#seliph i am so sorry shes Like This

[nagaficat]

[ FORTUNE COOKIE ] lithe fingers make quick work of the paper slip inside, unfurling it carefully for the other to see as well. "'the one for you is closer than you think," dorothea reads aloud.

a long pause.

"hmm. isn't that ironic? i haven't been matched for the evening." she carefully folds the fortune in half now, lips curling pleasantly. "though i wouldn't mind stumbling upon love."

then, girlish giggle suddenly erupts. dorothea leans in as if sharing a secret, eyes turned onto the purple-haired woman before her. "what do you think, professor deirdre?" a mischievous glint flickers in her eyes. "if you had to pair me up with anyone, who would you choose?"

"You did not make a match for yourself? That is awfully selfless of you to put this wonderful event together for all of us but not consider yourself at all." She reaches for Dorothea's hand and gives it a squeeze. It is astonishing, really, that the young woman has not been swept off her feet yet. She is beautiful, kind, intelligent, talented...any man would be lucky to be given the chance to cherish her heart.

"Love will find you. You deserve to be loved."

Who would she choose for Dorothea? Someone who would treat her like a queen. Someone handsome and kind. Strong and wise. A fairytale prince straight out of a storybook.

There is someone who fits all of those qualities. The more she thinks about it, the more the idea sounds just lovely.

"I have a son around your age, you know. He is in our house. Have you met my Seliph?"

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Alright Mod Goldmary. You said you'd be fine with this, so here I am, super indulgent AUs in hand: The main one I've been procrastinating working on for years now is The Rose of Belhalla, a Sleeping Beauty AU for FE4 Gen 1. The premise is that Cigyun confided how Victor was abusing her to Kurth, leading to a series of events ending in Victor offing himself (like in canon) and Kurth marrying Cigyun. Cigyun ends up dying in childbirth (sorry). In this Jugdral, it's common to invite the family's patron dragon to bless the first holy blooded child, so Kurth and Azmur throw a grand party and invite Naga. Just as she's about to bestow her blessing on Deirdre, Manfroy shows up and gives her a curse from Loptous himself: She's to die after pricking her finger on a rose's thorn. Naga then modifies the curse so that Deirdre will fall asleep instead of die, and her true love (I wonder who that could be) will wake her with a kiss. Deirdre is sent to live with her grandmother for protection. When she's about twelve or thirteen, she starts having dreams in which she meets another kid named Sigurd. Years later, they make a chance meeting, and after an attack from Sandima, Deirdre learns she is a princess and is taken back to Belhalla.

I actually meant to update the fic, uh, well, three years ago. But between getting a part time job and a bachelors degree as well as ADHD and stress has basically combined into a procrastination smoothie for me. I also realized that the original plot I had was super convoluted. I'm still trying to work that part out. But Deirdre is going to get to explore what it means to be a princess, as well as make friends with Edain, Lex, Tailitu, and Azelle. Arvis gets to scheme but still be genuine to his new sister. Sigurd gets to be Sigurd. And everyone gets to go to a ball at the end that definitely won't end up almost being a death trap. Once it's over, there's still a few loose ends. There's the Crisis in Agustria, Quan's severely needed vibe check, and Edain finding Brigid. I'd like to do some follow ups for those someday, but I don't know if they'll happen.

I've got some more ideas for AUs I wanna write. One of them would be an Eliwood/Ninian retelling of the Little Mermaid. Ninian and Nils would be half mer instead of half dragon, and they'd know Nergal was their father since they're with him. Ninian would save Eliwood while he and his crew are escaping from the Dread Isle. She knows he and his friends are her father's targets, so she makes a deal with Sonia. In exchange for her voice, she gets legs-- but only until the end of the summer. Sonia must sense Ninian has a crush because she adds a caveat: If she can make Eliwood fall in love with her by the deadline, she gets the ability to go back and forth between mer and human. Now, I don't know why Sonia would go behind Nergal's back like that, but that's a problem for later. Maybe he's in on it? I dunno.

Then there's the Phantom of the Opera FE4 AU, which is pretty self explanatory, as well as maybe a Seliph/Tine Cinderella AU that takes place years after the Sleeping Beauty AU. Though that would mean something has to happen to Azelle and Tailitu, so I don't know if I want to! Recently I got ideas for crossovers between games as well: Lucina and the kids time traveling too far back and ending up in the second holy war, and the First Gen of FE4 somehow ending up in Fodlan for those awesome Arvis and Edie interactions. If I ever get to writing my original story, these might not happen. I'm not sure what the legal stance on published authors publishing fanfics is, but who knows. Anyways, if you want any more updates, follow my writing blog @talesfromthespiritforest. I made it since my main is a big ol' untagged mess. It doesn't get updated often, though. Any feedback or suggestions are appreciated! :)

👀

[anruraiocht]

Abatina and carnation

botanical headcanons (no longer accepting)

abatina :   is there anything in life your muse has changed their mind about over time   ( due to becoming more educated on the topic ,   certain experiences  ,   etc .) , or that they   would   change their mind about under certain circumstances ?

ABATINA: THE EVER LOOMING SHADOW OF LEIF FARIS CLAUS

Smiles thinly.

Look. Look. I'm sorry for the feminism loss as well, but it is so hard to talk about Miranda without talking about Leif. Ten years of projecting all of your issues on a guy will do that to you.

When we first meet Miranda, she seems entirely adamant that she blames Leif for everything that has happened to her. The little blame game she tries to play is extremely emotionally driven (literally what was Leif, age 2, supposed to do girl) and falls apart under scrutiny.

like ok. let's walk through this for a second.

"it's leif's fault" > finn is the one who brought him there > finn only brought him because leonster fell > leonster fell because thracia attacked and ulster didn't step in until the end > (dominoes) (THE ENTIRE HISTORY OF NORTHERN THRACIA VS SOUTHERN THRACIA THAT BROUGHT US TO US POINT)

So. Obviously through the events of FE5 and experiencing the war firsthand, Miranda's opinion on Leif changes. She already knows, deep down, that it isn't actually Leif's fault, but it isn't until she is forced to contend with the reality of the situation that she is able to admit it.

carnation :   what is your muse’s relationship with their gender ? how do they express or not express this relationship ?

CARNATION: JUGDRALI MISOGYNY HITS DIFFERENT

(it gets long here)

Okay so let's get one thing straight: if Miranda was a man, she would be dead. Full stop. When you're taking over a kingdom, the last thing you want is to leave a male heir alive. A male heir, left alive, can eventually take back their kingdom and become king, but a female heir cannot. She, however, can be used as a hostage. And she is! For ~ten years! Before we even learn her name, Miranda's agency is stolen from her.

The moment Miranda gets agency (and her kingdom) back, her advisors tell her that she needs to marry Leif to tie Ulster to Leonster. It's no secret that the Munster District is doing. Uh. Bad. As in, Miranda and Leif are the only heirs left alive by the end of Thracia 776. It makes sense, strategically, to have the only two heirs left alive get married and merge their kingdoms and both of them understand this. Doesn't mean they have to like it, though!

Leif: "...And Ulster was successfully liberated by Lord Seliph, so the people should be happy that their princess was safe.”

Miranda: “Well, yes, but… The people want more than that. My advisors are urging me to marry you so that we can unite with Leonster. They think they can just tell me what to do because I’m a girl…” Leif: “Well, you and I are the only heirs that survived this turmoil. What your advisors are saying only makes sense. But I’m not sure…”

We're not gonna get into Leif's little unhinged moment that happens right after this btw. The important part here is that Miranda is frustrated. Obviously. Miranda has been living in the basement of a Loptr monastery for a year and it's not enough that she made it back alive. Well, yes, your highness, it's all well and good that you survived, but there's not much you can do for us as a princess... would you mind getting married? As soon as possible? To the guy you've projected all of your problems and issues on for the last decade? Thanks!

Jesus fucking Christ!!!!!!!!

When they pulled this line for one of Miranda's skill activation quotes in FEH (albeit shortened from 女だと思ってバカにしてるわ to 女だと思って…！), it has been translated as:

I am a girl, not a fool!

Which I think is very evocative of the way Miranda thinks of herself. She does not resent existing as a girl, but she does resent the way she is looked down upon for being a girl.

And while we're on the topic of how Miranda talks (the most inelegant segue in the world)...!

It's not as noticeable in English, nor is it especially noticeable when you first meet her and she's hissing and spitting at Leif, but Miranda uses feminine speech (女性語) when she speaks! This is a style of speaking in Japanese that is considered "ladylike" and formal, using more polite terms. Traditionally speaking, it's a style of speech associated with upper class ladies.

This is more noticeable in her Conomor recruitment dialogue...

コノモール もうおやめなさい！ ... それなのに あなたは何をしているの！

As well as her conversation with Leif in the last chapter...

リーフ王子 少しいいかしら ... 私・・・ あなたに謝らなければ ならないことがあるわ

I've bolded the relevant parts here. Miranda affixes the polite o- prefix to yamenasai and ends some of her sentences with the more traditionally feminine ending particles of no, wa, and kashira.

It's... a little hard to explain in English but the way she speaks is very princess-like haha.

There is also the Genderisms of Miranda's promoted class: Mage Knight. In FE4, Mage Knight is a male only class (as a promotion for Azelle and Arthur + enemy units). In FE5, we get our first female Mage Knights through Olwen and Miranda, but the rest of the Mage Knights in the game are male. We can say that Olwen is following in her brother Reinhardt's footsteps, but Miranda doesn't have that same connection. Would she be better served as a sage, considering her 70% magic growth and fucking 5% strength growth? Absolutely! However, she saw that sages get staff access and said oh no thank you. i'm here to kill and maim.

And she deserves it.

That last part isn't exactly related to genderisms (or is it? Every other girl capable of wielding magic in FE5 besides Miranda and Olwen gets staff access... :thonking: ) I just think it's very funny characterization through gameplay. her ass is NOT healing.

tl;dr: Miranda is a character that is defined by her status as a princess and as a girl.

[yanderefairyangel]

(Sending this again because my internet went out and idk if it went through the first time)

So, when it comes to the various main characters where you can choose who they can get paired with, are there any like, default pairings you go for or pairings that feel canon in your heart?

Here’s my list for an example:

Seliph & Lana

Roy & Lilina

Eliwood & Ninian

Lyn & Hector

Eirika & Tana

Ephraim & L’Arachel

Ike & Soren

Micaiah (really wish she had a paired ending with someone other than the boy she basically raised. I’d take a platonic paired ending with her sister)

Chrom & Robin

Lucina & Laurent (I just thought it’d be funny to make Chrom and Vaike in laws. Plus those two are basically the Dad friend and Mom friend of the group respectively)

Corrin: Scarlet (Birthright), Izana (Conquest), Silas/Azura (Revelations)

Byleth: Jeritza (CF), Shamir (AM), Catherine (VW), Yuri (SS)

Shez & Byleth

Alear and… honestly I don’t really ship Alear with any of the other characters, I more ship them with each other. I do like Veyle and Alear’s platonic paired ending though so I’ll do with that

Ok here we go

I don' t have much feeling about those ships (except Shezleth)

Seliph & Lana : this one is clearly favored by canon seeing the favoribility of their love points

Roy & Lilina : obvious ship tease in canon, while Roy doesn't have any canon ship it's obvious the narrative favor Lilina

Eliwood & Ninian /Lyn & Hector : both are heavily favored, to the point canon wouldn't be a strech at all

Eirika & Tana : they have a paired ending ?

Ephraim & L’Arachel : I never liked this one sorry (which is weird I like both characters)

Ike & Soren : From a canon standpoint, it seems obvious the writers are teasing them in a "maybe they are more than just friends"

Meanwhile, I am sitting rotating in my brain Soren's codependance issues in my head and how all of his intereactions are rooted in his trauma

Micaiah (really wish she had a paired ending with someone other than the boy she basically raised. I’d take a platonic paired ending with her sister) : should've had a platonic ending with Sothe, we can all agree, they have 0 romantic tension

Chrom & Robin : IS moved from ship teasing Chrom and Sumia to ship teasing them, personally I don't care about them

Lucina & Laurent (I just thought it’d be funny to make Chrom and Vaike in laws. Plus those two are basically the Dad friend and Mom friend of the group respectively) : I have no real thoughts about it

Corrin: Scarlet (Birthright), Izana (Conquest), Silas/Azura (Revelations) : That Male Corrin and Azura at least is a big ship tease is kinda obvious, the other one I am neutral

Byleth: Jeritza (CF), Shamir (AM), Catherine (VW), Yuri (SS) : no thoughts about it

Shez & Byleth : If you know me, you know me. The only thing that's missing is them being able to marry

Alear and… honestly I don’t really ship Alear with any of the other characters, I more ship them with each other. I do like Veyle and Alear’s platonic paired ending though so I’ll do with that : Alear and Veyle sibling dynamic appreciator I stan

[louvay]

Any fun headcanons for Sigurd, Deirdre, Seliph, Julia, Azelle, Tailitu, Arthur, or Tine? I'd ask more but that's already a lot so we'll stick with the Chalphy-Velthomers for now

I am so sorry for the late response but my previous response I was working on which was more in detail got discard by accident 😭

I’ll likely post a blog talking more in depth about this but for now:

Sigurd would be the one to tell Seliph bed time stories and is often forgetful due to him wanting to get straight into the meat of thing. Stuff like forgetting his sword at the armory or wearing his shirt backwards. Thank Naga for Deirdre’s awareness (Nihil) since she often helps him out with these types of things.

