#rather than just one sweep cause it only hit that fanbase

[sonicunleash]

Part One of The Great Tumblr Trans Swag Tournament begins!

The brackets are finally done and so ROUND 1 of voting begins!

I tried my best to keep the match-ups even, but not too painful, but well, when the list is entirely mad of bad bitches, there's gonna be a bloodbath or two. Currently the polls are kept to one person per google account, however, I might turn that off at some point for fun. For now though, one vote.

(This is actually the first of a two-part poll, hence why all characters involved are characters that aren't canonically trans. There's actually going to be a second poll pitting canon trans characters against each other, to keep things even.)

Voting for Round 1 lasts till 10:00 PM CDT, 9/28/2022

[thezodiaczone]

August Forecast for Capricorn

Stay centered, Capricorn. Your energy could come in waves this month, spiking to a high-pitched intensity one day and dropping into the depths the next. The Sun is taking its annual plunge in Leo and your eighth house of intimacy, merging and transformation, a time when you’ll crave more privacy and one-on-one encounters. Skip the huge crowds that make you feel overwhelmed. You’re an emotional sponge and could soak up everyone’s feelings; or you might just have your mind on one specific matter during this tunnel-vision transit, and it will be hard to engage in lighthearted small talk. With the Sun heating up your erotic eighth house, this could also be one steamy season—hello, sizzling summer escapades!

But be careful where you aim that concentrated Capricorn power, especially when the emotional thunderclouds gather. Communication planet Mercury is retrograde in Leo and this potent zone from July 26 to August 19, which notoriously mucks up communication, technology and travel plans. With Mercury awry in Leo, a problematic ex may resurface, along with some old trust issues or unhealed wounds from a past betrayal. You might be unsure of someone’s true motives and whether they’re being above-board with you.

The eighth house rules joint ventures and shared finances, so money matters could be lit up with both opportunities and complicated entanglements in August. While Mercury is retrograde, go easy on the spending, especially with your credit cards (lock them up—or cut ’em up—if you can!). Guard against identity theft by strengthening passwords and deleting anything in a social media feed or in your email that could potentially be compromising. Better safe than sorry. Watch where you send those racy texts and DMs—during Mercury retrograde, they could end up in the wrong person’s feed. Oops!

The fiercest day of the month arrives August 11, when a Leo solar (new moon) eclipse beams into your alchemical eighth house, bringing a supercharged fresh start to your most intimate ties and financial endeavors. You might receive a windfall through a loan, grant, commission or inheritance or have a chance to buy or sell property or renovate your home. An exciting opportunity to merge your powers for mutual gain may come out of the blue. The eclipse could also bring a soulmate encounter (with steamy benefits!) or unexpected news of a proposal or pregnancy (yours or someone close to you).

In astrology, solar and lunar eclipses are harbingers of change. They push us off the fence if we’ve been procrastinating or wishy-washy, and force events to culminate quickly. While that pace can be jarring, once the dust settles, everything starts to make sense. This is the second-to-last eclipse in a series that’s been touching down on the Leo/Aquarius axis since February 2017, bringing waves of change to your self-confidence, work, money management, living situation and daily habits. One final eclipse will arrive here in January 2019. Anything you invest in at today’s eclipse could start to show returns—or at least let you know whether it will ever pay off—by early next year.

You’ll be glad to let the drama (hopefully) simmer down starting August 7, when combustible Uranus starts a five-month retrograde. Since May 15, Uranus has been in Taurus, causing sweeping change in your fifth house of passion, self-expression and theatrics. This is Uranus’ first visit here since 1942, a once-in-a-lifetime transit for many Capricorns that will last until April 2026. If your love life has suddenly become spicy—or wildly unpredictable—that’s the side-spinning planet playing the role of a quirky Cupid.

The first four months of Uranus’ retrograde could slow down some of the curveballs—or possibly bring the return of an ex, since retrogrades rule the past. You might also decide to get a little experimental in the boudoir or to date someone who’s a dramatically different “type” than the usual. Uranus in your spotlight-stealing fifth house may have brought fame or increased attention. Has it gone to your head a little bit? If you’ve been playing the diva role, Uranus retrograde will remind you to keep it humble. On the other hand, if you haven’t been speaking up for yourself and your ideas, you could work through old confidence issues, perhaps with some mentorship or training. Steady Capricorn, have you become a little fickle? Rambunctious Uranus can make you run hot and cold, so be mindful not to lead people on.

