#guy who has only played fire emblem fates: getting a lot of fire emblem fates vibes from this crossroads of fate

[chromaji]

what in tarnation

[sunderwight]

Scenario where PIDW Bingge had something like the fucked up baby dimension from Fire Emblem: Fates for handling his kids.

For those who haven't played enough Fire Emblem games: in Fates you can hook up various characters who will, once they've bonded sufficiently, get married and have children. Because there is a dangerous war on and nobody has time for childcare, these babies get sent to various pocket dimensions where time moves differently, where they are raised by servants. They then reappear in the story as adults (mostly) who are also just like, barely younger than their own parents. This is of course hilariously fucked up, for even more reasons than what a simple overview can convey, and it's also just kind of shrugged off by the narrative despite the many, many bewildering implications involved.

So I'm imagining Airplane stealing this whole concept and sitting down to write about Bingge sending all of his children away in order to protect them from his enemies or whatever other excuse, creating special nursery dimensions with Xin Mo only to not really spend any time with his offspring at all, resulting in a lot of them growing up extra fast and reentering the story as adults at wildly unpredictable intervals (i.e. whenever Airplane feels like it without having to remember the timelines involved because *waves hand* time passes differently in the different dimensions too). For the daughters, this just gets them married off into alliances (if they're even mentioned at all, because Airplane doesn't want to write incest and there's basically only one reason female characters get mentioned in this story), but for the sons, this usually has them showing up as upstart challengers to their father's throne. With a conclusion, generally, of them getting their asses kicked and then being sent back to their pocket dimensions with their tails between their legs (Binghe killing his own kids would be too reprehensible, after all). Sometimes (rarely) they become loyal generals. One or two have died to fuel revenge arcs. The protagonist halo extends only limited benefits to his kids.

Anyway, Shen Yuan of course reads all of this and absolutely hates it. What do you mean Binghe doesn't even raise his own kids?! What do you mean even their mothers don't?! Shen Yuan understands that Luo Binghe is an important guy with important things to do, but handling it this way makes it impossible to even consistently visit his children on their birthdays! They'd be having birthdays every day because they're all on freaking Narnia time! And of course his sons keep growing up and trying to overthrow him, surely Binghe himself should appreciate that under these conditions, his children are going to see the servants raising them as parents more than some distant emperor they've never met...? Not to mention, if time moves quickly in these dimensions, theoretically Binghe could just stay there with his kids himself and not have to worry too much about things changing in his realm, because only a few months would pass there! He could have it both -- spend plenty of time with his kids and not worry about neglecting his responsibilities! So why doesn't he do that?!

The answer (never actually provided by Airplane) is that Bingge doesn't really feel a strong connection to his children, and because of his reverence for his adoptive mother, he thinks that giving them peaceful lives with simple people to raise and love them is the kindest thing he can do for them. If he could have had an idyllic childhood with his mother in a place where nothing could harm him, he would have never sought power at all.

But of course, Binghe's kids aren't thinking "oh gosh yeah my humble childhood in a magic dimension was much better than starving on the streets!" because that wasn't ever going to be their fate in the first place. Instead they all develop varying complexes about being sent away by their impossibly remote father and his giant harem.

Possible fic ideas involving this setup:

-Bingyuan where Shen Yuan transmigrates into the intended tutor of one Luo Binghe's most troublesome sons. SY arrives in the baby dimension and immediately bonds with the little Luo, gets really mad about the whole situation all over again, and when Bingge shows up for a rare visit, rips him a new asshole about it. Romcom shenanigans ensue.

-Scenario where SV's Shen Qingqiu and Luo Binghe decide they're ready to adopt, and SQQ figures out a back door into PIDW Binghe's baby dimensions and just sort of, ehm, borrows some of the children he knows had really bad times in the novel (not all of the idyllic upbringings worked out, there were instances of the dimensions being attacked and the servants there being killed and etc). Bingge eventually finds out. Dramatics ensue.

-When PIDW Binghe tries to summon a Shen Yuan of his own to the PIDW world using Xin Mo, it accidentally creates some stability issues with the baby dimensions. Shen Yuan get teleported in and out of these dimensions instead, bonding with the kids there to various degrees, only to be swept away every time Bingge tries to use Xin Mo to find him again. A handful of years later, a bunch of new Heavenly Demon scions emerge as adults with the Luo family's Shizun Complex in full swing, right around the same time that Bingge finally captures Shen Yuan. Hijinks ensue.

[mmmmalo]

forgive me if i'm conflating several different things here, but the idea that a cue ball - and by extension doc scratch - represents a cancerous trauma left by sexual assault was one of your earlier analyses wasn't it? the idea seems so ubiquitous to me now but i felt like a lot of people could benefit from revisiting it in the wake of that latest beyond canon update

Mm… like you said, you have my earlier analyses a little mixed up. And honestly my current take on the subject focuses more on how the problem of rape is leveraged towards transphobic ends in political discourse? So... perhaps not what you're looking for.

My old approach was to regard not the cue ball but the Green Sun as an emblem of trauma: for example, Rose talks with Jaspers atop a monolith of the Green Sun, when Jaspers's apparent drowning caused Rose's fear of water. Talking to Jaspers seemed to involve confronting that trauma, and the significance of that interaction transferred upon the Green Sun as a symbol. So later when Jade combines her dreamcorpse with Bec, Jadesprite's tearful inability to turn away from its searing light seemed to imply that fusing with Bec somehow awoke a traumatic memory that Jade was no longer able to suppress.

Various scenes led me to believe this was a memory of sexual assault: the dream sequence where Bec Noir creeps upon WV (who is in Jade's bed) and instigates some distressing fusion of their bodies, as the fire of the Green Sun Burns. The dream where Jade attacks Clubs Deuce (resulting in a DEAD GRANDPA SMACKDOWN in the waking world), only for CD to return later and attack Jade with an explosion of white foam (through which he implicitly continues to embody Grandpa). The point where Jade goes grimbark after spotting Jake's groin (as though it were a distressing trigger) and where Jade is, after again calling attention to the banana hammock, crushed beneath Jake's white hope explosion (which echos CD's shaving cream). I could go on.

But the above is all bait: Jade goes grimbark because the very notion of a man in panties is posed as the violent intrusion of the masculine upon the feminine, posed as rape. The hints of assault function as homophobic scaremongering, feminism of the trans-exclusive strain. Jade is afraid of lightning, which is posed as a masculine pneumatic intrusion into the inert feminine vessel -- which is to say, bringing Frankenstein/Jadesprite to life with a zap comes to represent rape, and the overwhelming urge is to REMOVE THE LIGHTNING, GET IT OUT GET IT OUT (the scene has visual reference to Aradiabot ripping her heart out following Equius's violation), hence Jadesprite's urge to die. Jade earlier displayed distaste for the pneuma via her always-ill-fated reader interactive sections: playing flute, selecting fruit, fighting (and in her own mind conversing with) Grandpa. Though ostensibly early, abstract indications of Jade's sensitivity to violation, these events also just display homophobia: blowing into wind instruments is a cocksucking joke inherited from Problem Sleuth, "fruit" means gay, Jade calls Grandpa a "bag of wind" because his cornball shit is gay (derogatory). It matters that Dirk is a Gay Guy who overwrote Jeanne Betancourt's voice for Pony Pals and now overwrites robot Rose's will on occasion because the story is satirizing a worldview wherein a "boy" adopting feminine characteristics is committing metaphysical rape.

The same goes for Doc Scratch: retroactively, he has the Handmaid locked up in a room because Caliborn got gender envy from the How To Draw Manga girl. Damara speaks in stilted staccato sentences for the same reason, it gives the impression that she is possessed by Lord English, that some insidious masculine force is speaking through her. Which again: transphobia. Or rather dysphoria, in this case, which was a major point of discussion in Openbound -- anxieties about internal and external reproach for expressing yourself abound, the imminent Rufioh/Horuss breakup represents bodily dysmorphia... I've talked about that elsewhere. The main point is illustrated by 583 of Problem Sleuth, where Nervous Broad (essentially a trans woman) looks into the mirror and sees a horrendous beast. This is why the Handmaid cannot escape Lord English: he is how she sees herself. The big bad of Homestuck, the embodiment of all that is foul of patriarchy, is an embodiment of transfeminine self-loathing, or more generally the picture of trans women that transmisogynists like to paint.

Vriska has a conversation with June about how she doesn't actually want to indulge her violent tendencies, how she thinks a life of peace could actually be the way to go. As she says all these, we are treated to a shot of Vriska's red boots crossed in such a way that a huge red X is imposed over her groin: this conversation is about dysphoria! Vriska implicitly declares violence and aggression to be phallic -- an association strengthen by the sexed roles of moirallegiance, in which women must sooth violent men. Elsewhere in the story, Vriska's seemingly inescapable violent tendencies are embodied by Doc Scratch -- therefore he is, in essence, Vriska's phallus, which she resents even as she is compelled to obey its directives.

There's actually a bit with Jake where the cue ball (or rather, a tower orb that resembles a cue ball) is used to represent a dick: "The space in your inventory is mainly hogged up by one incredibly huge thing. You guess you should get rid of it. But you can’t shake the feeling you might need it someday, and you don’t want to risk ditching it and be caught with your pants down later." As Spidergirl shoots her webbing on the floor nearby, Jake briefly considers losing the dick. That Doc Scratch's head is a nuclear bomb makes this motif coincide nicely with Jake's association with the irradiated dick of Doctor Manhattan (and Hulk), which as you've pointed out before was used in Watchmen to illustrate homophobic scaremongering.

Or hey, let's try to establish a new connection between Doc Scratch and Bec: perhaps epilogue!Jade's dog dick, was already present from the moment Jadesprite was born. Perhaps the anger Jade feels toward this newly formed phallic woman (who she calls a pansy) is informed by the contempt she expressed for fursuits, and how the people within them are dumb to think that makes them real animals -- a transphobic barb followed in short order by more slander for Grandpa, a hunter who skins animals and places the pelts by armor and portraits of women. Perhaps all this drama is condensed on page 6630, where Jake's big gay Hope bubble crushes Jade's green fireball, forming a portrait of Doc Scratch.

Perhaps we should pronounce "Doc Scratch" with an English accent, so that it becomes "Dog's Crotch".

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Winds of Destruction

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Here I am, dirty and faceless Waiting to heed your instruction On my own, invisible warrior I am a Wind of Destruction!

As many of you might now, I’m a huge fan of the Metal Gear series. What you probably don’t know is  that, despite the series having a penchant for squads of quirky bosses, I’m not really a huge fan of many of them. FOXHOUND? I mean I like Mantis and Ocelot. The Sons of Liberty? I guess Vamp is alright. B&B Corps? I barely remember any of them. I love the Cobra Unit, but that’s because all of them are batshit insane and weird. I’m not saying they’re bad boss fights or anything—far from it, they all offer fantastic boss fights—but as characters I’m not really big on many of these villains.

The Winds of Destruction, on the other hand? I fucking love these guys (and girl).

Metal Gear Rising is what happens when you turn the insane anime action of the main series up to 11, and so it should be no shock the squad of bosses is cranked up as well. Each and every one of these guys is nuttier than the last, and the whole lot of them are some of the most memorable and memetic characters in the franchise. Also Khamsin exists.

Motivation/Goals: So besides the obvious way they tie into the plot because they’re working for Armstrong, each of these villains has a theme song which pretty much details what makes them tick, what they’re about, and expands upon them once you get their health low enough during their boss battles.

Mistral’s theme, “A Stranger I Remain,” details how she has come to this land to sate her bloodlust, and how she truly feels most at home on the battlefield; Monsoon’s theme, “Stains of Time,” acts as a reinforcement of his nihilistic outlook; Sundowner’s theme, “Red Sun,” expounds on his nature as a card-carrying villain and how he revels in the violence and bloodshed he causes; Sam’s theme, “The Only Thing I Know for Real,” lays out his desire for a one-on-one duel with Raiden, his foil, to see who is truly worthy to stand up and continue fighting for their ideals; and Khamsin’s song, “The Hot Wind Blowing,” showcases his patriotic nature as well as just generally acting as a badass boast. Most of these songs  act more as thematic seasoning for the characters, adding on to what is already established in their cutscenes, but for some like Khamsin and to a lesser extent Mistral, it’s pretty much the extent of their development.

Performance: Every single one of these actors really brings their all to make these characters memorable.

Sundowner is the ham and cheese of the group, working alongside Armstrong to ensure that all the scenerey is well and truly chewed. And who better to bring on the ham than Crispin Freeman? Salli Saffioti is Mistral, and is it any shock she’s also played Black Widow before? And also Hilda from Fire Emblem, I guess? Then we have Monsoon, played by John “The Crypt Keeper” Kassir, who delivers everything with gusto as always. Phillip-Anthony Rodriguez makes Sam just as smarmy and charming as a rival should be, and Benito Martinez puts in his all to his brief role of Khamsin. Not a weak vocal performance here, I’d say.

Final Fate: Seeing as they are video game bosses, it should come as no surprise to anyone that Raiden slices each and every one of them into confetti. Special mention to the absolutely brutal death of Mistral, where she gets frozen in liquid nitrogen before you get to shatter her.

Best Scene: For most of them, they only get the one scene followed by their boss battle, with the exception of Sundowner and Sam. Mistral and Khamsin’s boss battles are obviously their finest hours, though Mistral’s takes the cake between the two seeing how explosive and exciting it is, living up to the promise of that first battle with Metal Gear RAY, while Khamsin’s is the finale of a DLC featuring the game’s ultimate jobber, Blade Wolf.