This trait is also shared with Seliph and his hair which he often forgets to tie it. His long hair was a bit of a childish imitation of Shannan’s hair since he looks up to him but as he grew older, he tied it into a pony tail.

Because I think the Shaman map sprite has them hold a flute, I headcanon Deirdre and Julia as being both knowledgeable on how to play the flute. Deirdre learned it from the other members of the Maira sect in the Spirit Forest and Julia would learn it from Lewyn on their travels. The Final Holy War map theme also has a section where a serene flute is playing near the end which I associate with Julia and how she’s key in putting an end to the war.

Tine definitely takes after Azelle with their timidness but also their attentiveness to a person’s true colors. See how they feel about Arvis/Julius and how their intuition about them is rather accurate when they talk to Lex/Seliph. Arthur meanwhile takes after Tailtiu with their care free attitude and also their protectiveness of others. The former is shown glimpses of when Arthur banters to Fee and the latter is seen with how Tailtiu wants to be the bodyguard of Claud and how she protected Tine till the end. In a happier timeline, I can see Azelle try to teach his children magic, lecturing them about the different elements, with Tailtiu occasionally popping in to remind them that Thunder magic is the best magic.

[teaveetamer]

Haha I'm glad you're so enthusiastic about your post CF Genealogy I inspired stuff. I guess my question was more about pairings and gameplay cuz I was making it fully inspired by FE4 gameplay mechanics :P it's my favorite FE thus I kinda like the potential for how a true realistic CF would go if it had another part showing the "Seliph" side of the war down the line. When I asked you the question, I did picture Seteth and Flayn surviving too, kinda Oifey and Shannan roles. Dedue is Finn BTW.

Oh well lucky you I came up with gameplay-ish elements for all of the children in that AU too lol. Mainly weapon proficiencies and crests.

For the Dimidue kiddos the oldest uses axes, the second oldest(s) (they're twins) one of them uses magic and the other uses fists, the next kid is a swordie because she was very attached to her uncle Felix, the second youngest uses lances, and the youngest is a healer. The twins have Blaiddyd crests but the rest are crestless. They're kind of the starter pack for the run, y'know, the units you get really early and hope they don't start sucking midway through.

(Goddamn sorry I just realized but. Where on earth did the magic kids get their magic stat from. Neither of their parents has a magic stat. Oh well, pretend. They got it from grandpa Rodrigue. It just skipped a generation. Oh yeah Rodrigue is their grandpa, it's complicated).

For Sylvix their kiddo is a mage type, specifically not a mounted mage because he's terrified of horses (that was Sylvain's fault). He's got a major crest of Gautier. May or may not also be the dancer.

For Anncedes I went with a "twink with an axe" aesthetic because... Annette is adorable ok. He also has a crest... I assume it was a crest of Dominic because I wanted him to use Crusher?

Raphnatz kid I think was an archer just like Ignatz? Dunno if I ever established that though... No crest obviously.

Ferdibert kid, naturally, is an assassin class. I don't think she had a crest? She's probably the late game recruit they give you that's really really good just in case all of your other units get stat screwed or die.

Ferdirenz kids are, IIRC, another healer and another archer. The archer one was very attached to Claude when he was still in Fodlan so she wanted to be just like him 💙

And then hey if you need substitutes I think in that AU we also had Dorothea and Ingrid adopt a bunch of orphans together and after Ingrid's death they kind of all wind up scattered around (some of them returning to Enbarr with Dorothea where they kind of live in hiding, with others winding up in all corners of Fodlan and possibly Almyra)

Dedue definitely died in my AU tho. You see, I need the tragically gay Dimidue death scene to happen if I am to sustain myself. I think Ashe might have lived in that one, though? It's been a while.

But yeah if you're going for a more traditional FE4 vibe Dedue surviving would make sense. It would make tragic, tragic, gay sense.

[inthedusksynria]

FORGING BONDS: FALLEN EDITION

I JUST REALIZED THAT THIS BANNER IS TIED TO A FORGING BONDS1!!!! AND THE POSSIBILITIEs!!! ARE SO HUGE!!! bELOW A BUNCH OF IDEAS!! OF WHO THEY COULD TALK TO AND ABT WHAT!! FOR MAXIMUM HEART BREAK!!

F!Julia

Arvis, her dad, the one who knows he is responsable for that, thanks to both having Loptyr blood AND allowing Manfroy : No, NO! Julia...no... please... You took my son away and turned him into a... a... vessel for that disgusting dragon, that killed Deirdre... now.. you brainwash..my daugher?! MANFROY! WHY?!

F!Julia: I wont allow any attempt to the lives of Lord Loptyr nor Master Manfroy...

Arvis:....gods..please...Julia...come back...all my family...destroyed by this...by...my foolishnes...

F!Julia:...

Arvis:...Julia...my daughter... i...will get the circlet...hopefully...it frees you...

Deirdre, her mom, who ALSO got brainwashed and AMNESIA BY MANFROY: No! Julia! No, not my daughter!...Could this be...the darkness in..my blood? Why...why! I can a familiar uneasy...could my amnesia be?!?

F!Julia:...! M-mo....!.... You...You, who, possess.. Major Naga Blood... of my lord biggest enemy... you shall perish.. i shall kill you

Deirdre: !... Julia!

Seliph, having to see her like this again: Julia! Please..! Give me some time!! I will free you!! i promise... oh Julia, i am so sorry!. I shall not allow Manfroy or Julius to continue with their plans!

Julius: My my, what do we have here?. Hah! Seems like Manfroy has been occupied. Now Julia! Go and Kill our brother, extinguish that annoying light! 

F!Julia:....Yes...Lord Loptyr..

F!Lyon

A CONFRONTATION BETWEEN F!LYON AND LYON!!!! OF F!LYON IN TOTAL CONTROL OF FORMOTIS AND LYON!! WHO IS MOSTLY FREE OF IT!! LYON HAVING ANOTHER SIGN OF HIS FAILURE!! F!LYON HOLY SHIT!!

F!Lyon: Well well well, what do we have here?

Lyon: !!...No..no you cant be! You...here to torment me...

Duo!Ephraim!Lyon: W-what is this?!

EPHRAIM AND EIRIKA!!! EPHRAIM AND EIRIKA HAVING TO REACT TO F!LYON, THIS TIME, FORMOTIS IN CONTROL!!! ALL EPHRAIMS!! INCLUDING DUOEPHRAIM WHO WOULD BE SO CONFUSED AND SCARED!! EIRIKAS AND EPHRAIMS PASSING THROUGH THE SAME GRIEF AGAIN!!

BONUS:

Tana, Innes, L’arachel, Cormag: Oh shit, here we go again

F!Ike

GREIL LOSING HIS MIND OVER SEEING HIS SON POSSESSED BY THE MDEALLION!! LIKE HE WAS IN THE PAST!! REMEMBERING VISCERALLY OF HOW HE KILLED HIS WIFE!! TRYING TO STOP HIM!!

REYSON, LEANNE AND MICAIAH, FEELING THE CHAOS EMANATING OF IKE!! DOING THEIR BEST TO USE THE GALDR TO TRY AND STOP HIM!!

LAGUZES ROYALS AND THE GREIL MERCENARIES TRYING THEIR BEST TO SAVE IKE, AND PROTECT THE HERONS!!

Elincia:..! The curse of the medallion!...just like Ashnard in the final battle

SOREN OH SOREN.. SCREAMING FOR IKE, TRYING TO FREE HIM... GETTING HOLD BACK... TRYING TO LEAD EVERYONE AND SAVE IKE FROM THE MEDALLION

YUNE..YUNE... CHAOS GODDESS SEEING THE HUMAN SHE WAS FOND OF LIKE THIS...PERHAPS ENJOYING ALL OF THIS FLOWING ENERGY OF CHAOS

SO MANY POSSIBILITIES!!! I DEARLY HOPE THIS ONE IS GOOD!! I WANT TO WRITE SO MANY OF THOSE... IF ANYONE GETS INSPIRED FEEL FREE TO GO ALL OUT ON THOSE IDEAS!!

[sara-scribbles]

Sigurd Summoner Support

C Support

Sigurd: You wanted to speak with me, Summoner?

Summoner: Please, take a seat. How are your wounds healing?

Sigurd: Ethlyn took care of them; she said I should be fine in a few days. Is there a reason you called me? Have I done something wrong?

Summoner: It’s not that you’ve done anything wrong, just...reckless. The last battle, you ran headlong into the enemy without listening.. If it weren’t for the others, you would be worse off.

Sigurd: I apologize for causing confusion, however the people in that village were in danger. If I waited any longer a child would have died. My life is of little consequence if we can save the people.

Summoner: I realize how you feel, but you still need to follow orders. You’re part of the Order of Heroes in Askr, and we work together. So, please, be more conscious of your actions.

Sigurd: I will bear your words in mind. However I will not apologize for my actions as we managed to save everyone in the village. Without action many would have been slain.

Summoner: Just remember that you’re of no use to anyone dead.

Sigurd: …

B Support

Summoner: Sigurd, can I talk to you?

Sigurd: Of course. What can I help you with?

Summoner: I wanted to apologize for what I said last time we spoke. I realized that it was insensitive of me.

Sigurd: It’s fine. I know you were just trying to look out for me. You must understand something. I am a knight first and foremost. I cannot stand back and watch innocent people suffer. My first instinct is to charge forward with my sword.

Summoner: And I understand this now. I talked with Ethlyn, I hope you don’t mind, and she told me a little about when you were younger.

Sigurd: Ah, yes… I wasn’t the best when I was younger. Ethlyn would always cover for me back then. Please do not think I am the same as I was then.

Summoner: Of course not. She also told me how you truly care about people. That you do everything in your power to protect them. Even if it means risking your life and image for the sake of strangers, you’ll willingly go head first. You are a good man, Sigurd. Just…be more careful. I’ll try my best to look at situations from your perspective, and protect people as I am able.

Sigurd: Thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness in this matter. I will try to be more aware in regards to my own actions.

Summoner: Good. Oh, Ethlyn told me I should ask you about the “magic flag” incident?

Sigurd: She…of course she did… I should get back to training, Summoner. Good day.

Summoner: Hey! You can’t run away from me! I’ll get you to tell me!

A Support

Summoner: A-and you…really? Hanging upside d-down? I’m not laughing, I just…hahahaha!

Sigurd: I’ll admit I was a handful in my earlier years. I’m glad you find my humiliating story enjoyable.

Summoner: I-I…heh! I swear I’m not laughing at you! It’s just…ha!

Sigurd: Please try catching your breath before speaking. I don’t want to explain why you passed out from laughter.

Summoner: O-okay! It’s just you seem so serious! I never expected you to be such a troublemaker.

Sigurd: I was lazy and sloppy back then. I left a lot of my duties to Ethlyn. Eventually the world decided to knock sense into me. I’m glad Seliph is better than I was at his age.

Summoner: Well I think it’s refreshing to know you’re not perfect. I mean you’re very princely but you’re also just like everyone else. You make dumb mistakes and play dumb tricks. It’s all part of being a kid.

Sigurd: Perhaps you’re right. Tell me, did you get into trouble?

Summoner: Well I do have a few stories I can tell you, but they might be a little boring compared to yours.

Sigurd: I would like to hear them if you don’t mind. You’re an enigma to me sometimes.

Summoner: Me? Mysterious? You’re joking.

Sigurd: It’s true. I only know that you are from another world like me. I would like to know more about you.

Summoner: I guess I can tell a few stories. Let’s see…

S Support

Sigurd: Are you alright!

Summoner: I’m fine, Sigurd. Please calm down. You don’t need to keep asking every five seconds. I can move my arm. See!

Sigurd: You nearly got beheaded! How can I be calm when you almost died? It is my job to protect you, and yet I failed.

Summoner: Stop beating yourself up. I’m as much to blame. I should’ve been paying closer attention to my surroundings. But everything turned out well, no one else was hurt.

Sigurd: You should be more worried for your own safety! Did you not tell me that a while ago? I cannot lose you!

Summoner: What has gotten into you? You’re panicking over a small mistake. Just breathe with me for a second. Here give me your hands; they’re shaking.

Sigurd: …

Summoner: Better?

Sigurd: ...yes. I’m sorry for that.

Summoner: It’s okay. You were just worried. I’m safe. You're safe. This mission was a success. Everything is fine.

Sigurd: You must understand, I have lost many people I love. Despite coming to Askr, their deaths are still real and permanent in my world. I cannot bear the thought of losing you too.

Summoner: I…you love me?

Sigurd: Yes. Does that surprise you? The time we've been spending together, I’ve been falling in love with you more and more. You are a remarkable, kind, and strong person. You’re a bright light in my life. I would use every ounce of my strength to protect you from harm.

Summoner: Sigurd, I-

Sigurd: Please, do not think you’re obligated to return my feelings. I am content with protecting you.

Summoner: I’m not content with that.

Sigurd: Pardon?

Summoner: I can’t be content with you protecting me. Instead I want us to watch out for each other. After all, I can’t let my love do all the work.

Sigurd: You mean you?

Summoner: Yes! So are you going to kiss me now?

Sigurd: Gladly.

[four-loose-screws]

FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 2

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———————————

Chapter 2 - Seliph's Army 

"We're in danger! A bunch of soldiers are headed this way!" Ulster, a young swordfighter, gasped between words as he ran up to Seliph and the others with him.