You’ll get another chance to self-assess starting August 12, when energizing Mars plows into Capricorn for its second visit this year (its first trip was from March 17 to May 16). While this would normally give you a jolt of inspiration and sexy magnetism, Mars will be retrograde until August 27, which could cause you to come on way too strong or hit a sour note with people. The silver lining: From August 27 to September 10, you’ll have Mars moving full steam ahead through your sign. Your confidence and charisma should rocket off the charts—and others will surely take note!

This will only accelerate starting August 23, when the Sun starts a month-long visit to Virgo and your expansive ninth house. Adventure, travel and endless possibilities spread out in front of you as you emerge from that emo cocoon. And when the Sun snaps into a rare and harmonious grand trine with radical Uranus in your passion sector and your ruling planet, structured Saturn, in Capricorn, some of those starry-eyed visions could turn into tangible reality. The caveat? You’ll need to ditch some (not all!) of your trademark caution to seize this moment. An opportunity for love, fame or a chance to spread a powerful message could arise. Make sure you’re at your glamorous and charismatic best! (Every Cap we know has secret “stage presence,” even if you only pull it out for select occasions.) You could multiply your fanbase and following…or follow your heart with a love affair, whether that’s a romantic adventure with your one-and-only or a far-flung fling with someone wildly different than your usual type.

The next day, August 26, the year’s only Pisces full moon spotlights your communication house, bringing exciting news or long-overdue dialogue. At last, you’ll get the answer you’ve been waiting for, and you can proceed accordingly instead of staying stuck in limbo. Local events could turn up kindred spirits and great conversations that lead to more. Hit the street fair or late summer festival or host a gathering at your favorite hotspot where you can play superconnector and introduce your savviest friends. Don’t be afraid to “go there” in your conversations—move beyond small talk and voice your opinions and ideas. When sizzling Mars ends its two-month retrograde on August 27 and speeds forward in Capricorn, there will be no holding you back!

Love & Romance

Time to set some love #goals, Capricorn? On August 6, Venus pings into Libra and your tenth house of career and long-range planning for the first of two trips this year. You may get suddenly serious about the future, both in terms of your profession and your relationship. If you’re in one, you might find yourself initiating conversations that begin with, “So, I’ve been thinking about our holiday plans,” or “Next summer, I’d really like to…” Single? Stay open to people you meet at work or industry events. As long as you’re not breaking company policy, consider them fair game.

Keep in mind: Venus will be retrograde for its second trek through Libra, which is from October 31 to November 16. New relationships may hit a speed bump, or issues that you’re working on might take a sideways turn. Here’s where that famous Capricorn patience will come in very handy! An office romance could sour when Venus makes its U-turn later this year, so be very sure you’re both mature adults who will handle things with civility if things don’t work out.

With Mercury retrograde in Leo and your erotic eighth house until August 19, you might be tempted to hook up with an ex or go down a clandestine rabbit hole that’s a clear dead end. What do you really want out of this? Be sure you can answer that before you get entangled emotionally or sexually. For couples, this could be a powerful time to work through a thorny issue, perhaps with a therapist or healer to mediate. Money matters could be a source of tension, but the hidden blessing is that you’ll actually start talking about them—and all the embedded feelings of pain, shame or old baggage that might be underlying those power struggles. If you’re splitting up, you might need to have a painful conversation about how to divide up the shared property.

An especially potent day for building security and having a serious talk about the long term comes on August 7, when cosmic lovebirds Venus and Mars form a rare, harmonious trine (120-degree angle). Attached? Do something luxe and upscale to celebrate your couplehood. Singles should raise your standards and keep the bar high. Skip the local dive bar and go somewhere you have to dress up. That alone could help you meet a successful someone who’s got their life together.

But careful where you cast your charms. Mars is retrograde from June 26 to August 27. It’s been back-pedaling through Aquarius and your zone of career and money, which may have ramped up work stress that cut into your relationship or given you a few waves of anxious insecurity. On August 12, it will back into Capricorn for the duration of the retrograde, which could leave you feeling intensely self-conscious. During this signal-scrambling transit, your message might be lost in translation. Rather than assume everyone knows what you’re saying, make a point of being simple and precise. As a backup, get assurances that people heard you loud and clear.

