#to see him wish he could have killed grima himself!

[frodosrings]

do you think éowyn ever opened up to faramir about grima and how terrible he was not just to théoden and éomer, but also to herself? about how icky and uncomfortable grima made her feel? about how he made her feel unsafe in her own home? or is it just my poor farawyn heart that yearns for a hurt/comfort farawyn fic which is beating strongly in my chest?

[the-priestess-of-dawn]

Since I've been thinking about fe12 recently naturally I started thinking about my favorite fe12 character Katarina (she's like... my 4th favorite for fe overall, but since Grima/Robin and Chrom are number 1 and 2 and SO far ahead of everyone else that it's kind of unfair, she's basically second place when it comes to characters who have NOT infected me with constant and irremediable brainrot).

Specifically I'm thinking about how the scene she has with Marth when she joins and how if she had her way she would have had Marth execute her, but...

"You're just running from your sins." MARTH GO OFF!!!

"If you truly regret what you've done, then live. I want you to atone with your life, not your death." YES MARTH DESTROY THE REDEMPTION IN DEATH TROPE!!!

Look, Marth might not be my most beloved fe protagonist of all time, but he gets MAJOR points for this conversation ALONE. And honestly it is all the more tragic how his descendants get so caught up in the cycle of violence and vengeance when Marth already understood that justice does not mean killing everyone who has done you wrong. Oh BOY did the exalted line ever lose the plot there.

I know Lucina is the one who gets compared to Marth most, and Tiki even says that Chrom is more similar to one of Marth's ancestors than Marth himself, but honestly Chrom's "You are yourself, before you are any man's son/daughter." really does echo "You will think for yourself and find your own answer." I think Marth would be really proud of him for that response to finding out his best friend is the child of someone who came to assassinate his sister.

And, haha, speaking of Grima brainrot...

I REALLY WISH CHROM HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THIS TO ROBIN, YOU KNOW???

Ugh, Robin my beloved. I want to freeze time, like, right here

Okay, not necessarily here. This is... fair enough for a heroic sacrifice...

Uh-huh, this tracks...

There! Can we freeze right there? Robin what the FUCK are you saying? These two lines why I can never be at peace with the sacrifice ending no matter how you frame the narrative. "It's only right" that Robin dies with Grima??? No. No!

See, if it weren't for that specific line, we could just accept that Robin is doing something they don't really want to do and that they know will hurt people because they truly believe it's the only way to truly protect the future, but... no. When they say "It's only right we meet our end together." it becomes something else. Is this REALLY the only way to protect the people of the future (Chrom doesn't think it is. The rest of the Shepherds don't think it is either, which you can see from their lines if you choose to let Chrom land the final blow) or are you just trying to run from your past life, Robin? To escape the weight of what you've done and what you see now that you're capable of doing all over again? Is there anything heroic or even "sacrificial" if saving the world is just the convenient excuse for getting rid of yourself?

Chrom would agree with Marth's feelings. He would say "If you truly regret what you've done, then live." But he CAN'T because Robin did not reveal this extremely distressing line of thinking until the absolute last second before landing the final blow on Grima and ensuring their own death. Of course Chrom would never speak a word against Robin after that. Frankly, I think he was kind of robbed. (And kind of on purpose... When you think about it, is there really THAT much difference between Grima trying to make Robin look like a tragic hero by offering that yes/no choice to submit to them vs Robin becoming a tragic hero by "sacrificing" themself at the end of a grand final battle?)

Anyway, I would absolutely love to see a Robin/Katarina harmonic in FEH someday... I think if that ever happened, Katarina would probably say something about Robin reminding her of Kris (because Avatars) but really, Robin is so much like her that I'd just love to see them talk to each other about literally anything.

(Also, on a slightly tangential note... I know that in canon, Robin strikes Chrom with Thoron at the Dragon's Table, but I feel like as a fandom we are really missing out by not taking some artistic liberties and making it Katarina's Bolt instead. I mean. The SYMBOLISM. Especially when it comes to good timeline Robin, who might think to bring that tome to the Dragon's Table instead of Thoron because it has lower might.)

[iturbide]

same anon as the not exaggerated joke but not joke about robbing plegia. God I love awakening, I really love chrom and robin and all that. But I am also facinated by Gangrel and Validar (and to a lesser extent Henry and Tharja (and also Mustafa and to an even lesser extent the various plegian officers you fight) Like there could have easily been an interesting exploration of any of those characters. Gangrel's a much less subtle example of how an ATTEMPTED GENOCIDE affected him. He went mad and is lashing out at those who both caused and did not take accountability. Like there's a lot there to unpack and look at, especially when you consider his general dismissal of the grimleal cult. Validar is one I really wish we saw more of (Validad wishful thinking in my brain). He was likely a part of the grimleal since before the war, being a failed vessel; how did he view the genocide, was he moved by what happened to other plegians, did that give him conviction, did he care at all? Did he see grima, or his own child as a means of retribution or even as a saviour for his people. There is so much that could have been done there. Also maybe Tharja and Henry should have more to say about their country being brutalised in 3 whole wars. Also also, please just acknowledge Mustafa he was so fucking cool and deserved a larger role in the story, I'd love them as a continuous antagonist/anti-hero who RIGHTLY points out the hypocricy of the ylisseans while still showing himself to be an empathetic and just leader. Fuck it make him in charge, put him on a council with Validar. Can you imagine the political debates between those two?

Anyway I'm gonna start reading Affectionately Yours to stimulate the part of my brain that awakening didn't

Look, I am deeply and utterly fascinated by Plegia. I have been for a long time. Roughly half my Awakening works on AO3 hinge on some extensive Plegian worldbuilding because Awakening really didn't bother with it and I'm too fascinated to leave it alone.

I have a lot of thoughts about Gangrel. I have a lot of thoughts about Validar. I have a lot of thoughts about who they could have been in different situations, and why they turned out the way they did. I honestly think that Gangrel could have been handled better in Awakening canon: I think his mother was killed by bandits when he was young according to canon? But imagine how much more potent his role in the story becomes if he lost his mother in the attempted genocide -- he was a direct victim, and that unaddressed trauma festered and turned him into the Mad King. (I have a whole post of backstory headcanons about that.) And I think that Validar is underexplored as a character, especially considering that he outright admits he's a failed attempt at creating a vessel for Grima, and what something like that would do to a person. (I have yet another post of backstory headcanons for him.)

Henry...Henry not really having something to say doesn't surprise me. Henry was a victim of basically every system he'd ever been part of. He doesn't have a stake in society, but he's culturally Plegian because it's how he was generally brought up. Tharja, though -- she I think should have things to say about the situation, because even if she does adopt a measure of disinterest in the general situation, that's her home. She's lived through these nightmares and been a witness to their aftermath. The fact that her being Plegian and how that's affected her was entirely squandered is an absolute crime.

and don't get me started on Mustafa. I love Mustafa so much. Mustafa gets a role in basically all my fics, I love him so much. He's in Affectionately Yours. He's in Cursed Fate. He's in both Crown of Shadows and Shrouded Throne. He's in my works in progress, he's in my backburner stories, he's everywhere. I absolutely adore General Mustafa and what he says about Plegia as a country, even though the game tries to pretend that people like him don't exist as soon as we finish out Chapter 11.

I have a lot of Plegia thoughts okay. And a lot of Plegia stories.

also please let me know if you have any issues getting into the fics, I locked them as a precaution against AI data scraping but I am 100% willing to unlock them if you want to read but don't have an account

[lunaede]

all the world's a stage (part one).

Where do you belong?

Frederick reaches out, sees the chaos before him and tries to comprehend it. His friends are fighting, until they aren’t.

He scarcely has a moment to catch his breath as he is transported somewhere new. This is getting old, quickly, and Frederick not for the first time this entire quest is feeling helpless. Useless. Nervous. He wants to reach out, tries to say something to anyone (his mouth opens and he tries to call out to Laslow, to Byleth, to Ephidel, anyone) — but they are all the same; confused, alone, utterly out of control. He feels like nothing around him is real, the unreality of the situation is stifling.

He tenses as he hears the voice, his back straightens and he tries to look around to find it. He sees the others go to find out where they belong and all Frederick can think is: I belong with the Shepherds. I belong by the Shepherd’s side, I belong with my friends, their bonds are what makes me strong.

— but what do you do for the Shepherds, Frederick?

He swallows, and finds himself drawn to the edge of town, in a puddle of blood and hair.

WRONG.

And at the edge of town, the blood under Frederick's feet begins to bubble and steam. It congeals into a mass, disfigured and unrecognizable as anything human. It lunges for Frederick, a cascade of blood and rot spilling over his head. Frederick loses -3HP "ɎØɄ ₴ɆɆ₭ ₱Ø₩ɆⱤ, ₦Ø₮ ₳₮Ø₦Ɇ₥Ɇ₦₮" it gurgles before fading back into a puddle.

"You seek power, not atonement."

The words echo through and past him, and he feels the bubbling heat from the blood and the hair. He closes his eyes and inhales as he feels the damage, but does not stop. There are more questions, and for that there needs to be an answer.

The taunting voice lends him a vision, and he finds himself reach for that silver lance. Reliable, like him. The same outcome, every time. There is no alternative, Frederick is steadfast and loyal and so is his lance. He wants to reach for it, but he stops himself from grabbing hold.

He thinks of her again. Not for the first time, mind. There will always be Chrom, Lissa, Robin... but there will also always be Emmeryn. He can never forget Emmeryn, her sacrifice, and what she has been able to accomplish posthumously. His first friend still sings in his blood and for that he will honor everything she stood for.

And there is Robin. Robin, whose choice would change history. Kill Grima, bury the wretched thing, and sacrifice themself for what they had grown to care for. All because they wished for a better future. Their wish, of course, was peace and safety. Their choice sang of love.

And Frederick will do anything to keep his friends safe, even at the cost of his own life. If he could take power in his hands and mold it into what he wishes for, then there is no question about whether he has the strength to do so.

Steadfast and loyal, yes. But he is also so concerned for the future, for his friends. He reaches for the pulsing artifact that promises a wish for a price and hopes it will be enough.

CORRECT.

Both Frederick and Hilda gain the pulsing artifact, a bright red orb full of power and promise. "Have you not yet learned?" The voice returns sounding both amused by your suffering, and disappointed at the same time. "If another believes you a villain, then a villain you shall be." At this, she laughs bitterly and the lights disappear all at once. A single spotlight flashes over Frederick, bathing him in red. A second light flashes on, illuminating a mannequin before them in green. It cowers, hands hiding its face. They can see nothing else around them. "Do you understand the role you play?" asks the voice.

If another believes you the villain, then the villain you shall be.

Frederick abhors that line of thinking. It makes him scowl, the corners of his lips curl downwards as he stands bathed in red. There are a lot of things that go through his mind. The cowering of the green mannequin in front of him begs for some sort of an answer, and he knows he is meant to give it. He thinks about the villagers who looked at him with disdain. The robes of the cult that he did not fully understand. He thinks about how the voice taunted him -- said that he sought power, that he sought not atonement.

He shakes his head. "I will not be what others believe me to be," he says to the doll in front of him. He is steadfast, he is loyal, and he will be an active member in his own story. He's seen the world look at Robin while Grima still lived within, and seen how they just smiled back at the world with kindness and hope. He's seen disdain in the form of spit at Emmeryn's feet, how she looked at them with love in her heart. He's seen Chrom stand tall, hold fast his morals and reach out to Plegia despite their conflicts, accept Tharja and Henry into their lives.

He's seen how perceptions can be wrong, and assumptions can be denounced. "I'm meant to kill you," he says softly to the would-be human in front of him. He is. That's the role he's been cast. He's not stupid enough to think otherwise. But even if he knows what's expected, he knows his heart the most, and understands the strength deep within himself. He stands in front of the mannequin and turns his back to it. He readies his stance as he looks into the darkness, seeing nothing. "I will protect you. You need not worry."

Even fate can be changed.

[anteaterisland]

Update! of All My GW2 Blorbos

These are my beloved GW2 Toons! Details and Close-up's below.

(Left) Grima The Blind.

Norn Revenant. When she was a child, she was possessed by a ghost, and has basically been an old woman her whole life, but recently she became traumatically dispossessed and is finding herself existing as a young woman without ever having been a child. She keeps trying to find herself (literally) by searching for her ghost, the one that got away, and keeps being only shallow host to various wisps who dont stick around. Lost.

(Right)Mouse The Pleasant. 

Mouse the Pleasant is an orphan, a human foundling. Her parents were killed in an accident, and when some good-doers searched the wagon crash site for the source of the crying, it took them quite a while to find her because she, precocious mesmer than she was, had gone invisible. It’s what kept her safe. 

She was raised in a bar, and learned very young that being sweet and nice and cute and letting people pinch her cheeks got her good tips. As a result, she grew up into the most pleasant, perfect, soft, squishable woman you’ve ever seen. 

At a certain point she decided that coming from nothing, with no knowledge of her past, meant she had nothing to lose, and started to up her game with a long con. She would sneak into fancy parties with illusory wealth and charm the nobles of divinity's reach, developing a persona of incredible class, eventually completely infiltrating the elusive club of the elite. She is the belle of every ball. She’s a whispers lightbringer and works with Countess Anise. 