"What? Are they really coming here?" His twin sister Larcei, also a swordfighter, asked.

They both had black hair, but otherwise hardly resembled each other. Larcei looked like their mother, Ayra, and Ulster took after their father, Lex.

"It's true! I saw them turn down the road leading into Tirnanog, so I hurried back! They'll be here in ten minutes!"

"How many people are in the group?"

"I saw about ten, but I don't know if that's all of them."

"I wonder why they're here?" Seliph asked nonchalantly.

"It's obvious, isn't it, Seliph? They've come to capture you!" Larcei exclaimed.

"But why?"

"Let's run away! Neither Lord Shanan nor Lord Oifey's knights are here!" Ulster suggested.

"So maybe they came to attack us while everyone is away…"

 "How can you be so calm!? If you don't escape soon, then it'll be too late!"

"Alright. Let's get out of here for now."

The three, together with the cleric Lana, left their hidden house, and headed straight for the forest.

Seliph stopped just as they entered the forest, and asked, "Sorry to bother you Ulster, but could you climb one of the trees and see what the soldiers are doing?"

"What are you thinking!? Are you not going to escape?"

"It won't be too late if we start running after we've figured out their motive."

Seliph's voice was still as calm as it had been since the beginning. But this time, his choice of words finally made the others relax.

Ulster found a tree that he could easily climb, made his way to the top, and saw about ten soldiers passing through the entrance to the village.

They were all carrying axes, and part of an axe fighter unit considered thugs even amongst the other Isaachian soldiers.

"They're headed straight for our house!" Ulster explained.

'I knew it.' Seliph thought. 'They've been watching us for a long time, so they must have known Shanan and Oifey are out right now.'

"They didn't find us, so now they're scattering to search the other houses."

'Tirnanog is called a village, but there's only ten houses. They'll figure out pretty fast that we aren't in the village. I wonder what they're planning to do after that?'

"They're gathering the villagers in the town square. The guy that looks like the leader is waving around his axe and threatening them!"

"Do you know if he's serious?"

"I can't tell from here. Ah! A few of the soldiers are lighting torches! I think they're gonna try to burn down the village!"

"Let's go." Seliph said.

"Go? Go where?" Larcei asked.

"Back to the village, of course."

"But there's three times more of them than there are of us, and Lord Oifey should be back soon!"

"Larcei, if people that have nothing to do with this were to get hurt because of me, then I'd probably regret it for my whole life. Even if I succeed in getting my revenge against Arvis. And you don't want to run away anymore either, do you? It's written all over your face! Those guys are animals!"

"So you understood how I really feel? I'm already way past my limit! I can't take it anymore! If Lord Seliph will let me, I'll go back…" Larcei argued.

"Ulster, if Shannan hadn't told you not to, you would probably run right straight back yourself. Now let's go! We don't have any time to waste! Lana, you stay here by yourself."

Lana responded with a strong protest, "No, Lord Seliph, I'm going too!"

She was a member of House Jungby, a family of archers, but was a cleric like her mother, Aideen, and couldn't use bows.

"No you're not! You aren't good at fighting!"

"Yes I am! clerics can fight too! I agree with Larcei. I can't stand to see innocent people suffer any longer! Even if you say I can't go, I will. I have my own way of fighting."

"I understand, and you're right, Lana. This is our fight. Now let's go!"

"Wait for me!" Ulster shouted, still halfway up the tree. 

But Seliph could wait no longer, and started running. Larcei followed after him.

The moment Seliph entered the village, he yelled out, "I'm Seliph! Come and get me!"

The Isaachian soldiers all whirled around towards the source of the voice. Once they saw Seliph and confirmed with their own eyes that he was the person they were searching for, they all rushed towards him at once.

But fortunately for Seliph and his friends, the soldiers were scattered around the village, so they wouldn't have to deal with the whole group at once.

Still, their victory did not come easily. The soldiers were used to fighting, and while they had plenty of training under their belt, this was their first real battle.

'Calm down.' Seliph said to himself, and tried to remember what Shanan had taught him. 'When up against an axe fighter, dodge their first attack.'

One of the soldiers ran up to him and swung his axe.

Woosh.

The moment he heard the axe whizz past his ear, Seliph swung upwards, slicing his enemy from side to shoulder, just as he'd practiced in training.

As he felt resistance pull on his sword, he was bathed in a splash of blood, and the scent filled his nose. 

"Grrrrraaaaaagh!" Like a beast starving for blood, he screamed and ran towards the next enemy. 

His forcefulness made the soldier flinch. The soldier swung down his axe, but Seliph dodged it much easier than the last one.

"Hiiiii-yah!"

The enemy's head flew through the air.

Seliph didn't even bother to see where it landed, instead seeking out his third opponent.

He ran up to the first soldier he saw, and as the man turned around, he swung his sword...

And the fight was over in an instant.

When Seliph regained his senses, the Isaachian soldiers were already all defeated.

'I hope everyone's okay.' He looked around and searched for his friends, praying that they were alright.

He found Larcei first. Then Ulster. Finally, Lana came up from behind him.

Nobody seemed to be hurt, probably because Lana had a healing staff.

'Thank the gods…' With his anxiety gone, his body stopped shaking. He tried to relax his right hand, still holding his sword, but he'd put so much strength into it that it stayed stiff.

A moment later he heard the faint sound of horses galloping in the distance.

'Are they new enemies?' He took a deep breath and assumed a battle stance, but it turned out that he was wrong. It was actually Oifey's calvary unit that appeared from the dust cloud.

Oifey continued forward until he reached Seliph's side, then sighed. "We came back as soon as we heard that the Isaachian soldiers were making a move, however, we were still late. I apologize. But what's most important is that you're safe."

He still had some of his childish features from his time at Sigurd's side, but in ten years, his face had changed greatly, mostly due to the thin mustache now under his nose.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I started the fight all on my own. But I didn't want the villagers to suffer."

"I understand. I should have been more careful. But since it's come to this, you must prepare yourself to fight. You aren't entirely ready yet, but neither are your enemies. They value making the first move over taking time to train their soldiers to be expert fighters.”

“So, what should we do?"

"We saw a group of Isaachian knights on the way back to the village. We will attack them after they have exited the forest. Then, we will take Ganeishire Castle in one fell swoop. Once that is done, we should first think about creating a solid base of operations.”

"Okay. Let's do as you say."

Among the members of the calvary unit was Lana's older brother, Lester. He was skilled with a bow, a trait he'd probably inherited from his father, Jamke.

He was a bit surprised to see his little sister on the battlefield. "You fought too, Lana!?"

"Yes I did, brother! I was really worried about Lord Seliph."

Her reasoning was completely different from what she'd said before.

She only realized the meaning of her words after she'd spoken them, and it made her cheeks turn bright red. 

Lester also seemed to understand, as he didn't say anything more.

-

Seliph's army (if it could even be called that, as it was an extremely small group of people, made up of only the villagers that said they wanted to fight with him) took no time to rest before leaving the village. They decided to wait for the Isaachian soldiers in front of a basin on the path to Ganeishire Castle. The infantry stood in front of the basin, and the cavalry unit hid in the shade of the forest a short distance away.

“When the enemies exit the forest and enter the basin, the cavalry unit will rush them. Once we’ve cut through their ranks and broken up their formation, the infantry unit will strike. The cavalry will immediately turn back around, and altogether, we'll attack them on both sides."

That was Oifey's strategy.

As the enemies appeared from the road in the forest, Seliph's infantry soldiers spread out in a horizontal line, in plain sight.

There were about fifty people among the enemy's ranks. Most likely because Seliph’s group was so small, they ignored the fact that they were on disadvantaged terrain, and retained their double column formation as they continued to advance.

As Seliph watched the distance between his group and the enemy shrink, Seliph's instincts as a warrior began to take over once again.

He suppressed the urge to attack right away, and made sure to keep his voice calm as he called out to his allies. "Wait until Oifey's calvary attack!"

When all the Isaachian soldiers had entered the basin, the calvary estimated that their enemies could no longer retreat back into the forest, and showed themselves.

The enemies knew that it was the disorder of their formation that caused them to lose their composure.

Oifey's cavalier unit began their attack. Galloping down a gentle slope while assaulting an infantry unit from the side was a formation so perfect for calvary that it was like a dream come true.

"Now! Chaaaaarge!" Seliph yelled, and started running.

"Raaaaaagh!" Everyone shouted, and followed after him.

The power of the cavalry unit's impact was their speed. The infantry's meager resistance had no effect in the face of that impact, and within the blink of an eye, the enemy army was in shambles.

Once Seliph and the infantry assailed them, the enemies were no longer a single unit. They now had to fight on their own, so the difference in numbers was no longer an issue. 

Then, Oifey's unit, which had pulled back, charged once more.

Within minutes, the enemies were decimated. Those who ran away were chased after by the calvary.

Seliph raised his blood-soaked sword high in the sky towards the heavens, and shouted as their victory cry, "To Ganeishire!"

Everyone raised their swords, and joined in. "To Ganeishire!"

The liberation army turned in the direction of Ganeishire and started to march.

They would continue to shout from time to time, sounding as if they were all drunk. 

"To Ganeishire!"

"To Ganeishire!"

-

Along the way, they saved several villages being pillaged by the Isaachian soldiers.

When the villagers expressed their gratitude, the liberation army always gave the same response. "To Ganeishire!"

And when they heard it, the villagers would join in. "To Ganeishire!"

Also, many of the young villagers joined the army.

The closer they got to Ganeishire, the more and more their numbers grew. Their new members were not only villagers, but also people from distant countries wishing to dedicate themselves to Seliph's army.

Among them was Fee, a pegasus knight from Silesse searching for her brother, and Arthur, a mage from Alster who'd run into the army while looking for his sister. They'd both heard rumors about Seliph, but actually just seen that someone was raising an army, and decided to join because it was a liberation army. The army didn't have any other members that could fly in the sky or use magic, so Fee and Arthur’s powers were  considered very special.

Ganeishire Castle was guarded by General Harold, who received his orders directly from Danan, the King of Isaach. However, because he'd sent so many soldiers to attack Tirnanog, he didn't have many left. The liberation army surrounded the remaining soldiers at the castle, who were drained of their morale when they saw the great numbers they were up against.

The liberation army started to attack the castle, but only task to give them any trouble was tearing down the castle gate. The moment Oifey's calvary charged, the castle's soldiers surrendered. General Harold was the only one to fight, but he met his end at the tip of Oifey's lance.

Seliph was a bit behind Oifey. He tried to enter the main building, but Lewyn was waiting for him in the entryway.

"It's nice to see you again after such a long time, Seliph."

"Yes, nice to see you too, Lewyn... I mean, King Lewyn of Silesse."

"As I've said in the past, please stop calling me king. Silesse was taken over by the empire, and my mother went down with it, her pride still intact. I live in shame of what happened, but I am now as I was long ago, a stupid bard. I don't know what Oifey's told you, but don't call me a king, or anything of the sort."

"I understand, Lewyn. I’m sorry." 

"It's okay to you make a mistake sometimes. Anyway, the many events that we’ve been waiting a long time for have finally begun."

"But it was not by my power. Things just happened this way…"

"Is that really true? Seliph, try looking out over the balcony."

"The balcony? What could possibly be there?"

"You'll know the moment you get there.”

Seliph nodded and climbed the stairs to the balcony. 

The garden directly below him was filled with his allies. A number of them noticed him, and shouted, "Seliph! Seliph!"

"They're cheering for you." Lewyn, who had followed behind him, said.

Seliph raised his right hand into the air in response, and everyone cheered some more.

"Seliph!"

"Seliph!"

"Long live Seliph!"

"Looong live Seliiiiiiiph!"

Each time Seliph raised his arm, they cheered for him. They didn't seem to have a limit, so once he figured he'd been there long enough, he stepped away from the balcony.

"So, what did you think of that?" Lewyn asked with a grin on his face.

"What did I think? I’ve hardly done anything, and they all got that excited!? Shanan is the prince of Isaach, so I think he's the one they should really be cheering for."

"Unfortunately, Shanan went to the Aed Shrine to search for the Isaachian royal family's Divine Blade Balmung. But I want you to try really thinking about why they're cheering for you."

"..."

"This is not a fight against King Danan of Isaach. Nor is it your fight against Arvis."

"..."

"They're rising up against the empire's tyranny. As the one who founded the liberation army and became its central figure, they must have cheered for you because they sensed that you are the one who did all of that work."

"But I'm still so young! The leader of the liberation army should be you, Lewyn. You know a lot more than I do, so I think you are much more qualified."

"That's not true at all. You know too that you are the only one who can do it, don't you? But more important than that right now, is the request I have for you."

"What is it?

Lewyn didn't answer, instead turning around. "Julia, come here."

A young woman appeared in response. She had lavender hair, and gave off a sense of a mysterious beauty.

"I saved her as a child when the city of Belhalla fell. Tragically, she seems to have suffered a horrible shock, and lost all of her memories. Until now, she's been taken care of in a remote region of Silesse, but I was told that the empire somehow found her hiding spot, so I've been taking her everywhere with me.

"I must leave for Leonster soon, and it would be too much trouble to bring her with me, so can I leave her in your care for a while?"

"Yes, of course! I'll protect her in your absence."

"By the way, now that you've raised an army, you can't stop for long. The empire will soon send a huge army out to get you. You should conquer every region of Isaach first. If you do that, then the Aed Desert will provide natural protection."