Key Dates

August 9: Venus-Saturn Square Second thoughts? Cautious Saturn slams the brakes on dreamy Venus, who might be getting a little carried away with romantic pipe dreams or plans for the future. Make sure you both want the same things for the long haul before you start picking baby names or china patterns.

Money & Career

Balance those books, Capricorn. This is one of your annual “money months,” as the Sun visits Leo and your eighth house of property, long-term wealth and shared assets. With an August 11 Leo solar eclipse shaking up business as usual, you might start looking at your personal financial model through a new lens over the next six months. An exciting opportunity to multiply your moolah could arrive unexpectedly—and you’ll need to adapt fast! Keep a keen eye on every transaction while Mercury is retrograde in Leo from July 26 to August 19, which can cause technological glitches, erroneous charges (read those monthly bank statements) and risks to sensitive data.

Another reason not to rush into anything? Hasty Mars is spinning backward for nearly the whole month, which could cause you to miscalculate. Mars has been retrograde in Aquarius and your money house since June 26, which may have heaped on some financial stress. While Mars won’t straighten out until August 27, it WILL leave your money sector on August 12, which could lift some of the tension around work, bills and budgets. Stressful assignments, unexpected expenses and demanding clients may have left you hustling through the summer, and at the same time, colleagues’ tempers could have been short.

You’ll be happy to see Mars go, but unfortunately it will back into YOUR sign for the duration of its retrograde, from August 12 to 27, joining structured Saturn and power-tripping Pluto, which are both retrograde in Capricorn. Whew! If you have any vacation days, take them now. Otherwise, keep a very low profile and work behind the scenes. This is an excellent time to finish a project you started a while back. But hold off on any splashy launches until next month if you can—when Saturn straightens out on September 6, your ideas will have velocity AND staying power.

Key Dates

August 10: Mercury-Jupiter Square When supersizer Jupiter flashes its high beams at a retrograde Mercury, you or someone you work closely with may present an outsized dream but not have any idea how to pull it off. Nip it in the bud before you waste precious time, money or other resources trying to develop this. If anything, this is a good day to revisit an idea and see how much you can scale it BACK.

Love Days: 4, 9 Money Days: 15, 24 Luck Days: 12, 22 Off Days: 6, 11, 19

[andrewuttaro]

New Look Sabres: GM 73 - TOR - The Nylander Bowl

There was a part of this season the Sabres and Leafs were on a collision course. Right after the win streak there was that game that felt like a real rivalry matchup. I suppose I’m a little bias since I experienced it in person, but I think we all felt the same way at the time. The Sabres, slotted right behind Toronto in the standings at that point looked like they were finally in the same league for the first time in a long time. Perhaps they were both in a quite shitty place together at one time but that’s not nearly as fun. That game was so close it damn near went to the shootout. It was not to be and since that matchup Buffalo has tumbled down a hill in a historic way, not only falling out of the playoff picture but losing so much in the back half that there is an outside chance they pick top 5 in the Draft. We can rehash our mournful lack of playoffs or we can look north of the border where getting playoff games hasn’t exactly made our Canadian brethren all that much happier. They have also been rather shit since the New Year, albeit not quite as shitty, and they’re now staring down the barrel of a first-round matchup that runs a high likelihood of knocking them out early. Trust me, I’m near to selling a kidney for a Sabres playoff series at this point but in Toronto they’ve had one going on in April three years in a row now and enter this one prepared to sound a five-alarm fire when their predicted knockout comes. The grass is always greener on the other side and sometimes with the way we talk about the Leafs that other side is the other side of the border as it were. This game was a bit of that. This game last night was hardly fun but when it was it reminded you of what this matchup could be a behemoth of a rivalry waiting to happen. I’ll save the Leafs’ playoff fate for Playoffs according to the Sabres because if you are a Leafs fan reading this… well first off thank you, share this, you Ontario folks love your hockey…  you probably aren’t from Toronto. Leafs fans who show up to Sabres games are mostly the St. Catherines/Hamilton bunch who either can’t afford Toronto ticket prices or just don’t want that. All the whining about Sabres fans not showing up for Leafs games is warranted but its more stupid than you think at first glance. Now let’s talk about the game that happened last night.

