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sonodaten · 5 years ago

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Impressions for Book IV!

I know we’re only two chapters in, but this is the first book I’ve actually been present for the release for, so the hype and theorizing are REAL. Spoilers (I guess? Again, only two chapters in) under cut. Sorry for mobile readers if this doesn’t work bc this shit is LONG.

No-context summary: Can You Tell I Was Really Into Inception When It First Came Out?

Okay, so I know some people aren’t happy about it, but I’m vibing with the whole fairies aesthetic. Especially BC of the whiplash it has re:Book III. I think it’s kinda meant to lure you into a false sense of security/draw your eyes towards the obvious danger—the Nightmares, in this case—so you ignore the less obvious one, which to me, would be Ljósálfheimr itself, but I’ll get to that in a moment.

So, we start out with a sleeping sickness in Askr and the Order of Heroes is sent to investigate, and Henriette gives the team a Censer to protect them (why a Censer and incense when it was obviously something magical and not airborne, I suppose, will become obvious later when the Censer is revealed to be some sort of Deus Ex Machina to get the Heroes out of a pinch when they need it). They get there, they fall asleep, they have a nightmare, Peony saves them, but Alfonso, Sharena, and Anna (Eír and Fjorm whomst? Don’t know them.) are separated from the Summoner, and Peony suggests going to Dream-King Freyr to find them. While en route, Sharena expresses the she remembers Peony and that there was something important about her, but she can’t remember exactly what, and Peony explains (albeit nervously) that this is because all children play with Ljósálfar when they dream, so she may be remembering that time they spent together, and Sharena accepts this explanation. Along the way they meet the first of the Nightmares, Triandra. After defeating her, Peony tells them they have to enter a dream within a dream in order to meet Freyr, and though Alfonse is slightly suspicious, they agree. After they are all asleep, Peony remarks that they all trust her, and now she must do something to earn that trust. I think Alfonse was right to be suspicious, but not because it might have been a trap or anything like that, but because of the inherent dangers of a place like Ljósálfheim in general.

First, entering a dream within a dream? I’ve seen Inception, there’s no fucking way that ends well. Second, where have we seen that before? In the Book IV trailer, we see a repeated sequence at the very end of Alfonse waking up and seeing Peony waiting for him, echoing the opening scene of the cinematic. To me, what this could be hinting at is the future conflict of the book: the heroes, trapped within a never-ending cycle of dreams, unable to tell where one ends and the other begins—one they may very well already be stuck in! If the Heroes are already trapped in a dream cycle, this may not be their first run; they could have been through it possibly a dozen times by now. Sharena has already spoken of remembering Peony, and it may very well be because she has met Peony before in this very scenario and is recalling those other meetings! Now, I don’t think Peony is necessarily evil, so why would she be doing this?

I think it was the Nightmares who struck first, feeding off the fears and worries of the people of Askr. They just lost their King and are still recovering from Hel’s invasion, and I’m assuming are still under the threat of regular invasion from Embla, so safe to say, a lot of people are probably scared and worried, especially those furthest from the castle and Order of Heroes’ protection, like those in the village first ailed by the sleeping sickness. And I think when the Ljósálfar come, they have good intentions. A lot of Peony’s dialogue (in the home screen, combat, etc) mentions wanting to take away mortals’ fears and worries by wrapping them up in a nice, cushy dream, like a warm blanket to keep them safe. Whether this is specific to Peony, or extends to all Ljósálfar, we don’t know yet; we haven’t met any others. I think in order to alleviate the Nightmares and alleviate the worry plaguing the Askr citizens, the Ljósálfar are trapping them deeper and deeper within happy dreams, and thus, dragging them deeper and deeper into Ljósálfheimr. Why so deep? Well, normally, they work with children, right? Children’s fears are much easier to alleviate than an adult’s, so to properly soothe the adult villagers, they need to be pulled under more and more layers of dreams in order to forget what’s worrying them.

