#she is zelestia to me

[dazzle-art]

You make me wonder... ...Did I live my life right?

Guess who's drawing for another wip instead of actually working on it!

[ruinakete]

☽ ・WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY.

a template ( created by the wonderful Ree ) for analyzing features of a personality beyond listing adjectives. written beneath a readmore because of length, not spoilers!

SELF-CONCEPT

VIEW OF SELF: highly upheld on a pedestal created by her late tribe and the hierarchy of Fell Churches. though clouded by a heavy sense of superiority, there is the slightest chance of self-awareness from her, though it is an introspection that takes time. what is important to her is that she, above anyone else, knows her heart and mind. no one else can claim to relate to all she has lived through and she knows this; though the level of tragedy she connects this with is debatable. likewise, her view of self is duller than her view of others, as she truly does not care for herself at her core. this is not self-deprecation, rather it is the monotonous feeling that comes from knowing that, at the end of the day, she is what her tribe and Sombron have made of her. there is nothing else and nothing more.

VIEW OF OTHERS: hardly memorable. unlike her, time will pass for them and they will die, so their only purpose is to serve until their last breath. will she remember their names? hardly, but the impact they have will outlive their body. as a direct result of her behavioral inconsistencies and traumas, she alienates herself from society and, thus, does not view humanity and other immortal beings in any positive light. they are only useful under a leash. they are only useful if they can be wielded as pawns. if they stray from their fated path, then they must be punished. it is as much a law as it is instinct. either way, none of them will equate to the space necessary in the void of her heart; what she needs is a family, and other people cannot give this to her.

VIEW OF WORLD: unforgiving. selfish. the world is cruel to those who surpass their fate and, thus, she bares her teeth and takes as much from the world as she thinks she deserves; which is everything it has to offer. in her eyes, the world is ever-changing and will not wait for you to mend your wounds, no matter how closely you hold it at heart. you will not survive if you are not the aggressor. her environment taught her that pain is love and such love, one strong enough to destroy what it has created, is punishment, in its own way. to love was to hurt until you knew nothing else; to grieve was to love with all your heart. if you sought love then you had to seek the pain that is obligated with it upon your faults. thus, all relationships of value between her and the world were, and will always be, transactional.

MOTIVATIONS & GOALS: serve as Lord Sombron's greatest follower until he sees her as fit to be the mother of his child. whether it be one or plenty, she hopes to bear them and give fruit to lives of her blood. upon birth, they are hers, as a mother and idol and god. and that, the idea that, one day, someone she brought into the world will revolve that very world around her, is what keeps her focused on the future. but somewhere, along the line, another motivation has formed upon her arrival; protect the Four Hounds and restore what they once were.

WHEY THEY VALUE MOST: family, both in the physical and metaphorical sense. the idea of having and taking from someone who owes you their entire life for giving fruit to theirs.

EMOTIONAL REACTIONS

REACTION TO STRESS: most, if not all, negative emotions end in her lashing out in an attempt to regain the control she once lost. so, when stressed, her composure falters; she becomes jittery, scheming, and distant. she'll refocus all of her energy on picking apart the stressor and, upon recognizing what it is, eliminating it without hesitation. this could mean directly destroying the stressor or completing it, but whichever it is, she does not ignore it. it, also, does not matter what this stress comes from; whether it be a responsibility, environment, or person. the execution, however, of this determination is usually heartless and selfish, as she will go through anything and anyone to calm the nerves of her heart.

REACTION TO FEAR: though fear, too, is a negative emotion, it does not necessarily end in an unwavering sense of hostility. to fear something is to think that it has the weight to actually affect you. and, thus, it is fine to say that fear isn't an emotion she's faced often in her thousand years of life. upon first face of this subject causing her fear, she's incredulous. confused or shocked, rather than frightful. but when the emotion sets in, she becomes quieter. curt. this silence is not submissive, lest it be in the face of Sombron. her following reaction will be to right what has been wronged; control. she will combat this fear with confrontation if the risks prove to be lesser, but she knows her limits and will not provoke the fear if it will bring her harm.

REACTION TO SUCCESS: to revel in her success is not rare. this is, usually, done in the form of taunting the losing party. however, her reaction to success differs between the success of herself and the success of those she deems as hers. for the former, she does not seek praise. it is not the acknowledgment she requires, as that is flawed and not taken at heart's value. if not from Sombron, then she does not want it. however, praise is what she requires when her pawns succeed. for them to win is a win for her, as it reinforces the greedy pride of being able to create something worth loving. otherwise, success, to her, is conditional and can always be revoked. it is not something worth celebrating by the masses. in fact, it could be argued that success makes her hungrier for the possible retaliation that will follow.

REACTION TO FAILURE: depends highly on who she fails regarding the event. in light of disappointing Sombron, her apologies are swift, curt, as there is nothing else to say. her willingness to right, again, what has been wronged is high and she will take no other answer unless she's given the other chance. there is no guilt, as she does not recognize such a feeling, but the feeling aches similarly. if in the case of failing herself, her reaction is duller. again, at her core, she has come to terms with the fate she's been given, so all she is to do is find her way back unto the path paved for her. she'll try again, more determined, but emotional reactions are little to none. she understands herself best and will right herself accordingly, aiming to engrain into her the teachings that made her who she is.

DEVELOPMENT

IDEAL SELF: is constantly changing, to the point where she cannot fully recognize where she, herself, wants to be. what amount of development would be enough? from whom would this development come from? all she knows is that the ideal life she sees fit for herself is that of a mother, as it was the only thing able to fill the void in her heart. key word: was. new events have shone a light on her ideals and hope to shift them. unfortunately, because of her lack of concern for who or what she becomes, as her fate will always be written before her, the exact ideal self is unknown.