This game had fewer shots than some Church events I’ve been to, particularly that first period. Carter Hutton was playing the role of Nun evidently and stymied a lot of the Leafs fun. The game was grossly lopsided in favor of the not so lonely visitors from the start. The Sabres only had seven shots the whole period and didn’t break five shots until the final five minutes of the first. The Leafs shot 19 shots in the first. Some weaker opponents don’t put up that much in a game… like uh, the Sabres who only put up 24 shots the whole game! This lopsidedness perhaps colored both fanbases reactions then when the only goal of the period was by Sabre Casey Mittelstadt. Mittelstadt tapped in a Dahlin slapper from the line behind a Garret Sparks who was apparently struggling to locate the puck. Exhaustion may have been an excuse the Leafs could use, this being the back end of a back-to-back but Sparks was fresh as Spring morning so that didn’t extend to him. That said, the Leafs started on time and outplayed the Sabres in every category in the first except powerplay goals. Mind you, the Leafs have been in a bit of a funk lately and the fanbase is beginning to fire up the hot stoves for Mike Babcock’s firing. The funny thing is, they’re complaining about a lot of the stuff Sabres fans complain about Phil Housley about: player deployment, player minutes, roster choices… oh no, this is going to be another summer of courting hall-of-fame coaches isn’t it? HURRY, TO THE PEGULA JET! FIND QUENNVILLE’S HOUSE AND DROP MONEY ON IT! I DON’T WANT ANOTHER DAN BLYSMA, PLEASE! GENEROUS LOCAL PLUTOCRAT, PLEASE! I KNOW YOU CAN GIVE Q JUST AS MUCH MONEY IF NOT MORE THAN THE ENTIRE CANADIAN ECONOMY, DAMMIT!

Nonetheless, the Leafs funk was snapped out of in this game and they proceeded to put up another 19-shot period, this time scoring two goals. While the first period had a smattering of penalties that somehow the Sabres were the team to get something out of, the second period only had one and it was Zemgus Girgensons cross checking Nazem Kadri. I’m a Buffalo Sabres blog so by law I have to state what a little pest Kadri is. There you go. While I’m on it let’s just say if Girgensons scored as much as Kadri does I wouldn’t be thinking about what I can get for him in a summer trade. I’m just saying. That goes for you to, Risto. Poor Brandon Montour, showing off how great a pickup he was for the Sabres these last few games, he gets just bamboozled by Auston Matthews. You could see he didn’t realize it went in off his skate because he looked like a ghost had just given him a weggie. I’m not going to bring anymore light on his plight because once again, he’s been doing great. The feature of the second period I will bring to light is the almost goal William Nylander scored. John Tavares ended up getting credit for the second Leafs goal but for a moment it looked like it could’ve been Willie’s. Hold that image in your head as we fast forward to the third where we find noted brother of William Nylander, Alexander Nylander, getting a puck from VLADIMIR SOBOTKA, and absolutely drilling that one home from between the circles. If this game was going to be the Nylander bowl, which it is on this blog as long as it continues to feel like an unnecessarily lopsided matchup every time we face the Leafs, then fam, we have won. We won the Nylander bowl. Nylander < Nylander, obviously! Having already won the game with that goal, the Sabres pushed hard for the equalizer to perhaps force overtime and get their first back-to-back wins since November. By the time Zach Hyman scored the empty netter I was already popping bottles celebrating Buffalo’s first Nylander Bowl Title! All kidding aside, this game stung something mighty and ended up 4-2 Leafs. I literally cried in the shower.

Don’t worry, I was kidding about the shower. The good news is we have some fun speculation to talk about! I know I bit hard on the Duchene stuff and that didn’t come to pass but give me a break, the Sabres season is still active until I get back from seeing their last game in Detroit next month. Until then, I am going act like the championship can still be won with some key additions! To start out with Dave Poulin and Jeff O’Neill were having a little talk about Joel Quenneville on one of probably eight dozen hockey segments on Toronto radio stations the other day and they think Coach Q’s best option if he wants to return to coaching may just be Buffalo. All the stuff about whether or not Housley will get fired aside, is that something we want? I’ve talked about it hypothetically up until now but would the second winningest coach of all-time coming to Buffalo finally be the coaching solution we’ve been looking for since Lindy Ruff was shown the door back two millennium ago? There is certainly an argument and if it happened I can’t imagine Jason Botterill isn’t crafty enough a guy to A. work with him as now the smaller fish in the pond, and B. provide him with a good enough lineup to replicate some of the success he’s known for. I can imagine about half a dozen other options that don’t seem too bad either and also do something different than just bringing in the big Hall of Fame guy but its fun to speculate. This next rumor is all speculation backed up by zero experts… its actually more of a Play-a-GM kind of thing actually… what is the likelihood of Erik Karlsson? So: disclaimer; he’s not coming here, and that cap hit is probably not so bueno, but let’s imagine this low year he’s having with San Jose causes second thought and Karlsson leaves. He’s said he is proud of Rasmus Dahlin and loves the Swedish phenom, what if he mentored him like Ra’s al Ghul and Batman? Again, just saying. I saw some joking on twitter and it got me going. That’s what we’re here for: stupid fan shit like that.

