#i don't know if they crossed paths at the dlc

[kuromi-hoemie]

oh I am realizing i haven't shown y'all my new labret yet lol. the top one fell out and i lost it so i picked up a replacement 😳 it's a gold flower with an opal in the middle and it compliments my septum v well i think. i will take a picture eventually..

[rom-e-o]

this ask has spoilers for emmrich's romance and the end of the game. i saw your post about emmrich and it really got me thinking, but i don't potentially want to spoil anything for you!

with how much of a yearner emmrich is for romance and love, and with him making the comment about how it's been a while since he's been with someone, and then rook came along, i could see them getting married later on. like when the next game comes out and we can choose rook's path, as well as who they romanced, i could see there being line in the game, or a codex entry about how rook and emmrich shortly got married after the events of the game. i could see emmrich possibly already being at that point from the conversation you can have with him before the final mission with how it almost feels like he tries to break up with rook because he knows his heart couldn't stand losing them. like this man cares for rook enough that he doesn't want to see them hurting when rook outlives them (if you didn't let him become a lich)

Aw, thank you anon! The heads up for spoilers is very considerate, and I appreciate it a ton. I personally have made it through the game and all events, but I'll tag this as spoilers for other people. i know some are still making their way through and exploring things.

I always keep Emmrich mortal, personally. I feel like it forces him to confront his fear (death) to achieve what he wants (a life of love, marriage, intimacy, etc.) Not to mention, Manfred becoming his own person.

If Emmy becomes a Lich, there is a scene where it's revealed that he still cries about Manfred. To me, it comes across as ... regret. I just can't do it. He also just seems more lonely and distant as a Lich.

Yes, I can absolutely see Emmrich and Rook getting married! Maybe even having a family together, with big brother Manfred. At the end of the game, right before the final battle, when he talks about making "plans" with Rook? Oh, man wants to spend his life with them so badly. He wants to bring them back to his accommodations, and hold them, and make a home with them. He's terrified of death, but he goes in ready ... because he's fighting for the good of the world, and a future with the one he loves.

"The conversation you can have with him before the final mission with how it almost feels like he tries to break up with rook because he knows his heart couldn't stand losing them." Ouuugh, that's real. Really real. That hadn't occurred to me that he's almost self-sabotaging in that scene, but when you put it like that, I can absolutely see it. At any age, a love that strong can be scary. Especially when the consequences are life and death, literally.

I'll be honest ... I'm still crossing my fingers for a patch/DLC where we get better epilogues for each couple. I'd love to see Emmrich and Rook living together, engaged and happy. Domestic, even. Perhaps a bit naive of me, but I like to imagine, haha.

[swisccfinds]

Expanded Storytelling Relationship Bits Mod by maple bell

This is such an awesome mod, this adds more storytelling, and relationships to the game. It's very realistic in my eyes!

Creator's notes-

July 15th: Feature update available to download now for early access: here

I'm so excited about this! Revamp your Sims' relationships and unlock a world of storytelling possibilities with Custom Relationship Bits!

Whenever I play the game I always wanted to be able to visually see how each relationship was different so I thought it would be a great idea to add more relationship bits in the game.

I don't know if I am the only one who loves to open the Sim Info Panel and look at the different relationship descriptions between sims. Gone are the days of generic labels like "Friend" or "Romantic Interest." With Custom Relationship Bits, you can now give your Sims personalized and meaningful relationship titles that reflect their unique connections. From "Childhood Sweetheart" to "Love-Hate Relation" and a lot more, the possibilities are endless.

This mod is perfect for storytellers who want more depth and nuance in their Sims' relationships. Some of the custom relationship titles add depth to your Sims' interactions and help to shape their narratives.

You can access the relationship bit option my pressing on the target sim while you are in control of the sim with whom you want to set the relationship by clicking on actions and then the Enhanced Rel Bit Pie Menu.

Above you can see all of the possible relationship bits you can choose from. They also each have their own description. (The Secret Admirer Rel Bit is the only one-sided bit)

Some of the relationship bits have interactions that come with them. I would love to make more and expand on them but I don't know if this is something you would be interested in so let me know.

More about some of the interactions:

Travel to Visit Long Distance Partner will have your sim leave the house for about two days and return with possible different moodlets.

With the virtual date option your sim will video call their long-distance partner for a few hours and it will make them really happy.

Star-crossed lovers can share a forbidden kiss. And sims who have a love-hate relationship can share an "I hate you"(kiss).

That is all for this mod! A lot of it is cosmetic, But I think it can really help relationships between sims feel more distinct.

Does this mod require any DLC?

No, it does not.

What else do I need for the mod?

Lumpinou's Mood Pack Mod, so it is required for the mod to work properly.

You can get her mod here.

If you already have it great! But make sure it's up to date. Otherwise, it will break the UI

Maplebell Pie Menu: Download Below. If you already have it ignore.

XML injector

More Kisses Mod here. If you don't intend on using the kissing interactions you don't need to get it.

Questions and concerns you might have?

I want to remove the relationship bit

After you set the relationship bit an option to remove it will appear in the same pie menu.

Some interactions aren't showing

The interactions depend on the relationship bit you may have with a sim. For example, only sims who have had a summer romance can "Share Summer Memories. Only Study Buddies can quiz each other, only long-distance relationship simmers can have virtual dates etc...

I'm experiencing some weird bugs!

Let me know, please.

Report it here: Mod Bug Report

How to install the mod?

Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods <--- Unzip the file and make sure it's placed in this path.

Lets show our support to maplesims for creating a realist love relationship based gameplay mod!

download - patreon

[riding-the-sunset-bird]

Hii :3 could you do a comparison of some of Baxters dialog in step 3 with the different interest levels? thank u, and also sorry if it was answered already (ד ྊ ד  )

I haven't answered this, no!

Something to keep in mind though is that, as I believe I've said in a previous post about Derek, Indifferent is basically just base game stuff/not having the character's DLC. There is one difference still that I'll point out, however.

(just a note that I picked mainly from Sightseeing since most differences dialog-wise are from there; there are narration differences too but I aimed for some of my favorite dialog-based ones; there are also differences for when the MC and Baxter are dating versus not - so overlap with Fond/Crush if the MC didn't date Baxter - but I didn't add those since the anon asked about interest levels specifically)

Sightseeing

When the MC and Baxter are about to head out:

(if Fond)

Baxter: "If there is ever anything you want to ask, you are welcome query me. I'm an open book." His officialness of the statement made you expect a formal bow from him. It didn't happen, though. Baxter: "I know there are things I would like to know about you."

(if Crush)

Baxter: "Please query me at your leisure, if there's anything you'd ever want to ask. I'm an open book in your hands." It could've stopped there, and you would've expected it to end on a formal bow. But the exceedingly official sounding offer was flipped into something coy and full of possibility. Baxter: "There are many things I would like to know about you."

If the MC says "Thanks for telling me," after asking Baxter where he's from:

(if Fond)

Baxter: "Don't mention it. It's kind of you to ask. Normally I wouldn't spend so much time talking about myself, but if it can be of interest to you, then I suppose we are both winners."

(if Crush)

Baxter: "It's my pleasure. I'm flattered that you'd take an interest in my background. Normally I wouldn't talk so much about myself, although lately something has me spilling my feelings left and right… In any case, if you care to indulge me with your questions, I suppose we are both winners in the end."

If the MC teases Baxter about being a "bad boy":

(if Fond)

He shrugged in a blase sort of manner and smiled cheekily at your quip. Baxter: "The very worst."

(if Crush)

He grinned, leaned closer, and met your gaze with a meaningful look. There was a heat to it that spread all the way to the pit of your stomach. Baxter: "The very worst. You're courting danger simply by being near me." His voice dropped a fraction lower. Baxter: "That makes you something of a rebel too." A heartbeat. A pause. Then he broke eye contact and moved away. When his gaze returned to you, his usual affable smile returned with it.

If the MC tells Baxter that they're a volunteer at ORCA:

(if Fond)

Baxter: "Well then, society could dearly use more people like you."

(if Crush)

Baxter: "Incredible. Just incredible." He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jeans, looking off to the side. He laughed quietly to himself. Baxter: "I'm in more trouble than I already thought…"

After Baxter talks about his first crush (if the MC asked about it):

(if Fond)

Baxter: "Hardly the most inspiring twist on the star-crossed-lovers trope, I admit."

(if Crush)

Baxter: "But that's something of the past. In truth, when it comes to attraction, I find discussion on flames that are still alight to be more worthwhile."

Planning

When Terry states that there's "nothing in this little beach town":

(if Fond)

Baxter: "Now you know that's not true."

(if Crush)

With his hands in his pockets, Baxter stepped ahead, passing you to join Terri on the road. He had a few words as he crossed your path. Baxter: "Oh, I would have to disagree with that." Your skin grew warmer from just that slight brush with Baxter.

Step 3 Ending

(if Indifferent/non-Baxter DLC)

Baxter: [MC], Cove, long time no see.

(if Fond/Crush)

Baxter: [MC], Cove, good to see you.

[heavensarcher]

*spoilers* SOTE Lore/story Thoughts

I'm not through it all yet - I'm avoiding various parts of this DLC which is, I might add, beating me black and blue - but I do have some lore thoughts.

