomer e-boy (attack me, idc) doesn’t like him either.

Anyways, these are just things I’ve read in passing so take this info like a grain of salt or just completely disregard me.

FOR ME, PERSONALLY. I just don’t like absent fathers.

How many games have I gone through where the MC has no dad or has lost a dad (I’m looking at u Fire Emblem. Especially you, Three Houses. I want Jeralt back).

And then very personally, I grew up without a dad and was raised by my two older brothers. My mom was busy working so many jobs that I rarely saw her, and even with my brothers around, I was still left to my own devices because they were busy with school and working as well.

My dad left my family in debt. He was absent for more than half of my life. I had no idea where he was, I was never told why he wasn’t with us, I have no recollection of having him in my life.

Izumi’s lucky enough to remember Yukio since he left her when she was still in her teens so she can still cherish those happy memories, but it’s also unfortunate that she has to live the rest of her life without her dad (assuming that he isn’t going to come back or make an appearance).

The absence of my dad took a huge toll on my family, to be honest. My mom worked tirelessly and my brothers had no one to go to. My brothers fell into this lifestyle of gang violence, substances, and lots of illegal activity. There was really no one there to steer them away because I was too young and my mom wasn’t there enough (I can’t blame her).

It’s not hard to imagine that Izumi lived similarly to me. Being an only child in her case, she was probably alone most of the time when her mom was working. 

Doing the chores at home, staying out late because she doesn’t want to come back to an empty house, getting a job and involving herself in way too many extracurriculars so she has an excuse not to be at home.

I’m actually really surprised that Liber hasn’t made Izumi resent Yukio because I know I would be super fucking pissed rather than be keen on discovering his whereabouts. I don’t give a fuck.

I know it’s just a game, but damn, bro.

Anyways, I’m just one of many few who dislike Yukio and it may be because of personal reasons (I know that for me, it is very very personal).

Don’t let my opinion sway you, really, I think you should experience everything in EN server when the time comes to really form an opinion. I know for me, whatever happens next with Yukio, if it’s good news like he’s coming back or he has a good reason for leaving, it’s going to be very difficult for me to be okay with just that.

The jealousy, loneliness, and pondering your worth as a child??? God, I wish that was never me. And to think Izumi probably had to go through that during her teen years??? Phew, I think a lot of us know that feeling too well.

I actually have a WIP that I started last month that touched bases on Izumi’s growing up through high school without Yukio so if I ever get back to that again, you’ll kind of get to see my self-projection lols.

Anyways. that’s all I have. Hope this answered your question, anon! Thanks for asking. 

[devil-kindred]

Get to Know Me - raisinghellinotherworlds

Saw @pd3 do this and though I’d give it a go!

-

1. Name : Siren (it’s a pseudonym!)

2. Nationality: American

3. Age: 27

4. Birthday: January 29th

5. Zodiac sign (or your primal zodiac sign): Aquarius

6. Gender: Female

7. Sexuality: Heterosexual

More below the cut

[[MORE]]

8. Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)

For the record this is the only recent picture of myself I like and this is about as much of my face as you’ll ever see bc I know my angles.

9. What do you/did you study?: I went to school for a Bachelors in Arts with and emphasis on Sciences but never finished it bc 1) college is expensive and 2) I don’t know what I want to do career-wise so there’s not a point in going back anymore.

10. What’s your current job like?/What job would you like to have?: I’m a service desk associate at a department store. Something where I could deal with less people bc boy does this job push my patience sometimes.

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11. What is your birth order?: Firstborn/Oldest.

12. How many siblings do you have?: Technically four, but only two living.

13. Do you have good relations with your family?: My immediate family. My siblings are closer to each other (but they’re only two years apart) but we get along. I also have a good relationship with my parents though I’m not as close to my mom as I could be it’s hard to forget the not nice things your parent say to you as a kid.

14. How many friends do you have?: Lots though only a few I see/talk to on a regular basis.

15. Your relationship status: Single.

16. What do you look for in a SO?: Intelligent, kind, has a sense of humor.

17. Do you have a crush?: I guess.

18. When was your first kiss?: WHY *sighs* I was... 25.

19. Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?: I’ve... never been in an actual relationship? I’d like to say serious.

20. What are your deal breakers? Being rude, cheating, and treating me like a child/you know what’s best for me/someone in need of saving (new flash, i am not your princess peach/some damsel in distress. If you need to rescue someone I am not your girl).