So anyway: like, comment and share this blog around. I appreciate all you readers so much, whether you’ve been here all year or not. If you haven’t and you think it would be awesome to go back and read the win streak New Look Sabres posts than maybe use that time to share this with a friend instead; I did just that thing the other day and it made me sad. Speaking of things that make me sad: the Sabres have a chance to sweep the season series against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. Why does that make me sad? Well, we have now lost five straight games to the Leafs and it feels cheap to wipe out Montreal in a season series while not getting the Leafs the same way. It’s like going to the Duty-Free store on the border and getting Aunt Jemimah’s pancake syrup: you got all this Canadian around you and you take the crap! The only thing diminishes a season sweep of the Habs is getting swept on the season by the Leafs. I better end on a more positive note than that… Jeff Skinner hasn’t signed yet… SHIT!

Thanks for reading.

P.S. The Sabres getting a couple games in the “Global Series” in Stockholm, Sweden in November is pretty rad considering how much of this organization is Swedish now. On the other hand, I see all of us complaining about the travel and those games actually counting in the standings. Can we all resolve right now to just enjoy those games?

[crimeanarchivist]

Post-Famitsu FE:W Thoughts

I am actually more hyped for Fire Emblem Warriors than I was before this Famitsu dump.

“But only new FEs are getting represented”

Yeah, okay, sure, but I don’t have any particular animosity towards the characters in those games.  My love for Tellius is prolific and unmatched, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have favorites from Awakening and Fates.  No problems there.  The characters ultimately wouldn’t be what would make me excited anyways.  What makes me excited is actually the approach to the whole thing.

I’m not exactly embroiled in the musou fanbase.  I’ve played Hyrule Warriors nearly to completion, but my only other experience is the Gundam crossover, and that was in a Walmart.  I have no idea what other crossovers have been like, or even what the baseline is for your typical DW game.

I had a grand time with HW, but I’d be remiss if I said that the gameplay was deep in any sense of the word.  It’s broad, but not deep.  If I want to beat my foes with a hammer, I can do that, but I can only do that with one character, and most differences between hammers are immaterial in the grand scheme of things.  On harder maps with forced units, it’s silly to even try without using a second player using one of your most powerful characters.  And the general strategy is always more or less the same -- get to the fort, seize the point, beat the boss, grind up your KO count so you get an A rank.  Usually, you’re not actually at risk of death or failure, only of missing the A rank.  That’s fine, but not exactly the hallmark of the pinnacle of gaming.  It lacks layers.

If the class system exists (which is confirmed via Famitsu), there have to be meaningful differences between classes.  There also need to be meaningful differences and/or similarities between characters that share classes.  Ideally, these distinctions go beyond moveset and quickness.

If the weapon triangle exists, it needs to be strong enough to carry weight but weak enough not to be overbearing.  Imo, I think Heroes overdoes it a bit by making it proportional to the unit’s current Atk, making the advantaged state exceptionally brutal.  Rather, I’d like to see relationships along the lines of “striking with an advantageous weapon (opt. as a specific class) allows the attacker to act immediately out of it, even if it was a heavy attack”.  Give that to say, the Assassin class and restrict the “immediate action” to “dodge” and you’ve produced a class/attribute combination that

incentivizes quick movement

causes players to seek advantageous matchups (or requires them to adjust to disadvantaged states)

provides a means of getting in and out of your opponent’s face

draws lines between users of the same weapon and/or class

This is effectively what I’m looking for over all else -- reasons to play the whole cast, and to think critically throughout key portions of each map and objective.  Everything else, I expect to be very similar -- wild combos, beating up hordes of enemies with a single move; all that can stay the same.

Now the pipe dream stuff.

