#fe8 queen of swords

[azebraslife]

A Zebra Plays: FE8 Queen of Sword hack

So while looking for the Australia FE8 patch yesterday, I noticed a freshly-updated JP FE8 romhack whose name translates to “Queen of Swords.” (Disclaimer: As of now, I haven’t met this queen.)

It incorporates several different romhack mechanics, such as a Str/Mag split, Skills, and Capturing. There are also a number of new, cool weapons (and yes, you can steal them via Capturing), such as a Berserk sword and Staves that cast offensive magic.

In the beginning of the game, you’re asked a series of question and given Yes/No prompts. This actually determines the bases, growth rate, skills, and special weapon of one of the characters, Marsh. There are a total of 4 different versions of him. I got the fourth version, who gets a special Ice tome and the Swordbreaker(?) skill.

This is Marsh’s tome at work. He’s really been using it as his crutch weapon, somewhat unfortunately due to how cool it is. This version of him has a middling 25% growth in Speed so he’s going to need powerful tomes to compensate, and right now his only other tome is a Fire tome..

This Priest named Raid in Chapter 3 comes with two cool things: A Fire Staff, which I’ve pointed out, and that skill book-like item above. A gimmick with that skill book is that in the prep screen, it actually serves as a promotion item. Also, this game doesn’t give a damn about your unit’s level; you could promote a unit at level 1 if you wanted.

Of course, that’s stupid, so I’m not doing that.

We also get two Thieves over the course of Chapters 3 and 4, Girouette and Maroda. It’s a lifesaver since Chapter 4 is a Fog of War chapter, and there aren’t any torch staves. Based on their growths, Girouette is apparently supposed to be the “weak but fast” Thief while Maroda is the “tough” Thief, but Girouette somehow managed to proc Strength three times in a row on a 35% growth, so now she’s at 11 Str to Maroda’s 6 at only two levels above his.

Also.

This fucking guy.

See that skill? That’s Wrath, and it procs when his HP is in the single digits. Now, take a look at his HP.

His HP growth? 0. A literal big fat 0. This kid has perma-Wrath on unless you give him statboosters (or possibly when he promotes).

It’s now my life’s mission to make sure this kid gets through this game on 9 HP.

[randomnameless]

25, any headcanons?

Pff

25 headcanons for the meme then

Mareeta eventually meets Larcei in the post FE4/FE5 world and beats her soundly because Major Blood makes people OP, it's unfair but that's Jugdral

Velthomer robes have always been black and red, even for the people associated with the Velthomer court, but Saias wears inverted colors to make sure no one knows he's secretly a Velthomer himself. It's a foolproof plan.

Roy is Ninian's son, and him being part dragon is what enables him to use the Sword of Seals ; Harmut came to believe in a future where dragons and humans could live together, Roy's the living proof of this (and Sophia cannot uses swords!).

Everyone expects Leanne's Raven Boy to be a little terror and make Uncle Reyson get grey hair, but it's actually the Heron Girl who has a lot of fun messing with everyone. Naesala is a proud dad.

After the base convo with Ike, Rafiel tried to eat meat. That's the reason why he couldn't join everyone in the Goddess's Tower.

Grandma Eleanora taught Roy how to dance

Rhea and Macuil always insisted on sleeping in Cichol's bed when they were younger with their big bro - Cichol used to think it was uncomfortable because each of them had beds and they were cramped in his, but after Zanado he misses it.

Finn taught everyone in Fiana how to ride a horse - it doesn't mean everyone can fight horse back, but they at least can ride one.

The first shipment for trade between the two nations of United Archanea and United Valentia involved flour and oranges. Legend says Marth enjoyed oranges so much he wanted to give orange juice to everyone in his realm.

Nyna, Tatiana and Zeke are living happily in Rigel with their 6 children.

Eliwood really wanted to grow a mustache like his father, but when he saw Hector's beard he gave up.

Sanaki and Miccy try to be on amiable terms, but the "you tried to fry me remember" and "remember when our ancestor talked to you and ignored me, and wanted to destroy the world because he forgot I existed while playing with you?" are hard to get over with. They are on good terms as rulers of different nations, but they are not on good terms as sisters.

Every ruler from FE10 went to visit at least once Goldoa, and Rajaion's son. Ena was overjoyed, even if she didn't know what to do with the 52 plushies.

When Citrus told Rhea she wanted to marry Jerry, Rhea wondered what she did wrong, Jerry has a rat tail ! Maybe by constructing Citrus she forgot to program the "what is pretty from what is not pretty" software?

Hilda is Arvis's half sister and one of Victor's bastards

Ephraim using so much of Renais's funds to rebuild Grado is very unpopular post FE8, some people of Renais think Grado deserved it because their Prince consorted with demons - something Ephraim actively refutes whenever he can, as a result his reign is not a very popular one

After Mila'n'Duma went asleep, Valentia mages cannot use magic without staves/tomes

During his journey, Nergal learnt his wife died, but unable to accept this fact + the promise he made to the children to bring her back pushed to dwelve deeper and deeper to the Dark Artes, and we know what happened.

Julia's major Naga son will start a new conflict in Jugdral against Seliph's children

After the events of FE4/FE5, Silesse decided to base their hereditary monarchy on Queen Erinys's heirs, regardless if they have a Sety brand or not (given how both father and son ditched the country during various wars).

Cyril sees Shamir as his teacher and Catherine as some sort of annoying older sibling who gives him noogies even if he told her he dosn't like it

Seteth named his wyverns after his dead companions

Ismaire offered Joshua his trademark hat when he told her he was leaving to "discover the world". It's the only thing Joshua will never bet on.

Hugh becomes the first Elibian mage to master Light and Anima magic, but he dies before Niime, who could never told him how proud she is of him, even if he doesn't use dark magic.

Scatach eventually learns how to use an axe after asking his cousin Iuchar(ba?)

[therequiemforthelost-archive]

Whats one random fact about all of your ocs

I've got a lot so I'll just talk about a handful gjjsid

Ivory (DMC) runs a self-defense class

Jeanne (FE3H) can play the violin

Elaine (FEA) was adopted by Basilio when she was a child

Aika's (Bleach) hands are always cold because if her zanpakuto's powers

Gustav (EO2/EO2U), while being a protector, is also very skilled at using a gun

Edward (EO2/EO2U) prefers not to fight and pretends he's weak, but he can absolutely ruin someone's day witha sword

Ríona (FE8) was a general for the Grado Empire before becoming queen

Robin (EO4) acts like he doesn't care, but he cares a lot and hates seeing people hurt

Ronan (EO2/EO2U) often visits the orphanage of High Lagaard to teach the children about alchemy (and academics in general)

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 13, Section 3

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

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I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

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Chapter 13: The Desert Palace (con’t x2)

The Grado Army finally noticed that Eirika’s group had snuck in from the east, and the soldiers guarding the front gate tried to split up into two groups.

However, they could not properly follow through with the order. The chaos had reached its peak, and the Grado soldiers ended up bumping into each other.

Joshua’s target was the enemy unit’s leader. While the leader put up an excellent fight, he couldn’t match Joshua’s abilities.

Joshua backed him up against the wall and knocked his weapon out of his hands.

All of the color drained from his face.

Joshua brought his sword to the man’s throat and asked, “Is the queen safe?”

“I… I don’t know!” The man tried to feign ignorance, but Joshua pressed the tip of his sword against his throat. His voice shook as he corrected himself,  “All I know is, she should still be alive. She’s with Carlyle in the throne room…”

“Carlyle? Is Carlyle safe too?” Joshua relaxed his shoulders. “Is he fighting and protecting the queen? But then why…?” He looked like he had realized something, as he tightened the grip around his sword. “The entire palace has been captured. Yet why is Carlyle, the leader of the army, safe? Answer me!” 

“Sir Carlyle… He helped us get inside the palace…” The man winced. The tip of Joshua's sword cut his throat ever so slightly.

Eirika called out from behind Joshua, “Who is Carlyle? Are you saying he led the Grado Army here from the inside…?"

Joshua backed away from the leader with a look of shock on his face. “I can’t believe it. He sold Jehanna out to the enemy.”

“Joshua, who is Carlyle? What is it that you know…?”

“For now, we need to get to the throne room. Seems like the queen is still safe.” Joshua whirled around. 

ー

The diversion unit that Innes was leading took advantage of the chaos that the Grado Army was in and tore down the front gate.

His soldiers, having gained a huge amount of momentum, all rushed inside. Eirika’s group met up with them and continued further inside.

“The throne room should be down this hallway…” Innes tried to stand as the leader of the army, but Joshua stopped him.

“Wait, don’t go down there!”