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21. How was your day?: It’s still early into the day and I go to work in about an hour and a half and I get to close so we’ll see!

22. Favourite food & drink: French Fries. Or anything with potatoes. I’m a fiend. And Dr. Pepper or Coffee.

23. What position do you sleep in?: On my side/stomach on the part of the bed that’s against the wall.

24. What was your last dream about?: It was... highly NSFT and no, I will not go into detail.

25. Your fears: I’m not a fan of spiders or bugs of any kind really, I hate clowns, and I don’t like thunderstorms. Or tornados.

26. Your dreams: Move, either out of state or out of the country.

27. Your goals: See above.

28. Any pets?: A bird, Momo.

29. What are your hobbies?: Writing, playing video games, and reading (fanfic or books)

30. Any cool places in your area?: I’m sure there are but I live in a town surrounded by corn and other farmland so... it’s anyone’s best guess.

31. What was your last awkward situation?: The other day when a customer stared at me for a solid three minutes when I explained that due to the pandemic we’re no longer offering one of our services in an effort to reduce contact.

32. What is your last regret?: That I didn’t realize the true nature of some people who I no longer speak to sooner.

33. Language/s you can speak: English, Spanish (I’m so rusty though), a little bit of French, and a teeny tiny bit of Japanese.

34. Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.): I believe in my many things so yes.

35. Have any quirks?: Uh... I mess with my hair when I’m nervous? & the more nervous I get my (already high) voice gets higher and will go up several octaves the more nervous I get?

36. Your pet peeves: People in my apartment building slamming the front door all the damn time.

37. Ideal vacation: Somewhere with nice scenery and where it’s calm.

38. Any scars?: Quite a few small ones on my head from a car accident when I was just a baby (I went through a window- got a few scrapes but other than that was unharmed) and one on my hand (it’s on both sides of my hand too) from when I was toddler and got bit by a dog.

39. What does your last text message say?: “I’ll let you know when I get some gameplay posted!” I have a sideblog for casual TS4 gameplay. Was telling a friend that I was going to post new stuff soon.

40. Last 5 things from your search history: No thanks! It’s all just checking if a word is really a word and spelling anyways.

41. What’s your [Device] background?: Lockscreen is a wallpaper from FFXV ft. The Chocobros; Hope Screen is Sam & Evie.

42. What do you daydream about?: Writing mostly.

43. Describe your dream home: Decent amount of space, a library room to hold all my books... good lighting, comfy.... preferably NOT in the middle of nowhere.

44. What’s your religion/Your thought about religion: I am not a fan. Particularly of Christianity but everyone has their own beliefs and in that regard, to each their own. Just don’t try to convert me bc the answer is f*ck no.

45. Your personality type: INFP.

46. The most dangerous thing you’ve done?: Climbed onto the roof of the shed when I was little because I got something stuck up there.

47. Are you happy with your current life?: For the most part!

48. Some things you’ve tried in your life: Gymnastics, Ballet, etc.

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49. What does your wardrobe consist of?: Lots of t-shirts, jeans, shorts, flats, boots, etc.

50. Favourite colour to wear?: Black or Blue.

51. How would you describe your style?: Extremely casual.

52. Are you happy with your current looks?: Kinda? I really need to cut my hair because it’s gotten so long it’s annoying. But I can put up with it until it’s safe again bc pandemic. My hair is not that important I assure you.

53. If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?: Oh God, could I be taller? Like at least 5’3”? Which is still teeny but better than my 4’9” ass.

Do you have any piercings or tattoos?: I have 3 piercings and three tattoos (two finished, one in progress)

55. Do you get complimented often?: Maybe? I’m oblivious to the point that you could have a flashing neon sign with the compliment written on it and it would probably still go over my head.

56. Favourite aesthetic?: Biker Chic!

57. A popular trend that you dislike: Neon.

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58. Songs you’re currently obsessed with?: Blessed Be - Spiritbox.

59. Song you normally wouldn’t admit you like: If I like a song, I like it. But if I have to pick one, I know everyone hates Despacitio. I know, ok but I really like the original version bc I like the sound. Latin music always has a fun groove to it.

60. Favourite genre?: Rock & Metal.

61. Favourite artist/band/genre?: Type O Negative, Pallbearer, Ice Nine Kills. Give me all the goth rock/metal and just fun metal in general.