Everyone who knows her loves her. And no one would ever suspect such an absolute sweatheart of being a vicious, manipulative witch. 

And if by sheer chance, she ever happened to run across Ratthew the Vile, why she wouldn’t think to give vermin like him a second glance. And without a second glance why, she’d probably never see that they have identical purple eyes. She lost her family far too young to remember she once had a twin.

(Left) Grenth Boy

Grenth Boy, (legal name redacted) is a human necromancer, and is only 17 years old. He was adopted by a noble family after he was orphaned as a newborn. His father named him after himself, and was very controlling, just the worst kind of rich asshole who treats his kid like an extension of himself, a doll on a shelf that only needs to say a few lines if you pull the string. 

When he finds his birth parents' graves it’s a transformative experience for him. The epitaphs on cold stone are the warmest parental experience of his life. Love for him sent across time, carved on a grave. Warmth and good wishes. They died before they could name him, but because he was born under the sign of Grenth, they called him their Grenth Boy. 

And he thinks to himself these death markers are the most beautiful things he’s ever seen. That this is who he was before his adoptive father tried to turn him into a clone of himself, when he was loved and free. He wishes he could have been raised by the gravestones, they would have been kinder to him.

On that day our boy decided, clearly and firmly, actually fuck being (redacted) jr. I’d rather be anyone else, I’d rather be no one than keep your name. I’d rather have never been named at all then named after you. 

And he runs away from home. There is only one peice of identity left to him, one place to go. The Temple of Grenth. But unfortunately, despite his new devotion, his father’s influence is a powerful obstacle, and the Priests there are too afraid to take him in as an acolyte. His noble father is convinced he will tire eventually of living on the streets and come home. 

But Grenth Boy doesn’t. He lives in an alleyway behind the temple, teaching himself to summon ghosts. His hair turns white and lank and his eyes begin to glow, as he develops his natural talent for necromancy and his deep spiritual love for Grenth. Never well-adjusted socially, his love of death and living happily in the gutter only further unnerve people. They say : “Stay out of that alley, it’s where that awful Grenth Boy lives.”

Wolfgang Lachrymohs, a noble whom Grenth Boy knows mostly by reputation, though they shared the same larger social circle before Grenth Boy left home, comes upon him one day. And upon being re-introduced to him as “Grenth Boy” says: “I cannot call you that. There must be something we can do.” And pulls some strings to at least have the boy be *acknowledged* by the temple. The priests knock up a little ceremony with some candles and vows as a half-measure, and Grenth Boy officially becomes a Votary of Grenth. Wolfgang will be the only person to ever actually call him that. Wolfgang is Grenth Boy’s hero. 

Grenth Boy is optimistic, naive, and an exceptional if slightly disturbing grief counselor. He is a devout man, who loves no ritual more than the last rights, but loves also caring and healing those on the brink of death. His ability to wield Grenth’s power in combat means he becomes the hero of shamoor, then eventually joining the priory and later the pact. His favorite place in the world is the Godslost Swamp, where he was recruited into the Priory. But he never forgets his dream of becoming a true Priest of Grenth. 

“Death is a blessing I mercifully bestow upon my enemies, and selfishly deny my friends.” - Grenth Boy

He’s also 5’2” and thin as a rake. 

(Right) Kiotvi Wildblood

A Norn Theif. Sansa’s half-brother by way of her father. He is a poacher and a woodsman who finds himself so awkward as to be unable to function properly in society, and so lives alone. He has a homestead in the Janthir Wilds and is an exquisite craftsman, he carved his sister’s bow for her. He lives a quiet life, utterly uninterested in heroics, unlike his sister.

(Left) Sansa “Stormwalker” Eirsdottir

The Commander’s Right Hand

A norn ranger, daughter of Eir Stegalkin. Sansa was raised by her father with little contact with her legendary hero mother. Her Father is a very noble, delicate man, and Sansa has very refined manners. Her norn peers thought she would become a skald like her Father, not a hunter like Eir. They should've known better, when she tamed a wolf. In her youth she ran messages between army camps and no blizzard nor thunder would stop her, earning her the epithet of Stormwalker. 

When she came of age she pursued legendary status with a fury. When she learned her mother was going to the Great Hunt, she decided to go as well, to prove to her mother that she had what it took to follow in her footsteps. With a wolf and bow at her side and her long red hair she was a vision, Eir Stegalkin come again. 

The strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and it is this wisdom that brings Sansa to create the Pact, collecting agents from every order to band them together to defeat the Elder Dragons. But as a member of the V(igil, she cannot be Pact Marshall, and Traheane is chosen instead. And again she is passed over, as Trahearne chooses Chlora Phylia the Sylvari to be Pact Commander. She takes the slights well though, and vows to help in any way she can. She is valiant and diligent in her support of the Pact Commander, Chlora Phylia. So enterprising and effective, many people get confused and think she actually is the Commander. 

This time is the closest relationship she’s ever had with her mother, and she is making Eir proud, which fills her with joy. She defends Eir to Zojja, forming a bitter rivalry. But When Sansa meets Braham Eirsson, a man she never knew existed, her own brother, she realizes her mother never told her of her brother, and beyond that, Eir never speaks to Sansa like a daughter, only as a soldier.

(Right) Chlora Phylia

The Commander.

A young sylvari, birthed from the pale tree less than a year before being made Commander of the pact, due to her close relationship with Marshal Trahearne. Early in her life she was recruited to the nightmare court, and stayed for some time, but when she was tasked with whipping the Verdant Hounds to turn them into nightmares she found she could not bear it. She escaped with a pup and returned to the pale tree, but the Nightmare is not so easily thwarted. 

Chlora Phylia wields a Strange Greatsword to focus her mesmeric power, a remnant from her days in the Nightmare Court. But she is spurred into violence by it's corruption. It unsettles those around her, she's the creepiest sort of mesmer. She blindfolds her eyes in combat, so how does she see... it must be her mesmeric clones, surely it could not be with that great twitching eye...

She is bitterly jealous of Trahearne, not for the post of Marshall, but for the Pale Tree’s favor. It was he whom she granted Caladbolg after Chlora quested to recover it for her people. Her own nightmarish sword stokes the fires of her coveting. She leans heavily on her dear friend, Sansa Eirsdottir, Founder of the Pact, to keep her sanity, and protect her image. The pressures of command and the nightmare are tearing her apart, but she wants to remain Trahearne's second at all costs, to become worthy of Caladbolg someday and The Pale Tree's favor. Or else take it from his corpse, but that's only in her nightmares. Right?

(Left) Lady Brassica

Lady Brassica is Chlora Phylia’s younger sister. Younger by about a month. 

Chlora Phylia was born to kill Zhaitan, to be the tip of the spear, her wild hunt is to fight for the sylvari and kill the pale tree’s enemies. She is Trahearne’s dear friend and the Commander of the Pact. 

Lady Brassica was born to kill Zhaitan, to be the tip of the spear, her wild hunt is to fight for the sylvari and kill the pale tree’s enemies. She is absolutely no one. 

Just after Chlora Phylia was born she was inducted into the nightmare court and the pale tree believed her lost. She birthed a back-up plan. The perfect soldier, strong, moral, beloved. Lady Brassica is the epitome of a knight, the platonic ideal of chivalry. Her first few missions were stunning triumphs, including against the hated nightmare court. 

Then Chlora Phylia broke free from the nightmare court. She returned to the pale tree’s favor as a double agent. She recovered Caladbolg and fought at Claw Island. 

And Lady Brassica had no more purpose.

(Right) Catalytic Curfuffle

An Asura Elementalist, is a young Asura with learning disabilities. ADD and Dyscalculia to name a few. She tried very hard to be a good Asura and learn advanced mathematics and Robotics in school but from a young age she showed no talent, no genius. She would throw explosive temper tantrums. She ran away from home and ended up being adopted by Rytlock and forming her own Warband. She fights her battles with raw firepower, literally.

(Left) Old Man Blep

An Asura Engineer. He works in construction maintenance in Rata Sum. He has two grown daughters, one biological, an asura elementalist firecracker named Catalytic Curfuffle. And one adopted, a Charr engineer named Marrow Antoinette. He and his ex-wife raised them together as an experiment in Nature vs Nurture, they wanted to determine if Charr were naturally aggressive or it was learned behavior. 

Marrow Antoinette grew up to be the sweetest, gentlest, smartest Charr anyone had ever met. She is a model asura, building tiny golem circuits with the greatest of delicacy and the tips of her claws. Her white fur is kept fastidiously clean, and she wouldn’t hurt a fly. 

However, the entire question of whether this was indeed nurture prevailing is made inconclusive, because their biological daughter flunked out of school and ran away from home in frothing rage. Just before she left she accused both her parents of treating their children as unethical science experiments instead of family. 

Over the years, Old Man Blep took this deeper and deeper to heart. He would have long arguments with his then wife about it, who did not agree that they had done anything wrong, culminating in their divorce. 

His ex-wife was a star architect in Rata Sum and helped build it’s most spectacular buildings. She’s made a permanent mark on the world and the history of the asura, her name literally carved into the floating foundations. Old Man Blep spends his days in the bowels of the city, fitting himself into acute angles of the pyramid, cleaning up broken tiles and fixing magnetic pipes with a big rusty wrench and a chisel. No one will remember him or his work, but he takes what small measure of pride from it as he can. He keeps the city from falling out of the sky. 

Old Man Blep is an old, very sad man, who believes his true life’s work, his family, was ruined by his own hand. His only goal is to do whatever it takes to make his daughters feel loved, even if it means respecting their wishes and keeping his distance from Catalytic Curfuffle for the rest of his life.

(Right) Marrow Antoinette

A Charr Guardian, was found as a Kitten and adopted by an Asura couple with a newborn as a questionably ethical experimental test subject into the question of Nature versus Nurture. She is everything her sister isn't: quiet, clever, polite, and proud. She can build any Golem you need and program it twice as fast. She powders and pomades her hair very tall as a symbol of her refinement. Her parents couldn't be prouder of her, as a daughter or a test subject. It's a shame all their theories about nurture prevailing are disproved by their other daughter…

[randomnameless]

Not at all !

Alm isn't a bad protagonist, but the way the game happens reminded me of FE8's Ephraim : sure he is always "right" as in his choices are the best ones* (save for that moment when he tried to 1VS1 Fomor-Lyon and got rekt'd) and he ends up king and all so on a larger scale it's A-Ok for him, but regarding his personal journey?

It's supposed to be a tragedy.

Alm ends up in a better, I suppose, mental state because Celica is around, but through the course of the game he had to kill his douche dad and cousin, because douche dad had a Master Plan (tm) and when Alm expresses anguish and is legitimately upset about the Master Plan (tm), his (grand)father figure tells him to man up and finish the work...

(and let's not even talk about his mother, who is pretty much alive as revealed in the OVA/CD drama thing? But, iirc, because of the Master Plan (tm), she became a nun and could apparently not interact with her son...)

It has been some time since I played the game, but damn if, at that point, Alm killing Celica might have been the straw that broke the camel's back, if Mila didn't intervene to resurrect her somehow.

I know FE13 told us Valm exists and everything was rosy before Walmart did his thing - but I really loved Alm's line where he's desperate to save his trash cousin and doesn't want to kill him because, hey, sure Alm is the new Emperor of Rigel per Rudy's death wish, but he's still the man who invaded the land, trounced its army and killed the former emperor.

Alm pleading for Berkut's assistance and support to help him grow in the role of the Emperor - especially since Berkut was born and raised as a member of Rigel's family so he might now how things work there - to win over the people felt very interesting if someone else wrote that bit lol.

However, Berkut prefers to kill his fiancée and fight (after being hurt in the worst way possible by Rudy and his Master Plan (tm) ) so Alm somehow ends up thinking that Berkut's madness was caused by Duma -> lizards BaD, Gods BaD and the plot continues this way -

(even if, in the post game, we still end up with the Grima reveal and the fuckery that humanity is able to pull which makes Alm's "humanity fuck yeah!" really hollow, but I guess it was something that was compulsory as FE15 is a remake of FE2 - we see what Kusakihara did when he became the director for an entire new game!)

The game glazes Rudy so much that his Master Plan (tm) will never be called out for what it truly is.

To make Rudy a very tragic hero (tm), everything wrong in Valentia is somehow Duma's fault. Lima banging people against their wills, his minister wanting to sit on his throne to the point of berning Lima's own heirs, Jerome being a loser, Berkut being himself, etc...

FE15 tries to be two things at once and it shows - but fwiw, before the shitstorm that was the last arc (before the post game!) where Kusakihara tried to retrofit all of his r/atheism rhetoric FE15, being the remake of FE2 must still end with some "For whatever madness lay in the hearts of gods… a darkness deeper still beats wild in the hearts of man…" Alm was still a farmboy who eats raw flour and joined the war to show everyone his grandfather is no coward and he wants to protect the people who are being attacked by Rigel and the monsters Duma apparently summons.

His "but everything wrong happens because of Duma, let's starve if it means we won't be under the god's influence anymore" felt so forced that I legit remember back when I played being WTF with the script, where did that came from and all - especially when the game started with Alm wanting to help the Zofians at first, are we suppose he's okay now with Valentia starving because humanity fuck yeah??

With the hindsight of what was Kusakihara's next game... poor Celica was doomed from the start lol.