I don't hate the idea of Miquella being a lil fucked up - it matches with every other member of their family at this point - but I have really enjoyed all the St. Trina stuff! The cross in the fissure saying I abandon here my love then finding the remains of her slumbering in the depths was actually beautiful. This other aspect of them, this part that represented their love and kindness for others - abandoned for their greater plan, praying for you to stop their key aspect

This deepening of charm to bewitch and sleep to eternal sleep of death has done some wild things to their characterisation. I don't know if I vibe with it fully but its certainly changed Miquella from being this kind of do no wrong figure to someone who has always had darker aspects, even if they chose mostly compassion

It puts into question a lot of the relationships we have thought Miquella has had with others (family and otherwise) because now its a little unclear to what extent they wanted to have that relationship or to what extent it was overexaggerated by Miquella for their plans.

This all said it now means the entire Marika/Radagon line is pretty irredeemable in various ways so born it all down I guess

Messmer is a little depressing in a way. Here's a child who did as their Mother told them, only to be locked away in this endless war growing crazier by the moment and becoming beholden to the Abyssal Serpent. His lines when you die, particularly in 2nd phase, tell you this man fully thinks he's damning himself to kill you. Even if he is questioning his Mother's plan, it's only in the way that lets him carry on with the last command he actually heard from her. Her blessing says shes now entirely abandoned this child that destoryed entire civilisations because she asked for it. Its sad as fuck

Rellana is interesting to me because her remembrance states she was a Carian princess that ditched to stick by Messmer's side - seemingly because she knew his path following his Mother would lead him to ruin. I wonder if she followed pre-Radagon betrayal? Like Messmer in his looks felt very Radagon/Renala child to me and boy howdy another one off with the snakes - Rykard clearly had an inspiration. It also solves the mystery of why snakes were so hated before Rykard became snake - they were either tied to Messmer OR the Abyssal Serpent (hi I'd like to know more about this outer god please and thank)

I really like that the hornsent have the ability to chant into existance these powerful forms. Like, together they lift up others of them to demi-god status. The Dancing Lion being this actual piloted beast (a la Chinese lion dances) with 2 priests(?) controlling it, chanted into existance by the Hornsent Grandma is this awesome idea and it was terrifying continuing to summon new elements which scared me :D

Hey who the fuck are those massive tanky bitches everywhere and what's the lore on those lil bastards. Just them and their fucked up dogs. Seemingly very Mohg and the Omens coded? Like some of them have a "leader" with something reminescent of Mohg's trident which implies a connection to the formless mother and they have started like eating each other which seems her vibe.

As a sidenote - Easter Eggs abound which I really enjoy. The fact you can drain the Church District a la DS1, there's an auto crossbow a la gael's, those beast claws are bloodborne, there's a few armour sets that are black knight coded or fume knight coded, the monk moves are very reminiscent of the senpou monks, Gaius is very Gyoubu Oniwa

I didn't really want FINGER LORE but here we are with FINGERLORE THANKS YMIR. So the fingers being born is horrific to me. I did think Ymir had some interesting takes on the fingers being led astray and having come from a mother that was wrong (and then getting dropped on Mother Of Fingers was....horrifying). They in themselves are very bloodborne-y which is neat.

It was always very prominent in the base game, but this continuing narrative of conquest and destruction is still very satisfying to me. (Its very christianity coded oops). I think it was more...hazed over in the base game? Not in a bad way but in a "lot at all this literal gold! we'll plaster it over the blood and bones so you can't see them" kinda way that made it all the more dark. Like for the most part this is a conquest that won so completely there's little left to say otherwise. In the DLC we see the extremes of that war. This is a conquest still on-going. There's blood, ash, bone, and fire everywhere. The entire continent is covered in GRAVESITES. It's this incredibly violent "we haven't had time to rewrite history as the victors yet" and it is entirely narratively satisfying that in this shadow place, all the cracks are showing.

[mayordea]

TIME FOR THE LONG ASS 2024 REVIEW

i am once again gonna review each highlighted piece i have made in 2024 so far like last year even though it's sort of unnecessary i have a bit to commit to

yappery under the cut

JANUARY

jan's piece is my smash poster celebrating the 25TH anniversary! this after i got rlly into making giant multi-character ensemble pieces, and i've wanted to do a poster like this to celebrate smash, so i'm glad i was able to step up to plate. usually i think my art from january ages pretty bad in these reviews, but i actually still like it from the composition, colors, and the drawings of the characters. i still have the print of it hanging in my room! ^o^ other highlights from the month is the complimentary poster i did with smash ultimate's dlc cast... well i kinda mention that out of obligation because i actually do think this one aged like ass, mainly the shading on the characters looking pretty bad (especially as a print). i think i shoulda saved this idea for later in the year to time it with smash ultimate's release day of december 7 (i am extremely deadline-pilled) but i probably wouldn't have cared by then so i just did it like, immediately after the 64 poster. so it probably smacks of burnout + i can't shade with blue that well

FEBRUARY

this one sorta represents seven whole drawings i did for one series. it's my seven piece set of artworks based on mothy's evillious chronicles, and i chose rilliane's because i think at the time i was putting this together i thought she came out the best (i began assembling this starting april 2024 lol), but idk! i still think she's pretty solid but i think she's tied up with kayo and banica. one thing's for sure, i know sateriasis is my least favorite of the bunch by a wide ass margin, i really wish i executed it better! not much other interesting highlights for this month besides my other vocaloid art series, the alice of human sacrifice ace cards. i think they aged alright but again this is another idea that i wanna execute better in the future.

MARCH

oh boy another series!!! this was part of my four part series redrawing the crossed paths artwork from octopath traveler ii. i chose the one featuring partitio and osvald because it was my favorite at the time. i still think it aged pretty nicely but it has some rendering hiccups that rlly bother me but in terms of colors/the background i still like it. if i had to pick a new favorite, it might go to throné and tenemos or cassti and ochette. another notable highlight of this year was a piece of oc art i made. i need to do something unabashedly overdramatic and angsty with my ocs again cuz i still like this one too. i think i opted out of selecting this one to highlight since cropping a face was kinda awkward lol.

APRIL

an overdramatic oc art has been highlighted! another one i like (it's almost like i picked my best for this chart). it was sorta the origin of me using my favorite watercolor brush in procreate to have an extremely rough idea of the colors that naturally blend together, creating a pretty cohesive palette when i render it (which is the current basis for how i render in my current style). april otherwise is kinda boring idk i don't like a lot of the other drawings here lol. this utsu-p album redraw ft robin is still pretty cool tho imo.

MAY

i feel like i had some nice variety to pick from, but i chose my improvisational and edgy grima drawing since i think stylistically it stands out the most. i found my new favorite sketching/doodling pencil brush in procreate and made a whole drawing using it, and the texture is so niiiice. other highlights: COOL OC ART (ft kandy). part of me feels like it's kinda corny but i was born on da cob so whatever, this one was fun and i still like it!!! there was also my art based on bad end night. i'm a tiny bit mixed on the rendering/colors, idk i was experimenting with a different brush for lining and shading and the slight difference in texture makes it a little weird but that is shit that only matters to me. i think it's a hell of a lot better than the bad end night drawing i made back in 2022, so in terms of "redemption" i think it was successful.

JUNE

kind of a boring month tbh, i got miitopia-pilled again so i was probably busy playing that this month + i was home for the summer and i am extremely lazy when i am at home lol. but to compliment the dive back in my miitopia era i made a sorta sketchy drawing with kandy as my great sage. check it, it's another with my new pencil brush, and i definitely remember having fun with this one (though her robe physics kinda make no sense based on how i drew her ref, i never look at my refs for my ocs/i usually break their designs to fit certain poses silhouettes 💀💀💀). uh i guess the one other interesting piece (imo) from this month was my giant miitopia poster that i was too chicken shit to share proper until recently (if you missed the edit where you can fully see it, there ya go). it's kinda oversaturated vomit and i'm not crazy proud of the execution but it was ambitious and kandy's section still looks really good imo so it has value in that regard to me.

JULY

i participated in my first artfight this july! i drew many cool ocs. by about the halfway mark i got hella burnt out tho and started doing my own stuff to freshen things up (it was also around here when galasynth entered production and i met MANY AMAZING VOCALOID ARTISTS!!! SHOUTOUT TO THOSE MUTUALS :)))))). for this month i chose my poster based on touhou eosd since i think this might be the most gracefully aged piece the whole year (it's probably my favorite!!). the colors just came out real nice.... idk!! a notable piece from this month that couldn't be posted in july cuz of zine nda's was my actual galasynth piece. this was a pretty significant piece since it permanently altered my current rendering/coloring workflow (sorta established in the highlighted piece in april but now with lineart and with a differently textured brush). the touhou poster was created shortly after as a response to this new workflow! other one of note was my perfect cherry blossom poster

AUGUST

brave frobin's design for feh was revealed and i drew it 😼😼😼 (AND I CALLED IT earlier this month. not that i needed to use a lotta braincells but). this was a further step in practicing my new rendering style and see how detailed and meticulous i could get with the colors when i had ONE character to focus on with NO background and i think it was pretty successful. though im glad i posted the wip cuz the colors were probably better there than the rendered... what overthinking does to a mf. another banger from this month was a piece of oc art, it's nothing special but it was a rendered panel redraw of an unpublished comic i made of them and i liked it so yeah. (i also posted my decora una drawing this month which was my scrapped concept for galasynth, but according to my notes it was actually finished in july... but shoutouts to it regardless)

SEPTEMBER

aaaagh this month didn't have much goin on, probably cuz i went back to school around here and the work was getting crazy 💀💀 but i still found time to make something i'm proud of! i drew my oc based on a twitter prompt a mutual of mine shared and i reeeaaally still like it!! especially the details on the corals waow... (i don't really have much else from this month that i consider noteworthy enough to mention here so :P)

OCTOBER

spooky art!!!!! i didn't have much interesting going on this month because again i got very academically demanded of and didn't have much time to draw, BUT i vowed to make a tribute piece to "trick&treat" by oster project for halloween, so i hauled ass to get something ready for that and to have ONE traditional drawing this year (yeah i didn't draw a lot on paper this year unfortunately ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️). other highlights: a traditional drawing of gekiyaku pills for vsynthtober which i did a whole two prompts of (you just saw all of them) + a digital drawing of geki (i really started to like gekiyaku around this time). as much as i still like the latter's colors and texture it sorta started a bad trend where i sorta just drew characters from the shoulders up with not much pose to speak of + no interesting background just for the sake of coloring it. not that it's completely devoid of value but it was a pattern i was starting to get a little to comfortable with. i'll touch more on this in the closing thoughts section, but this new rendering style did sorta hinder my want to experiment with my digital rendering styles compared to previous years where i prided myself on having a bunch.