"But I want you to support me through that. Please stay here and help me.”

"Don't worry. Once you've taken Isaach's main castle, Rivough, I'll come back." Lewyn promised, then stood up and left.

'He's just like the wind.' Seliph thought.

[kurosaki]

10 Characters Tag

Tagged by: @dialovers-translations Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! 💜

Rules: make a new post, name 10 of your favorite characters from 10 different fandoms that you like, and then tag 10 people.

1. Ruki Mukami — Diabolik Lovers

I will say this now, I love Ruki, Subaru, Shu, Carla and Yuma equally. I genuinely cannot chose between them because I love them so dearly and bring me so much comfort during a lot of stressful situations. I decided Ruki since we both share a similar tragic backstory of being abandoned by their parents and I feel he would understand me the most. I'm also attached to Ruki because of our shared passion for literature. I also really love the way Ruki presents and carries himself, he's so... regal? elegant? The Mukami brothers have such an emphasis on found family and strong bond, I'm a sucker for that as well especially for all the advice Ruki gives his brothers not only in his own, but all his brothers' routes.

2. Shin — Amnesia

Admittedly when I first played Amnesia, I picked Shin because I'm a sucker for goths. After playing his route I fell absolutely in love, I actually cried multiple times during his route. The only other time that happens is when I play DL. *sobs* I didn't expect Shin to have such real struggles and such love for the player (despite him being so grumpy, but honestly it's adorable). I cannot stress how well written his character is. I love him so much, it's late at night and I shouldn't get emotional over otome games, but Shin just gets me.

3. Mitsuri Kanroji — Kimetsu no Yaiba

MITSURI IS MY BI GIRLFRIEND I ADORE HER SO MUCH. Thank you KNY for allowing my love to have a boyfriend AND girlfriend who love her so very much. (Shoutout Shinobu and Obanai) Mitsuri's design is what immediately drew me to her. She is so bright and warm and personally I think braids are the absolute cutest (ESPECIALLY WITH DUAL TONED HAIR)

4. Ishtar — Fate/GO

There are a lot of FGO ladies (and Merlin) that I adore, but Ishtar will always be my favorite. I first got introduced to her through FGO's summer event years ago and I absolutely adored the chaotic energy she had in the story. After that I decided I would continue playing FGO and I've been stuck here ever since :•) The FGO Babylonia anime also portrayed her so well, I loved seeing how animated and vibrant she is!

5. Ares — Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War

Mutuals know I am a big FE4/5 elitist, I'm sorry for my hubris, but Ares Hezul Nordion Fire Emblem, please sir... your hand in marriage. I absolutely loved this man in my FE4 play throughs. He is a killing machine, when he got into FEH I was so happy, his new art? Stunning. I hate the app and what it did to the Jugdral series, but the Nordion Family art is superb. I loved his story in FE4 and the growth and healing he goes through after meeting Seliph, the narrative genuinely touched my heart. I want to put the entire FE4/5 cast on this list.

6. Asbel — Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

I. Love. My. Son. So. Much. Just like Ares, Asbel is an absolute killing machine. He genuinely saved my life in FE5 so many times, even after many sleepless nights and strategizing. I genuinely feel like I owe my B ranking in Thracia to Asbel. His love for Leif makes me want to cry, I'll never forget “We swore to each other that we would live and die together, Lord Leif ... Let's reclaim Thracia. I'm willing to go through anything for that cause!”

7. Lillie — Pokemon Sun/Moon

Lillie is the best daughter I swear! I adore her and the entire Sun/Moon anime and cast! Although Hoenn is my favorite because of nostalgia, Alola is a close second and I will genuinely say it was the best anipoke. It featured so much growth, not only for Ash, but for Lillie and the rest of the Alola gang as well. I relate to Lillie's relationship with her mother as well, you have no idea how happy it made me seeing the “I hate you mother!” scene animated. I'm Lillie's mom now. That's final.

8. Pripara — Sophie Hojo

If I had to recommend an anime to anyone, it would be Pripara. It's the most silliest idol anime I've ever watched and definitely directed to children, but I love how inspirational it is to kids. It's the kind of show I wish was there for me as a child, but I'm so happy younger kids get to have these positive messages and life lessons. Sophie is very dear to me, she showcases that self growth can be taken at a steady pace and there's absolutely no rush to growing and being able to learn how to take care of yourself.

9. Rem — Re:Zero

It has honestly been years since I've read Re:Zero and couldn't tell you anything besides the basic plot, but I absolutely adore Rem. I was drawn to both Rem and Ram based on their designs, but the more I watched the show, the more I got attached to Rem. Her smile is such a blessing, every time I see it, just an immediate dose of serotonin.

10. Cloud Strife — Final Fantasy VII

This guy... this guy right here... I just think he's really neat! Admittedly, all my FFVII lore information comes from my girlfriend. I want to play FFVIIR once I'm able to visit my little brothers and borrow their PlayStation (they got the PlayStation, I got the Switch) SO HOPEFULLY I GET TO MEET HIM SOON! I've heard a lot about him from friends and mutuals I just got attached. He's pretty cool :)

Tagging: I physically cannot tag other people because of anxiety, but if you want an excuse to talk about your favorite characters please feel free to say I tagged you :3

[crystalelemental]

Well that...exists?  No seriously, are we being pranked?  Because I feel like this is a prank.

So, it’s an Awakening banner.  But the shittiest possible Awakening banner?  Like seriously, this is such a weird fucking mix, and for like no reason.

First up is Anna.  Okay, fine.  People really liked Awakening Anna, and frankly I adore the weapon name.  Apotheosis Spear is fucking awesome sounding.  She is gonna be fast as all goddamn hell, too.  Seriously, that weapon scares me.  Warp effect, she’s going to have at least 173BST by default and may have trainee bonus, and all this goddamn speed stacking.  Also Joint Drive Speed exists.  I was literally just talking about how much I didn’t want this.  And here we are.  Oh well, I guess.  Time to consider giving that to my base Julia.

Then we have the unit I like the best: Say’ri.  She’s finally in the game.  Faster cooldown timer is nice, and conditional DC is...it’s there.  Arguably Osian made it work, but personally I can’t help but think it’s shit.  Also that archer fucking bodied her and her stance skill is around attack and speed so that’s really not a valuable effect at all.  Kestrel Stance 3 is...nice?  I dunno, enemy phase doesn’t seem as concerned about boosting attack and speed.  Close Call is great, but I can’t help but feel like her toolkit isn’t that spectacular.  Not even her special is all that useful.  And she only deals 17 extra damage off of Iceberg, so that’s only like 34 Res.  Not bad for a sword unit, but not exactly impressive either.  Anyway I’m giving her a Shannan manual like immediately if I pull her, so there’s that.

Then we have...the entire reason I don’t like this banner.  Can someone answer me honestly: why is Mustafa here?  He’s a nobody.  He showed up in exactly one chapter and had a few sad dialogue moments, and that’s somehow enough to displace Miriel, Vaike, Kellam, Laurent, Basilio, AND Flavia?  Like are we real right now?  I actually hate that he’s here.  And he’s the demote, which is somehow more infuriating to me because it makes him the easiest to merge and the most likely to encounter.  I just hate everything about this guy.  He’s got Defense Tactic, which is super nice long-term, but it comes at the cost of knowing it’s 5* locked and that his only other offering is fucking Water Boost.  A skill somehow more useless than Brash Assault.  Unreal.

Also hey, remember when the Thracia banner introduced Peony because they were just that unconfident about Thracia units selling well?  Well fuck you, here’s a new Anima mythic in Mirabilis.  On an Awakening banner.  Guys, I’m so sorry.  I honestly considered Awakening one of the favored children, but oh my god did their fans just get fucked over.  Fucking Mustafa over literally anyone of value, and not even a fourth banner member, but a random-ass mythic added in for funsies.  I’m just...in absolute awe of how shitty this was of them.

Oh, but it gets worse.  Mirabilis is a red unit.  And a Mythic.  Meaning she’s going to be set on this month’s banner as a red unit.  Meaning we’re back to this month’s legendary being potentially ANYTHING.  Seliph is no longer a guarantee.  So that’s great, super happy that the entire set of expectations for this legendary banner got blasted.  Not only was Awakening fucked over, but now our boy Seliph is likely to get fucked over too.  10/10, Heroes, way to fuck this up hard.

Anyway she seems pretty good.  If a foe has any kind of penalty, she penalizes them harder in combat for anyone in three columns.  Which is a good effect range.  Her dance grants +5 attack to all allies in two spaces, so it’s a slightly less potent Rally Attack Up+, but it also inflicts -5 Attack on the nearest foe within 4 spaces AND all foes within two spaces of that target.  So everyone?  Basically everyone.  And this is a defense mythic dancer.  Thanks for that.  Oh, and her toolkit?  Fortress Def/Res.  Meaning she’s going to be bulky and hard as shit to take down thanks to all the attack penalties she inflicts.  This is going to be an absolute nightmare, because even Brunnya doesn’t save you.  Thrasir is on Anima season.  Which means Brunnya gets bodied.  Idunn does too because dragon.  So effectively, there is no guaranteed counter to Mirabilis and Thrasir combos.  This will be the new Anima defense meta. 

And...wait.  Wait a minute.  “Mirabilis may or may not appear again in a summoning event held in the future.”  That’s...that’s the Duo Ephraim lingo.  Is she seriously not going to be set as a permanently recurring unit in the legendary and mythic banners, and also not be in the general summoning pool?  Am I seriously to believe that we’ve learned nothing, or perhaps learned the wrong lesson that players will always go for this super rare thing as what they want to make comebacks from how hard everyone’s salivating over Duo Ephraim being made available again?  Jesus Christ, this is dire.

Anyway, the GHB is Gangrel.  Yay?  Whatever.

Honestly this banner pisses me off.  I think it pisses me off more because Mirabilis would be nice to put on my defense team, and that Joint Drive Speed skill would be so nice on my base Julia to keep her running at maximum capacity.  I also like Say’ri best on this banner, but can’t necessarily justify pulling for her.  I hate that this banner introduced a unit I can’t justify seeking out, a unit I don’t care about with a super good and necessary skill, a new really strong mythic hero, AND a demote that’s just...the worst, most bizarre choice possible.  All while effectively wasting their Awakening banner for the rotation.  Just...why?

[emblemxeno]

(3H SPOILERS) Analysis of Main Characters in FE and the Western FE Community’s Perception of Them

In the midst of all the Three Houses hype, there’s a lot of contention with Edelgard as a character as well as her route in general with how it plays out.

With this, it’s given me some perspective on how the community feels about main characters and whether or not they are liked and/or well written. Since I am a Westerner myself, please always assume this is in the context of the western FE audience, as I don’t know enough about the JP audience to do comparisons or whatnot.

Now with this, there’s more or less a pattern with some main characters in how they’re received by western fans. (Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Roy and Kris won’t be covered in this since I haven’t read enough of their games’ scripts to get a grasp on them)

The most contentious main characters by far are Eirika, Micaiah, Corrin and Celica (when I say contentious I don’t mean unpopular as they have many fans; however, though popular, they also have the most detractors). 

These characters all have very defined flaws that get them in trouble in their games, are peace seeking in general and look for peaceful ways unless there is no other choice, and all do questionable things in their stories that call for doubt, discussion, and criticism. Most of their development comes from making mistakes and learning from them. They are also all known for getting into situations where they either need rescue or because of something they fucked up.

The least contentious main characters (compared to the four above, I might add) are Hector, Ephraim, Ike, and Alm. 

They may or may not have noticeable flaws, but they hardly ever cause trouble for them. They may or may not seek peace at some opportunities, but are always willing, with no hesitation, to fight. They are all blunt and speak their mind, and though sometimes that poses situations where they could get into trouble, but they never really do. Most of their development comes from growth after bad things happening to them rather than something that they messed up.

In this, realize that main characters are the ones that people identify with the most, therefore, there’s a reason for certain characters to be less contentious than others. In particular, the reason for FE main characters?

It’s probably a little bitchy to say it like this, but it’s kind of power fantasy esque. 

Hector, Ephraim, Ike, and Alm all have great authority/renown within their groups or territories and are always seemingly in control of the situation. They are hardly questioned, and when they are they are almost always proven right. In short, the players like these characters because they are validated as strong, intelligent, and almost always in control of the moment. Since these are the characters players identify with, the players themselves feel validated.

In contrast, compare to them Eirika, Micaiah, Corrin and Celica. They hold little authority (compared to the other four), are questioned and not always proven right, doubted at some points, they question and doubt themselves, they’re not as notably strong in various fields like the other four so they don’t get validated as the other four. Being main characters, these are also characters that players are to identify with, but since they have unattractive/undesirable qualities to them, (and because FE players always believe they themselves have the perfect solutions to everything) they are instead cast aside as being badly written, stupid, incompetent, and the oh so misused moniker, Mary Sue. 

(Well, Celica doesn’t really get called that, but that’s because she wasn’t known by the audience that uses it frequently, and Echoes came out at a period when people stopped using it wrongly)

Again, I don’t wanna sound condescending, but power fantasy is really what I get from this.

Now there is sort of a problem with this theory, and that’s Ephraim, because he’s contentious in his own right because of the shit he pulls in FE8, but he gets less flack than his sister, Corrin, and Micaiah, so...

Anyway, besides the characters I intentionally left out because I didn’t know enough about them, there remains Marth, Lyn, Eliwood, Chrom, Robin, and the 3H Lords.

