#micaiah can i fight too

[minimutty]

Sothe: The Zephyr Packmule

[chaosisdying]

hello guys today I analyse micaiah's outfits throughout the game

spoilers for Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn

I think the red/magenta in micaiah's outfit represents the presence of yune/her heron powers, while the cyan/blue represents herself. hear me out

ok you know how she starts with a balance of cyan and magenta in her outfit right? at that point, she has her foresight powers working and she's fighting for the dawn brigade's cause. in this case the magenta represents her reliance on her powers and the cyan her values and who she is as a person. which. think about it. the cyan in her outfit are a scarf and a bow, which can be removed. she's willing to lose herself for her cause and values.

(criminal that there isn't official art of this outfit)

her second outfit, after she gets promoted to general (or something else I forgor) is mostly cyan. the magenta is watered out, it's a pinkish white now. keep in mind that once again, the cyan is on her cape, something removable.

the pink represents her foresight powers not working like before anymore, since the war broke out, yune isn't as present as she was before because war is breaking out and she's about to wake up. micaiah is completely on her own and all she has left is her values and herself. hence, the cape. but you see how the cape fades to white on the lower part. she's so focused on her goal that she loses herself and all she sees is her goal. she does things micaiah of part 1 wouldn't do (remember the oil incident haha yeah).

she's completely broken and it's a miracle her outfit isn't completely white by now.

but

part 4 happens

yune returns. micaiah's powers return. yune takes control of micaiah to talk and kind of uses her body to communicate with others. what's left of micaiah now? her self?

well. her outfit is completely magenta/red by now. only her white cloth isn't of that color. her outfit colors represent perfectly what happens in part 4 and endgame. yune steals the show and micaiah isn't really... there. yes she's fighting for her cause, she wants to free everyone, but really, she has no choice.

her role of being yune's kinda vessel makes it so she's forced to be there and do things. we don't hear much about micaiah's thoughts in this part. it's like she's completely gone, hence the white in her third outfit. she doesn't even have her blue bow in her hair anymore.

if I'm right then the devs either planned on micaiah's lack of presence in endgame and reflected it on her design, or I'm just insane

bonus:

her queen outfit shown in cipher and in her legendary version can be analysed too with the same logic. except I'd expect a blue coat to represent her returning to herself and doing what she loves: protecting Daein citizens. but that red makes me think that she didn't really want that. she wanted to do things behind the scene, like a shadow. it's just she had no choice again. who could've ruled daein if not her? pelleas abdicated (good for him) and sure as hell begnion can't return bullying daein. only she could take the throne and I can't help but think she did it out of obligation and because of her kindness. it's sad to think but her color code makes me think she had a sadder ending than we think. we don't know her feelings about this.

this is where the dark part of her outfit comes. she went from light colors, almost white, to this dark brown. almost to say that she still wants to be a merely a shadow. there's no blue/cyan anywhere.

anyways thanks for reading!! I thought about all this while trying to sleep in the bus lol

[nonbinaryspy]

Our Path Ahead: Micaiah and Sanaki Meta

"Stealth is rather thrilling!" "Shh! You'll get us spotted!"

Along with amazing art, a fun unit, and some adorable conversations, the latest duo unit in FEH offers a perfect chance to compare and contrast Micaiah and Sanaki's backgrounds as well as imagine how they come together post-RD. I'll be sharing relevant quotes from RD to showcase how their FEH interactions follow up from it, so this post will be long and spoiler-filled for both RD and the latest FEH update.

I'll first share Sanaki's arc in RD, then discuss their dynamic in the latest FEH update, and end by digging more into Micaiah's arc in RD.

Sanaki's RD arc has her contending with the fact that she can't hear the voice of the goddess, or do anything else associated with the apostle's powers. Of course, this is because Micaiah inherited these abilities along with her brand, but in the meantime, the senate takes advantage of the confusion to call Sanaki a false apostle and take control. This in turn makes her doubt herself.

At first, during 4-P, Sanaki sounds like she believes her upbringing should make her just as, if not more, capable than Micaiah:

Sanaki: “If Micaiah, an untrained girl from the streets of Daein, is fighting, then I shall stand my ground as well.”

However, she quickly learns what Micaiah can do. While she wants to learn more about why Micaiah has the powers she lacks, she is too scared to approach her at first.

Sigrun: “… We seem to have missed our chance to speak with her. What a remarkable girl. Lady Micaiah can hear the voice of the goddess Yune and learn of impending danger. She is much like you, Empress Sanaki.” Sanaki: “… Let us head back.” Sigrun: “Are you sure? You said before that it was imperative you speak with Lady Micaiah…” Sanaki: “It’s not important. Forget it.”

In 4-3, however, Micaiah takes the initiative:

Micaiah: “Yes, it’s me, Micaiah. Um… May I sit next to you?” Sanaki: “What? Oh… Uh…” “…Of course you may.” Micaiah: “Thank you. …This is awkward. I’m sorry. I know that you are not very fond of me, but I wanted to talk to you.” Sanaki: “It’s not that. I like you just fine. It’s just that…you make me feel inadequate.” Micaiah: “It’s because I can sing the galdr of release and hear Yune’s voice, isn’t it?” Sanaki: “How…did you know?” Micaiah: “I can sense the flow of people’s thoughts. By seeing the movement of a person’s mind, I can usually deduce what the person is thinking…” Sanaki: “You can read minds?! What a boon that would be to running a country… If I could read people’s minds, I could tell what the nobles and senators were thinking behind their smiles. I wonder why the goddess didn’t bless me with such power?”

Though Micaiah thinks Sanaki dislikes her, and she doesn't know they're related, she is already drawn to try to connect with her. Sanaki, meanwhile, is still hung up on the idea that Micaiah has the abilities she lacks, and that she could have prevented the current problems if she'd had them instead.

Later in the chapter, she contextualizes this while talking to Sigrun and Tanith, saying that after the last apostle's assassination and the ensuing power vacuum, her birth and ascension led to "a sigh of relief [that] sounded across the country." This is clearly a lot of pressure to put on a child! After all the turmoil the senate causes, Sanaki feels responsible, saying that "the country’s sigh of relief was unwarranted" because she couldn't hear the voice of the goddess. She's convinced the fault lies with her and the powers she lacks. Tanith and Sigrun, however, maintain their motherly banter throughout this conversation, and then confirm that they're loyal to her for who she is rather than any born abilities:

Sigrun: “If you thought that our allegiance was to the office of the apostle, well, you were wrong. Even from a young age, you have been working with Lord Sephiran to fight the senate on behalf of the people.” Tanith: “Our loyalty lies with you, Empress Sanaki. You will always be our empress. Please do not forget that.” Sanaki: “…I am…blessed. Not by the voice of the goddess, but by loyalty like yours.”

As will be shown later in this post, in the latest FEH content, Sanaki describes how even now, Tanith and Sigrun are still supporting her in a new world, helping her train and gain new abilities. Sanaki was raised to value herself for her potential inherited powers, but in the end, it's who she is that wins the love and loyalty of her family and the people of Begnion.

At the end of RD, the siblings come together and decide that Sanaki will continue to rule Begnion, no longer as an empire, but as a nation on equal footing with Daein, which Micaiah will always consider her true home.

Sanaki: “In that case, my sister, please consider staying in Begnion. With your power and charisma, you could do so much good here.” Micaiah: “No, I’m afraid I can’t.” Sanaki: “Why-Why not?” Micaiah: “Daein is my home, and Daein needs me to help it heal and rebuild. Not Begnion.” Sanaki: “But Begnion–“ Micaiah: “Begnion has you, Empress. You will be a just ruler. Make your country proud to have you.” Sanaki: “Will I… never see you again?” Micaiah: “Hardly. I think that what our countries need now is a sense of family and friendship. I ask that you sign a treaty of alliance with Daein and announce that we are equals.”

In this conversation from the epilogue, we see Sanaki continue to suggest that Micaiah would be a better ruler for Begnion, but Micaiah disagrees. She knows that Sanaki is just as determined to keep the people of Begnion safe and happy as she is to do the same for Daein, and assures Sanaki to that end.

In the latest FEH update, we see these traits in practice, as Sanaki is very committed to training for the ninja festival. Even in their friend greeting quote, she is still training while passing along messages:

Sanaki: Urgh… There's nothing to be done if we've been detected. Our infiltration training is over. Let's away, Micaiah!

I also love putting some of their castle quotes in conversation with each other.

Sanaki: A ninja... If only I had such a person at my disposal, perhaps then I might have quelled the senate's rampage.

Here, we see that in FEH's take on a teenage Sanaki, she is still blaming herself for the senate's actions and questioning what she could have done to stop them. She therefore still wants to acquire more power:

Sanaki: People are fragile... Which is precisely why they must learn to have strength. Do you not think so, Micaiah?

Micaiah, meanwhile, has quite a different line about strength:

Micaiah: It's about time for the festivities! Shall we take a short break? Participation in a festival takes ample strength.

As Sanaki's older sister, and having already seen how hard Sanaki is on herself, Micaiah encourages her to take care of herself and be patient. This is also shown in their level-up quotes:

Micaiah: Keep your head up, Sanaki. We are improving slowly but surely.

Meanwhile, we see Sanaki still has her drive to stop those with corrupt intentions:

Sanaki: Stand down! Your ill-intentioned deeds are over!

However, she may have another motive, in her desire for attention from her sister:

Sanaki: Aha! It hit the mark! Micaiah, you must observe this technique!

When they first met in RD, Sanaki was too nervous to even approach Micaiah, and came across to Micaiah as disliking her. But now she is actively seeking out Micaiah's approval and companionship.

All of this clearly follows up from their dynamic in the RD epilogue. What really sells this for me is their level 40 dialogue:

Sanaki: I can scarcely believe how incapable my body is of following my wishes. I can't seem to move like you, Micaiah. Micaiah: I spent my life running between alleys and the underground... I'm bound to have a bit more endurance than you. Sanaki: It may not appear to be the case, but I've done my fair share of training with Sigrun, Tanith, and a few others. Micaiah: You mean to say you've been doing special ninja training with members of the Holy Guard? Sanaki: To train, we've been swatting at fast-growing ivy in the mornings. At times it's so tall, Tanith must lift me. Micaiah: We are quite similar, you and I. We both take these festivals seriously and are earnest in our pursuits. Sanaki: Yes, well...er...we are sisters after all! Though, I simply figured if I was going to participate, I may as well go all in. Micaiah: That's one of your best qualities. You are incredibly decisive and have such strong convictions—a true ruler. Sanaki: Well...this conversation has taken a turn, but I quite enjoy being with you. Shall we continue this discourse? Micaiah: Of course, not only for our sakes but for Begnion's and Daein's as well. But we must watch those sneaky shadows.