Monsoon has a lot more going for him, because before his boss fight he gives off one of the most amazing monologues ever put into a Metal Gear game, as he lectures Raiden on memes (“The DNA of the soul!”) and his nihilistic philosophy. Then you get to have a kickass boss fight where, if you do well enough, you will make this nihilistic bastard beg for his life as you hack him to pieces.

Best Quote: Monsoon has the honor of dropping the most iconic bit of dialogue in the entire game (outside of everything out of Armstrong’s mouth, of course):

"Free will is a myth. Religion is a joke. We are all pawns, controlled by something far greater: Memes. The DNA of the soul. They shape our will. They are the culture — they are everything — we pass on."

Sundowner, being the massive slab of ham that he is, is no slouch in the memetic lines himself. Two stand out, and that’s his battle cry of “I’M FUCKIN’ INVINCIBLE!” and his proclamation that he wants things to go back to the old ways of war, specifically “IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS AFTER 9/11!” This is hilarious because even with confirming that 9/11 happened in the Metal Gear universe, it still is probably only the second worst thing to happen to New York.

Sam doesn’t really have any great quotes that stand out, but this man is a master of reactions, from his shit-eating grin to his rousing applause. I figured I’d highlight that here.

Final Thoughts & Score: Let’s look at them from best to least best; I don’t think any of them are awful, though some are better than others obviously.

Monsoon

Outside of Armstrong and Sundowner, Monsoon is absolutely the best character in the game. I think part of it is because he so thoroughly represents everything the Metal Gear series is summed up in one character; he’s incredibly philosophical and legitimately fascinating while also being hilariously over-the-top and spouting off some of the most ridiculous and cheesy lines you will ever hear, all while being a bright red-and-black cyborg voiced by a guy famous for acting as the emcee of a horror show. Literally everything about him is the pure essence of the franchise, so even without Kojima’s direct involvement we still got a beautiful 10.5/10 character.

Sundowner

As far as the Winds of Destruction go, Sundowner is second only to Monsoon. He’s just over-the-top in ways I never could have even imagined for this series, and the only thing holding him back is he is almost immediately outdone by Armstrong two levels after you kill him. Still, this bloodthirsty butcher just revels so much in being a huge asshole and delivers all his lines with the Southern-fried charm that only an actor like Crispin Freeman could deliver, and you have a character I wish was around in the good old days after 9/11. He’s an easy 10/10.

Also he is literally just this image as a character, and that’s amazing:

Jetstream Sam

Sam is a really great character in the Cyborg Ninja tradition, easily following in the footsteps of characters like Gray Fox and Raiden himself. The sheer badassery of this man, a normal human whose only cyborg trait is a single arm and yet who is still capable of taking down a RAY by himself, cannot be overstated, and I think he gets a big boost from being playable. There’s an underlying tragedy to the character too, with how he’s something of a fallen hero whose sword was once a tool of justice but who became disillusioned due to his inability to make the world a better place all on his own  and losing to Armstrong in a fight. He’s easily the most complex character besides Armstrong, and his boss battle and theme song are both top notch. I really can’t justify anything less than a 10/10.

Mistral

As much as I love Mistral, it’s hard to deny she is really the epitome of a one-scene wonder. She does not get nearly as much characterization as her compatriots and is very vague and ambiguous even after the DLC… but that might be the point. Her image song is “A Stranger I Remain,” and though we know of her bloodthirsty nature from that song, Mistral still remains a mystery to us to the bitter end. But hey, it’s hard to deny that what we do see of her is pretty impressive (and I’m not just talking about her boobs, I promise). She’s not quite as good as her fellow Winds I’d say, but considering she’s a 9.5/10 that’s not really a knock against her.

Khamsin

Despite having one of the best songs in the game to his name, as well as an intriguing personality and motivations, Khamsin really is incredibly forgettable, to the point his comrades  don’t even bother to mention him in the main campaign. This is not something you should ever be saying about a dude who looks like Quaritch in his mech suit at the end of Avatar on steroids, and yet here we are. Of course, he’s certainly not awful by any means and he makes for a great boss fight, but he falls severely short of the main game’s enemies. Mistral managed to score as high as she did with only having one level to her, but Khamsin only manages a 5.5/10 with the same. Maybe it’s because he just feels so inconsequential… Eh, at least he looks cool.

[loregoddess]

3, 11, 13 and 14 for the Fire Emblem ask game?

3. What titles have you played? So far I've only been able to play the newest titles, Awakening, Fates, Echoes, Three Houses (and it's Warriors spinoff), and Engage, although I've technically played the DS Shadow Dragon remake via an emulator bc my DS copy got sold but I just uh, got bored and have never finished it. Also playing FE on a computer emulator's a...really weird experience and I prefer using a console, so I've had a hard time getting into the older games (although I did read the entire script for Path of Radiance and part of Radiant Dawn, and one of these days I'll watch playthroughs of both games if IntSys doesn't remake them or port them to a system I actually have).

11. A character that deserved better? Oh where to start. I feel like a lot of the Fates cast suffered in the characterization department bc there were so many characters and the writing team got stretched way thin, and so there's a lot of playable characters that get ignored by both IntSys and the fandom who I think are a delight if people would just look past their joke trait for five seconds, but for unplayable characters I think Lilith could have benefited from more attention bc she's very cool but there's so much going on in Fates that she's kinda...sidelined too. (Also I have a Lot of thoughts about Ikona as a character despite her being very dead, never getting a design, and barely having any story significance, but that's probably more a me thing).

For Echoes definitely Faye (rip) bc damn if the writers and fans didn't do her dirty. Like Fates, we'd be here all day if I listed every grievance I had about every 3H character, but my guy Cyril deserves the world and not the treatment he got from the writers (mostly for the spinoff) and especially not from fans. For Engage, which I am fairly happy with overall, well...Marni, you would have loved Alear's giant friend-family-group if only the writers loved you as much as I (and a few other fans) do.

13. What do you like most about Fire Emblem? Oooh, there's a lot, I mean I keep coming back to the series for a reason, right? I really enjoy the overall gameplay but especially some of the weird mechanics that make it so I can do wild things every playthrough despite usually sticking to similar strategies overall. Narratively I love, love, love the characters and especially the supports, there's always such a wide variety. It's also really neat to see the art style change every few games bc it means there's never really one "look" to FE (even if I'm way biased bc Hidari has been my favorite lead illustrator so far; I really do enjoy seeing all the different art styles, it's so fun). Also the music is always excellent, and I've actually quite enjoyed the full voice acting the past few games

14. Something you really don't like about this series? The fandom. I mean, okay, yes there's lots of things I could complain about for the games themselves (I'm not fond of the loli dragons as a visual design trope, I think a lot of the fantasy racism is handled in poor taste, I'm not a huge fan of the split-routes as a gameplay or story mechanic, the gender-locked classes are so stupid to me, etc. etc.), but like? Honestly more so over the past few years than when I first got into FE, the fandom's been a really exhausting experience bc any problematic tropes that get used in the narrative are nothing compared to the actual issues I've come across in the fandom (i.e. some fans are racist--and specifically antisemetic--towards other fans over these fictional characters, and honestly I think real live people getting harassed over some fiction media is way scarier than the issues of race being handled poorly by the writers).

Like, yes I still haunt the FE tag bc I have half the fandom here blocked, but it's exhausting to have to keep updating my blocklist after so many years. Anytime I talk to someone in-person about FE I always add the "but listen the online fandom sucks, so maybe avoid it". Like, sure the fandom's not as toxic as what I've heard about some other games, but damn.

Not to say the fandom's all bad--I never would have found your blog if not for FE, and there are so many fans who are chill and fun, and I love seeing all the fanart and headcanons and theories and other fun things, and I do enjoy reading a good critical analysis when I can find one too as well as just general analyses like when people look at the Buddhist themes in the games or the recurring narrative themes (brings me back to reading research papers in college if they're written a certain way), and I still love making my own art stuff for FE and coming up with my own silly headcanons and theories and analyses. Because despite everything my experiences with the negative side of the fandom have somehow, miraculously, not withered my deep love of the characters and series overall. So like, there is a lot of good here too, and I try not to focus so much on the negative aspects of things I enjoy bc it doesn't do anything for me. But sometimes I am Very Tired, y'know?

[yanderefairyangel]

I think the people who complain about Engage's story are probably salty that Fire Emblem as a franchise doesn't follow 3h, specifically Edelgard's story of "all dragons bad, humanity good. All Dragons should be eliminated" shtick. They probably should've got that message when the devs said Edelgard is the bad guy and her route is the the hegemon route, but people clung too hard to "death of the author" and now they have to face reality. I haven't gotten to Engage yet but seeing a lot of the stans invalidated after years of their toxic and dangerous behavior does give me some schadenfreude.

I gotta be frank anon, I get why people don't like the story has it's very generic. If you ask me, Engage is still better constructed than Awakneing and Fates because it has at most 4 plot holes in the main story and only 2 big one and it did make me wish to strangle the writers. Engage to me is a "meh i have seen worse but I have seen better". The premise is kind of boring, the first Lumera's death is emotionless. There were moments enjoyably bad like Alear becoming the Fire emblem was the best thing in my entire life. But when I see what the writers wanted to do : they succed. I FREAKING LOVE ALEAR. THEY EVEN MANAGED TO BEAT ROBIN!! AND ROBIN WAS MY FAV AVATAR. Alear's storyline is sso good, it's the most interesting part but the problem is : the rest of the cast.

First you begin with the Stewards, but then you move with Alfred who gets the spoltlight stolen by Diamant, etc, etc. That's no good. The characters only appear superficially and that coupled with the supports grinding having become shit ever since 3 houses make it hard to interest the player in investing time into unlocking them which is a pity, because past A support, all characters got a lot of depth. Some even before. To it's credit, Engage had a much bigger cast than 3 houses so it explain why like Awakening and Fates, some of them ended up being into the background. 3 houses had 4th route so this coupled with the fact that each class had a small number of students made it easier to make everyone participates in the plot. I'd say that seeing the objective, I understand the focus on Alear, Veyle and their family. But it could have still saved it's cast by trying to make the paralogues about the units rather than the Emblems or make 2 kinds of paralogue rather than recycling the Awakening and Fates formula. But I still really enjoyed the story despite it's enormous flaws, and I think it's a bit unfair to call it this bad, when it is at worst mediocre.

As for 3 houses, not gonna lie : it's just decently written. The characters are what make the game shines, but the story in itself can either be exciting either doesn't interest you much. While playing Engage, i was not really eager to look fowards the next chapter, but it was still an enjoyable experience. 3 houses got me excited for some and not for others chapter, but it's not well written game per se.

If i could explain why, then i will say this : people will say, Fell Xenologue is better than main story, and I will disagree. Here is why : while playing I was really into it, but even after the end, it fall aparts and I saw all the holes in it. Same things for 3 houses. People tends to forgive more easily a story that has plot holes and bad construction if it has something interesting than a solid one, albeit a bit dull. That's why so many people who were shitting on Awakening and Fates now claims it's superior to Engage. But let's see, if i try to sum it up what i have :

Awakening : local crown prince recruits amnesiac person to makes them tactician and goes to war.

Fates : amnesiac child have to choose between people who are neither their actual family

3 houses : local mercenary gets hired as a teacher and has to play the arbitrary between 3 teenaged war criminals

Engage : young dragon child has to save the kindgom from the evil dragon that turns out to be their real dad.

We can all agree that Engage summed up in one sentence looks way less dumb then the previous. But the differenc is that the 3 had an execution that tooks more risk and made thing more interesting, to the point the flaws got overlooked. Awakening had a strong arc with the Plegian, the Valm arc was a filler and the last boss arc got a lot hyped. But they all feels so disconnected. Same thing for Fates, and it's worse knowing that it being a route, feels had to be connected and when it did ... plot holes all the way. 3 houses did not do better. Engage had the beneficts of having only one storyline and one goal : Sombron, always Sombron. Unlike for the 3 games where you had to fight a boss before discorvering the real ennemy, thing that 3 houses did better than Awakening and Fates, Engage was straight to the begining. Hence everything around Sombron feels more solid, constructed, it's simplier and better. This strategy allowed to avoid uncessary acts and to got strike right here, even if it did some mistakes with the Solm arc where you lose your ring because E.Veyle managed to steal the rings... don't ask me how. But each arc was at least connected and not dispateched. Making the whole thing handle like a block, even if some parts need polishing because Engage's biggest flaws was that it hold back a lot!! I will make a post on this btw.

But for 3 houses, I personally think it's way too overrated for what it is. Yes it is a good game, but there is still better. There were sooo many way to improve it. The first one was Byleth, because Shez prouved they were capable of having a self insert!! They wanted to go Personna, but it's not how self insert works IS !! I speak as VN enjoyer, you can't have the self insert without personality even if the player can choose what they say!! Just to give an example, The Murder of Sonic the hedgehog did better. The story is simple but enjoyable as heck !! The gameplay choice was just stunning as it matched with the Tails Phase and the Sonic phase being reprsentative of the character and even the self Racoon insert was fun because they were a relateble character and you could choose what they did nevertheless but the choice showed there was consicentency !! Byleth had none of this. Moreover, they are incredible passive, Shez too. I would have loved it if Byleth's relevance was not just limited to who they choosed to guide, but also HOW they did with depending on your decision, several endings !! like in classical VN. Just as an example : Claude in Hopes joing Edie in 2 routes and Dima only one Dima's route.... WHY THE HECK CAN'T SHEZ CHOOSE WHO CLAUDE SIDE WITH IN CLAUDE'S ROUTE ?!!