62. Hated popular songs/artists?: Oh boy... don’t hate me but I um... don’t care too much for T Swift? And I’m not a fan of country.

63. Put your music on shuffle and list first 5: Devil’s // Door - VCTMS, Karasu - The GazettE, Path - Apocalyptica, I Walk the Line - Halsey, Drumming Song - Florence + the Machine

64. Can you sing or play any instruments?: I can kinda play bass but I’m still learning so it’s just like... the very bare basics.

65. Do you like karaoke?: I’m very self-conscious so no.

66. Own any albums?: Yes, though majority are digital.

67. Do you listen to radio? What stations?: Yes. I have it on for background noise in my room in which case I don’t pay attention to it, but I have XM radio in my car where I listen to Octane/Liquid Metal/Turbo.

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68. Favourite movie/series?: The Dark Knight trilogy or Hellraiser or Nightbreed.

69. Favourite genre of movies/books/etc: Horror, Sci-fi, and fantasy.

70. Your fictional crush/es: Too many. Look at my OCs and their SO’s and you’ll find a bunch of them.

71. Which fictional character is you?: My friends would say Mira Jane from Fairy Tail. My bestie says Mercedes from Fire Emblem Three Houses (minus the devout part bc... I do not have nice feelings re-religion. You do you though!).

72. Are you a shipper? List your otps, if so: Yes, and once again you’ll be reading for eternity. So I’ll sum it up as too many to list.

73. Favourite greek god?: Apollo.

74. A legend from where you live that you like: It’s said that before big disasters happen in the town I live in + the surrounding areas, that you’ll see a panther. Supposedly one has been seen before at least 4 different bad things that have happened over the years. I’m in the midwest though so take that as you will.

75. Do you like art?: I do but I don’t really have a favorite. ... I am kinda partial to Van Gogh though.

76. Can you share your other social media?: I have a Pinterest but since my other social media has my name (which I also share with an OC whoops. That’s what I get for being indecisive and going the first name the name generator gave me) I’d rather not. If you ask and we’re friends I’ll probably give it to you but...

77. Favourite youtubers?: I don’t really watch too many anymore but I’ve been watching a lot of jacksepticeye’s gameplay. Aside that I tend to just watch channels like PlayStation Access or Outsidexbox.

78. Favourite platform?: Instagram

79. How much time do you spend on the internet?: More than I should, I’m sure.

80. What video games have you played? Which one’s your favourite? Uh, if I had to list them all you’d literally be reading this for eternity. To sum it up, I mostly play RPGs/JRPGs, open-world, survival horror (my fave), and a few (emphasis on few) FPS. Favorites are (once again with a limit): Bioshock, Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Until Dawn, Silent Hill 2, and Fatal Frame.

81. Your favourite books (manga also counts): do you know how f*cking hard this question is as someone who’s a bookworm? Ok, ok um... Gotta have a limit or I’ll never shut up... um... Three favorites: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, Horns by Joe Hill, and American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

82. Do you play board/card games?: On occasion! They’re best with bigger groups but alas, my apartment is rather small and I don’t have a lot of space for multiple people so I don’t play them often.

83. Have you ever been to a night marathon in cinema? No, but it sounds fun.

84. Favourite holiday: Halloween!

85. Are you into dramas?: As in, tv dramas? Kinda? I have a friend on lived in SK for a time and got into K-dramas so I watch them with her from time-to-time when she visits.

Would you use a Death Note if you had one?: No.

87. What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?: Oh boy... make everyone get along, ensure everyone could live their life to the best possible, etc.

88. Could you survive a zombie apocalypse?: Possibly.

89. If you had to be turned into a paranormal being, what would it be?: I’m going with mythical instead of strictly paranormal but... a vampire!

90. What would you want to happen to you after your death?: As in to my body? Cremate me. To my stuff, give my books to a good home and take care of my bird.

91. If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?: Most people call me by my middle name already since I got tired of people calling me the wrong name (& I like my middle name better) and insisting my first name was actually a nickname (it’s not, it’s the same as the musician I’m named after) so if I were to eventually be bothered enough, I’d have it legally changed to my middle name.

92. Who would you switch your life with for a week?: I don’t know to be honest. I’m fairly happy with my life so I think I’d just not switch.