In RD, Sanaki initially implied that Micaiah's upbringing would lead to her being less capable, but now it's presented as having given her endurance and survival abilities that Sanaki never had a reason to develop. This conversation also shows Sanaki continuing to train, as she's accepted that she must rely on abilities she cultivates rather than assuming the goddess will grant her power. Like Tanith and Sigrun, Micaiah is able to recognize that Sanaki's strength lies in her determination, which of course is a trait Micaiah shares.

Even as they spend time together incognito as siblings, they still have their political roles in mind, and their conversation turns to focusing on the abilities required of a ruler rather than only treating this as a family vacation. Given the roles they've both found themself in--Sanaki due to birth, and Micaiah due to circumstance--having a normal outing is easier said than done.

Their precious voiced conversation also showcases their different pasts, abilities, and experiences with family, especially in the first half of it:

Sanaki: Excellent. Now that I've slipped in undetected, all that remains is to reach out and take... Micaiah: Found you! Sanaki: Blast! That is the third time in a row you've caught me! What gave the game away this time? I suppose that is a foolish question to ask a diviner. You looked into the future, didn't you? Micaiah: Not at all. I merely took the time to familiarize myself with all the little nooks and crannies in this place. More by force of habit than anything else, admittedly. I needed that sort of awareness to survive, growing up. Sanaki: Ah... Of course. I can scarcely imagine the trials you must have endured in those years... Micaiah: Now, now, none of that. It's all behind us. Right now, I'm at a festival with my sister—and I couldn't be happier. It reminds me of festivals back home, though. I'd often see brothers and sisters leading each other around. It used to make me envious, seeing siblings holding hands, enjoying their time together as family.

I love how FEH presents the idea that Sanaki is learning to not define Micaiah only as the one who inherited Lehran's powers. While she assumes Micaiah relied on future sight, Micaiah in fact used the survival instincts she needed while living on the streets as one of the Branded. Sanaki expresses sympathy, but Micaiah, as a character who has a harsh past and looks ever to the future, is currently trying to live in the present--appreciating what she finally has simply by being there with Sanaki.

Though Sanaki yearned for the powers Micaiah has, in RD, Micaiah says she always felt they were a burden. She gets overwhelmed among groups of people due to always feeling their emotions, especially the emotions directed toward her. Considering how much hatred she's experienced throughout her life as a Branded in Daein as well as a freedom fighter, this is undoubtedly a traumatic thing to live with. Even when she finds people who support her, she ends up being put on a pedestal she never asked for. Seeing the future can also be a burden, as she may or may not be able to stop the dark visions she sees. So while a festival could be an overwhelming experience for someone with her empathic abilities, being at this festival in FEH, living in the moment with her cherished family and going around incognito as a regular person, would be a healing experience.

Even then, she is unable to turn off her survival instincts that tell her she must be aware of potential danger and places to hide. Meanwhile, Sanaki's own protection relies on being visible--on being able to call for her guards at any given moment, as well as use her status as a shield. Being stealthy at a ninja festival is far from her own wheelhouse, as some of their voice lines amusingly show.

It's clear that Micaiah and Sanaki have lived very separate lives, and they've had different types of family supporting them. Micaiah is used to sneaking around as part of a group with Sothe and the Dawn Brigade, most of whom are younger than her and who she must protect, while Sanaki is used to having the adults around her dote on and protect her as their liege, most notably Tanith, Sigrun, and Sephiran. She is used to being the center of attention, as is shown in the paralogue, where she does not want to have to share her new sibling with Sothe--but she also is used to being isolated on a pedestal rather than being treated as an equal. So in the duo unit's voice conversation, Sanaki is at first awkward about the idea of holding Micaiah's hand to walk around the festival, but quickly latches onto the chance for affection and companionship.

Sanaki: I hope you harbor no intentions of chaperoning me like that. I am an empress, you will recall! Still... I suppose I would consent to holding hands. If you'd like. Micaiah: Oh, I didn't mean anything by it. I was just reminiscing, that's all. But, since you've made me such a generous offer, how could I refuse? Go on, take my hand. Sanaki: Very well! Hehehe...this will be fun. Come, we have a festival to enjoy! Hurry it along now! Micaiah: Oh! Hehehe! Keep swinging my arm like that and you're likely to send me flying!

(Side note: this isn't even the only mention Micaiah makes to flying in this update. I have to respect her commitment to bird puns.)

Part of Micaiah's arc in RD involves her grappling with the idea of belonging. Years ago, she and Sothe were all each other had, due to her experiences being Branded and his own past as an orphan. They are used to relying on and fiercely protecting each other as a result. Still, before PoR, Micaiah tried to leave Sothe, as she didn't think someone who was Branded could really have a home or family. She knew that as she aged, her heritage would become apparent. The rejection that the Branded face gave her understandable issues with attachment, but thankfully, she and Sothe were able to reunite. By that point, traveling with Ike had also taught Sothe greater acceptance of other races, allowing him to support Micaiah better.

Ike: The first time I met him, he’d hidden on a ship we were taking. He mentioned he was looking for someone who was like family to him. It was you he was searching for, wasn’t it? Micaiah: I…I tried to leave him behind. When we went to Crimea, I split off from him and took a ship to Begnion. But when I reached Begnion, war had broken out between Crimea and Daein. I knew I had to return to Daein to look for him. I couldn’t find him, so I went to Crimea. But I still couldn’t find him… We found each other again after the war, in Daein. In the back alleys of Nevassa, where we first met. Ike: You took routes opposite to each other. Micaiah: When I told him why I’d disappeared, he got so angry… I’d never seen him get so emotional before. Ike: I can’t say that I blame him. I’d be pretty furious if I heard someone that I loved was wandering around two countries at war. Besides, I’m sure he’d hidden his feelings about being abandoned until he saw you again. Micaiah: I thought I was reaching the limit of how long I could stay with him. He grew each and every day, but I remained the same… I didn’t want him to be harmed by the curse I lived with. Can you imagine how hard that would have been on him?

Given how she literally has an ability called sacrifice, and is often put in positions of responsibility, whether it's looking after Sothe when he was a child or becoming the leader of a resistance group, Micaiah's first instinct was to sacrifice the bond she had, not understanding that her leaving Sothe behind would be harder on him. Never having been allowed to have a place in society, she underestimated her own importance to someone else. However, she learns that sacrifice is not always the most noble option or the best solution to a problem.

After speaking to Ike more, Micaiah decides that she'll return to Daein, whereas she initially had been thinking she would "travel to a far-off place." Though she was afraid to try to stay with the people of Tellius, as she had always been told that her blood was cursed and that she wouldn't have a place with anyone, she has found a home and a family. The chance to remain with those she cares about is worth the hardships that may lie ahead.

Earlier in the game, as she got involved in wider political plots, she had to make decisions about who to protect when she couldn't save everyone. This includes Tibarn confronting her with the choice to either surrender--thus dooming the people of Daein to the blood pact--or sacrifice Sothe, as well as her decision to protect the people of Daein even if it means fighting the other nations. Sothe is the only family she has known, and Daein is the only home she has known, so these decisions weigh heavily on her.

By the end, Micaiah has found things she didn't know she could look for--an answer to her mysterious origins, blood relations in Sanaki and Lehran, and a family outside of Daein. She and Sanaki can seek international peace together by working publicly from a distance, which is very different than Micaiah having to stick to the shadows or make sacrifices to protect the people closest to her. As someone who values peace, she no longer has to choose between her love and her ideals.

This quote from the latest FEH update (from when you power up the duo unit) sums this up quite well:

Micaiah: Let us unite in strength and mold this world into one of peace, together.

(Blessed thought to add to my ever-growing list of fic ideas: Since the herons can use sending stones, theoretically, Sanaki and Micaiah could use sending stones to communicate Post-RD. Diplomatic phone calls that turn into late-night sister chats!!)

Still, that doesn't mean that she's instantly going to know how to interact with people she just found out she's related to. In her talk conversation with Lehran in 4-final, she's unusually shy:

Micaiah: Um… Lehran: Yes? Micaiah: You’re Lehran, aren’t you? Lehran: Yes. Micaiah: You… Forgive me for asking, but… Aren’t you my– Lehran: Can we talk about this later? Micaiah: What? Oh, I mean, of course… Sorry to bother you… Lehran: Child, you couldn’t possibly bother me. It’s just, the talk you and I must have is going to take a long time. I don’t think Ashera would wait for us to finish. Micaiah: Oh… Very well. Lehran: What is it? Micaiah: Oh, nothing… Never mind. Lehran: Micaiah? Micaiah: Y-yes? Lehran: Looks like you could use some backup. I’m good with a staff, too, you know. Micaiah: Th-thank you.

Unlike Sanaki, Micaiah is not used to approaching a father figure, and trying to broach this topic with Lehran of all people is no doubt intimidating! He, being more used to this role, is able to demonstrate his desire to support her while remaining pragmatic about the urgent situation they're in.

I bring this up because in the FEH paralogue, Micaiah fumbles her initial attempt to spend time with Sanaki, bringing up Sothe rather than paying attention to the sibling she's with. As said, Sanaki is particularly likely to find this frustrating, and due to her trademark bratty personality and Micaiah's teasing big sis instincts, this leads to some banter. In the end, however, they are able to express their feelings and their desire to spend time together as siblings.

Micaiah: Ah! What are— Is this some new kind of ninja attack?! Hee hee hee! Get off, get off! Owowow! …Hey, that tickles! Sanaki: All those who disturb the apostle's peace must be dealt the most severe punishments! …Beg my forgiveness! Micaiah: Forgive me, O Apostle! I will forever more—until the end of the festival—enjoy spending my time with my beloved sister. Sanaki: …That's all I wanted! Micaiah: I know we haven't had a chance to spend much time together as sisters yet, but... I hope we can do this sort of thing together as family from now on. And with practice, I'm sure to get better about just enjoying my time with you while I'm with you. Sanaki: Micaiah... I'm glad you understand. Now, let's get back to enjoying our time here! We're wasting valuable practice time!

This family has plenty of baggage, but they crave connection and have a great capacity to support each other. Though their backgrounds may be different, there's so much for them to learn from each other as they lead their respective nations and become a loving family. I'm so glad that FEH gave them a chance to finally get to know one another and share the affection they deserve.

[nevassan]

happy anniversary and munday, toa! credits to neffi for the munday form - thank you for all your hard work and love!