*For Alm, it's best as in "moral", even if his friends criticise him over them, I know the "Clive is a human" became a meme, but if Alm decides to save Delthea and fails to rescue Mathilda, Clive will lash out at him, because rescuing Delthea made them lose time/resources (iirc?) that could have been used to rescue Mathilda...

1 Python and 8 Celica for the ask game!

FE15!

Python then!

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Purely based on mechanics here, I liked him because archers in Valentia are stupidly good, but dude missed so many "80-90% hit rate" shots that using him was always a gamble.

TFW you're RNG screwed :(

But I confess I also like his dynamics with Forsyth - even as barebones as the support convos were in FE15, you can guess that their bond is very important, since Python's death makes Forsyth abandon his dream of being a knight!

Celica :

8. What’s something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Well...

(does kusakihara count as fandom??)

Celica took a blow to the face with the "remake", which I feel makes her less of an heroine than FE2, aka a NES game, did. Sure, Alm was still the one who ended up with the Falchion, but part 4/5 of FE15 is still, to date, one of the worst parts of any FE I've played (the winner is still FE10's last segment) and Celica's treatment in this part reflected the remake's, uh, new vision about Alm more than anything else, aka, "Alm is always right", so Celica must be hilariously "wrong".

Fandom wise...

Oh boy, I don't know if you were around when FE15 was released and/or played, but bar the very "clive is a human meme", we basically had a lot of people calling Celica stupid for going along with Jedah's plans and accepting to sacrifice herself (she never thoughts her friends too would be killed!) to save Mila and Duma.

And, I have always been like, sure, this game's writing during this part was bonkers, but... it sort of made sense, all things considered, for Celica? Sure we had a lot of red flags as in "don't throw your life away" and all, but she really believed that Valentia would be lost without the Gods, and Jedah made compelling - to her - points that convinced her that she had to sacrifice herself to help and heal Duma/save Miloa.

Celica's despairing because she feels like without the Gods Valentia is doomed (which is hilariously echoed through Alm's "sure without the gods we will starve, but at least we'll be free from their intervention!" like, yeah Celica, Valentia'll be doomed, but if it survives, then somehow it'll be better bcs Duma'n'Mila won't be there, trust the devs, it's supposed to work this way). Celica is the one who saw pirates and bandits harassing people in Zofia and got rid of them, she knows the people of Valentia are suffering because the Gods aren't here/alright anymore, so it'd make sense that as desperate as she grows through her journey, she ends up believing Jedah's words...

Even if it was a really convoluted way to have Alm rescue with a very "white sword red blood" scene exclusive to the remake.

Sure it felt like an idiot plot ball, but given the circumstances and the writing before this decision, while Celica swallows an idiot plot ball, it's less on her character and more on the "we wanted her to be damsel'd so Alm could save her + make her do something perceived as foolish and reckless being the culmination of her ideals to have Alm's POV shine more brightly in comparison" thing.

to this day i'm still positively sure that FE15 was kusakihara draft to see how much "religion BaD" and Humanity Fuck Yeah!"" he could insert in a FE game

So yeah, Celica being called out for the "bonkers" choice she picks through the course of the game isn't her being a moron, but the writers/directors writing her to be Wrong (tm) with as much subtlety as a sledgehammer.

[utumnyooo]

You know what makes me even more fanatic about a Grima lives and Grima gets redemption AU? The fact that I wouldn’t necessarily call him a “sympathetic” villain. His motives are selfish and greedy ones! He wants power and treasure and the princess! Hes a coward and self serving and more than a little pathetic. He’s not after a better world or a noble cause. I’d say he’s given up on those and is just in it for himself…and he pays for this BIG time! He got what he bargained for. He traded his loyalty for power, his service for his own gains and got what he deserved, plus more in my opinion, in return.

His abuse at the hands of Saruman is downright horrific! You know he was in a bad position to begin with when he returned to Orthanc after being cast out from Edoras, but we all just know he suffered tremendously after he chucked that palantir out the window. I don’t know if Gandalf was correct when he said Grima would be fortunate if he came out of Orthanc alive…I think death would have been far more merciful and lucky than perhaps the months of abuse both verbal and physical as well as likely starvation he suffered. Not to mention following at Saruman’s heel as they travel on to the Shire all the pain he likely had to endure on top of walking miles and miles…only to arrive at an unfamiliar land where he was forced to commit atrocities I don’t think he had any desire to partake in under threat of more pain, starvation and who knows what other horrors.

But see that’s the thing! He made his choices and now he suffers their consequences. But! BUT!!! I think this is the part where I desperately wish he got chance to live and find redemption! The book states that he was half prepared to forsake his evil master and turn toward the light at the behest of the ringbearer himself! Both Grima and the reader saw a flicker of hope for a better ending than the one we were looking at! And just like for poor Grima, the hope was dashed on the rocks by none other than Saruman.

Of course Grima had killed Lotho, he practically admits to it when he says “You made me do it!”, and Saruman knows that mentioning this would severely affect Grima’s opportunity to stay behind in the Shire. If Frodo still showed mercy, the other hobbits might have had their reservations…and then Saruman had to add the mention of “Worm being very hungry lately” which sealed the deal of how Grima would look in the hobbits’ eyes. Yes Grima was forced and ordered by Saruman to kill Lotho, yes he was starved and beaten by Saruman, but murder IS murder. I’m not acquitting Grima of that, and I feel neither would most of the hobbit’s of the Shire. And Saruman knew this, as he couldn’t stand the embarrassment of being kicked out of the Shire while his lowly slave got to stay. Also who else would he have power over as he wandered? Who else would he have to take his anger out on? Saruman had a load of reasons to ruin Grima’s chances.

I also think Grima did the right thing killing Saruman! An oppressed slave rising up and killing his oppressive and malicious master? Yes! Tear the bitch apart! (Although, disclaimer, I do love Saruman as a character as well. Except unlike Grima I think redemption for him is a long long long way away and perhaps even more complicated and difficult than it would be for Grima! He’s too deep and comfortable in his corruption which is a pity…but I can write a whole essay itself on the tragedy of evil concerning Saruman!)

But Grima Wormtongue! He has oodles of potential! He could have, after seeing where evil got him, turned toward good…or rather the light. Redemption is a messy and complex process and over coming evil is a life long journey!

And on top of it all, Frodo wanted to save so many people throughout the trilogy! How amazing would it have been after saving the world from a deep and dark corruption, he could have seen some healing! He could have witnessed what he couldn’t in Sméagol (who I actually think found redemption in the part he played destroying the ring actually. Smeagol/Gollum is another character I love that I could write entire dissertations on!) or in Lotho! And who knows! Perhaps witnessing such healing could have aided in Frodo’s healing as well! He could have perhaps had a few more happy years in the Shire where the last strokes of the War wouldn’t have transpired and he could have had a few more happy years!

All said and done though, I admire Tolkien’s vision and I understand why he wrote the events the way he did! I am just such a sucker for twisty, turney ,complex and messy redemption stories! And well! It’s like J.R.R.T said himself! “Don't worry about the story's end. Just know that the story will keep going.” Perhaps part of the story going on is imagining what could have been!

[the-werdna]

Title: Robcina Week Day 6 - Sacrifice

Description: For what felt like as long as she could remember, Lucina had been forced to sacrifice every shred of her own happiness for the greater good. How could she be selfish, when the fate of the entire world had rested on her shoulders? Why then, did she feel so guilty.

Notes: Takes place some time after the end of Awakening, after Robin's return to life.

Words: 1616

Lucina stood in the center of a sunset field, the sea churning gently against a golden shore. The tall grass swayed in the wind, bathed in the fiery light that washed over the land.

Across from her stood Robin, his hands outstretched, leaving himself open for a blow that would come. A blade pointed at his chest. Her blade, for it was Falchion that she held in her hand, the naked blade gilded orange as she prepared to strike.

She had to do this. To strike down the man she loved for the sake of the future. To cast aside her happiness, to sacrifice a life with him to save the words. 

"I want you to be happy, Lucina. That's all I've ever wanted," Robin pleaded, making no movement to protect himself. 

She wanted to scream at those words. To deny them. To tell him that she could never be happy with what she must do. Couldn't he see she was sacrificing her happiness for what needed to be done?!

"I'm ready now. Do as you must."

Lucina closed her eyes, feeling her heart tear asunder as his words. She had to do this… no matter how much she wished otherwise. It had to be done.

A worthy sacrifice…

And so she moved the strike.

The ground gave way beneath her, and she now plummeted through darkness. Wind whipped past. Then she felt ground beneath her. She was kneeling, Falchion still gripped in her hands. Only it wasn't the ground. She was of Grima's back, and ahead of her…

Robin stood before her like he had on the field, only now his body was translucent, bits of him breaking off as ephemeral orbs of light that drifted in the breeze. He had struck the final blow to kill Grima, saving the world and all of them… a sacrifice of his own life for the good of all.

"I want you to be happy, Lucina. That's all I've ever wanted," Robin told her again. He smiled the last of his form evaporating into motes of light. Then the lights blinked out, leaving Lucina staring at the spot her love once stood.

Tears splashed against her hands. It felt as though only a void was left in place of her heart.

Why? …why am I crying? I wanted this! It's just another sacrifice for the greater good. My happiness for the sake of everyone else!

Again darkness swallowed her, and she fell. All she could feel was her own tears… tears that she should not have shed. 

Why, then? Why did it hurt so much?

. . . . .

Lucina opened her eyes, blinking back tears. Darkness surrounded her, and for a moment she thought she was still in the void that had swallowed her. Then she picked out a sliver of moonlight, coming from a crack in the window shutters. She was in her room. Her turned to look beside her and sighed in relief.

Robin lay beside her, fast asleep.

It was only a dream, she told herself

Rolling over, Lucina rested her head on her pillow, trying to fall back asleep. But try as she might, rest eluded her now. Again and again she heard her husband's words, from the dream and out of her past."'I want you to be happy''. Somehow now, however, they felt almost like an accusation. Or perhaps, rather, an admission of guilt.

After what fell like hours but could not have been more than minutes, Lucina rolled onto her back and sat up, letting out an exasperated sigh. It was no use, she wouldn't be able to sleep, mind racing like this.

Slipping out from beneath the covers she tip-toed her way out of the bedroom, careful not to wake the still sleeping Robin. For some time she wandered the hallways, not caring where she ended up, trying her best to clear her thoughts.

It was so stupid. Why was she still fixated on this? Everything had worked out, hadn't it? Robin had returned from his sacrifice. She had gotten everything she wanted: she'd saved the world and yet still found happiness with the man she loved. Why, then, did she feel so conflicted?

Why then, did a part of her feel guilty?

Soon Lucina found herself in the center courtyard of the castle, the moon shining above. The night air was cold against her skin, and the stone paving cold beneath her bare feet. She shivered, yet there was something oddly comforting about the chill. Almost purifying. As if soothing the confused emotions burning through her racing mind.

"Bad dream?" a voice behind her asked.

Lucina gasped, turning to find a very much awake Robin standing behind her. He had a lit candle held before him, the light a mote of fiery warmth in the cold midnight.

"Robin, I apologize, you startled me," Lucina said, lowering the hand she'd clutched at her heart. "I'm so sorry, I did not mean to wake you when I got up."

Robin shook his head. "It's quite alright," he assured her, taking a step closer. His hand brushed against her shoulder. "You didn't answer my question though. Bad dream? Or just couldn't sleep?"

Lucina nodded. "Both, really," she admitted. She turned, taking a seat on the waist-high stone wall that ringed the edge of the courtyard. Robin sat down next to her. "I… to be honest, it's nothing really. I apologize for worrying you so," she tried to tell him. But Robin cut through the lies in an instant

"Clearly it is something, if it's keeping you from sleep," he noted perceptively.

Lucina sighed, knowing it was foolhardy to deny it. Robin could always see right through her. There was no use trying to hide anything from someone who knew her so well. So it was that she recounted her dream, describing the two scenes from their past that had played out before her, woven together into a single whole. It was like a nightmare she'd had once before, she recalled now. Only before that had been of loss, of her fear of losing him again. But this was different. It had been something else that had been at the core of this dream. Somehow, some way, it had seemed to have been formed from a festering guilt.

"... which is why I don't understand why I feel like this," Lucina finished, shaking her head. "It makes no sense for me to feel this way, after all this time."

For several moments Robin said nothing, clearly lost deep in thought as he digested all she'd told him.

"Well… if I were to guess, you probably feel conflicted because a part of you was, after I was gone," Robin said at last.

"Conflicted? Why would I…" Lucina trailed off, shaking her head fervently, as if to deny what seemed to be an accusation.

"Yes, conflicted. And it's not a surprise you were, given the circumstances." Robin explained. "Think, Lucina, up until the moment on the field, you were ready to sacrifice anything to save the world. Even after you couldn't go through with it, it's only natural a part of you still felt like killing me there would have been the right call, and would think what you'd done was selfish."

"But…"

"Then mere weeks later, I made the call for you. I sacrificed my life to save the world," Robin laughed, the sound aimed at himself. "I did exactly what that part of you wanted. So even as you were still mourning, a part of you felt like that was wrong and you should be happy with this outcome, because to do otherwise would be selfish."

Lucina said nothing, mulling his words over. Had that been it? Had a part of her felt like she should have been happy with the outcome?