93. Pick an emoji to be your tattoo: 🌊

94. Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true: I took karate classes for several years, I’ve never dyed my hair, I’ve had two jobs thus far.

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95. Cold or hot?: Cold I guess? If we’re talking in reference to seasons give me cool (aka Fall).

96. Be a hero or be a villain?: Hero because being a villain would mean I’d have to be mean to people and I can’t even pick the mean options in video games without feeling guilty so...

97. Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?: um... no? I’m not quite certain what this means but I’m going to go with no?

98. Shapeshifting or controlling time?: Shapeshifting!

99. Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?: Immortal.

[luminisvii]

okay im gonna go black out and write some bullshit about my Thoughts on Literary Analysis and Character Writing bc i love writing and i love trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t. i am an unfortunate fan of fire emblem, so the real joke is on me, but let’s do this anyway. using a lot of bold as always! it makes me feel special.

Why is Leonie such a divisive character? 

as per usual, here is my disclaimer that it’s okay to like Leonie. it’s also okay to dislike her, as long as you’re not being a massive dick about it. lord knows people are rude to me about lorenz and i didn’t ask for their opinions. if you like leonie, i am not out to get you, i’m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t, i’m not even mad at you. Neat! you like a character i don’t! and that’s just fine. i honestly don’t care! go have fun! 

so let’s talk. theres a TL;DR at the end so be ready.

i’ll make no bones about it: i’m in the camp that dislikes her. i don’t have the energy to hate her as i do for faye, but leonie is pretty obnoxious as a character and it’s an uphill battle to like her. i’ve played VW like three times since i’m a self professed GD stan so i’ve dealt with her a lot, read most of her supports, and seen her as a character in actual cutscenes and stuff.

the short answer: making a character obsessed with another one and having that be most of their personality is really annoying. 

the long answer: let’s start on that now! these are my personal thoughts and analysis, so you’re free to disagree with me if you think i’m falling short.

one statement i will make right away is that i’m not offended by leonie being mean to the player. a lot of people who stan leonie like to argue that people dislike her because she’s one of the few characters who doesn’t kiss byleth’s ass immediately. that’s fine. that doesn’t bother me. after all, seteth and hapi are mean to byleth at first too, and those two are far more beloved… in fact, it’s funny that they’re mean to byleth. i would also argue that my favorite lord claude is not buddy buddy with byleth at first either, but if these popular opinion threads have proven anything to me, people love taking claude’s lying ass at face value. that’s besides the point—it’s okay that leonie isn’t immediately friendly to byleth. that is not an objective character flaw. characters need something to conflict over in the narrative, and not being instantly friendly to a player insert is not a problem in the slightest.

the major flaw in leonie’s character, imo, is that the writers decided it was a brilliant idea to make her obsessed with a man who barely seems to acknowledge her. this is an extremely unfortunate reoccurring character trope in fire emblem. notable other victims that more modern fe fans may recognize are faye and cordelia, faye being the worst offender. luckily, leonie isn’t as bad as faye. but it really is irritating that leonie, along with these other women, seem entirely driven by men who cannot acknowledge them. within three houses, you have similar traits in male characters as well: cyril is another notable offender, and to a lesser extent, dedue’s fixation on dimitri. now, we do see jeralt talking to leonie at the very least, and he does speak about her at least once in my memory, and positively at that. so it’s not as pathetic as the likes of faye. 

outside of that, leonie cannot stop fucking reminding everyone she comes across: she loves captain jeralt. she’s his only apprentice. and you, dear player, who is his child, are not good enough, because you don’t love him as much as she does. practically all her convos with byleth are about how they don’t love jeralt enough, save for a slight turn around in the A support where she talks about her promise to protect byleth in jeralt’s place. to be honest, i usually ditch her in any run i’m forced to take her (hello sylvain, the superior idiot redhead cavalier) so this promise is just cute.

the arrogance in this attitude is insensitive at best, and as seen in her B support with byleth, potentially malicious and self centered at worst. 

let’s not beat around the bush. the main point of contention for leonie is her B support with byleth, which is locked to jeralt’s death. you cannot get this support until jeralt has kicked it. and if you’re on GD, chances are you have gotten enough support points with leonie to get it immediately upon his death. the man’s grave is still fresh. what does she have the gall to say to her beloved mentor’s child?