AREAS OF GROWTH: as mentioned before, loneliness is still a factor she hopes to heal. being alienated from others, even dragons like herself, because of the behavior she adapted to in hopes of defending her heart will always prove her efforts futile. to grow requires the knowledge to understand exactly what is necessary beforehand. thus, her concept of what can heal her is false and flawed. it's simple and, if she does not recognize her emotions and pick apart the years of manipulation, all will be hopeless.

BARRIERS TO GROWTH: the inability to wear her heart anywhere that is not the steel bars of her ribcages; the continuous conquest of favor for Sombron; the inability to recognize how she has affected the world and vice versa; the inability to be truthful lest she fear bleeding out on the spot; and time wearing away at the familiarity she should have with her own emotions. there is a lot that stands as an obstacle to her development. none of it will disappear quickly, so she must approach it slowly and with patience.

[melusinezephyr]

Zephia had been enjoying her time in the feast, when she felt a small paw tap on her shoulders. "E-excuse me, Ms..." Yarne didn't know her name. What he did know, was she was scary. What was her name... "Ms... Zelestia, was it?" Crap. That sounded wrong. "Aa-anyways!"

He presented a small couple herbs he picked from the fields around the monastery, prepared in a small design in the shape of a peace sign. "I... made this for everyone here." He stepped back, rubbing his arms. Yarne knew that this party was home to quite a few of the more dangerous members of the academy staff and students, so trying to appease the ones who looked most dangerous or important were the most vital to make sure were enjoying themselves, and not wanting his blood. "So, please... enjoy this, a-and... please keep me off the menu!"

Yarne turned tail (literally), breathing in deeply. That went... awfully... this party's so going to end up with Roast Taguel on the tables...

Zelestia. Wasn't that the name of her counterpart from the world that Lord Rafal came from? How in the world had this... little rabbit come up with that name?

"It's Zephia, sweetheart. Never speak that foul name to me again." She's half tempted to swat him like a bug right then and there, because she can never even bear to think of a world where she was supposedly kind. A world where she was not loyal to her Lord Sombron.

What a digusting thought.

"Keep you off the menu? Darling that hadn't even been a thought that crossed my mind. Why are you... so worried about? I won't... hurt you."

[elysianstars]

Part of being a fan of the Fell Xenologue, is frantically trying to come up with explanations for weird stuff the plot does.

Why do some people confuse both Alears, despite the gender swap? Why does Rafal not seem invested in Ivy's attempt to revive Sombron? What was Sombron actually trying to achieve with his heir/legacy nonsense, and how did Rafal expect to do that properly without understanding it? Why was Nil, the weaker and less useful twin, getting sent off to battlefields without Nel? Why could Alear only sense something strange about Nel's dragonstone, and Zelestia identify that as Sombron's magic, after it was shattered? How did Sombron, the world's worst parent, manage to spot the difference between Nil and Rafal? Why are Nel and Rafal not doing anything during Chapter 21 of the main story, if you have them recruited at that point? When did Gradlon sink during the Xenologue timeline, and if it was after Sombron's first defeat then where were all his surviving offspring hanging out for the next thousand years?

I've got elaborate headcanon answers for the majority of those, which let me sleep at night, but literally every time I replay, more questions manifest to torment me. Here's the latest set.

1. After the battle in Firene, why does nobody ask how the Bracelet of the Brash General came to be awakened with Fell power? Obviously 'Nil' knows, because he did it. Nel suspected the royals were Corrupted, and it would make sense that whatever Fell sibling was responsible for that would have woken the Bracelet at the same time. So she's got a working theory that she'd rather not discuss yet. But neither Alear nor Zelestia suspects that, so why do they never question who's going around messing with these Emblems, without actually stealing them?

2. I always had the strong impression that Nel and 'Nil' ditched their family a long time ago, and were living in Lythos for most of the thousand year peace. But in one of Zelestia's supports with Madeline, she claims the twins didn't appear until Sombron 'showed signs of returning'. Which makes far less sense, since where does that place them for the last several centuries? In a Gradlon which may or may not have been underwater? Surrounded by hostile siblings, who only learned not to openly talk about murdering 'Nil' because Nel slaughtered the last group who did that? Choosing to deal with an atmosphere like that for centuries? Or were they just wandering the world minding their own business, in which case why is that period never referenced, and why bother ever showing up at Lythos? It doesn't give Nel much time to fall in love with Xeno Alear either, when it's said she felt that way for years.

The other possibility – and I've never considered it before, but the Xenologue is SO agonisingly vague with timelines that I suppose it can't be fully discounted – is that Nel and Rafal aren't actually thousand-year-old dragons born during the first war, they're only teenagers born during the second war. But that also doesn't make sense, since it would have necessitated Sombron being around for at least a couple of decades after his return, plus where did the mothers of these brand new children come from? Were they just floating around in possibly-underwater Gradlon, waiting a thousand years to be impregnated while having no ambitions of their own? Or did they get resurrected alongside him in a package deal?

...I really don't think any explanation works, aside from Nel and Rafal being long-term residents of Lythos.

Nel says she cut ties with Sombron during the last war, but you could interpret that as either running away, or openly fighting against him. Sombron, in the flashback that seems to be placed shortly before Xeno Alear kills him, says it had been 'some time' since the twins betrayed him, and that Nil died 'long ago' (yet isn't it the Bracelet of the Three Houses he's shown with, and wasn't that in Divine Dragon hands, so it could be sealed in the Somniel?). Rafal refers to his residence in Lythos as an 'age of lies'. Everything is 'for a time' and 'not long after' without giving numbers, and those phrases become increasingly vague when they're being spoken by individuals who measure their lifespans in thousands of years. We don't even know how long the Divine Dragon has been dead for – months? Years?