Because it was what I wanted, wasn't it? Lucina told herself. When I first came to the past, how things ended up were everything I would have hoped for. But after everything… 

"All this time I've felt guilty and didn't know why," Lucina said at last. "It seems like there were two reasons for it. A part of me felt guilty that I wasn't content with… how things happened. And another part of me, I think, felt guilt that the first part even thought that way." She hung her head in shame. It was so stupid. How would she ever be able to face the future if every outcome, every choice, led to such regret.

Robin smiled gently, taking her hand. "It's okay, Lucina. It's okay to have felt conflicted. Your duty, your heart, the two were in conflict long before that day on that field or that last battle. It only makes sense that a part of you would feel like like you choose wrong, no matter the outcome."

"Even when I got everything I wanted in the end?" Lucina said, laughing at her own foolishness.

"Now? Yes, you did get it. But for two years I was gone, and you had to deal with those feelings all that time alone," Robin assured her. He leaned in, giving a small kill at her forehead. "But now that I'm here, I can promise you, it's okay to be selfish now. We saved the world, your duty is fulfilled. All that's left is to make the future you wanted, together."

"I'd like that," Lucina said. She killed him in return. Now that she saw the truth of her conflicted feelings, it felt as though they were easier to let go of. Perhaps now, she could finally move forward and embrace that future.

A future where she would need not sacrifice any happiness with the man she loved.

Author's note: I hope you guys liked my submissions for Robcina-week this year. Sadly I didn't have time to write anything for day 7 (nor did I have any good ideas for what to do that day anyways), so hopefully 6 out of 7 is good enough.

[thiswaycomessomethingwicked]

How do you think the Grima and Saruman plot in Rohan would have gone down if Theodwyn had still been alive? Or Eomund? Or Edhild?

An interesting question! Though I think it’s one that’s almost impossible to answer simply because we know so little of the women.

Theodwyn, as a woman in Rohan already would have had limited access to direct political power. And, as a widow tending to her husband’s estate on behalf of her son, would likely not have been very present at court in Edoras. I suspect she would not have left Aldburg that often as she had the Marshallate to oversee and her children to raise. 

The tl;dr is: I suspect her being alive would not have been relevant to the success or failure of Grima and Saruman. 

-

Longer musings on Theodwyn, Elfhild and Eomund: 

We know very little about Theodwyn save that she was Theoden’s sister and died of heartbreak after Eomund went and got himself killed. Indeed, we know basically nothing about her that is useful in determining how she might have intervened had she become aware of Saruman’s plans. 

Personally, I don’t get badass powerhouse vibes from her, honestly. Which is totally fair and I don’t think every woman needs to be Eowyn-I-Am-Not-Like-The-Other-Girls Strong Female Character to be worthy of being considered interesting and dynamic. But yeah, I get a very passive vibe from Theodwyn. But that’s just my read on her. 

Theodwyn and Elfhild suffer the way almost all women do in Tolkien’s world of having almost no story and zero characterisation. Lothiriel, Arwen to a lesser degree but still, Finduilas etc. are really nothing more than names. Which is frustrating! and it drives me batty. 

For both Theodwyn and Elfhild all we know are names, who their male relatives are, and that they were able to make heirs for their husbands. All the important things, clearly. 

Based on Eowyn’s position at court (and her deep frustration and anger about it), I think it can be safely argued that women don’t play a strong role in the political world of Rohan. Eowyn describes her life as being in a gilded cage - no real power, limited agency. I think that’s very telling of the role Theodwyn and Elfhild would have occupied.

Not to say that they wouldn’t have been able to influence and inform decisions made by their spouses, but they would not have been privy to war councils or the daily Politicking that Theoden and Eomund got up to. Men are clearly the dominant leaders in Rohan and the gender roles and expectations in this country run along a strict binary that favours a militarized hyper-masculinity. 

While Elfhild and Theodwyn would have defended their homes when the men went to war (as Eowyn does in the books), it would have been only if no other “appropriate” man was present to taken on this role (again, as happens in the books. Though props to Hama, real MVP, and member of the Eowyn fanclub). 

Any influence Elfhild or Theodwyn had over the decisions of Theoden or Eomund would have been behind the scenes and very much a “soft power” approach. And this is assuming their spouses were open to listening to them. 

I know we all wish this wasn’t the case, and we want an Elfhild and Theodwyn who were super active and influential in the politics and manoeuvrings of their country -  but based on the text, that probably wasn’t the case. It’s a fandom head-canon. 

-

Now, all of this said, Elfhild being alive may have caused a bit of a hiccup or challenge for Grima exerting control over Theoden. However, Grima is very good at manipulating people and situations, so could possibly have undermined their relationship. We don’t know enough about Theoden and Elfhild as a couple to really determine how that would have gone. 

Also, remember, no one really knew of Grima’s treason. When Gandalf went to warn Theoden in October of 3018 it was about the incursions and plans of Saruman. It’s unclear if he made any mention of Grima’s role in it. It can be interpreted that Eomer knew, or at the very least had suspicions, but otherwise I think we can safely assume, based on the text, no one else knew. 

(Eomer can also be read as not having known at all; he was under house arrest because he threatened Grima with death in the king’s hall which is against the law. And that, it’s implied, was over Grima ogling Eowyn.)

Grima was seen as a trusted advisor to the king - if anything, Eilfhild may have leaned on him as her husband started “ailing” and become more and more unable to fulfill his duties as king. Theodred seems to have been fairly absent as heir so I don’t know how much of the day to day duties he was able, or willing, to undertake. 

So, the dynamics of the court during Theoden’s witchcraft-imposed infirmity, may have been really interesting and not as black/white as it might come across at first blush. 

As noted at the top, Theodwyn would have been managing the Third Marshalate until Eomer was of age, so she wouldn’t have been very present at court. And after he came of age, she would probably remain in Aldburg to help manage things while he was off seeing to his other duties and working to try and slow Saruman’s steady creep into Rohan. So, I don’t see her having lived after Eomund’s death heavily impacting anything. Also, like with Elfhild, we don’t know what the relationship was between Theodwyn and her brother. 

So if just the two women had survived, not Eomund, I can see Elfhild more than Theodwyn posing a potential roadblock for Grima and Saruman. But, that’s only if: 

a) she knew about, or suspected, Grima’s treason;

b) she and Theoden were close and they had a relationship that could weather whatever wrenches Grima would throw into the mix; and 

c) she were the kind of person to take a very active political role to fill the void left by Theoden’s absence. 

Like Theodwyn, we don’t really know who Elfhild was as a person. Was she the sort to try and take control of a situation? or was she more likely to have simply seen to her own duties and tended her husband without really getting involved (In the way that Eowyn tended her uncle as he “ailed” but didn’t get involved politically at court. But a wife has privileges a niece does not). 

-

However, if Eomund had been alive that might have influenced events in a different way. Maybe. It would mean another member of the House of Eorl to contend with and neutralize, on Grima’s side. However, Eomund was hot headed and prone to doing really stupid shit without thinking and I suspect Grima could easily manipulate him into either a compromising situation or to ride to his death. 

Eomund being alive would have freed Eomer up to focus more on his efforts against Saruman, which he wasn’t able to do to the degree he wanted to as Third Marshal (he laments about this to Aragorn when the four three hunters first arrive in Rohan). 

Having the full family alive would also have provided an additional barrier/more people for Theoden to lean on making it more difficult for Grima to wheedle his way into Theoden’s head. It also may have changed the dynamic at court and kept Theoden himself more hopeful about the future which may have, in turn, informed Grima’s own decisions about how to approach the war with Sauron and its potential outcomes. 

Grima gave into Reasonable Despair, which I suspect was partially fuelled by Theoden’s own personal misery about his aging, his perceived inability to rise to the occasion, his own despair at the future. That’s a contagious mindset. Despair is easy to fall into and it breeds more despair. Hope is hard. But, if you have a lot of people around who are relying on you, who are supporting you, who are helping you - that changes things entirely. 

-

I suppose the long and short is: WhO kNoWs??? hahaha

I’m very sorry about the novel this became but thank you so much for the ask! I really enjoyed gaming things out and I hope it somewhat answered your question <3 <3 

[israltale]

Darkness within

Alure smiled, while Kiros and Cobra trained at the Lake. They were now Three, if someone counted Solei who lived in the Vicinity of Order. Sadly to say, it wasn’t as peaceful as he had hoped.

Alure wasn’t sure if the King figured it out himself, had a spy or Solei couldn’t keep his mouth shut… but the Order Guards were now after them, especially after their Guardian. Kiros trained for that exact reason, to protect the Woman who was so Kind to them. 

“Hey.” Kiros stood in front of the thoughtful boy. 

“Oh… Yes?” He looked up to the Taller Hybrid. 

“So lost in thoughts, Nightlight?” Kiros asked, sitting down next to him. Cobra joined them only a little later.

“Yes… Actually i try to figure out how the King learned from us…” Kiros nodded.

“True… it only started recently. The Snake boy thought it would happen far sooner, but it’s apparently not to our changing… My changing was the last and is already almost six months past.” Alure nodded slowly. 

“Why is he after us anyway?” Of course he was curious of that. 

“It’s less you he is after and more Arisa who is in Danger.” Kiros blinked. 

“Why?” Cobra sighed. 

“It’s… a long Story and i don’t know if Arisa wants you to know about it. But the Gist of it is that the King wants her gone.” Alure shivered. 

“Is it because she is protecting us? From what you told me once… he hates everyone who is not Pure.” Cobra nodded slightly. 

“Yes, before the King could ascend the Throne, a lot of Citizen framed him for being a bastard Child… As you may have noticed in the Pure Blood Section is a certain… Colour line going. The King is actually a single coloured Dragon, which is normally only seen in the Citizen themselves.” Kiros blinked. 

“What do you mean?” Alure wanted to know as well. 

“You see… There is a colour class system in Isral… The normal citizen are mostly single Coloured, like Alure and Solei are.” Both Hybrids nodded. 

“The next class, mostly those who own a Shop are the double coloured dragon’s, like you Kiros. After that the Royalty and the high Generals, those are mostly Multi coloured. Meaning they have more than two colours.” Now Alure wondered how Millenia looked in her Dragon Form. Of Course she had to be one… Right?

“So what is the Thing with the King now? He is single coloured, so he should be multi coloured?” Cobra shook his Head. 

“That is the Point. Rulers are either double coloured or multi coloured, but there is a twist to them.” Both Hybrids stared at him. 

“The Rulers, or their Children change colour in the Light of Sun and Moon, so they are… hm let’s call it Holographic?” The smallest of the Three starred at him in awe, imagine how it must look to see a Ruler or their Offspring. 

“And that King doesn’t have that?” 

Cobra nodded. “Exactly.”

Kiros grumbled. “How did he got on the Throne then?” 

The Skeleton traced his three Scars. “At the Time the former King passed on, the older Sister and Potential Queen… The Citizen thought she was Dead.” 

Alure tilted his Head. There was something in his Phrasing. “But she isn’t?” 

Cobra smiled a bit. “Exactly. The older Sister is still alive and returned to her Home after some…. Complications.” The two Hybrids still didn’t understand why the King was after their Guardian. 

She was just the High Priest of the Land. It seemed to Click in Alure’s Mind. 

“Is the King after Lady Millenia, because she knows where the Princess is hiding?” Kiros blinked, that was actually a good reason. Cobra huffed, they were so careful about this, of course they didn’t catch the Hint. 

“Yeah… Arisa knows where the older Sister is… Being said, the older Sister is a threat to his Rule.” Kiros nodded in Understanding. 

“So he wants Millenia to find the Sister and execute her, so he won’t lose the Throne.” Cobra smiled a bit. 

“Something like that.” He somehow was glad they didn’t catch the hint. It was easier to leave them dumb, or they would do something stupid. On the Other hand, Cobra feared that it won’t take all to long for the Guards to arrive here and then not even Reeve can help them out anymore.

“Who would have thought, that the Personal Guard is watching some dirty Halfbreeds.” Cobra jumped to his Feet. 

“Grima…” A Man with snow white hair came out of the Shadows. 

Alure hid behind Cobra, while Kiros grabbed his Knives. 

“Where is she?” Grima commanded. 

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Grima sighed. 

“I thought you would say that, so i brought a present.” He snapped his Fingers. 

“LET ME DOWN YOU DISGUSTING ASSHOLE!” Alure gasped, a Soldier was holding Solei in a tight grasp. 

“Bring Nocturne… Or this Halfling will suffer terribly for Lying to the Excellency.” Cobra growled at Grima. 

“I’m impatient and you know that…” He said, about to snap his fingers again. 

“Let him down, Grima.” Kiros turned, only to see Millenia come up to them. 

“Ah… There you are.” Grima said with a disgustingly smug grin. 

“Arisa…” Cobra looked at her in worry. 

“I told you to let him down.” Grima nodded slightly.

“Yes you did, but i don’t take orders from you.” Millenia sighed. 

“I thought so… Sharyu.” A large Scythe appeared in her Hand. Grima shivered excited. 

“You could hurt your little halfling.” He warned, standing close to Solei. 

“Co.” The other nodded. 

“Kiros, i will get Solei, once he is here run with Alure and him.” Kiros grumbled. 

“Alright…” Alure blinked. Cobra shoots forward, he was fast and dangerous. 

