#elibe meta

[risingsunfish]

Be patient with him, Eliwood... he's not used to being so high up on a tier list.

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[randomnameless]

What do you think about the fics where children of nabateans and humans are either humans or nabateans?

Fics are fics so it's basically the author's interpreration and fantasy being written, but as far as personal taste goes, it's not really my cup of tea!

Where's the fun with fantasy settings if you can't come up with mixed blood humans who sekritly (or not so sekritly) descend from some sort of other race of beings and got super powers from that deal ?

I think I ranted about it in a french post some months ago about this but it was kind of salty.

The only setting in FE where half human children were developped is Tellius with the Branded and... well, let's not go there, after all, it's the verse that tells you that racism is BaD, but miscegenation is also BaD...

In Elibe, fwiw, bar having weird mystical powers and longer lifespan than humans, but shorter than full blooded dragons, hybrids aren't generally developped (and that's taking into account Al from the manga).

That being said, in the particular context that is Fodlan and some characters' pov about Nabateans, their blood and a general discussion about what is "humanity" used to "other" sentient beings that are despised because they are "others"...

The "kids are either humans or nabateans" isn't really something I'm fond of.

But hey, fics are basically someone's takes on canon and there's no point about arguing headcanons !

Like, even with half-lizard Lycaon AUs, some people could try to explain his "died from a sudden illness" in different ways : he can be inherently prone to sickness because he is a half-lizard, or, in my hodgepodge of an AU, the "dies from a sudden illness" is a cheap cover up story to hide his assassination, at the hands of members of his dad's family because they wanted the throne and because he was a half-lizard.

We basically have two different takes, coming from two different people about a thrown away line, which creates, in substance, two differents AU/HCs/fanfics!

So, to reply to your question anon, it's not the HC i came up with and not one I like because of all the racial implication and tensions Fodlan, as a setting, has regarding coexistence.

But I'd be really pissed if anyone went to comment on a fic to say the author's headcanon is "wrong".

Now, if we're talking about people claiming to write meta or to comment canon, it's another story - but in the end, the canon answer is "10k years of lore" so we're pretty much quickly entering headcanon territory, and when people try to pretend their headcanons are canon, that's how you end up with 5 years of discourse lol

[blazregaliadream]

Undead Lyn AU + FEH Unit Concept

Sometime after leaving Caelin to the care of Marques Hector, Lady Lyndis would venture to find her friend that she had found on the wayside once upon a time. She would travel across Elibe, but no matter where she looked, her friend was nowhere in sight and no one seemed to know what became of them. Regardless, Lyn continued her search, leaving behind Elibe and would search across several worlds. At an unknown point, death would claim her after succumbing to the fatal wounds she sustained from an ambush. But she wouldn't rest. No matter what, she wanted to see her friend again, no... She had to see them again... The Sacaen's mutilated and defiled corpse stirred, materializing ghostly limbs where her arms had originally been cut off, a new blade materializes to the opposite side of the Mani Katti and Sol Katti she's kept on her for so long, and so, her journey resumed once more. But eventually, she would forget why she strayed so far from her homeland, her world, and would be reduced to a phantom husk, haunting areas that reminded her of the plains, killing anyone unfortunate enough to run into her. People would call her “The Wind Scarred Wraith”, wielding a blade that harvested the souls of all she slayed, and though her eyes remained shut, some could feel a faint sense of sadness from her, as if she's still desperately trying to remember what she had forgotten, what was missing from her now hollow "afterlife"... ============================================================ Lyn Wind Scarred Wraith A Sacaen noblewoman that wandered the Outrealms searching for her long lost friend. She never gave up in her search, but eventually she forgot why she was wandering in the first place. Appears in Fire Emblem: Awakening. Sword - Infantry Weapon - Reaping Katti [Mt. 16, Rng 1] Accelerates Special Cooldown (-1). If unit's HP ≥ 25%, grants +7 Atk/Spd during combat and also, when unit deals damage to foe during combat, restores 7 HP to unit. Special - Harvesting Winds [Cooldown 3] Boosts damage by 30% of unit's Spd and heals by 40% damage dealt. Passives A - Distant Solo A/S B - Persistent Hunter Inflicts Spd/Def-4 on foe during combat. If a skill compares unit's Spd to a foe's or ally's Spd, treats unit's Spd as if granted +7. If unit's Spd > foe's Spd, reduces damage from attacks during combat and from area-of-effect Specials by percentage = difference between stats x 5 (max 50%). Neutralizes effects that prevent unit's follow-ups and guarantees foe's follow-ups. C - Fatal Blow After combat, inflicts【Deep Wounds】and deals 7 damage to foe and foes within 2 spaces of target after combat. ============================================================= This was an old concept I shared with friends a year or so back that I came back to revitalize. Amusingly even with the state of FEH’s meta, I’m still holdin’ myself back when it comes to how much shit I put in my unit concepts lol The AU itself was made from a dream I had where I was in some unknown world, didn’t seem to be Elibe, and out in the fields was Lyn who would start chasin’ after me anytime I got near her, but would never pursue beyond the plains and forest area. Like FFXV’s Gilgamesh, she was missin’ both arms, but was able to materialize ghostly ones to handle her weapons. I distinctly recalled that her eyes were actually missin’ but the eyelids were shut too, and she never seemed to utter a single word. It was pretty unnervin’ to say the least tho, I dunno what happened for her to wound up in that state, but I couldn’t help but feel as sad as I was scared... Anyway, that’s all, I hope you enjoyed this. I had wrote up dialogue for her, but maybe she’s better off silent to add to the fear factor... Also, she would count as both a FE7 and FE13 unit since she also wears her Swordmaster outfit from her DLC Einherjar self in Awakening!

[markoftheasphodel]

Someone on FEH’s subreddit dubbed Thea ‘Sailor Catria’ and that is so g-damn perfect.