Usually, when people say that “X exists” in a game, they mean more than the mechanic is present.  They mean that the mechanic has a meaningful impact on the game.  Then, to clarify the extent the mechanic affects the game and its overall complexity, they add qualifiers, such as “extensive” or “involved” or “trivial”.  Using the Final Fantasy series as an example for a second, everyone thinks of FFV and Tactics as having “jobs systems”.  Technically, FF1 and 2 also have these, but the inability to change classes midgame and the general lack of differences outside of basic attributes and spell usage kinda sweeps that under the rug.  XIII has a crafting system of sorts, but it doesn’t seem to carry any real weight in how the game is played, so most people don’t think of it or bother to mention it.

This combined with the statement that “class systems exist” makes me hope two things:

That vertical class changes are possible (from tier 1 to tier 2)

That horizontal class changes are possible (from class family A to family B)

If (1) is true, there is cause for the player to try a wide variety of characters and classes if for no other reason than to see the divergence between, for example, a Myrmidon and a Mercenary after promotion.  If (2) is true, there is cause to experiment with each character in all of their existing options to find the best combination of skills, stats, and equipment.  Provided that no particular combination is gamebreaking, that on its own gives many opportunities for depth.  (2) would also provide cause to lean more heavily on recent characters -- each of which already has an established class set that can be carried over relatively easily without concern for whether or not it diverges from the source material.

The other big part of my pipe dream expands off of the interplay between character, weapon, and class.

I’ve heard that in some DW games, every or almost every character can use every or almost every weapon, with the catch being that each has a specialty that they use better -- they can use the higher-rank weapons or have specific key skills that are weapon-specific.  That’s so remarkably FE-like that there’s no reason it shouldn’t be brought to FE Warriors.  Mesh that with stat differentials and character skills, and a wide variety of combinations are possible.  Further distinctions build from how the individual attributes are distributed or earned -- specials can be weapon-specific while ults are character-specific, or something like that.

Expanding off of my example from before, let’s say that Gaius is the Assassin, he can use Swords up to B rank, Knives to A rank, and Bows to B rank, and he’s currently using the Sunrise Katana, which is a B rank sword.  He’s a unit with excellent mobility and attack speed, but his overall damage per hit is less than other units.  He gets a +30 attack bonus for using a weapon he has B rank in, and the Sunrise Katana has three skills: its “basic” katana skill, like a bonus against “Bandit” type units (Brigand, Bandit, Pirate, Berserker) in addition to WTA, its evasive skill as mentioned before, and another A-rank locked skill that Gaius can’t use in his current class.  As a katana, the moveset primarily strikes directly in front of the user, with the special being an extended dash-slash that hits multiple enemies in a line for heavy damage.  Gaius’ ult is an AoE “spell” attack that restores HP to all allied heroes based on the number of enemies hit.  Switching to the Steel Knife would provide +40 attack (absolute, not relative) due to rank bonus, even though the knife type of weapon is generally weaker, and would have just two skills. The new moveset uses more sweeping, disjointed throwing attacks and some short-range thrusts and slashes.  Now rebuild, except it’s Sully, she’s a Paladin using a Short Spear, etc., etc.  Done poorly, it’s effectively the same as before (for me, at least).  Done well, there’s a lot of value added.

And then support attacks.  Dual Strikes would be a wonderful addition to a team musou.

And the most pipe of pipe dreams: roster expansion.

The prevailing thought right now seems to be, “if FE:W does well, FE:W2 might include representation from [insert favorite game here]”.  I think that’s a valid line of thinking, but also there’s the potential for DLC.  Continuing off of recency as a criterion for inclusion and the fact that SoV was done so well (and will hopefully sell accordingly across its lifetime), I think it’s fair to look for Alm, Celica, and their compatriots in a relatively early DLC pack.  Beyond that, we may see a trickling of other characters from games gone by.

The obvious desire is to have characters that I like, but more importantly to have characters that I like in-game.  I love Tetra as a character but there’s no real point for me to try to use her when better options exist.  As a result, I am happy that Tetra is in HW but I never play as her.  That’s the line I want to draw, rather than “okay but Ike is better than Chrom in-universe” or whatever other trivial complaints I can think of.

tl;dr -- I see FE:W as a title that has a lot of potential.  Time will tell whether or not my expectations are realistic or justified, but I’m not dropping my hype for it anytime soon.