The guard was knocked out fast and Cobra ushered Kiros to run with the Boys. He first feared Grima would follow them, but the Man was after something else.

 “Oh please, no reason for such Violence. The King only wants to talk with his dearest Sister.” Cobra didn’t believe him. They were after her life, not after a TALK. 

“Grima… If i go to see his Majesty… will you leave them alone?” 

Cobra starred at her. “Arisa.” 

Grima laughed. “Of course, Princess. King Lysander is not that cruel. Talk with him and see for yourself that he has no ill intentions.” Grima said. 

“Arisa!” Cobra grabbed her Hand. 

“Co.. Protect them for me. He can’t kill me, if he wants this Realm to still exist.” She whispered. 

“Arisa this is insane.” She nodded. 

“I know, but it is all i have to protect them.” He finally let go of her Hand. 

“Hold out only a bit… i will get you.” She smiled at him, before walking up to Grima, leaving with him to the Capital.

Alure stared out of the Window, while Kiros patched up Solei. 

“This asshole attacked me out of nowhere!” Solei grumbled. 

Finally the door opened, but only Cobra walked in. 

“Where is Lady Millenia?” Alure asked.

“Grima brought her to the Main City… Apparently the KING wants to talk with her.” Cobra said, while he himself didn’t believe it.

Solei huffed. Alure stood up slowly and walked to the Door.

“Where are you going?” Cobra asked. 

“I… I forgot my book at the Lake. I just wanted to get it really quick.” He said. Kiros stood up. 

“Hey Snake. take care of the little Shit, i will go with Nightlight.” He said, Cobra nodded only. 

“Be back in 30 minutes.” Both nodding before they left. 

“Did you really forgot a book there, Nightlight?” Kiros asked, as they were away from the house.

“No… i wanted to see if the Water is telling me anything…” Kiros sighed. 

“So you are worried to…” The purple Hybrid nodded. 

“It was odd… why didn’t he ordered her to tell him where the Princess is?” Kiros blinked, Alure was right! 

“You think…” Alure nodded.

“Lady Millenia said she is living here because of certain circumstances… She doesn’t know where the Princess is, she is the princess. That’s why she never showed us her Dragon form!” Kiros heaved a heavy sigh.

“That Flower sure is giving us some trouble.” Alure ran up to the Lake once there, but it was as if the Sky itself turned even darker. 

“She said once to me, that there are the Ancestors of Isral living in here..” Alure whispered. 

“I may not be a Pure Dragon, but i love this place…” He stared into the Water, noticing that it had became duller, not the shining fluid he was used to. But still it reacted to Alure, slightly riling before it showed Alure something.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He could see the Great Castle from the order Vicinity, Soldiers bringing Millenia inside, thankfully she was unharmed. 

“It has been a while.” A Man said, Alure recognised him from Solei’s description, the King of Isral and also Millenia’s supposed to be Brother. 

“Your Highness.” Millenia said politely. Lysander seemed to rage the second he saw her.

“You really are gutsy, SISTER.” He spit out. 

“Raising an Army to get the Throne!” Millenia shook her head. 

“If i had wanted the Throne i would have taken it upon my return five years ago.” She said calmly. Lysander growled darkly.

“You simply couldn’t. But no matter now… I have good news, SISTER… I will once and for all, make sure you will never return here.” He said coldly. 

“Your Highness, it is impossible to kill the Dragon of Chaos… They simply will shatter once again.” One of his Men said. 

“I know, that is why, she will go to where she belongs… Some Brothels far away from Isral.” He began to laugh. 

“After all, that is all my dearest sister is good for. Spreading her legs for others.” Millenia stood there calmly. Alure starred at the Water, see ing the Soldiers bring his Guardian away from them even further. 

He wanted to scream at them, to cry, but then he heard her, as she glanced back to were the Vicinity is supposed to be.

“Sleep while the night is young. Dreams carry you far from harm. Free from alarm, safe in my arms, please live your life for you and for me.” He felt something around him, as if she was hugging him. 

“Still, you must carry on, bearing your burdens for long. My wish for you, can only come true… You’ll still be here when i am gone.” Alure sniffled, oh how often did he hear her sing this song, when he was about to fall asleep. His soul started to throb in pain. 

“Share your smile with the world. Live for the path you choose. Know you were the only one, that i could never bear to lose.” Alure felt hot, was this a song she used to sing for the King? Was it something precious to her? In the water he saw her turn her Head away from them. 

“Sleep while the night is young, dreams  carry you far from harm. My gift to you, too precious to lose… Know that you were the future i chose.” Kiros only could watch Alure stare in the water, not knowing what he saw. Then Alure screamed painfully.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Shit! Nightlight!”

Alure felt hot, painful and his soul throbbed. It was as if someone was ripping it out, while hate against the King was burning through him. 

The Dragon symbol in his soul, a dark purple, started to turn brighter, more blueish while it also started to bleed out of his Soul. Kiros was about to bolt to him, to grip his shoulders. 

‘Don’t touch him.’ Kiros stopped dead, a ghostly looking Woman in front of him. He never saw her before, but she felt familiar. A woman with shoulder long greyish purple hair and deep blue, sapphire like eyes. She wore a black dress as well, but she seemed… dead? 

“Nightlight is in Pain.” The Woman nodded. 

‘I know, but if YOU touch him his hate towards the King will devour you… Leave it to us.’ Kiros growled at this Woman. 

“Who are you?” The Woman smiled. 

‘Sharyu, i am the Scythe bound to Lady Millenia and a long passed Ancestor. Let us take care of sweet Alure.’ Kiros was still not convinced, but she was only there to keep him distracted, while other ghostly People surrounded Alure. 

The Small Hybrid yelped in Pain, but it also felt a bit like Relief. Someone was pulling out this painful Hate running through him. He blinked, only to see another Hybrid, with six large cyan coloured Horns. His sight was Hazy, as this Hybrid pulled him into a soft Hug. 

“Fear not, Alure. I shall safe what is dear to us all.” His voice sounded so Cold, so different from his Own, but he wanted to trust this Hybrid.

Kiros stared in disbelief. Alure was fine, but someone held him. Sharyu looked over her shoulder, seeing another Hybrid, the manifested Hate of Alure towards the King of all Dragons. Sitting there in the Cold light the Moon gave of. 

He had four tails and wings, while his six horns were Cyan coloured. 

“Tell me one thing.” He finally spoke, his Head raised to the Moon. 

‘This may be?’ Sharyu asked softly. Alure seemed to have passed out from the Pain his Hate had caused him.

“I was born under the Moon’s cold light… however this may be called?” Sharyu turned fully to him. 

’In our old Language… the word you may want to know is Narish.’ The Hybrid nodded slowly. 

“Then from this Day forth… my name shall be Narish, the Cold Light.” Kiros blinked. Finally noticing the similarities to his Boss. So this would be the corrupted Nightmare he knew and cherish so much. 

“Boss…” Kiros breathed. Narish finally gracing him with his one free eye light, this cold Cyan Kiros always loved. 

“There is one more, am i right?” Kiros grinned. 

“Yeah, Boss~ The Flowers personal Guard, he is back at the House.” Narish stood up, still cradling the passed out Alure.

“Then let us bring him there to rest and collect the other. Our Mission shall be to burn down all the Brothels in our way to find our Flower again.” Kiros smirked, that was something he really liked. 

“Alright, Boss~”

Cobra starred at them, as a way taller Hybrid walked in, with Alure in his Arms. Kiros was already a bit taller as Cobra, but this new one surpassed him even more. Cobra noticed that the new Hybrid was still shorter as his own Brother, but not by much he thought.

“This… doesn’t look like a book.” He said. Kiros chuckled. 

“Yeah, no Book. But the King also didn’t hold his promise… Boss here has more information.” Cobra turned his green eye lights to Narish. 

“Right, but first let us bring Alure to a Comfortable place.” Cobra nodded. 

“Solei is sleeping in the Back, let’s bring Alure there.” Narish nodded, as Cobra took the smaller Hybrid from him to bring the sleeping one to the bed. After that the Guard went back to them and guided them to the Kitchen Table. 

“Alure saw her in the Water of the Lake.” Cobra tensed as Narish started. 

“The King has ordered to bring her away into a Brothel.” Kiros growled immediately. 

“What?” Cobra hissed. Narish watched him.

“I want you two to come with me and burn down any brothel to find our Guardian again.” Cobra nodded. 

“But what about the Kids.” He asked. 

‘I shall protect them.’ Cobra looked up. 

“Sharyu?” She smiled at Cobra. It took him a while before he nodded. 

“Alright, let’s get Arisa back.” He said, standing up and clenching the Crystal he always had on his hips. They would get her Back.

Thanks to Cobra they could sneak out of the Wood without being caught or getting lost in the deep Fog around the Kingdom.

“How far are the Brothels away?” Kiros asked. 

“The Question is rather… where did he brought her? Do you know anything about it?” Narish nodded.

“Indeed. Far as i know from what i for being part of Alure is that they wanted to bring her FAR away from Isral.” Cobra thought about it. 

“There is a Red light District almost two days away from here. They probably used portals after exiting Isral.” He said thoughtful. 

“It would be faster with Arisa’s help.” Narish sighed. 

“Well, so how do we get there fast?” Cobra thought about it. Then there was the Idea.

“I know how.” He said walking to a bit away, using his Crystal to open a Portal. Narish raised his Brow bone. 

“This is… interesting?” Cobra smiled a bit. 

“There is a connection to my Crystal that holds my soul weapon and Arisa’s Necklace she always wears, it helps to bring us fast to her.” Kiros was impressed, this would save them a lot of traveling, but they already lost a few hours. 

Narish walked through the Portal, they had a Mission after all. Kiros and Cobra followed a bit after. 

The Red-light District bustled in the moonlight while some Women were trying to lure Men in. Narish looked disgusted at them. Cobra sighed, there were a lot of Brothels in this Area, it was basically a whole town made of Brothels, finding Millenia here was like searching a needle within hay.

Kiros turned to them. “So? What is the Plan?” 

Narish huffed, tugging his wings closer to him. “We need to find her, but i don’t think they will make it easy for us.” 

Cobra nodded. “Sadly no. We would have it easier if she used her magic…” 

Narish looked at him. “How so?”

Cobra chuckled. “If Arisa uses her Song magic then we could easily make out the Brothel she is in, thanks to Black Flowers growing around it.” 

Narish tilted his head. “She sang as she was brought away.” 

Kiros was impressed, Alure and in that Narish saw all that through the Water? 

“She did? Alright then let’s see if we find Black Flowers that look completely out of Place.” 

Kiros turned around, looking a bit confused. “Like… those?” 

Cobra and Narish looked to where he was Pointing at. Black Flowers growing their way to a Brothel deeper into the Town. 

“Yup, that’s her flowers.” Cobra nodded. Kiros grinned, almost bolting down the Street. 

Narish chuckled a bit. “How convenient, you can barely miss that. So if she wants to be found, she certainly will.” 

Cobra laughed a bit. “Yeah.” 

They started to Follow Kiros, who probably went to the tallest, most expensive Brothel there. 

Cobra sighed. “Berelia.” He whispered, the Crystal giving off a soft glow before turning into a large sword. 

“Convenient.” Narish said, but Kiros was not to be seen. 

“You think he is inside already?” Cobra asked, as if the Answer wanted to give itself in the higher Floors someone were thrown out of the Window, already dusting as he landed, a Knife deeply buried in his Back. 

“I presume that means…. YES.” Narish said flatly, his hands behind his Back as he casually looked to the dusting Person.

Kiros felt very stabby today, not only threatened they Solei, to be honest he hated him, but he was still a Hybrid. Then they kidnapped their Flower and now he had to run up to the 9th floor to collect their Flower before something happened. Yes Kiros felt very stabby, he would STAB anyone in his Way. 

The other Two were still not here, but he actually didn’t care about that. Finally he was up in the last floor.

“You stupid whore, are you to dumb to do this Right?” Kiros twitched, kicking the Door open. 

The Men looked up, in his hand a bundle of red hair. Kiros felt something hot inside him. It wouldn’t be so bad the need to stab a trillion knives into that Man… BUT! Kiros looked down to Millenia, her clothes in sheds and a huge bruise on her Cheek. Oh this Man would die! 

Kiros growled darkly at that man. “Get out you asshole, i payed for this Bit….” Kiros wouldn’t let him Finish as he already threw the first Knife. It settled in his Shoulder. 

The Man screamed loudly, releasing Millenia.

“ARISA!” Cobra went inside the Room Finally. 

“Take the Flower out….” Kiros said, taking the next Knife. 

“I will deal with him….” Cobra nodded. 

“Alright.” He took of his Coat to place it around Millenia. 

“Let’s go.” He said softly. Millenia looked bad… a Bruise on her Check, some cuts, but now he needed to get her out. 

“Co..” He shook his Skull.

“Not now, Arisa… Let’s get out of here.” He said, bringing Millenia out, only for her to blink in surprise, seeing face to face with Narish. 

“Guardian.” He whispered, touching her uninjured Cheek. 

“What…” Cobra sighed. 

“He was born from Alure… His Name is Narish, it’s a long story.” He said, while the Screaming from the Brothel became louder and louder.

Cobra went back in to assist Kiros, who was going rampage by now. Narish was with Millenia outside. 