Right and just.

[sanktere]

quince: one temptation your character has had.

 ✧   //    flower and tree prompts.  /  @mjolnrr

          the lone figure of the man looks as though he might almost be blown into the sea. one hand shielding his eyes from the triumphant glare of the sun, fierce cliffside gusts making a streaming banner of his golden hair. the rich, pungent salt of ocean baywater spirals skyward on the updraft, carrying with it the crashing spray of churning waters on the sheer rocks below.

          he glances down. it’s certainly a long drop to those frothing, aegean-white rapids whipped into frenzy by the wind — almost enough to make his head spin, and he takes an instinctive step further back from the edge.

          lord raymond, possibly the others, will come looking for him soon. indecision shakes in his heart, feeble thing it has always been.

          sacrilege would follow his name if he were to listen to this rash, terrible notion that had taken hold of him. the twin ivories bound in sacred lettering clutched beneath his arm feel as though they still burn — beyond their bindings, through his robes, unto flesh — even though the battle had ended,                                                                         truly, truly ended,

          and the safety and domain of man settled again over all elibe.

          cursory though his exposure had been, he will never be as he was before the Light had come at his asking. hands and forearms still braise and tingle, not as if grazed by fire, but the overwhelming colorless purity that light magic created: caustic and invisible, and his skin had thinned, seemed glassier for it. not even a handful of hours with such relics, to this — and they had hardly been at a fraction of their full power! the saint had truly been a savior beyond human limitations.

          they had hardly been at their full power. aureola and luce. and of what strange truth he dared to imagine the former whispered to him voicelessly through its aurigraphy.

          it had been held in the saint’s hands. dispelled evil. he knew the tales like a child their favorite lullaby, the songs of praise in his sleep. ‘ when i behold the Glorious Word, bestowed by Her Most Divine to guide...  ♫ ’ there were no words to render the honor of carrying it, much less having pulled from its holy pages.

          yet, what was it — itself?

          ... the gale-tossed waters lash upon the cliff. ❝ lucius! ❞ ... they had found him. he had hesitated too long.

          no. he knows that’s not true. he would never have done it. turning, he smiles to his allies and companions alongside whom he had toiled and fought, offers some apology for straying off. yes, there was a new elibe to return to across the bay. footsteps retreat from the windswept precipice; two fathomless weights beneath his arm.

          he would never have done it. but, for a moment...

[sireneia]

zephiel probably grew up quite aware that marriage was something that would be expected of him, and i extra imagine he would've thought of the concept in a vague sort of anticipation. it was less for the love but rather for the thought of family. he has always dreamed of a future where he could sit at a dinner table, eating alongside both his parents, his sister, and even his sister's mother. he doesn't seem to mind more people at the table, welcomes it even, and would like the idea of raising his own family one day eventually. marriage, though it would be important politically, would then be dear to him more personally as well. in this way, he's not unlike his mother who hoped more than anything to one day become a great wife and mother herself.

like her, his own dream would become tainted.

after his father's second betrayal, the idea has most likely lost its appeal to him. he still cares about being a good king and fulfilling his duties, but once he gains his ambition for genocide, he likely tosses away thoughts of marriage altogether, not caring for it even as a duty. after all, he wants the human race eradicated.

if things were to go his way, there would be no need for a successor. there would be no family. there wouldn't even be him. he becomes quite averse to the notion of romance, family, etc. and likely shuts down any discussion on either front. weddings hold neither a practical use nor any potential joy for him, and he would rather not be distracted by talks of it at all.

[deetvar-moved]

Since Nils and Ninian are half manaketes, does that imply that they don't need dragonstones to avoid madness like the others?

Yeah the game doesn’t say anything about their status of degeneration, even if they can degenerate.

But is stated that Nils and Ninian themselves are unaccustomed to Elibe’s atmosphere and as a result their livespans are shortening the longer they stay in Elibe.

Interpret this however you like. I got no idea.

[damoselcastel]

queenlua replied to your post:

   Tellius wanted racism to be a Big Theme, and while there’s missteps/mistakes in that, an advantage of making it a Big Theme is at least you get a proper variety of perspectives, PoV, etc.  3H feels like it wanted to make a minor theme / subtheme out of it, which leads to…   half-assed development of a lot of stuff that really should’ve been addressed.  (though FE7 is an interesting counterpoint of “how to handle it without making it a Whole Big Thing”, tyvm for the link)    

I think FE7′s depiction of Sacaen culture and how the rest of Elibe discriminate against them is darn successful cause it seems to draw on more Asian-local examples of racism. The indigenous peoples vs dominant modern ethnic groups, or the historical scorn China had for nomadic peoples (y’know, the Sacean Plains with horse-archers and yurts, pretty evocative). So this might’ve been more of a case of “writing what you know” and selling the worldbuilding, while more recent games try to go broader, but the Japanese writers just don’t have the awareness/familiarity with writing about colorism that’s embedded with the West’s influence over the globe.

Agreed that racism as a theme in Tellius at least gave the issue enough room to breath (even if there’s big in-world things that cuts the message off at the knees). I think it’s why Jill is so successful as a character, because her behavior is shoved in the player’s face multiple times throughout the story- so we not only see her initial bad biases but also witness when she starts to question them and then when she’s changed her mind/behavior. It’s not even locked to supports, the barracks conversations show it off splendidly, especially in her home town of Tarna.

3H at least put some more thought into the fact that human ethnicity should matter and how the setting could address it (mostly shown via “outsiders” like Petra, Dedue, Shamir, and Cyril). Like, it’s nice to know some of the characters are genuinely POC instead of just whitebread toasted with a tan. But you’re right in that they only wanted it to be a subtheme or in the background... I can’t get over that there were these ethnically and culturally distinct pockets left on the Fodlan continent not even 4 years before the game starts... and yet everyone and their dog talks about Fodlan and how it used to be unified under one ruler- c’mon fam, what WAS Duscur before they annihilated it? Did it just not “count” cause because it sure seems like they existed apart from the rest of Fodlan culture under the influence of the church for almost 1000 years.