“What?”

“Look at the walls. There's holes to shoot arrows through, right?"

Eirika looked closely at the walls. Now that Joshua had said that and made her look, she could see the holes clearly. They were so small that she wouldn't have noticed them had they not been pointed out to her. 

"There isn't anywhere that we could hide. If we moved carelessly, then we would be shot.”

"...Of course." Innes nodded, but when he turned to look at Joshua, his expression was not one of thanks, but of suspicion.

‘He knows too much.’ Eirika felt the same way. The inside of the palace was indeed complex, and the map that Joshua had drawn before they entered was shockingly accurate.

And there was also the incident moments ago where he knew the name that the Jehanna Army leader of the Grado Army had spoken of. The man who’d betrayed Jehanna and helped the Grado Army… Carlyle, if she remembered correctly.

Why did he know so much information about Jehanna? How did he and Carlyle know each other? Her suspicions about him were only piling up, but there was no time to ask about any of them.

At Innes’ order, the armored soldiers forged ahead, and formed a wall of their own to block anyone else from being shot by the arrows. Eirika and the rest of the army hid in their shadows and started to walk down the hallway.

Just as they’d expected, hidden archers rained down arrows from the other side of the wall. However, the arrows were entirely ineffective against the knights. The projectiles bounced right off their heavy armor. 

When everyone passed through another hallway lined by tall, circular pillars, they entered a large room with a tall ceiling. To make it this far, they had already defeated most of the enemies in their path. They cut down the few trying to stand in their way, then the army continued towards the throne room.

Placed in the innermost part of the palace was a luxurious throne fit for the beautiful building. And a man was sitting upon it.

He was thin and had a pale, lifeless face. When he noticed Eirika and her army coming, he slowly stood up.

He was very tall and had wide shoulders. He had probably once been a great knight, but now, he appeared to be utterly worn out. The only light left within him was the strange one shining in his eyes.

“Who are you!? One of the Grado generals?!” Innes shouted and nocked an arrow. However, the man was not looking at him. He was staring straight at Joshua, who was frozen in place with a hand on the hilt of his sword.

Joshua glared at the man and shouted, “Carlyle! Where is the queen?!”

“...You’re…” A light glittered in his eyes. His sunken face twisted into a bitter expression. Then he breathed a long sigh and muttered, “So you’ve returned… But why now, of all times?”

“Where is the queen?! Did you sell her out to the enemy?!”

“...No.” Carlyle shook his head. When he furrowed his brow, his expression changed to a terribly sad one. “I only… I only wanted to make her happy…”

“Where is the queen?! What have you done, Carlyle?!” Joshua said, sounding very irritated. 

Eirika wanted to ask where the queen was right away, but the tension between them was so great that she dared not come between them.

“...She worked so hard that it would have been grueling even for a man… and did it all alone. For many, many years… I thought that if I could become her strength even just a little bit as the leader of the army… if I could lessen her exhaustion even just a little bit…” 

“Carlyle?” Joshua asked the man he was interrogating, suspicious of him, then said, “You were loyal to her. You supported her more sincerely than anyone else in the world as her most trusted retainer. I would hear good stories about you from time to time, even after I left...” 

“You are wrong. I did not serve the queen with such noble feelings." Carlyle’s eyes darkened, and he looked at Joshua.

Joshua looked like he was trying to figure out what the man’s true feelings were. Then, he asked in a low voice, “No… You had feelings for her…?”

“It was all her fault. She was too beautiful. I… I kept my feelings hidden for twenty years. She was my lord, and I was her knight… I told myself that I could never speak of my true feelings. Until that man asked me if I was happy with the way things were…”

“That man? Who are you talking about?!”

But Carlyle did not answer, continuing on as if he was delirious with a fever, saying, “When he asked me that, I realized how I really felt for the first time. I didn’t want to live my whole life as just her loyal knight forever. I couldn’t stand the thought that I might hide my feelings forever and die unsatisfied. So I… decided to steal her away and make her all mine.”

"And then you teamed up with the enemy?” Joshua interrogated him. 

Carlyle's expression changed. “I care not what you call me, be it a traitor or a man who sold out his country. I need neither my country nor a throne, so long as I have her…”

“What happened to the queen?! Where is she?!”

“If I defeat all of you… then she can be free…” Carlyle placed a hand on his sword. 

Joshua also swiftly withdrew his own blade.

Seth and Ross both placed a hand on their weapons, but Joshua said with his back still turned to them,  “Stay out of this! ...This is the one man that must die by my hand!”

“You’ve gotten stronger.”  Carlyle took a step forward. 

Joshua took a step back.

“But surely you remember that I am the one who trained you in the way of the sword.”

“Of course I remember. You were a strict teacher."

“You cannot have overcome me yet!”

“We’ll see about that. I’m much stronger now!” Joshua lunged at him.

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the air. Carlyle read each and every one of Joshua’s moves perfectly.

Just where within that tired, thin man was any strength left? It surprised Eirika. Carlyle was always one step ahead of Joshua’s quick movements.

And he wasn’t just exceptionally skilled. He was desperate. Passion shown in his eyes. He might have been an enemy, but Eirika could feel the pain in his expression.

Joshua was clearly under pressure. It was the first time that she had ever seen him like this. It took everything he had in him just to shield against Carlyle’s rapid attacks.

Eirika saw Seth try to step in and help, but she stopped him. “Seth, please don’t help him.”

“But…”

“He wouldn’t want you to, right?”

If the elite soldiers of Eirika’s army all attacked at once, then even Carlyle and his superior swordsmanship would quickly fall. But then Joshua would suffer more than just losing a battle. Eirika knew that very well. This was a fight that Joshua had to win on his own.

Carlyle put all of his strength and sharp fighting spirit into each swing of his sword. Joshua was able to block each attack thrown at him, but he couldn’t match Carlyle’s ferocious force.

Joshua’s sword fell out of his hand. He couldn’t keep his stance anymore, and started to stagger. 

Carlyle smirked triumphantly. “I cannot show any mercy, even against you. I will cut down anyone who stands in my way…” He whispered, confident in his victory. 

Eirika felt a cold chill run down her spine. Seth readied his lance, but she no longer had the energy to stop him.

Then, the unthinkable happened.

Joshua had begun to fall, but kicked Carlyle’s leg as hard as he could. 

Carlyle stumbled. Joshua swiftly picked up his sword, stood up, and pierced straight through the left side of Carlyle’s chest.

Carlyle’s eyes widened. Joshua pulled his sword out without a sound, then said, “I’m sorry, Carlyle. You didn’t teach me to fight dirty…” His voice was heavy with grief.

Carlyle could no longer speak. His chest stained red, and he slowly collapsed.

“But I had to survive, so this is natural to me now. Still, I haven’t forgotten what you taught me. I was able to make it this far… because of you.”

Nobody knew if Carlyle heard those words or not. The light rapidly faded from his eyes. The last thing he did was whisper the queen's name, then he closed his eyes.

For a long while, no one spoke. Joshua hung his head. He had defeated his enemy, but seemed lonely in a way.

The person to break the silence was Innes. "Where is the queen? Was she taken to the basement?"

"We haven't seen the Sacred Stone, either. We must find them both quickly…"

L'Arachel's words made Joshua finally lift his head. On his face were neither hesitation nor worry. He said as lively as always, "Let's go try searching the dungeon!"

He took the lead and ran out of the throne room. Innes and the others followed after him.

But Eirika did not move. She couldn't take her eyes off the fallen Carlyle.

He'd sold out and betrayed Jehanna for his own personal feelings. But Eirika could not bring herself to hate him.

The thoughts he'd revealed may have been selfish, but they were pure. And someone had tried to use those feelings. Someone had asked him, "Are you satisfied with the way things are?" and plotted to lead him to betray his country. That was the person that Eirika could not forgive.

She'd felt this way once before, when Orson had betrayed them. Though it had come as a huge shock, she couldn't hate Orson, because she knew that someone had used him and his pure feelings.

Orson and Carlyle. Was it the same person that had caused them to both betray their homelands? Who could it be? 

'It can't be Lyon… can it?' That suspicion crossed her mind, but she pushed it away.

Lyon wasn't the type of person to take advantage of other people's weaknesses and use their feelings. Such a kind person shouldn't be able to act in such a cruel manner.

"... Eirika?" She heard a voice come from behind her.

Her body froze. 'I must be hearing things.' She thought.

She fearfully turned around.

There stood Prince Lyon, staring at her with eyes open wide.

He looked a bit tired compared to the last time they met, but his pale, gentle face was just as she remembered it. The moment their eyes met, he was overcome by embarrassment. He was quick to blush, just as Eirika remembered.