'Showed signs of' is another unspecific phrase. You can show signs of something that doesn't actually happen in full until many years later. You can show signs of something you've already been doing for many years in secret. I don't have the energy to compare the JP text and see if there's any differences. Sorry Zelestia, I'm going to have to ignore your single obscure comment as either a mistake by the writing team, or just you being forgetful because you're so old.

Otherwise I'd have to rewrite around 100,000 words of fanfic as not being canon compliant enough, can you imagine the pain of that.

3. In one of Rafal's bond conversations with Emblem Celica, he asks if her warp magic could be used to travel between countries. But isn't that exactly what he does, after showing his true colours in the Xenologue? How else does he transport an unconscious Alear from Elusia to Solm, seal them in the desert ruins, then race all the way back to Elusia in time for Nel to be none the wiser? His later warping has a stronger basis in the game's mechanics (abducting Nel in a way that's similar to an Entrap staff, then blinking over to the Somniel because the previous Divine Dragon must have given him the blessing). But that particular cross-country event? If he can do it regularly, it would also explain how he can rampage around Corrupting the entire world's royals without Nel realising, but hello, where does this power come from? And where does it go, once he's recruited and just has to walk places normally like a loser.

Additionally, I do enjoy when characters say things which are painfully ironic in hindsight. Zelestia saying in an early chapter how it's so fortunate Nel and 'Nil' never lost their other half, and 'Nil' is just like yeah, haha, that sure is great isn't it...

Sadly I will continue to try and deal with Fell Xenologue's problems forever, because it gave us the gift of not one but two hot murderous bisexual dragons acting completely unhinged, and to me that's worth digging through any number of plot holes for.

[absolmon]

Been thinking about how Shen Yuan was put into Shen Jiu's body so he still looks exactly like him but at the same time people can tell there is something different. I love seeing how people represent that in art but it's reminding me of another set of characters from Fire Emblem Engage who have the exact same body but very different attitudes. I'm talking about Zephia and Zelestia.

Basic jist, Zephia and Zelestia are mirror universe counterparts of one another who have a similar core but different attitudes. Both want to have families for different reasons. Zephia has thrown in her lot with the evil dragon overlord and wants to have a child with him so that she can have a stronger connection to him. She calls the evil squad she's apart of a family but uses threats and kills them if they don't meet her expectations. She dies next to the only member of the group she has left after they both realize that the evil dragon overlord never cared about anyone but his goal.

Zelestia is a survivor of a massacre by the evil dragon overlord and has been working with the good dragon for centuries so that she can defeat him. She also has a good version of the evil squad on her side and they actually get to act as a real family. She's very motherly and loves to take care of people. She's also a marriage candidate.

Honestly it's kind of fun to compare them with Shen Qingqiu. They're outfits are almost identical but you can still see in how they carry themselves that they're different. Plus I can imagine the kind of psychosexual issues both Binghe's would have if Shen Qingqiu ran around dressed like that. Airplane would have definitly written a knock off wife version of them if Engage didn't come out nearly 10 years after he'd died.

I don't know I just think this is a fun comparison no one else has thought of, mostly because you don't really play Engage for the plot but the game play. I still love it though. It's really campy.

[nabataprophet]

so like..........what is sophia

intsys hates consistency and also me, personally

sophia is MY fave specialist little half-dragon dark mage and I get to talk about what kind of dragon i think she is

(contains spoilers for fe6, fe7, and engage (implied))

Case 1: Dragon Tribes in Elibe

In Elibe, we have explicit confirmation that there are Fire Dragons, Ice Dragons, Divine Dragons, and Mage Dragons.....sort of.

“ok sophia uses magic she’s probably a mage dragon then case closed” (EXTREMELY LOUD INCORRECT BUZZER)

Mage dragons in Elibe are not a separate species, but rather a corrupted Divine Dragon. The terminology is a little muddy, because while the kanji is the same as Archanean Mage Dragons, Idunn is specifically referred to as a Demon Dragon in Heroes. Binding Blade still lacks an official English localization, so Heroes is the only official English s-

Just kidding this has been sitting in my drafts for so long that Engage happened. Surprise!

Engage has Roy remark in his DLC bond supports with Zelestia that Mage Dragons do exist in Elibe, though it’s unclear once again if it’s as separate species or not.

Roy: You’re a Mage Dragon, right? Those exist in my world, though I’m not aware of any like you.

[ロイ] ああ、ごめん。セレスティアは魔竜の一族なんだよね。 君のような魔竜もいるんだなって思ってたんだ。

I’ve included the Japanese text as well for funsies, but he’s saying more or less the same thing. Either way, he’s clearly talking about Idunn here, and thus more or less soft de-confirming Sophia as a Mage Dragon.

“why”

Otherwise he could’ve been like wrow.....i also know a mage dragon who uses magic like you.........but actually that would’ve made a banger conversation with veyle instead because she actually has access to dark magic. damn. 😩

But I digress.

Case 2: Arcadia

Things get a little dicey here because of the nature of FE7 existing as a prequel that was released after the fact and the two games don’t always agree (god help me).

Jahn: “That is correct. However, the Divine Dragons did not agree with us. They said that that would be defying the laws of nature. As we were discussing how we could persuade the Divine Dragons to help us, they suddenly disappeared.”

-FE6 Ch 24

...

Elder:

“Master Roy… We knew that the girl you sent here was captured by the Dragons. Still, we did not try and rescue her. We feared that our kind would be in danger if we showed ourselves in front of the other Dragons again. But now, I wonder whether my judgment was correct.”

-FE6 Epilogue (True End)

These quotes seem to imply that Arcadia was where the Divine Dragons escaped to, so it stands to reason that the citizens of Arcadia are primarily Divine Dragons, descended from Divine Dragons, or fully human (Hawkeye and Igrene, for example). This especially makes sense when we consider Arcadia is particularly sensitive about not letting Fae’s existence leak to the outside world. The other dragons think the Divine Dragons are gone entirely and Jahn, the last of the full dragons in Elibe (not counting the dragons through the Dragon’s Gate etc etc etc), has no idea Arcadia exists.