Also with the way Shamir mentions that Adrestia went and stomped Dagda, plus some library mentions about invasions and excursions preformed by the Kingdom into Sreng and elsewhere, that Fodlan is still very actively expansionist. I’m not certain about the Alliance but the only reason they might not be the same is because Almyra’s too big and powerful so they end up playing defense all the time. I’m so curious about THOSE contextual politics, but they’re really not at all the focus for the plot.

Plus I’m not sure if we really get to see any inter-Foldan discrimination... like do Adrestian nobility talk down to those from the Kingdom and the Alliance? Consider them backwater and ill-fit for ruling? Cause I CANNOT BUY the way the game tries to sell “and they were united under this amnesiac mute and lived happily ever after” despite in-game history explicitly explaining WHY the Kingdom and then Alliance splintered away from the Empire. (the biggest plot focused race-wars in the game are Nabateans vs Argathans but that’s buried beneath so much, fans really aren’t sure precisely what’s going on there)

[runespoor7]

Eliwood manifesto because I love him

reposted from reddit because Dem told me it was nice meta.

Okay, so, Eliwood. He is pretty reserved and quiet next to Hector and Lyn; he's very polite, respectful, patient, and all around he's the type of guy you'd like to tell your parents you're hanging out with, because they're so likely to like him. Like Hector, he treats people equally, but while Hector does so by not being all-that-respectful, Eliwood does it by being very respectful, no matter the social status of the person he's speaking to (see his supports with Ninian and Fiora; he's also super chivalrous, both in the ‘gallant’ sense and in the sense that he gets known as the knight of Lycia).

Another thing about Eliwood is that he's very sheltered, compared to both Lyn and Hector. Both of them have known death, they've already lost people. Eliwood starts the game with both his parents, who love him and love one another. Both Lyn and Hector have already been tangled in intrigue - Lyn in her own story (and she hated that), Hector because he's Uther's younger brother. And he's way more idealistic than both of them! He's charismatic because he's kind and respectful, but he's not the politician Hector is (yeah, Hector's good at politics. Hector uses spies, for heaven's sake. Eliwood trusts people as a mark of respect, while Hector distrusts them.).

But his idealism makes him as determined as Lyn can be. When the trio reach the port and the only way to cross the sea is pirates, Eliwood is the one saying they'll go forward - Lyn doesn't want anything to do with pirates (because her parents were killed by bandits), and Hector is doing the realistic thing of going "whelp, there's that then". Eliwood? Eliwood is the one driving them all forward.  He's doing so in his usual very polite, very kind way, but he's the one with the craziest plan. (shout-out to the plan of reselling family treasuries to keep going, too.)

So yeah, this is Eliwood: a perfect gentleman who will go to the end of the Earth, against the advice of his friends, for what he believes in and to save the people he loves.

[fire-emblem-gaiden]

bye bye Gaiden header

[historyoftheemblem]

FE7 Unit Rankings, According to Japanese Players

FE7 is a bit harder to judge compared to FE8 (our previous unit ranking comparison) due to having three stories with different unit availabilities. Some players judged Lyn Mode units separately, while others combined it all into one score. Furthermore, most English tier lists judge with efficiency as the main factor, whereas most Japanese tier lists judge solely based on their own experiences.

Since each player uses their own ranking scale (the bottom of the post has all my sources and the scales they used), the ranking is the sum of the individual scores compared to the combined maximum score between all the rankings. The list is organized from highest-ranked to lowest.

Hector

Ranking: 26/27 (A + S + A + S + ☆☆☆☆☆)

Everyone loves Hector. The only one who didn’t give him a perfect score was tanasyou (third score), though they didn’t really have any particular reason for their less-than-perfect score. They criticized his low hit rate earlygame, but provided that he has a good Skill growth, and mentioned his weakness to magic but didn’t really emphasize it. So in short, everyone loves Hector.

Athos

Ranking: 25/27 (B + S + A + S + ☆☆☆☆☆)

He’s only around for the final chapter, and for a reason. He has overall great stats and S ranks for all schools of magic. For anyone who didn’t train Canas, Athos can use Dark magic in his stead. (In fact, some reviewers recommend Luna over his Prf tome, Forblaze.) His only drawbacks are his low HP and Speed, but his defensive stats make him formidable anyways.

Raven

Ranking: 24/27 (A + B + S + A + ☆☆☆☆☆)

Raven’s overall strong stats land him in a very good position. rmoto gave him the lowest score because of his unreliable defenses; other reviewers acknowledged them as well, but didn’t see them as big enough detriments to significantly lower their scores for him.

Farina

Ranking: 24/27 (A + N/A (5 pts) + A + A + ☆☆☆☆)

Despite being locked to Hector’s route and requiring 20,000 G to recruit, all the reviewers (that acquired her, which rmoto didn’t) agree that she has good bases and better growths than her sisters, making her well worth the money.

(Note: rmoto didn’t acquire a couple of units in their playthrough, so they didn’t get any scores. I gave them points in rmoto’s stead based on everyone else’s scores.)

Oswin

Ranking: 23/27 (A + B + A + S + ☆☆☆☆)

Despite his relatively high level, his good growths land him at a very respectable rank. Even his low movement and luck aren’t enough of a detriment to impact his score much.

Lyn

Ranking: 22/27 (B + B + A + A + ☆☆☆☆☆)

Most players praised her growths and strength, while her biggest criticism was her low defenses. kuya was willing to wave off her defenses on account of her high avoid. rmoto, meanwhile, doesn’t trust the RNG quite as much.