He seemed to be afraid of something, as he tried to run back the way he came.

She called out to him, "Wait, Lyon!"

"Eirika…."

"Thank goodness! I'm so happy to finally see you! Brother and I have been so worried about you. This war… it must be hurting your heart so much.”

Lyon stared straight at her. He could see tears in her beautiful eyes.

"Your father… Emperor Vigarde… did something happen to him? Surely you’re against a war like this one, right? Please talk to me, Lyon. Tell me what’s going on in the capital…”

“I’m sorry.” He whispered in a broken voice. “I’m so sorry, Eirika. I wanted to see you, too. I wanted to see you and Ephraim and apologize to you. We did something to your country that cannot ever be taken back… But now is still too early. I cannot talk to you yet.”

Hearing Lyon’s voice made her want to cry. It was quaking in true pain.

“You have your reasons, right?”

“Yes. I’ll tell you everything one day. I promise. But I can’t yet...“

“I understand.” Eirika nodded. “I trust you. Someday, we’ll be able to talk to each other, just like we used to.”

“...Yes. We will.”

“I feel a little better. You haven’t changed a bit from before…”

“You haven’t changed at all either, Eirika. No�� you’re more beautiful than before…”

“Huh?” Her cheeks flushed red. She didn’t think Lyon would ever say something like that so suddenly.

Lyon was also embarrassed at his own words, and his cheeks slowly turned red. He looked away and quickly said, “I must go now. But I want you to remember one thing. This war happened because I am powerless, but… I always have been, and always will be, your ally.”  

Then, Lyon vanished. Eirika looked around everywhere in utter shock, but she couldn’t see a single sign of him anywhere.

She then remembered that he studied dark magic. And that the evil man who’d tried to feed the hostages to the giant spiders could also cast a spell that allowed him to teleport instantly. It was the kind of spell that only highly trained, proficient mages could cast. It seemed that Lyon’s abilities had improved significantly.

Just then, L’Arachel returned. She looked at Eirika and waved at her to hurry and follow her.

“What are you doing, Eirika? Hurry! We found the queen in the basement!"

“Really? Is she safe?”

“Um…”

L'Arachel didn't say much, and what she did say, she mumbled. Just that alone gave Eirika the feeling that the worst had happened. 

Eirika rushed with L'Arachel down to the basement. At the end of the long stone steps was an altar lit brightly by torches.

In front of the altar, Seth, Innes, and a few others were gathered. Joshua stood alone several feet away.

They were all gathered around a woman lying down on the ground. She had a deep wound across her chest. She still seemed to be breathing weakly, but it was already clear that she was on the verge of death.

Seth said, "Unfortunately… it appears that we are too late. This wound is too deep…"

"Queen Ismaire…" Eirika said softly, and knelt down on the floor.

She'd never felt so strongly for someone she just met before. The queen, the woman who had ruled Jehanna for twenty long years, was more elegant and graceful than Eirika ever could have expected.

The moment she saw the queen's long red hair splayed across the floor, Eirika realized everything. Why Joshua knew the palace so well. Why Joshua had talked to Carlyle like they'd known each other for a long time. And why his eyes had looked so dark ever since they'd heard the tragic news about Jehanna.

Eirika squeezed the queen’s hand. It was cold. Tears started to pour down her face.

The queen had no energy left, but managed to open her eyes slightly. The feeling of Eirika’s skin brought her back to her senses.

“J… Joshua…” A weak voice escaped her lips. 

Eirika looked over at Joshua, who had not moved from where he was standing away from everyone.

He was as still as a rock. His eyes were staring straight at the fallen queen, but he did not move.

“Joshua… where are you? Please… forgive me…” A single tear fell down her cheek.

Joshua finally stepped forward, and kneeled down next to Eirika. Eirika gently offered the queen’s hand to him. He squeezed it as if it was the most valuable treasure in the world.

She still sounded as if she was delirious as she continued to whisper. “I was such a foolish mother. I didn’t give anything to you when you were young… I was so concerned with ruling the country… that I didn’t realize how lonely you were…”

“Mother.” Joshua whispered. The queen' eyes opened wide, and she finally fully regained her senses.

“Joshua? Is that you? Joshua, please forgive me. Please find it in your heart to forgive me…”

“I’m the one who needs to apologize. I didn’t know what you were going through… I was so stupid.”

“No, Joshua. You don't have to say anything more. Just coming back like this is enough… You've already shown me what a fine young man you've become…"

The queen smiled, but her face quickly twisted in intense pain. It was clear to everyone that these were her last moments.

“Joshua, there is something I must tell you. Jehanna’s Sacred Stone… was destroyed. Carlyle… he was tempted by that man…"

“Who was it? Who could do something like that?"

Joshua lowered his ear to his mother's mouth. She moaned the rest of her response through her pain.

“A stone… the color of darkness… is the cause of all this… you must stop it. Joshua, please stop that man and save the world. The people of Jehanna… they’re all counting on you.”

“Mother…” Joshua nodded. "I will. I vow to return Jehanna to the beautiful country it originally was."

"I have… something to give you… Please look around the altar… there, you will find the Sacred Twin relics of Jehanna's royal family…"

"The Sacred Twin relics?"

"They are the treasures passed down to each ruler of Jehanna… I have always dreamed of the day that I would give them to you…"

Innes followed Joshua's line of sight and turned towards the altar. Upon it was a chest with a stone lid. He lifted up the lid and pulled out two weapons from within it.

He raised them up as respectfully as he could, and offered them to Joshua.

Joshua stepped away from his mother and took them.

"The Ice Blade Audhulma… and the Wind Twin Tome Excalibur. Joshua, the moment you take them into your hands… you will be the king of Jehanna.”

Joshua took Twin Relics in each of his hands, then bowed his head. "I have taken them without hesitation. You can rest in peace, Mother."

"Joshua… thank you. You are my beloved son.” The queen whispered, then closed her eyes.

She would never open them again. For a long while, Joshua stayed knelt beside her with the Twin Relics in his hands and his head bowed. No one could even try to say anything to him. They all had their heads lowered as well, and were praying for the queen that had lived bravely until the very end.

 Finally, Joshua raised his head and stood up. He looked around at everyone, then feigned a cheerful voice and said, "Whoops, my secret is out now! I wanted to keep it hidden until the end, but in summary, that’s what it is. I am the foolish heir of Jehanna’s royal family.”

“...You cannot speak like that. It is not a tone befitting of a king. Speak properly this time.” Innes said. It seemed that he was being considerate of Joshua's feelings in his own way, and trying to clear the air.

Joshua smiled. "Say what you will, but it's been ten years since I ran away, so I can’t go back to using the manners of a member of the imperial court so easily. I’ll stick to talkin’ like this for a while still.”

"...Why did you leave the palace?"

At Eirika’s question, Joshua corrected his expression. "I couldn’t adjust to such a formal way of life. I wanted to see the world. If I stayed holed up in here, I wouldn't know what's in the people's hearts. I wanted to cast away my status, travel around the continent, and obtain the strength needed to become a proper king… that's what I wrote in my letter before I ran off. When I think about it now, it was all really stupid. It doesn't matter how noble my intentions were. What I probably wanted more was to rebel against my mother.

“She only concerned herself with the government, and ignored me… that's how I saw it, and I was always sulking over it. I never thought even once about just how much she was going through… Instead, I thought that maybe she would have one less thing to worry about if I was gone, and she would praise me if I came back as a man she could be proud of… but all of those thoughts were so very childish."

Joshua bit his lip in regret. "However, all of the experiences I had over the past ten years were very valuable. I saw how the lowest of the low live. I saw how people in poverty help each other out and survive together. Those are things I never would have known anything about if I had stayed in the palace. I don't think all of that time was spent in vain. I just regret not making it back in time when Jehanna was in danger… and not being able to save my mother."

"Joshua." Innes stepped forward. He reached into his jacket's inner pocket and pulled out a small envelope that he'd always kept on his person since they'd left Frelia. "I brought an official letter from Frelia with me. I was supposed to give it to the queen of Jehanna, but now, I want to give it to you, as you will inherit the throne. Will you take it?"

"It would be an honor." Joshua took the envelope, but before opening it, he said to Innes, "Let's fight together. We cannot allow Grado to go unpunished for their violence! If we combine our strength, then we can put an end to the Emperor's cruel ambitions!"

"Of course!" 

Joshua extended his hand, and Innes firmly shook it.

L'Arachel then said, "Renais, Frelia, Rausten, and now, Jehanna. With this, the four countries of the continent have joined together! However strong the Empire is, they cannot compare to the might of our alliance!" 