So it stands to reason that Arcadia is where the Divine Dragons disappeared to, yes?

HOWEVER.

In this cg of (past, hi Nergal and Athos) Arcadia from FE7, we see two manaketes in their dragon forms.

Ok. So. One of those dragons in the back is a Fire Dragon (you can tell by the distinctive flame plume wings) and the other is...probably an Ice Dragon? It’s hard to tell for certain because the area where the (lack of) wings would be is hidden, but it has those fins on its head.

“limit why is this relevant” 

Because it confirms Divine Dragons are not the only ones making up the gene pool of Arcadia! This could’ve been easy!!!!!!! intsys i hate your ass!!!!!

Case 3: Color Coded For Your Convenience

Sometimes Intsys is really nice and color codes dragons by type. Sometimes they just tell you to fucking guess. Depemds.

Jahn is a Fire Dragon. He’s red! Ninian and Nils are Ice Dragons. They’re light blue!

Divine dragons in Elibe are....um....anywhere from bright pink and silver. Sophia is...purple, which I guess puts her somewhere in the middle of that range.

It’s not very conclusive evidence, though, is it?

Back to the drawing board.

Case 4: Hybridization

Engage fully confirms that dragons can hybridize between tribes however if I think too hard about this I want to explode.

Case 4: The Cipher Flashbang

girl huh. can you just. drop that information in cipher. is that allowed?????

You can’t even make the excuse that the skill is referencing Fae or even Idunn because it’s specifically in reference to Sophia cards! HUH??????? ?!?!?!?!?!??!?!??! GIRL WHTA

Verdict

Even putting aside the dubious canon status of information from Cipher, it’s highly likely she’s probably at least part Divine Dragon thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[melusinezephyr]

Zephia wonders what the prickling in her heart is as Veyle stares up at her, so tiny and yet so much like the Lord Sombron Zephia had known. A will of her own belonged to the Fell Princess, and it pains Zephia, to see her standing here so genuine and sweet, when Lord Sombron must fade and die.

"I do not think that anyone felt loved by your father, I do not think he was capable of loving another." She knew that, she had always known that. Known that he would never truly look her way and regard her as an equal, an ally, as she forever served by his side. He did not feel, he was only the cold and ruthless Fell Dragon she had met all those years ago.

And yet, his children, as they stand here before her now, are nothing but feeling. But in return, she does not know how to process that. She has only ever known a Fell Dragon with an iced over heart, one who cannot feel. What is she supposed to do when Veyle looks at her with such innocent violet eyes and tells her that once she had felt loved by the Four Hounds?

It pains her, to know that once Veyle had thought of her as family. Veyle's mother had been a mage dragon as well, though not of Zephia's clan, and there had been a brief moment in time where Zephia could have almost called them friends. But Zephia did not have friends, forever destined to be lonely. And Veyle was not her child, no matter how many times they wished to call each other family. Zephia was always alone.

"You... you felt loved? I..." She does not know what to say, her voice trembling in an uncharacteristic way. She does not cry, because she cannot cry. But Veyle makes her heart shudder, like a shell that has protected her for so long is breaking and there is nothing she can do to stop it. Love was... she didn't know what love was.

"Lady Veyle..."

unpacking problems and issues

[yanderefairyangel]

Maybe it's just me but I noticed that people who tended to like 3H were sometimes trying to find some of the topic it dealt with in Engage thinking it's the only way a story can be deep rather then focusing on the topic Engage does tackle and try to see the full depth of it.

I think the example I think of is the banditry in Engage. People assume the bandits are doing it because of economic struggles inherent to society because it's how it was tackled in 3H rather then going by what the text says about it, that's to say that banditry in Firene is implied to be born because of the laxism of the governement created cause by the over-pacificist side of Firene (dialogue of post battle in chapter 6) rather then by economical struggles, which story wise make more sense as Firene is presented as a country who is the complete opposite of one that would favorise the birth of banditry due to poverty. We do know however it's a country whose military aid is more defensive then offensive, that it doesn't have guard border to protect it and that the banditry activity mainly takes place at the border of Firene/Brodia. The support and the main story and Anna's paralogue dealing with banditry made it rather clear that each time, those bandits were operating near the border or Firene and attacking merchants, the one exception being Teranada who slaughtered an entire village near that border. In the original version of her A support with Alear, Céline never mentionned the nationality of the thieves she excuted. Teranda possibly comes from Brodia whose economical struggle due to war are actually knonw, as for Mitan... well, we don't really know either but seeing how Anna from from Elusia, she could be from somewhere else too and decided to settle near the Brodia/Firene border to do her mischief, taking the ruins as a base. After all, even if a character comes from another country, he can still beneficiate from the nationality. Take Mauvier for example. He is a Firenese native yet his name is based on a color, like all the member of the Gradlon faction. He also wear the priest clothing of Lythos, which all people linked to Gradlon such as Zelestia, Veyle and Nel. Rafal wears the Brodian outfit. So even if she came from another place, Mittan could still wear the Firenese color and theme simply because she moved to live there. Teranda however, we know settled in the montain only for a moment since it's rather recently he killed all the villagers. So it makes more sense for them to be bandits who took advantage of the weakness of Firene's defense and their laxist approach to the matter then it being poverty or economical hardship... since we never learn if there is any economical hardship to begin with.

But rather then going in this direction, people will try to bring Fodlan as a proof they are right and then will complain that Engage isn't following the direction that it never even tried to grasp to begin with but hum. My personal take on fiction when it comes to politics is that if a setting is fictional, then it's the rule of this setting that should be applied, independtly of irl events and the rules for other settings. In 3H, banditry is said to be caused by financial struggle, we notable see that in the war phase, as the merchant of the monastery reduced to banditry because of the poverty and misery war created upon civilian.