Ninian/Nils

Ranking: 22/27 (B + B + A + S + ☆☆☆☆)

Dancer utility, plus their high Speed and Luck growths improving their survivability, gave them a good overall score.

(Note: While all the reviews had separate entries for Ninian and Nils, most of their scores were the same since they’re inheriting each others’ stats and growths. rmoto was the exception, giving Ninian a C when Nils had a B. However, since the reasoning stems from their personal dislike for her personality, I took Nils’ B.)

Fiora

Ranking: 21/27 (B + B + A + A + ☆☆☆☆)

Fiora’s better Skill/Resistance than, and Strength/Speed on par with, Florina put her at a better spot than her sister, even if her Luck is worse. Like her sister, her relatively low Con is a bit of a problem.

Canas

Ranking: 21/27 (B + A + B + A + ☆☆☆☆)

The game’s only playable Shaman receives a respectable score. Basically, he’s good because he can use Luna, and having good growths never hurts.

Rath

Ranking: 21/27 (B + S + B + B + ☆☆☆☆)

Being on a horse nets Rath some more points than his foot archer counterparts, though some reviewers were concerned by the Nomad’s newfound weakness to horse-slaying weapons that, for some reason, they didn’t have in FE6. His late recruitment time in the main story, plus his low number of supports (and all with infantry) also docked some points with some reviewers. However, his overall good stats kept his score high.

Lucius

Ranking: 20/27 (B + A + C + A + ☆☆☆☆)

While Lucius is praised as a good player-phase unit, his low Luck and Defense detracts from most of his scores.

Eliwood

Ranking: 19/27 (C + B + B + B + ☆☆☆☆☆)

His biggest criticisms are not having any particularly outstanding stat like Hector does, as well as the fact that Durandal weighs him down too much. Nearly all the reviewers said “he’s useless for the final battle if he’s using Durandal.” Knight Lord’s weakness to Horseslaying weapons, as well as mediocre stat caps, also didn’t go unnoticed. kuya touted Rapier’s improved stats from FE6, plus Eliwood’s greater movement and ability to use lances after promotion, to rank him abnormally high compared to the other rankings.

Florina

Ranking: 19/27 (B + B + B + B + ☆☆☆☆)

The general consensus is that she starts off weak, but has good growths and is worth training. Her low Con also gets her some criticism, though it does not hamper her score much.

Priscilla

Ranking: 19/27 (A + C + B + B + ☆☆☆☆)

Her low HP and Defense dock her some points, though being on a horse gains some of those points back for some players. Her decent Skill, Speed, and Luck also make her “Clarine Lite” for some reviewers.

Pent

Ranking: 19/27 (B + C + B + A + ☆☆☆☆)

To put it in rmoto’s words, “A master who can have better stats than his apprentice? This is a violation of Fire Emblem rules.” (In spite of that, they gave Pent a C. I think they were feeling petty over Pent stealing their EXP.)

Legault

Ranking: 18/27 (C + C + A + B + ☆☆☆☆)

Legault’s usefulness depends on how good Matthew has turned out. The general consensus is that he’s a good candidate for Assassin due to his high Speed and Luck growths.

Harken

Ranking: 18/27 (C + N/A (3 pts) + B + A + ☆☆☆)

While he’s no Raven, he has serviceable stats and growths. Plus, he joins with a Brave Sword. That’s pretty cool.

Rebecca

Ranking: 17/27 (B + D + B + B + ☆☆☆☆)

If you can’t tell, rmoto has a thing for horseback units, which is why she gets a single measly point from them when everyone else is giving her 4 points.

Nino

Ranking: 17/27 (C + C + A + C + ☆☆☆☆)

She makes for a great mage once you train her up. The issue just happens to be training her up.

Sain

Ranking: 16/27 (C + B + C + C + ☆☆☆☆)

His strength growth is praised, but his low skill and mediocre defenses lower his score with most players. Several of them said “If you use him, you need to use Kent with him for their support boosts.”

Kent

Ranking: 15/27 (C + B + C + D + ☆☆☆☆)

He would’ve gotten the same score as Sain if it weren’t for srpg824′s different scores for them. srpg’s reason for giving him a lower score than Sain is his bad Luck and only just balanced growths. A couple people pointed out his bad Luck as well.

Wil

Ranking: 15/27 (C + D + C + B + ☆☆☆☆)

srpg and kuya, his two highest scores, acknowledged him as a solid choice for a balanced archer. kuya also mentioned his ability to support with good units like Raven and Rath. Meanwhile, rmoto gave him a low score of a 1 (D) for not being a particularly outstanding unit.

Serra

Ranking: 15/27 (C + D + B + B + ☆☆☆)

Opinions on Serra were mixed. Her higher scores praised her relatively good growths and higher magic growth than Priscilla and found Serra easier to use even without Priscilla’s higher movement. On the other hand, her detractors cite Priscilla’s higher Move, Serra’s low Light magic rank upon promotion (D), and the uselessness of S-ranking Staves.

Heath

Ranking: 15/27 (C + D + C + B + ☆☆☆☆)

Most of the reviews saw him as a solid unit if you weren’t already training Florina and/or Fiora.

Jaffar

Ranking: 15/27 (C + B + C + C + ☆☆☆)

He has good bases, but poor growths; an acceptable Assassin if you didn’t train Legault or don’t want to promote him. Best used with Nino.

Lowen

Ranking: 14/27 (C + C + C + B + ☆☆)

Lowen gets a thoroughly average score. The reviewers commented on his unusually good defensive growths, but his attack, skill, and speed left something to be desired.

Bartre

Ranking: 14/27 (C + C + C + C + ☆☆☆)

Bartre gets a higher score than his fellow Fighter Dorcas due to his more balanced growths and potential to become speedier. However, it is commonly acknowledged that this will very much rely on how good his levels are.