"I'm sure Brother will be overjoyed once he hears of our alliance!" Eirika added with a smile, but deep down, she had another thought that she could not say aloud.

How happy would he be if Lyon was able to join their alliance, too? If the five countries worked together to build the future? Right now, that was just a dream.

"I have something to ask all of you." Joshua said. "It's about Mother. We can't have a grand funeral given the circumstances, but I at least want her to be properly buried. Will you attend the funeral and help her cross over?"

"Of course, Joshua, we’ll…" L'Arachel started to answer, but was cut off half way into her sentence. 

A loud commotion sounded from the staircase. A soldier rushed down the stairs with such force that it sounded like he had missed a step and come tumbling down them. "We're in trouble! The entire palace is on fire! Please get out right away!"

"What!?"

The soldier's face paled, and he explained, "Someone poured oil throughout the castle before we arrived! It is so strong that we cannot put it out!"

"Who could have come up with such a plan…!?" Eirika gasped. 

Joshua answered, "It was likely Caellach. It seems like something he would do. Whether you win or lose, you can't let your guard down around him."

"Let's go, Joshua!"

Joshua looked at Queen Ismaire's body. They couldn't afford the time to carry her out with them.

His face twisted in regret, and he bowed. "Please forgive me, Mother."

The smell of the burning building quickly began to fill their noses. They all ran up the stairs and fled Jehanna Palace.

[unassumingvenusaur]

Fire Emblem Sacred Stones: Sibling Swap

Download v1.0: UPS Patch (Nintenlord’s UPS tool, use on a clean ROM!)

Finally, I am very glad to debut this side project I’ve been working on! 

The concept of this mod is very straightforward-- Eirika and Ephraim, the Renais twins, switch both story roles and personalities in this version of the game! For this release, the changes to the game’s original script are minimal, outside of names and references to gender.

Why?

Consider this something of an ideological counterpart to the FE8 script edit Restoration Queen, which I hold in very high esteem and was actually my first experience with Sacred Stones! That project wished to take FE8′s at times disappointingly sexist script and rectify it, especially its treatment of Eirika. With this, instead of making the original script more palatable, I aimed to recontexualize and and expose the sexism and other aspects. Simply put, I wanted to see and show others how differently the script comes off when doing something as simple as switching the roles of brother and sister! Hence why I tried to edit the script as little as possible.

Besides, putting aside all that serious stuff-- Wouldn’t it be fun to play FE8 again with a gung-ho Eirika who’s an utterly respected warrior destined to become queen, and a softer but bitterly determined Ephraim? To confess, there were a few parts where I had to get a little more creative in editing the script, and in these small moments I got a bit invested in this new Eirika and Ephraim. I might do a more extensive rewrite of this mod one day, that treats their genders more...completely, shall we say. But that would serve a different purpose altogether and would take much longer to produce, so for now enjoy this! 

What’s changed? 

The script has been thoroughly combed through and edited for every reference to Eirika and Ephraim, to completely swap their roles. Seriously, I read every single bit of text in the game for this. It was a lot, so if I missed something or made a typo, please let me know! 

New portraits! I made Eirika myself, and got my friend @starsovercheve‘s help on Ephraim’s!! The slight redesigns capture their new roles and personalities. 

New battle animations! Eirika wields lances and Siegmund, while Ephraim wields swords and Sieglinde. I edited the battle animations for the base male sword lord, male sword great lord, and female lance great lord myself. However, the base female lance lord’s animations are courtesy circleseverywhere!

The only visuals that were not changed were the opening graphics and CG images, because I simply don’t have that kind of artistic talent.

A few small quality-of-life things: 

Fixed some typos from the vanilla script 

Implemented a fix for the wyvern pierce glitch 

Boosted the con of super trainees a little, because idk maybe they’ll suck a little less 

I wanted to include circleseverywhere’s more than 5 support mod, but I couldn’t get it to work with Fe8 for one reason or another. Would disable supports entirely. If someone gets it working, please let me know! 

How to install? 

Download this .ups patch, and use Nintenlord’s UPS tool to apply it to a clean FE8 rom! Simply browse and select the ROM to patch, select the .ups file, and click the “Patch” button! Then just open it up in your emulator of choice and enjoy! 

Feedback is always appreciated, and have fun~

[allitalksfandom]

Part One of “The Queen and the Empress” Background Notes

The premise behind this AU, first discussed here, is that Eirika from the canonical FE8 verse meets an alternate Eirika in Askr. This Eirika, referred to as “Eiri” in this post and in non-flashback scenes in the AU, married Lyon in 802. (A similar idea has been explored in fanart by @givlm). Below the cut is a tentative plotline and other ideas, but content warning for dark themes. If you’re familiar with FE8, they shouldn’t surprise you

Eiri arrives in Askr and soon becomes acquainted with a woman with the same name and personality as herself. This woman, Eirika, is surprised that Eiri wields Glephnir, while Eiri is shocked that Eirika has laid claim to their ancestral sword. Perhaps Lyon hasn’t given her Glephnir, Eiri reasons, as of course this Eirika would also be married to Lyon. Eirika (re)acquaints her with characters such as Ephraim, Seth, Tana, and Innes. Eiri soon discovers that Eirika knows people she does not, such as L’Arachel. Eirika also introduces Eiri to Julia, who plays a larger role later in the fic. Julia is at first alarmed that Eiri wields dark magic, but Eirika reminds the silver-haired girl about what their mutual friend Nino has told them about elder magic in Elibe. There’s a small bit of dark humor wherein Julia alludes to her complicated family history; when Julia leaves, Eiri asks Eirika about Julia, and Eirika explains that it’s a long and complicated tale!

Kiran talks to Eiri about the role she’ll play in the army. Having never fought in a war but having been trained in combat, Eiri is willing to serve, though expresses worries about what is happening back in her world. Kiran reassures her that no time will have passed in her world upon her return, which helps the matter. (I have no idea if this is canon, as I haven’t paid much attention to Heroes’ story, but it’s already an AU!) Eiri then heads off to talk to the royal clerics. If she is to fight in the war, she has a major concern: there’s a chance that she’s pregnant. (Since I’m open to transcanons, we’re assuming that there is magic in Magvel that would enable a dmab person to become pregnant. Also, Kiran is non-binary in this fic.) To Eiri’s relief, she’s not pregnant.

Flashback to a few months ago, and Eiri and Lyon are in their bedroom. Eiri tells Lyon that she wants to stop trying for a child for a while. Lyon is surprised and a bit sad, but assents. Eiri thinks to herself that she’ll have to get contraceptive herbs, but reasons that an empress should have easy access to that sort of thing. Her motive is that she and Lyon are preoccupied with the earthquake set to strike Grado in a year, and she fears that anxiety over their unborn child would only add to his mental strain.

Eiri and Eirika end up sharing a room together. The two of them grow close. (I shouldn’t have to say that a romance does not occur, but uh. It doesn’t.) There are several hints that make it clear to Eirika in hindsight that Eiri is married to Lyon.

And then she finds out. Having been trained for court life and led an army, Eirika stays calm and explains that she is surprised because she is not married to Lyon. Instead, she is ruling Renais alongside her brother. Eiri is saddened to hear that her father’s alternate self has died, and tentatively asked what happened. Eirika tells a half-truth: He was killed.

In a daze, Eirika leaves to find her companions. But that’s for another post.

[exalted--zealotry]

SHIPPING INFO // answer the following for your muse(s) so people know how shipping works on your blog. REPOST. don’t reblog.

WHAT’S YOUR OTP FOR YOUR MUSE?: There are really only two answers to this that could make sense right now: Anri/the queen of Ylisse (his canon wife), or... Well, that’ll be answered down below. An unofficial third one is Anri/Naga; hope you have brain bleach at the ready-- Also, maybe Camilla as a really, really lowkey fourth? Which is weird, considering I’m admittedly not too fond of Fates, so... talk about a wildcard.

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO RP WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING?: Fluff, angst-- the usual; I won’t do domestic abuse or adultery, though, and I’m probably not going into smut territory any time soon. Doesn’t mean we can’t meme about it though-- The NSFW stuff, mainly-- that’s always good for memeing--

HOW LARGE DOES THE AGE GAP HAVE TO BE TO MAKE IT UNCOMFORTABLE?: Probably a maximum difference of 10 years? If I ever rp him as if he never died, he’d be in his 40s during the events of Awakening, and I certainly wouldn’t ship him with somebody in their 20s or younger.

ARE YOU SELECTIVE WHEN SHIPPING?: Especially so with Anri-- chances are I’ll only have, like, 4 ships maximum if I’m lucky/feeling like it. That might actually be a large number, IDK.