However, Firene doesn't at all fit the description. It's described as the wealthiest kingdom, called the Kingdom of Abundance. Its name pattern theme being fashion brands comes from that and they choosed spring as their season for crying out loud ! Spring. It's the season of wealth and peace. The symbolic is clear.

If a country doesn't fit the same economical situation/political situation/social situation as another this means the rules and stakes are different. You cannot judge Firene by using Fodlan, the rules established by 3H etc. You can only judge it by what the story says about this country, what it establishes etc.

It's a choice made by the writers. That's how it is. Take the writing as is and try to see how deep it can go from there rather then try to take a notion from another setting to apply it no matter what the actual text says about it and be disappointed it doesn't take things into account.

[randomnameless]

Doro and Edel sorta come off as "let me be evil" while also asking the audience to pity or validate their actions.

I actually disagree.

I think both of them genuinely think they are doing what they are doing "for the greater good" or "for the people" because they're convinced of the "goodness" of their goal - even if the means to reach that goal are a bit... more messy than breaking 6 eggs to make an omelette.

And for Supreme Leader, I never thought she was the one asking the audience to throw a pity party or to validate her actions - it's the games themselves that twist themselves in a pretzel to completely dodge - and by dodge I mean jump to another continent levels of avoiding - all the obvious implications her actions lead to -

Sure, Supreme Leader was written by those devs and put in those games, but imo, with the way she was written, the character never asks for forgiveness or uwu - it's the game that serves it on a platter, Crust system? You have to piece tidbits of backstory and hear it from a DLC character that Miklan wasn't kicked out bcs no crust, but bcs he tried to kill his younger brother and has been busy "seducing" women with his merry band of dudes. Ditto for foreign royalty that will never be mentionned in relation to the "crust = nobility, if no crusts no nobles anymore" paradigm.

Which leads to really interesting stuff when Supreme Leader is in a game where she can be challenged (not counting Engage bcs for some reason no one knows, it's Dimitri who talks to Zelestia about a place where people can live together regardless of their race), Supreme Leader doesn't make excuses or brings the pity party, she's too stubborn (or too determined) to reconsider her path.

(Supreme Leader inherited Poor Dumb Willy's fierce will?)

The only time she sorts of tug at the player's heart string, imo, is with the revelation she had siblings and her infodumping her backstory to Billy - iirc in the C+ support, just when Billy got the SoC - but as some people theorised, Supreme Leader's supports are unlocked at key moments, and I really like how - if following this theory - some characters try to fool/manipulate/"gaslight" as young people say nowadays/trick the player -

I've said it enough times regarding the Nabateans and Fodlan in general, but i don't think I've said it regarding Supreme Leader : the worst character hit by the uwu hammer and Hresvelg Grey is Supreme Leader herself - if Supreme Leader has been able to be a "traitor" character à la Tales of you can side with in CF for a vilain route, or like Togame in Katanagatari - her goal first her feelings second, and her feelings are a means to reach her goal but then she falls in her own trap - or even Baten Kaitos's Kalas, I think she would have been one of the best and most memorable characters in the franchise.

But the waifu and uwu hammer hit her, and all those opportunities fell on their faces because the devs wanted a waifu first and foremost, controversial maybe, but at the end of the day, a waifu to pander to a certain demographic and plays on the usual and tiresome "only u can defrost the ice queen" trope.

As for Doro...

It's a bit more nuanced, I think Doro genuinely wants to help people, but Doro, due to her backstory (and maybe experiences in Mittelfrank?) wants to help herself most - securing a successful marriage to a wealthy "noble" (tfw Ignatz, who's from a super rich family, isn't on her list) and become the "friend" of the Emperor - who should represent - status wise - everything she hates about nobles, if Ferdie was so hated, then why isn't the Hresvelg Heir, the Imperial heir, isn't as hated? Because Supreme Leader didn't see her bath in a fountain? Did Supreme Leader tone down her "if the weak remain weak it's because they are too used to rely on the strong to survive" discourse around Doro, one of those "weak ones" who only managed to make a name for herself through bribes, heavily implied prostitution and countless hours of hard and gruesome work that will be ruined anyways when she gets "older" so that's why she tries to find a noble and rich husband asap?

I love messy characters, I hc Saias as someone who will see the world burn as long as he can serve his younger brother, and he has to reconsider everything when he learns 1/lil bro dgaf about him and would rather kill him himself + 2/lil sis is actually alive - but the Fodlan games refuse to do anything interesting with the BESF members, in FE8, Ephraim gets a wake-up slap by Seth about what is expected of him now, and what was expected of him then, so he has better polish his father's armor because playtime is over, there's work to do, and Ephraim realises how much of a fool he has been.

Doro will never reconsider (her support with Lorenz is very good in that sense - much like Supreme Leader, Doro is sure her pov and way are the only ones that work) her POV, her most ridiculous takes about "y church never helped people like me in Adrestia" or "military academy makes us fight real fights and kill bandits i thought we weren't in a fire emblem game :(" or even "why is the goddess making us fight like this sure i joined the imperial army who conquers the world and tried to kill you many times but if you attack us it's only bcs of the goddess :(" are never tackled, compare them to Lorenz thinking the church promotes isolationism and Claude correcting him by remembering Dedue and Petra exist(ed?) in Garreg Mach...

TL;Dr : I wouldn't say those characters spend their time going "sad uwus about my life" or ask the audience to validate their action - but that's what their games did, just count how many times (maybe only 1?) people vow to take down the mole people "for Supreme Leader bcs she was manipulated too :(" or the lol-tastic "can't we walk with her (and trample Fodlan)?" ; Supreme Leader doesn't even need to "pity" herself, the game does it itself by giving those "pity" lines to multiple other characters.