Guy

Ranking: 14/27 (C + C + C + C + ☆☆☆)

Guy is the “typical myrmidon,” so his lack of Strength and Defense were commonly criticized. The fact that Swordmasters’ innate crit dropped from 30% to 15% also made him less viable in reviewers’ eyes.

Dart

Ranking: 13/27 (D + D + D + A + ☆☆☆)

The general consensus was that he hits hard, but only if he actually manages to hit. Even srpg, who gave him the highest score, acknowledged that there are many reasons to not use Dart. Furthermore, his promotion item is really valuable, so you may be more inclined to sell it (and, since it’s found in the desert map, you may even miss it; the opportunity to buy his promotion item doesn’t come until just before the final chapter).

Geitz

Ranking: 13/27 (C + D + C + B + ☆☆)

Reviewers mostly acknowledged that he’s a decent prepromoted Warrior with solid weapon ranks, though rmoto eloquently said “He’s weaker than Bartre, so I didn’t even bother.”

Matthew

Ranking: 12/27 (C + D + C + D + ☆☆☆)

The general consensus is that Matthew is great at the stealing part of the Thief class due to his high speed, but his Strength is middling so he really shouldn’t see any combat. As a result, he isn’t recommended for the Assassin promotion since he would lose the ability to steal, which is his greatest asset.

Hawkeye

Ranking: 12/27 (D + C + C + C + ☆☆)

While Hawkeye starts out with decent bases, his low growths hamper his score.

Louise

Ranking: 12/27 (D + C + D + C + ☆☆☆)

She’s only alright in the reviewers’ books, given that Wil and Rebecca have better availability. According to kuya, she’s best if you’re using Pent as well, since they have locked A supports with each other.

Erk

Ranking: 11/27 (D + D + C + C + ☆☆)

The biggest issue with Erk, for these reviewers, isn’t so much with Erk himself and more with his competition. Pent, Athos, and Nino are all too capable for Erk to stand out amongst them.

Karel

Ranking: 11/27 (D + N/A (2 pts) + D + D + ☆☆☆)

“What happened in the 20 years between FE6 and FE7?” The general consensus is that Karel starts off pretty weak. You’re better off getting Harken. Or, be like rmoto and beat the chapter before Turn 10 (which is when Harken or Karel would have appeared).

Vaida

Ranking: 9/27 (D + N/A (2 pts) + E + D + ☆☆)

Comes with good Strength and alright bases, though with glaring problems in Speed and Resistance. Also has bad growths, so don’t expect much out of her.

Marcus

Ranking: 8/27 (D + D + D + D + ☆)

He’s a crutch character and gets rated like one, ‘nuff said.

Isadora

Ranking: 8/27 (D + D + D + D + ☆)

Her low Con and middling stats, only notable in Speed, land her at a severely low rank.

Dorcas

Ranking: 7/27 (E + D + E + D + ☆☆)

Poor Dorcas. Everyone called out his poor Speed growth of 20% and rather mediocre overall stats.

Wallace

Ranking: 7/27 (D + D + E + D + ☆)

While the reviewers gave that he’s marginally better when you aren’t forced to promote him in Lyn Mode, he still had no particular advantages, resulting in his low score.

Renault

Ranking: 6/27 (E + D + E + D + ☆)

His Magic is pathetic for a Bishop and his overall stats aren’t impressive. He’s mostly there for the conversations he can have. (I think that’s why srpg gave him a D instead of an E.)

Karla

Ranking: 5/27 (E + N/A (1 pt) + E + E + ☆)

“Her greatest achievement is giving birth to Fir,” tanasyou claims. She has bad availability, bases, and growths. Plus she’s only found in Hector’s route, with some very specific recruitment requirements.

Merlinus

Ranking: 21/27 (B + C + B + S + ☆☆☆☆☆)

As noted in his two highest rankings, he doesn’t take up any deployment spots and he levels up just by surviving the chapter, so he can’t really be judged like other units. “He’s better than he was in FE6” was the common sentiment.

Sources: 1) chirimenzeyo (A-E scale), 2) rmoto (S > A-D scale), 3) tanasyou (S > A-E scale), 4) srpg824 (S > A-E scale), 5) kuya_dis_ga_fs (☆☆☆☆☆-☆ scale)

[kinogane]

On Ninian’s Paired Ending

Theoretically, because of what is established about Eliwood in The Binding Blade, it stands to reason that pairing anyone up with Eliwood in the prequel, The Blazing Blade, can be construed as knowingly setting them up for tragedy. There’s a small wrinkle, however, in that The Binding Blade was never released outside of Japan, while The Blazing Blade was (under the annoying title Fire Emblem), which means that in practice, non-Japanese players can’t reasonably be expected to know about Eliwood’s partner’s fate.

With one major exception: Ninian.

If you raise Eliwood and Ninian’s support level to A, the modified ending to the final chapter, “Light”, has Nils talk to Ninian and explicitly spell out, primarily to the audience, that neither of them will live long if they stay in Elibe. Despite this, sensing his sister’s wish to stay with Eliwood, Nils entrusts Ninian’s shorter life and happiness to Eliwood and says goodbye as he heads through the gate to live a long life, never to be seen again.

Now, granted, what exactly Nils means by “short” and “long” isn’t necessarily clear just in the context of this scene. Since it’s established that dragons live for millennia, you could reasonably interpet “short” as “short by dragon standards”, which could be still be very long by human standards. This read doesn’t hold up particularly well given further context, but just in the scope of what is presented in The Blazing Blade, it’s not patently ridiculous.