HOW FAR DO STEAMY MOMENTS HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY’RE CONSIDERED NS.FW?: If it gets to the point where it goes beyond making out, or if the clothes start coming off etc., then that’s where NSFW begins. Basically, when it makes sense to start playing George Michael’s Careless Whisper or Led Zeppelin’s Whole Lotta Love--

WHO ARE OTHER MUSES YOU SHIP YOUR MUSE WITH?: Naeva ( @i-nsubordination )! In an AU, of course, but yeah-- that’s the other OTP-- 

DOES ONE HAVE TO ASK TO SHIP WITH YOU?: Most definitely; chances are I probably won’t ship it, too, unless I’m really into it-- so, yeah...

HOW OFTEN DO YOU LIKE TO SHIP?: Again, not very often with Anri-- this is just more a result of circumstance, though, than anything else, considering who he’s the father of and all.

ARE YOU SHIP OBSESSED OR SHIP MORE-OR-LESS?: Well, I’m certainly not obsessed, so...

ARE YOU MULTISHIP?: Yeah, I guess? You’ll actually have to get me to ship with somebody, though.

WHAT IS ( ARE ) YOUR FAVORITE SHIP(S) IN YOUR CURRENT FANDOM?: Uh...

Robin/Olivia Robin/Cordelia Robin/Anna Chrom/Say’ri Owain/Severa Alm/Celica Jesse/Silque Saber/Sonya ( I don’t know how; send help ) Finn/Lachesis ( No, I still haven’t beaten FE4; Ayra scares me ) Sigurd/Deirdre Lewyn/Erinys Seliph/Ishtar ( I DON’T KNOW HOW; SEND HELP ) Eliwood/Ninian ( I haven’t beaten FE7, either. And Blazing Sword>Blazing Blade; fight me. ) Eirika/Forde ( Or FE8. ) Ephraim/L’Arachel Seth/Natasha Alfonse/Palla ( I DON’T KNOW HOW; SEND HELP )

FINALLY, HOW DOES ONE SHIP WITH YOU?: By going through more hoops than the Olympic rings unless your name is Jessica--

Tagged by: Tagged? Hah! This was a perfect heist-- ( SteamportwhenplsAtlusthankyou ) Tagging: You! ...No, not you, the one three spaces to your right-- the one who looks like they voted for Glade in CYL 1... Yeah, you!

[historyoftheemblem]

The Sacred World: Mod Zebra’s Analysis of the Trailer

Is anyone else hyped for more Magvel in Heroes?! I sure am!!

I was so close to placing my bets IntSys not even doing a Magvel banner, because they would. But I’ve been gladly proven wrong, and what’s been revealed in the banner thus far have a lot of ties to the original game! Let’s take a look.

Amelia

Amelia’s been placed in the General class, as evident by her armor (look at those pauldrons!) and her axe. She’s also our first new Armor unit in Heroes in a while, and comes with some pretty useful skills.

Her 5-star weapon is a Slaying Axe, granting 14 Might and reducing Special Skill cooldown by 1. Her Special, for that matter, is Sacred Cowl--a call back to the General class’ Pavise skill in FE8 that nullifies the damage from an enemy attack. Its already-short cooldown is shortened even more by Slaying Axe. As a General, she’s hopefully pretty bulky, enough to utilize her Earth Boost that buffs her defense even more. And last but not least, her Armor March lets her and any Armor ally adjacent to her to move an extra space, making her really good in any Armor Emblem team (which will make grinding for that extra orb in the 10th stratum of the Training Towers a lot easier).

Her epithet, Rose of the War, also stems from her ending title.

Seth

Renais’ famous Silver Knight, Seth, comes to Heroes to follow his lieges! He has been added as a Sword Cavalier, perhaps in reference to the Steel Sword being the first item in his inventory when you get him. (Is this why he lost to Valter in the prologue?)

His Ruby Sword will make him effective against the Fighters and Brigands that crossed his and Eirika’s path when they escaped Renais, but it doesn’t help him much against Lance users... like Valter. He gets Swap as his support skill, referencing a good number of times he has “swapped” places with Eirika but putting himself in the way of her and her enemy. Fortress Def makes him tankier, ever better at protecting the prince and princess whom he has sworn his life to. And finally, while Valter may have landed a bad blow on him in the prologue of his game, it’s not a big deal in Heroes when his Seal Atk/Def makes his enemies weaker after a bout with him.

Innes

Frelia’s crown prince, Innes, comes with his sister in Heroes. His epithet, Regal Strategician, comes from his reputation as a master strategist in FE8. (In fact, he even managed to hold off Grado’s army without the player’s help, an unprecedented feat--albeit off-screen.)

He comes with the first Frelia’s Sacred Twins, Nidhogg. In FE8, Nidhogg boosted Luck, but here it boosts his stats when adjacent allies are around. Perhaps its a nod to his quotes in the epilogues, where he admits that having his allies (and friends) around was better than he thought? His Special Skill and A Skill are Iceberg and Fortress Res, both relating to his Resistance. (Though to be quite honest, I don’t remember Innes’ Res being anything notable in FE8; it might just be to contrast with the more Def-focused Amelia and Seth.) Last but not least, he has Cancel Affinity, probably to negate any of the -Raven tomes that have an advantage against Colorless units, making him shape up to be a good Mage killer. Maybe he’s getting prepared to go up against Lyon’s Dark Magic; he’s always ready to take on Grado, after all.

Tana

Not to be left behind, Princess Tana joins the fray. Her epithet, Winged Princess, is a riff off her FE8 ending title--though she’s called the Winged Queen there.

She has Frelia’s second Sacred Twin, Vidofnir, as her 5-star weapon. In FE8, it increases her Defense by +5, but in Heroes, it boosts it by +7 if she’s facing an enemy that uses a sword, lance, or axe. (Better keep away from Close Counter archers!) While she’s a Pegasus lance flier here, her Moonbow Special Skill is a nod to her alternate class promotion: Wyvern Knight. Like Valter, the game’s only enemy Wyvern Knight, she gets a Special reminiscent of the class’ Luna skill in FE8. Her A skill is Spd/Def, a nod to how she’s seen as the bulkier (and stronger) flier than Vanessa, who joins before her in FE8. Finally, Guidance doesn’t really have any precedence in FE8, but in it allows infantry and armored units within 2 tiles of her to move to any space near her. (If I had to guess, it’s either a nod to fliers’ Rescue utility, or to the fact that her father, King Hayden, ordered Tana to be protected on the battlefield at all times after she ran away from home to join the war.)

New Maps

We only get a good look at one of at least two new maps, but the one revealed in the trailer features Innes and Tana with two generic enemies. The map’s layout is reminiscent of FE8′s Chapter 17, where the Frelian army had gone up ahead before the player’s army. (It also got decimated by Grado’s forces, but that’s another matter.)

If I had to speculate on this map, the placement of the mountains at the top makes me think it’s a reference to Chapter 6 of Eirika’s map. Luckily, we have no fog of war here.

[atropaheart]

TAG DUMP — headcanon tags.

.* ♛。— ⟪ h. grand duchess of mraz | headcanons : fe14. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. seeking the light | headcanons : birthright. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. quelling the dark | headcanons : conquest. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. harmonies of twilight | headcanons : revelation. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. knight of the empress | headcanons : fe heroes. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ devoted to the crown | headcanons : book 01. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ betrayal of loyalty | headcanons : book 02. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. some much needed peace | headcanons : paralogues. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. guiding the way | headcanons : summoner au. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. knight of the white dunes | headcanons : fe8. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. knight of grado | headcanons : fe8 / alt. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. learning to trust | headcanons : fe8 / pre alt. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. knight of the exalt | headcanons : fe13. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. knight in training | headcanons : pre fe13. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. maiden of wyvern valley | headcanons : post fe13. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. dracoknight of rigel | headcanons : fe15. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. deliver us from ruin | headcanons : alm’s route. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. fate of the earth mother | headcanons : celica’s route. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. broken memories | headcanons : childhood & teenage years. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. queen of swords | headcanons : persona 5. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. empress of shujin | headcanons : adult confidant au. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. eat your heart out | headcanons : persona user au. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. professor from kalos | headcanons : pokemon. ⟫ .* ♛。— ⟪ h. motherly nurse | headcanons : modern. ⟫

[airlock]

I’ve also done that tally of popularity per class, so I might as well post that before I finally go tf to sleep

disclaimers on names and etc. from the previous post still apply

for the Awakening doppelgangers in Fates: Owain, Inigo, and Severa had their votes counted in total with their counterparts, and Owain was put in the class category that he got the most votes as; Caeldori, Asugi and Rhajat were regularly included as separate entities, but for each category that they qualified for, the character who would’ve made #10 it in their absence is also noted