“So you were born from Alure?” Narish nodded. 

“Exactly, i am his hatred that rose after seeing what the King did to you.” She flinched a bit, before Narish made her look at him. 

“We all cherish you greatly…” Millenia sighed. 

“I am aware, but still…” Narish didn’t want to let her Finish as he bend down, pressing his teeth on her Lips. Her silver eyes widening, while he kissed her. 

She didn’t know what to do, before he released her, just in time for Cobra and Kiros to return. 

“Flower!” Kiros turned her around and looked at her. “Are you fine?”

She smiled a bit up at him. “Yeah, he just hit me a bit, nothing all to bad.” Kiros sighed in relieve, before he as well, kissed her.

Narish chuckled a bit, it was obvious they loved her so much. “Narish…” He turned to Cobra. 

“I will take Leadership for the Hybrids. Millenia had enough to deal with already, i shall protect her and the rest.” 

Kiros broke the Kiss. “Sounds good to me, Boss~” He said with a grin, Pulling Millenia closer to him. 

Once back they would build a castle for them to life and as Narish had announced, he took Leadership for the little Group they had. Kiros immediately raising as his Right hand Man, Cobra assigned to guard Millenia even more. 

Narish taking Leadership made the Vicinity of Chaos turn mostly into a darker Place, only the Lake had sunshine, but all of them were fine with that so far.

[oops-i-wrote-it]

Eagles and Robins ch13: Inheritance

Morgan was trembling in every limb, and she was furious. She pointed the dagger at her father’s- Grima’s- their chest. Grima merely smirked.

“I don’t believe I need to entertain such things.” He pushed the blade aside with a finger. “I also don’t believe you would do anything to harm your precious father’s body.”

“What have you done with him?!” Morgan hissed. There was no way her father would give himself over to Grima, not without a fight. Something was deeply wrong here.

“He’s resting, fledgeling. There’s no need to panic. I only have a limited window in which I can control this body. Don’t you think your father needs to rest a while?” Grima flashed her a grin, it was so twisted, so unlike her father’s smile… and yet it was with his lips. “We need to discuss something important, Morgan. I need answers that I know you’ll provide.”

“What could you want with me? I have barely any memories, and I have the brand of the Exalt, there’s nothing you could gain from me.” She planted her feet and stood her ground, though her legs felt like they could give way any moment. Grima looked down the row of dorms.

“May we speak inside? If your father’s safety is your concern, know that there is little I can do without him. I need him alive if I am to live, I would not dispose of him so eagerly.” Grima gave her a smile that Morgan assumed was meant to be reassuring. It was not.

She stood aside and allowed him to enter, but still gripped the dagger. What she intended to do with it, she had no idea. Could she bring herself to hurt her father’s body? Grima sat at the chair at her desk smiling, Morgan sat on the window sill. If anything happened, she would have a height advantage, and would be able to see him closing the gap quicker than if she was sat at the bed. She could hear her father’s voice advising her on what to do if anything happened.

“Your memories, or lack thereof… are unusual to me. When I tried to merge with your father upon following the children into the past, I was unsuccessful, and it wiped his memory… at least, most of it. Conveniently enough he managed to remember enough to stop himself from killing that cursed Exalt.” Grima’s lip curled unpleasantly at the mention of Chrom. “The same goes for your aunt. Both attempts were unsuccessful, both attempts wiped their memories. This time, the memories seem to have faded from the shock upon him killing us both, and somehow being placed in this world. Your memory loss, however…” Grima stood up and crossed the room, Morgan leaned back, her breath hitched when he simply pressed a hand against her forehead. “It is nothing to do with me. Though my own memories became hazy alongside Robin’s since coming here, I know that I did not interfere with your body… There is little that I could do, in fact.” Morgan let out a shaky breath when Grima removed his hand. She almost wished he had attacked her instead of touching her so gently.

“Do you think it could be caused naturally?” She breathed.

“I am unsure, but felt you had the right to know.” Grima sat back at the chair, legs crossed. “Now that you know that much, I have questions for you.” His eyes narrowed slightly, Morgan’s hands balled into fists. “How did you find him? When your father was kidnapped along with that girl Flayn, you were the first at his side. I sensed a pull at my magic as well, you used one of my spells.”

Read the rest on ao3

[iturbide]

Seeing the Sumia breakdown reminded me no one asked about Chrom, so... Chrom character breakdown so the whole trio is together? :D

You know what, you’re right, we do need the whole trio together

How do I feel about this character?

He’s just.  So amazing.  I didn’t go into Awakening completely blind, but I had no idea what Chrom was really like when I started, and within basically five minutes I knew that I wanted to marry him.  (This was a problem because I went with the beanpole on my first run and was playing the game straight, meaning I had no gay romance options; I consider this a travesty and it may have contributed to Future Built).  I showed a friend of mine the opening movies, and when we got to the one with Chrom and Lissa, right after Chrom helped Robin up off the ground and smiled she said, entirely unprompted, “I feel like I’m being seduced.”

And what’s so amazing about him is that it’s entirely uncalculated.  He’s not trying to charm people, he just has that way about him: he’s open and earnest and wants to help people, even if that means getting into dangerous situations -- and on top of that, he wants to trust people even if he’s told he shouldn’t.  He and Lissa might make fun of Frederick and his wariness, but honestly the man has a point; the fact that Chrom would rather let Frederick watch his back for him and give people the benefit of the doubt, rather than letting that mindset infect him and distrusting strangers, is so heartening to me, and one of the many things I really do love about him. 

He’s also flawed, though: he’s by no means a perfect person, and is susceptible to doubt and anger both.  Even if the game doesn’t give it the attention it deserves he has conflicting legacies that he’s trying to measure himself against: his father the warmonger, who he doesn’t want to be like but fears he’s becoming...and his sister the pacifist, who he wants to live up to but fears he’ll never manage.  It makes a fascinating internal character conflict and helps round him out further into his own person, rather than being just another generic blue-haired Lord.

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

ROBIN.  From day one it has always been Robin, because the entire game revolves around the bond between these two people.  Even if you don’t marry Chrom, the fact is that he and Robin trust one another implicitly, such that Lucina’s herself knows that the person he trusted most in the world took his life; she might not immediately put the pieces together, but it speaks volumes for their relationship.  And honestly, the way it’s built, especially in the M!Robin supports, is so incredible: the trust and care between these two people who want to help each other and who can and do rely on one another is incredible, and makes a rock solid foundation for romance down the line.  They’re just amazing together and I love it.

Also I wholeheartedly ship him with Sumia because she’s wonderful and brings an entirely different set of skills and outlooks to the table that I think can and would be very useful to the halidom as it continues to grow under Chrom’s watch.  And yes, it’s improved 5,000% when he’s with both Sumia and Robin together (because I stand by my OT3).

Who is my brOTP for this character?

Sully, hands down.  I’m pretty sure in their supports they talk about how they’ve known each other since they were kids, and I really love the idea of these two growing up together, training together, becoming super tight as friends and being constantly ready to have each other’s backs.  Sully also makes a fantastic wingman for Chrom, let’s be real here.  Vaike is another that I really enjoy, because the idea of them having this friendly rivalry where they’re constantly sparring and trying to one-up each other is really fun.  Having them be just a chaos trio together is one of my favorite things and I really need to find a place to put that in because it’s arguably hilarious to think about Chrom getting terrible advice for how to flirt with someone from Vaike and getting smacked upside the head later by Sully after failing spectacularly with it.

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

He’s really not that dumb, you guys.  Fandom loves to play up that one line from Gaius’ support with Olivia about Chrom eating an unpeeled orange (which may not even be true, it could have just been Gaius trying to make Olivia laugh), and conflating it with the idea that he’s dumb as a box of rocks.  There is very little that frustrates me more than the whole “moronsexual” joke that runs around fandom with regards to him and Robin, and it’s just not fair to Chrom as a person.  He’s not an idiot: he can do dumb things, like most people, but he is also a very capable and considerate person, and an accomplished fighter: if he were really as stupid as fandom likes to play up, he’d have been dead before getting any kind of proficiency with a sword.  Just because he can lose focus and mess up doesn’t mean that he’s a hopeless idiot.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

Okay so this is probably weird but I honestly wish that he’d tried to talk to Grima in the end.  Most of the conversation after Validar’s death at the Dragon’s Table is between Robin and Grima, and the final battle starts with the call to arms rather than any attempt to engage with the Fell Dragon; basically Chrom writes Grima off as unreachable and a force that needs to be destroyed based solely on Grima’s words, Lucina’s news of the future, and Naga’s insistence that it has to be done...even though Grima doesn’t actually hurt them at any point before the final battle. 

Do you see how weird that is?  Grima could, logically, have gone ahead and shot Chrom through the heart with a Thoron at the Dragon’s Table, since they state flat-out that they were the one who killed Chrom in Lucina’s timeline and that they share the same Heart of Grima with Robin, so it arguably would have fulfilled the same purpose regardless of whose hand summoned the spell -- but they didn’t.  They talked a big game and the giant dragon came back but Chrom at no point took fire from Grima -- heck, even after raising the dragon form Grima lets them go, flying off past Origin Peak and letting them parley with Naga.

Considering the fact that Chrom made an attempt to talk Walhart into a laying down his arms and forging an alliance, and willingly engaged twice with Validar in good faith (once after the events at Port Ferox, once after returning in hopes of acquiring Sable), it seems bizarre to me that he wouldn’t do the same with Grima.  He’s been trying so hard to hold true to his sister’s virtues of peace, of trying to talk rather than going immediately to arms the way his father would have, that it feels like he’s backsliding in the final battle when his quote facing Grima in combat is literally “I come to end you.”  I just wish he’d remembered Emmeryn’s ways in that moment, and at least tried; even if it failed like it did with Walhart, it would have been a powerful reminder that he’s still trying to live up to the best influence in his life.

Give Me a Character    

[fe-husband-heaven]

Top ten ((or 5)) heroes who will end someones whole career if they hurt their summoner Or.... A private 'one on one lesson' with M!Byleth please? From a fan who heard your wish Ps your amazing

rjdjdj Ngl, that one on one session sounds mad spicy ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but the more husbands the marrier so I pick the Top 5 (For length reasons) but I'm adding 3 hee hee (ฅ`ω´ฅ)

+++I'm super weak to protective heroes nya-

In no specific order! Just whoever pops into my head first!

1. Grima:

I mean...C'mon..do I even have to say anything? Like, just breathing in the general vicinity of his summoner has Grima on red alert. You see, Grima is in one state and one state only when it comes to humans that aren't the Summoner.

And that state is: "People suck. Except for this one. I like this one. This one is mine. You are not them. Which means you suck. Die."

But when someone foolishly dares to harm the summoner, all bets are off. No one will even attempt to interfere, they can't, not if they don't want to be collateral damage. Grima will go absolutely feral and the dark suffocating aura radiating off of him is enough to bring the greatest of heroes to their knees.

The only thing that will bring him out of such a state is the complete decimation of the person who inflicted harm upon you, or your whimpers at the entire ordeal. He places you over everything else, no matter how much he wants to rip the offender limb from limb.

2. Ephraim:

You see, Ephraim is already looking for a chance to use Siegmund so when he's served a silver platter in the form of a hurt Summoner, he won't think twice about ripping into who ever was the perpetrator.

He's quite protective and it probably stems from his doting brother side but he is just a little wary of anyone you talk to, you don't fight so you're left completely defenseless. When he imagines what sort of fate might befall you, it nearly makes him want to abandon Renais and escort you wherever you go.

His confidence is not ill-placed, he certainly will eviscerate anyone who tries to hurt you, and he has full faith that he can stand up to any opponent. He'd want someone to do the same for Eirika if he were not present so when he sees that you have no elder sibling accompanying you in Askr, he feels his elder brother heart crack.

Those feelings are only heightened by the fact that he's fallen for you, he's plenty strong, so he's more than able to keep both his sister and his beloved, safe. Just stay by his side, he won't let anyone lay a finger on you.

3. Henry:

Those hexes aren't just for show! And he's more than eager to test them out! Especially, after they've given an ouchie to the Summoner.

Henry would just love to test out his most horrific spells, he doesn't think twice about using the most malicious hexes he can think of. And he'd test many all at once, only stopping when you ask it of him and even then he'll secretly slip in a couple more to ruin the others life.

Henry really likes you, and its 'cawse of that that he sticks to you so diligently. Henry isn't at all ashamed of showing his fondness, following you wherever you go so it's to no surprise to anyone that Henry reacts so strongly to you being hurt.

Also, after you get hurt, expect Henry to be everywhere you are. Oh you took a shower? You'll find him on your bed when you come out. A walk through the Askran garden? Don't be surprised if he's up in a tree conversing with his crow friends. He does see one silver lining though, and its that he now has a valid excuse to stick to you like glue nyaha

4. Alfonse:

Now you might be a little surprised. Yes, Alfonse can be overprotective but end someone's whole career? Yes. Yes he can. Did you see how he reacted when Bruno was falsely claiming he killed Zacharias? Yeah, he was going to strike him down for it, now imagine when someone hurts his other half.

You've gone and made him attached so he's going to do everything in his power to protect you. You're not even from Askr. You had no friends, no family, no one to count on when you first arrived so Alfonse couldn't help the mother hen instincts that wanted to keep you safe from harm.