But that interpretation only deflects from the real tension at play. From Ninian’s perspective, she is trading away a long, happy life in another world with her brother for a significantly shorter, but potentially happier(?) life in Elibe with Eliwood. Whatever “short” might mean by human standards (including the player), it’s definitely short by Ninian’s standards.

From an in-universe perspective, there’s no actual tension from this decision. Nothing in the text suggests that Ninian is making this choice out of anything but her own free will. In fact, Ninian was fully ready to leave alongside Nils and was saying goodbye to Eliwood, only stopping when Nils chimes in and essentially give her and Eliwood his blessing to stay.

The tension arises when viewing all of this from a meta perspective; namely, that the writers saw fit to make this Ninian’s fate. Even as someone who likes the pairing and likes the way it plays out, because it’s effectively setting an angst time bomb, I’d be lying if I said this narrative beat felt... questionable. Like, Ninian is a character developed enough to have an identity outside of being one of Eliwood’s love interests (see also: her relationship with Nils, her other supports with Hawkeye and Florina), but making her final major act of agency be consigning herself to a brief life with Eliwood doesn’t exactly instill confidence that she actually is more than Eliwood’s love interest.

None of this, on its own, is all that noteworthy. What is noteworthy, however, is that everything I just mentioned is contingent entirely on raising Eliwood and Ninian’s support level to A. Since Ninian is only available for deployment (and, by extension, for developing supports) for seven or eight out of over thirty chapters, and Eliwood must not have more than two support conversations with other characters, this is actually quite difficult to do intentionally, let alone accidentally. If Eliwood and Ninian do not have an A-Support, then Ninian leaves with Nils as she intended to, and quite likely lives a long and happy life with her brother.

As such, knowledge of this ending imposes a special dilemma on players who do like Eliwood and Ninian together. Do you manifest their pairing in your game, etching their union into the personal canon of your save while also ostensibly dooming Ninian to a simultaneously canonical early death? Or do you instead leave them unpaired, saving Ninian in the personal canon of your save while avoiding leaving any canonical trace that the two could even be happy together and settling for other, external ways to express your preference?

I’d wager some people don’t actually see this as a dilemma, since it’s contingent on placing what they would see as undue focus on canon, and all that matters is what is expressed to the outside world, to others, which most commonly takes the form of fanwork. Whether or not the ending is actually achieved, the shackles of canon can only weigh down those that respect it, and it’s trivially easily to pick and choose as needed. What’s the issue?

And while I am ultimately of that mindset, I also think it is useful to at least sometimes take canon as it is and properly think through the implications, however inconvenient or unpleasant they might be. Canon, after all, is only what is assumed to be the common ground for all participants, so it’s at least worth thinking about how things would have to play out canonically, if discussing works of fiction with other people is something to be valued.

I bring this up as someone who’s been sitting on an Eliwood/Ninian fic that tries to explore how Ninian (and to a lesser extent, Eliwood) would go about living in the time between The Blazing Blade and The Binding Blade, with the knowledge that she’s not long for the world perpetually lingering over the two. It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since I learned about the way the pairing plays out in The Blazing Blade for the reasons highlighted above. Doomed relationships are nothing new in video games, but this specific kind of doomed relationship, where actualizing it necessarily brings about an otherwise avoidable death, is considerably rarer.

It’s not all that surprising that I personally would take to it, since it’s an obvious wellspring of angst, but it’s one that requires some legwork to really hit. It’s one thing to die, mourning for a potential that was never realized; it’s another (and in my opinion, more gutwrenching) thing to actually realize that potential then fade away, believing wholeheartedly that it was all worth it in the end.

Canonically speaking, if Eliwood and Ninian were to be together, it could only ever be for a few years. And through her actions, we, as an audience, are to believe that spending a few years with her beloved Eliwood would make Ninian happier than spending many years amongst her kind in another land would.

And as someone who on some level wants the two to be together, I feel at least some obligation to try to imagine a life where that holds true, in my own small way, even if such a life is bound to end in tears.

[randomnameless]

Three houses get more representation in heroes because its popular ?

I guess?

My issue isn't with how popular or loved Fodlan is, but what FEH was supposed to be.

With FE Cipher, even if Fates and Awakening were very popular, we still had entire sets featuring FE6 characters. Ditto for FE4/5/8 (tfw a Bael got its own card).

CYL is a popularity contest, that much I understand.

And yet, I also understand FEH is supposed to be a celebration of the franchise itself - bla bla FEH is a main game because Vero is a paid DLC in Engage bla but would anyone really pay 60 bucks to play book 1 and 6 about Vero's story? Really ? If this is a main game , then the first warriors game is one too lol - so why are the same 3 games over represented ?

In Cipher, we had a Fates set, then a Jugdral set (featuring CIpher OCs?), then an Archanea set, then an awakening set, then a Valentia one, etc etc.

But if they follow the current FEH, it'd be one fodlan set, one thracia set, one fodlan set, one awakening set, one fodlan set, one tellius set, one fodlan set, one elibe set, one fodlan set etc.

I really get how popular units/games will always sell and the fan favourites are always represented, I played through 2 Tales gacha games lol, Links had basically a bajillion of Leons and Yuris while poor Caius barely existed, and Rowen never got a premium unit!

CYL is a fan event - for sure - but beyond CYL, it's just FEH that tires me - it's not a celebration of the FE series anymore, it's just a cashgrab to take money from some fans using their current obsession (Fateswakening in Year1-2, Fodlan now) so while it never concerned me in the first few years, I dgaf and moved on, wondering if the units I like would ever get a thing (and they did! Saias was released for free lol) but now with the state of powercreep the game has?

You have to roll for units, to get their skills and fodder them to units you care about, and even then, they might not be able to clean PVE content - I like when things are challenging, sure, but the last Seer's Snare was a cruel wake-up : even with the newest shiny skills and whatnot, Caineghis cannot compete with duo!Anna. P!Naesala has the WTA against them? Who gives a fig, he dies on initiation.