NOVEMBER

BOTH of my favorite pieces from this month fall in the same trap as the thing i mentioned above. i picked my drawing of hibiki koto for the chart since the pastels added a nice value shakeup. i STILL LIKE IT, it's nice, but did perpetuate this bad habit/shortcut. the other one was my drawing of great sage kandy (current pfp!). the colors here are pretty fuckin nice still imo, so as a coloring tech demo like this flavor of drawing i was doing i think it succeeded.

DECEMBER

AND FINALLY, the end of the year. i finished my december piece early in the year kinda just to check the box off and get this chart off my back (a totally normal thing people do when drawing art throughout the year). i have wanted to do a legacy of lunatic kingdom poster like my eosd one for a while after falling in love with its ost, but it just felt scary. the characters were very detailed and also there were moreeee 😭😭😭 but i got myself to do it cuz i found myself tempted to fall in the same trap as described in october/november (i was gonna draw koishi with the same crop/thought for the bg/emphasis on rendering. you might see her done by the end of the year), but i was like "NO, i must earn this laziness" and finally did something ambitious again. and yeah, i think i did pretty good with this one, even if the crowding of characters and details is sorta unruly.

ok so maybe i'm a little artistically constipated rn

doing this thorough review has sorta gotten me worried. i talked about this in my review last year, but i wondered if my progress has plateaued since i liked a lot of my art throughout the year and didn't see much significant improvement. but looking back no i definitely improved from 2023, and i'd say i broke some new ground with experiments i did throughout the year (the piece from december is still my banner!!). i also had a few different digital rendering styles i played around with for some variety.

this year, after the completion of my galasynth piece, i got really stuck in a specific rendering style and didn't rlly experiment that much with shaking it up. i also didn't feel compelled to try doing solid lineart or rough paintings, and i got stuck in a "halfbody with basic poses and backgrounds" pit when i know i can do better and more cool if i just TRIED.

i am writing this pretty early in december so hopefully i can bring something new to the table..... idk, maybe the differences in my digital coloring styles are only visible to me, but i certainly notice this repetition and wanna break out of my current bubble! i am working on a collab piece that should go live by spring next year that will hopefully do this :) (and i certainly won't be abandoning my current style, at least not overnight/without trying to evolve it, cuz i really like it and have received many kind compliments from people about it! so thank you thank you!!!!)

i look back at some of my pieces from last year and earlier this year and see some variety in how i go about rendering or textures or colors and wanna go back to that. so that'll be my goal for the rest of december + 2025!!!!! ^_^

anyway that's that, it was a good year despite my current crisis, i think i made some good art. also don't be like me and feel obligated to make nice art every month for an aesthetic chart, i do it cuz i draw fast and i am easily satisfied by them. take breaks touch grass drink water, play and draw. yay!

[linda-ravstar]

Torn apart, made anew (ELDEN RING DLC SPOILERS, a new conversation between Trina and Miquella on the Lands of Shadow)

“What are you going to abandon here now, Miquella? What do you have left?”

Trina's voice was getting fainter, but urgency and fear were evident in the sweet tones of her words. Miquella gasped as he reached the edge of the cliff. The cave was hidden, distant enough that no one would dare to search inside. Enchanting the creatures that inhabited the place was no problem for him, but for anyone else, it would be a significant risk. This had to be the place. Besides, it was a cozy place, dark as she liked it. Secret.

He had lost a lot of blood. He knew it wasn't really blood from his body because his body remained tainted, broken, and desecrated in Mohg's Palace. Remembering the Red Knights' blades made him shudder for a second, but he dismissed those thoughts. There were no more doubts in his mind. There were no more hesitations. He had torn them from himself. It had been so painful… and so liberating to tear apart those thoughts from his mind. Filled only with conviction and hope. Now he only moved forward. Moved forward without looking back because only the certainty that he must continue remained.

The lost blood still hurt. Every piece of flesh torn away, even if it wasn't entirely his flesh, was torture. He had only one of his eyes left, which had wept tears of blood for his torn brother. The energy was slowly leaving him, but that was good. It meant he was close.

“There's still much to lose”, said the boy, kneeling on the stone. “There's much of me that remains. That must disappear”.

“Your agony will corrode this land, Miquella… There's still time to turn back. What you've lost can be recovered. There's still time to obtain forgiveness”.

“Here… you will remain”.

Trina fell silent and for a second seemed uneasy. She looked around at the silent cave, surrounded by water and small flowers. Then she looked at her other half. Miquella had chosen a fine place to tear her from his soul. A place where she could dwell, mutilated… but safe. A final mercy from the gentle boy.

“Will you leave me here?”, she repeated, without a hint of reproach in her voice. “Will you continue alone?”

“Yes… There's no point in delaying it any longer”. Miquella couldn't look her in the face. His eyes remained on his lap, still kneeling as the light of his power began to manifest a new cross, a new sacrifice, a new death. “There can't be anything left of me when I reach the Gates. And if I arrive with you there, I know you'll try to stop me. I can't allow it”.

“Are you afraid I would succeed in convincing you? That just before falling to your knees at the gates of heaven, you would turn back and come back with me… to our home?”

“No”, said the boy, but his lie was clear as the water surrounding them. “I just don't want… to take you with me anymore”.

Trina smiled. How easy it was to read Miquella. How easy it was for her to guess the paths to his heart. Maybe it was because it was also hers. Because his soul was also hers, even though they were distinct beings. Many times Miquella had called his twin sister his other half, the half of his soul, but Trina knew that place belonged to her. And Miquella, as always, looked and felt just as he always had: a scared boy, a trembling creature that could never rise as a god. It was terribly cruel for him even to try.

“You will walk to the gates that received Marika and surrender yourself, wounded and mutilated, to its embrace. It is not Miquella who will reach the Gates; he will have disappeared before. Only a shadow that longs to be a god will arrive, without remembering why. And that shadow, just a spirit with power, will wait, caged, until our brother returns. Who may never return”.

“You know my plan”, said the young man, warily. “This is the path I have chosen. Radahn will return, as he promised. As he promised me. There will be others who will help… others who will follow the path. They won't be able to resist. They will pave the way and carry out the final orders. When the time comes, my Great Rune will also disappear, and with it all my power. And then… I will await my return. As a god. And that will be all”.

“What if you never return?”, Miquella looked up but immediately turned away. There were no doubts in his heart. He no longer had a heart or doubts. There were only certainties, so what Trina said were only illusions. If there were doubts, they were only Trina's; he could no longer have them. He had torn them out. Why, then, were his hands trembling?

“I will return. When that happens…”. Miquella closed his eyes, and Trina saw how the fantasy and desperate dream that gripped him, yellow, golden, impossible, coursed through what was left of his body, like a balm for his wounds. “When that happens at last… everyone will be able to find rest”.

Trina said nothing more. There was no point in continuing to talk to the young demigod.

“Alright. Go ahead. This is our goodbye then. I mourned you a long time ago, Miquella”.

“I won't leave you alone”, said the boy, and Trina tilted her head, unsure of what he was talking about. “My other half stays here. The Saint who first found rest for Malenia when as a young boy, I spent my nights in her room crying out for her fate… who calmed our hearts at night… who sought peace and serenity among frantic souls… who gave me comfort and banished the neverending nightmares… She will sleep in these waters forever”.

The ritual seemed the same as always. Miquella didn't look agonized like the other times. Maybe their separation had occurred earlier, and that's why it didn't hurt entirely. It was just a profound loneliness, perhaps deeper than what the boy had felt all his life. An intense certainty that there was nothing and no one by his side, and that it would be so until the end.

Miquella closed his eyes, and the cross began to shine, emerging golden from the ground. Miquella placed his hands on his chest, still kneeling, and Trina was frightened when he lowered his head and began to sob. What was Miquella sacrificing now that caused him so much pain?

“I abandon here my love…”, the boy whispered, and the cross formed beautifully and slenderly in the darkness. Something bright and white began to emerge, with difficulty, from the boy's chest. Trina wanted to scream and remove the hands from her other half, but it was in vain. “I leave here all the love I feel, that I have felt, and that I will feel… along with the only one who can receive it now because it is also a part of me”.

Trina, this time, fell to her knees, and purple tears welled up in her eyes.