As for the "death of the authour" only dumbass uses this to excuse headcanon. The death of the author is a literary concept proclaimmed by Roland Barthes and Michel Foucault in order to STOP studing every pits of the author 's personal life to study a literary text, in order to stick to the text and the text only ! The only limitation it has is that it can tend to neglect the intentio auctoris of the text and it can lead to a reading different then what the author intended such as JJ Rousseau's reading of the Misanthrope to be the tragedy of Alceste instead of a comedy mocking Alceste. Not an excuse for weird agendas and pushing an interpretation over the others but an attempt at seeing what the text says. It was in order to favorise the intentio operis, not enter into the anarchy of intentio lectoris which is saddly the dominant in fandom. However, it's not so uncommon to see a villain being a hero : J. M Barrie intented Peter pan to be the devil's spawn... he is now a well beloved character by many and a symbole of childhood innocence. But sometimes, you have to listen to what the writters said to understand a story. Even if you don't like it.

So to came back to the main point : i 100% understand why some people don't like Engage's story but, from what i know the devs wanted, they succeded in their projects. And it's what matters. Could they have did better ? yep. But there is no point comparing Engage to 3 houses knowing that it did not wanted to be like that, it wanted to be what it is : Alear's story. So now i am 100% aware that it lack replay value, the characters got dirtied on and a lot of stuff. Like I said my personal ranking is : 1- Alear 2- Rafal 3- Veyle 4- Nel 5- Sombron 6 - Lumera and 7- Sommie. The dragon are what makes Engage worth talking. The characters deserves to be given a chance because there is good character : Alfred, Hortensia, Mauvier, the 4 winds. But the main story did they them too dirty to appeal. Yeah the excution has objectively flaws, but it isn't too the point Engage is that bad of a game.

I don't know much about the Eddie discourse and I will continue to remain as ignorant as possible as i personally am not that interested by that specific topic which in my opinion seems to have scared a lot of fans way for the 3 houses fan bases. But while Engage has indeed it's flaw, the hate towards the story is exagerated, especially as there is a lot of good things in it when you dig it up. Rather than blaming it on 3 house, id' say it's typicall FE behaviour since people were so busy on hating on Awakening they would not even admit it did saved the franchise, quality of the game or not, it did ! They di the same thing for Fates despite it's popularity, they even did it for 3 houses !! and then Hopes !! Now it's just Engage's turn to be the scapegoat which is a pity, because again it's not a bad game, the gamplay is good and I have been into the seires more for the strategics aspects than the story in itself, so when I am bored i grab the game and go! I totaly get why it won' t appeal to many, but still : I HAD FUN. And that's what matters. Sure, it felt like the dev did not put too much heart into it at times, but still i can feel it was intented to be for fun which makes sense, it's an aniiversary game. Would Engage be shorter it probably would have had less backlash but it still did great and I am thankful for that. But there again, Fe game always had a simple story : beat evil dragon to finish the war. Then game always managed to handle it their own way, varrying from very bad to quite good. 3 houses isn't near Shadow of Valencia however, and it was a simple story too, and it still sold less then Engage so... anyone burrying the game now is couting their chicken before they ever hatched, or in that case the dragons. There is not much place to say ngl, but still, it's been barely a year since it came out. 3 hopes did died faster but it still get some content from time to times.

Edit : I also think Engage had the curse of being released at the end of the holiday, in autumn, yk ? when people go back to work and have less times playing... especially in a post pandemic era, unlike for 3houses duology, that came in summer and then you had the pandemic to play it all day, and.. do fanworks of it all day. Would it release in summer times, the gameplay would have helped gained replayability points, it did for 3 hopes, it would have did it for Engage too since it would have give a pass time. See how Engage was the only game ever since Fates to not release in summer times ? Fates came out during summer, Three houses too, and 3 hopes too. At the end it's a like or not, but I am not gonna lie, the story works better if it was a movie then getting interrupted. It's more a grab popcorn and enjoy things then have fun on the play ground with unit, which I repeat would have been perfect for a summer release.

[wooahaes]

follow up to the fire emblem ask 😵‍💫 yes i found another blog who likes fire emblem and seventeen ! i won everyone !! ps sorry for the mini rant i got excited

anyways … let me tell you that the conquest route of fates was something! (i got sad) and then third dlc route revelation, writing was confusing but eh its dlc im not mad. i’m trying to find a way to get birthright soon so i can finally play that path.

ALSO TELL ME WHY I ALSO KEPT UNITS AWAY FROM OTHERS SO THEY COULDNT PAIR 😭. like i play as a f!unit so i kept her away from everyone but like one character so they had to be together. i personally did chrom and sumia just bc everyone said but i also chrom has funny supports and i heard his support with sully is sweet.

i actually talked to one of my moots abt someone making a video game based smau, they asked me to do it but im not at that level yet… but then fire emblem popped into my head. like the class system is so cool and usually connected to the type of person the characters are! i kept trying to see which members of seventeen + other idols would fit into each class role. sorry i got carried away 😅

hi lovely <3 no need to be sorry! i like talking abt stuff that makes ppl happy

god yeah i can imagine. i remember getting sad over birthright too :( i played through most of conquest and revelations tbh but its been like. at least a year or two so my memory's pretty foggy lmao i just remember not liking jakob

im always like "stay away until i get ppl married and then u can pair up however tbh" (still pairs married couples or parents w their kid bc i think them working together is cute).

god... i feel bad but im not a huge fan of sumia as a unit. some ppl say she's great but she always goes down so easily for me. i cannot imagine playing the game on classic. chroms support w sully is v sweet tho! if i wasnt trying to get lucina some specific skills from olivia, i probably would have pushed chrom with sully. they arent optimal according to a lot of ppl, but their supports would make up for it <3

ngl with this playthrough though ive had my f!unit like. sticking around multiple men to get the supports up to A so that i can figure out who i wanna romance......... homie i didnt expect for so many of them to have cute supports??? gaius's is cute (im p sure he calls the mc "bubbles" regardless of gender but i like his nicknames for ppl dsfkhdsf + his sweet tooth is endearing to me), stahl being the kind of person who looks out for people is sweet, lon'qu slowly growing more used to f!unit and being kind of endeared by her... and also henry just being the weirdo he is ksfdhdsf like ??? how am i supposed to pick. i mentioned it but i managed to get inigo (my favorite slutty man /hj) last night and his supports w f!unit are also kind of cute? just him going from a skirtchaser to trying to be more conscious of everyone else around him and taking care of ppl... ugh hes sweet <3

also last night i realized that olivia sparkles. like ??? girl straight up sparkles. i love that for her dskfhsdf also someone asked me if u have the option to be gay in awakening and im like NO bc god i love cherche and sully... and also lissa... and also maribelle... theres so many pretty women :(

ooo a video game based smau would be so fun... if i could do it, i would since theres like. so many games w so much potential there. i've had a vague idea for a life is strange-esque au (mc with powers dealing w that, basically) and since im already writing a one-shot w felix... idk, it just feels like a fun idea to play with. my go-to would be 3 because its the only game w a viable male love interest, sorry warren and whatever the guy from 2 was i love 3 the most and like ngl a smau would be an interesting way of doing it...

ooo do you have any thoughts on who would be in what role? i'd love to hear them! i talked with an anon about it a while back but i'd have to go find those asks bc i admittedly can't remember anything we picked out rn :(

[starscreeam]

ey yo seth! do you recommend the new fire emblem game? bc i ADORE FE but ive seen absolutely nobody talking about it so i have like. no reference from people who actually LIKE FE playing it, its just dudebros bitching bc "eww a new fire emblem and the protag is toothpaste lmaoooo" which is NOT helpful. also about your fic: dont feel bad, you write from PASSION as it SHOULD BE, grammar be DAMNED

thank you for your comment about my writing, it means a lot!! im glad u think so!

anyways, here is my Honest Opinion(tm) about Engage (under a cut bc its long):

yes, there are many unhelpful biased comments about the designs, the life sim aspects, and the story. ive seen the fucking "lolol toothpaste haha COLGATE heehee PEPSI lmao" joke over and over again with no end in sight. its not that funny anymore, guys.

BUT

to me, as a fire emblem fan (mind you, my first game was path of radiance when i was in ???middle school??? but the first fe game i FINISHED was awakening, when i was about 16 or 17), i think that Engage is fine as it is. :) the gameplay is what REALLY matters in a game, and the gameplay is VERY fun and challenging, so if nothing else, i'd recommend it for its unique playstyle. the story is kind of a rehash of awakening, with some details swapped out, and to me, the writing is actually sliiiiightly better here than in awakening. if you like awakening: great!!! you'll like the story in this game too! its a bit more in-depth, and the villains are focused on much more than in awakening, which i personally appreciate.

alear, the protagonist, reminds me a lot of robin, in that: they make their OWN choices, NOT the player's choice. for instance, in the first few minutes of the game, they decide to RUN from enemies instead of fight! they want to protect their stewards, vander and framme+clanne. i thought that was interesting. so far (and im almost finished with the game), i havent had a prompt about what i, the player, want to do in regards to a story beat. alear does the decision-making for you. even robin had a few player-driven choices to make, but not alear. alear is their own character. which is nice!!!

as for the life sim stuff, its very limited. the somniel is almost entirely optional. you can s support, but only alear can s support, and even then, NOT all of them are romantic in nature (see: pandreo and ivy, who both have romantic endings with alear regardless of their gender). if you choose, you can build and grind supports. the support convos arent always interesting, similar to awakening or fates, but they are cute and serve a purpose. but all that i just mentioned in this paragraph is not integral to the story AT ALL.

the story. the story is good, with some twists and turns here and there! we are supposed to get more characters and a new story option in wave 4 of the dlc (i am unsure when that is coming out!), and so the story might deepen with that dlc option. right now im doing a vanilla run with no dlc and ive been enjoying it thus far.

in short, im not DONE with the game, but i am REALLY enjoying myself so far. the battles are engaging (lol) and challenging (ive died on some skirmishes before :P), and i LOVE the characters, even if theyre not super deep. i hope the game has a satisfying ending and i suspect the replay value will be amazing, with all the unlockable classes there are :)!

id recommend you play it if youre a fan of fe, even if youre not crazy about the designs or the story. of course i cant dictate how others feel, but i actually enjoyed myself very much and remember to HAVE FUN and NOT CARE what ANYONE else thinks !!

[damoselcastel]

I posted 818 times in 2022

That's 62 more posts than 2021!

110 posts created (13%)

708 posts reblogged (87%)

Longest Tag: 79 characters

#even though he's awful in b rank this is the drama i wanna explore between them

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hey guys, I’m making a Let’s Play for Triangle Strategy! It’s mostly just my own silly commentary and reactions to a blind playthrough, but if you’re interested I’ll have daily updates so please check out my (very new) Youtube channel.

Episode 1 - the very, very start

8 notes - Posted March 3, 2022

#4

I haven’t really said much on the upcoming FE title, other than Colgate Pepsi Lord being uggo, and that’s mostly because of my... unresolved problems with Fire Emblem Heroes. Or rather, that entire “hero summoning” as a concept.

I suppose sometimes in a game, it’s a fun concept to have like... a cameo summon. Twilight Princess’ Wolf Link in Breath of the Wild is a fun easter egg, and as optional dlc, probably non-canonical as far as story goes. It’s something that doesn’t bother me, maybe because I’m having fun with the game enough to shrug weirdness, like wearing Majora’s Mask as a mask, off.

But a game like FEH, where it’s built AROUND the concept of FE series cameos... I really can’t excuse it’s pathetic excuse for stories, while I stare at the pile of familiar characters I care WAY MORE ABOUT than the OCs constantly whumped in plot for little effect. I honestly dislike most FEH OCs, because there’s a lot about both their context and execution that bothers me... and the direction the games writing has good (book 2 was the worst nosedive, but the entire structure is mmwheeh)

So, my thoughts in rant form (brought on by FEH’s book 7 trailer):

I don’t feel attached to Zenith, because I feel like the character could care less about it or its problems with the way the traipse off ALL THE TIME. It’s likely I’ll be just as cranky about a group of silver spoon kiddos summoning great heroes to serve their beck and whim... with at most a “you mean so much to me Marth-sama uwu” being stated. Engage’s tone looks all light and fluffy, and maaaaaaaaan, it’ll all bounce off my salty self. I just hope I’m not bored by it, like I was in the end with Awakening.

10 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

#3

Much belated happy @nagamas, hardkourparcore!

Apologies for this pinch hit being so very late, but hope this “Secrets” CasLin is too your liking (I tried to channel both their respective energies)

12 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

#2

Red Courage - a FE3H Claude/Edelgard fanfic    Game: Fire Emblem Fates    Rating: Teen    Character(s): Claude von Reigan, Edelgard von Hersvelg, Dimitri (background)    Tag(s): no TWSitD AU, politics, marriage, patriarchy    Warning(s): force feeding, involuntary physical restraint, implied age gap/child bride    Word Count: 4,252 Summary: Claude learned of love from his mother, although it doesn't move him until he meets Edelgard. She changes everything. (Claude/Edelgard, no TWSitD AU)

Sorry for being a day late, but merry @nagamas to S3rain on twitter. I chose your Claude/Edelgard prompt and put my own little AU twist on it. Hope you enjoy!

13 notes - Posted January 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Dame’s thoughts on FE3H Rufus

FE16, aka FE Three Houses, spoilers below

So... over the years since FE3H came out, I’d developed certain headcanons for some off-screen NPCs. Y’know the ones, mentioned by characters, but didn’t get a name let alone a model/portrait. The most conspicuous one might’ve been Dimitri’s Uncle- Regent Rufus.