Name: harrow

Pronouns: he/she/it

Birthday (no year): 8/25

Where are you from? What is your time zone? US | CST

How long is your roleplay experience? 10+ years

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? roleplaying warriors on fanfic.net as any good soldier of the time did. i did it on my 3ds because i didn't have a laptop yet.

How were you introduced to TOA? i messaged leo in december and went "i missed tellius" and leo went "hey i rp tellius on tumblr" and the rest is, as they say, history.

Do you have any pets? four cats - hubert von vestra (black), odessa silverberg (calico), anakin (gray), and kaoru hakaze (tabby).

What is your favorite time of year and why? i love autumn so much i'm about to be thriving

What is your IRL occupation? math tutor & pizza delivery driver!

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? i like competitive games, drawing, old english literature, and really obscure jrpgs.

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? obscure ass jrpgs - fragile dreams, eternal sonata, magical vacation, etc. i also play a lot of fighting games. catch me in guilty gear strive 10x streak.

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: favorite pokemon type is fairy or normal, but my favorite pokemon is dhelmise!

Tell us some funfacts and trivia about yourself! one time when i was 6 a playdate i was having ended so me and the person i was hanging out with (i barely knew her and did not consider her a friend) decided our only course of action was to run away from home and i think it's really funny. we did get decently far.

How did you get into Fire Emblem? my ex in 2016 went "hey dude you should play this tellius stuff" and the rest is history

What Fire Emblem games have you played? every one except gaiden. I'm sorry n

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: first - awakening, favorite - radiant dawn

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! HUBERT VON VESTRA!!!!!!!!!!, Micaiah, Arthur (FE4), Olwen, Takumi

Who was the first character ever to make you go “ooh I like this one in particular” and why? Can be any context and reason! probably Sephiran. iyky

Any Fire Emblem crushes? 😳 hubert von vestra i am free. i am free whenever. Please

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays? - Awakening: i don't...remember? if i got the gay awakening mod now i'd probably do henry. - Fates: niles / still niles - Three Houses: i don't think i s supported anyone on my first playthrough, as weird as that is. nowadays i pick girleth so i can kiss hubie and seteth - Engage: i didn't ever beat the game on my own (thanks youtube) but i would like to marry pandreo or nel.

Favorite Fire Emblem class? i love mages. i love mage emblem. i like trickster a lot too.

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? i would be a green unit and if you don't rescue me i die. like regardless of if the enemy units kill me i get executed in a cutscene after the chapter or something. i'm just a villager.

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? black eagles forever baby!!!

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? boons - faith & dark; banes - axes & heavy armor; budding - authority.

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? firene realistically but i want to go to elusw

How do you pronounce TOA? 🤔TO-AH

Current TOA muses: Diarmuid, Sothe

Past TOA muses? Hortensia, F!Morgan, Shez, Lukas

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Sothe, soooo...

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I need you to not look at my muselist and look at this answer. I love silly girls. I love whimsical little girly girls so much.

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? I want to be able to write really villainous characters/ Smart characters, but I'm not good at writing manipulative stuff and im too embarrassed to dm another mun like hey can you pretend i gaslit gatekept girlbossed your muse

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? i like battle and high-emotion scenes. stuff i can use prose for.

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? i want diarmuid to break :thumbsup: make this guy cry

Favorite TOA-related memories? i've honestly just been really happy the whole time i've been here. even when my muse wanes i enjoy being in toa so much it overcomes the feeling of writer's block because i just want to be here with this group i've come to love.

Present or past tense? present

Normal size text, small text, no preference? no preference

Got any potential muse delusions to share? 😉 monica and hortensia are playing tug of war w my last braincell that needs to be doing homework

[pangtasias-atelier]

hope its alright if i make more than one suggestion after i suggested the sothe wg one, it'd be a fun one too if nailah meets volug later after hes been hanging with the dawn brigade and she sees that he has gotten fat as hell off daein cuisine.

I absolutely love Volug and I fucking adore how ridiculous he is when you translate his text absjnsjbdns. Also, Volug definitely is someone who'd get fat as and not give a about how big he is which hot

I hope you enjoy it cause I went a little crazy writing about his size since I felt was kind of lacking it recently lol

Warning: This is a fetish story!

“I know the rest of the way there,” Her words leave little room for argument. Not when dealing with the queen of Hatari, the wolf’s words and actions far more blunt than the honeyed words of beorc leaders. She neither bothers to stop or to look back at her former beorc guide as she walks deeper into what should be the complex building that is Daein Keep. 

As she walks further into the massive building, the scent that Nailah follows only grows stronger. Her target not bothering to run away, or come towards her as she’d expect from her loyal subordinate, she pays little attention to her trail. The other strange change besides his seeming eagerness to avoid her is the difference in scent. A simple trail that she could follow even with her eye closed, the scent is far more fragrant; the smell carries with it an abundance of other flavors and tastes. The aromatic trail also changes often. However, the main scent of her target is always at the very center of it all. But with the base unceasingly constant, actually following it is a triviality. So she instead focuses her one good eye on her surroundings. 

All manner of beorc walk throughout the keep. Each and every one of them with their own task, the individual laguz that passes by them is nothing more than a look of surprise or poorly hidden gasp by a few beorc. Yet, none even bother to stop or harass her. A hurried pace is the most action said few beorc take. “Their queen taught them better manners. Good for Micaiah,” Whispering to herself, her stoic face breaks into a small smile, the queen unable to help but feel proud of Micaiah becoming a capable leader despite her fears. 

It doesn’t take long for Nailah to reach her destination, the stop a surprise to herself with her target always on the move.

“Unfortunately it seems you lost your manners, Volug,” The only thing between Nailah and her subordinate now is the door to his room. Any other possible reason for him avoiding her is completely irrelevant when she can simply fight them. Before opening the door, she cracks her knuckles. And her neck. And every other limb she can, her face hardening as she shoves open the unlocked door and nearly tears it off its hinges. 

The round, portly face that stares at her with driblets of meat juice drizzling down his mouth quickly changes Nailah’s whole demeanor. 

Her subject right in front of her, Nailah gets an eyeful of just how fat Volug has become.

All of Volug’s lean musculature is completely gone. His once well cared for body is blanketed by a soft, pliable mound of lard that would make any stranger unable to accept that the pile of fat eating away could ever be so fit. Volug’s abs are no more; the shown off six pack is replaced by a distended gut, so big and flabby to the point where the mass of flab sags past Volug’s knees when standing. His gut is easily the largest aspect of Volug’s obese self. The tanned mound of flab is too big for him to even reach all around with his wide, flabby arms. Always going shirtless, showing off his gut is nothing new to Volug, the laguz used to stares at glances back when he weighed 500 pounds less than he currently does. Despite having already eaten his second serving of lunch, and currently snacking away on an entree sized platter of food, his stomach still rumbles. His gut is divided into sections now, so much fat framing his stomach that his love handle juts out far enough to be noticeably wider than his upper roll of stomach fat. Volug gut has little definition to it, the mass of flab only wishing to sag and take up the room it needs. His stomach presses against his thighs and sags dangerously close to the floor—Volug only around a hundred extra pounds away from accomplishing the feat—even as Volug sits in his cushiony couch made of velvet; the couch is unfortunately broken with the sturdy furniture not made with such a fat laguz in mind, or anyone with such an obscene weight at all. The legs of the couch still manage to withstand, but the very center of the couch is cracked, the wood split into two right where Volug’s hefty poundage sits and gorges. Volug’s thighs are forced to the side by his gut that spills forward; well, they’re forced as far as they can, his legs lacking much in the way of flexibility and mobility like the rest of his large self. Even Volug’s calves are much larger from his extra weight; the girthy limbs even make his feet seem smaller, the fat squishing down and practically encasing his ankles when Volug waddles around in search of more food. His thighs ooze out on both sides of him. 

Volug’s original attire already minimal in terms of fabric, he now needs far more to cover up his girth. The beige gray fabric of his fifth set of pants —all others torn apart as Volug simply grew as his gorging did—is incredibly thin. Daein well known for its more insulated materials, Volug’s clothes are made of thinner bolts of fabric to allow his massive thighs that are too wide for regular doorways some ability to breathe with Volug now being so fat that the country’s chillier climate still oftentimes leaves him warm from having to lug and carry around so much soft, warm lard. His chair crushing thighs are usually ovular from the amount of fat encasing each thick limb, but the two large thighs are pressed down like dough with him sitting. Volug’s ass suffers a similar issue as his legs. Unfortunately, his large rear is cramped against the backrest of the couch. Volug’s ass is now large enough to completely obscure an entire chair, not that any chair meant for a single person can handle his weight. His jutting backside presses against the couch. Every bit of Volug’s hefty ass is covered up by his pants. The red tarp of fabric shredded fabric that he has around his waist only barely comes past his ass with how much space it takes up now. His tail is much less fortunate, Volug’s long wolf tail is wedged in between each curvaceous cheek, the very base of it practically squished by so much lard. With how wide and how much room he occupies, the extra feature on Volug seems miniscule to the rest of him, especially with it barely being visible unless standing behind him. His ass is squished up against almost the entire width of the backrest with his ass and thighs taking up most of the room on the couch. A three seater can only comfortably fit one fat ass laguz on it. There is still a sliver of empty space on both sides of Volug, but the amount of space available is only enough for one person on each side to get stuck between the armrest and Volug’s thighs and then get smothered by the splaying flab of Volug’s gut and breasts. Volug endowed in his chest, it still holds true even as a superchub. His chest manages to hold a surprising amount of shape to them despite the amount of lard crammed into them. Both of his tits are larger than his head, the bottom curve of his two breasts grazing his sagging gut. His breasts still struggle from limited space with the rest of his body. Especially with how absolutely massive Volug’s arms are with so much fat surprisingly piling onto them. His biceps alone are larger than a beorc’s waist; the flabby barrels for arms are even comparable to the thick, sturdy frames of the larger beast laguz. The tattoos that line Volug’s arms are distended from the extra surface area that didn’t used to be there, each curve and straight line slightly bent with having to work with a larger canvas. Much like his legs’ knees, the flab of Volug’s arms sag onto his elbows, the limb far from flexible enough to do anything requiring precision. Even Volug’s forearm is large enough to be wider than even the strongest of laguz’s biceps, his arms well endowed when it comes to his girth. His wrists sink into the plush fat of his forearms. And attached to that are fat, lard filled hands that only focus on satisfying his cravings and hunger. At the very top of Volug’s corpulence is his fat, round face. Volug’s necklace easy to upsize, only extra string needed to widen it enough to fit around his circular tube for a neck. The jewelry makes it down far enough to where it rests in between his chest, the claws making up his necklace nestled in between his tits. Volug’s face is framed by his thick locks of black hair, the deeply colored, silky strands making his jowls for cheeks seem even larger as the tips of his hair brushes against the squirrel-like cheeks. And Volug’s ears rest atop his head; though the sign of his full blooded laguz self seems insignificant compared to how massively fat he’s become. 