“Miquella… You can't do this”. Trina had tried to beg him once. She knew it would be just as useless. “You can't abandon your love… Do you know what that means? You're abandoning… everyone. You are abandoning yourself. You are destroying what we are”.

The white light finished emerging from Miquella's chest and attached itself to the golden cross. Miquella sobbed like a child, with his head on the ground.

Radagon's hand on his head, smiling, proud as he watched the golden rings dance in the courtyard.

Marika's serene voice by the fireplace, weaving the threads of the world while caressing his hair, golden like hers.

The eyes of countless friends, servants, and comrades, who bowed their heads and shared their lives among the golden gardens.

The silent alleys of the depths, the travelers who offered their food and knowledge to a boy who asked hundreds of questions.

Loretta's firm hand in his fragile one, the gratitude of her people, and the pride of her spells.

The soft words of the Lord of Blood, unaware of his betrayal, eager to bring love and peace to the displaced. The bright heart of his knights and followers, their rebellion and sin.

Ranni's letters, offering unnamed knowledge, sharing the stars and the moon in each of her words.

Godwyn's voice and bright lights, rising in the air with dragon wings. And his fall… his empty, motionless eyes, the sticky certainty of horror.

Radahn's strident laughter, his soft and honest promise, dressed in red and gold, the clash of swords with a timid redhead empyrean, the gift of a stubborn horse.

The slender silhouettes of knights and sworn ones, who knelt before both twins but also laughed in their presence and offered him tea when night fell.

The grateful tears of those tortured by madness, freed from the frenzy that gripped their flesh and mind.

The strong and somber faces of the burned people, seeking dignity and freedom, seeking to live outside the embers.

His only child, a tree of pale golden, growing and growing until he couldn’t anymore. Drinking his blood like an eager child, grateful for his life. Embracing everyone, being a haven and a paradise to those who needed it. Caressing his souls with a promise of a new world, a broken one that could never be fulfilled.

The grass under his feet.

The light in the dim and cozy night.

The fresh water, the scent of flowers.

The world around him, his world, his people.

His sister's golden eyes. Malenia's sword rising in a red field. Her laughter in the rooms of Leyndell, her solemn company in the snowy fields, kneeling beside him, planting hope. Her impossibly tender embrace. Her tears at night, terrified of a voracious and endless force. Her dance when no one else was there to watch. And a promise.

“I will return…”

Miquella let out a cry of pain, Trina rushed to him and hugged him, unable to contain herself. But as soon as her small arms surrounded the boy, the white that had been torn from his chest vanished, leaving only trails of bright blood. Miquella's eyes, filled with tears and shining with pain and agony, went dark for a moment. The torture ceased, and the young man sighed, empty of almost everything… of everything that now remained there, in that cross, abandoned.

The pain still coursed through his body. Love was his weapon, after all. Who could really refuse to love him? It was something so easy to obtain… Only a few felt it truly for him, after all, if that. Why did it hurt him so much then, if it was something he could find in abundance, real or not?

“Because the love you felt for this world, for its people, for your family… was real”, said Trina; her face was stained with soft tears, but she smiled at him, despite everything. “Even if you use it as a weapon against your enemies and as a shield to protect yourself from the horror of the world, the truth is that your heart was full of love, and its companions, guilt and despair. And now you tore apart the most tender and genuine part of your soul. You rip apart yourself…”

“Do you think me selfish, Trina?”, said Miquella, tired, with barely any energy in his voice. “For leaving you here, with… this that will no longer torment me?”.

“I think a part of you wanted to rid yourself of that burden… but you're wrong. It will follow you just the same. Until there's nothing left of you. Of us. Your sins and your love will follow you, even if you can no longer feel it, even if you can no longer remember it. I'll ask you one last time, Miquella. Stop… look at yourself. You can barely walk without trembling like a newborn… Can you still feel fear? Fear of failing? Fear of achieving your goal? Fear of what you will become?”

“I will also abandon that fear”, he said, without answering Trina's question. “Not now… It's enough for now. But it will also be left behind. Everything will be left behind. I will keep moving forward…”. Miquella sighed, weightless and lower his head. “What was the purpose of my love, Trina, if I couldn't save anything with it? What was the point of crying for this world if I couldn't rid it of its corruption? What was the point of carrying the sin if I couldn't absolve it?”

Trina trembled. Miquella's words, now free from that stream of urgency, guilt, and frenzy that previously preceded them, seemed like mere loose reflections, like raindrops dancing on the grass. But Trina knew the truth. They were still Miquella's fears, engraved in his soul, the source of all his pain. A pain that would destroy the world.

 “Miquella… I swear I will find a way to stop you”. Trina's voice had taken on a desperate tone, sweet and toxic like poison. Miquella felt extremely light, as if filled with air and spirit, and languid like a breeze. He felt nothing at Trina's words. “If you insist on this path of chains… I will find a way to kill you”.

Miquella laughed softly and closed his eyes, as if feeling a gust that didn't exist in that dark cave.

“You would die too, dear Trina”.

“We died a long time ago, Miquella. When the golden needle pierced Malenia's skin and her flesh remained corrupted by rot, even though it had been stopped for the moment. When the bloodthirsty tree grew just enough for us to harbor hope. When Godwyn became a specter, and no prayer granted him rest. When we talked by an oil lamp… We have been dead this whole time, Miquella… Now you're just punishing yourself. I will give you the rest you seek”.

“No… I'm saving us. I'm saving them all. Have faith, dear Trina”. Miquella's voice sounded more placid and frail than ever. As if he wasn't there. “We will see each other again…at my hour of victory”

Miquella stood up, with a dull but still golden gaze. He smiled with an expression that barely existed, that was barely there. Trina saw the boy she had grown up with, saw how he slowly moved away from her. He had only one arm left and one of his eyes. He walked empty and fearful across the wet stones. But surely, he could no longer remember the despair that brought him to this land, the failures that led him to Marika's pilgrimage, the unforgivable sins he had committed just to be there and the ones he would continue to commit.

The saint could see him with her eyes closed, walking and walking, leaving blood, memories, soul and personhood on these burned lands. Walking and walking to the gates of heaven. Alone. What would come out of those gates? It couldn't be Miquella. That Miquella was disappearing with each step. What would emerge from the golden gates after this path? A being of bright light and brilliant power that would subdue everyone in a gentle embrace, that would prevent conflicts and steal the hearts of men to make them docile and kind?

“If someone can hear me”, whispered Trina, feeling herself fall asleep with each step Miquella took, moving away from her. “Come… Drink the sweet nectar of rest, and hear my words. Let us drink the poison of dreams and never wake up. If someone is there… please… come… we have to stop him… The poor thing cannot be a god… Please… someone… kill him…”

Trina closed her eyes and began to dream.

[sacredechoes]

Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution Translation

For April Fools' 2017, Nintendo of Japan put up a joke page announcing a Fire Emblem game starring Valbar, Leon, and Kamui set in the Meiji era. The page is archived and some in the English fandom have heard of it, but I don't know if the page ever got a full translation.

Below the cut is my attempt at localizing the text of this page.

Fire Emblem: 維新大乱 ~Battle of Revolution~

(see note 1)

A return to where it all started…

"For 15 years since taking on the role of Fire Emblem series producer, I have been thinking about how to make the game more accessible to a wider audience. I have been thinking of new challenges to attract more customers, such as creating TMS#FE based on the idea of what would happen if we tried to make it a modern drama, or creating Fire Emblem Fates based on the idea of allowing people to enjoy multiple stories in parallel. In that sense, you could say that 'I want to increase the number of customers' is the starting point of my approach to Fire Emblem. And now, the theme I have decided on for further leaps forward for the Fire Emblem series is 'Jidai-geki' (historical drama). I have been working with Intelligent Systems to create a Fire Emblem game that takes place in the late Edo period and vividly depicts the activities of talented local warriors as they work to create a new world. Experience a passionate story of men in the late Edo period while maintaining the fun of playing with swords, bows, and sickles, bow effectiveness against flying ninjas, and other interesting aspects of the Fire Emblem series. Please look forward to Fire Emblem: Battle of Revolution!" - Hitoshi Yamakami, Nintendo Co.

STORY

Some things are more precious than life itself...

In a time called "Bakumatsu", the sun has begun to set on Edo and the Tokugawa Shogunate. A great famine stretches on, and many communities near their breaking points. The world of Edo is burdened by a state of terrible unrest. Though the land of Hi-no-moto has observed a long period of isolationism, the waves of distant nations have begun to break on its shores regardless.

In a distant corner in the countryside of the fiefdom of Barenshia lives a man named Barubou. Our tale begins when he is unexpectedly appointed to the Sofia Security Corps, the bodyguards to the fiefdom's daimyo Seirika.

To bend the knee to the shogunate, or to advocate its overthrow? For either path this land might take, men clash fiercely with their beliefs held high and proud as banners.

Meeting a sworn ally, and then, farewell. With the nefarious conspiracies of the shogunate's underbelly unfolding before his eyes, Barubou is shaken to his very core.

When all is said and done, which belief will he commit his faith to? The stage is set for this decisive battle in the port town of Toba...

GAME SYSTEM

Command your comrades to win the battle!

Playing the role of Barubou, you will work with your comrades to achieve each map's victory condition.

A profound and moving tale

Catch a glimpse into each major character's rich past through Imperial Orders ("sub-episodes"), as well as through Public Service ("sub-quests") packed throughout the region.