In the main game he gets mentioned only a handful of times: by Dimitri for existing, by Felix to be criticized for not handling the rampant Bandit situation post-Tragedy, by the plot for kicking off Azure Moon’s civil war events within Faerghus.

So I’d started thinking “what type of prince is this man?” and went with the idea of ‘party prince’: the sort of secondary heir who grew up with few responsibilities and instead just lives the high life on the country’s dime. I figured, this could be a big reason why as a Regent, Rufus would be inept, cause he plain ignored duties thus has no experience ruling. Along this line of thought, I figured even if Rufus wasn’t actively malicious that he did neglect his freshly orphaned nephew (as its canon post Tragedy both Dimitri and Dedue felt isolated within Fhirdiad’s castle).

So I guess, I built up this picture of an uncle who mostly wanted to have a good time and wasn’t very good at the serious stuff in life, one that Dimitri could have a shallow relationship with that was neutral-borderline-negative. Dimitri himself never seems to express anger towards Rufus, and counts him as family in all ending routes with the possibility of counting on his uncle to keep the Blaiddyd line alive in Crimson Flower. I LIVED FOR the drama of Dimitri being falsely set up for the crime of uncle-murder, and all the gross feelings that must’ve accompanied that.

It was kinda fun speculating on a complicated family relationship that was dysfunctional without being outright villainous-- But now I play through FE Warriors 3H, and seems all my headcanons are to be smashed to pieces, lol. More thoughts to come about that on a later reblog.

19 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[lieblxng]

@regledesflorale | Send me a symbol and I will tell you… | Accepting

🌱= a plot I want to write with you 🌿= my least favorite part about the fandom (FE) 🌵 = a disliked canon character in my fandom (FE)

I'm very excited to write about Claude and Byleth interacting with Daisy once we get your Three Houses verse set up! :D Something more specific would be my Peach interacting with your Daisy! I feel like they've been best friends for years and are tied to the hip if you're cool with pre-established relationships. They could do a lot of fun, dangerous adventures just to get out and stretch their wings, especially since it's difficult and stuffy being royalty. I know Peach hates being a princess personally but she's forced to because of responsibilities and that it was passed down to her by her parents. I also feel like they would talk shit about others casually with one another, and vibe nicely together in general! We can ship them or keep them platonic, whatever you want!

I guess something that irks me in the Fire Emblem fandom is how elitist people can be with who played what games. The older and more niche the games you played, the more you're opinion is the only opinion that matters, and the people who enjoy the more recent, more popular selling games are "filthy casuals", etc., when it shouldn't matter at all. The great thing about FE is it's mainly an anthology series and people can pick up and enjoy whatever entries they want, however they want. Each FE game is widely different and that's great! Someone enjoying Fates or Awakening shouldn't downgrade and invalidate their FE experience as a fan, nor should someone playing on casual mode and easy/normal mode. Vice versa for the opposite. We are all fans of Fire Emblem at the end of the day, no matter how we play it, and that should be what ties us and connects us together.

Oh boy, this is a bit of a difficult... There's a LOT of characters I can hate for being so problematic (FE has notorious issues like this) but a lot of that can get into triggering topics, so I'm not gonna discuss that here--at least, not right now. Instead, I'm gonna talk about how much i HATE this guy's design

WHAT IS THAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT AM I LOOKING AT????????????????????

[abyssembraced]

Fire Emblem?

Send me a fandom and I'll tell you my blorbos!

Blorbo: If you want me to stick to Awakening, since that's where Robin's from, then that'd be Lucina! I love her. My daughter <3 (because I married Chrom lmao). I made her absolutely busted in FE Heroes too, though I haven't actually played that in a while.

Though technically Lucina's my second favourite Fire Emblem character overall. First place actually goes to Edelgard! That's My Wife right there. My beloved. I like the other house leaders too, but,,, El <3

...But once again, as much as I love these girls, sadly I don't think I could write them well. But maybe. They're on the list of characters I would consider adding if I ever added another Fire Emblem muse here, just because I love them, but I'd definitely have to replay their respective games first.

Skrunkly: Uhhhhh. So the funny thing is, I usually really like the characters that tend to be described as "pure" or "cinnamon rolls", and just overall those who would fit into this category well, but for some reason with Fire Emblem, I just don't get as attached to them? So I dunno who I'd say for Awakening specifically, but at least for Three Houses I do like Ashe?

Scrimblo Bimblo: Could Henry count as underrated? Probably not, huh. I think he's pretty popular. But I do like him a lot! My funny murder crow guy. And Owain... Probably also doesn't count here, huh. Not sure how popular he is among the fandom, but like. With his appearances in Fates and Warriors, the games themselves sure give him a lot of love. But he's also really funny, and one of my other favourites from Awakening. So... I dunno!

Ashe could probably also fall in this category, since when it comes to the Blue Lions I think most people tend to focus on Dimitri, Felix, and Sylvain (and Ingrid and Dedue?) more than anyone else. But that would be reusing characters, so. hhhhhhh dgdhshf

Glup Shitto: So like. I thought this was gonna be a difficult question but then I remembered. Nobody fucking played Echoes. I feel like anyone from there is free game except for Alm and Celica ashshdfh. So! I remember liking Mae quite a bit, but I think my favourite from there was Conrad! I remember him being really sweet

Too bad I haven't played any of the Japan-exclusive games to have some really obscure favourites asdghsf. I do wanna play Genealogy someday though, if a fan translation exists

Poor Little Meow Meow: I don't like reusing characters for these but. C'mon. I don't think there's an FE character out there that's more controversial than Edelgard von Hresvelg lmao. I have absolutely zero interest in dealing with any of the Discourse, so all I will say is: we love Edelgard in this house. This is an Edelgard Appreciation Zone, or at the very least an Edelgard Tolerating Zone if you personally dislike her.

That said, I also wanna give a shoutout to Takumi from Fates, because I adore him too and still stand by him being one of the better things to come out of Fates. He's a bit of an ass to Corrin at the start, sure, but like. I feel like that's kinda justified?? He doesn't remember Corrin like Hinoka and Ryoma do, so from his perspective some random stranger from the country they are currently at war with has just waltzed in and is basically being treated like a god when they very well could be an enemy spy. And iirc, he does want to accept Corrin and get to know them? But he's smart, and remains wary until Corrin does choose his family's side.

...The Blame Takumi memes are still funny though, I won't lie dghdsf. I started with Conquest, so those memes are actually what led me to look into him more when I got around to playing Birthright

Horse Plinko: Y'know what. Lorenz. Is that unfair to say, given that I never did get around to playing the Golden Deer route? Yeah, kinda. Am I gonna say it anyway, because I'm not sure who else to say? Haha yea

I guess Takumi can get a little bit of bullying for being a grump, but only affectionately, because I still care him and he deserves a hug

Eeby Deeby: Validar and Thales are the easy options, yes, along with all the other villains, but like. Fuck em lmao

[moe-broey]

You know if I'm Fates posting. While I'm at it. I really DO love Fates, but in the same way that I absolutely love ridiculous Sonic games <333333

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep 25 & 26: Bakura’s Ring does a Barrel Roll Straight Out of This Arc

Last we left off, the crew ended up floating in the void of space to ask Shadi politely if they can just go home, and if he could please not give Alexander the Great’s descendant’s possessed body the Ultimate Power to rule the world (again, because tbqh Alexander the Great has already done this whole ruling the entire world thing once already and it’s kind of rude to give this to him twice.)

What is the “Ultimate Power” you ask? Hell knows, man.

Which is when Alexander pulls a “well, actually” and informs us that he already did this. This is a plot twist I wasn’t actually expecting. I fully thought that there was no way Alexander the Great could have possibly gotten through like...pretty much any of these challenges since they required so much card knowledge. But I guess back in his time he was pretty OK at cards.

(more of this card finale under the cut)

Also, back when Alexander completed this challenge thousands of years ago, he had a team of four other people with him who I don’t think have shown up at any point before this. Like this Fire Emblem Himbo right here. The hell is this guy?

And, about these random four guys, perhaps all of the other trials were references to these people, whom he refers to as his “royal vassals,” but I do not recall them at any point. I think they’re just references to cards, honestly, but obvi I don’t know enough card facts because we don’t watch the card games here.

Anyway, Alexander the Great gets hella mad that Shadi won’t let him through the door--and then there’s this awkward cut where he gets so pissed off, lightning strikes, and these guys died off screen

Welcome back, Death Counter.

and then, the necklace just kind of detached from his neck on it’s own volition.

THE LORE we build around this necklace. Not only can it just reappear on you whenever it wants--it can just flip out it’s little dangly bits and use them to race around like a hamster in a wheel. I called those things dicks but they were actually legs. Plot twist.

I guess at that point the necklace decided that Alexander the Great could not actually get him what it wanted, and so instead, it bounced out of there to stew around haunting other randos until current Bakura.

Man, how many Bakuras have there been?

At this point “good” Alexander got stuck in the game (for some reason?) while “bad” Alexander got stuck in the pyramid. And then time forgot about them, and they just kinda chilled here being bored as hell. Just hanging out in this pyramid that I’m pretty sure is only visible if you are full of card curse.

Which like, lets talk about that. Clearly, Alex was like “hey do you guys see this huge ass pyramid over there?” and everyone was like “...no?” except for Grandpa Muto, who lives with a card curse every day. So in that way, it does make sense they would find eachother, and maybe not realize it’s because both of them are just so freakin cursed.

So this was how Alex got hella possessed. Which means Grandpa never really needed to be driven here by the hands of fate, and I think Grandpa just ended up in the game by accident, which like...oops, I guess.

Shadi, looking at both the guy he decided not to give the prize to 2000 years ago, and the other guy that is the literal incarnation of the Pharaoh, was like “OMG this is a hard choice to decide who wins this thing, you guys.” when it’s like...

...but then why didn’t you give the power to Alexander 5000 years ago? You already had him fail the test, why is he suddenly playing it again? Is it really going to give him a second chance just because he’s in a different body now? Because that’s a weird loophole.

And so then we finally find out what was going on with that weird dream sequence Pharaoh kept having, it was a reference to their boss arena.

This part of the episode looks so freakin weird, PS. Like a lot of Yugioh is a weird aesthetic that’s hard to explain because the story has gotten so complicated, but this finale is so freakin bizarre. You got people fusing with monsters and turning it into like robot armor, other people flying on dragons, weird ass pokemon covered in belts, you got this psychedelia sky, old ass university style homes--and then this giant thing that gives literal Alexander the Great the ability to read minds:

And if you turned on this show for the first time and hadn’t turned it off at this point, here’s Pharaoh’s mind palace to confuse you even more! In fact...I think this is the first time this entire arc we have brought up the mind palace. Which is a lot! Like this is a fusion of so many different things, and it’s like...same problems I have with the rest of this arc--good ideas, but too rapid of an execution. They really needed to prune their ideas because man...

...honestly this whole fight doesn’t make sense to happen. I know it has to happen for the formula of the show...but they didn’t give enough of a reason other than “Shadi doesn’t realize this isn’t the same guy who stood at that door 2000 years ago.” Which like...Shadi does know that’s the same guy he turned down before. Shadi is just being that asshole (which is well within character for him.)

You just have to not think about it very much, this fight exists for the flashy stuff, it’s meant to entertain kids who are into that. I just think the stakes are confusing because Yugi doesn’t want ultimate power, and Shadi sure as hell won’t give it to this freakin guy even if Pharaoh didn’t win because that’s Shadi’s brand. Shadi would turn this giant robot into a barney and just let it eat him. We’ve seen Shadi do this to chairs before.

But I did enjoy a nice reference to the Laser from S1.

FINALLY.

A laser to make up for all the times Bakura could have shot a laser but didn’t bother.

Finally.

During this time, all of Alexander the great’s team members nearly died--their monsters were absorbed into this weird fusion Goliath, while Yugi did the opposite and took off his many layers of armor in order to protect his buddies with his own team. The dragons were so impressed by Yugi’s willingness to get shot by a huge laser, that they gave him one last fusion dance.

Anyway, as you can probably guess, if Yugi has any superpower, it’s that he’s very good at getting hit in the face with a fireball and just walk away. Which was Alexander the Great’s biggest downfall.

Alexander the Great, probably one of the greatest swordsman who ever lived--forgot to bring a sword into battle one single day, and that’s what killed him. he should’ve known. He’s a swordguy, if not the ultimate sword guy. This is the guy who cut the original Gordian knot with his huge ass sword. Alexander is that guy. Hell, if Alexander had just done away with the uncharacteristic monsters and pulled out even a knife--every kid here would be so freakin dead.

Ah, Yugioh and it’s irony.

And like that, we are out of the land of intense fuscia and contrasting sparkly sky nonsense that made that last fight kind of difficult to parse.

Lol this is an orb.

Like it’s just my personal opinion but I don’t think the “Ultimate Power” was ever real, Shadi just didn’t like Alexander on a personal basis. Which like, yeah I can see it.

Shadi says something cryptic along the lines “You will unite the world without needing this power, because ironically, the people who can have this power don’t want it.” and Yugi was like “can I finally go?”

And out pops the good ghost who is like “gg, better player won.“

And then Joey finally caught up.

I forget sometimes how dumbass they made Joey this arc.