“Do you need something, Your Majesty? I’m kind of busy,” Speaking in the ancient tongue, Volug only allows himself to momentarily interrupt his gorging to speak. Though a grin smears his face along with the bit of sauces from his binging. 

Nailah only continues to stare at the mound of fat in front of her. The scent clearly Volug’s, despite the addition of what she now understands is buffet amounts of food, the figure clearly Volug’s, even if his corpulence is now a far different look, and the voice clearly Volug’s, regardless of the even deeper voice that comes from such a large, hefty laguz, Nailah still digests the new information at the sight in front of her. 

It takes a massive belch from Volug to break her train of thoughts; her retainer is rather content with himself—his porcine face still adorned with a grin—as he does his best to look at her despite his own massive breasts in the way along with his table crushing stomach.

“You’re lucky I keep you for your abilities and not your manners,” Nailah smiles at him, her demeanor much less scary than when she expected insubordination. “Still, what’s your excuse for avoiding me for so long?” She stretches her hands, the sharp nails briefly transition between transformed claws as she awaits her answer.

For his part, Volug’s face betrays no fear or worry at Nailah’s tone. His fat face puts on the biggest frown that he can muster—and failing at that with so much flab in the way with his puffed out jowls—and responds. “I haven’t been. Do you think I could escape you if I were trying to run away?” He pats the lowest part of his gut that he can reach, the upper bit of flab that is his throw pillow sized love handle, as if to make his point.

And it does. Nailah stares at the way Volug’s corpulence wobbles from his own actions while still seated, the thought of him even moving with some amount of haste seems ridiculous. But it does give her some ideas that she saves for further thought later on. “Every time I get close to your scent, you move around because you smell my scent. And with how fat you are now, it feels deliberate,” Nailah stands a couple feet away from Volug’s face, which is right in front of his gut, and places her foot on the very bottom folds of flab of his gut. 

At the mention of her scent, Volug blushes. Surprisingly bashful, he considers his words for a few moments. “I couldn’t smell your scent. So much food around,”

Nailah whiffs the air and all she gets are the savory scentful of all the eaten meat and still remaining bits of food left. So close to everything now, the earthen, sandy scent that is Volug’s is completely unrecognizable, the distinct trail of her vassal muddled by an array of gourmet food assaulting her senses. The notion of her loyal subject intentionally avoiding her at such an obscene size becomes apparently ridiculous to Nailah. “Fine then. I’ll allow it. Besides, I only came to check up on you before I went to Serenes for Rafiel. Now tell me, how did you get so obese?” She asks the question without any sort of tact. Nailah glances at the littered plates of food, searching for any possible vegetarian dish in Volug’s immense diet.

“Good food,”

Nailah scoffs. “You’ve always been a glutton but you at least balanced how much you ate,”

The answer to Nailah’s question comes right through the door without a single knock or pause. “I brou-” Zihark shuts up as he sees himself interrupting the two. The lithe swordsman carries a tray filled with nothing but large entrees centered around meat for the obese, beef loving laguz. 

Volug still greedily devours the last chunks of turkey leg despite the sudden silence. "Hu-hungry… I want…," Volug still struggles to articulate himself in the Tellius language despite spending so long in Daein now. Though the laguz puts the bare minimum of effort into practicing the language when he devotes so much of his time eating whatever he pleases. And the bit that he does learn all centers around food like the rest of his life now, Volug able to name almost all the ingredients and dishes he eats. 

Zihark looks at Nailah before doing anything, able to still follow some decorum. "Forgive me, Queen Nailah, I didn't mean for Volug to get so…,"

"Fat," Nailah Finishes for Zihark. She smirks at the beorc's suddenly embarrassed demeanor, so many of the physically frailer species on such eggshells when confronted with more personal desires compared to Nailah and her laguz brethren. "Go feed him already. It's not like he has much ability to do so himself now. And your entire demeanor shows how much you want to,"

"With your permission then,"

"I'll see how much fatter you are next time I visit Daein," Nilah grabs Volug's right breast and inspects it; the meaty tit is larger than her own head as it envelops her hand.

"Goodbye, Your Majesty," Volug watches his queen leave. "Bring Rafiel with you next time," He allows himself a small chuckle before digging back into the pork ribs they Zihark gives him. The poor swordsman is unable to follow the conversation between the two laguz.

Nailah walks out with a simple wave of the back of her hand. Walking out the door, she gives a brief greeting to Nolan and Aran who also carry their own trays of food. "That explains Kisca and all the traveling," Nailah's curiosity sated, she heads over to her next destination, Serenes, to start practicing some ideas that her wonderfully obese subject has given her. 

"I'll make sure you and Rafiel are surprised when you see each other next," She muses to herself as she transforms into her wolf form and rushes to go see her far too thin husband.

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 29

HERE THEY COME AGAIN COVERED UP IN WHITE AND RED MISCHIEF ON THEIR MINDS SORROW IN THEIR EYES

Gosh, I love this image. It's so unnecessarily sinister. Plus that whole "my master" shit? I feel like I've been calling everyone in Tellius fruity but c'mon. Ugh. Love these two.

And I was riding that high until I got to this part.

And I stopped. And I stared. And I stared some more.

New's flash: I screwed up! Hard!! I thought I only needed one clear file saved to the game in order to unlock all NG+ stuff. Turns out I have to start a new file OVER the clear file.

Which I did not do. Because I am an idiot who misread the directions.

So all that work I did?? Training up Heather so she could steal the meteor tome? Stranding Soren in a lake surrounded by wyvern riders so he could attack Micaiah?? Ensuring that Ike fought the Black Knight and lived???

All for nothing. Nada. All that time and effort... WASTED.

When I reached this point, I seriously considered just... deleting my file and starting from scratch. Or maybe taking a break from Radiant Dawn entirely. I was so distressed.

However, I eventually sucked it up. And I murdered Pelleas.

Sweet dreams, my beloved spineless noodle. I vow to save you on my next playthrough.

And then after dealing with that heartbreak, I had to go through this map. Thank Ashera that Ike doesn't start moving until the second to last turn. And that Soren doesn't move at all.

My Dawn Babies were not prepared to fight this many laguz. However, I did manage to survive.

This is such a cool cutscene, but knowing how weak Kurthnaga is as a unit (at least when you first recruit him) kind of ruins this one for me, at least in retrospect. You're telling me that he can topple a watchtower with one breath? This man can barely deal damage to bishops.

Yes, I am exaggerating for effect. But it's really not that far off from the truth.

Aww!!! Another Rafiel and Micaiah hug! My heart? Warm. My crops? Watered. This is too dang cute.

*insert obligatory "they said the thing" joke here*

I feel like we don't talk enough about how fucked up Almedha is. Like, sure, she's a super hot milf with a tragic backstory and we all love her design and story. I'm not denying any of that; it's true. But man, she might not have loved Ashnard, but her views certainly did line up with his in a lot of areas.

And that's it for this post. All I have left of part 3 is the epic epilogue. Despite the lingering disappointment of not being able to unlock the secret ikesoren conversation, I am highly anticipating the absolute hype of part 4.

[emblemxeno]

Decided to take a shot at my own interpretation of “FE Warfare Morality” and whatnot that the fandom is screaming about.

Pacifist: War is absolute last resort no matter what. Celica, Eirika and Corrin could all realistically move to Pragmatist-Retaliatory and fit, but I put them in their own pacifist tier because they all have multiple in-story instances of diplomatic attempts at ending conflict of varying success (sparing enemies, reasoning with bandits, sacrifice of self or possessions); too many to not go noted imo.

Pragmatist-Retaliatory: Diplomacy and peaceful solutions are preferred, but warfare isn’t shied away from. Well aware of war’s reality, and if push comes to shove, they will take up arms. Characters in this tier often had homes invaded and/or parents killed by main aggressor. Avenging homeland or kin may also play a part. Eliwood could actually move up to pacifist because he is that self sacrificing, but I think he fits more where he is. Alm could go to Circumstance or Martial, but idk, he’s willing to give Fernand the benefit of the doubt in Act 3 and outright sends Rudolf an offer of a peace accord in Act 4 so I put him here. Seliph could also go to Circumstance because his willingness to try diplomacy more or less comes after the deed is done (such as questioning having to kill certain people being a necessity), but since his mercy and desire to prevent/avoid conflict is a part of his character, I put him here.

Pragmatist-Circumstance: Views and actions in regards to war are dependent on circumstance:

Lyn offers no quarter to bandits, pirates, or absolutely anyone who harms her family or friends, but is fair to special cases like Jaffar and Nino and does have instances of reasoning with others. 

Ike is a merc, so he often says how he feels doesn’t matter, but is regardless known to try and talk sense into people and be willing to smack folks around in equal measure. 

Micaiah doesn’t like needless conflict but understands the necessity in toppling Begnion’s oppressive rule in Daein and is forced into becoming a ruthless general during Part 3. 

Robin is similar to Ike, in that as a tactician his feelings don’t technically matter but is also known to value diplomacy or winning a battle depending on context. 

Lucina isn’t really in the leadership position enough to make peaceful or action-initiative calls, and when she is the leader in Future Past, it’s against the undead and the very evil Grima. However, her attempted assassination of Robin and general mixed feelings on what she’d do to save the future is enough for me to put her here.

Ryoma can techinically be retaliatory, but his own ignorance and xenophobia towards Nohr often prevents him from being diplomacy seeking, such as in CQ chapter 12. Nevertheless, he’s diplomatic enough after character development that he’s more dependent on circumstance.

Xander actually encourages the diplomatic approaches of Corrin more than once, before route split and during Conquest and Revelation, the latter two which he’s also an active participant in. However, his complicated feelings in regards to Garon and Nohr leads him to do bad things in the belief that it’ll be worth it, so he’s also circumstance.

Azura values peace and is known to compliment successful diplomatic approaches; however, she often questions Corrin’s more naive choices, weaves some relatively cold and calculated plans of her own, and is known to justify conflict more often than Corrin does.