It can sound like it's the same thing, after all both Supreme Leader and Doro are characters designed to fit in that game, but it's a bit more nuanced, and it's that nuance - the game severing one of its limbs to prevent them from being seriously challenged about their opinions - that's actually really, imo, annoying. When characters like Dimitri or even to a point, Rhea herself, are dissected and held accountable/are challenged for the weather, the double standard really stings, and that's what pisses me off with these characters.

[emblematicemblazer]

Fire Emblem Engage Xenologue

The other characters of Xenologue Firene

Jean

Xenologue Jean is not recruited when Nel, Nil, Alear and Zelestia finish collecting the Emblem Bracelet of Firene. There are not the resources to spend on detours nor is there the time to deviate from their goal. There is no way of knowing what Jean was like or how he met his end. Jean is given the opportunity to move on from his father's tutelage and grow as a young doctor by Alear in the main story. In Xenologue Firene, the ill tempered and warmongering atmosphere may have created a more rebellious Jean or a fighter instead of a healer. 

Boucheron

Boucheron is/was Alfred's retainer and friend in both universes. Xenologue Boucheron died defending his liege despite the fact he was confident of victory.

We learn that Xenologue Alfred cherished the memories of fighting alongside his retainer when Boucheron of the main story fights him.

 “I wanted to see you on the battlefield one more time.“

This is a contrast to the support conversations where Alfred joins Boucheron on his day. Alfred wants to relish moments fishing and just spending time with Boucheron, not fighting. This leads me to the conclusion that Boucheron spent more time training than reading and fishing. 

Etie

Etie is/was Alfred's retainer and friend in both universes. Xenologue Etie died in battle despite being confident of victory. 

We learn that Xenologue Alfred thought she was a noble and strong retainer. This hints at her being interested in body building in the Xenologue as well as the main story. Etie used to bring flowers to Firene Castle, in the Xenologue Alfred brings flowers to her grave instead. The flowers Wore brings in the main story are beautiful and bring great joy while Xenologue Alfred cannot even look at the ones he laid at Etie's grave. 

Etie and her Xenologue counterpart were both friends with Celine and both enjoyed drinking tea together. 

Louis

Louis was/is Celine's retainer, friend and brewer of fine teas in both universes. Xenologue Louis died in battle despite being confident of victory. 

We learn that Xenologue Louis, just like his counterpart, used to brew special teas for Celine and it brought her happiness to drink them. Xenologue Celine has been unable to drink the tea Xenologue Louis made for her since his death. This mirrors the support conversation between Celine and Louis where she cannot bring herself to drink the special tea made for her when she learns that he hurt himself collecting them. 

Chloe

Chloe was/is Celine's retainer and friend in both universes. Xenologue Chloe died on a reconnaissance mission. She never returned home.

Chloe may believe in fairytales but when she spoke to Xenologue Celine she did not weave a fairytale of hope that her counterpart was alive, instead she spoke of the reality of her likely death. 

Queen Eve

Queen Eve is dead leaving all the stress and pressure of ruling a country on her children. 

[twistedisciple]

♡  — How would your muse define love? Do they believe in soulmates? Do they believe this definition of love is achievable?

Life Philosophy HCs | not accepting

This question was also sent by @rafent

So glad you asked! This post is long overdue and would be a separate meta if I had gotten to writing it sooner.

Love is actually the reason I don't find it appropriate to label Griss as a true psychopath. He's not callous, despite his penchant for violence, and most of his actions can be attributed to his definition of love. I've drawn from three canon lines for this interpretation. The first is from the end of Chapter 23:

Zephia: [...] Why should I die in the dust, while he... While he gets everything he wanted, just like that. Does that seem fair? Now that they know about the shard, they're sure to break it... and he'll know I've met my end--that he's lost me forever. Griss: You gotta really love somebody... if you wanna hurt 'em that badly.

The second is actually from Gregory at the end of chapter 4 of the DLC, when the Winds discuss Nel's heartbreak over Alear:

Zelestia (about Nel): [...] It's only natural she might need some time to herself after that. Mauvier: Ah. I see. Gregory: People's hearts are fragile when they're in love. You gotta be gentle with them, big guy. Madeline: Sounds like you speak from experience, Gregory. Have you been in love before? Gregory: Nope. But I hear it's as terrifying as it is exhilarating.

Gregory also asserts in his S rank support with Alear that he doesn't understand what love is, and curiously shares this exchange in their A rank:

Alear: Fine. If you can’t come to terms with it, here. Take this. Gregory: Wha?! What was that? That wasn’t a punch! You just flicked my forehead. Alear: And that’s all you get. Consider that your punishment. We’ll never speak of this again. Gregory: Haha. Actually, that’s almost a nice sort of pain. I don’t mind it.

There's a running theme of pain and terror in both Griss and Gregory's concepts of love, which makes sense in the context of their abusive parents, the earliest introduction they ever had to "love." I believe that Gregory's inexperience with love and his fear of pain go hand-in-hand, so the reverse of that is Griss' obsession with pain, and therefore greater experience with love. I would argue that Griss is constantly yearning for some deeper connection with another person, and the only way he knows how to convey this feeling is through violence.

[cw physical abuse] He wants others to hit him, because his parents did, the people of the fell church did, Zephia likely did, and everyone else he's encountered and forced into this never-ending cycle ultimately did as well. He's twisted these experiences into corrections of his own failings (his parents hit him because he wasn't good enough, the sages hit him to drive out sin, Zephia hit him to teach him a lesson), and believes that these people wouldn't raise a hand against him if they didn't love him. This is in line with Zephia's belief about how children should be raised, and meeting her may even be the reason he's able to see pain in this way, but that's a topic for another post. [end cw]

While Griss has an internal concept of love, I don't think it's something he can articulate. The definition at its simplest is love = pain. This is the level that he recognizes and can talk about. However, I believe a broader definition is hidden in his actions: love is self-sacrifice. We see this in Gregory as well, since he repeatedly lets himself be hurt in order to protect those close to him. Griss' devotion to Sombron is rooted in self-harm, and while he isn't a knight making some pretty speech about his loyalty for his liege, the same sort of promise is hidden in this line at the beginning of chapter 23:

Zephia: Retreat isn't an option. I will die, if I must, to protect the shard. Griss: You? That's crazy talk. If anyone's dying today, I've got first dibs.