PS this doesn’t look remotely like the same guy without the khakis. Also, seeing someone in closer interpretation to an actual Egyptian pharaoh outfit next to Yami’s anime fantasy one is kind of hilarious. There is like thousands of between Pharaoh and Alexander, so you could say that the fashion changed over time. But also, we have records of what Alexander wore, but that depiction tends to change depending on what nation is drawing him.

So, did King Alexander dress up like a Pharaoh? Eh? Probably, when he was founding Alexandria (which later became the capital of Egypt during the next age of Ptolemic Pharaohs, who were all Greek). And like...kudos for the show for shining some light on Egyptian history that we modern people keep forgetting about because we keep thinking all of the Egyptian empire as like covering only the dawn of human civilization. It stuck around a long time, it got invaded a lot, so their Pharaohs were a different ethnicity depending on who was in charge. The Pharaohs all had family ties to Greeks in the latter part of Egyptian history following Alexander. (The Ptolemic dynasty alone was almost 300 years long, which is longer than America.) Like people forget how long Egypt was around.

Also, the Ptolemic Dynasty is the last dynasty of Egyptian Pharaohs. So, it’s kind of like a Pharaoh of the first dynasty’s meeting someone of the last. Which is a nice touch. (also a funny historian fanfic retcon to have a first dynasty Pharaoh kick Alexander’s ass. What do people call that? Fix fic?)

Now imagine if they took the last Pharaoh of Egypt? Imagine if this were...

Cleopatra?

What a different arc this would’ve been if Cleopatra were here. Too bad we know exactly how that lady died, although I would love it if Yugioh retconned snake suicide. Imagine the potential for weird history retconning. Like what accent would they even give Cleopatra? (JK, they only do 2 accents)

Hell, the show’s still going. I have no idea what is going on with modern Yugioh, but Cleopatra is still on the table.

And then Tea again reveals to us how little she feels any sort of fear.

Tea.

Tea that guy assassinated everyone who ever bothered him even slightly.

You would.

The animators, sensing they did not have a budget for the collapse the writers forced on them, decided to just jump cut outside. It works.

Alex woke up at this point just in time to see his beloved pyramid fall into the rubble.

Screwed for life, Alex, told everyone you found a Pyramid in India, and now it’s freakin gone. Have fun explaining that to the University Board. Doctor Muto ruins another historians career, even in his retirement.

And then out of no where the forest rangers find them.

And you’d think, well, it was only an hour, maybe they’ll still go to India? No. It appears to me like the forest rangers got hella wise and these dummies get sent straight home. Joey even asks “Will I get a refund for my tickets?” And Tea was like “Can’t get a refund for something that was free.” So like...bye bye to that vacation package in Punjab. Yugi Muto will have to go back to haunting Domino instead.

...sorry but like...

Unite mankind?

...I get used to the audacity of this show sometimes, and I’ll just glaze over the writing sometimes, but when I type it out, sometimes I see it and I just gotta bask in that for a bit.

Man that was a choice of words they chose about this children’s anime series about cards lololol. The only game that ever slightly united mankind was Pokemon Go, and that was a wonderful 2 weeks of our lives, going outdoors, meeting neighbors, and defending the local coffee shop from kids teaming up with their Moms or whatever, but unfortunately Nintendo has always sucked at internet play, and so the only chance to truly unite mankind was utterly foiled.

But a Yugioh Go would be a nightmare, they should not do that. I do not want these horrible animals cursing up my phone. It’s cursed enough with twitter on it.

And so they fly home on a helicopter, which actually does make sense for this forest rescue. This show using the correct plane on me like this. It’s a beautiful thing, to see a helicopter in it’s natural habitat.

Anyway, that was a weird arc, but not as bad as I think it gets a lot of credit for being. Is it my favorite arc so far? No. And honestly, I haven’t ranked the arcs, mostly because I’m just kind of taking the show as it comes and not holding it to standards.

But it certainly was an arc that tried to do so many high effort things, a new outfit every episode, a lot of complicated riddle games, a weird mechanic of dueling that probably took more effort than cards to draw. Like they really did work so hard for a thing that feels so different from Yugioh proper. Dunno if it caught the spirit of Yugioh, like I think the Alexander stuff did, because it brought us back to Bakura and the Millennium Items. But the other stuff felt more like it could have been on any fantasy IP.

It was different. Worth a shot, youknow. They tried to pull it together, and it did come together--but I would say the best part of it was at the end, because the middle needed like 4 or 5 more episodes to have not felt so rapid and confusing. Or they could have edited out like...half the riddles? I dunno, hindsight's 20/20. Chances are they wanted a full season of this and they didn’t get it, hell they didn’t even get a half season, they got...well, what ended up going straight to DVD outside of America.

But I feel like Yugioh does that--they like to try out things that are different. Season Zero and Season One are like two completely different shows. Season 4 with the Orichalcos stuff was a huge departure from 2 and 3, and then that Kaiba stuff with the digital world has always been it’s own thing. Like the saying goes, Yugioh just kind of does what it wants, arbitrarily, like a Dog or a Ghost (most likely ghost, since it is Yugioh.)

So, speaking of ghosts, it’s finally time to move on to the infamous Bakura arc which I have heard is both good and bad and now I get to find out for myself (and my bro who just never finished this series). Like I mentioned before, I’ll probably be taking some time off to build a bit of a buffer since we’re coming in on holiday season here. I’ll still be around, same with Bro, watching some Yugioh and typing these up in the bg.

Anyway, here’s the link to read these from the beginning for those showing up where this is the first post of this series they’ve ever read:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

Can you believe we’re halfway through S5? I can’t! I thought this show only had 2 seasons!

[itsuki-minamy]

PROFILE: YATA MISAKI

Translation: Naru-kun Raws: Ridia

Real name: Yata Misaki

Terms of address: Yata-san, Misaki, Yatagarasu

[PROFILE]

Birthday: July 20, Cancer

Blood type: B

Age: 20 (At the beginning of the second season)

[APPEARANCE]

Physique: 1.67 cm in height. He gives the impression that he is smaller than his height.

Face, hair: His eyes are good. He wears a hat. The base is the face of a cheerful child, but the expression is rich and changes every time. He can be a vicious person and often laughs carelessly.

Attire: He wears a street style with a skateboard.

Personal effects: Skateboard. A metal bat.

[HABITS, SKILLS]

· Skill on the skateboard and the use of flames.

· Before thinking that the blood would rise in his head, his body would move and sink.

[IMPRESSION, OTHER NOTES]

· "Foolish".

· There are some comic aspects that should be loved, but when viewed by the general public, they are vicious.

· Get ​​angry and laugh a lot. The emotional expression of emotions is clear.

· The sign of "Homura" is on the left clavicle.

[POSITION, OBJECTIVES]

A member of "Homura". Identified as a captain of the first class. Number 3 in combat strength.

A young man who loves "Homura" and loves his friends.

He is one of the main members, except for Suoh, Kusanagi, and Totsuka, who are the first members. Instead of Suoh, the lord who doesn't move much, Kusanagi, who often sticks to the role of staff, and Totsuka who is a non-combatant, in case of a difficult situation, he often takes the initiative and fights violently.

His fighting ability is high and reliable, but the troublesome side is also great, and when he causes trouble, Kusanagi gets angry. However, after Suoh and Totsuka died and Anna became "King", he became a little stronger than before as an executive of "Homura", supporting Kusanagi.

He was a close friend of Fushimi from "Scepter 4", and has a close relationship. When Fushimi was a member of "Homura", he was considered to be a combination of Yata and Fushimi, even in Shizume society.

[PERSONALITY, CONDUCT]

A quick fight. Although it is a direct path, he has a particularly strong feeling for his friends. He thinks about things in emotions and acts by intuition.

He is not good with women. He blushes in front of a woman. He does not harm women, but not as long as they are recognized as an enemy with equal fighting power.

He is excited about Suoh, and is pleased to show the power of Suoh and "Homura". He becomes furious when Suoh and "Homura" are insulted. He shows his emblem of "Homura".

He is a burning guy as a child, and he also has the name "Yatagarasu".

He looks bright and carefree in "Homura", but there are some aspects of the world that are dissatisfied and refracted. That's why he gets along with Fushimi.

[FATE, ENDING]

Overwhelmed by Suoh's death and "Homura's" breakdown, he later rallied and supported Anna in a completely different way than Suoh's, and his sense of companionship was excessive and depended on "Homura". Yata will be able to think from a larger perspective without being paralyzed by the form of a "team" or "partner", even though the passionate aspect of him remains the same.

He was only looking at Fushimi through the "filter of the organization I belong to" or "traitor", but he re-evaluated Fushimi as an individual who got rid of him and confirmed that they were different from each other. A new bond was formed after doing that.

[ABILITIES, TACTICS]

He fights combining skateboarding action and "flame control ability" as a member of the "Homura" clan. He blowing flames from the steering wheel, accelerating, climbing walls and exploding under his feet to carry out an aerial battle. He attacks with weapons like bat metal and fire. His ability is great and powerful.

[POWER]

B (Along with Kusanagi in “Homura”. Fushimi and his combat power antagonize, but Fushimi is slightly advantageous due to the use of two power colors.).

[LIKES]

Friends. He likes to do something with someone (be it good or bad). He hates cowardice, but not necessarily justice.

[DISLIKE]

Be alone in silence. Treachery.

[HOBBIES]

Physical activity (what you can do close to where you are, not go to the gym).

He likes games in general, but in particular he likes those that use physical ability and reflexes (case games, rhythm games, shooting, racing, etc.).

In high school, he often played competitive games with Fushimi. Compared to Yata, who operates only on reflexes, Fushimi, who controls reflexes and strategy, has a higher win rate.

[FASHION]

Mostly casual, street style. The beautiful and rigid clothes are brilliant. He also believes that it does not suit him.

[BODY]

Small and light. A healthy complexion. The physical capacity is very high.

[INTELLIGENCE]

Studying is disappointing. Since he has quick power, he may have been miraculous when he infiltrated during the night. His intuition is good.

[BELIEFS]

Act as soon as you think about it. The companions first.

[RELATIONSHIPS]

[EARLY YEARS]

Raised in Shizume until childhood. A common home. Having a mother and child family, he had the spirit to protect his mother from an early age. Kamamoto is a younger brother. He left Shizume after his mother's remarriage. The marriage partner is an ordinary office worker but a good person. A younger brother and a younger sister are born between the mother and her marriage partner. Yata, who originally hates being mistreated, begins to feel a sense of alienation at home.

He met Fushimi in middle school and became a close friend. After graduating from middle school, he went to "Homura" with Fushimi without going to high school. After that, he lived in an apartment in Shizume without receiving the support of his parents. He has a part time job.

[TIMELINE]

· 1993, Yata Misaki is born.

· 2006, he meets Fushimi in middle school.

· 2009, Yata joins “Homura” with Fushimi.

· 2010, Fall, Fushimi leaves "Homura" and moves to "Scepter 4"

[ATTITUDE AND THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS]

[TERMS OF THE ADDRESS FOR HIMSELF]

The first person is "Ore".

A vigorous way of speaking.

[TOWARDS SUOH MIKOTO]

He calls him "Mikoto-san".

No matter what Suoh does (even if it's natural), he thinks everything is great. Unsurprisingly, when he is passionate he goes too far.

[TOWARDS FUSHIMI SARUHIKO]

He calls him "Saruhiko" and "Monkey (when he's joking or angry)".

Fushimi was recognized as a traitor when he called him "Monkey", and "Saruhiko" when he was scary and serious.

He was angry at Fushimi's betrayal, but he was shocked because he believed in Fushimi. Depending on the circumstances, he could forgive Fushimi, and if Fushimi were willing to return to "Homura", they would bow to Suoh together. For Yata, it was considerable preparation to appeal directly to Suoh, as he was very frustrated.

[TOWARDS KUSANAGI IZUMO & TOTSUKA TATARA]

He calls them: "Kusanagi-san" and "Totsuka-san".

The two do not go up. Since proper honorifics cannot be used, honorifics and misleading words get mixed up.

[TOWARDS ANNA KUSHINA]

He calls her "Anna".

Anna's "child" side feels the same level of empathy and is easily touched, but the "girl" side is disappointed. He would like Anna to stop calling him "Misaki" if she could, but since she is Anna, he forgave her.

[TOWARDS RIKIO KAMAMOTO]

He calls him "Kamamoto".

Kamamoto is older and joined "Homura" before, but since he is a younger brother and his ability is stronger, Yata turns him into simply Kamamoto. The reason why Yata, who is younger in age, ends up calling himself "Yata-san" in "Homura", is because Kamamoto is under his spell.

[philliamwrites]

The Dawn Will Come [Chpt.2]

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Pairing: Dimitri x Reader, Claude x Reader, Edelgard x Reader, Yuri x Reader, Edelgard x Byleth, lots of minor pairings

Tags: #gn reader, # platonic love byleth & reader, #reader is a tactical unit, #angst, #slow burn, #subplots, #unreliable narrator, #pining, #remporary amnesia, #reluctant herp, #canon divergence, #lost twin au, #many chapters, #original content

Words: 6.7k

Summary: Waking up in a forest without any knowledge of your past and who you are, you join the house leaders of the Officers Academy to search for a way to return your memories. Unfortunately, the church has different plans for you, and Fate places you in the centre of a cruel game with deadly stakes. It certainly doesn’t help to fall in love with a house leader who is doomed to be your demise.

Notes: Chapter 1 | Chapter 3

Chapter 02: The Herald of Dawn

Hold me, O Night, with motherly affection, While the wan earth wakes with a misty yawn. By my blood will be born the Dawn and from my fleeting dream—the undying sun!