=POPULARITY RANKING OF CLASS TYPES (based on the Top 10s; might do the actual full tally.... sometime, maybe) -#1: Lords (270,156) -#2: Mercenaries (86,616) -#3: Dark Magi (70,018) -#4: Myrmidons (69,818) -#5: Thieves (55,770) -#6: Pegasus Riders (50,092) -#7: Dragon/Wyvern Riders (48,863) -#8: Anima Magi (47,374) -#9: Armors and Soldiers (40,665) -#10: Riding Healers (40,539) -#11: Clerics and Light Magi (38,567) -#12: Melee Cavalry (36,024) -#13: Dragon Transformation (34,714) -#14: Archers (30,730) -#15: Beast Transformation (30,275) -#16: Fighters and Bandits (29,038) -#17: Refresh (27,101) -#18: Trainees (19,365)

=LORDS (Lord, Fighter(FE2), Priest(FE2), Knight Lord, Junior Lord, Nohr Prince, Nohr Princess) -#1: Lyn (49,917) -#2: Lucina (48,295 total, counting "masked marth") -#3: Roy (28,982) -#4: Hector (27,372) -#5: Corrin, both genders (27,200 total) -#6: Marth (24,547 total) -#7: Chrom (23,803) -#8: Eirika (16,423) -#9: Ephraim (14,908) -#10: Eliwood (8,709)

=MELEE CAVALRY (Cavalier, Paladin, Sword/Free/Lance/Axe Knight, Blade/Lance/Axe Paladin, Forrest/Duke/Great Knight, Silver/Gold Knight) -#1: Xander (7,511) -#2: Frederick (3,913) -#3: Peri (3,892) -#4: Seth (3,763) -#5: Titania (3,757 total) -#6: Finn (3,607 total) -#7: Silas (2,683) -#8: Stahl (2,611) -#9: Eldigan (2,256) -#10: Sain (2,031)

=ARMORS AND SOLDIERS (Knight, General, Soldier, Emperor, Armored Sword/Lance/Axe/Bow, Sword/Lance/Axe/Bow General, Baron, Halberdier, Black Knight, Marshall, Sentinel, Spear Fighter, Spear Master, Basara, Lancer) -#1: Nephenee (13,473 total) -#2: The Black Knight (10,195 total) -#3: Oboro (4,783) -#4: Arden (3,094) -#5: Kellam (2,129) -#6: Effie (1,974) -#7: Zelgius (1,888) -#8: Gilliam (1,142) -#9: Benny (1,055) -#10: Shiro (932)

=PEGASUS RIDERS (Pegasus Knight, Falcoknight, Pegasus Rider, Princess Crimea, Seraph Knight, Queen, Dark Flier, Dark Falcon, Sky Knight, Kinshi Knight) -#1: Cordelia (14,362) -#2: Caeda (7,243 total) -#3: Hinoka (6,851) -#4: Florina (4,012) -#5: Elincia (3,360 total) -#6: Caeldori (3,149) -#7: Sumia (2,982) -#8: Tana (2,849) -#9: Catria (2,746 total, gaiden including) -#10: Aversa (2,538) [Cynthia: 2,069]

=DRAGON/WYVERN RIDERS (Dracoknight, Wyvern Rider, Wyvern Lord, Dragon Rider, Wyvern Knight, Dragonmaster, Dragonlord, Griffon Rider, Malig Knight) -#1: Camilla (25,766) -#2: Cherche (4,498) -#3: Haar (3,558 total) -#4: Minerva (3,422 total) -#5: Jill (2,975 total) -#6: Beruka (2,561) -#7: Gerome (1,867) -#8: Scarlet (1,848) -#9: Cormag (1,308) -#10: Narcian (1,060)

=MYRMIDONS (Myrmidon, Swordmaster, Trueblade, Samurai) -#1: Mia (13,354 total) -#2: Owain (11,639 total) -#3: Lon'qu (10,002) -#3: Joshua (8,623) -#5: Ryoma (7,248) -#6: Marisa (5,398) -#7: Ayra (4,489) -#8: Hana (3,394) -#9: Navarre (3,374 total) -#10: Rutger (2,297)

=MERCENARIES (Mercenary, Hero, Dread Fighter, Ranger(FE9), Vanguard) -#1: Ike (51,555 total) -#2: Severa (10,743 total) -#3: Inigo (8,886 total) -#4: Soleil (4,333) -#5: Ogma (3,189 total) -#6: Raven (2,233) -#7: Priam (1,556) -#8: Gerik (1,489) -#9: Gregor (1,456) -#10: Dieck (1,176)

=THIEVES (Thief, Assassin, Rogue, Whisper, Trickster, Ninja, Ninja Master, Outlaw, Adventurer) -#1: Anna (15,445 total) -#2: Gaius (9,465) -#3: Niles (8,703) -#4: Kaze (4,069) -#5: Jaffar (3,921) -#6: Matthew (3,565) -#7: Sothe (3,332 total) -#8: Kagero (3,265) -#9: Saizo (2,221) -#10: Nina (1,784)

=FIGHTERS AND BANDITS (Fighter, Pirate, Warrior, Berserker, Brigand, Bandit, Barbarian, Oni Savage, Oni Chieftain) -#1: Dorcas (12,083) -#2: Charlotte (3,924) -#3: Lot (3,218) -#4: Rinkah (3,142) -#5: Arthur(FE14) (1,704) -#6: Vaike (1,096) -#7: Garcia (1,093) -#8: Mustafa (1,017) -#9: Basilio (994) -#10: Gonzalez (767)

=ARCHERS (Archer, Ballistician, Hunter, Sniper, Horseman, Bow Knight, Arch Knight, Nomad, Nomad Trooper, Ranger (FE8), Bow Paladin, Marksman) -#1: Takumi (12,662) -#2: Setsuna (3,292) -#3: Noire (2,786) -#4: Shinon (2,753 total) -#5: Rebecca (2,425) -#6: Virion (1,548) -#7: Rath (1,544) -#8: Innes (1,499) -#9: Jeorge (1,214 total) -#10: Wil (1,007)

=ANIMA MAGI (Mage, Bishop(FE1,FE3), Sage, Fire/Thunder/Wind Mage, Bard(FE4), War Mage, Mage Knight, Archsage, Fire/Thunder/Wind Sage, Empress, Diviner, Onmyoji) -#1: Soren (9,718 total) -#2: Lute (9,176) -#3: Nino (7,825) -#4: Lilina (5,730) -#5: Ilyana: (3,554 total) -#6: Rhajat (2,640) -#7: Merric (2,475 total) -#8: Katarina (2,162) -#9: Ishtar (2,076) -#10: Linde (2,018 total) [Erk: 1,951]

=CLERICS AND LIGHT MAGI (Priest/Curate, Cleric(except FE9~10), Bishop, Shaman(FE4~5), High Priest, Bard(FE5), Monk, Light Mage, Light Sage, Light Priestess, Saint, Chancellor, War Monk/Cleric, Shrine Maiden, Great Master, Priestess) -#1: Micaiah (13,491) -#2: Sakura (7,782) -#3: Lissa (5,279) -#4: Wrys (2,669 total) -#5: Lucius (2,204) -#6: Serra (2,203) -#7: Libra (1,668) -#8: Azama (1,180) -#9: Mitama (1,051) -#10: Brady (1,040)

=RIDING HEALERS (Trobadour, Female Paladin(FE4), Valkyrie, Cleric(FE9~10), Strategist, Maid/Butler) -#1: Felicia (9,121) -#2: Elise (8,962) -#3: Jakob (4,681) -#4: Maribelle (3,701) -#5: Mist (2,972 total) -#6: Flora (2,939) -#7: L'Arachel (2,425) -#8: Forrest (2,356) -#9: Dwyer (2,048) -#10: Priscilla (1,334)

=DARK MAGI (Dark Mage, Dark Bishop, Loptyr Mage, Dark Prince, Shaman(FE6~8), Druid, Dark Druid, Summoner, Necromancer, Dark Sage, Sorcerer, Dark Knight) -#1: Tharja (29,540) -#2: Leo (12,175) -#3: Henry (12,131) -#4: Ophelia (3,639) -#5: Sophia (3,150) -#6: Nyx (2,562) -#7: Canas (2,450) -#8: Lyon (2,434) -#9: Knoll (997) -#10: Raigh (940)

=TRAINEES (Villager, Recruit, Journeyman, Pupil) -#1: Donnel (10,479) -#2: Amelia (3,214) -#3: Ross (2,234) -#4: Mozu (1,990) -#5: Ewan (930) -#6: Kliff (239) -#7: Gray (115) -#8: Tobin (97) -#9: Atlas (67)