“I've spent my whole life working to become a great mercenary like your father. There were so many times when I wanted to ask his advice, but I couldn't. I just had to make do. That's how I've made it this far. Just hard work, all on my own. But then you come along... And it's like you don't appreciate Captain Jeralt at all, or how lucky you were to have him around your whole life! Ugh! It still really bothers me! You might be his kid, but I'm still his best apprentice! Got it?!”

YIKES.

no matter how you dice it, saying that to someone whos father just died? NOT GOOD. it doesn’t matter what her reasoning is. a lot of people argue that this is realistic, that she’s acting out of grief. maybe so. however, if the game wants me to like her, they’re failing, no matter how realistic her reaction is. if this was supposed to be seen as a moment of weakness, that would be one thing, but it’s clear leonie never learns anything from this. she never gets better. she spends the rest of her life constantly centered on jeralt, and sees byleth as a competitor and obstacle to his affections, even after he’s dead. 

i don’t want to entirely make this about byleth, because let’s be real, byleth is only one of her many supports. but it is the most easily noticeable, and the least charitable to her character. 

also fun fact i did a basic search for jeralt in her supports and thats 37 times hes mentioned lmao this isn’t even accounting for her non support dialogue! which is still a lot! 

so a decent chunk of her supports still involve her talking about how great jeralt is as if the man is jesus. her better supports don’t involve him at all. i don’t have easy access to a lot of her dialogue by chapter, but quite a bit of her regular dialogue references jeralt too, be it by name or title, and a good chunk of her endings, especially her solo one, have her just taking up his title and job and drinking habits. it’s supposed to be seen as cute.

this woman is in her 20s at the beginning of the game. she’s my age. this kind of behavior is worrying. 

so you’re thinking “tell, you’ve spent a LOT of time talking about how leonie won’t shut the fuck up about jeralt. what about the rest of her character? unlike faye, she actually has one!” right you are! i will concede that. leonie does have things going on for her outside of her constant screeching about jeralt! what are they?

we see that her personality has her as a hard worker and frugal person because she’s grown up in a life that has less than many of her peers. she’s rational and rather keen, capable of assessing her opponents correctly and outsmarting them. she likes to help others. her supports with claude are fairly interesting as they talk about their own perspectives on the world to each other in a friendly manner. she talks to bernadetta and praises her skill in craft and manages to befriend her. in fact, all her supports where she doesn’t mention jeralt at all are pretty good. she can be headstrong and sometimes quick to jump to conclusions, but leonie isn’t one to be too beholden to preset ideas and shows a capability to learn and change.

wait, this sounds like a pretty well rounded and likeable character i’m describing! what happened here? this kind of portrayal is almost contradictory to the side of her that only thinks of jeralt. 

a lot of people who like leonie like her for these aspects. at first, i had thought her to be interesting, since she’s the poorest student in the entire school, here on money raised by her entire village, which must have been extremely difficult for them to do. she doesn’t understand how nobles can be so frivolous, and butts heads with the likes of hilda, who has been raised in luxury her whole life and she clashes even harder with lorenz, who is obsessed with nobility. in a way, leonie is the slap from reality that many of the rich students from garreg mach need. and she also serves an important function in the dynamic of the deer—she’s a bit of a hapless straight man to all their bullshit. they always need one of those! in the lions, that role falls to ingrid, while edelgard plays that to her own house. 

so yes, there is merit in leonie’s character. there’s a lot to like about her here. however, in my opinion, it’s not enough to make up for the incredibly abrasive aspects of her fixation on jeralt. it really just comes back to that—that someone decided that it would be a fantastic character trait to have her never stop thinking about a man, and flaunt this to the man’s child. constantly. almost all her dialogue directed at byleth is about jeralt. post skip, a lot more of her lines become about jeralt and making him proud. it’s like she thinks that he’s her dad. she’s a grown ass woman! leonie is one of the older students! she is an adult by the time the game starts! an adult with some actual worldly experience, unlike her peers! what went wrong? why is she like this? why did they make her so fucking annoying when it comes to jeralt?

so yes, that’s what i think is the major flaw of her character. a flaw that is not easily overcome. cyril is a largely derided character for similar reasons. another simple control+f tells me that rhea is mentioned in cyril’s supports 59 times so uh, woo! he has leonie beat there.