What’s notable about Mar-Mar is that his Shadow Dragon interpretation is very well received over here in the west. Marth in Shadow Dragon is written as being more blunt, and not really questioning himself, his actions, or anything that happens around him. Notice how this is very much unique to SD, as the original Dark Dragon script as well as Mystery and New Mystery portray softer, more idealistic Mar-Mars. Heroes also takes after those portrayals. Yet the audience here likes the SD portrayal the best; the one most similar to Hector, Ephraim, Ike, and Alm.

Lyn is in an interesting situation; she’s very much in control and she’s not as unimportant in the story as some say, but it’s still very much Eliwood’s story. Which makes it all the more weird that Hector shines over poor Eli. Had Lyn not been many players first Waifu FE lord, Hector would no doubt be the most popular one. Compared to Hec, Eli is peaceseeking and idealistic, though not to the point of the more contentious lords, so he gets passed on compared to his friends, but not to the point where people think he’s badly written.

Chrom and Robin are in an interesting situation as well, as the story is Chrom’s and then gradually become’s Robin’s story as it nears the end. (Some say they stole it from Chrom, but I would say it’s like the spotlight slowly drifted from him to them) 

Chrom doesn’t have a notable flaw that gets him into danger, and is in control/has authority throughout a good deal of the campaign, but also very emotional and starts looking for peaceful solutions more often than say Hector, Ephraim, Ike, and Alm. Chrom tries to reason with Walhart, even, and those other four would never. So he’s kind of at an in between. Robin... is kind of hard to discern. They are supposed to be the character the player identifies with more since they are the avatar. We do see that they are in control as well and never makes to many mistakes. But they’re also batshit crazy for setting fleets on fire and fighting in a volcano. Having the player suspend their disbelief like that isn’t the best thing for identifying with a character, but it seems people like them enough for other reasons so indirect validation isn’t as prominent a thing with them.

Then come the 3H lords, and oh my, they do not fit into any sort of mold whatsoever; not perfectly anyway.

Byleth being a complete blank slate means they are truly in the middle on things; despite being the least customizable in appearance, they are the most avatar like of the FE avatars. The player can feel true, direct validation from the 3H cast as you get to pick which dialogue choices you want, and do other things at your own pace. (Unless you care about support points) As a character they’re not anything too special, but since they are a true avatar, they’re not seen as bad as say, Corrin, because the player can literally be who they want through Byleth and be validated by the story at the same time.

Edelgard, (the most discussed of the lords) is also unique. Never has a main character been so extreme in how they accomplish things. From what I’ve gathered from FE4, she’s Arvis like. And yet, she’s a protagonist in one possible outcome. She has the attractive qualities of protagonists like Hector and Ike, (being in control/having authority, speaking her mind) yet she’s contentious because unlike them her morality is very grey. The very definition of the ends justify the means. There’s a reason her title in Heroes is ‘The Future’. Because her goal and ambition is for the future, with no limit on what she’ll do to get there.

Dimitri is unique because he starts off as model prince, honor loving, sweet boy with bad hair. Then you gradually notice strange things about him, then Remire happens, then you learn he’s at the academy for revenge, then he goes feral at the Holy Tomb, and descends even further for 5 years, until he’s a revenge obsessed beast. He then begins his ascent back to being a proper king for his people (he’s more deserving of the title Restoration King than Ephraim, but that’s just me). There’s never been a main character in FE that falls so low and then climbs back up like that.

Claude himself is unique as well. Besides being the most well adjusted of the three lords, he’s actually pretty idealistic compared to them. He has big dreams and ambitions for Fodlan, and his main concerns are with the world at large, and his story doesn’t end with the major war among the 3 factions. He’s intelligent enough to not be blinded by emotion like Dimitri but also keen enough enough to realize that pure brute force isn’t the only option unlike with Edelgard. He’s very much a middle ground, but a middle ground that’s like a bell curve instead of a straight line, since Edie and Dima both fall hard and do messed up things, but are still not completely terrible people, whereas Claude is nowhere as extreme as they are and feels like a true balance.

If nothing else, 3 Houses achieves something very different with all of its main characters for once.

Anway, that’s kind of all I have. Sorry for the long post, but Fire Emblem is my #1 game series for a reason, so I get big into these passion analyses sometimes.

[companaich]

Hurting Takes Time || Ishtar & Tine

Participant(s): Ishtar, @sireneia​ / Tine

Words: 7,700

Type: B-Support

Summary: Following Ishtar’s self-imposed house arrest after her surrender, Tine visits her in her chambers. There, she finds her cousin at the lowest point of her recovery, and some dark thoughts come to light.

TWs: Depression, graphic description of abuse, self harm, aggressively charged language

✦ —— at first, tine’s voice refused to produce even a single word.

          she had thought herself to be growing a little stronger about her childhood with the help of the others in the liberation army, but it all crumbles when she remembers that her sister-figure is just on the other side of a door. though tine had initially had promised to return with her sweetheart, she could not abandon grannvale– not when ishtar was right there.

          what use was it to stay behind when she would be wasting away time just standing outside the room provided to her cousin? every day seemed to go like this, where she would waver in front of the door before eventually retreating at the first sign of someone else walking past. she’s sure ishtar must’ve heard her by now on one of those days, the mage’s trembling voice apologizing before her hurried steps whisked her away.

          not today.

          with her eyes shut tight and her hand suspended in the air, she at last softly knocked on the door, and a gasp escaped her lips when she realized she had finally done it. her voice squeaked as she rushed to say something; it would be rude if she didn’t announce herself, right?

        ❝ ishtar…? may i come in please ? are you awake…? ❞

She’d thought that Tine had been avoiding her. It was something that made sense to the woman, particularly after her…breakdown at the end of the last battle. She didn’t know why anyone would want to be near her after that, sobbing and screaming as she clutched the body of a monster to her chest. Even Ishtar wasn’t sure she’d want to spend time with someone who did something like that.

“Tine…”

Maybe she was leaving today, and coming to say goodbye. Leaving Ishtar in her room in this tower, her self-imposed house arrest to keep herself isolated, away from the people who would gawp and whisper about the things she’d done. Maybe Tine just felt guilty about the fate she was resigning her cousin to, even if Ishtar believed she deserved it.

Hesitating, she considered walking to the door and answering it herself, but paused. Not of her own volition, but because for the moment she couldn’t seem to muster up the strength to move from her bed.

“You can come in.” She called eventually, voice cracking slightly. Her sobs and - she would admit - slight dehydration had left her throat dry and sore, making it hard to speak. “They wouldn’t give me a key to the lock.”

She knew the room was a mess, that she was a mess. A tray of food, brought in by a maid for breakfast, untouched on the small round table in the middle of it - just like most of the food she was brought, Ishtar having just picked at it enough to keep up some modicum of strength. Nothing else in the room seemed to be touched, but a shattered portrait rested face-down against the far wall from when she’d thrown it, and her bed…a tangled disaster of sheets and dirty clothes, a bundle of fabric that looked more like a hamper than something to sleep in. As for the ‘Goddess of Thunder’ herself, her eyes were red and sunken, hair let down from its ponytail and collecting around her shoulders in matted clumps, dress wrinkled and uneven. The only thing that looked as neat as Ishtar normally was were her gloves, painstakingly pulled up and kept clean, even as her fingers fiddled with each other.

Julius was dead. Hilda was dead. The thing that had replaced Julius was dead. Ishtore was dead. But none of them would leave her mind and just let her get some damned sleep. She couldn’t eat, she couldn’t sleep, and now she could barely muster up the energy to get out of bed.

“I know.” She said quietly once Tine was in the room, trying and failing to crack a smile. “I’m a wreck.”

✦ —— to see the room in the great disarray it was in… it came as such a surprise to tine that she felt herself freeze with shock after she entered the room. she had been in such a rush to enter after ishtar gave her permission to but now that she was in here and taking it all in, she was rooted to the ground and as still as can be.

          ishtar was always this pillar of reliability and perfection to tine as she had been growing up. she was always so capable, so loved and for good reasons. she was a wonderful sister, family that helped tine stand up after the loss of her mother. if there was anyone tine might have wanted to become, it would be at least a fraction of her cousin. that would be a blessing enough. yet the woman before tine seemed to just be a ghost of that kind and strong person she had once known.

          is this what her love had done to her?

          when ishtar spoke up again, her voice brought tine out of her daze. the mage fastened her gaze upon her cousin’s frame, and the mage softly crept up to her bedside, dropping down to her knees beside it and resting her arms and head upon the edge as she gazed sadly at its occupant.

        ❝ a lot has happened to you… i’m sorry. i just wanted you alive no matter what, but… did my wish hurt you ? ❞

Ishtar’s eyes followed Tine’s movements almost nervously, trying to see how she’d react - half anticipating some kind of scolding, or at least some kind of acknowledgement that she was disappointed. She’d heard that the woman had been getting a little tougher recently, freed from Hilda’s clutches and given actual friends to help her through it all. Good, at least someone was going to come out of this mess in a better state than they’d been at the start…

Instead, all she saw was pity and sadness. For a brief second Ishtar’s face twisted up with bubbling rage and disgust, a look far too similar to her mother’s flickering across her eyes before settling back into a dazed, dead look. No matter what? Had Tine even really sat down and thought of what would happen if Ishtar was left alive?

“I’ve lost everything.” She said after a quiet moment, willing herself to look away - eyes moving past the wreckage of the room, the woman forcibly turning her head to make sure her gaze didn’t linger on the shattered portrait of Julius on the floor. “Ishtore’s dead - Liza, too, just a few scant months before their wedding. Reinhardt was cut down by his own damn sister. Julius died a…a long time ago, I realize that now. Friege likely won’t welcome me back as its heir now, not with everything that mother was party to. Everything’s gone!”

Her voice had been measured and calm when she’d been listing it, trying to keep her emotions in check. The final outburst had brought her to her feet, snatching one of the few intact glasses and tossing it across the room as she shrieked. She stood there, shoulders shaking with a mix of heavy breathing and barely contained tears, hands slowly curling into fists as nails dug into palms hard enough to draw blood had it not been for the gloves.

“Everything but you.” She amended eventually, voice softer now as she turned back to her baby cousin, eyes softening. “But…so much is gone. What am I meant to do?”

✦ —— at first ishtar’s rage scares her– she hadn’t had many memories of her cousin getting angry at her. ishtar had been nothing but kind when she had no obligation to be. it was what compelled the mage to beg seliph and his company to not chase after her cousin’s life. if anyone deserved to live, tine had been convinced it was ishtar. her cousin’s ire does not make her regret her decision, but it does make her sit up a little more and to take her hands off the bed. it’s prey’s instinct commanding her to do so for she sees so much of her aunt in that moment– a woman she thought would never come back to haunt her yet she lived on in her daughter’s expression for just a little bit.

          her gaze also goes elsewhere, a confusing mixture of guilt and fear bubbling in the pit of her stomach, and she looks at the portrait of julius. she lends an ear to listen to ishtar’s re-telling of all that has happened in the past couple of years. it’s familiar to her, but to hear ishtar vent about it made it sting in a fresh way somehow.

          it had always been ishtar that looked after tine, and now their roles had been reversed. tine didn’t know the first thing about this position, but she wanted to fill it with the same amount of light that her cousin had done for her in the past. she sheds away the fear naturally. her mind banishes the thought of the resemblance between ishtar and hilda and instead registers ishtar’s anger as a sign that she still had a little vitality in her– that she had the energy to be angry, the potential to live and be more than just a husk of the woman she once was.

        ❝ um… ❞ tine gets up to grab the shards of the glasses from across the room, carefully plucking them from the floor and into the palm of her hand so that if ishtar walked over she wouldn’t accidentally get pierced. tine doesn’t think she has a way with words, but she could show her consideration this way, right? she talks as she goes about the clean-up process, her voice much more unsteady than her sister-figure’s but she still makes the attempt, ❝ i don’t know what you’re meant to do, but i would like to help you live and move on again… ❞

        ❝ if you want to go lead friege, i can help put in a good word and sway the people for you…! leif could too, i’m sure. i want everyone to know you for the kind, beautiful woman i’ve always wished i could be like. or you could go with me back to silesse ! we could live together again… ❞

          tine pauses in her collecting to turn to face ishtar again, a smile radiant as the sun on her face.

        ❝ just above everything else, you don’t have to be alone. i don’t want to leave you alone– never. ❞

“A good word. Somehow I doubt that’ll be enough to calm nerves” Ishtar snorted, shaking her head. She already knew the mood of the people there, used to living under Friege lords in fear. Truth be told, she personally thought the entire situation would be better if she could convince Seliph to place some other, unrelated noble family in charge of the area - without the legacy of Reptor, Bloom and Hilda hovering over their heads. But no, it was going to be Arthur, or…maybe her. Did she even want to lead Friege anymore?

No. Actually, looking back, she never really wanted to or expected to - Hilda had always groomed her with the seat of an entire empire in mind, but Julius was dead. Who had she expected to rule Friege if Ishtar was so occupied? The woman had hated Ishtore, and Tine was certainly out of the question. Maybe her mother had genuinely thought she would live forever, or some other bizarre reason for her logic. No, she couldn’t go back to Friege - local climate and lack of experience aside, the memories there would haunt her, she knew that.

“…Silesse…?”

That was an option, she’d admit that. Hadn’t that been where Arthur had grown up? She paused, frowning at the thought of the cousin she’d never really believed she’d had. She wasn’t sure she liked him. Things were…difficult. Not like it was with Tine. But did she want Tine’s life to be dictated by having herself lingering over her for the rest of her life?