Byleth is hard to guage because his alignment is route dependent, and he more or less serves as a support for the actual main character of said route. Plus his status as a silent protagonist muddies the waters a bit. Still, there is difference enough between the lack of mercy given to the Agarthans and the merciful fights towards former students that lets him land here.

Pragmatist-Martial: Preference for action over treaty attempts or negotiation during wartime, however, that doesn’t mean diplomacy is outright disliked or not valued by them. Hector, Ephraim, and Chrom are all appreciative of how their siblings strive for peace, and the latter two even attempt to emulate such actions on occasion. Sigurd was more than happy to try and pull out of Agustria, but even then, his most common solution to injustice was always marching on the enemy. Leif from the jump was gung-ho about taking down the oppressive forces in Thracia and had to be mellowed out a tad. Dimitri during his descent on the Azure Moon route could fit here, too, though honestly he’s such a unique case. Rhea I would also put here, or maybe Circumstance.

A lot of characters in the Pragmatist-Circumstance and Pragmatist-Martial tiers could also be lumped into Pragmatist-Retaliatory by general technicality (e.g. lots of these characters had homes invaded so retaliation is the expectation), but I wanted to be specific in talking about attitudes towards warfare.

Emperor: It’s just Edelgard lol. Despite her words about “not wanting civilians harmed” or her claims about the war being the only option, it means nothing when her first action in the game is attempted assassination of two people who she (at least to her knowledge in Dimitri’s case) never met. The assistance in kidnapping, subterfuge, conspiracy, human experimentation, and of course the 5 year war which inflicts copious amounts of different harm on the populous also cements her place here.

Plus the devs outright compared her position to past FE villains where she’s different in that she’s 1) a woman and 2) playable, so the twist where she’s behind the war is more of a surprise.

So yeah, that’s my list. Though really, I think trying to fit characters into these types of boxes is kinda stupid in the first place because all the main characters are just that different due to the contexts of their stories, so it’s just generally impossible to make the kinds of compare-and-contrast tier lists like these. Except Edelgard because of her inciting conflict being the one thing no other lord ever does.

[frauleindermorgen]

for the meme! from RD Chapter 3-13, there was too much to copy/paste, but i'm sure you know the moment...

Micaiah: “All right… I’ll do it… I’ll do it for you, and for Daein.” Pelleas: “Thank you, Micaiah.” (Pelleas hands Micaiah a dagger)

wow radiant dawn spoilers!!!!!

rune & co click away now : )

SOME PEOPLE LIKE TO THINK ABOUT CH 13 AND SUFFER. Luckily for yall I am some people. In order to talk about this line and Micaiah's response I think we need to look at Pelleas' reasoning

13-2 pre battle dialogue

"Individual lives taken before your eyes weigh more heavily than the many lives taken during the chaos of war. If that life is someone dear, the burden is even worse. It's only human. Isn't that true? Micaiah. It’s your caring soul I admire. That's why I want it to be you. I want you to kill me.”

Of note, in the Japanese version, Pelleas specifically says human nature is at its core self-serving, that care for another’s life is based on one’s ego/connections. He continues:

[ペレアス] ミカヤ…… 僕は、そんな君が好きだよ。 だから…君に頼みたい。▼ Rough translation: Micaiah…. That’s the part of you that I love. That is why I want it to be you I ask this of.

(the scene continues on as it does in the localized version)

To put this in further context prior to chapter 12 and the revelation of the blood pact (i.e. Micaiah finding out that no matter what Micaiah does the Senate’s control of the King and his Kingdom means loss of all life in Daein) Micaiah had been pushing herself both mentally and physically to be a general who minimized death and unneeded damage.

Sothe: Micaiah, it's over. The front line is broken. The apostle's army is crossing the bridge. Micaiah: All right, then... Order a retreat. Inspector npc: Wh-what?! No! Are you a simpleton? Just destroy the bridge! [...] Micaiah: Inspector. While I respect your opinion... The final decision is up to me, as commander in chief of this army. Sothe, order the retreat. Get those men out of there before they're routed. -Ch 11, post battle dialogue

Then, in chapter 12 she discovers no matter what she does if she and Pelleas do not follow the Senate’s orders precisely, their entire nation, Micaiah’s reason for fighting all this time, will perish. Micaiah is nothing if not determined.

The apostle’s army, previously, toward whom she showed mercy she now prepares a rockslide/rain of fire death trap for:

Micaiah: All forces, get in position! Our target is the apostle. We will attack her while General Ike is distracted. If we let her through, her army will cross into Begnion. That will surely anger the senate, and the senate will move to destroy Daein. We must fight with everything we have so that Daein may live on! Sothe: But, Micaiah... Is this really necessary? Can't we avoid all of this fighting and somehow pretend to obey the senate? Taouroneo: Micaiah, it was you more than anyone else who used to hate plans like this... Micaiah: The apostle's army has incredible numbers. We wouldn't stand a chance taking them head-on.

The only thing that stops Micaiah from killing Sanaki and her Holy Guard outright is Tibarn taking Sothe hostage and Micaiah freezing up at the prospect of losing the person she cares for most in the world, despite it meaning her entire army would be routed.

Sanaki pleads on Sothe's behalf and Tibarn/Ike's army leaves but Micaiah is shaken. And then when back in the castle Pelleas immedaitely calls for her, asks her to kill him, and upon her refusing citing her recent revelation re: Sothe and Tibarn has the gall to say:

"Even if it hadn't been Sothe in front of you, you would have reacted the same way. That's the kind of person you are."

I think she's fucking PISSED!!!

There's much to be said about Micaiah and her lack of agency in the narrative throughout both part three and four but Pelleas is saying this to her, right before his own request can be nothing but maddening.

From the start, Micaiah has felt kinship with Pelleas and believed in his kindness. In their private moments together Micaiah drops the 王 and refers to Pelleas with just -sama, he may not be part of the Dawn Brigade but he is firmly someone she thinks of as a comrade and perhaps more.

And he's now using that gentle/kind nature that she once so admired to shove Micaiah into a corner. To kill him with her own hands. GRANTED, the game does give you a chance on playthrough one for Micaiah to refuse and Pelleas accept that. BUT STILL!!

Of note, too, Micaiah is tearing up and stammering throughout this exchange in Japanese. I think Micaiah is used to handling grief, I do not think she is used to handling this kind of anger. This is further supported by the fact IF Micaiah accepts Pelleas' request every single line of hers in Japanese is "...". She refuses any further conversation with him, even when he directly asks her to pass on a piece of jewelry to Almedha.

Her last words to him are: わかり…ました…… あなたの……ために…… ………わたしが………▼ "I... understand. If it's for you.... I... I will...."

(there's no mention of Daein here which, while I think is in the back of her mind. does indeed make the scene all the more charged and intimate)

N has thankfully (?) asked me for the rest of the (optional and ng+_ dialogue here so ending for now. But yeah, I think rather than saddened (which she is. The scene in fist playthrough ends with Micaiah breaking her silence to sob openly ala localized) Micaiah is also quite furious in this scene. And it's something I have a lot of fun thinking about. :upside down:

[justices-blade]

“ Oh, so you're still carrying Caladbolg? I'm glad. ”  Those are the first words out of Pelleas's lips when he gets the chance to talk to Edward. He mentally curses himself, feeling so selfish in how he's approached this, so he shakes his head and starts over.  “ I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking like that. Not when I'm seeing you off. I should be seeing you off with encouraging, brave words. Sorry though, I'm not very good at those either as you can probably guess. ”

Ah... how awkward can he be? He doesn't know what to say, what to do... To be put in this position again of seeing him off to the battlefield and being left behind...

Has he really not improved at all since their time during Begnion's Occupation?

“ You're strong. I know. But I'd like to see you again for sure after all of this. It'd set Micaiah at ease but also... ”

There's no real way to say it other than to say it directly, right? Edward has been quite direct himself before from what he's observed. Surely, Pelleas could do it too.

“ ...It'd set my nerves at ease too, you see. So I'll be waiting. Please. ”

The wind stays winter-brisk, even as the weather starts to calm; The rest of the season would still be nothing to sneeze at, much less for the average monastery-dweller, but to Edward, this is as manageable as ever. There's still a frission of trepidation at the thought of the journey on boat, but it should be okay, right...?

He's caught in a rare moment of contemplation when Pelleas finds him, and it takes no more than the rhythm of familiar footsteps to draw his attention. As ever, grey eyes light up when spotting a friend. His hand strays to his scabbard, giving it a pat and Pelleas a bright grin at the mention of the sword.

"Hey, Pelleas. Of course!" He quips back in response to the first part, before cocking his head a little at the second, letting out a hum of consideration-confusion, waiting patiently for the other to find the right words, interest bright in grey eyes. "Oh, it's fine, really. The more you talk, the more you learn, right?"

And he wants Pelleas to keep talking! Even if it just starts in letters. He's already overjoyed the other sought him out in person, commented on something more than just business. Caladbolg's his pride and joy, as is fighting for Daein — Why'd he not be happy at their mention? So he beams even brighter when Pelleas does find the right words, and he stands a little straighter to be the recipient of them.

"Don't sweat it! Its too cold for sweat, haha." He allows himself the little joke with a snicker. "I'll make it back, for both of you, safe and sound. Promise!"

[theia-eos]

IkeSoren Week Day 4

Author notes above cut, skip to cut for the story.

This takes place in my interpretation of Tellius canon. A few years after Radiant Dawn, Ike and Soren are invited to Hatari so that Ike can participate in a fighting festival. After being in Hatari for a few years, they return to Tellius and spend a little while in Tellius before leaving back to Hatari. If you want to read more about my view of Hatari, you can read Paradise on AO3 that details Rafiel’s first year or so in Hatari.

My work is always “no beta - we die like men” but I’m scheduling this ahead of time and wrote it in a few hours because I wanted to do a little something for Ike/Soren Week since they’re my first OTP, but I’m not going to be in town during Ike/Soren week. So, it’s extra no-beta as a first draft. I may clean it up and throw it onto AO3 sometime.

Marriage

Ike and Soren stood on the shores of black sand beach, as far east from Tellius as the land in Hatari went. The sun was beginning to set behind them, the distant ocean already blackened by the night sky and rising stars.

Ike looked out at the horizon and then turned to face Soren. “You still have that sending stone Kurthnaga gave you, right?”

Soren nodded. Ike sighed heavily.

“We don’t have to seek out the land beyond the horizon,” Soren said quietly. “There might be trouble there. Hatari is peaceful, and Nailah’s finally admitted that it would be easier to reconnect with Tellius than to migrate all her people across the desert.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Ike said, “There’d be another new language to learn too.”