=DRAGON TRANSFORMATION (Manakete, Red Dragon, White Dragon, Black Dragon) -#1: Tiki (16,523 total, Awakening included) -#2: Nowi (10,571) -#3: Myrrh (2,317) -#4: Nah (2,031) -#5: Fae (1,332) -#6: Nagi (784 total) -#7: Bantu (348 total) -#8: Kurthnaga (346 total) -#9: Ena AND Dheginsea (231 total)

=BEAST TRANSFORMATION (Tiger, Cat, Hawk, Raven, Lion, Wolf, Taguel, Kitsune, Nine-Tails, Wolfskin, Wolfssegner) -#1: Selkie (4,800) -#2: Kaden (3,836) -#3: Keaton (3,724) -#4: Velouria (3,339) -#5: Ranulf (3,128 total) -#6: Panne (3,061) -#7: Tibarn (2,710 total) -#8: Lethe (2,616 total) -#9: Naesala (1,656 total) -#10: Yarne (1,405)

=REFRESH (Dancer, Bard(FE6~7), Heron, Songstress) -#1: Azura (14,198) -#2: Olivia (5,889) -#3: Ninian (2,799) -#4: Leanne (1,437 total) -#5: Reyson (982 total) -#6: Nils (730) -#7: Tethys (518) -#8: Silvia (203) -#9: Phina (196) -#10: Rafiel (149)

[azebraslife]

A Zebra Plays: FE8 Queen of Swords hack, part 2

Finally finished the so-far-completed nine chapters of the hack.

I’m still upset that Max got HP gains on promotion. I wanted him to live the 9 HP dream :(

In spite of his memery, he was probably my MVP along with my Archer. His huge Def and Res growths made him pivotal to my team since a lot of enemies had stats on par with mine, if not even better at times.

I wonder if the hack maker will buff the stat caps on his promotions, because when I tested out his promotions at level 13, he’d already surpassed both defensive caps and got stat deductions. Which means that as of this version of the hack, he’d be better off remaining unpromoted.

Oh, and you can acquire Rocks from a house in one chapter, and even buy them from Shops in later chapters. Rocks + Max = Amazing. They have 1 Wt, which means he gets no Speed reduction like he would with most axes, and are 1-2 range. Anyone can use Rocks, but I found them best on Max since he has a huge amount of Power, alright Speed (I think I got some lucky growths), but his Con isn’t quite there to handle most two-range Axes.

Chapters 5 and 6 involved us getting chased around by this guy here.

He even brings a buddy with him for Chapter 6!

He’s designed to be unbeatable, which is a bit of a problem in Chapter 5 when the objective is Sieze, and if you’re like me and are taking your sweet time getting to the boss. It doesn’t help that this guy is a Great Knight and is using that mobility for all it’s worth. Keeping everyone out of his range taught me a lot about abusing rescue mechanics. It is not insignificant that units can hop on to other units, and not just be rescued by that unit. (Basically, reverse-rescue.)

Chapter 6 was more interesting since it was an escape map with a side objective of visiting the houses. There was one boss who started on the southern end of the map but made his way up, while these two shitlords appear after a certain turn. As it so happens, I managed to lure the original boss up to that island around that time as well (he’s hidden by the dialogue box), and one of the houses you visit cuts off the two bridges. Which means the bosses are all trapped on that island together and you get to go through the rest of that map in peace. (Also, they don’t have any of that “all other units must go ahead of the Lord” stuff. One unit ends their turn on the escape tile and the map is cleared.)

Also, did you know that you can visit a house if there’s Fog of War on it? Because the original chapter boss has innate fog of war around him (you can actually see it a bit in that above image, it’s the darker tiles). It also can’t be dispelled with thief vision, so you need him to get baited away before you can visit. My (only) flier came in handy for this.

There is no reason for any GBA FE map to be this big. Also, that top left house? You can trade your thief Girouette for Leif. Like, FE Leif. I don’t know why he’s here either. (There’s some guy named Kai on this map, too, who uses Shiva’s portrait. You need to recruit him with the myrmidon girl.)

Here’s Leif, by the way. He’s pretty clearly using a recolored Thracia portrait. I ended up going with Leif because he has Adept for a skill and an 120% HP growth. His other stats are a bit susceptible to RNG, but I decided he was ultimately better than her.

However, if you do pick Leif, anything in Girouette’s inventory will disappear along with her. I actually brought her with me into the map, so I had to trade away her items to another unit before making the switch.

After you cross a certain threshold, one of the map bosses (literally Olaf from Advance Wars) uses his AW gimmick to turn the map into winter wonderland. It impedes movement of all units save for your flier and, as seen here, knights (and Generals). (As an aside, there was a General up top who ended up making my game freeze again when Max got a level up after combat with him. I rectified it by turning off battle animations again.)

Oh, and this is the chapter where you get the Rock. It’s some good shit.

This is one of the chapter’s enemies. You can talk to him. It won’t recruit him. He will continue attacking you, and it will hurt. (He has a unique tome that’s also effective against fliers. Keep the pegasus knight far away from him.)

However, he will automatically join your party after the chapter is cleared (it’s a Seize) and he’s still alive. (I didn’t test what would happen if I killed him, maybe he survives either way.) So the best thing to do is rail against Olaf, who has no weapon, and then seize before this child murders someone. (Alternatively, try to keep him baited with Max. If you’ve been using him regularly, this kid will do 0 damage to him.)

This girl has Desperation, and it procs once her HP goes below 75% or so. Combined with cavalry’s canto, it is amazing. (Her competition isn’t bad, though; he comes way earlier in Chapter 2 and has Cancel. But this game has a lack of deployment spots so she ended up replacing him.)

I haven’t really talked about enemy stats, but as you can see, they really are just about even with the units I have. I would say that most of my units wouldn’t be able to double this generic brigand, and the ones that can are still facing some 40% odds of getting hit. Relying on the RNG is not a good idea, though my units did manage to dodge a good number of 60-70%s.

The final completed map is literally FE6 Chapter 16, sans Douglas and Manaketes. Still have siege and status assholes (though they weren’t actually that hard to deal with in the end).

Also the map boss was great because he’s technically not equipping Fenrir. I was free to just steal it right off him and render him helpless. (He also had a chunky 17 Speed; I fed Leif two levels to push him up to 18 Speed, and if you’re unlucky with his growths it might not get that high. You could also promote him to a Rogue to get +4 Speed from promotion gains.)

Of course, since he’s an infantry unit, you can also capture him to take his stuff. But it’s more fun plucking his tome right out of his fingers.

Long in short I actually do recommend this hack in spite of some of the frustrations with it. Once you get a grasp of the mechanics, it’s a lot more manageable, and the Skills can be fun to play with. It’s a pity most of the Skill Manuals were things like Great Shield and Miracle instead of something flashy. The good stuff comes with promotion, but I didn’t bother promoting anyone (permanently) this time around. It was tempting, but I didn’t do it.

[azebraslife]

@accept-the-multiverse replied to your post “A Zebra Plays: FE8 Queen of Sword hack”

What’s the actual name of it and where could I find it?

The original title is FE8女王の剣パッチ, and the current link to it is https://ux.getuploader.com/FE4/download/596.

It’s not yet complete and, in terms of completed original content, goes up to Chapter 9. I might work on a guide for it eventually, but for now there are some notes if you want to delve into it:

1) You can get a couple of Skill Manuals, which will give a character the skill in its name if you use it in the chapter. In the prep screen, it serves as a promotion item.

2) Knights, for what ever reason, are not at all hindered by terrain or weather. They’ll cross the oceans and the mountains in one turn while getting buried in snow. You only get one Knight, but the same applies to him.

3) In Chapter 6 or so (it’s a really large map with mountains, three houses, and the boss is Olaf from Adventure Wars and he looks like Santa. You’ll know when you see it), the house on the far left will ask you if you want to trade one of your Thieves for Leif. (Like, Fire Emblem Leif.) If you say yes, she will literally disappear from the map (if you brought her) and be replaced by Leif. Her inventory will go with her, so be careful. (You can always refuse it, but I personally found Leif to be more worthwhile.)

4) Stealing and Capturing is everything. You don’t get to encounter Shops and Armories until Chapter 7 or so, and there aren’t any Arenas. Whatever gold you get will have to come from selling weapons that you stole, and in that case you may as well just use the weapons you’ve stolen.

5) In Chapter 4 or 5, there’s an enemy Mage with a Siege tome. That Siege tome’s battle animations will break the game, so make sure to turn off battle animations for that map (or until they use up all the uses on their tome).