The permadeath feature that defines the Fire Emblem series persists in this instalment, and a unique new system using elements of hanafuda cards debuts in Battle of Revolution. Powerful animations breathe life into battles.

SPECIAL EDITION: Barenshia Emaki (Picture Scroll)

Scroll One: One Hundred Flowers Blooming (see note 2)

Scroll Two: A Friendship like Fish and Water

Scroll 1, which depicts the everyday lives, traditions, and culture of the people of Barenshia, and Scroll 2, which details the specifics of Barubou, Ren'o and Kamucho's lives not told in the main story, will be distributed as a set.

DLC

Running Marusu - Cost: Free

This epic quest follows Marusu, a young courier from Akaneia Fiefdom, which neighbors Barenshia Fiefdom. The boy's star-crossed fate compels Marusu to single-mindedly run around to every corner of Akaneia Fiefdom, and how all of his travels weave together to earn him the title of Daimyo of Akaneia Fiefdom.

※Delivery date yet to be announced.

CAST

馬流暴 Barubou (Valbar) (see note 3)

Despite his humble origins in a farming family, his natural talent together with his compassionate, sincere, and heroic personality led him to be selected as the head of the Sofia Security Corps. His hearty laugh is so powerful that it can even be heard at a distance of 1 ri away. Since entering his thirties, his few worries are mostly consumed these days by the size of his belly.

恋男 Ren'o (Leon) (see note 4)

A runaway ninja of the Iga school. His intense admiration for Barubou drove him to join the Sofia Security Corps to stay close to the object of his affections. Every day, he applies rouge to his eyelids a little differently in relentless pursuit of being the most fashionable man in the Security Corps. He is incredibly precise with his makeup brush, among other fine motor skills, and is often asked for help by the village girls.

暇武猪 Kamucho (Kamui) (see note 5)

Formerly a ronin. He once crossed blades with Barubou in the past, but was touched by the man's personality and joined the Sofia Security Corps. While he hates feeling constrained and lives an idle and carefree life, he has considerable skill with a sword. Although the pretty girl who advertises for the general store has caught his attention, he's never bothered to actually speak to her.

-----

Translation notes

(Ishin Tairan - lit. Revolution Uprising - "Ishin" often refers to "Meiji-Ishin" or Meiji Restoration). The game is set in Mie prefecture in historic Japan, in the Bakumatsu era. (between 1853-1867)

(T/N: simultaneous emergence of many talents and achievements; lit. hundred flowers blooming in profusion)

(T/N: written with kanji meaning lit. "Force of a Rushing Horse". The kanji on-reading give "Barubou", but could be kun-read as the name "Managashi Sueo")

(T/N: written with kanji for "love" and "man". Kanji on-reading give "Ren'o".)

(T/N: written with kanji for "leisure", "martial arts" and "boar". Kanji on-reading give "Kamucho".)

Kanji names are given for all characters and locations. As such I have romanized them very loosely rather than using official names (usually given in kana). As noted with the main cast's names, these kanji names are some degree of pun and not chosen solely for the sound. Celica's, for example, includes the kanji 聖 which means "holy" and 里 which can mean "place of origin", fitting as she grew up in a priory.

-----

Barenshia = 刃蓮死亜 = Valentia

Sofia = 素風亜 = Zofia

Seirika = 聖里香 = Celica

Marusu = 真瑠澄 = Marth

Akaneia = 茜亥亜 = Archanea

[somebodys-nuisance]

Hey, Our Life Fans, who wants a Baxter End-Game Fic Idea?

Okay, hi, so, Baxter and his love for ballroom dancing means so much to me. Dancing has always been a big part of my life, and when I played through Baxter's DLC I was just floored by how much we had in common with our interests. I love finding stories that I can really relate to in that way. I was a bit disappointed I wasn't able to really lean into the idea my character was into dance, even before Baxter's DLC, and I had always wanted to make a version of the story that could be more focused on the dancing element, while also being Baxter End-Game (cuz I love Cove, but I LOVE Baxter.)

So, the idea goes a little something like this:

Jamie Last becomes obsessed with ballroom dancing (and dancing in general) when her older sister Elizabeth joined the non-member junior golfing league when she's a child. It'a a program that rents The Cypress' space, but you don't need to be a member to join, and it's relatively affordable. Jamie peeks in and catches a ballroom dancing class and is like WHAT IS THAT GET ME IN THERE and moms see what they can do. Turns out they'd need to become members (I'm pretty sure they are in the actual game but SHHHHHH, it's a fic, and I'm trying to make a STATEMENT here about what I know about ballroom dancing) and the class prices on TOP of the membership price are just astronomical. They absolutely can't afford it. Poor Jamie's sad and doesn't understand (she's like, 6,) so moms sign her up for general dance classes at the local studio. Not ballroom, her first dance love, but close.

Cut to the beginning of the game timeline-wise, and Jamie's performing in her dance recital. She's absolutely in love with dancing and is VERY talented. Anyway, after the recital, in the lobby, Jamie's awkwardly approached by a strange man who shoves 20 bucks in her face and asks her to be his son's dance partner. She's like uhhhhh, stranger.... danger? And she runs away before he can fully explain himself. Runs back into the theater, comes across boy with green hair and glasses. Get to talking, finds out he's the dude's son. Son kinda sorta explains his dad teaches dance and he used to co-own a studio back where they came from, and boy's been dancing since he can remember. But, boy seems kinda sad about it. Through a combination of Cove's explanation and Cliff eventually approaching moms and being less weird and awkward (love Cliff,) Jamie finds out he's a former ballroom dancing competitor turned teacher. Used to own a studio with his wife, they're not together anymore, and she's kept the studio. So, he has to start from scratch over here in Sunset Bird and form his own studio. He tried to inquire with The Cypress to use their studios to teach the classes, and the owners told him absolutely not, and shooed him off. But, the teacher, Mr. Suarez, told him if he could prove he's a skillful teacher, he could put in a good word and get him in. So, he's going to use his only student, his son, and find him a partner. He says Jamie was the best dancer he saw today, so he wants her to be Cove's new partner.

And, Jamie's like, um, YES? Cove seems shockingly sad about it initially, but Cove and Jamie hit it off almost immediately. Jamie picks up ballroom real quickly, and they enter a competition against some of Mr. Suarez's students, including his own son, Derek. Jamie and Cove SWEEP and are FANTASTIC, and not only does Gregorio allow Cliff to use the space, but they eventually become business partners, running ballroom dancing classes that are specifically affordable and accessible to the average person, as well as being a bit more daring, fun, and modern in their styles compared to the traditional Cypress classes.

Meanwhile, the underdogs from Cliff and Gregorio's classes go up against the hoity-toity rich kids that can afford the members-only classes, and Jamie and Cove begin to cross paths with certain partners consistently, like an especially captivating and elegant pair with a boy with grayish hair...

Story follows the basic plotline of the game from there! Cove and Jamie are only close, close, nearly inseparable friends in this one, with Derek being the only other possible love interest. It's essentially your classic competitors to intriguing acquaintances to friends to lovers to exes to enemies to begruding acquaintances to friends to lovers with lots of dancing, both ballroom and otherwise. We'd get more into Baxter's background, his parents, and Golden Grove in general, and the story would HIGHLY DEVIATE from Step 4 to allow room to fully center dance in some form. Also, YES. Every one of Jamie's friends are involved in ballroom in some way, shape, or form except for her immediate family in this au. Everybody's dancin'.

Would anybody be interested in something like this? My ADHD means it will almost definitely not happen, but figured I'd throw my ideas out into the horizon since I haven't been able to get it out of my head for literal MONTHS. Whaddaya think?

[team-avia]

hello. I'm still here.

Awhile ago I made a theory about the benevientos and why Angie is an alcoholic. I have a new series of questions and thoughts, about Mia.

We know Mia is a student at this collage, technically you can join at any age if you meet specific requirements. So, it makes me wonder if the lore of the game still applies. Like the actual characters that the game followed, (Ethan and Rosemary.) So, we know Ethan died in game, (but literally every date-able woman died to, so...) It makes me wonder if those two are still around, or dead, or just don't exist. If they did, what happened? Why is Mia delivering questionable packages to Miranda? We know that these two were co-workers, slight friends, and possible lovers when they worked in the connections before Rose's birth. So, let's say Ethan did play a part in mias life in this game, but is dead, by a type disease or potential crime. In the DLC, rose is who we play as, as we make our way deeper and deeper into her mind. Let's say in this world, rose was a child who suffered an extreme mental illness that made her go bonkers, thinking she was in these different places from the local legands and stories about the ancestors of the lovers, (a crazy vampire and her murderous daughters with their bloody business, a crazed magneto who only wanted power, a horrifying fish freak who'd eat you as you swam or fished, an unnerving doll maker with her illusions and her creepy living companions, and the revered cult leader and priestess this land once followed) perhaps such an event, like moving across the world as a child for mias education, as well as her fathers death at such a young, vulnerable age. something in her snapped. This would explain why Mia looks completely stoned in the time we see her. She's either grieving the loss of the she loved and her incurable child's mental state, using drugs and other substances to numb her pain and give her a sense of relief, or she's just a weird woman who smokes weed and crack in alleyways with other students just for the shits and giggles. (IE, Angie and dani, most likely just angie)

(A long awhile ago I made a comment about writing another set of oneshots about what the characters would do if MC was sick. Finch was totally not frothing at mouth and shaking me by my shoulders. Lemme know if ya guys still want it or not. I also may potentially write more theories about these characters, maybe Miranda or the dimitrescus next. I need to know which one since the benevientos are done, or i could one on specifically donna since my last one was mostly focused on angie)

ethan exists in this universe but he and mia have not crossed paths, rosemary doesn't exist. mia isn't high she's just girlrotting in her own way.

bee

THE MORE RESIDENT LOVER FICS AND THEORIES THE BETTER!!

finch

[raxistaicho]

Invading Engage

Who's ready to see Fantasy Invader try to analyze Engage and compare it to Three Houses, now? :D

As I've mentioned before, repetition of his chief bonkers points is a pretty regular occurrence, so more often than not if I were to continue refuting his newer points I'd just be repeating myself, and that'd be tiresome and pointless. Thankfully, we do have a new one!