No, she didn’t, and truth be told she couldn’t do it to herself either. If Tine wanted to flee the remains of where she’d grown up to live in peace somewhere else, that was the smartest thing her cousin had done in ages. That was what Ishtar should do, but she couldn’t live near Tine, be a constant reminder of how her childhood had turned out. Even if Tine wanted her there, Ishtar would always doubt herself when it came to that.

“I do have to be alone, Tine.” She said quietly, the tears she’d been trying to hold back running down her cheeks. “I don’t get to have anyone stay. Everyone either dies or gets driven away. So, please - don’t try and convince me otherwise. I’ll just…stay here and live for you.”

Unsaid words lingered on the edge of her mind, harsh and hurtful, something she could never really dream of saying to Tine’s face.

Why did you have to convince me to live? Why couldn’t you let me die?

✦ —— tine feels a bit disheartened when ishtar looks pessimistically about the odds of their former home accepting her. she doesn’t blame her cousin, but that does not make her feel any less sad about the fact that ishtar was condemning herself and building a wall between her and the others– especially when tine knew she was a kinder woman than anyone, a woman who had looked out not only for her frail cousin but also after her former lover in a term of deterioration and after the children who were being sent away to the capitol.

         even if her cousin dismissed the idea, tine truly did want the people who lived underneath the frieges to learn to love ishtar.

         hearing ishtar sound out the syllables of the northward snowy land, tine gets a glimmer of hope for at least her plan b. she’s not quite sure if she prefers ishtar to lead what her father once did or if she prefers the idea of living together again, but either plan holds with it a promise of anticipating happiness no matter how awkward the beginning may be.

         her face falls when ishtar insists that she must be alone. every part of her seems to reflect that motion: her heart sinks, her chin lowers to look away and her hands resume picking up each glass shard one by one and gathering them up in a pile in her other hand. though she had mustered up the courage to come into this room and try and help her cousin, that did not mean that she was suddenly brimming with bravado.

       ❝ i wondered if silver hair was cursed… ❞ her voice isn’t as peppy as it was before, and her pace with her current chore is slow and deliberate as she thinks between her words. ❝ they said empress deirdre suffered a tragic fate. then there was mother… i was worried maybe i’d end up just like them. ❞

         maybe she would have if she had just stayed loyal to bloom and hilda and everyone who had raised her ( even if it was after forcibly taking tailtiu and then mistreating her ) instead of defecting to seliph’s liberation army.

       ❝ i want to hope that now you don’t have to face any more death or any more loss– that the curse isn’t real for either of us and that it’s just a big coincidence. if you really won’t come with me… let me visit you at least, OK ? i want to be with you… won’t you let me, ishtar ? ❞

“…hah.” Ishtar’s lips cracked into a slight, bitter smile at Tine’s wondering if their hair was cursed. A hand moved to sift through the end of her ponytail, a frown flickering across her face when she felt how matted it had gotten. Had she really been taking such bad care of herself…?

Look at this. All of the misery she was wallowing in, her insistence that she was meant to be alone, and all it was doing was hurting the person she’d been trying to help by living. She let out a sigh, lowering her gaze and shaking her head slightly again. “Of course you can visit, Tine. I just think it would be a poor idea to have me…so close to you in the public eye. I don’t want my disgraces to rub off on you with how much of a responsibility you’ll have in Friege from now on.”

She was being pathetic, she knew it. Just…wallowing. There could be time for that when Tine wasn’t here, time to treat herself the way she felt she should be treating herself when it wasn’t causing her cousin so much pain. Surely she could at least fake being happy, for a few days before she left.

If only because she’d already had so much practice at it.

“I need a bath.” She decided eventually, relenting to her own optimism. The last thing she wanted…was for Tine to feel sadder than was necessary. She let out a shaky breath and shook her head, trying to focus on making herself happier for her cousin’s sake, just for the day.

“I want to be with you as well.” She admitted, tears in her eyes. That much at least was the truth, even if she didn’t feel like it should be. “I just - need to clean up. Perhaps I should sort this room as well, when I have the time, gods know what could be growing in the corners at this rate…”

It was a feeble joke, her lips twitching at her own blatantly awful attempts at humor. “If you give me half an hour…I’ll join you in the courtyard for a time. Less if you don’t mind helping me look presentable.”

That would be an easy enough way to see how serious her cousin was. She was a wreck physically as well right now, helping her clean up would be a…task.

✦ —— tine knows that ishtar is looking out for her, just as she always had. she doesn’t want to dismiss that shade of kindness offered to her within her cousin’s concern but the younger mage shakes her head. “ i don’t care what they think. if i can be with you, i can’t be happier. i’m proud to be your cousin, so i don’t want to hide you… ”

still, even if she’s grown a bit bolder over the course of the war, she still pedals back a bit. “ if you really think i need to be careful, i will, but i hope there comes a time where i can stop and just give you a great big hug right in front of everyone. ”

the rush of honest sentimentality is interrupted by her surprise when ishtar changes gears and confesses that she needed to exercise self care. that was fleeting, however, and tine’s face glows with happiness at this step of self-improvement and even better, the invitation to spend time together and out of this room! not that there was anything wrong with the accommodations that seliph gave ishtar, but tine’s sure that her cousin has spent enough time wallowing in these quarters and probably could use the change of pace.

“ i’d love to help ! ” she exclaims, her eagerness plain. “ i might actually help you take longer… but if you’ll let me, i will ! i can clean up this room, just… is there anything you want to keep? i don’t want to throw out anything important on accident… o-or do you mean help you bathe ? i’ll scrub as hard as i can ! or wait, i should be gentle in these cases, right ? oh no… i’m also not as good as you at doing up your hair… remember those braids i gave you ? oh how hilda— ”

“You really shouldn’t be proud of me.” Ishtar chided gently, but there was a smile on her face now. Most of it was fake, plastered on to try and make her cousin stop fussing over her so much, but a part of her still felt genuinely touched. Even after everything she’d done, but in the war and to Tine herself-

How do you just forgive someone for trying to kill you?

“I’ll deal with the room.” She said, hastily and wincing at the idea of Tine rifling through the dishevelled mess she had left things in. She wasn’t sure what she would be hurt more by, Tine throwing out the shattered portraits of her and Julius or the girl trying to restore them to the state they had been before. “That can be done later. For now, just - run the bath, would you? I don’t need to-?”

Tine’s babbling reached Hilda, and Ishtar’s face immediately became stony. She wasn’t entirely sure what she felt about her mother’s death, but knew despite everything, despite the relief and freedom the news had brought here, there was still grief there. There shouldn’t be, she knew that, but…

“Please don’t talk about her, Tine. She doesn’t deserve that.” She said in a flinty, hard voice. “Just…run the bath, please. I’ll be inside in a moment.”

      Tine could hardly register the change in her cousin’s expression — not until Ishtar has already beseeched her to run the bath again. She stops mid-ramble, and although she recognizes her mistake, she doesn’t look disheartened over it. A bit more deflated, certainly, but not as if the world were going to end.

She had made a mistake again. But… this time, she knows she can be forgiven.

“ Okay, ” Tine nods, her exchanged words shorter partly out of fear of bringing up something that may grow thorns instead of camaraderie and understanding. She gives one furtive glance back before she goes off to do as she’s told.

Water pours in as Tine absently reflects. Talking about Hilda just came more easily with the more time she spent with the rebel army, but that didn’t mean it was her cousin’s way of coping with the past. They were like sisters, yes, but that didn’t mean their hearts were always in sync.

They would have more chances to talk now and change that though, right? With that hope in her chest, Tine returns to reality. The bath was filled and the provisions were left out. The mage looks around, realizing her cousin had yet to come over. She crosses back to Ishtar’s quarters, peeking in.

“ Ishtar? I did as you said… Do you need any help? ”

“…”

Ishtar was quiet as Tine moved to run the bath, staring at her feet, uncertain of what she felt. Whenever her mother was brought up these days, it was…hard to tell how she should react. She knew better than almost anyone the kind of monster that Hilda had been, an evil, manipulating woman who’d willingly traded away her daughter to the devil himself and tortured her sister-in-law to death-

But she was still my mother…

Instead she shifted to the corner, carefully picking up the shards of glass and damaged portraits before simply sliding it all into a drawer without looking. She didn’t need to break down in front of her baby cousin any more than she already had, and it wasn’t going to take much to make her cry now.

“Mn…” She muttered meaningless words to herself under her breath as she crossed back to her wardrobe, starting to strip down before hesitating when she reached her gloves. Well, she could hardly take a bath with them still on, so she just hoped Tine wouldn’t comment too much.

“I’ll be there in a second.” Ishtar replied absently to Tine’s question, tugging her gloves away and staring at the fresh, jagged red welts crossing her forearms and the damaged, stained nails on her hands. She grabbed a towel, covering herself and turning her arms to keep the wounds hidden as she stepped into the bathroom with another forced smile on her face.

“See? Just like when we were young.” She slid into the water with a light sigh, leaning her head back. The heat was helping, she’d admit that, as she unconsciously rested her arms against the edge of the bath. “Can you fix my hair?”

    “ Ok. ” She trusts her cousin when she says she’ll be there soon, and perhaps that’s all she wanted to hear— some kind of affirmation that Ishtar wasn’t running away from her or anything. Tine returns to the bath, looking at the various soaps and the different colors they were until she hears Ishtar enter.

She smiles not at Ishtar’s forced smile ( though it was nice to know that her cousin was at least trying if nothing else, because maybe with enough time that smile would be REAL ) but at the call-back to their younger days, none the wiser about the recent wounds that cover Ishtar’s forearms.

Even if sadness stained the past, that didn’t mean there weren’t still good memories like the ones Ishtar mentioned.

“ Of course! I’m not very good at this but if you’ll let me, I’ll try. ” When was the last time she touched Ishtar’s hair? Tine is clumsy and uses more product than necessary, but with the way she’s humming, it’s clear she’s at least finding some solace and fun out of working her hands through her cousin’s silvery tresses. She could maybe afford to be a little less gentle with it too, but she doesn’t even realize she’s barely actually working in anything, just content with what she’s currently doing.

“ Maybe after this, we can put your hair up like mine? Oh, and then I can switch with you too! ” She’s already excited at the prospect. She stops suddenly in her work, craning her head to try and make eye-contact with the other mage. “ Is the water okay, by the way? I’m sorry I didn’t ask you earlier… ”

“The water’s fine. I like it hot.” Ishtar assured her, eyes staring up at the ceiling as she listened to her cousin’s words. She blinked as Tine craned her head forwards to make eye contact, staring up into the younger girl’s face upside-down and eventually giving the first genuine smile she’d had in months.

“I feel like I might look a bit young with your hair style, Tine. Besides, I’ve heard that Ced quite likes you with yours rather than mine.” Her eyes glittered a little with half-remembered mischief, some prattled piece of gossip she’d picked up from Nanna when the girl had spent some time trying to become her friend during her initial imprisonment. “Something about tugging on them, hm?”

She dismissed that thought, looking away again and sinking a little deeper into the water. She felt the suds in her hair and smirked a little as a finger moved to play with them absent-minded, eyes closing in relaxation. Perhaps she’d needed this more than her stubborn nature would have let her allow.

“…remember how I used to let you braid mine to keep your mind off things?” She asked after a few moments, turning her head back to Tine’s gaze again once she was sure her flustering from the last comment had ended. “Maybe I should try to fix yours for once. Get in front of me, go on.”

   What’s wrong about looking a little younger? That innocent question is left unasked when Ishtar quickly deflects the proposal, bringing the topic to a more salacious light and immediately causing Tine to let go of her cousin’s hair.

“ Who told you?! ” There is no hint of anger in the way Tine squeaks out the inquiry even if her face is flushing a brilliant red hue. A few moments later, she exhales, full well knowing the only answer that could possibly exist.

“ Honestly… Ced’s going to be the death of me if he goes around saying stuff like that… ” Tine resumes her work as she pouts about it. Still, it was nice to know that Ishtar was getting along well enough with Ced to at least be able to say his name without any bitterness. If Ishtar had felt upset about the whole encounter between the three of them, Tine wouldn’t have blamed her even if it would have made her heart feel a bit heavier. The thought that this was a step towards harmony for all of Tine’s remaining loved ones stretches a smile back onto her face.

When Ishtar suggests a visit back to the past, it only further brightens Tine’s look. “ You would? ” Though she had asked, it’s clear that Tine certainly believes in what her cousin’s answer will be already by how she wastes no time in undoing her own pigtails, letting her silver waves fall down into long cascades before she follows along with Ishtar’s suggestion.

“Oh, Ced said nothing. Nanna did. I mean, the medical tent? Really? You were just asking to be found.” Ishtar said impishly, the hints of a genuine smile not leaving her face as she followed the teasing line of conversation as far as she could. The smirk and smile gave way to a peal of laughter, something honest and clean as she shook a little with mirth when Tine recovered herself. She supposed she should explain herself a little, and her gaze grew distant as she leaned into Tine’s hands.

“She tried very hard to be my friend before she had to leave. I think I may have bungled it.” She said in a soft voice, blinking her eyes twice as she realized she really did regret that. Maybe she should send a letter or something. Still she snapped out of it as Tine moved around to in front of her, sitting up straight and taking care to keep her arms in the water and out of Tine’s view until they’d almost swapped places.

