#iseul's route was the enigma when transcribing
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bastart13 · 5 months ago
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Your designs are
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✨✨ magical ✨✨
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My faves have never looked better!
Since you're talking all your thoughts about the Love & Legends characters, what do you think of Iseul the Elven Prince?
Iseul's one of my favourite characters... outside his route. Outside his route, he's incredibly charming and one of the funniest characters in the game. He has a great dynamic with the other retainers and he comes of surprisingly wise in many scenes where conflict would otherwise escalate. I think his backstory is a fairly interesting one in terms of motivation coupled with the war, his family serve as great support in all routes, and he does come off as long-lived but still relatively young in a great subversion of the hauty elf stereotype.
Unfortunately, a lot of that charm wasn't really in his route itself? They had a lot more focus on Iseul being detached and uncaring, especially in the first seasons. While I would describe Iseul as relaxed, he's also openly loving and motivated to protect people rather than cold. It makes sense that he'd be resistant to responsibility or the thought that war could restart, but they don't adequately explain why he wouldn't tell Jinhai, a murderous war criminal he's actively fought fr years, "no" to joining him. That and making Reiner and the other retainers secondary antagonists detracts from the sense of friendship and comradery they maintain everywhere else, leaving you with the impression that Iseul's not particularly close with them. Especially Reiner. The fact he's more open and forgiving in Alain and Helena's routes than Iseul's feels... off.
I do get that the theme of Iseul's route is how he doesn't feel motivated to accept a duty or situation he had no choice in, but idk, maybe it's just early writing, because I think they play it off way better elsewhere.
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