And it's... uhh... Sombron raised his kids like a meritocracy. Oh boy.

I feel like if you look at Engage, while not mentioning her the game is pretty good to Rhea. As I mentioned before, Byleth's trial theme song uses tracks that associate it with Silver Snow. Song of the Nabateans,

He's referring to Trial of the Academy.

So first, he's referring to the bit going to 0:40 to 1:00

Song of the Nabateans, which is remixed into A Funeral of Flowers, Rhea's boss theme from SS.

Engage wanting to remind us Rhea is the final boss on half of the routes. Checkmate, atheists.

pointing to Byleth's draconic heritage,

...No. It's referencing one of the major pieces of the Three Houses soundtrack. Song of the Nabateans is reused in a lot of pieces. You know, like how Bearer of Hope, which features in Trial of Dawn, first plays during Elincia's most profound moment in Radiant Dawn?

Edge of Dawn, a song that depicts Byleth and Edelgard's relationship as they end up as enemies and isn't used in it's full version in Flower,

Again, no. Jesus. Edge of Dawn depicts Edelgard's fears for the future and her certainty she'll end up Byleth's enemy.

and Paths that Shall Never Cross, referring to Byleth and Edelgard goin their separate ways.

Paths That Will Never Cross is used for battling any unrecruited character in part 2 - aside from the three house leaders, which includes Edelgard. This song lends more evidence to the notion that Seteth is fated to be Byleth's enemy then that Edelgard is.

This is all associated with a Byleth that's held in the same esteem as Revelations-Corrin and True Ending Roy, in addition to every other past FE lord.

You know what's different between Byleth and Corrin and Roy? Their games have true/golden endings. Byleth's does not.

While the House Leaders do get their bracelet, they don't get much else. No paralogue chapter like the other DLC emblems, nor do they show up in the xenologue. Nothing, just a cutscene where we get them for free.

There's quite a bit of reason to believe that Emblem Edelgard (with Dimitri and Claude) The Emblem of Rivals was a late addition to Engage. Houses and Engage were initially developed side-by-side, and though they had to use Byleth because main character, there was no way to be sure who would or wouldn't be popular from Three Houses. Then it turned out all three lords were well-liked - much to the chagrin of Edelgard haters - so Intsys developed a scheme to throw them all in.

Ironically, not having a map associated to them probably increased their general visibility. I'd bet money that a hell of a lot more people have played around with Emblem Edelgard (with Dimitri and Claude) The Emblem of Rivals than they have the Chrobin duo.

And they do appear in the Xenalogue. Fell Céline carries them in the final map.

Considering how the Cipher card that came with Houses in Japan mentions that it's your story, it's ultimately Engage saying that the game is Byleth's story above all else. Not Claude's, not Dimitri's and not Edelgard's, Byleth's.

... Yes? Byleth is ultimately the avatar of Three Houses, who decides the course of the story.

Fantasy Invader is trying to argue that this means Engage is hinting at Silver Snow being the canon route, except the issue is further down he'll use as evidence the fact that you fight Nemesis in Engage... even though Nemesis is not fought in Silver Snow.

It's funny how self-defeating FI's arguments tend to be. And also sad and aggravating.

Edelgard also says that the three lords protected their worlds, but anyone who has played Houses would see that her route goes in the other direction,

Fixing their world.

working with TWSITD,

Until she turns on them and kills them.

killing/exiling the other lords

Poor Cwaude and Dimitwi. We must not fight for Fodlan's betterment if it means inconveniencing two men :(

and killing Rhea.

Because she lit a city on fire rather than surrender.

What Edelgard did to protect the world is the exact opposite of those routes,

What routes? You didn't mention other routes.

so who really protected the world?

This is just Fantasy Invader being mad again that Edelgard's story is treated as equally valid as any other. Three Houses isn't a story of good vs evil (unless the Agarthans are involved, anyways), it's a story of clashing ideals. And that, honestly, could help to explain why the Agarthans are greatly sidelined in all routes.

Hopes uses Nemesis as the big bad for Fodlan, not Rhea.

And not Edelgard either!

We all know where this next pinheaded argument is going, but I really need to make a post about how self-defeating it is, because it really really is.

Nemesis, who Edelgard makes out to be this champion of humanity,

She never did that.

is the one held to the same level as Loptyr, Grima, Ashera, Duma...

Keep this bit in your head.

Nemesis was the bad guy, Rhea killed a bad guy

Yeah and in KOTOR you kill Malak whether you're Light Revan or Dark Revan, but that doesn't meant Dark Revan isn't a complete monster.

Also, I guess this means then that Duma is a bad guy, responsible for all the problems!

Jeddah finally beating the "caused all the problems" allegations!

and Edelgard killed her while praising the villain.

Again, Edelgard never praised Nemesis, and again, Edelgard killed Rhea because she forced her hand.

Claude's route is the one that tackled the supposed big bad therefore it's the one more in-line with past FE heroes, and by extension Dimitri and Byleth's routes.

Woah, I hope you remembered to stretch before that reach, Invader. Maybe he played a version of Three Houses that I didn't, because I recall a distinct lack of fighting Nemesis in the end of Azure Moon or Silver Snow.

There's a reason people feel that the final fight against Nemesis in Verdant Wind, while undeniably cool, came out of fucking nowhere.

Also, FE tradition involves killing a dragon at the end of the game. Medeus, Duma, Medeus again, Loptous (via his meat puppet, Julius), Iduun, the generic Fire Dragon, Ashnard (riding a dragon), Grima, Garon, Anankos (also via his meat puppet, Takumi in Conquest), Rhea, and Sombron. The only exceptions are Veld in FE5, Fomortis in FE8 (because FE8... is really weird and involved demons when other games didn't), Ashera in FE10, and Edelgard and Nemesis in Houses.

Even how we get Byleth's ring calls back to Silver Snow. Hortensia was an academy student, a princess borne of a concubine,

The comparison to Edelgard is deliberate, he's framing Hortensia as the anti-Edelgard. It doesn't work, as usual.

her father was manipulated by Sombron's forces into doing their work,

mind-controlled, rather, but yeah. Also it's worth noting that Hyacinth probably would have done Sombron's bidding anyways since he worshiped him.

her former classmates defect to the Divine Dragon's side and she does as well in the end

You've got that backwards, dunderhead. Hortensia defects first, then her classmates defect to be at her side - which barely constitutes a defection since they're just following their liege's example.

even if it means fighting against her former country. Compare this to Edelgard, who joins the academy, is a princess borne of a concubine, implications Ionius was a puppet for TWSITD to push Edelgard into stating the war to kill their ancient enemy,

That last part isn't accurate, but Fantasy Invader gonna Fantasy Invader.

her classmates defect in Silver Snow despite fighting against their homeland

Not if they fell during White Clouds, actually. Then they just stay at Edelgard's side, much like Rosado and Goldmary do Hortensia's.

and possibly their own families while Edelgard...continues attacking the rest of the continent using the monsters that were once men TWSITD provided her. Her own version of the Corrupted.

Jesus, if Demonic Beasts in Three Houses were as numerous as late-game Corrupted in Engage, maps would get really fuckin' long.

Anyways, that's another reach. Edelgard has soldiers that are genuinely loyal to her and believe in her vision.

Bonus point is that Hortensia prides herself on being a "cute" girl, while Edelgard's depth comes from her both being a violent conqueror...and a cute girl.

Again, no. Edelgard's contrast the devs spoke up lies between her endearing and her strong-willed sides. "Violent" and "girl" are not a contrast at all, just look at Estelle Bright!

If anything, Hortensia went down the path Edelgard refused to do, hence why she's a hero in the end.

Hortensia's a hero in Invader's eyes because she fought the dragon who established a fake religion with himself at the center of it through which he dominated a country, while Edelgard's a "villain" in Invader's eyes because she fought the dragon who established a fake religion with herself at the center of it through which she dominated a continent. Checks out.

Lumeria being a dragon living at the center of the continent, worshiped as divine? GOOD GUY.

Ah, what an amazing argument. "Lumera is a good divine dragon, therefor Rhea is also good!"

Doesn't matter that she did something to Alear that changed them, it saved Alear's life and not treated as a bad thing.

...Yes, because what Lumera did to Alear was for the express purpose of saving Alear's life, and was done with Alear's implicit permission.

What Rhea did to Byleth might've initially been for the express purpose of saving Byleth's life - we only have Rhea's word, the word of a liar as evidence - but what she continues to do by the year 1180 is to erase Byleth's personality and replace her with Sothis.