“Probably.” Soren smiled gently and looked up at Ike. “You still want to go.”

Ike nodded. “I just hate the fame. So much. I can’t breathe anywhere if people know me.”

“Then we’ll go,” Soren said simply. “If there’s nothing out there, we can figure out something else.”

“Before we go,” Ike called out, reaching into a pocket.

“It’s hardly necessary.”

Ike blinked and smiled ruefully, still grabbing the rings out of his pocket. Soren was only getting sharper as he got older. “Is that a no?” Ike asked. “I did a lot of work to get it right for you.”

Soren smirked and then shrugged. “I know. You tried so hard not to wake me when you used that string to size up my finger.”

Ike nearly pouted, deflated. Soren had known for that long?

“It’s been in your heart for ages, Ike,” Soren whispered, putting a hand over Ike’s chest and taking a step closer. Soren’s red eyes searched Ike’s face. “Every time you’ve looked at me since we received the invitation to Micaiah and Sothe’s wedding two years ago, you’ve thought about it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because it’s irrelevant.” Soren pressed against Ike and closed his eyes. “I can feel you so clearly, I don’t need to see you anymore to know your thoughts. An ancient custom means nothing to me in light of that.” Soren opened his eyes and he looked troubled, as he always did when recalling how his laguz blood made him so different from a beorc. “It hardly surprises me that herons and dragons never feel the need to formalize their unions with a ceremony.”

Ike smiled gently and leaned forward to kiss Soren. Soren returned the gesture softly.

“Is that a yes?” Ike whispered against Soren’s lips.

“Of course it is.”

Ike smiled, resting his forehead against Soren’s. “Never a simple answer with you.”

“If that’s what you wanted, you should have picked a different partner.”

“Never say that,” Ike admonished gently, picking up Soren’s left hand and slipping a simple silver band that had an engraved message inside onto his ring finger. “I want to be with you forever, there’s no one else I want at my side than you. Thorns and all.”

Soren smiled sadly up into Ike’s eyes, taking the other ring from Ike, a solid and sturdy gold plated-steel band, and put it slowly onto Ike’s left ring finger. “A single lifetime will have to suffice for both of us.”

“A hundred of yours wouldn’t satisfy me, Soren,” Ike said sternly.

Soren snorted, smiling. “I doubt you can conceive how long that is, I hardly can.”

“I just know it wouldn’t be long enough,” Ike said, wrapping his arms around Soren and kissing him. “But calling you my husband from now on might help.”

Soren smiled, it was such a contented, serene smile. And then it turned into a playful smile. “So I am Mr. Hero of the Blue Flame now? Or Mr. Radiant Hero?”

Ike chuckled. “Just Soren is fine.”

“Just Soren then.” Soren rested his head against Ike, reaching up his left hand to lay it against Ike’s shoulder. “A hundred of my lifetimes? You really are the clingy one.”

Ike laughed out loud and held Soren tighter. “You wouldn’t complain.”

“Did it sound like I was?”

“No, I guess not.”

[fireemblems24]

Engage Ch 6 - 8/9 ish

This game is dangerous, time goes by soooo fast lol.

One thing I want to say is, for me right now, the difficultly level is on point. Hard/Classic so far is the perfect sweet spot for me where it's not too easy, but it's not too frustrating either. I have to think, but not too hard. I personally don't like my video games too hard and challenging since I use them to unwind after working all week. And hard/classic is just perfect for me right now.

Oh, dear God, I knew Chloe was amazing. 😭😭😭😭 She's a big eater, a Fire Emblem classic trope, AND it looks like she's into fairy and folk tales. A woman after my own heart.

So when Alear goes over water on the world map, the little Alear figure turns into a boat. OMG that makes me happy. 😭

I love the folktale aspect of the flower country.

I hope they include Sommie and adopting animals in future FE games if they continue with this "my castle" aspect. It's so cute. I adopt every single one of them. Also, can a future update let us pet the animals this time? Didn't they learn from 3H that people want to pet animals, even ones in video games? At least we can pet Sommie.

So Micaiah's bond rings include: Naesala, Leanne, Sothe, and ELINCIA. 😭😭😭😭😭 I'm so satisfied with these choices. Literally some of my favorite FE characters ever. Elincia is in my top 3 (with Dimitri and Lucius).

Ok, so if Chloe is my girl for being a fairy tale fanatic, than Louis is my man for being a tea fanatic. Man literally picks tea in spots filled with man-eating beasts. For good tea, anything is worth it. Celine is also a homegirl for being such a tea fan too.

Alcyrst's bow was hysterical lamo. It's so stupid to shoot at whoever, esp with a warning that they'd arrive, but pretty funny nonetheless. And Citrinne is sooooo pretty.

Ok, this Hortensia is the first character I genuinely don't like. Her voice is so annoying. I already love Rosado though. But I knew I would.

Oh, shit, the enemies have rings this time. Oof. And poor Lucina stuck with that annoying girl. It really took forever to get some more steel weapons too.

I just saw Alfred and Celine's A support. There's major spoilers, esp for Alfred. But now I love them both and they deserve all the happiness. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Louis is a terminal people-watcher and I'm here for it.

Diamant is his own dad's nanny and it's hilarious. Amber is an idiot too, but he's our idiot and he's on a horse so.

A DEFEND chapter!!!! OMG, yes! So far everything's been route or defeat boss. I love defend. It's also defeat boss too though.

After missing on Lucina's ring, I did not expect to get Lief from Ivy, but not upset about it.

Diamant's dad's going to die. He's going to fight the bad guy's king, and Diamant seems already qualified to lead so . . . plus parents don't do so well. Here's hoping Eve makes it.

[verdictvelvet]

i beat fire emblem engage last night so i am going to write what i thought about every stage. okay. this post will be very long and of little interest to just about anybody but you can click on it anyway

prologue - does it even count

chapter 1 - normal

chapter 2 - now we are getting somewhere. pretty normal tutorial with One Funny Trick that sets the stage for this being a game where bosses come and get your ass

chapter 3 - this one has a pretty expressive first couple of turns where you spend that first turn really feeling the pressure of not having enough guys and seeing how things are just going to collapse on you from not having enough units to outpace the amount of guys who will attack you. and then you get more guys. but it is not really exceptional beyond that

chapter 4 - this one is good because it is where you get my best friend warp ragnarok. everything is just a little bit too spread out and you do not have quite enough units yet to really feel like you are able to create a united front anywhere, so having somebody who can jump around to different parts of the battlefield and also explode an enemy at the same time feels great, and it really pushes you to think about the best way to use the new tools you are given here

chapter 5 - this one gave me a hard time in a way that i loved but i think i might have made it more difficult for myself than it needed to be. the time pressure of needing to stop the thief from clearing out the chests really pushed me to put myself in some rough spots that took some doing to get out of though, and i appreciated it. this one also serves as a sort of a soft introduction to engage's favorite trick of 'divide your army into two groups and take two different paths to the boss'

jean paralogue - you have to go and protect this little boy. this one is pretty regular i do not have much of a lingering impression of it

chapter 6 - i can not help but feel like this one is really pulling its punches on account of being the first dark level. it introduces a pretty fun give and take of managing vision in a stage like this (that the game never fully delivers on, i think) but the enemy placements and amounts are just not aggressive to provide much friction here

anna paralogue - this is a totally solid stage that winds up feeling kind of unexceptional in the context of a game that has lots of really good ones.

chapter 7 - there are a couple of stages that are just about crossing a big bridge and they largely reveal that 'a straight line' is not that interesting of a setup for a fire emblem map. it is not bad it is just not that compelling. gets some points for the actual boss approach being kind of tricky and for introducing my fail boy

chapter 8 - all the stages in this that require you to start off in a defensive position in this game are pretty good, the balance of holding out until you can be aggressive enough to head for the boss is pretty fun. being a good one of these in a game with a clear best one of these leaves it kind of overshadowed though

chapter 9 - pretty normal. you split your guys up and you go along both routes to the boss and it works. the narrative suggests there is a time pressure here but the stage does not really back it up

chapter 10 - the map design here is pretty cool, i like that it is basically two small fire emblem maps in succession, and they both feel pretty tense. you have a lot of guys to fight you need to do your best

chapter 11 - this one is scary. the only escape stage in the game but they do good work here, lots of individual enemies in your way you need to make smart choices about how to handle, and the asshole in the back with the freeze staff and the micaiah emblem really wants to make your day bad. stay safe out there

lucina paralogue - it is pretty funny that when they go 'what is the iconic awakening stage' the thing they settle on is a big open room with some enemies in it. the enemy positioning is a little more aggressive here but the end result is still pretty forgettable

chapter 12 - there are a bunch of stages in engage that have a clear gimmick where my first reaction is 'this is going to be really annoying' but it is actually used really well. 'desert stage where all your guys move bad' is a fire emblem staple but shifting it from a universal movement reduction to a bunch of spots on the map that you have to move past in one go or else be stuck in for a while does a lot to give you opportunities to try and control your and the enemy's pace and make the way you move your units feel really distinct. the part where this is technically a stage about protecting npcs is weirdly underplayed, it is almost a non-issue

lyndis paralogue - this stage starts off by doing a kind of bad job at communicating what the conditions for stopping reinforcements are but you wind up handling a lot of it by accident anyway. but like some of those guys you are not going to get to by the time reinforcements show up so it becomes a pretty fun scramble by the end. one of the only times in the game where i realized i had made some bad positioning decisions so many turns ago that i might as well restart

chapter 13 - this one gives you the ike emblem (which rules) and timerra (who can kill everything, but not quite yet) so that alone would make it pretty good in my book. the better of the dark stages for sure, in that it is easier to get yourself into trouble, and the encroaching swarm of flying units that snuffs out the torches on the ocean creates a fun pressure. it is pretty funny that there is one house that you can not reach in time and after the battle everybody is like 'wow congratulations you did not let any houses burn down' anyway

ike paralogue - this one rocks. ike puts you into hell and makes you so scared but you have to try really hard to go kick his ass anyway. the balance between being aggressive enough to get to him in time but not being overwhelmed by enemies is really fun to find

chapter 14 - this one is a pretty standard 'split your guys up and do the run up to the boss' stage but the boss room is really good on account of how they put three guys in there that want to be your problem, which is always a good call

byleth paralogue - the pretty small amount of units here makes this one of the few stages where i felt like i really had to think about who i was bringing in just to make sure i was killing guys fast enough. but the challenge here is mostly one of efficiency, outside of when byleth is attacking you it is pretty rare to actually be in danger because of how much all the enemies love trying to attack rocks. ultimately it is just kind of okay which is fitting for a three houses stage i guess