If Alfonse could have his way then he'd probably keep you by his side 24/7, aside from his protectiveness, he also just enjoys your company. It's been a long time since he has allowed himself to accept someone into his life and he'll protect it at all cost. Though he wouldn't want to, if it meant ending the prospects of another's life for you, then so be it.

5. Jakob:

You see, you being hurt greatly upsets his liege which greatly upsets him but his unprecedented attachment to you only makes it worse! When you are hurt, it is as though Corrin them self has been harmed. He's already pledged himself to Corrin but he finds himself compelled to serve you too.

As such any harm to come to you is a failure on his behalf. And he absolutely will not hold back on the just punishment for the scoundrel who dared to lay their grubby hands on you.

Afterwards, he will surely tend to your every need as he allowed such a thing to happen in the first place. When you tell him that it is not at all his fault, he only doubles his efforts to taking care of you.

6. Dimitri:

You have shown him such kindness and did away with formalities that often stifled relationships with his friends that he cannot help but want to remain by your side. He quite adores your smile so to instead see such a pained expression, it is so...crushing.

When someone who gives so much selflessly is treated in such a way, he can't sit by and watch, he'll eliminate anyone who can be seen as your enemy. Anyone.

It's one of the few times that his demeanor changes completely, its almost frightening. We're Felix in Askr, he'd definitely remark about it being his true form. At the very least, Dimitri makes it very clear that you are off limits and any ill will towards you will be met with the tip of a lance.

7. Niles:

You see, the only one to inflict pain on you shall be him, and it'll be in the bedroom so he's not a fan of someone else trying to get in on the fun. He toys with whoever hurt you, a cat looking down at its prey. Whether physically or mentally, he'll ensure the suffering of the offender he can promise you that.

While he might have hated the idea of being at your every beck and call when he first arrived in Askr, now, he is more than happy in getting rid of vermin nipping at your heels.

He does think you would look good with a few chips but he'd like to be the one doing the breaking so all bets are off when someone else interferes~

His unsavory past gave him nothing but torment and abandonment issues but it did allow for various nefarious connections with the underground and information network that he intends to put to use against the little rat who will become his next meal.

Now then, you really should take better care of yourself, he'd be glad to show you how.

8. Ranulf:

Ranulf just radiates "I know shit." energy

And while abandoning his daily naps in your lap and purr inducing scratches behind the ear in favor of getting his hands dirty isn't what he'd call a fun time, he'd more than repay whoever hurt you for what they did.

It's such a hassle but he has claws and he isn't afraid to use him, especially when it comes to you. He's not one to hold grudges but you're the exception. If you don't want the claws, then don't mess with a cat's belongings.

Of course, don't expect him to leave you alone afterwards for a while. The whole ordeal is deserving of a few cat naps together, don't you think?

[luna-paradoxz]

Morgan’s little adventure

Summary -  Morgan wishes to be a hero, and what better hero to look up to than his father who killed the Fell Dragon, Grima himself. But the road to be Ylisse prince and hero is hard but Morgan will make his destiny.

If you want to support me buy me a Ko-fi or you can commission me. 

Little Morgan heads to the training area where he knows his father is going to come today. He had requested, almost begged his father for today's session and after one week of pestering, begging and crying his parents gave in and accepted. But only his father will give him this training session and the little boy is completely ok with it after all his father is a hero who defeated the bad god Grima. He smiles wide as he runs to the ground, he is wearing his small blue training outfit with blue gloves fashioned after his father's training clothes that he had begged his mother for. Because Morgan wanted to be a hero just like his father and he copied everything his father did so that when he grows up his will be a chosen one just like his father and will protect everyone from evils in the world.

And he will also defeat Owain finally. The boy was only one year older than him and yet he loses all the time but once he properly trains with his father, he will defeat his eternal rival.

Morgan grins wide as he jumps in excitement and rushes in the ground as he spots his father and rushes up to him, hugging him tight on his legs, the man is used to his usual leg attack so only laughs as he puts a hand on his son's head and pats as he tried to calm him down.

He looks up smiling wide, "Dad! Let's start on sword training!" He jumps excitedly and the man laughs,

"Yes, we will but before that Morgan we must do warmups, Frederick thought you that right?"

He pouts as he moves back a bit, "But dad I want to sword fight." He whines and the man sighs,

"Yes, we will Morgan but a warm-up is important or you will get cramps or get injured. You don't want to get hurt right."

He wants to start immediately but he guesses that is true, so he reluctantly nods and they both get in places and he follows along with his father as they stretch, redo the basics and share some dud blows. He properly does them as his father cheers him up and he feels very motivated to do everything properly. As soon as the exercises are done, his father finally brings out the main sword and his eyes twinkle as his heart jumps as he takes the Falchion and tries to swing it around. He immediately falls and his face falls, his father though pats his head and smiles proudly at him,

"We will work on its Morgan and you will become better in no time."

He looks up expectantly, "Like dad?"

Chrom feels his heart jump in pride, he is so happy that his son looks up so much to him, "Yes you will be," he ruffles his hair, "you might even become stronger than me."

His eyes sparkle as he jumps up, "I can become stronger than dad!?"

"If you work hard diligently and properly use your strength then yes you will."

With renewed motivation, Morgan jumps and he laughs as they both start the practice again. Chrom is looking forward to seeing how his son will do in the coming future, he won't say his rest of his family just yet, but he is silently rooting for his son to win the rite.

The sun is rising as Morgan puts his hand up and waits for the maids to finish putting the last touches to his clothes. He is wearing royal garments they wear in war, they might look heavy but they are flexible and free so he won't be restricted in any way today, they are similar to his father's usual uniform but a tad more regal because like Frederick put it, this is a rite and they must also present a good look. It is not completely public but mostly all the noble houses will be coming so they need to put a regal show, worthy of the princess and prince.

He smiles as he turns around and shows it to Frederick who nods approvingly and smiles.

"You look very handsome young master." He bows as Morgan grins and thanks to him, "His majesty and Her highness are with Lady Lucina, they will be here in a bit."

He nods as he takes a deep breath in, he has worked very hard for this day for last 4 years he has been working tireless, practising with Frederick, father and even other shepherds just so he can make sure he will win today, that he will be the one chosen not his sister. It is not like he doesn't think his sister is suitable, she is quite suitable. From a young age Lucina was able to take to swords and magic quite easily compared to her he had to work twice to learn both of them even then he has put off magic a bit so he can work on sword better, to at least surpass his sister in that. As a crown princess it would be better for Lucina to win the rite, everyone had been telling that but from a young age, Morgan has wanted to win it. To become like his father and today was the day he can prove everyone that he can be just like his father, a chosen hero just like him.

So, he will defeat his big sister even if she is more worthy or stronger than him.

Frederick takes his leave as he wishes him luck and heads to double-check everything for today. Frederick was a perfectionist his mother has explained, even if one tells everything is good, he still won't believe until he has verified everything on his own, he finds his knight's that quality cute. It has always been quite fun to see Frederick go above and beyond for the royal family and the two siblings have used that far too much then they would admit to their parents unless they want to get punished. Morgan grins at that as he waits for them, his nerves a bit jumpy.

The knock resounds quite loudly in the silent room and he jumps a bit as his parents let themselves in, smiling wide as they take him in. He blushes slightly as his mother has that proud mother look and starts gushing at him, squeezing him tightly as he asks her to stop. Why do mothers have to be so embarrassing, she laughs as he blushes and frowns at his mom. His father puts a hand on his shoulder as he grins at him and squeezes it tightly, his way of telling he was proud of him and Morgan had always loved that gesture.

"Nervous?" His mother asks,

He shyly looks down, "Is it obvious?"

"Don't worry even I was nervous," he laughs, "even though I was the only candidate."

"I can't imagine dad being nervous at anything." He says honestly and his parents laugh.

"I also get quite nervous at many things Morgan." Chrom pats his head and before he can think more the door knocks and incomes, a maid to tell the event has started.

They say their goodbyes as they walk out and he too makes his final check and walks out, as he closes the door Morgan knows this is the day it will be decided if his dreams come true or not. Falchion had allowed both to use her so now it depended on who was more the worthy master to wield the legendary treasure that had killed the felled dragon itself. Morgan wanted it, to prove he was worthy to be a hero and to prove to lose lipped nobles that he was not worthless compared to Lucina. He also knew this way Lucina too can finally openly start practising her tactician training that is why they all had been trying so hard from these many days.

And today was the day he will make his destiny.

He smiles as he enters the arena and looks around, bowing to his parents and then turns to his sister. The 13-year-old tactician in making smiles as she silently wishes him luck and they take stances, swords in hand.

The young man smiles as he picks up his ancestor's treasure Falchion and straps in on his waist, he walks out his room and heads straight to the cathedral. He is greeted by a lot of nobles as he enters the holy place of Naga and takes his place waiting anxiously. She appears on record time, as expected of the exalt, as she walks down in her regal gown and smiles at him with confidence as she holds a thoron tome in her right hand and other holding her gown in place. He takes a step back as she straightens her back and they walk in the chapel, as the newly crowned exalt and her ever-faithful knight. Their parents are waiting in front as their eyes shine with pride and he feels his heart swell in happiness as he stares at her back, he was truly glad they could make their parents proud. She kneels in front of there father as the priest reads scriptures and he stands behind her. She says her vows and the crown is placed on her head and his father helps her up as he looks at both.

"As of today, I pass my crown and my powers to the Exalt Lucina. You shall govern and lead Ylisse to another prosperous and righteous age."

She vows as she gives her final bow to her father, the last exalt and then straightens up, never to bend to anyone ever again.

He stands next to her as she turns to him, "Morgan will you vow that you shall always stay by my side. To counsel me, to advise me and protect me?"

He pulls out Falchion as he kneels and presents the sacred sword to her. To vow, he will use it only for her, and she puts a hand on it as she smiles and accepts his vow. She is truly proud of what her brother has accomplished like a true hero, he has faced every adversary and come out victorious. He gets up as he sheathes it and they both present themselves to their people.

As they complete their coronation details Chrom and Robin stay in the back, now far older as she leans on him and whispers, slight tears in her eyes but she will not cry on her daughter's coronation ceremony.

"We did good, didn't we?"

He leans too and whispers, "Ya we did good Robin."

She is happy, truly happy even after everything they had to sacrifice, they were able to fulfil the one promise they couldn't in another time. They made sure their children will be truly happy, and they were and as their parents, they couldn't be any prouder of them.

Chrom turns to the side as he senses something and beckons to the two people hiding as they smile in embarrassment and rush up to them. The family of four watches over their youngest ones as they take the next most important step in their life.

They all had changed there destines.

(And now finally, old ghosts can be forgotten about.)

[yanderefairyangel]

Oh I see, thank you !

From what I recall Naga was mad at him for making such a mess but he didn't killed everyone so...anyway, as far as I recall Naga doesn't read the future so they probably had no idea that Grima was here if Duma didn't either.

Also wasn't it Alm and Celica who actually were responsible for releasing the Creation ?

the world's only hope is Lucina time travel shenanigans.

Not really

In Awakening's lore, we learn that Grima was already scealed by the First Exalt who is an ancestor of Chrom who made a blood contract with Naga and passed down her blood to his descendant. The Grimeal had to wait until a vessel was born to bring back Grima, said vessel being Robin who got kidnapped by their mother to prevent all of this (and it obviously didn't worked)

As for Lucina she uses multitimeline time travel so her world is still in ruins while she just saved another timeline, we learn this in Fates DLC hidden Truth thanks to the Time travel Trio and in Engage Emblem Lucina refers to the Og timeline as "the ruined world" while the Awakening timeline is the "saved world". It's only thanks to Anankos granting the Trio's wish to restore their timeline that Lucina's original future was saved. Lucina's actual Father, Future Chrom and all the Shepherds from her timeline are stuck in the Infinite Regalia map doing battle to kill time as the Deadlords

That's not even mentionning the DLC Timeline Future past or Future of Despair that's implied to be a timeline where Lucina failed to help Chrom defeat Grima and instead Future Robin fused with Awakening Robin to create a New Grima where Naga is dead... and where Tiki can die without inheriting the title if you fail to save all the 12 units...but still demands Chrom and Co to travel to another timeline to save those twelves for Lucina to be able to defeat this overpowered version of Grima

So the world was destroyed at least twice thanks to Grima and those who liberated it

As for coincidence... As far as I recall Grima genuinely think of him as a god and above humans unlike Naga in Awakening who straight tell Chrom she isn't and Chrom in Engage tells Pandreo that the Divine dragon Naga isn't a person but more of a concept that is revered and takes different shape, with Pandreo asking if it could be the same for Fell dragon and in Grma's case, his artificial existence all began because Forneus convinced the senate he could create the perfect lifeform, so maybe Duma could have though humans were trying to create themselves a new deity and kick them out ? Grima himself said that his appearance is because he is reflecting the attrocities and darkness in human's heart = despair

But you're right it wouldn't make sense for Duma to suddenly fear the humans out of nowehere

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't FE15 state that although god's control is removed, there's still evil in mankind's heart that must be vanquished or something along those lines? It kinda makes the whole "humanity f*ck yeah" shtick feel hypocritical doesn't it?

Yep,

Because FE15 couldn't nuke FE2 from its DNA, by virtue of being a remake.