Lumera would have never ever done that to Alear. Because Rhea is a deconstruction of the series theme of divine dragons being good, and Lumera is not.

Lumera - at least to the best of our knowledge - didn't craft worship of the Divine Dragons the way Rhea concocted the Church of Seiros and the worship of her dead mother (whom she supposedly speaks to). Lumera doesn't live above humanity the way Rhea does, nor does Alear. She didn't create teachings or rules to control humanity the way Rhea did.

Being the Divine Dragon in Elyos appears to be a life of service to the people, going to them and protecting them. Being the Archbishop of the Church of Seiros means living in luxury and safety in Garreg Mach while the rest of Fodlan burns. Just look at how blithely unaware Flayn was about how bad the rest of Fodlan was before the time skip in Silver Snow.

Rhea is a deconstruction of everything a divine dragon is supposed to be in this series, but Edelgard's haters just never got the memo.

Naga was reclusive, living apart from humanity except in times of peril to protect them. Tiki is humble and just wants friends, even into adulthood. Duma and Mila set themselves up as gods because they were prideful, and were banished by Naga for their pride. Naga wanted the dragons to set aside from their pride and live as and among humans to avoid madness.

But Rhea doesn't live with humanity; she lives over them.

Compare Rhea's bedroom with Alear's:

Alear doesn't even get a pillow, guys! That's how you know they sacrificed for their friends: they gave their pillow away so Sommie could have two. Because Sommie gets everything.

Alear's hair changing color is also seen as a good thing, with it returning to it's natural red is the bad ending.

It's like Fantasy Invader's brain just stops at "their appearance changed" when discussing Byleth after chapter 11, and not what it means that it changed, or what it would mean if those changes were allowed to deepen, as Rhea wished they would.

It would mean Byleth's death as a person.

Meritocracy isn't so good when people are tossed away for not serving their master well enough, people without merit being labelled as defects.

Oh my fucking god. "Sombron treated his minions like it was a meritocracy!" Somehow, Fantasy Invader's concocted an even more headass take than, "Edelgard is a social darwinist!"

At least if Edelgard genuinely was a social darwinist, as her haters have tricked themselves into believing, she would reward her successful minions.

Sombron doesn't do this.

Take Hyacinth: he succeeded as Sombron wished, returning him to the world and restoring his powers, and with barely any help from Veyle or the Four Hounds, no less. Hyacinth's reward? Om nom.

There is no measure of loyalty or success good enough for Sombron. As Past Alear says themselves,

If I lose to you, [The Corrupted] will kill me. No… No, they will kill me, in time, no matter what.

Past Alear knows very well that the only reward Sombron offers his loyal minions is inevitable suffering and death. This is not a meritocracy, this is a horrific autocracy.

Doesn't really surprise me Houses discourse hasn't died down after Engage, Engage made Edelgard look like shit. Especially compared to Hortensia.

Houses discourse hasn't died down after Engage because there's nothing to talk about with Engage. Engage has such a nothing plot with black and white morality, simple characters, and basic motivations that the most heated that Engage discussion ever got was over something as ridiculous as whether or not it's incest if Alear bangs the fell Xenalogue twins. Engage is that bare-bones, so of course the fanbase just stuck with the game where there's actually something to discuss.

So uhh, yeah, Engage doesn't support FI's anti-Edelgard take as well as they think they do.

In fact, the Fell Xenalogue supports it. the FX portrays one rogue dragon, when completely bereft of anything to stop them, destroying an entire world. The FX portrays the countries as falling into ruin if their royals were worse people, because really who's gonna stop them, they're the monarchs of absolute monarchies.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 6/13/2023

very games-centric week

listening

this opening bit samples bowie's life on mars and sounds like a piano cover of a half-remembered but still beloved childhood anime. like the kind you had a set of two VHS clamshells for but only episodes 4-6 and 10-12. it goes on the "lofi beats to data and entry to" playlist. spotify

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reading

fallow week

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watching

the folks at waypoint games, formerly vice's leftist games vertical, BOUGHT THE BRAND FROM VICE and are rebranding as remap. i wish them all the fuckin best and i hope they succeed but i feel like we have maybe six months of this before one of them goes literally bankrupt from a doctor's visit bc healthcare is such a fuckin nightmare in this country. im simply not excited for starfield. i am not interested in corporate nasa

anyway i enjoyed their commentary, excited for compulsion games' southern gothic action/adventure spellcaster South of Midnight

neutrally optimistic about obsidian's Avowed, bc i do love obsidian but i do not love sword and sorcery rpgs

there's airships in microsoft flight simulator so i may genuinely buy one month of gamepass to try that out

capcom's path of the goddess looks fucking gorgeous but i have never played more than half an hour of a capcom game and i expect i never will. is this topdown? is this isometric? what the fuck is the gameplay mode??? who could FUCKING say

also there's a new jersey fallout 76 expansion coming at some point. in real life i hate atlantic city and i don't really how know this will look or play differently from point lookout. i don't know if i want to play a much-reviled cash cow mmorpg just to get postapoc jersey lore. if this leads up to 5 being set in nyc im going to be real pissed off. go somewhere DIFFERENT. there are DIFFERENT PLACES on the east coast!!! blease

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playing

viddy game can consistently turn my brain off enough that i forget im moving cross country in two weeks and can forcibly relax my body for twenty mintues at a time between packing boxes. so there's been a lot of pomodoro-ing, or my version which is: pack until i get so anxious i physically cannot pack anymore, go have a snack, go play twenty minutes of a video game, and then go pack until i am on the verge of a panic attack again. this is not healthy but all my books are packed. all of these were free on epic at some point btw which is why i own them

the first time i played Airborne Kingdom, i lost track of time and beat it in one sitting in eight hours. the second time i played Airship Kingdom, i replicated that exact experience. i have allied with all the kingdoms and have like two hundred souls on board but am not QUITE selfsufficient enough to take on the northern/artic sea DLC. stay tuned. soundtrack in this thing is great.

bounced VERY hard off Close to the Sun, a bioshock-lite i put about four hours/three levels into. a huge gilded age cruise ship where the science has Gone Wrong would normally be catnip to me, but the game did brutally kill the player character's sister in front of me in an unskippable cutscene so we're done with that game now THANK YOU. it is very slow, which i do like in a game that gives you this much stuff to look at, but there is no gamma control. this game is so fucking dark. i played it in a dark room with no lights and it was still too dark.

pinged off the typing exploration game Epistory despite its charming art, bc fast and accurate typing is something covid has taken from me.

rediscovered Carcassone (online) which is great bc i love Carcassone and own a physical copy of the board game but no one else in my life loves it. tile-building countryside-building game, seconds to learn, etc. thank you board game review even though there are no meeple in their natural habitat (the board) in this picture

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making

it's gonna be putting things into boxes for the forseeable future (the next week) and then living out of them for a while (the next two weeks after that)

[lollipencil]

Followers of the Moonlight: Part 2

Figured I'd continue this one, seeing as the next DLC is today and all. The next part will take a bit, however. I'm still trying to work out a story for this one.

Enjoy and be gentle ---

There was no direction to Marc's wandering. None crossed his path, neither beast or person. Regardless, he followed the beams of light that broke through the thick trees above.

At a crossroads within the towering trunks, something caught his eye: stars hung from strings attached to the branches on high.

Curious and ever cautious, Marc entered the arch they formed. A small area had been cleared of any debris, making a neat perimeter with numerous lit red candles. The same hung stars and moons clustered near the centre, overhead of a tall figure sitting crosslegged on a trio of blankets, a tent to his back.

"So the Vengeful Moon has found a new conduit at last," the duck cooed lowly, "Your choosing was fortold by the cards, as is all. You Of Many Phases, will you draw on the cards yourself?" "Who are you?" Marc's fists tightened on those crescent blades still red with blood. "I am Clauneck, Conduit of Fate." "...What do the cards do?" "Those cards hold the destiny of all whom they are drawn for. They told me about your arrival, and these three chose you." With a great sweep of his red-feathered arm, three cards lay face-down in a neat row. "Are they for you alone, or for you all? Only the cards know," Clauneck noted as Marc finally let the blades vanish, and knelt.

At Marc's nod, Clauneck reached out and flipped the card on the right. Clear as day, was Khonshu's skull, crescent moon inside the eye socket, with blood dripping from his beak. "The moon demands the blood of sinners." Silently Marc watched as the middle was flipped. A heart divided into three, individually coloured sections. "From great chaos, three souls conjoined forevermore."

At the third, Marc found his hand was shaking. He paused, closed his eyes, and breathed. They opened to the final card.

A cave stared back at him, inky water leading into it. "Origin of heartache," Clauneck declared calmly, "The cards have spoken." "I-I don't-" "The hand of fate can be merciless. Although I wonder, would the cards say different to your Others? Your paths are linked, yet, but not all paths are made the same."

Marc screwed his eyes shut, and fought against the memory beating in his skull like a second heartbeat. Once the yelling faded again into that dark place, did Marc open his eyes again.

Everything was gone. The tent, candles, Clauneck, all gone without a sound. Only the cards remained.

[tomyo]

Street Pass Mini Game Special

I truly love my 3DS. Even though I came in to owning one a lot later than everyone else, it's been something I've loved deeply. From themes to kisekae plates to the virtual console IR to AR, I really love exploring the full functionality of the system. At some point I'd probably start a series on other functions of the 3DS but today I wanted to focus on the beloved street pass!