chapter 15 - this is maybe the only gimmick driven stage that sucks and probably my least favorite chapter in the game. lots of moving guys through narrow hallways with nothing to do, the stage is divided up into small and mediocre individual combat challenges. it gives you the corrin emblem (and with it the dragon vein skill which is one of my favorite tools in the game) but then makes you constantly use it to wall off your own approach so you can clear out the miasma rather than any of the fun stuff you can do

corrin paralogue - this stage is ostensibly about how partway through the map corrin lights half the map on fire but it is laughably unlikely to have much effect on you because you had no reason to stand in any of the places she lights on fire in the first place. the real star of the show is her twelve unit death ball she starts moving towards you while obfuscating her actual movement range from you with is both a fun tactical challenge and also really funnily abnormal fire emblem boss behavior

chapter 16 - this is probably the most turns any stage took because the raising and lowering water actually can slow you down a lot. but outside of the kind of slow process of getting into position for the boss it is used pretty well to create some unplanned slowing and division of your forces while they are sort of in danger so i do not feel that bad about it. i do think this is one of the worst stages for introducing the emblem mechanics to you, but i also think the eirika emblem is not that good until you level up your bond with it a bunch and get sieglinde and can kill everything

eirika paralogue - i was really underleveled for this one but the thing is it kicked ass to play it like that. sometimes you are just fighting tooth and nail through the stage. i do not really know how this compares to the sacred stones original but here it feels like a really tightly designed endgame stage but you play it a little over halfway through as like a fun bonus for you. never really lets you relax if you are trying to push forward which is fun

chapter 17 - there are like a couple really good and tense turns in the middle of this around when you are dealing with a couple of bosses at once but before and after that it is weirdly low pressure for how high the stakes are supposed to be and how many enemies there are all around you

sigurd paralogue - it was cool to see them try to translate a genealogy of the holy war multiple castle setup and when you take the first castle it shows you the guys you have to get past to get to the second and it looks really gnarly and you are gearing up for a tough fight. but then sigurd charges in alone to his own death instantly and you do not have to worry about any of that and it is kind of disappointing

leif paralogue - this one is mean those ballistas are so brutal and then if you try to clear out some of the ones on the left side of the map then leif goes to fucking war with you. this one really took a lot of doing, it was the first mission where i actually ran out of rewinds. i loved it, maybe i should play thracia 776 and get my ass kicked

chapter 18 - it is kind of funny that this is the only stage where you can recruit an enemy. 'you are surrounded by boats' is a pretty fun setup for a defensive mission. i wish the ballista you had felt a little more relevant but this stage works alright and has a solid first few turns even if it is not able to keep up the pressure

chapter 19 - i feel like i missed something when i played this one because there are a bunch of elements in here that do not really come together. the three laned design of the stages? the ballistas that you fire like maybe one time each? ultimately i just cleared the miasma out enough to stick to one part of the map because that is where most of the enemies are and it works alright and was pretty fun even, it just feels like there is more that i did not engage with somehow

micaiah paralogue - uhhh idk this is kind of another defense stage. it works and is fun enough, it asks you to split up your guys a little bit more than usual just because it starts them so far apart and there is some novelty to that but it did not leave much of a lingering impression

roy paralogue - kind of a lull in the middle of this one after you take out the initial rush of enemies and it never really recovers. actually fighting roy does not have that much going on

chapter 20 - this one is about a guy running around like a freak and just blasting you whenever and teleporting off. and also you are in like a dark castle and fighting over treasure chests and stuff but i mostly just remember that first part even though he basically is not ever a threat as long as you are keeping your guys' health up

celica paralogue - this one is fun it is good when a stage just lets you put your foot on the gas pedal. it is good to be aggressive and go fast sometimes

chapter 21 - for some reason i basically do not remember playing this one even if i remember all the events around it

chapter 22 - this one is pretty easy but it is like a solid enough setup. you are getting your guys back sometimes it is about having a specific thing you are trying to do that asks you to engage with the stage in a unique way and not really pushing you to your limit

marth paralogue - this stage is pretty fun but like sometimes something is solid in a way that does not immediately lend to having a lot to say it is just kind of a classically good map. but it is interesting how with some of these reutilized maps you have a whole special area for approaching the boss that you never go in because they get too aggressive

oath ring paralogue - i was almost hesitant to go get the ring right away because i was like 'oh is it going to end if i kill this guy so fast' but it is good that i did not because it would have been a huge pain in the ass to defend my position away from that central platform. pretty fun but like not exceptional you know

chapter 23 - this one is kind of lame to be honest. the gimmick is not so bad but the two different paths you split your guys up on wound up taking at such different paces that half of my party was just waiting around for the others to line up because i did not want to try and kill both bosses with one party. maybe i should have tried and put myself in am ore dangerous situation and i would have liked it more but engage's favorite trick kind of stumbles here

chapter 24 - this is the only chapter with a turn limit but it basically does not matter there is no world in which i would have needed all 15 turns to get to the boss and in fact i spent a little bit of time just waiting around unnecessarily even under those constraints. the avalanche mechanic is kind of fun to position around, i guess

chapter 25 - i was kind of worried after the last two stages but this one rocks and is also the scariest map in the game. i took it a little slow after the last couple and then they send you to the fucking danger zone and i was barely scraping by killing the boss with like 40 enemies about to charge into the boss room and kill the hell out of all of my guys it was awesome. also i think it is a fun inversion to go from the lumera tutorial stage displaying how the bosses will just come for you to this, basically the last real challenge of the game, with her as one of the few bosses that just stays in place and is extremely brutal about it. loved this one though if i played it again i would probably try less hard to dodge lasers

chapter 26 - this is like a fun experiment in how to make a big dynamic boss fight in the constraints of fire emblem and it is generally really fun but definitely does not offer a ton of pushback, especially in comparison to the previous one. sometimes all of your favorite guys are together and they are just cleaning shit up. it feels good without being completely frictionless. i did not really know enough to match the guys to the 'villain emblems' consistently and probably would not have bothered even if i did just because as always i sort of had my guys switched into two groups for maximum efficiency and the guys that were already nearby just wound up being the guys that would kill the enemies. it did kind of raise the idea of it being a letdown that there were not like evil fire emblem villain emblems with special abilities that you have to fight but that would have been a bit of a huge increase to the scope i guess

[blazerwyvernmaster]

FE10 Thought: Ike is boring in FE10

Ive been thinking about it and Ike is a lot less interesting in Radiant Dawn than Path of Radiance imo. He's at borderline Mary Sue territory.

Like I still love Ike but... mostly because of most of the stuff in Path of Radiance.

Radiant Dawn does so much to make you like him. And you do but... I don't think I remember seeing Ike have...a flaw. Or struggle that much really.

The Greil Mercenary's are much stronger than the other two parties.

They save Lucia(who I feel should've died/become too injured to fight) in one of the coolest scenes in the series.

Ike is the only one who can kill the final boss with that being the literal ONLY time that's happened in the history of the games as far as I know.

He gets two personal swords

Him Vs BK is still awesome to this day.

Etc etc...

It's...kinda a lot. He didn't really need this much to be cool. He already is/was in the first Tellius game.

He overshadowed Micaiah in what I feel like was her game, considering she IS on the box.

And everyone sorta hates her because of gameplay, and also FE10 bringing up the blood pact when it could've easily been told to us in FE9.

It also doesn't help that she dislikes Ike, even if she does have a reasonable explanation as to why.

Plus there's the whole branded/magic healing/cool background, but like... She's not really that much of a Mary Sue.

Imo a Mary Sue is someone who controls the entire setting they live in, bending the story and narrative to their will to make them likable. And she definitely doesn't do that.

I saw a video once saying you could remove her from the story entirely and nothing would really change, besides a few details here and there.

And even Ike doesn't bend the story too much, but a LOT is done to make you like him and his group more than the other people.

That's concludes my mini essay/rant/ whatever this is on FE10 is really wierd.

Back to your regularly scheduled...

Wait what do I even regularly do here-

[raxistaicho]

Are we not Engaged? Part 13.

Micaiah paralogue time!

Spoilers under the cut.

The opening scene reminds me why I like Micaiah so much.

This map is one of the most markedly different from the one it’s based on. It can’t really be helped: no other game in the series has ledges like RD.

I think I waited too long to do this one, I just kinda rolled over it, lol. Oh well.

Alear wishes she had Micaiah’s foresight is cute, but why is Micaiah acting kinda wistful for the fight that took place here? That was one of the darkest times of her life.

Alear Veyle B: Alear only once saw Veyle and gave her her dragonstone to reassure her. Veyle kept it all those years. It’s cute :)

Celine Mauvier C: Turns out Mauvier’s actually Firenan. He asks for help finding a certain hill near where he grew up, and Celine promises to help.

Chloe Hortensia A: Chloe reassures Hortensia she’s plenty cute. It’s a cute ending but a bit anti-climactic.

Diamant Alcryst A: Diamant beats Alcryst at an archer competition (he can do that???) but Alcryst promises to keep training and someday surpass Diamant. This entire support line had no solid follow-through and it was kinda all over the place, I have to say. In general I note that problem comming up several times in this game.

Diamant Timerra B: Diamant joins Timerra in town, where she embarrasses him with her singing and he joins in which makes it worse.

Rosado Hortensia B: The reason Rosado liked his first sketch of Hortensia was because she was showing her honest feelings at the time. He dislikes that she’s always putting on fake smiles and wishes she’d be more honest with herself, but she insists she can’t because she’s royalty. Pretty sad support :(

Marth paralogue time!

Oh this one’s actually kinda tough.

Astram’s stand-in should have been a whimp. As a joke.

Marth mentions Tiki and compares her to Alear, which is cute.

Last paralogue!

Oh it’s the Pact Ring.

Objective fakeout is shitty.

Oh it’s literally a marriage ring, lol.

Alear Yunaka Bond: It starts off with Yunaka opening up about her past to Alear. It’s mostly the same as in her Citrinne A support but in mildly less detail, but it’s nicer here given Alear didn’t need to put her on the spot to divulge any of it. Alear reveals a secret of her own: she can’t imagine life without Yunaka in it, and offers her the bond ring. Yunaka’s ecstatic, and wants to share all her life with Alear and learn everything there is to know about her. In return, Yunaka gives Alear one of her stars, allegedly made of pure gold. It rests on the momento stand in Alear’s room now.