worst of all this is a flaw that narratively, she does not overcome. she never grows and gets better from it. she never changes her single minded determination to impress jeralt, even long after he’s dead. a good chunk of her endings have her taking up his business and acting just like him, taking his title too. somehow lorenz is the more likeable character, and lorenz starts off as a much worse person than her! he starts as a stinky incel classist and somehow, especially over the course of verdant wind, manages to learn and grow and change into a much better person, while leonie remains stagnant in who she is. her own peers outdo her in almost every aspect, in that they appear to be capable of growing up while leonie, already an adult, never seems to show any signs of maturing over the course of the game. we see ignatz turn from a meek nerd to someone who’s willing to do what it takes to protect what he cares about. marianne grows from suicidal and depressed to finding the will to live because it means she’ll be able to spend more time with things she enjoys and people she loves. lorenz goes from snobbish and distant over his complex about nobility to being one of the kindest members of the deer, willing to go against his father for the greater good. even hilda matures! hilda starts the game lazy and unambitious, trying to avoid work, saying she’d never risk her life for her friends, to fighting against some of the strongest forces in the continent and ESPECIALLY on CF we see her refusing to abandon claude in his time of need, no matter how bad it gets, even if it costs her life. what does leonie do? leonie seems to forever be stuck in the mindset that she has to impress jeralt, no matter how far she goes.

this is incredibly nitpicky, i’ll admit, this isn’t really part of the character analysis, but i find she under performs as a unit too. she may have ungodly speed and no weaknesses in her skills, but damage output wise she’s easily outdone in house by the other canon paladin of lorenz and his wonky statline, and out of house sylvain has basically the same ability as her, the same color hair, and a crest + relic that make him way more effective. the man has bulk, too. so, that’s a small ding to leonie as well. i had the same problem with sully in awakening. for all the talk about how these women are just as good as the men, they appear to under perform quite a bit.

and i’m gonna talk real quick in a basic list format of arguments i’ve seen for people defending leonie, since i’m running out of like, a coherent way to talk about some of this stuff.

-She’s realistic.

maybe so, but the game intends for me to find her as likeable and sympathetic, as it is for all recruitable characters. her reactions to byleth and sometimes others may be realistic, but don’t paint a charitable image of her. again, the moment in her B support with byleth is so bad, it makes her seem like she’s acting towards them with cruel intent. while i don’t care about byleth’s feelings since byleth isn’t a real person, what it does is it paints leonie as malicious, no matter what her intent was or how realistic it is. yes, she’s in grief, she’s lost someone important to her, but in what context is telling someone who just lost their dad that they didn’t love him enough supposed to garner anything but hatred? even if she apologizes for it in their A support, that means she basically took years to do so and still seems to think of byleth as an obstacle to her being like jeralt.

although as i have said before, the rest of her personality is fine. i find her non jeralt stuff is much more well written. she’s a down to earth person amidst a sea of lunatics. that’s not a problem.

-People don’t like her because she’s mean to Byleth. 

this is probably true in some regards although i can’t say for certain. because byleth is a player insert and some might take it personally, but otherwise i find this isn’t much of a good universal claim since there’s more to the disdain to that. personally, i think it’s hilarious when video game characters are mean to me, but that’s just My Opinion, so no, i’m really not offended by leonie being mean to me. other characters are also mean to byleth, and that leads into the next point...

-Other characters act similarly towards Byleth and they’re popular.

one, look at those stupid unpopular opinions threads on twitter. they’re not as loved as you think. two, a lot of the characters who are listed for these things are often the likes of seteth and felix, and let’s talk about the context of their actions there. seteth is indeed mean to byleth at first, but his intent is wildly different from leonie’s—he’s suspicious, and rightfully so, of this mercenary who came out of nowhere and rhea is suddenly showing a lot of interest in and is giving a position of power to. seteth is not acting out of malintent or jealousy, he’s acting out of concern for the students and his daughter as well as rhea. because his core intent is “protect everyone around me” it comes off as far more palatable and dare i say, endearing. this is vastly different than “i’m jealous towards byleth because i love their dad and hate that they’re getting attention i can’t.” with a character like felix, this is outright incorrect—felix is not necessarily more rude to byleth more than he would be anyone else. felix is angry with the faerghus four in particular, but everyone else gets the same level of vague disrespect from him otherwise, so his behavior is not centralized to byleth. again, i don’t care about byleth’s feelings. there is also cyril, who is similarly obsessed with rhea, and is just as irritating as leonie for it, if not worse because he gets an extra layer of being a poc character obsessed with a white one who saved him. 

tl;dr: context and intent matters. a lot. i know this is a ton to ask of the fe fandom to consider taking things beyond face value, but please consider the context of characters actions and their intent behind them.