Hegemongard was just a prelude to what FEH would become lol - even if, with investment, old units could still put up a fight against her, but you had to get dedicated team to counter her.

Now? With a team with W!Mitris, L!Alear and A!Elincia? Good luck tanking anything lol - sure, Tina is a godsend and I find if hilarious how this random nobody from FE5 is supposed to counter the crazed current meta, but it's the same issue - sell ridiculous units, and sell ridiculous counters.

It's the essence of a gacha game.

Maybe the next A!Caineghis or maybe a L!Caineghis will make the character relevant again - at least if you want to play and use him, but... as far as FEH is concerned, no one gaf about Cain, so he might have gotten a refine and yet he'll not get another unit. Forgive him in you want to play PVE content - or roll for new premium units and field him as a cute mascot.

[royaltyjunk]

Analysis of Nino’s Heroes Quotes

Requested by @fehtrash! Do my best!

I’m sorry.

"I never learned to read very well, you'll help me with that right?"

A quote based off of Nino’s support with Erk, where they discuss the importance of reading and studying magic.

Erk: This is the book I was reading. I’m done with it, so you can have it if you want. Nino: Really? That’s great! Oh…but…what should I do? Erk: I’m sorry? Nino: I’m still not very good at reading… Erk: …Then… How do you use anima magic? Nino: My mother… Not my real mother, but the one who raised me… She knew all kinds of magic, and I just imitated her from the time I was small. Erk: You imitated her? Nino: My mother would hold the tome and chant, right? Well, I just listened to her chants and practiced them over and over until I had memorized them!

"You can't imagine how happy I am to be here."

If you’ve played FE7, you know how Nino does not have the best self-image of herself. She’s probably really happy to be contributing to the battle. Have a quote that proves she has zero self-confidence I relate.

Erk: I’m just surprised. You must be a natural genius… …I have the deepest respect for you now… Nino: … … Erk: !? W-Why are you crying? Did… Did I say something terrible? Nino: Unh-unh… You didn’t… It’s just… I’m so happy…that someone…finally…appreciates me…… Thank…you……

"Ahh! Oh, got scared for a second."

Surprised line.

*giggles*

PRECIOUS GIRL.

"What do you need? To talk? I'm always up for that!"

Nino is, obviously, a bubbly girl. I couldn’t find this exact quote, but I found many other happy Nino talking quotes.

Nino: Oh, hello, Canas! Canas: Hello. Why, you’re little Nino, aren’t you? Nino: Yep. Sure am. What are you reading?

Erk: …… …… Nino: Hey, it’s a mage! Hi! I’m Nino!

Nino: Ah, hello! I’m Nino! Nice to meet you! Florina: Oh… Hello… I…

Nino: Ah, I’m sorry… Hey, mister, you’re Merlinus, right? Merlinus: And who would you be? What do you want? Nino: I’m Nino! I’m supposed to defend our merchant.

Nino: Oh! Legault: Nino! It’s you! Ahh… At least you’re still well. Nino: Yeah! You, too, Uncle Legault!

Rebecca: Hello! You’re Nino, right? Nino: Yeah… I’m Nino! Who are you? Rebecca: I’m Rebecca. I’m 15. How old are you? Nino: I’m 14! We’re almost the same age!

Nino: Jaffar! Jaffar: … What is it? Nino: I want you to have this. Jaffar: …What is it? Nino: It is my greatest treasure! Isn’t it pretty?

"I'll work really hard for you! Cross my heart and hope to die."

I’m not sure where exactly this quote comes from, but the second part probably comes from Nino and Jaffar’s A-support.

Nino: Yes… Let’s always be together… Jaffar… Don’t ever leave me… …Ever. You have to promise. Jaffar: On my honor… On my heart.

"I love baked dumplings more than anything! We should find some!"

Taken from Nino and Rebecca’s C-Support.

Nino: Is this…a baked dumpling? Rebecca: Yeah, if you like it, go ahead. Nino: I love baked dumplings! Thank you! It’s…delicious! Wow! It’s…great! You made this, Rebecca?

"The Black Fang was my family...I wonder how the rest of them are doing."

Hnng those FE7 feels. Pretty obvious if you’ve ever played FE7, but Nino sees the Black Fang as her family, because she was raised with them, and has known nothing else.

Nino: ……I loved the Black Fang. Nergal and Sonia have ruined it, but… The Black Fang that my father and brothers made… Everyone was so kind, I thought of them as my family…

[markoftheasphodel]

Top 3 Best and Worst Characterizations in Heroes. Who's character best survived their transition in FEH, and who didnt.

That’s an interesting question because “best” can mean “they got my favorite character down 110%” or it can mean “they took a character I didn’t love and made me love them” or even “this awful character is appropriately awful.” Likewise “worst” can mean “this character I adore is not done the way I would do it” or “character I don’t love was done so dirty even I feel bad” or “shitty character made even shittier.”

So, here are some selections for Best:

1) Sigurd. I am openly on the record as not being a huge fan of Mr. OP Horse Lord. But Heroes captured him so perfectly in between the art, the writing, the skill-set, and Grant George’s performance that yeah, I would play 6 chapters of this guy’s game.

2) Lyon. I don’t actually find him the super-sympathetic villain that many do, but FEH!Lyon is so beautiful and so beautifully voiced by Mark Whitten that I can see why people would fall for him. It made the allure clear to me in a way his GBA self never did without feeling like it was a sugarcoat/whitewash.  Still probably hangs out on the Magvel version of r/incels or whatever tho.

3) Arden. Now that is how to do a meme character! Still not pretty. Still not the sharpest tool in the shed. Still not, er, fast. But everything about him delights me and it’s perfectly true to the character while also granting him dignity in his joke status. Which is all the poor guy ever wanted to start with! Mick Wingert did a great job with him too.