So yes, I did buy ALL the street pass dlc when I hear the shop was closing and it's....an experience to say the least. This has given me the chance to go through them however! So let's go!!

Puzzle Swap

I loved this one a lot when I started using my 3DS. Collecting is definitely a brain activator for me. Admittedly though when they updated to multiple pieces getting collected, it was a lot healthier of a job. Right now, I sit extremely frustrated since my current memory card only shows the standard puzzles and not the ones added over time. I know at one point I was at least to one final puzzle needing filling so now I sit frustratingly finished but not really finished on it.

Find Mii 1&2

Find me was where I truly put more of my attention and also equally frustrating at one point in time as I rarely got passerbys and mostly relied on hires mercs. The biggest struggle was I got my 3DS after I moved back to the suburbs meaning I no longer had the benefit of living in a city or it's huge campus. By the time I did move back to city living, I went to a much smaller school at a time where the switch was about to be released. Sometimes I think back to watching my friends get to play Animal Crossing New Leaf and Pokemon X & Y(which I actually like) with a little bit of envy. There's the tug and pull that I went to a lot of cons at than time and could afford it because I was frugal or how getting an og 3DS likely would've stopped me from getting my beloved new 3DS but sometimes it sucks that I didn't shell out the $180 or so to be apart of all that. The 3DS was probably more of a kawaii golden era staple than any other system could have been and just little things like this suddenly come to mind.... Wait wasn't I supposed to be talking about the games? Ah yes, I truly love the two find Mii games. I think they're extremely fun and you can see the way they paved the path for Miitopia. I still have yet to collect all the rewards you can get partially because of that whole tangent issue but hopefully if I start to walk around with it more I can regularly beat the game. I've started to bring my 3DS to cons and now even own a second one after a lucky find so regular street passing is more common for me!

When it came to the next games, you had to pay for them in I believe $15 increments. Either two to three packages where available alongside the premium upgrade which allowed you to have a longer queue and one additional features. Each game also has a guide character for the stories.

Slot Car Rivals

This was the game I selected from the free choice when they offered that up for the game releases. You race against passers to try and progress and build up your car. If I'm honest I don't get this one much. Your guide character is a race team assistant.

Market Crashers

If somehow you can still get this one I'd choose it of the free choice. You get to do capitalism simply put with more passers equalling better predictions on stock shares going up or down through a session. The gameplay per a session is really short once it starts but I find it fun thus far. Basically rapidly hitting by or sell to make more money as quick as possible. There's also art assets to grab up and hold onto. I definitely get excited at chances to play this one. Your guide character is a reddit looking business man.

Feed Mii

Another concept I really like. You essentially grab ingredients and try to cook the best meals possible for your passers who are going out on quests. Do good and you get good reviews from their success. Sadly also really short gameplay overall. While you're encouraged to try cooking more before ending a session, the gameplay can feel a little to quickly done. Your guide character is a cozy male cook in a bandana.

Ninja launcher

Another extremely quick gameplay session one. You're trying to match up passers to be in your shooting path as they'll give you equipment to fight an enemy but you have a time limit to try and get the most ideal shot. Once you fight the target the session is over. Your guide character is a Yamato nadeshiko ninja.

Mii Trek

This one reaks of edutainment in the best way. Each passed adds to the amount of traveling you can do as you lead an expedition for treasure and find real life animals along the way. It's not fully my cup of tea but I like the journey you get to take being a longer and more complicated game session than the previous ones. Your guide character is a toucan straight out of the 90s era gif graphics.

Mii Force

Another longer game. You're in a classic side scrolling shooter with each passed equating to being a weapon with variation based on shirt color. Its sometimes even a little challenging for me. At points I even feel a bit frustrated because enemy shots aren't always clear on the screen noise but that also means I'll have more reason to come back to it as I progress through it. Your guide character is a robot captain.

Flower Town

One of my favorites and one I was really excited to finally get to play. You raise and breed flowers to create a plethora of breeds. I like anything that involves raising so this one spoke to me a lot. That being said it goes pretty slow hahahah. Your guide character is this calming older dude with glasses.

Warriors Way

I remember my best friend talking good of this one and I do enjoy it. Your troops are your total street passes and then most passer's numbers will also be added to yours which you then use to conquer other nations. Because I started so late I started off with a sizable 900+ and then a few thousand from others joining me. However I did run into a monster army I would of had to of challenged but I was too overwhelmed by the size. The battles are rock paper scissors but with the right number and it letting you know the win outcomes, it can be doable without ever losing. Your guide character is a butler.

Monster Manor

You're stuck in a mansion and collect essentially Tetris pieces that turn into halls to help you discover the stairs to help guide you up to freedom. You also occasionally fight ghosts. I don't know how to put it has more meat of a game but it doesn't hold my attention as much. Your guide character is a tiny girl who you employ (I promise I don't mean it in that way but she's a loli type)

Ultimate Angler

You fish various species with bait you receive from your street passes. It’s even local to your area based on how you registered yourself. To catch certain fish you need the right bait which is based on the color of your street passer’s shirts. When I had a lot of street passes pulled up it was pretty fun but it’s not as great when you struggle to get the right bait. I also wish you could change areas and save bait for new locations but sadly you have to use it all at once. When you get back you can stick the stuff you caught in an aquarium and sometimes get new rods which I haven’t explored much yet. You guide character is a bikini clad girl who runs the desk.

Battleground Z

The final of them is a zombie brawler where passers give you weapons or fight with you. I'm not a big fan of beat em ups so I'm a little sad I'm not a huge fan of this one. Sad because you're guide character is a blonde, Bayonetta looking onee-san.

[morgz-mortuary]

There is something so inherently sad about how things ended after the Battle of Kaer Morhen (and not for the obvious reason)

Spoilers for The Witcher 3:Wild Hunt

I thought about Kaer Morhen for a little longer than I should have and now I'm sad.

Anyway, that got me thinking:

After Vesemir dies, all of the Wolf Witchers leave Kaer Morhen and decide never to go back.(At least that's what Eskel tells Geralt. Lambert doesn't say that he'd never return, but with how much Lam openly admits his disdain for the place, I don't think he would).

And I think that is the last we ever see of Eskel and Lambert in the game. I have tried looking to see if you can find them in game, just hanging around or whatever (I know Lambert seems to hang out at the Nowhere Inn and I'm pretty sure we've only ever seen Eskel at Kaer Morehen, but yknow) but I haven't seen them. And as far as I'm aware, we don't see Lambert and Eskel in the Blood and Wine DLC either (but I've only done the main story so far, so I have many side mission left)

And there's a bit of an implication that Geralt, Eskel and Lambert will never see each other again.

Finding other witchers on the path is very rare, so it's not likely they'll ever really cross paths again, which sucks.

I'd like to believe they'd try and make some way to see each other since they're like the only family they have.

Or maybe I'm just overthinking such a small aspect (most likely).

In my ideal world, Eskel and Lambert stay at Corvo Bianco during winter.

[dellamortethelesser]

For the ask meme, give me more on Mahanon and Zev 😌

Somehow my dumb ass missed this ask in my inbox (but I guess that's what being on mobile for most of the day does for me). I'm either busy at work or running around my apartment doing little tasks that I have to catch up on the internet lore once I sit down at my desktop.

Mahanon and Zevran--I didn't go into much detail about them the other day but I have rambled about them sooo many times to my mutuals and my besties in DMs so I will go ahead and try to put my thoughts together as to how I feel about their relationship.

I talked in one of my previous posts about how Mahanon has a lot of built-up resentment due to the fact that he is always shouldered with the burden of decision and yet is often criticized after he makes those hard decisions. One thing that I appreciate about Zevran is that (unless it comes to the matter of slavery), he does not judge or criticize a decision that Mahanon makes. In fact, in the DLC when Mahanon chooses to engage with Sophia Dryden (to later double-cross her) Zevran is impressed by Mahanon's willingness to test his own limits of acceptability in order to do what has to be done.

So overall this great theme in their relationship is the idea of accepting each other without judgment; Mahanon is not going to change for Zevran because Mahanon is very staunch in his own identity and Mahanon will not ask Zevran to change for him, either--instead they come to know each other well and tend to each others' wounds without any inclination that they will become better people because of it. Love can be revolutionary but for a long time, what they share isn't love; it's trust.

Trust is, after all, the backbone of any great relationship. And they do eventually fall in love; there's this theme of having each others' backs and Zevran covering Mahanon's blind spot when he loses sight in one eye and it's so sweet but such a slowburn build up... at the end they don't marry, but they still have an exclusive commitment to each other and Zevran travels with Mahanon for a long time thereafter--even when apart, there's a piece of them bound together.

Another big thing that I like to focus on when writing them is the fact that they both enter into their relationship with a lot of trauma and it's not expected that either of them can kiss it better. Zevran's hypersexuality where he comes onto the Warden to try and endear himself to the party actually puts Mahanon off at first because he is so repulsed by physical intimacy. They are both two deeply wounded people who walk a long path together but they are side-by-side at the end of it.

other thoughts that don't cohesively fit above: i made a post abt zevran's hypersexual trauma responses and how people treat him as a racialized fetishization here and i stand by that and try not to write into those stereotypes because i LOATHE them; mahanon was really endeared to zevran once they started their little relationship because it was his first romantic interest who affirmed his gender; mahanon is the top bc i was mad at bioware for assigning my m!warden pc as the bottom when i first played origins.