[Gabriele D’Annunzio]

    Hushed whispers wake you from the dark. The crackling of fire sweeps away the last remains of weary unconsciousness, and you blink at a tent's ceiling. Someone draped heavy blankets over you, and with every breath you exhale, puffy white clouds rise up. The shadows of a fire dance across the walls, their blurry movements flush another wave of dizziness over you, and as you sit up, you notice a tight feeling around your head. When you raise a hand to your forehead, there is a bandage sitting tightly wrapped around your head, covering your right eye. The pain has finally stopped, but it still feels dully raw, like an injury that hasn’t healed properly and serves now as a reminder of anguish.

    The memories from the battle rush back to you, the sound of metal hitting metal and heavy bodies dropping to the ground echo in your mind. Death was nothing new to the soldiers and mercenaries, so how come you don’t feel particularly sorry for the fallen? You’re no soldier, at least that’s what every fibre of your body tells you, so normalising killing isn’t right. You rebuild your surety of that, one shaky brick at a time.

    Once on your feet, you make your way outside, drawn in by the smell of cooked meat and quiet chatter. The sight of a small camp greets you: more tents build a row on this side of the camp, and in the centre, solders sit around a small fire, their voices barely audible. They lean over a steaming kettle, their weapons at their feet or beside tree trunks—laid down for the night but still within reach.

    “Heey, you’re finally back with us!” Claude’s voice rings through the camp, and several heads turn in your direction. As he waves for you to join him, you duck your head and move quickly to his side, wishing you could just merge with the ground and disappear from everyone’s attention. “Little one, you got us worried there,” he says. On his knees, he’s balancing a steaming wooden bowl, and the sight and smell reminds you how hungry you are. Your stomach agrees by providing a low growl.

    “How long have I been out?” You barely recognise your own voice, the sound rough from exhaustion. Claude hums in thought and gestures with one hand to a soldier to bring you food, while his other pats the ground beside him for you to sit down. “We managed to march a couple of hours after cleaning up the mess from the battle. Right now we’re near the edge of the forest. There should be only one more day of marching until we reach the monastery.”

    “And you guys are sure they can help me up there?” you wonder, watching the first group of soldiers get ready for the night watch. They’re frighteningly young, jostling and bumping into each other, laughing and stamping their feet against the cold snap that still lingers, the last gasp of winter before spring begins in earnest.

    “If not there, I’m not sure there’s anyone out there who can help you.”

    You glare at Claude. “Surely you must be the voice of confidence in this merry bunch, right?”

    He laughs. “I’m the closest you’ll get to an optimist around here.”

    “That’s reassuring.”

    “Reassuring is my second name.”

    “No, you said it’s von,” you mumble. Claude stares at you for a long minute, then bursts out laughing, the sound dark and rich. “No, that’s a noble prefix. You don’t even remember that?”

    You open your mouth, and close it like a fish, feeling your cheeks raise in temperature. He shouldn’t make you feel guilty for forgetting something like that, and yet the shame settles in your bones and you want to smack your head against something to help your brain remember.

    “Ah, but pardon my rudeness,” Claude purrs and gives you a mock bow. “I can tell you everything you want to know about nobility and how overrated it is. In fact, I might as well convince you to join the Alliance before Their Highnesses steal you to their side.”

    “I’m not going to be on anyone’s side,” you mumble, and steal Claude’s blanket as payback, relishing in his offended expression. “It has nothing to do with me.”

    Claude raises an eyebrow. “Ehh, I’m not so sure it’s that easy.”

    “It is,” you insist, unable to hide the sulk from your voice. “Because I say so.”

    Claude raises both eyebrows. “That’s not how it works.”

    “Watch me.”

    Something like a shadow flashes across his emerald eyes, but it disappears quickly enough for you to think it’s only the light from the campfire playing a trick on you. “We’ll see about that.” He scrapes the remaining contents from his bowl and lets out a satisfying yawn when he’s finished, stretching his long limbs like a cat getting comfortable. “Sooo,” he starts, unnecessarily dragging out the vowel and the sound of it locks up your shoulders into one tense muscle in preparation of what he’s going to say next. “Care to explain what happened back there?”

    You take a deep breath. “You mean when it felt like my eye was going to fall out of its socket?”

    “Actually I meant when you tripped over that one root after we found you.” He gives you a crooked grin. “But that’s interesting too, please go on.”

    “I thought no one saw that,” you mumble, and avoid his gaze as you remember that stupid root that nearly broke your neck. Well, Claude surely knows a thing or two about tricking someone into talking about exactly what he wants to hear.

    You thank the mercenary that brings you food, and notice it’s the one from the battle with the crooked nose. He gives you a just as crooked grin and limps back to his comrades. The stew warms your chilled bones, the rich flavour of meat and vegetables lifting your spirits and filling you with energy. As you eat, you drag out the minutes but Claude doesn’t even squirm as you let him wait, and starts whistling an off-key tune until you start to feel uncomfortable.

    “Well, if I knew, I wouldn’t be afraid that it might happen again,” you admit begrudgingly. “Because that was scary.”

    “Yeah, it didn’t really look like fun,” Claude agrees. “But what was it in the first place?”

    “I don’t know.” You start to become weary of those words. “But it hurt.”

    Claude gives you a sympathetic look, and goes silent, allowing you to eat, but you can’t shake off the feeling his mind is still trying to figure out what’s the deal with you. He can, for all you care. And once he’s done, he can write a report and hand it right to you so you’ll understand as well.

    Out of the corner of your eye you notice someone moving towards you. Dimitri approaches you with caution like you’re a small animal he might scare off with hasty movements. But the look he gives Claude is that of a disappointed father, and he shakes his head once he’s standing in front of him. “Claude, we were supposed to not disturb our guest,” Dimitri says sternly, then bows his head in your direction. “Apologies. We should let you rest.”

    “No, it’s okay,” you admit, and shuffle a little to the side to make room. “Please stay.”

    Both boys exchange a quick look, but then Dimitri sits down, minding a polite distance unlike Claude who only needs to stretch his legs for his feet touch your knee.

    “We were worried,” Dimitri starts. Just like Claude, he’s taken off most of his armour, and nothing about him stands out as a member of the royalty. He looks just like any other boy, and you’d never admit it out loud, but you already miss the blue tones on his uniform, the colour making his remarkably ice-blue eye stand out even more. “Luckily we could dispose of all bandits and return to a safe area. Byleth carried you here all by herself.”

    “Yeah, remind me not get on her bad side, okay?” Claude laughs, but you think you hear a slight nervous tremble in his voice. “She looks like she can decapitate me with a butter knife.”

    “She doesn’t look like it. She very certainly will behead you with a butter knife,” Dimitri provides with a pleasant smile as if he’s talking about the weather.

    “See, and that’s why she fits best in the Alliance,” Claude says, winking at you. “We’re always full of surprises.”

    Dimitri rolls his eyes and crosses his arms in front of his broad chest. “You might try it. I personally plan to convince her to join the Kingdom.”

    “I think you’re both too late for that,” you say as you look to the other side of the camp where Byleth and Edelgard are currently engaged in a deep conversation, their heads leaning close to each other. Claude groans miserably, but quickly recovers as he turns to you, his eyes brightening up with excitement. “It’s okay, because once my disarming charm has wrapped you around my little finger, I’ll have an impressive tactician on my side.”

    You almost choke on your next spoon of stew. “Tactician? I wouldn’t go that far.”

    Beside you, Dimitri clears his throat. “Though I have to question Claude’s way of persuasion, I must admit he isn’t wrong about the latter. What you did back there was impressive.”

    “I really didn’t do anything special,” you mumble at the same time Claude raises both hands leisurely and says, “Hey, it’s not my problem you think you’re immune to it, Your Princeliness.”

    Dimitri grumbles something in a foreign language under his breath. Grinning smugly, Claude turns to you, and nudges your side. “Have confidence, little one. They’ll teach you everything you need to know up there.” He points up towards a mountain where you’ll apparently be heading tomorrow. If you squint, you think you can make out lights in the horizon brightening the night sky.

    “That monastery,” you say, trying to ignore how Claude’s body radiates heat. “What exactly is that place? I’ve never heard of a monastery that holds a school. I think,” you quickly add, unsure what thoughts provided by your hazy mind are facts.

    “The Officers Academy is a facility where students learn the arts of warfare, magic, and leadership,” Dimitri explains. He’s very obviously trying not to look at Claude, which in return has Claude’s grin widening even more. “The lessons provide us with everything we need as upcoming heads of our families. Swordsmanship, sorcery, authority, the history of our continent. There is much to learn for everyone attending the classes.”

    “So it’s a death factory,” you translate, the sudden bitter taste in your mouth overshadowing the taste of the stew. “How can they just teach that stuff like it’s normal?”

    “You saw it yourself, didn’t you.” Claude stretches his long limbs and leans back until he props his body up on his elbows. “Bandits and thieves everywhere.”

    “And most students come from a noble house,” Dimitri adds. “They need to be taught how to take command, and about the responsibilities coming with leadership.”

    You blow a strand of hair away from your face, mood dropped now that you know where you’ll be from tomorrow on. “This doesn’t sound right.” Though you can’t really say how a school is supposed to be instead. This is a world with different rules, and you aren’t sure if it’ll be easy to accommodate to them.

    While the boys bicker how good the plot of the tale mentioned earlier really is, you see Byleth approaching. A bruise is forming on her left cheek, and she holds her arm as if bearing the pain from a wound. But nothing of that is portrayed on her face, as if her brain hasn’t registered she’s wounded yet and hence doesn’t need to express it.

    “How are you?” she asks, sending the boys a quick look. Dimitri and Claude climb to their feet and wish their good nights with a quick bow. They hurry to Edelgard and gang up on heir, probably interrogating her about the conversation she's had with Byleth.

    “I’m better,” you say, a little surprised you actually mean it. You feel refreshed and nourished, ready for another day of walking. Byleth sits down and watches the camp for a moment in silence. The chaos from before has settled into a quiet hum. Men and women sit together in little circles and tell their glorious battle stories with boisterous laughter, selling the illusion of a victorious life. But that might easily end the next day because of a hasty recklessness. No one thinks of that. Everyone is just celebrating, reaching for flasks and living in the moment. It’s a beautiful sight.

    As the buzzing sound of people chatting subsides and the first turn in for the night, Byleth turns towards you, her voice lowered. “What you did back there,” she starts, and for whatever reason remains silent as if she decided talking about it isn’t a good idea. Shadows from the weakened fire dance across her face, and again you’re flooded with the unfathomable feeling of familiarity. It’s in the sharp lines of her face, the way her eyes move and settle on something as she observes her surroundings. It’s almost a painful sense of nostalgia. Something about this woman just brings you an unusual amount of ease, like it doesn’t really matter who you are, and rather that you’re here that makes the difference.

    Before you can stop your brain, you’re already asking, “Do we know each other by chance?”

    Byleth looks at you for a long minute, then slowly shakes her head, and you try not to show your disappointment too much. “I’ve travelled a lot with my father,” she says. “We’ve come through many lands and villages. You may have seen me at some point, but we’ve never exchanged a word until yesterday.”

    You nod at the plausible explanation, but the feeling that this isn’t the right answer curls like a hook into your heart. “And your father hasn’t said anything about me as well?”

    “No.” Byleth’s eyes follow your hands as they set down the empty bowl. Seeing that you’ve finished everything, she nods in approval. “And he doesn’t forget a face.”

    “How do you all just … trust me,” you wonder, looking to where Jeralt is miserably leaning against a tree trunk as Alois keeps talking and talking. He looks like he wishes someone would take him down with an arrow.

    “He doesn’t,” Byleth says. “And he calls me a little whippersnapper for that. He hasn’t called me that in the five years.” At the sound of the smile in her voice you snap your head in Byleth’s direction, but when you look, she wears the same bland expression like before.

    “But you do,” you start carefully, not trusting your ears again, so you settle on staring at her until she gives another emotion. “Care to explain why?”

    “For now, you haven’t given me any reason not to,” she states as if it really were that simple. It couldn’t be. Up until now Byleth has been your only anchor that your meeting wasn’t purely coincidental—that the reason shrouding your memories would dissipate like the night once dawn breaks if you just stick to her side, and everything will be revealed in time. But now without anything to hold on to, you feel like you’re slipping deeper and deeper into an abyss from which you can’t ascend. This feeling is terror fizzing in your blood like poison, and you shudder at the thought that you’ll forever remain adrift.

    “Your powers,” Byleth continues, unaware of your mental breakdown right next to her. “They’re unusual, and if you learn to use them right, very dangerous.” Spoken by everyone else, this might sound like a threat, but Byleth says it like a simple statement, a fact, unaware how much she tilts your world with it. “What do you plan to do with them?”

    You don’t have to think long about it. “I won’t do anything. Whatever it was, it’s over,” you say and gesture at your bandaged eye. It’s true. Since you woke up, your eye has remained calm, no red veil or eery proclamation someone might step into the campfire and burn alive. The pounding has stopped, and the normalcy of it is like a soothing balm.

    Byleth studies you. You really wish she could give you more than her vacant expression. “You don’t know yet … your eye.” She takes your spoon and with the end of it, she draws a symbol on the ground. “Do you know what that is?”

    You look at it, but nothing comes to your mind. It’s just a four pointed star with two lines crossing the right and left tips. “No, I’ve never seen it.”

    Byleth holds your gaze as if she hopes to find a lie written between your eyes, and this time you don’t look away until she relents with a barely audible sigh.

    “Why do you ask?”