-People who don’t like Leonie are misogynistic.

i won’t discount that there are bad actors who are likely extra critical of leonie because she’s a female character. it could be and has been argued that the reasons that characters like edelgard and ingrid are so controversial is because they are female. but not everyone who raises criticisms is strictly doing so in bad faith. most people i’ve seen criticizing leonie do it for the same reasons i am, which is that she’s an abrasive character. these traits would not be any better on a male character and in some regards could be worse. so for this one, it’s better to take it as a case by case situation, and pay attention to how people are talking. those doing so for less savory reasons often let it slip eventually, somehow. i’ve been avoiding using the word “bitch” in this entire thing for this exact reason.

-Her non-Byleth supports are good.

this is highly subjective imo and comes down to what you personally like in a character. i do like some of her non byleth supports, but she still has an unfortunate habit of bringing up jeralt in non byleth supports, so the only ones that are truly good are the ones where she doesn’t talk about him at all. even then, some like her one with marianne can do the same accidental portrayal of her seeming like a pretty unpleasant person. this isn’t saying that leonie can’t be flawed or short tempered, after all i adore felix and he’s got Some Fuckin Issues, but her portrayal as a kind and bright person clashes with how she’s portrayed surrounding byleth and jeralt. far too much. i like her supports with claude, i like her line with bernadetta, and her seteth one is good too, but i’d also argue that as a personality she doesn’t bring much to the table. she’s a perfectly serviceable character when she’s not dealing with byleth, but i personally fail to see more appeal to her. she isn’t particularly enrapturing like some of the others, and unlike someone like ingrid who has a similar role in BL, doesn’t have the shared history and integration with the deer that grants ingrid a unique perspective on her peers. although again, this is highly subjective, so it’s tough to argue about this. i’ll grant that yes, the writing that doesn’t surround jeralt is WAY better and almost makes leonie a redeemable character.

-Other characters are worse.

very true! i’ll cite faye again as the bottom line for “this is how abysmal this character could be” and in feth itself there is, as stated many times before, cyril. however it doesn’t mean that leonie is better by association. and i also often see people citing seteth as an example over the rudeness to the player too, but once again that’s about context and intent. hapi is a lesser example, due to a similar mistrusting nature, and there’s quite a bit of the cast who are cold and rude because that’s just who they are. now, thank fucking god that leonie actually talks about things that aren’t jeralt. like, seriously, i’d die. she still talks about him too much, but i really should go through all of faye’s dialogue to do a proper count. 

so now you’re probably thinking—if you even got this far—“gee tell, you sure do like running your fuckin mouth, eh? so what’s the point of all this?” let’s wrap it up. 

the TL;DR:

what this all boils down to is that leonie’s got a serious problem in her writing where her entire life revolves around a man, and the way it’s dealt with isn’t particularly great. she doesn’t have a dynamic character arc like some others that redeem them from their problems, and the personality she has outside of her relationship to jeralt and byleth often clashes with the one she has with them, particularly centering on byleth. when dealing with byleth, the image it paints of her is extremely negative, and not one easily shaken—again, the B support moment is just THAT BAD. that is the most cited moment for why people hate her. it just seems like for all the flaws she has, they are not compensated for or grown out of like other characters in the game do for theirs.

theres also that tweet about how we put more thought into these characters than intsys does, so. yeah. definitely doing that right now. thanks, intsys, you did it again.

i will also point to the argument that we should hold the writers accountable, not the fictional characters who aren’t real and don’t have feelings. i don’t think leonie needs to be held accountable for her bullshit. i just wish the writers could have treated her better.

this is personally why i find leonie so difficult, and hopefully if you didn’t understand why people don’t like leonie, this can help enlighten you. i’m willing to hear people out if they have something to say, and as always, if you are a leonie stan, please go enjoy yourself, have fun, and don’t let me ruin your parade. i just enjoy trying to figure things out and talking a lot along the way! so that’s all, here’s hoping that in the future they do better, and remember that GD is the best house okay bye take this picture of me typing up this whole ass thing