So for Hero, Villain, and Memey Side Character, those are pretty awesome!

Here’s some for Worst.

1) Cain & Abel. It seems like a lot of launch characters got shafted TBH but Cain is one-dimensional and justice is not done to what depth he has as a character whereas Abel, while nicely voiced (Mick Wingert again!) is a muddle of character traits and temporal disconnects. It conveys very little sense of why these guys are iconic.

2) Lyn(s). Hate the voice. Hate the player pandering. I’m not super-fond of Lyn anyway but I like her just fine in FE7 itself, and instead Heroes is just dishing out  something close to Fanon Lyn over and over and OVER again. All the Ikes and Lucinas are aggravating too but they don’t piss me off the way these Lyns leave me cold. Do fans of her actual characterization like this stuff? I can also make the same complaint about a certain Dark Mage and all her terrible alts in that Heroes is doing wrong even by her highly problematic character, scrubbing out the good parts and tripling down on the worst ones. It’s bad.

3) Roderick. This is a case of the character being almost there. Nice art. Nice voice courtesy of Christian La Monte. But the things that make Roderick something other than generic dutiful squire #172, like the cold edge to his personality and his affection for Cecil, just ain’t there. It’s delightful he got into the game when FEH was still taking chances with less-renowned characters. I am glad he’s there. But he is, indeed, just Generic Dutiful Squire, and this in a game that outside of the Alteans actually did do a good job of distinguishing between all the dutiful cavalier/paladin types. 

[whitewaterpaper]

SoIF06: ”Det Onda Arvet” [Kapitel 01–02].

En läsecirkel tillsammans med @kulturdasset​, delmål 1:7.

Författare: Margit Sandemo. Serie: Sagan om Isfolket, Bok 6.

Publicerad: 1982. Medium: eBok/eLib (2019).

¡Oi! Spoilers, stavfel och alternativa fakta kan förekomma rakt föröver!

Kolgrim börjar, för läsaren, visa upp sina mörkare sidor. Och som väntat anser han, precis som Trond en gång gjorde, att han är den enda rätta arvingen till Sols trolldomsskatt. Och en del av mig börjar ju fundera: om tanken är att de skall hållas gömda för att aldrig användas… varför inte bara förstöra dem? Eller i alla fall att Tarjei (som nuvarande arvinge) säger att han gjort det? Varför skall var och varenda ättling av isfolket veta att de existerar för?

Kolgrim gör sig av med sin rival, eller det är i alla fall vad ha tror. Vi har ju bara sett Mattias driva iväg med båten, så det är inte omöjligt att någon plockat upp honom och tagit med honom hem. Jag ser det inte som omöjligt att Mattias lagt ihop ett och ett med och är lite orolig för att återvända hem. Eller att traumat givit honom minnesförlust. Men några frågor är ju värt att ställa. Som t.ex. att ingen saknat båten. Eller, varför – om man hittar en honom kringdrivandes på en båt – man inte försöker finna vart pojken kommer ifrån?

Jag är övertygad om att Mattias är vid liv, och jag ser fram emot att få reda på detaljerna.

En annan såpa, som vi inte fått höra så mycket kring sedan Cecilie gifte sig, är hushovmästarinnans hårdhänta ”uppfostran” av kungabarnen. Och det var väl på tiden att någon sade till på skarpen. Körde på porten och arbetade aldrig med i kunglig tjänst avslutas hennes karriär med. Och med det hoppas vi att karaktären gör sorti för gott.

Delmålets stora överraskning står ändå kanske Tarjei för. Kanske inte att han skulle gifta sig med Cornelia, det kändes rätt uppenbart redan förra boken och Margit S. har inte varit särskilt mystisk med sina uppsåt. Speciellt inte när Tarjei tackar nej till en välbetald tjänst vid universitetet och flyttar till Erfurt där Cornelia huserar. Nä… Överraskningen ligger snarare i att äktenskapet stökats av innan kapitlet är slut. Vi vet ju sedan tidigare att det är tufft att genomlida en graviditet när Isfolkets gener är inblandade. Och även om födseln i sig här inte verkar ha varit av det brutalare slaget, så orkade inte Cornelia genom hela förlossningen – här kan vi bara spekulera i varför Sandemo vill ha Tarjei fri så pass snart. Som det verkar så var den stora poängen att ge Tarjei en egen ättling och ytterligare en rival för Kolgrim.

Något som tarvade en påminnelse är ju att Tarjei givetvis ligger lite i skottgluggen för häxjakterna och andra som jagades för nya idéer som ställde gamla trosuppfattningar på ända. Tengel var ju redan han på gränsen många gånger men hade lite för många och för mäktiga vänner för att krokarna riktigt skulle fånga in honom. Jag kände f.ö. igen namnet ”Jan Hus” och satte det ihop med häxjakterna, egentligen sysslade han lite med samma saker som Martin Luther och ställde sig emot kyrkans handel med avlatsbrev. Men där den senare verkligen lyckades slita kyrkan itu.

Så försvinner Meta ut ur historien, och jag har på känn att Dag kommer lämna oss innan boken är slut med. Sedan är det väl bara Are och Liv kvar med förtrollade lindar.

Avslutningsvis kliar det i mitt bakhuvud över järnskrinet. Något säger mig att jag borde veta vad det innehöll… Något säger mig att det var något som Yrja gömde i ”Längtan”? En del av mig vill söka igenom boken på jakt efter passagen, en annan vill inte gå miste om överraskningen längre fram.

Källor:

Boken @ Goodreads.

Boken @ libris.kb.se.

eBibliotek @ Axiell Media.

Biblio @ Axiell Media.

Jan Hus @ sv.wikipedia.org.

Martin Luther @ sv.wikipedia.org.