“I’m out of practice.” She cautioned, her long fingers slowly moving through her cousin’s silver hair. She couldn’t help but chuckle a little again, tilting her head as she smoothed it out and carefully started the braid. “You know, Arthur’s hair is even longer than yours. Do you think he’d suit one if we could talk him into it?”

If he’ll even speak to me civilly.

“…that was why Ishtore never grew his out, even though Liza didn’t like it short.” She said faintly halfway through the braid, her hands stilling for a moment as she swallowed. “He was always afraid one of us would corner him and insist on making him m-match.”

    Like Nanna being the one to tell her was any less mortifying of news! “ At the time, I couldn’t help it… ” It’s a flimsy excuse, but when she thinks back on it, it’s not like she hadn’t been the one to disregard their location first. Still, even if it was at the expense of her humiliation, Ishtar was laughing— really laughing.

She couldn’t stay upset when something else so good came out it. What was a little shame when Ishtar’s happiness was the byproduct? Tine smiles back, bright red cheeks and all.

“ I’m sure you’re wrong, ” she says, optimism bubbling in her voice with a surprising conviction behind it that could only be attributed to her time in the war. “ If someone tried really hard to become your friend, they wouldn’t give up on that so easily. Why don’t you be the one to try this time? ”

Prince Seliph was the one to teach her that people didn’t have to give up in the good of others. She hoped that’s what he was teaching Ishtar while she was cooped up here. She deserved to know that kindness. She deserved to know that warmth.

Tine loved the feeling of having her hair played with. The smiles it made out of her didn’t completely blind her from the darkness creeping behind her cousin’s words. Though she wanted to turn her head around and look in Ishtar’s eyes to see what swam there, she knew she’d be causing more trouble with the braiding; so she remained still, looking ahead and away from Ishtar.

“ …Yeah. I think so. ” She’s not sure if it’s the right thing to continue this line of conversation, and she feels it weighing down a little on her too. She tilts her head down, her voice softer than before. “ Ishtar? I miss Ishtore and Liza… I miss them terribly. ”

Maybe this wasn’t the kind of thing she should be saying, but she has a feeling it’s what Ishtar wants to say but is stopping herself from. If that’s the case, then she’ll say it for her.

“Maybe I should talk to her when she’s next here.” Ishtar admitted. The moments with Nanna hadn’t been…unbearable, even if the girl had only coaxed her out of her shell by sharing gossip about Tine’s life. She’d missed so much of what had happened to her cousin, not so much in a matter of time as events - so many experiences and talks she wished she could have shared with her. She smiled wanly, a smile that grew harder and harder to keep when Tine spoke up again.

“Nobody else even remembers they existed.” She said in a quiet, pitiful voice. “Mother never mentioned them after they died - Father may have, but not while I was there. The only ones who remembered who they were were the ones who killed them.”

Her voice snarled a little at that, a fist smacking the surface of the bathwater hard enough to send splashes through the room. Fitfully the silver-haired woman sank back, a palm rubbing her forehead even as she accidentally pulled her hair from Tine’s grasp.

“He was always there my entire life.” Ishtar let out a low whine, eyes squeezed shut as tears started to escape her. Her breath hitched and she ran a hand over her face, trying to regain control of her emotions at least as long as Tine was in the room as well. “I could - I could tell when he was killed. I could feel it, I’m sure. And Liza - damn it, Tine, she didn’t even want to be in the army, it was just her only chance to make any money and then it was the only way to keep seeing Ishtore, she was-”

A sob wracked her shoulders as her composure started to crumble some more. “And nobody else even cares that they’re gone. Except to wish that I was dead as well, in those damned letters they keep sending.”

   WAS THE TRUTH always something to confess? Tine knew the last words she had ever shared with her uncle had been ones to tell her her purpose in this war: she was to spill the blood of those who had killed Ishtore and his beloved Liza. Her mission was plain; it had been revenge.

There had never been true closure for the grief in the end. In return, more and more of her family suffered. She had only been able to save Ishtar out of them. Oh, to imagine a reality where she hadn’t been able to accomplish that…

The weight of compunction bears heavy at the thought of it, but the mist that has worked its way over the mage’s mind lifts at the literal splash of water. A stray speck hits Tine’s cheek, pulling her from what-ifs and to what’s now.

Ishtar leaves her grasp, and Tine’s hands hover uselessly in the air. She listens, lends her ear for the woman who she could tell anything, as Ishtar pours her heart out as if to squeeze the life out of it. Tine’s eyes widen a fraction, her voice carrying the cadence of a lost girl once more.

❝ Letters? What letters? ❞ Tine had never been privy to such sensitive knowledge very often, and though she may have quite the future ahead of her, that did not mean she would know of Grannvale’s whispers. ❝ Ishtar, is that why you haven’t been moving out of this room? Did someone… Are people… ❞

“Everyone hates me. Even the people who used to support me.” It took her a long time to answer, the question making her composure smooth out again. She couldn’t afford to cry about this, not now - she knew she had to at least pretend everything was okay if she wasn’t to worry Tine.

“I suppose I should just tell you.” She said after another long moment, a tongue running over her suddenly dry lips as she shifted in the bath. “Every few days I get letters delivered to me from Friege. Since I am, technically, meant to assume control of it once I have returned from my…sabbatical.” Her voice was twisted as she remembered those words. Yes, better a time off to study and grieve for her family than admit that the heiress was locked in her own room and refusing to come out.

“Most of it is under false pretenses, or letters from others sneaked into official reports. Names, criticisms, attacks, hopes that I die.” Ishtar’s voice was quieter now as she focused more on keeping herself under control than making her sister’s cousin able to hear her correctly. “Awful things, truly. I should just burn them as soon as they arrive, but then there’s the part of me that thinks they’re right.”

She chuckles again, but it’s forced and anyone with ears could hear the tears threatening to break through entirely. “Why should the devil’s whore get to live?”

      i don’t hate you. the words are in tine’s throat but they do not escape. they stay in there uselessly as she stares at ishtar’s back. she feels so far away in that piece of time; ishtar’s escape from her grasp grows two-fold. she was the closest person to her, she still believes this, but the walls build up between them with the older girl’s attempt at regaining composure.

it is not that tine wishes to see the woman she considers her sister in a broken heap; love does not ask for misery, it only pushes in spite of it. but this ishtar, the ishtar that tries to not look vulnerable, feels more like the image that hilda would have wanted. a strong woman but untouchable by all.

tine just wants her sister back. the revelation of the letters feels like a burn against even herself though she knows those letters aren’t for her. ishtar was free. she should be. people shouldn’t be holding the sins of the empire against her, yet they do. hilda was dead yet her shadow clung to ishtar and kept her out of the light no matter how much tine would reach. she doesn’t quite hear ishtar’s explanation in full, but she knows from her previous statements that they come from friege. it is missives from home that torment ishtar so. home.

the sound of ishtar nearly on the brink of tears is what inspires tine to action again. her body moves on its own, flinging her arms around ishtar’s shoulders — what she can wrap herself around near or above the water’s surface. yet again, it is a matter related to ishtar that causes tine to abandon her brand of hesitation.

tine’s embrace is insistent and cares little for the place or positions they are in. as ishtar had held her in the wake of a nightmare, tine wishes to be the one to help her move through this one as well. “ i’m sorry. i don’t know why i’m crying too. ” she dips her head against the back of her cousin’s nape, feeling tears of her own fall. she’s not sure if she’s angry or sad or both, but she knows her heart breaks for ishtar’s sake. “ please don’t call yourself that. please… ”

“It’s true though, isn’t it?” Ishtar said quietly as she stared off towards the ceiling, a hand shifting to rest on top of Tine’s arm as she wrapped them around her form. A foot lifted out of the water and she glanced at it for a moment, a dead expression on her face before she shrugged and let it slid back into the heat again with a dull sigh.

Maybe if she let her emotions just be dead then she wouldn’t feel like she was about to cry. Instead she stared away, blinking back the tears and trying to focus on her cousin’s embrace instead. “If I loved him and he turned out to be the devil…what does that make me?”

She laughed bitterly, this one breaking off into a choking sob. “I-I can’t even allow myself to cry for him. I know how bad he got, Tine, more than almost anyone but - at one point, he was…”

The tears were flowing freely now, although at least she managed to keep her voice under control. hands shifted, fingers instinctively starting to claw at her opposite forearms and long nails digging into the skin even with a spectator there to see her hurt herself as she just tried to control herself.

“Everything they say in those letters…they’re right. After what we did together, what he d-did with me…what else am I but that?”

  “ better than that, ” tine wails, hands moving to try and still ishtar’s. she doesn’t know everything that transpired between ishtar and julius, but she convinces herself she knows ishtar. they’re like sisters. “ i dunno… i dunno… ”

her initial cry held all her strength together, and now she is reduced to mumbling. protest, protest, protest. she’s never been good at arguing though; when it came to living as a friege, it was always better to never hold her head high nor talk back much. uncle bloom would tell her what she should do, aunt hilda would threaten her what she shouldn’t be found doing.

she is free to live as herself, but she has lived her whole life in shadows. she supposes that’s where ishtar is right now too — sinking deep into dark depths at the risk of not being able to come back out.

“ you’re the b-best woman i’ve ever met… i’ve always dreamed of being like— like you… ” she must find her voice. she must. even if it trembles, she will regret never saying anything; she will regret letting everything unfold around her with no resistance. “ you d-didn’t fall for him because he was a devil. please don’t blame yourself for not being able to save him. you’re not the one at fault. it’s… it’s all manfroy’s! ”

she knows it only from what they had told her in the liberation army, but she finds herself able to feel more secure with being able to pin the blame on something. her brows furrow, her voice raises. “ everything’s so awful… i wish i could have come to try and help you sooner…! if i could… i wish i could give everyone who wrote those letters a piece of mind! ”

“You can’t imagine what it was like when he started to get worse.” Ishtar mumbled, eyes closing as she absorbed Tine’s words. Something about her frantic, trembling protests reached her - but she could still feel herself sinking deeper into her own despair again. Just like she always did whenever the subject was raised.

It was so hard to deny what she had done. “People are dead by my hand because I wasn’t strong enough to refuse him. I let myself be blinded a-and started treating each task he gave me like a game, even if it involved killing. I tried to make myself think that everything was okay even with how he touched me-”

She managed to stop herself there at least, unwilling to speak further. She lapsed into silence, listening to Tine’s begging and staring down into the cooling water rather than saying anything.

i’ve always dreamed of being like— like you

How could anyone say that after everything she’d done, or allowed to happen? The letters were right and she knew they were, she just…denied it because that was what you were meant to do in a situation like this. What was she supposed to say, that they were all right? That she should be executed? No, even as far gone as she was, Ishtar wasn’t sure she could say that. It would break Tine’s heart for certain.

“I can give you their names.” Ishtar mumbled, trying to bury her feelings away under something again. At least the image of her diminutive cousin shrieking at the collected Friege nobility was slightly amusing. “Addresses as well. They don’t sign the letters, but I know their handwriting.”

“ you’re right. i can’t imagine that. ”  ishtar deserves to be given the truth. tine may glorify her cousin all she wants, may speak of grander hopes, but she does not have all the information at her fingertips. at the same time though, when seliph had outstretched his hand to her, he hadn’t known tine’s situation either.

now tine needed to do the same for ishtar.

“ if it was someone i loved who did that, i don’t think i could’ve done anything either. you’re stronger than me, ishtar. had it been anyone else in your place, they would’ve been worse off… ”

tine believes that. maybe she’s clouded by inexperience and naivete, but this shall be the hill she dies on. ishtar’s silence makes her unsure if she’s getting through to her or if she’s merely closing herself off — that is, until ishtar offers to hand the key to tine’s wishes as revealed in her rant.

“ y-yes! i’m listening. ”  wait. was this the right place for this? reminded of their position, tine tries to calm herself.  “ wait. should we, um. finish your bath first? sorry, ishtar. i just care so, so much about you… ”

[airlock]

airlock grades the Gharnef archetype

so, I got a random hankering to start a text post series where I launch myself off on reviews of each character from a certain villainous archetype in Fire Emblem -- and hey, it’s a reasonably nice time of the year to be doing posts like these, what with that new upcoming entry that we learn more about each day, isn’t it?

to kick off the festivities, I’m doing one of my favorites -- let’s see who wore the heavy robes better!

(do note: under cut are spoilers for... everything, and also a significant amount of me criticizing or blamming characters that you might like. you’ve been warned! but if you’d still persist, you childish sword lord, then come along and meet my challenge-)

the man himself

(6/10)

although the execution suffers from myriad flaws -- of which several can be touted to stem from storage space limitations in FE1 and FE3, but are inexcusably retained in the remakes -- it’s not for no reason that this fellow spawned a lengthy line of imitators.

the detail of his backstory and motivation is brillant; he’s a perfectly understandable villain without being remotely redeemable -- a much-needed class in antagonist writing for more recent entries of the series. he’s also effective as a terrifying, genuinely threatening villain, implacable and powerful.

unfortunately, however, his excellently written characterization is largely confined to flavor; it fails to inform his actions or the flow of the plot, and so, he tends to come across as a plot device instead of a character. even his takeover of Khadein is written very powerfully for something that isn’t seen and barely influences any of the game’s events. and although his sheer ambition in withholding Falchion to eventually betray Medeus ends up coming across as a plot action instead of something steeped in his essence. and this all to say nothing of his second appearance, where he fully forgoes being a character and behaves indistinguishably from a non-sentinent madness-inducing talisman.

overall, he’s a splendid concept for a villain that is ultimately laid low in execution, largely because, back in his day, the text wasn’t big enough to comfortably carry him, and the more recent incarnations were ineffective in expanding it despite having more than enough room to do so.