Remember when I mentioned that Ljósálfheimr might become the less obvious danger in this book? It’s quite literally a dream land—anything you want can be a reality, and your wildest wishes can come true as long as you believe hard enough. It’s amazing, literally a dream come true! Why? Would? You? Ever? Leave? Would you even realize you were trapped in a dream? If you did, would you want to go back? To your king-less lands ravaged by war, with the constant threat of more? To an Order of Heroes who can only react, never prevent? To a Prince who would rather play hero and war than rule over his people? To a Princess who was never even given a chance at the throne? Should they leave? Would you? You can say all you want that you don’t like the look the book is going for, but we knew instantly that the Realm of Hel was dangerous; Ljósálfheimr only wants you to think that it’s innocent when it’s insidiousness bubbles just beneath the surface and I, personally, find that all the more fascinating. Your mind, free to wander in pure, blissful ignorance while your body wastes away into nothingness in the real world.

But how did the Nightmares know to come to Askr? Fucking Loki. Why? To further her Meta Goal. Whatever the fuck that is. Next question.

Where is the Summoner? This could . . . go many different ways, to be honest. I’d be happy to see it go anyway. One option is that the Summoner is trapped by the Nightmares and separated somewhere else in the dream, captured by the enemy and must learn to harness the power of the dream (through the Censer??? Maybe somehow being a part of Breidablik) and free themselves and reunite with their friends, which will break the dream cycle (probably by finally appearing when Alfonse wishes for them?) and allow them to finally create a scenario to escape. OR, and here’s one I like the most the more I think about it: the Summoner didn’t appear when Alfonse wished for them (bc let’s be real: Alfonse may be a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes, but he cares deeply about his friends, and if he wished for the Summoner to be reunited with them, then goddamnit, IT WAS GONNA COME FROM THE BOTTOM OF HIS HEART) bc they are all trapped in a cycle within the Summoner’s dream.

Peony just says that it’s a dream, so wishes can come true, but she never specifies whose dream it is. If there were something preventing the Summoner from entering/being pulled into Ljósálfheimr like the others (Censer combined with Breidablik, maybe? or just the fact that the Summoner is from a different world entirely?), it would make sense that Alfonse couldn’t interact with a dreamscape that wasn’t his own and that the Summoner wasn’t with them, and make it easier to trap them in a dream cycle (as you can see, I’m hinging a lot on this dream cycle theory). I just think it would be cool to see some Summoner Solo-Badassery and have them come to the Heroes rescue. I know they are a squishy tactician, but just once, please. I just think it would be a fun and sexy time for the Summoner and everyone else involved.

And then there’s the Nightmares. Specifically, we may get to see the Heroes facing off against their own, personal Nightmares. Anna’s nightmare? Being penniless, obviously, but deeper than that—having to cut back on important resources and items for the Order of Heroes, and it results in catastrophe, failing not only her fellow soldiers, but the citizens of Askr that she swore to protect. Alfonse? Dealing with the grief of losing his father, having to choose between protecting his people in the Order of Heroes or guiding them as their King, and choosing wrong; having to choose between saving Zacharias or killing him and protecting his people. Sharena? Also dealing with the loss of her father, but now faced with a whole new monster that is the renewed terror of what could happen if she loses Alfonse, the only other member of her family that (in my opinion) really cares for her; losing all her friends and ending up alone. And the Summoner? After seeing everything they have, what would be worse than having to go back to their own world, powerless, slowly forgetting their friends? So much potential there for development with each one, and I really hope they do something with it.

I think in the end Peony and the Ljósálfar have good intentions, but their methods are heavy-handed and dangerous, maybe even downright lethal to the people they’re trying to help (especially if an Emblian invasion were to come along while they were asleep and defenseless). In the end, I think this Book has a TON of potential. Sure, maybe it doesn’t feel “Fire Emblem” at first, but like the bones are there jfc at least wait until a couple of chapters are out until we can know, you know? And really, in a world that has elves, magic, dragons, people who can turn into dragons, people who can turn into birds, people who can turn into wolves, kitsune, whatever the fuck Caingheis is, you’re gonna tell me that . . . fairies is too far of a stretch? Okay.

#fire emblem: heroes #feh #daten plays fe:h

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