And confirmed at the end when he tells Zephia that he'd never leave her. I believe this is actually the very beginning of Griss' understanding of "real" love, and parallels the definition Gregory eventually settles on with Alear:

Gregory: I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t really grasp this “love” thing everyone talks about. Gregory: But if love is finding someone so important that you’re terrified of losing them, then maybe… Gregory: I… I want to be by your side, protecting you. Now and always.

Is this definition of love achievable? Yes. Although Griss is almost too far gone to ever have a long-term, stable and healthy relationship like Gregory will eventually get. This isn't something that he regrets though. At least, not at this time. More on the existential crises that come with change later though.

As for soulmates? No, absolutely not.

[ruinakete]

aloe : how does your muse handle grief ?

BOTANICAL HEADCANONS ・ accepting! ( asked also by @sublimeflowoftime and @enarmor! ) ( brief warning for very small suicide attempt mention in second paragraph )

though i want to say her reaction would be extreme, it actually isn't. in fact, it's the opposite? her handle on grief, reaction-wise, is quite calculated despite the immediate dissociation as if her heart doesn't fully understand that she's supposed to be grieving.

likewise, the only times i can remember Zephia being forced to grieve, with her whole heart, is after the destruction of her village and before Griss' death ( as she had bled out before he did ). her instinct in light of both incidents was to take back control; younger her immediately tried to destroy her Dragonstone and, to an extent, herself instead of idly carrying or being the cause of her parents' deaths while pre-death her used the rest of her magic to create a crystal for Alear, more to spite Sombron than to help Alear despite it doing just that and her words insinuating the latter.

so, in a way, it could be argued that Zephia doesn't really acknowledge grief properly until a loooong time passes. her first instinct will always be to regain the control she lost from "grieving" in the first place. and by not recognizing grief as an actual emotion until centuries pass, she tends to forget exactly what brought the grief upon her in the first place. and that kind of just... ruins the whole healing process. it's like a continuous cycle.

I wish I could give a more elaborate answer but Zephia, at her core, is a person who doesn't waste much time on the human aspects that make her, her. that's just not who she is or who she was raised to be; both by her tribe and Sombron.

for example, instead of actually being sad about Marni's betrayal ( which I can confidently say had an impact on her, no matter if the said impact was big or not ), she immediately killed the hound instead of wasting time to wonder what drove Marni to act the way she did. while that was cruel and Zephia's uncaring comments on it were heartless, I truly believe that it was her form of grieving. taking back the control she loses is the only comfort she deems necessary to helping her feel better.

however, another factor might just be that she didn't really care that much for Marni at that time since she had yet to realize the dynamic they had was what she had wanted all along. so, to Zephia of the past and present, that incident wouldn't even be counted as something to grieve over. but there is no doubt that she does care about her.

anywho, my last note on this is to reiterate that grief likely isn't an emotion she's been subjected to a lot, which, in her thousands of years alive, wouldn't make her as responsive or familiar with it.

[tekablade-chronicles-3]

things about the fell xenologue i wrote 3 months ago

spoilers for the entire thing of course :

Nel didn't lose her memory after sleeping 1000 years, which means Alear losing their memory was likely due to them being transferred Divine dragon power instead of their natural type, as opposed to Rafal and Nel both being Fell dragons, of the same father no less.

speaking of Alear, xeno!Alear is confirmed to have been a fully Divine dragon, which means either they're Lumera's blood relative, or adopted from within the same tribe. i like the latter option better.

also about dragons, why are the xeno!Fell kids born as twins and why would that not apply to other dragon tribes ?

why're the fell-tainted emblems speaking ? That was never explained was it ? ( i do love how much of a struggle it is for them though )

the fact that they can't even be cleansed ??

what happened to them in the end ? we know that Rafal split the power he obtained from them between him and Nel, but where did the bracelets themselves go ? Are they just left behind in mirror Elyos all on their own ? pretty dark if they've just essentially been put down forever in an empty world... ( i've been seeing some people say that the bracelet emblems teleported to our Elyos and THEN we woke them up, but i thought Marth said emblems COULDN'T withstand travelling between worlds ? unless all the bracelet emblems are like Sombron's Zero Emblem i don't see how that would happen. )

Zelestia is an ADHD icon, and reps intense outward display of emotion, and I love her ok. I met her for the first time and i was like, oh ! she's her own character, not "good Zephia", she just looks like her ! and i love that for her. there's something about her i really appreciate and i'm not sure what it is.

just felt "eh" about Gregory during the story, but watching his supports made him so much more interesting to me, now i'm endeared

( why the hell is his name Gregory btw, who thought that was a good idea ?? )

Nel likes Timerra's singing ! good for her.

i understand why the Four Winds are only recolors ( barring Mauvier who is literally the same in every universe ), but MAN i wish they got new outfits. also the naming convention makes no sense to me. why did only 3 characters get new names ?

in the same vein, i understand why all the other alt characters look basically the same with some minor changes but damn they really would've benefited from more change. i mean you have a model for Timerra without her ponytail accessories for example, now would've been the perfect time to use it. in fact there's models for all the characters without their head accessories. and would it have been so hard to make Hortensia's hair a solid color ? stuff like that.

i thought Alear was a little out of character with Nel at first, it's not really in their nature to retaliate in arguments, usually they'd just take it in stride and keep being friendly.

every 2 seconds i forget Rafal's name and i don't know why

[enbyleighlines]

FE Engage original characters that read as sapphic (to me)

(I’m writing this because part of me wants to do a sapphic-only run of Engage but the rest of me never wants to touch the game again after that godawful fell xenologue)

Ivy, obviously. She’s the #1 lesbian failwife for a reason.