[four-loose-screws]

FE8 Novelization Translation - Chapter 13, Section 1

If you would like to start from the beginning, read a missed part, etc., click here!

FE Game Script Translations - FE Novel Translations - Original FE Support Conversations

If you are interested in donating to support my work, please check out my Ko-fi here. Thank you!

———————————

I call this a “section” because it is not a separate part of the chapter in the book, but divided from the rest of the chapter by a scene break.

———————————

Chapter 13: The Desert Palace

Jehanna was known as the Country of White Dunes. Just as that name implied, the capital city was chosen to be built upon a tiny patch of green land in the middle of a giant desert.

The rainy season was very short, and the air was dry almost the entire year round. Skeletons of animals that had collapsed from exhaustion dotted the desert. However, despite being suffocated by such harsh nature, Jehanna was also beautiful.

The country was ruled by Queen Ismaire. Her husband had passed long ago, and after overcoming countless hardships, she’d come to be a fine ruler for the country. The palace towered majestically over the white desert, and was a symbol of how the queen lived her life.

Eirika’s army traveled along the narrow main road built throughout the desert and towards the capital city. The palace looked so very far away.

What was going on inside that beautiful palace now? Just thinking about it lowered their spirits. Eirika was lost in thought as she swayed gently atop her horse, but noticed a small flower that had bloomed on the side of the road, and stopped.

When she jumped off her horse and went to pick the flower, she smelled a refreshing aroma. 

Tana saw what she was doing, and peered over at her. “It’s so cute! Wow, flowers can even bloom in a dry climate like this!”

“This is a medicinal plant. I forgot its name, but… it’s supposed to be very effective at relieving the pain of wounds. It only grows in dry climates, so it is a valuable plant.”

“Wow… you really know a lot about it! I'm surprised that you know something like that!"

Eirika smiled and stared down at the beautiful flower in her hand.

The person who had taught her all about it was Lyon. He had his very own medicinal plant garden in a corner of Grado Castle’s garden, where he grew a wide variety of plants. He’d even worked very hard to recreate a desert environment and tried to raise plants that only grew in that climate.

Ephraim showed no interest in medicinal plants, and did not come near them, but Eirika often visited the garden with Lyon. Even Lyon, who’d been shy at first, opened up and answered all of Eirika’s various questions on the subject, telling her all the plants’ names, effects, and how to care for them.

“Those without money cannot buy expensive medicine, right? But there are plants everywhere that can become effective medicines. I’m studying medicinal plants, and want to teach the people about them, because it should make life much easier for those suffering from illnesses…”

Eirika was impressed by all the things Lyon passionately shared with her. She still had much to learn about the world at the time, and hadn’t thought yet about the lives of the people.

“You’re so admirable, Lyon! You think as hard as you can to find a way to make everyone happy, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’m not admirable at all… This is the only sort of thing I can do… I’m terrible at sword fighting. I lose even to you.”

When Lyon said that, he seemed embarrassed, so much so that when Eirika looked at him, she felt sorry for him. She couldn’t keep herself from frowning.

‘Why can’t he realize what his own amazing strengths are? It doesn’t matter if he’s bad at sword fighting, because he posesses kindness and intelligence that is unlike anyone else’s.’

This was the same Lyon that had led the Grado Army and conquered Jehanna. Eirika still couldn’t believe it. 

Of course, a commanding officer didn’t need to be an exceptional soldier. It was also conceivable that Lyon was just being used as decoration, and someone else was really leading the army. However, Eirika was still not convinced.

“I’ve heard that Prince Lyon has a gentle personality, and loathes fighting.” Innes whispered, as if he could read Eirika’s wavering heart. He had come up beside her at some point, and was now walking alongside her horse.

“Seems like it was all an act. Perhaps he deceived you and Ephraim to get you two to let your guards down.”

“...That’s...” Eirika wanted to disagree, but she couldn’t find any strength to put into her voice.

Innes had never actually met Lyon, so he was suspicious of him. Eirika could assert that the many different ways he'd shown kindness could not have been false, but it would only be her insisting that her memories were the truth with no proof at all against the fact that they knew for certain that he had conquered Jehanna. 

“I’ve heard that he can use dark magic. Do you know how skilled he is in it, Eirika?”

“...Yes. The bishop that taught him always praised him highly because of his intelligence and passion for studying. He seemed to read difficult books a lot.”

"Then he is very dangerous.” Innes furrowed his brow.

Though he may know dark magic, Lyon never studied it with bad intentions. Darkness was important for bringing peace to people’s hearts. Lyon’s passion for learning magic was always for the sake of others.

L’Arachel was listening to their conversation, and added, “We have no reason to fear the power of darkness, for we have received the gods’ blessing! We shall retake the palace in one fell swoop!”

“No, we do not know if the queen is safe yet. She’s been taken as a hostage, so we must tread carefully.” Innes said.

“You’re right…” All of the energy drained from within L’Arachel, and she sighed deeply.

ー

Eirika’s army set up camp outside the city and decided to finalize their strategy.

There were hardly any people in the capital, and it had become very quiet. At first, Jehanna Palace looked like a beautiful mirage, but from this closer distance, they could see that it was guarded by a sturdy wall. Now that it had fallen into the hands of the enemy, the strength of that wall had backfired.

“The only way to minimize the damage we cause as we attack the palace is to swiftly tear down the front gate. The armored knights should rush in with the cavalry, then the infantry should follow in right after them. Still, we must prepare to damage the palace if need be…” Seth’s expression was dark. 

Innes asked, “Were we able to acquire any knowledge about the palace’s inner structure?”

“No. It is very complex, and we do not know the details of it.”

“That’s not good. We have no idea what kind of traps the enemy has laid out...”

“Rather than tear down the front gate, we should go around the side.”

Eirika and the others all looked up towards the source of the voice that had suddenly cut in from the side.

Those attending the meeting should have been only the army’s leaders. However, at some point, Joshua had entered the tent.

Innes huffed and ordered, “We’re in the middle of an important meeting right now. Please leave.”

“You want to know the inner structure of the palace, right? I’ll tell you.”

“What? Why would you know…?”

“Please wait, Innes!” Eirika stopped him.

Joshua had many years of experience as a mercenary. He might have had an opportunity to obtain a map of the palace at some point. It was unfortunate, but they didn’t have time to question him about it. If they did not hurry, then the queen would be in trouble.

“Please tell us everything you know, Joshua. Are there any other methods of getting inside the palace besides breaking down the front gate?”

“The layout of the palace is very complex. The front gate is not the only way inside. There is also a small passageway that merchants use to get in and out. It is likely that the enemy has not realized it is there.”

“...Can you lead us to it?”

“Yes.” Joshua nodded lightly. 

Innes narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

But Eirika decided to trust him. She had been suspicious of his true motives once in the past, but up until now, he had always fought as another member of her army with all his strength. She did not want to question that sincerity any longer.

Joshua pulled out a piece of paper that had a quick sketch of the palace drawn on it. Though the drawing only consisted of simple lines, it was surprisingly detailed. It had everything they would need written on it, from the placement of the hallways and rooms, to where the stairs and even pillars were. 

“The throne room is inside here. Prince Lyon is most likely leading the army from in there. And in the basement, there is an altar. If they are keeping the queen confined, then it is likely that they are using this room down there to do so.” Joshua pointed at the map and explained. 

Seth and Innes stared at the map with very serious looks on their faces.

“We’ll designate a large enough force to rush the gate and feint an attack on it. They will be a diversion and draw in the enemy, and should attack and retreat repeatedly so that no one is injured. Using that gap in the enemy’s defenses, a small elite force will attack from the merchant’s entrance on the east side. The enemy's guard there will probably be light, so we should be able to attack and defeat them in one swoop. After we establish that area as a base, we will head for the throne room.”

“...Alright.” Innes seemed to agree with that strategy. He raised his head up with confidence and looked at Joshua. “I shall lead the diversion team. At the very least, we will make a scene, and keep them in one area. Eirika, I want you to lead the elite force. Joshua, you will of course guide Eirika down the merchant’s entrance.”

Eirika nodded and looked at Joshua.

He had the same thin smile on his face as always, but his expression looked a bit more stiff than usual.

It wasn’t just a strange feeling. Something about the way Joshua was acting was undoubtedly strange. A dark color shaded his eyes. He seemed to have noticed that Eirika was staring at him, as he quickly turned his head away, and rushed out of the tent.

[azebraslife]

Who needs HP when you have stats like these

Also Wrath isn’t calculated in the combat screen, so he has an invisible 50 Crit there. His 2-range axe gives him another 50 Crit, so he’s perma-critting when he uses it.