    “Because before you passed out, it appeared here.” She taps a finger against her closed, right eye, then points at you. Your body goes rigid. Immediately, your hands fly up to tear off the bandage, but Byleth catches your wrists and holds them down. “Not yet.”

    “I want to see it.” Your breath catches in your lungs. It sounds like you need air because you’re drowning. “I want it off. Take it off!”

    “I can’t show you, there are no mirrors,” Byleth says quietly, and throws a quick glance around the camp to see if your panic has alarmed anyone. You want to point out that you could use the reflection of her sword, but maybe Byleth has considered the same and thought it a bad idea, because she doesn’t know what else you might do with a weapon in your current state. Seeing that fighting against the vice grip she has on your hands is futile, you slump down, your arms falling slack back to your side. “Just what… what is happening. What is that?”

    “Edelgard said it might be a Crest, but none she or the others have seen before,” Byleth explains. “They told me there is a teacher at the monastery who studies Crests.” She gives your arms a barely noticeable squeeze before she lets go. “So it’s going to be okay.”

    “How can you say that?” you nearly sob, and wish you could hold onto her longer as she stands up and brushes dirt off her uniform. “How can you be so sure?”

    “I’m not,” Byleth says, giving you one last look. You want to tell yourself it’s something like worry you see in her eyes, but her expression remains blank, like a board that’s been wiped clean. “I can only hope.”

    The next morning, Jeralt and Alois set an unforgiving pace, determined to reach the monastery shortly after dawn broke. While everyone else couldn’t wait to reach their home as fast as possible, you feel worry grow with every step up the hill towards the walls and towers. The monastery looms like a stronghold, a building so tall and intimidating, built to make people feel small.

    You were allowed to take off the bandage, and there was nothing worse than knowing something was on your eye but you couldn’t see it. Unlike everyone else. They kept staring at you, mumbling to each other in quiet whispers, and more than once you considered telling them that just because your eye was different it didn’t mean you were blind. It was reason enough for you to put the bandage back on and stay away from the soldiers and mercenaries, leaving them to their superstitious rumours. Who could have thought that you’d grab someone else’s attention entirely with that revelation.

    Even before the first sunbeams broke through the budding branches, the wind carrying the smell of spring and new life, Edelgard stuck to you like a tick. It wasn’t hard to find out she was more interested in your Crest than you as a person, and every question you couldn’t answer fuelled her irritation. Still she was nothing but determined to squeeze the tiniest information out of you, and even though you tried to avoid her by either marching way too fast or way too slow, Edelgard didn’t relent and remained by your side. Fear is a little exaggerated to describe what you feel towards her, but it's close. Whenever her sharp eyes focus on you, unease takes hold of your brain and the words leave your mouth as nervous stammers. It certainly doesn’t help that you know she can easily hack off a grown man’s arm without so much as blinking. Or that the corners of her mouth curl up into the sweetest, rare smile.

    Once you’re on the trade road up to the monastery, pebble makes way to smooth cobblestone. Giant iron doors stand wide open, and as your group enters, a merchant’s cart rolls past you and greets the returning knights. After the first entrance point, the second waits in the form of a portcullis and more knights standing on guard. Past the second ring of walls, you enter a small forecourt. On both sides are stalls and booths with merchants screaming their prices and the sound of metal hammered into the right shape at the blacksmith’s. At the foot of wide stairs leading up into the first building, a man dressed in dark blue robes awaits you, his strong arms crossed behind his back.

    “Welcome back,” he greets Alois and the students. “Your messenger bird has reached us yesterday late into the evening, and preparations have been made.” To Jeralt, he says, “My name is Seteth. I am an adviser to the archbishop. Lady Rhea awaits you.” Jeralt nods but he looks a lot more cautious since you’ve entered the monastery grounds. At the mention of that name, his posture visibly tenses, but he gestures to Byleth and you to follow him nonetheless.

    “We shall return to our respectable classes for now and make known we are unscathed,” Dimitri says. “Please, Byleth, and you too, if things have calmed down, meet the other students as well, won’t you?”

    “Ohh, good idea. You have to go around and introduce yourself as our great saviours.” Claude winks at you with both thumbs up. Edelgard slaps his hands back down.

    “We’ll be standing here until evening if we don’t get going," she says. "Please give Lady Rhea our regards. We’ll report to her once everything is sorted out about you.” She eyes you sideways, then ushers the boys down another hall like a mother hen. You exchange a quick look with Byleth who already looks very exasperated with the student’s antics.

    Seteth leads you into the Audience Chamber, a rectangular room with statues decorating the walls, and asks for you to wait. The moment he leaves the room, you turn towards Jeralt and Byleth and ask, “Who is this Lady Rhea?”

    “I’m aware Byleth doesn’t know much about her, I haven’t taught her he teachings of Seiros, but you—” He stops mid sentence seeing the way you look at him, and clears his throat. “Lady Rhea is the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. She’s commanding the knights and sees that the people don’t do anything stupid in the name of Seiros.”

    “Seiros?” you ask, turning the name in your head. Nope, nothing.

    “You know, the one who defeated the King of Liberation and founded the Church of Seiros?” When you just shrug, Jeralt scratches his beard and hums in thought. “Well, I sure won’t be the one preaching what you should know or not. But maybe don’t make it all too obvious you aren’t a follower.”

    Or what, you want to ask, but Seteth returns and he isn’t alone. The woman walking ahead of him looks like she belongs on the portrait of a saint. It isn’t much that she walks towards you, but rather strides in grateful steps to the middle of the room, her chin raised high and shoulders squared. And yet when she looks at your little assembly, her eyes are soft and kind, her expression open and friendly.

    “I welcome you into these sacred halls,” she says, her voice like soothing velvet on your skin. “Alois informed me of what happened, and I thank every one of you for saving the students.” Lady Rhea smiles at you all separately. Her eyes linger on you, and she titles her head slightly. “I've also heard about the wondrous things that happened to you. Please, be so kind and remove the bandage. Let me take a look at this Crest.”

    You hesitate, your fingers playing with the hem of your shirt. But Rhea waits patiently and raises a delicate hand when her advisor Seteth flinches to repeat her request. Slowly, you take the bandage off, barely able to imagine how the symbol or Crest as they call it looks upon your eye. When you meet Rhea's gaze again, her smile freezes, and her eyes widen in surprise. Her lips part slightly, then stretch into an ecstatic smile. Beside her, Seteth inhales sharply. “This is impossible,” he breathes, growing pale. You start to panic.

    “Why, what's wrong with me? What is impossible?”

    “Nothing, nothing is wrong,” Rhea quickly reassures you, but it's hard to believe when Seteth looks like he's seen a ghost. “A fortunate day indeed. Not only does one of the strongest knights to have ever walked these halls return, but it also seems that a new chapter of history dawns upon us.”

    All eyes land on her, one more puzzled than the other. Even Seteth doesn’t look like he fully comprehends what’s happening. “Lady Rhea?” he asks cautiously at the same time as Jeralt demands, “What are you talking about?”

    The archbishop ignores them both, and the longer she gives you that pleasant smile, the more unsettled you feel. “When Alois wrote about a Crest appearing on your body, I was not sure what to think of it. But now, I cannot hide my joy at the return of a Crest that we thought was lost to history.”

    “I—I don’t know why I have it,” you quickly say, feeling you have to defend yourself before they accuse you of stealing it. Can Crests be stolen in the first place? “I don’t remember why I have it.”

    Lady Rhea nods, her solemn expression making way to worry. “Of that Alois informed me as well. You may stay here until your memories return. Allow me for now to tell you about the Crest. Maybe that will dissipate some of the darkness shrouding your mind.”

    You nod, and brace yourself for whatever she’ll reveal. It certainly helps that Byleth stands close to you, her mere presence a standing stone you can hold onto for now without drifting away.

    “It is a Crest most uncommon,” Lady Rhea explains, her hands gracefully crossed in front of her. “For there was only one person who bore it. This Crest belonged to the very one who served our Lady Seiros against the evil powers that threatened Fódlan thousands of years ago. He was known as Seiros’ Champion. The Herald of Dawn.”

    She allows those words to sink into you, and how deep they sink. Now that they’re out here, you feel like they pull you down, deeper down into a dark sea from which you can’t surface. The only result is drowning.

    “Herald of … you don’t think. You can’t think—” Your thoughts move way too fast, you can’t grasp any to sort them.

    “What I think means nothing in light of what has transpired and therefore is reality. You are chosen by the Goddess herself to bring hope to the people of Fódlan. You are the Herald of Dawn.”

    You feel sick. It may be phantom pain, but you could swear your right eye starts hurting again, as if the Crest is reacting to the revelation, the call of its true nature. You dig your trembling fingers into the fabric of your jacket, considering for the tiniest second to gouge your eye out. Can’t be anyone’s champion or Herald without the Crest, right? “So, you’re saying … am I the one from back then? This Champion?” If you were really the same person, how were you still alive after a thousands of years? The prospect of finally having an identity is great, but you aren’t sure you’re ready to pay the price that comes with it. And this one seems to carry a very heavy price.

    “That seems quite impossible.” This time Seteth speaks up. He looks just as unnerved by this revelation as you feel. “The Herald appeared when Saint Seiros was in dire need, and once his duty was fulfilled, he vanished. ”

    “But now, another Herald has come, and with you the promise of suffering and hardships,” Rhea explains, her expression now strict and foreboding. “The task of giving hope is the most difficult to ask of a person. But that is the path the Goddess has chosen for you.”

    “No, no, you’re wrong. I’m no Herald … and certainly no Champion of anyone. I can’t give people hope, I don’t even know what to give them hope for!” Your voice borders on hysteric, but you’ve never been more determined to plead your case. “I’m not the right person. I’m really not.”

    “Then how come you bear the Crest of Seiros’ Champion, my child?” Lady Rhea asks, and you notice the tiny shift in her voice. The kindness grows thiner and thiner, and in its place austerity and even coldness settle—the voice of authority and undeniable command. “It is Our Goddess’ will. The Church of Seiros needs you. The people of Fódlan need you. You cannot turn away from your Fate.”

    You want to argue that yes, you can; you’ll turn around and leave this place filled with crazy people and their fanatic beliefs. One look from Byleth stops your thoughts. Lady Rhea interprets this silence as compliance, and nods, visibly pleased. “We have waited for this opportunity for so long,” she continues, now smiling again. “There shall be festivities today. As a welcome to our Herald, and the return of Blade Breaker Jeralt. For you, his daughter, we have also thought of a task that will greatly help Garreg Mach.”

    Jeralt grunts, clearly unhappy, but Byleth only cocks her head to one side. You’re astonished that after everything, she’s still awfully calm and collected.

    “A teaching position has become free as of yesterday,” Lady Rhea explains to Byleth. “By Alois' recommendation, you are to take that position and teach one of the Houses here at the Officers Academy. Your colleagues will provide you with further information. As for you,” and you flinch when she turns to you, afraid what else she has in store, “you too shall teach the students the course of leadership and command. Seiros’ Champion was a great tactician. He honed Saint Macuil’s abilities. I would not be surprised if you too show an unparallelled gift for strategy.”

    “Well,” you start, but the hesitation is clear, and Lady Rhea smiles like she knows what you can do once the Crest is activated. “Whereas you are to choose one house,” she tells Byleth, “the Herald will hold seminars. As a servant of the Church, you cannot call in favourites.”

    “I don’t even know what to teach,” you mumble weakly. “How to teach.”

    “Me neither,” Byleth says, the first time she’s spoken since entering the Audience Chamber. The amusement glinting in Lady Rhea’s eyes is like the sun reflected on a purling river. “Do not worry,” she says. “You will learn in time. And we are here to help you as well.”

    On your lips lie the words that they certainly didn’t help you. You came here so they could help to search for a way to return your memory.

    Instead, they made everything worse.

    The ceremonial robes hang heavy over your shoulders. The feast hasn’t started yet, but you’re already sweating and panting with the weight of the golden embroidery and the head piece decorating your forehead. When Seteth brought everything in a couple of hours ago, he was grumbling something unintelligible under his breath, at his side a little girl who, unlike him, was happy to meet you and to see that you’d take on the role as the Herald. You wanted to tell Flayn there was a difference between want and have to, but she was already focused on helping you dress and prepare for the festivities. Servants handled the remaining tasks of making you presentable, and now you’re standing in front of a giant mirror, observing yourself.

    It was scary how things changed so fast. Not even 24 hours ago, you were a nobody, a nameless figure roaming the woods, and now there is a name that isn’t your own—no, not a name. A title. A title that will all but replace your name. History won’t remember you as a person, they will remember the deeds that you’ve done, the mistakes that you’ll commit. Lady Rhea spoke of honour like it’s a crown on your head, but you see the noose that it really is around your throat. The head piece feels too heavy, and the golden necklace sitting on your neck reminds you more of a dog collar.

    There’s a knock on your door. Seteth said that someone would get you before everything starts, and you don’t even try to hide the relieved sob when Byleth enters the room. She examines you from head to toes, and leans her head to the side, one finger on her chin. “You look … different,” she says.

    “You mean ridiculous.” You move your arms, demonstrating how the wide sleeves flap uselessly at your side. “I wish we could do this all without me looking like a sack of potatoes.”

    “I had to think of cabbages, but you aren’t wrong either.” She crosses the room and looks outside the window. You can already hear the masses as they enter the Cathedral, and it does nothing to calm your haywire nerves. Byleth seems to notice as much. She turns to you, and asks, “How are you holding up?”

    “Do you want the real answer or the one I prepared for Lady Rhea?”

    Byleth raises a brow.