I’m surprised I wound up liking Yunaka so much. She’s surprisingly deep for a non-royal in a game where the non-royals tend to be one-note characters. Laura Post’s voice acting definitely helped a ton. It’s also just nice that she demonstrates actual character growth across her support arcs, invariably coming back to opening up and showing trust in others.

Alear Rosado B: They’re hiking for one of those locales Rosado wants to sketch. Rosado’s endearingly passionate about this. The support cuts before they see what they’re going to, so I wonder how the A support will work lol.

Celine Alfred A: Alfred’s in bad shape, it seems his illness is flaring up again. Alfred’s fitness regimen only sent it into remission, it seems. Celine tries to go for help, but he refuses, saying he doesn’t want to be a burden or be seen as weak. Celine has an interesting outlook on happiness: she likes small joys, but she fears “undue happiness”, this is even mentioned in her bio and in one of her level up quotes, and it comes up in her A bond with Celica too. She’s terrified in general of the idea of finding a perfect happy moment in her life and being left simply looking back for the rest of her life. It’s a matter I think those of us who aren’t in their teens or even their twenties anymore can understand. Anyways, getting back to the sup, she nearly breaks down in tears admitting she wouldn’t know what to do if something happened to Alfred or to Eve, and Alfred promises not to die and to bring her as many small joys as he can. Really really nice support line.

Diamant Veyle C: Veyle wants to atone for her dumber half having killed Morion, though Diamant assures her he doesn’t hold that against her. Still, he lets her help him help the people to ease her conscience. It’s a cute little scene.

Hortensia Goldmary B: Goldmary is trying to help Hortensia learn how to cook. The support is cute in general, until Goldmary mentions she and Rosado are not officially Hortensia’s retainers. Hortensia was studying at the Elusian academy when Sombron was released, and Hyacinth summoned her back very abruptly. Goldmary and Rosado escorted her back to the castle, and one thing led to another and they wound up her retainers. This actually makes me like the Hortensia trio way better: Rosado and Goldmary were much closer to their liege in a personal sense when they appeared as bosses, too.

With that, I have finished all the paralogues! So now it’s the last stretch before the story’s completion :)

So onward to chapter 23!

Oh joy, a Four Hounds-centric chapter, yaaaaaay. Kill me.

Oh no it’s fuckin Ailel. 

Please tell me this time I kill Zephia.

It takes the dumb bitch a long time to notice Veyle wasn’t wearing the stupid helmet or the bat outfit anymore.

Holy shit I hate Zephia. “Then maybe I’ve never known real love,” oh fuck off, it’s way too late for you to try and fish for sympathy. If you really meant anything you’re saying you’d have turned on Sombron centuries ago.

And making Veyle act sad to be fighting Zephia is fucking deranged. This is the nightmarish creature that twisted Veyle’s mind to turn her into a mindless murderer. You can’t write a bunch of supports having Veyle express guilt and remorse for the things she did WHEN SHE ONLY DID THEM BECAUSE ZEPHIA FUCKING TOOK CONTROL OF HER MIND. NOBODY is pointing this out. It’s fucking absurd.

Jesus this map is cramped as shit.

Oh they blow up the obstructions.

Zephia and Griss try to make up for lacking Emblems with S rank weapons, but it doesn’t really help them much.

Zephia’s finally dying!

Veyle stop being nice to your abusers.

Drain the lake!

Why is Zephia helping us.

Wait no Zephia gave her life to help us? What is this fucking 180 in her characterization. The first thing she even did was threaten to massacre all the people in Firene castle and then threaten to murder Eve’s children in front of her. She’s a fucking monster.

Lol Zephia sob story time, this fucking game.

YES VEYLE, IF ZEPHIA WAS GOING TO TURN GOOD, WHY DIDN’T SHE DO IT SOONER.

roflmao, “You wouldn’t have believed me until I was dying,” this fucking game.

Oh my god they get a sad death.

Wait she hates Sombron??? What the fuck???

Oh my fucking god, Zephia’s wanted Sombron to knock her up so she could have kids even knowing how horribly abusive Sombron was to his children. This fucking bitch.

How is Griss the goddamn only sane man here?

Jesus christ, he falls over so that he’s holding her hand in death. This. Fucking. Game.

How’s there a goddamn ice mountain when this whole landmass was under the ocean a couple days ago at most. Actually how was there a volcano when the landmass was under the ocean? This fucking game.

Alear got thrown somewhere I get lol. I don’t wanna hear people complain about Crimson Flower being unfinished, it never had so many confusing cuts where we have to be told something happened as this game does.

Oh hey it’s Red Alear. We fucking time traveled didn’t we.

Oh my god, what’s wrong with her?

Oh jesus christ she’s got severe ptsd. What is this, poor Alear T_T

Red Marth! So Marth was with Alear for a long time, I wondered about that. Lumera must have summoned him for Alear after she adopted Alear. Otherwise I don’t think Emblems really remember things when they’re red.

Oh fuck Zephia’s alive again.

Wait, how did Zephia not recognize Alear if she served under Alear directly during the war?

This game’s jumped all the sharks.

[freedomarrow]

“ So you're really setting off now. ”  It's inescapable coming face to face with the large boat meant to ferry Leonardo off to Jugdral. A part of Pelleas wants to accompany either him or Edward, but he should stay put, no matter how much his blood sings for him to be there for either one of them.

He knows this feeling. It's the feeling of missing someone. He has felt it a thousand times, but experience does not make the feeling any weaker each time it creeps up.

“ I feel just as I did when watching you all depart for battle back during the days of Begnion's Occupation. Every fight after that too... It was a while before I could go into battle at your sides. And even then, I didn't accomplish much. But you're going off again, and I'm staying back. The feeling of deja vu is a little overwhelming honestly. ”

Breathe, Pelleas. Breathe! He takes a deep inhale and exhale before getting to the point... or well, as much to the point as Pelleas can manage anyway.

“ Every time it happened, I was left wanting. But I was also a little afraid. What if you all never returned to me? What if I had sent you all out to your deaths? Not that I'm the one doing anything here, of course, but... I still feel a bit like that, I suppose. That must be why I wanted to join you all. So I wouldn't feel so burdensome... or so lonely either for that matter. ”

A pause. The sea breeze makes him feel a bit sick today even just at the port.

“ What I mean to say is... I hope you return, Leonardo. I'll be waiting for you. Even if I can't be there with you, my thoughts are with you. ”

Just as he is going through his belongings one more time to make sure he did not forget anything, a familiar voice awakens him from his realm of thoughts and brings him back into the reality around him.

Just as expected, his eyes meet those of his former king as he turns, a light smile emerging on his face at the sight. To this day, Pelleas seems to struggle to believe that someone would be happy to see him, but Leonardo truly is. After all... once he can finally convince his soldier brain that this is NOT a breach of authority, he does think of the man as a friend. He did not start out with the Dawn Brigade - and the archer imagines he does not consider himself a part of it - but the link, the unbreakable bond that both sides mutually depended on, was very much there. And as far as the blond is concerned, still is.

For a while, he remains silent, letting the other speak his heart.

"Sire... Pelleas." This takes a while, huh. "I don't feel like any of us ever perceived it as you sending us to our deaths. And... as unfortunate as it is, sometimes that's simply the duty of a king. Should Daein ever go to war again, it will be Micaiah's obligation to do so... all the more reason to ensure it never happens, as far as I'm concerned."

His expression grows a shade brighter as he continues. "You're a good man, you know? The fact you care about such things is proof of that. That alone, in the eyes of many, makes you a better king than someone like Ashnard was."

He shakes his head, the smile then fading a notch as his features grow sadder. "It's a shame you can't go... Your magic would be a great asset, I think. And... well, I can't say I don't know anyone on this ship, but... it'd be nice to have one more familiar face. But of course... I don't blame you or anything. Staying will be rough, too, probably. Take care of yourself."

Finally, he nods. A shade of his smile returns, however faint, as he remains serious. "I'll do my best. I anticipate there will be fighting... but I'll do my best to return to everyone."

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 17

Into the desert we go! I was super excited to meet Pelleas, but first, we have to pick up some other puppies.

It's Meg! I actually really like her design. She's an overweight character who is really cute. As far as I remember, her weight is never used as a punch line. Plus her personality isn't just about being clumsy or eating a lot of food, so yay! I know she can be a good unit, so I was hoping that I would roll a good Meg.

I'm sad we never actually get to see this conversation play out in PoR. According to this conversation, Sothe held prejudice against the laguz until meeting Ike. As we all know, Ike does not tolerate anti-laguz sentiment within his army.

That does make me wonder, though. Micaiah, if you knew Sothe held such strong prejudice against the laguz, why didn't you try to educate him? Sothe would have listened to you.

It's the beautiful man and the two puppers! I really love Nailah and Rafiel. The strong wife / fragile husband dynamic never gets old for me. I could take or leave Volug, though. He doesn't seem to add much to the story imo.

Nailah! I just love her design. She looks so cool! And with the eye patch, I think the implication is that that's the eye she uses to turn people to stone? So she has to cover it in order to prevent turning people to stone on accident?

What a completely random and OP power they gave her for seemingly no reason. I'm not complaining, mind you, just bemused.

This line is so funny. I know it was added in the English version, but I actually love its inclusion. I wonder if she genuinely thinks that Sothe has a bit of a crush on Ike. No one would blame him if he did! But either way, what an interesting bit of dialogue. I like to think this is the part of the story where Micaiah starts questioning whether her feelings for Sothe are as pure and platonic as she initially believed.

Micaiah, this is no time to get all preachy. You're literally fighting in a revolution. You need funds for your army. I do honestly love Micaiah but she does annoy me from time to time.

Omg, I love Nailah's sense of humor.

Yay! I barely managed to survive this map, but it's okay, because I have reunited with Jill! Oh, and Tauroneo and Zihark are here, too. I really wish I had managed to get Jill to level 20. I feel like those transfer bonuses would have made this and subsequent chapters a whole lot easier.

Izuka is also back, of course. I do love how blatantly evil he is, and how much everyone else seems to despise him (excluding Prince Pelleas, of course). Even though he's terrible, I do appreciate the humor he brings to part 1 of Radiant Dawn.

And there he is! The supreme limp noodle sadboy! I love how his theme song is called "Sorrowful Prince Pelleas", and how it sounds so damn depressing. He is just so pitiful. I cannot help but adore him.

And behind every wimpy sadboy is a helicopter mom! It's Almedha! Such an interesting character. So overbearing, so smothering... Not that Pelleas minds at this point. He's been without a mother's love for so long that he's starved for validation.

And that's it for now! The revolution is underway, and it's time to add our final (and least helpful) member to the Dawn Brigrade.