I also docked a point or two for being an antisemitic/anti-roma stereotype in his earlier incarnations, what with the hooked nose and rare darker skintone; the remakes thankfully eschew this by swapping out the nose and making the skintone outright inhuman, but the more recent Heroes design, while an improvement on many fronts, seems to roll back on this one.

church gharnef

(6/10)

unlike the above-mentioned, this one was in a remake that changed a lot of things; I mention this as a healthy preface to the fact that I am only familiar with his more recent incarnation!

like Gharnef above, he’s an unforgivable, but genuine villain; while a lust for power is hardly fresh as far as motivations go, the game does reasonably well at establishing that he’s already powerful and influential, and has fallen to cruel orthodoxy in a bid to eliminate threats to his power at all costs -- in other words, his characterization is timelessly realistic.

unfortunately, however, that much is all text, if not outright fanon; the story proper restricts him to behaving as an unconvincing cacklefiend playing at a kidnap-the-princess plot that the princess in question should’ve been too strong and too smart to fall prey to. making Celica a somewhat willing hostage instead of a helpless captive was a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t cover the distance; it would have been far more interesting if Jedah had gotten the chance to overpower Celica in the arena of genuine manipulation through theological debate -- and on the other coin of things, I’m sure his preying on Celica’s fears would seem a lot more organic if not for how dedicated the game is to telling her that she’s wrong before she even takes the steps across the point of no return.

he’s much like the original Gharnef in being an intriguing concept that falls flat on execution, although with both of those qualities amped up -- even more interesting in theory, even flatter in practice.

discount gharnef

(2/10)

sorry not sorry for nicknaming him that!

I believe I’ve said it a number of times and I’ll say it again: Manfroy is a manipulative villain in a setting full of people who don’t need manipulation to make bad decisions and ruin their own lives. he comes across as a plot device at the best of times, and as a null factor at the worst of times; he brings nothing to any cutscene that he appears in.

Seliph’s visit to the Yied Shrine alludes to his backstory -- that which he shares with the rest of the cult -- but this instance is even poorer than previous examples at establishing a plot presence; it not only fails to inform Manfroy’s choices in any interesting way, but it’s also outright contradicted by his actions sometimes (cfr: withholding the Naga tome, in a move that brings Gharnef’s playbook to mind but makes no sense at all for Manfroy).

points have been docked again for racial stereotyping, also; the sprite alone doesn’t make it very evident but he’s also got a face that can be used as a fishing pole.

irrelevant gharnef

(1/10)

Veld is a step beneath even Manfroy, as yet another pointless manipulative villain -- notorious for stealing a slice of agency from one of the far more genuine antagonists of the setting -- who doesn’t make his presence felt at all. I was halfway tempted to consider Raydrik the actual Manfroy here, even.

he retains one point only for not being a racial stereotype, for once.

the absence of a gharnef

(wha?/10)

Binding Blade, for all its highly repetitious usage of archetypes (being, in fact, arguably responsible for making them a thing in the first place, where they were previously just repetitive Kaga quirks), seems to have eschewed the Gharnef. this actually somewhat works in its favor; although the game’s plot is ultimately one of the shallower ones in the series, the lack of a core manipulative villain puts the focus on the self-interested factionalism that each country suffers from as they fail to mobilize a resistance against the primary villain. so, overall, an approach that would have worked out great in Jugdral.

monsterfucker gharnef

(8.5/10)

where Binding Blade had succeeded in building a plot that doesn’t need a Gharnef, its prequel was successful in the opposite: creating one of the most effective incarnations of the archetype to date, and making him front and center, to boot.

although all Gharnefs thus far have been manipulative villains, Nergal and his cronies are the first ones who show true skill in manipulation -- as in, conning people into acting against their interests, in situations where they otherwise would not have. through this, he cements himself as the primary antagonist and driver of the plot, where his predecessors were content, if dishonest, in serving a greater evil. and he brings very perceptible weight to the position, specially in the scenes where he presses the buttons of the heroes; although he fails to ultimately discourage them from defeating him, it comes across as a result of heroic strength, not of ineffective villainy.

that said, however he shimmers and shines as the heavy, he’s somewhat held back by his backstory -- one that only partially succeeds at informing his actions (however compelling it is when it does manage to do so), and worse, is largely locked to second-playthrough bonuses, where the story would’ve benefitted much more from naturally doling out his secrets along the way.

I also docked a half-point because the pseudo-turban and goatee arguably veer into the racial stereotype territory again, although he at least has the point-for of not having an outright gonk design (even when the turban goes off). I should be clear: it’s not that I oppose having nonwhite/nonwestern elements on an antagonist at all, it just comes across rather poorly when certain elements are only seen on antagonists, and especially if it’s always on the ugly ones.

twink gharnef

(10/10)

Lyon is the apex of plot-driving gharnefs, plain and simple. undeniably sympathetic, but impossible to save, whether he’s too far gone or was never redeemable to begin with -- and in fact, this ambiguity is easily the most brillant aspect of all of the writing in Sacred Stones.

he’s characterized effectively from wire to wire: his appearance, mannerisms and fond flashbacks do an excellent job of disarming the player while setting them up for a staggering plot twist, but the game is also not too hesitant to bring the plot twist to fruition and saves enough time to keep building on him past the point when the big secret is out -- sidestepping a pervasive trap that otherwise often causes plot twists to weaken stories. and all the way to the end, it’s difficult to narrow his character down to one narrative that doesn’t feel strictly like a personal interpretation; there are as many Lyons as there are players, right down to the point where he comes across differently depending on whether you’re playing as Eirika or Ephraim!

there’s also credit to be given to the remainder of the cast that effectively props him up; because he has underlings that behave strongly on their own motivations -- and sometimes beyond even Lyon’s control -- he spares himself from behaving as a plot device to focus fully on serving as the genuine core of the story as a whole. I suppose he’s a good delegator if nothing else, eh?

depression gharnef

(4/10)

unlike the above, Sephiran fails crucially in one regard: he’s set up as an extremely endgame plot twist, which, coupled with a frantic, breathless third act that insuffices to fully explore the implications of the reveals it dishes out, causes his reveal to land closer to shock value than to the completion of an arc.

while his backstory is breathtakingly fascinating, it serves exclusively as a footnote to eulogize him with; it’s not just that his actions don’t seem to be informed by it, but rather that his actions completely lack weight in the plot, making it even somewhat arguable to class him as a Gharnef at all. in Path of Radiance, he only appears as an irrelevant mystery, and Radiant Dawn coming out to accredit him for some number of Ashnard’s deeds fails to budge that one’s sheer weight and doesn’t change perspectives.

it’s quite a shame, because in concept, he could’ve been the next Lyon; but the execution is painfully fragile, and amidst the complex web of characters and plots in Tellius, his greater-scope motions fail to be felt whatsoever until the late chapters of Radiant Dawn’s Part 3.

DIWNLF gharnef

(0/10)

(that’s “dad I would not like to fuck”, incidentally)

it’s not for no reason that this guy is the only major antagonist that Awakening doesn’t let you trip over still alive and kicking somehow. he is 100% plot device, adds nothing to the story or to any single scene that he appears in, lacks in personality, doesn’t present any sort of challenge that isn’t erradicated without fanfare by the protagonists, and doesn’t even have any sort of a backstory.

and he’s a racist stereotype on top of all that, so he doesn’t even get a mercy point like his similarly irrelevant predecessor from Thracia 776.

I have not played the game with this gharnef

(??/10)

I don’t even know if he counts; I see a lot of back-and-forth in that regard.

anyways, what do you all think? “oh my god someone finally said it”, or perhaps “I will kill you but not as hard as you assassinated my favorite antagonist”? if the upcoming Three Houses is to have a Gharnef, do you have any hopes for what they’ll be like? this is all nice and open to replies and reblogs, folks! don’t be shy! yes.... do it... succumb to the temptation.......

[melonlordheroes]

The Voice of a Teacher

-The Salon is quiet, devoid of tacticians and units alike save for one Summoner currently facedown on the table in front of her. She does not raise her head, even as Bylene enters.-

Bylene: So. That event you're so worried about...

Mystery: ...

Bylene: ...If you're right. Tomorrow will be our last lesson.

Mystery: Stop reminding me. I'm not emotionally ready.

Bylene: Were you emotionally ready for Seliph to ascend the throne?

Mystery: No...

Bylene: Then you understand what's at stake?

Mystery: Of course. (sits up, sighs.) I just... I wish we had more time with them. I have so much I wanted to say to them! Like, like- gods. (flops back down.) I want to start over. I want to be their teacher all over again.

Bylene: ...I understand, I think. Mystery?

Mystery: (muffled) Mm.

Bylene: Let's say you /could/ tell them. If you could tell our students anything- what would you say? Write it down.

Mystery: How's that gonna--

Bylene: Trust me. I'll get you paper and ink.

-Bylene gets up and retrieves her notebook, along with writing supplies. She sets them in front of Mystery who sits up.-

Bylene: Didn't you always say you sounded better in words than in speech? Go on. Tell them what you feel.

Mystery: ... (sigh) I'll start at the bottom of our roster and work our way up, then. Ashe... you've made me proud every step of the way. You're going to be a knight right out of the storybooks.

Bylene: (nod) That's good. Keep going.

Mystery: Mercedes, the church should be honored to have a bishop like you someday. Thank you for being so strong.

-Mystery pauses, then starts to write more quickly.-

Mystery: Felix, even if we didn't always agree, I truly respect you as a person. Thank you for helping me protect your class. Annette, you're the best mage in all of Fodlan. I'm glad I got to see you grow. Cyril, you've grown up so much since joining us. I'm sure Lady Rhea is just as proid as I am. Flayn, please never stop being the happy girl I watched over on the first day of class. I appreciate all the effort you put in.

Bylene: (smile) It's coming easier as you go, huh?

Mystery: A little. Ingrid, you were always the brightest of the class. No matter what happens you'll always be a knight in my eyes. Sylvain, I'm sorry I threatened to fail you every time you flirted with someone. You're truly worthy to be heir of House Gautier, and I'm sorry I likely won't see just how amazingly you do as heir. Dedue, you bring honor to your people's memory. I'm unfathomably proud to call myself your teacher. (pause, sigh) I'm not even sure how I want to condense what I want to tell Dimitri.

Bylene: Just try. Come on.

Mystery: ...Dimitri, regardless of the path you walk know that you'll never walk it alone. All who know you dearly love you and would happily carry your burdens.

Bylene: Well said. I'll--

Mystery: One last thing. (pause) I do have something I want to say to Edelgard. I want... I want to tell her I understand. I don't agree with her methods, but I understand why she went so far. I hope that regardless of how it ends, she finds her peace.

Bylene: I can't promise I'll be able to give her your words. But I'll make a point of trying. That said, rest up. Tomorrow's our last day.

-Bylene and Mystery nod to each other and part ways, agreeing to meet in Fodlan in the morning. As the Blue Lions take their seats in the classroom the following day, Bylene clears her throat.-

Bylene: Students, as you know... this is the last day you'll spend as students of the Officer's Academy. In lieu of a lesson today, I have prepared some words- the words of someone who may not have been here with us, but has been watching our journey together since the start...

[halidomhappenings]

Blind Date Results: Part 3

Gangrel/Ron 5 matches!

“Heh, Well... Sir Ron, you specified that you wanted to matched with someone who wasn’t from an Outrealm, right? It seems that you two actually have quite a bit more in common than we thought! Maybe you can bond over common love of dogs and sweets.”

“I’m sorry for who I had to pair you with, Ron. It’s nothing personal... Somebody had to be with the mad king, and your profile matched his well, somehow. As bad as it sounds, I’m just glad he’s not bothering my sister.”

Seliph/Corrin 6 matches

“Lady Corrin, I know you were a bit worrisome about how to list your homeland, but worry not! For today, you are a citizen of Ylisse, and Lord Seliph here is looking to make new friends. Why don’t you both try taking a tour of the botanical gardens and talking about your interests?”

“Hmm... If those two do end up being good friends and Corrin wants to show him her homeland, which would she pick? We’re back to the previous problem them. Ah, let’s forget about it for now.”

Pandora/Saizo 6 matches!

“Happy Day of Devotion to you two! You both have some interesting taste in fruits, which is rather funny since you both also prefer savory flavors. It sounds like you won’t be sharing any desserts today, but perhaps you can enjoy some street food in the square instead?”

“We haven’t got any food that will be similar to your usual tastes, Saizo, but perhaps you won’t find Ylissean food too bad? I think we have a couple of Feroxi and Plegian stalls as well, if the two of you prefer those cuisines.”

Anri/Valter 6 matches!

“....Father... I am... actually afraid to ask why you have so much in common with Lord Valter. Perhaps, ah... it is best left unaddressed. On an unrelated note, I think I’ll visit Mother’s grave today and leave her some flowers.” 

“I know many were dreading being paired with Valter, and understandably so. You might not believe this, but I tried avoiding putting you to two together. Not out of a sense of mercy, I admit, but more since you specified women. Poor Mother. Still, the result was too strong, even with the mismatched preference. Perhaps this is Naga’s way of unleashing karma?”

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