    “Not good. I’m just … how could this happen?” You throw up your hands in frustration, and the robes give a dangerous tearing sound. Your arms fall immediately down, the thought of damaging a hundreds of years old ceremonial robe the last thing you need today. “Of all the things, how could I suddenly become some figure of the Church.”

    “Is it so hard to believe that the Goddess of Fódlan has lead you to this path?” Byleth crosses her ams and leans against the wall next to the window, eyeing you curiously.

    “I don’t even believe in this Goddess,” you groan, flopping on your bed. The chambers chosen for you overlook the bridge leading to the Cathedral where people swarm inside like little ants returning to their anthill. It was a small room equipped with all necessities for comfort but no additional expenses on luxury. A bed, a dresser, a simple table and chair, a mirror, and a shelf take up all the space. Not that you could have brought anything with you.

    You look up at Byleth and dread the next question. “Do you believe in it?” you ask. “That I’m someone chosen?”

    “Hmm.” Byleth casts one last glance outside, then pushes off the wall, gesturing you to follow her. You sigh, and mentally prepare yourself for what will happen in the Cathedral. Before you leave the room, Byleth rests her hand on the door handle and looks back at you over her shoulder. “I don’t know. Where I’m from, belief doesn’t save you from the sword of a thief. Only deeds and actions. It’s the reason my father and I are still alive.” She considers you for a moment, and when you blink you imagine you see the tiniest smile on her face. “What you did yesterday was very much real to me. Maybe a Goddess guided you, maybe it was just lucky instinct. But you saved my life, and that certainly is something I can rely on.”

    She doesn’t wait for an answer, and swings the door open. You quickly follow, your steps feeling a lot lighter than before. “I guess I’m just frustrated,” you admit, carefully paying attention your voice isn’t too loud. “That they think there’s someone who can just decide how my life is going to be. Like this herald business suddenly defies who I am.”

    “As long as you don’t forget who you are, does it matter?” Byleth wonders aloud, turning down another corridor that ends in stairs leading down. “As long as there is just one person who doesn’t forget, does it really matter?”

    Maybe not to her, but for some inexplicable reason, it means a great deal to you. So you answer with a grumble, and Byleth hums like she knows she’s right. To change the subject, you ask, “What about you? How can you just follow along with being a teacher here?”

    “Truth be told, I’m not happy,” Byleth says, nodding to the knights standing on guard in the first floor that leads outside. “But at the same time I can see Lady Rhea’s reasoning. Those students need someone who teaches them not to be stupid on the real battlefield. Especially when they are to be future rulers of Fódlan. If I’m the one shaping those little whippersnappers, I can rest at ease.”

    You follow her down the hallways, staying silent until, “Whippersnapper is such a weird word,” you say.

    Byleth gives a huff of air that barely passes as a chuckle. “It is.”

    Together you leave the living quarters and enter the Cathedral at the backside where everything is closed off for the rest of the people. Lady Rhea and Seteth are already waiting for you, both dressed in equally complicated robes as you.

    “Thank you, Professor.” Lady Rhea nods towards Byleth, who nods back and joins the other teachers. “And now, Herald, it is time to meet the sheep you shall shepherd from today on. Please, follow me.”

    She doesn’t give you time to prepare for the crowd waiting for you, and glancing at Seteth for help doesn’t do anything either as he just crudely nods towards Lady Rhea, telling you to go along. You square your shoulders and hope for the best.

    The Cathedral has been decorated with candles and tapestry showing the banner of the Church of Seiros and above it the Crest of the Herald. A platform has been built for your entrance, and stepping on it, your gaze roams over all the assembled students, clergy, and knights. Seeing them, you feel terror seize your body, locking up all muscles. The masses look at you with hunger in their eyes, ready to devour you like you’re the last piece of bread on the table. “Herald, Herald! ” they cry, and each time they open their mouths, the noose tightens around your neck. Saint and Martyr vaguely dance at the edges of your mind, beyond your grasp, mocking how you know them but don’t understand their very being. This is bigger than you. This is far bigger than you can manage, and you want to run away and hide from their greedy eyes.

    Scanning the crowd, you notice the house leaders in the far back. Edelgard looks unpleased, her mouth set into a grim line, while Dimitri claps politely with the rest, and Claude raises a golden cup in mocking salute. You really want to break down and cry. The only solid point is Byleth, has always been Byleth up until now, at the other end of the room, holding your gaze steadfast like a pillow of strength in troubled waters.

[fantasyinvader]

Beat Binding Blade tonight

So, right off the bat I'm going to admit. I abused the arena and save states. This is a really, really hard game. And while I enjoyed it, I'm going to give three things I didn't like about it.

1)Enemy reinforcements arrive at the end of the player phase, and can attack during the enemy phase. That is unfair, especially when I assume that parking a unit on the spawn point will prevent them (It doesn't) or my healer just happens to be in the area. I like difficult games, but when I fail at something in those I want to feel like it's my fault for doing so. When I die in Bloodborne or lose a unit in Fates Conquest, I'm willing to accept it because I felt it was fair (plus I'll just restart the chapter in Conquest anyway). I could have not died if I had played a little better. This game was not fair when it did that.

2)The supports. A lot of the stuff about the characters is locked away in their supports, since this is one of the old Fire Emblems where it throws units your way because it's assuming you didn't reset the game when one died. They don't get cutscenes to be important, and with only five supports per character (barring if one dies, then any unit that had supports with gets those supports back). And even then, getting an A rank doesn't pair up any units except for Roy. So you don't get to play love doctor here, it's only really there for the stat boosts. But in the case of my boy, he needs those supports in order for his character to fully come through.

3)I can take 8 units into the final battle, and they're the only ones who get full ending cards. Everyone else just gets a single line. Kinda weak if I use someone like Fir for most of the game, but bench her at the end to give Rutget Durandal.

Even with my cheating, I still enjoyed this game. Mostly for the story. When Fire Emblem first appeared in Smash Brothers Melee, as a kid it instantly caught my attention. Roy and Marth just looked so cool with their swords and armor (true fact: My favorite design for Link is the Skyward Sword design, simply because it has chainmail under the tunic. I get it, the tunic is iconic but SS's Link just looks practical), and I preferred Roy because I though his fully-charged shield breaker hurting him was cool. I even keep a Cipher card of his in my wallet for good luck. I wanted to know what Fire Emblem was, what kind of game it was. My friend showed me a screenshot of the upcoming GBA game in Nintendo power, which I got for the following Christmas (sadly, I didn't get Sacred Stones as I got a PS2 the following year). I loved that game, but the idea that I was playing as Roy's father always was a bit of a sour point for me. It's because of that game when I got a 2DS a decade later, because I wanted to game but kept getting pulled away from my console, I eventually went back to Fire Emblem.

And, I'm going to admit, Binding Blade hurt me because I played Blazing Blade first. It really did. I mean, Hector dies early on, Lyn is presumably dead hell a lot of my old comrades probably died in this war, Eliwood's wife dies shortly after they are married while Eliwood is more useless than ever, the kid I saved in Bern becomes a genocidal maniac, and the fact that the characters of Blazing Blade kinda caused this to happen by releasing the seals on the Legendary Weapons in their own quest... It kinda bugs me that the Legendary Weapons I used in Blazing Blade are in their trap filled storage places. Like, who returned them there? And if I have characters from that game returning in Binding, I find it strange they don't comment on needing them again. But this is a case of the game trying to be a prequel to a story that wasn't written with it in mind.

But at the end of the day, one thing just kept popping up in my mind. Binding Blade is the antithesis of the Crimson Flower route from Three Houses. I know they said Genealogy of the Holy War was an inspiration, but I can't help it. I've seen so many people try to praise that said route as some sort of denouncement of the rest of the franchise. That it's about putting power in the hands of the people (it's not) instead of having some Lord be the good king. Granted, the Mandate of Heaven seems like it's a running theme of the series, so without understanding what that is I can understand why people don't grasp what that part of the message. But Binding Blade, it just hit so many things on the nose that I needed to say something.

So without further adieu, I'm just going to bring up a few points.

With Regards to Humanity

It's interesting how both Zephiel and Edelgard come at this from different angles. Sure, they both lead wars of conquest across the entire continent, and I'm guessing Zeph didn't tell his troops what he was planning on doing once he won so there's likely a level of deception going on there as well. He really doesn't care for his fellow man, and the game goes out of it's way to show us why. Hatred, greed, or even selling out your people in the name of self-preservation. The game doesn't shy away from showing us any of this, saying that it's wrong and thus why Roy has to kick some guy's arse. Zephiel knows this, but in Edelgard's case? She's out there fighting for absolute power, destroying anyone who won't bend the knee to her while those who do out of self-preservation like House Gloucester are rewarded for it.

In essence, Edelgard is everything Zephiel saw wrong with the human race, she is why he felt we needed to go extinct. The very things he condemns humanity for are the things she reward. Zephiel would have actually handed over power to those he felt deserved it if he had won, whereas Edelgard is demonstrably shown to hold onto power until near the end of her life. One wants humanity dead, the other wants all the dragons. They even oppose each other in their classes. Edelgard is based on the red emperor archetype, she wears red, her class is the heavily-armored Emperor and her weapon of choice is an axe. Zephiel is a king, armoed but wearing purple and he uses a sword in battle.

Even if they both have screwed up history with their family's due to their father's inability to keep it in his pants, they're both presented as villains despite being ideologically opposed which goes to show with Fire Emblem the method IS the message.

Ancient Wars, Super Powered Weapons and Lies.

War of Heroes vs. The Scouring. The former is an event where the full details are shrouded in mystery, up to the player to piece together the clues and figure out the truth for themselves...or in Crimson Flower's case, ignore the truth and act out in your ignorance.With Binding Blade though, when the truth starts coming out, it hits hard. I mean, right from the beginning of the game we're told man was the one who broke the peace by attacking the dragons, but then we learn that those legendary weapons messed up the environment, resulting in dragons needing to use human forms only to be slaughtered by man. Dragons were blamed for the environment, the people who used those weapons were revered as heroes. We don't know why mankind launched their attack, but we do know that they weren't able to slay the Demon Dragon, one who had her soul destroyed in order to control her, because the Heroes felt sorry for her. It's making dragons out to be the victims here, much like the dragons in Three Houses. But Crimson Flower only serves to demonize them, acting like they can't understand humanity when the dragons in that game are a lot closer to humans emotionally than the ancient dragons in Elibe.

The Elites in comparison weren't heroes, and that lie has been confirmed as Rhea trying to make peace.

The good ending for Binding Blade is being able to save the dragon whose soul was destroyed, whereas Crimson Flower ends with slaying a dragon after you've spent the entire game triggering her (and is the ending that leads to oppressive rule under Edelgard, in addition to the only ending without sunlight. What? You thought you'd get the good ending when her final boss theme was playing on the last stage?). Also, you need all the Legendary weapons in order to unlock the final stages, which all play into the big mystery. Crimson Flower requires the player to not understand that the world-building was done to support fighting against Edelgard instead.

Merits of a leader

Let's not beat around the bush here, Roy will not carry you through Binding Blade. His bases are low, and while he has good growths he is unable to promote until the very end of the game. Even then, you need to save the Binding Blade's usage to ensure you get the good ending. Roy is also very unsure of himself, thrust into a position of leadership despite his young age. But look at what happens when he succeeds, he manages to overcome the odds and take down the mightiest army on the continent. At the end of the game, he's shown himself as more than capable of leading. Not to mention, he also believes that humans and dragons can live together, even seeing this in Acadia (and if Ninian was his mother, he's unknowingly proof of this as he is 1/4 dragon himself. May explain his poor bases). If he marries Liliana, he even becomes a King for likely much of the same reason Byleth does in SS/VW (most leaders are dead following the war, plus combining his territory with Ostia which had already taken over Lyn's land after she abdicated/married Hector). Roy learns the truth as already established.

Compare this to Crimson Flower Byleth. Byleth leads the Black Eagle Strike Force, but credit for it goes to Edelgard. Byleth never gets any recognition for this, no position of authority despite proving themselves, instead that goes to Caspar Jenkins of all people, and ends the war continuing to fight TWSITD from the shadows to support Edelgard's regime. And if you read between the lines, Edelgard is NOT a good leader, resorting to bribes, threats, cronyism, secret police, propaganda, and even TWSITD's support and later stolen tech in order to maintain her rule. Byleth lost whatever emotional development they got from White Clouds during this route, once again becoming the Ashen Demon, and is even willing to let themselves die if they can't keep their “humanity” in check showing a distaste for their own draconic heritage (showing humans and dragons can't live together in this timeline). They didn't grow into being a leader, they devolved into being Edelgard's unthinking muscle. Byleth never learns the truth in this route, falling for Edelgard's manipulations resulting in them losing Enlightened One/Nirvana status.

Not to mention, Heroes Relics have really low weapon levels. In theory, they can be used by anyone but only safely by those with Crests and most fully with a matching Crest. Legendary Weapons, on the other hand, can be used by anyone with an S rank in their type. Your characters have to EARN the right to use those things and you'll need them to deal with all the Manaketes during the final level, whereas Relics aren't exactly that level of broken.

Honestly, seeing the ending of Binding Blade and Idunn recovering put at least one tear in my eye. Crimson Flower's just made me feel like the game was calling me an idiot (which considering the Nirvana/Enlightenment thing, it kinda was). I would love if Binding Blade got the Echoes treatment, or even if they just did a GBA collection for the Switch. But after all these years, one thing is as certain now as it was when I was a kid.

In this house, ROY'S OUR BOY!