Timerra. The bond between her and her retainers is so goddamn good, I refuse to believe they aren’t all at least a little gay for one another.

Merrin. She’s clearly a soft she/they butch. What I love most about her is that she seems like she would have been bullied as a kid but she refused to become ashamed of her interests and that’s what makes her so cool.

Panette. I love her take on femininity. I want to bottle insects with her and have midnight picnic dates in the graveyard.

Lapis. The first time I saw her and Citrinne I was like. I swear I have seen them in a yuri manga before. Also I like how Lapis is like everything I liked about Leonie with none of the creepy crushing on the MC’s dad parts that really soured Leonie for me.

Citrinne! She’s Lapis’s girlfriend. I don’t make the rules, I’m just stating facts. She’s the girlfriend every period drama sapphic dreams about.

F! Alear, obviously, though I still don’t really like her design. There’s no reason for her to look 14-15 y/o when M! Alear looks like he’s 18 or older.

Chloe. She has strong bisexual vibes, for sure. She’s the type of sapphic who never stays single for longer than a week because she attracts so much attention from both men and women.

Nel. She’s canonically in love with alt-universe Alear regardless of gender.

Zelestia. I hate how her outfit is the personification of the male gaze BUT she was definitely in love with Lumera at some point so in this list she goes.

Etie. She’s not my type At All but irregardless she’s still queer and thus she qualifies.

Saphir. Her name is Saphir. No woman named Saphir is straight.

[elysianstars]

Looking back on patterns of past banners for FEH, May is when we usually get Fallen Heroes, right? And I've mentioned before, I think Engage is the strongest contender for this year. Red Alear? Evil Veyle? Corrupted Lumera? Great Fell 'Nil'? We've got enough mentally unstable dragons for a full set right there!

I guess you could throw Sombron in, whatever, I'd rather see him as something like a Grand Hero Battle the way Zephia was though. I know other final boss types have made it onto Fallen banners before (Anankos, Rhea, Edelgard), but I respect all of them more than him. Don't steal the spotlight from your kids, you've done enough already.

Alear gets protagonist points to make their appearance more likely, and f!Alear also gets 'hot girl' points (because we know what FEH's priorities are). Veyle and Lumera get points for being female, but Mythic Lumera wasn't released that long ago, so maybe it's too soon for her to get another alt?

Rafal gets points deducted for being a male DLC character, but I can still hope and pray (if he has one fan left then it's me, if he has zero fans then I'm dead, etc.). I'd be happier to see him and Nel appear on a banner together, so she's not left out, and I suppose they could make up a Fallen version of her too. I like that she's the only one of the Fell Four we never see crushed under Sombron's influence though, and she deserves to keep that status. Maybe she could have a Mythic/Ascended/some other fancy version released near the same time? She could lead a banner, and have the Winds (Zelestia, Gregory, Madeline) as the other characters on it?

I was down to 200 orbs after pulling for Legendary m!Alear, and now I'm back up to 700+ in anticipation. Please don't disappoint me FEH. I deserve a little treat at this time of year.

[rafent]

She does not know him, of course she does not, but she recognizes those eyes the instant they catch her own. She nearly stumbles over her own feet, a tight grip clutched to the books that somehow manage to not fall out of her hands in her shock.

And before she can stop herself, an oddly true smile flourishes across her lips, and for once, she finds herself speechless the face of an oddity. How curious he was indeed, and she finds herself drawn to him, as she had once been drawn to Lord Sombron. Fascinating.

"You are... the new Black Eagles Professor, Rafal was it? You may call me Zephia. Now, pardon my... direct approach, but I would prefer to cut to the chase when we both know that there is no reason to pander around. You are a Fell Dragon, are you not?"

From the center of his eye a cardinal wind blows, bringing with it a worldly design of definite un-doubt. Whether it was memories or sins or people, his ghosts owned an inexorable nature in that they would follow him always, that they would follow him even here- that at least was his bitter measure of the situation, trickling down to his acknowledgement of the familiar woman who has crossed his path across a sea, a continent, a world, and then some. Troublesome. Rafal pushed out her name heavily though a vague curiosity sprung to mind at the introduction.

Zephia?

". . .Zelestia."

Zelestia, indeed, the voice, the pale hair, the features, and everything just short of the company of her two remaining knights and the fuschia ribbons wrapped around her horns seemed to say. The fell successor assesses her coldly, but not in any special treatment. He hadn't expected to be returned to a vision of his time in the Somniel so soon, much less one of the faces who belonged there. Were there others? More?

"Humph. I will call you whatever I please, and your show of ignorance is unflattering, Zelestia. You and your winds more than anyone possess the clearest understanding of my identity. Do not play the fool."

That's right; his oh so beloved Four Winds were known intimately to him in turn; a four-man cluster of harvestmen bound by their vows who were scarcely found apart until one of them dropped dead. Oh, but that fact was Rafal's doing. His perpetual scowl lightens slightly, if only to turn a frown into a smirk, bitterly amused by the situation. His theory over it, well-including; simply another ripple off the black pool of his damnation.

". . .But I suppose the attitude is one I deserve." His words are quick to turn ugly with their speculations, an encirclement of feline steps orbiting thoughtfully around the tall mage dragon, knuckle raised to chin. "Your hatred for your former master burns so strongly that you would feign ignorance of him. . .in your intense loathing to see this face anew, it has conveniently escaped your memory. . .is that it? How amusing—" and full of surprises at that; to think the emotional, mild mannered Zelestia capable of such cruelty!