So we have two, contradictory messages in this game : Duma BaD and Gods BaD and must go because BaD and they "make humans do BaD things"...

and you have the "gods might be bad, but humans are still BaD without their influence" message at the end - when the entire game (and the timeline and supplementary materials!!) has been pushing the first message.

So...

In a sea of "Gods BaD" waters coming from the remake, you still have the lone "evil remains in the hearts of men" raft that is, somehow, pushed to the forefront in Part 6 where both Celica AND Alm call Thabes the result of human folly, and the player knowing that Grima - who was originally the RED CAPSLOCK eldritch monstruosity before FEH retcon'd them in a tits'n'ass character to uwu about by stealing Anankos' backstory - was "man-made".

And yet, given how the "last word" about FE15 - as in last material revealed - was the timeline in the Memorial Book, we close FE15's book by "and Duma was BaD".

I mean, look at all those mentions of Rudy being so brave and strong and uwusome -> Duma's degenaration is directly tied to how awesome Rudy needs to be in this calendar.

Rudy is so brave to stand in front of a degenerating Duma? -> Duma was insane!

Rudy is so thoughtful and sticks to his promise to Duma by sealing Mila -> akshually Duma wasn't completely insane because he told him to seal Mila and not to kill her even if I said the inverse 3 lines earlier...

[atsushishelteredinmoonlitjasmine]

Fire Emblem: Awakening Thoughts

As of the date May 20th, 2020, I finished my playthrough of Fire Emblem: Awakening on its one year anniversary of when I got it. It is now June 5th of writing this. This post will be my thoughts and feelings on Awakening, much like the KH3 Grievances and Blessings post last year. Let's get into some history between me and Fire Emblem before I go into Awakening.

As I've said before, Awakening was both my first Fire Emblem game and my first Tactical RPG. Smash Bros. was where I had heard of Fire Emblem but it wouldn't be until Ultimate came out that I would start to get interested. It was because of my friend's preference for Lucina that got me into playing as her in Smash and that's pretty much how she became both one of my mains and a favorite. It honestly wasn't till I listened to the Smash remixes of Id, Conquest, and Lost in Thoughts All Alone that I decided to play Awakening and then Fates. So thanks go out to both Smash and my friend Eric for converting me to Fire Emblem trash!

Much like the KH3 Grievances and Blessings post, I'll be going over every aspect of Awakening I can think of, from the graphics to the gameplay to the story. I'll even include a Best/Worst Girl and Boy of both generations because that kind of thing seems to matter to some people, along with my reasons for why X is Y. Keep in mind that whoever I choose as those categories, it is just my opinion and you're free to disagree with me. I say this because I know that, no matter what I say, some diehard fans will get pissed at me and come at me for daring to shit on their favorite character. I already know some people are gonna get mad because they think X should be Best/Worst and that'll be fun to see (You can interpret that as sarcasm if you want).

Listed below are Awakening spoilers, so if you want to play the game and don't want to be spoiled, now's your chance to stop reading. I know Awakening came out in 2013, meaning 6 or 7 years ago, but there may be some people who haven't gotten around to playing it yet so I want to be courteous to them. Here are my thoughts on Fire Emblem: Awakening!

First off, the graphics. I think they looked really nice for a 3DS game that came out in the early 2010's and I believe this was Fire Emblem's first fully 3D game as well so that's really impressive. The in-game models were nicely detailed, the in-game sprites were nice looking, and the prerendered cutscenes were beautiful. This doesn't mean they're not without their faults, though. I wish the in-game cutscenes were more animated because it's easy to tell when an animation's been used over and over again, I feel as if the in-game sprites have some dissonance with official art, and there are times where expressions or animations for the prerendered cutscenes have looked pretty awkward. In terms of the first and last point, I'm giving IntSys some slack because, as I stated earlier, they were developing a game for the 3DS, a powerful handheld device but it's still a handheld, and this was FE's first 3D game so there may have been issues transitioning from 2D sprites to 3D models. I'll explain what I mean by my second point. I've looked at Cynthia's official art and when I see her face, I tend to see what I'd call a baby face, pudgy cheeks and all. Her in-game sprite, however, her face is sharper, more mature, if that makes sense. Maybe it's the pigtails throwing me off or it's just a difference between two art styles, I don't know. I'm not an artist so there's not much weight behind this but I'm just saying there's somewhat a dissonance between official art and in-game sprites.

Secondly, gameplay. I loved how easy it was and how I could switch between a simple and complex UI if I wanted to see which attacks could hit or what the enemy's stats were. This may sound stupid but I honestly thought it'd be way more difficult due to this being a Tactical RPG. I know strategy's a big part of Fire Emblem but strategy's not a big problem if you're like me and you grind to hell and back. Speaking of which, I played on Easy Casual mode so that might be why it seemed so simple from the get-go. Just to give you an idea of how much I grinded, I put in 200+ hours and that mostly consisted of buying a shitton of Reeking Boxes, spawning Risen on some of my favorite grind spots, and fighting them over and over again. I went through the 3 basic classes each character could have, maxed out their default class one last time, promoted them to their advanced class, and maxed out those classes 2-3 times over. I have a video on my Twitter that shows the stats of these characters and most of them are over 220 (The shapeshifters 300). Needless to say, I loved each and every fucking crit I got. Cordelia even got what I call a miracle crit, which means she got 2 crits in one round and after the enemy attacked, she got another 2 crits. Level grind ain't a joke in this game.

Thirdly, the music. Considering it's part of why I got into this game in the first place, I loved it. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the OST and it sounds so much better when you don't have the ambient sounds and you're not listening to it through the 3DS speakers. The song that hit me the most and just gave me the overwhelming feels was Id~Sorrow as it played in Chapter 21. It fit so well with the tone of the scene and I just sat there for a few minutes, letting it play in the background as I did shit. Other notable mentions are Id~Purpose, Destiny, Conquest, and the song that is just ellipses. If the music is this good in Awakening, I can't wait to see what's in store for Fates!

Fourthly, the voice acting. For a game where most of the voices come in forms of clips, I thought they were good. Each of the actors tried their best to convey their characters in the clips they were allowed to have and I think it shows. The only critique I have, and it's not the actors' fault, is that some of the characters' voices don't fit them. I'm not saying they miscast these characters, it's more like the direction was off, if that makes sense. Let me bring up Cynthia, Kjelle, and M!Morgan as examples. I don't think it's a stretch to say that, sometimes when you look at a character, you kinda imagine what they'd sound like before you hear their actual voice, right? I already brought up Cynthia's looks so I imagined her voice to sound very high-pitched and maybe a little childlike. I hear her voice and, while she's high-pitched and some of her voice clips do go into that childlike territory, she's nasally sounding and more mature. Kjelle is a complicated case in that, her voice fits her appearance (minus the armor) but not her personality. Her personality is similar to Sully's so I figured her voice would sound gruffer and not...cute, if that's the right word. M!Morgan's, I think, everyone can see the problem with. He's supposed to be the youngest of the kids, right? Since he's the only third generation character and all that? I think he just sounds a little too old for the supposed baby of the kids. Again, I'm not saying the voices are bad or that the delivery/emotion was bad, I just think the direction in which they were voiced don't fit some of the characters. Maybe I'm just thinking in terms of archetypes or something.

Now we move on to the story. I can't say as to whether it was good or not, mainly because I spoiled myself on it way before I decided on playing Awakening, so I don't think I can say much to the quality. The least I'll say is it's serviceable. I'll admit, the one thing I was shocked by was the appearance of the Grima Avatar because I thought Grima was inside Robin the whole time and I didn't think he'd have a separate vessel. I straight up thought Grima!Robin was either my mother or a twin I wasn't aware of so I'm giving credit to the writers for surprising me. Anyway, I think the only flaw I have with the story is with the pacing. I thought the first half was fine, it wasn't too fast or too slow. It was the second half that the pacing couldn't find a middle ground. Now I'm going to say that this half was stretched out over months of my playtime so whatever I say next might be exaggerated because of my procrastinating ass so... I feel like the Valm arc was way too slow and the Grimleal arc had so much trouble finding a middle ground. The beginning of the Grimleal arc was quick but Grima himself decided that I had to finish 2 and a half chapters before I finally got to beat him and you have to deal with constant reinforcements before you kill off the target. I think if it weren't for my overleveled as fuck units, I wouldn't have finished Awakening in time for my birthday.

Just for shits and giggles, I'm gonna say what I picked for my choice with both Luce's judgement and Grima's fate. I picked the self-sacrificial choices, which means I accepted Luce's judgement and allowed her to kill me and I dealt the final blow to Grima so Chrom didn't have to. While I knew the outcomes of both choices and them ultimately not meaning anything, I wanted my Robin to reflect what I would've done and I'm a very self-sacrificial person. Because I made Chrobin happen in my playthrough, which meant Luce was my daughter, I believe that, if my child who came from an apocalyptic world told me I was the reason for that happening and that she came back through time to stop that future from happening so she and the others wouldn't suffer, I would've let her kill me. Parents would and should do anything for their kids and if my death possibly gave my daughter the chance for a better life, I'd take it in stride. As for me dealing the final blow to Grima, if it was to save everyone I loved, I would've done it. Although there's some feelings of wanting to give a big "Fuck you" to Grima and to permanently end the problem so any future descendants wouldn't have to deal with it. This section may sound more philosophical and personal than I usually write but I think it deserved it.

Now we're on to Supports and who I chose to be together. I don't think it's wrong to say that this is where the characters really get to shine and it's because of the Supports I love these kids and how much I'm going to miss them when I move on to other FE games. As for the "canon" couples, I mainly went with characters that I thought would complement each other and this was one of the few things I tried to choose for myself. I tried my best to go for pairings that weren't fan favorites but I'm also not very connected with the fandom as of writing this so I may be completely wrong in which ships were favorites or not. So here are the pairings I got for my playthrough!

Chrom-Robin

Frederick-Sumia

Virion-Miriel

Vaike-Nowi

Stahl-Sully

Lon'qu-Cordelia

Ricken-Lissa

Gaius-Maribelle

Gregor-Cherche

Libra-Panne

Henry-Olivia

Lucina-Inigo

Owain-Cynthia

Brady-Nah

Kjelle-Laurent

Severa-Yarne

Obviously, there are some characters missing from this list and I can explain why. I didn't recruit Kellam and Tharja and it's because your girl is a dumbass. Kellam, I thought, was already on my team, he was just labelled as an ally so I didn't need to recruit him. They really should've made that clear. Tharja, on the other hand, was an even bigger dumbass than me because she decided to charge after Robin, who happened to be in front and was way overleveled, and got her ass promptly beaten with a crit. I regret not getting Kellam but after hearing how awful of a person Tharja is and how many fans are willing to put aside emotional abuse and stalker-like tendencies to have a chance to fuck her, she can stay buried in the sand where I electrocuted her ass. Unfortunately, this does means Noire didn't pop up in my recruitment list and that fucking sucks. The only characters left I didn't have a pairing were Gerome and Morgan. I think Gerome wouldn't really care for a romantic partner because he's all about not wanting to create ties in this time and shit and, since I see Morgan as the baby of the kids, I figured he'd be a little too young to be in a relationship. Despite that, I wish I got him and Nah together because I found out after she was shipped with Brady that Morgan's the only S-Support she'll say "I love you" to and I was immediately filled with regret.

Before I move on to the Best/Worst contest, there's something I need to bring up because I can see what sensible fans have shown now. This game is HELLA gay. Like, holy fuck, how many instances are there where you have two characters of the same sex and they have dialogue that seems to have been written with romantic intent but the writers decide it's meant to be platonic? Maybe I just have this weird line of thought on how straights are because there's no fucking way some of these gay moments would be a thing with even the most accepting straights. Maribelle calling Lissa darling and other pet names, Robin blushing from some of the girls and even mistaking Flavia's proposition for a marriage proposal, Severa looking at Kjelle's abs, the list goes on. I'm not straight because I'd be doing some of this shit with a potential girlfriend if I could! Why did it take IntSys until 3 Houses to implement LGBT+ pairings when this game is right here?! At least this game doesn't have the weird student/teacher relationships 3H has and believe me when I say that, if it weren't for the fact I could give less of a fuck for 3H, I wouldn't play that game for that reason! Anyway, Awakening is hella gay and it should've been the first LGBT+ FE game instead of 3H.

The Best/Worst contest... As I said in the beginning, there'll be a Best/Worst Boy and Girl for both generations because that's fun and it seems to matter a lot to some people. Repeating what I said, this is just my opinion and you're free to agree or disagree with me. One rule I'm putting in is I will try my best to not pick fan favorites. Don't get me wrong when some of the crowd pleasers are good but there are other characters that deserve just as much love as the fan favorites so this is why I'm putting in this rule. Without further ado, here are the rulings!

1st Gen

Best Boy-Lon'qu

Best Girl-Panne

Worst Boy-Virion

Worst Girl-Miriel

2nd Gen

Best Boy-Owain

Best Girl-Cynthia

Worst Boy-Inigo

Worst Girl-Severa

Let's see how many people I piss off with these judgements. So, my reasoning: Best Boy for 1st gen was a big toss-up. I kept wanting to choose between Chrom, Frederick, Stahl, and Lon'qu because they really endeared themselves to me but I chose Lon'qu in the end because he's honestly such a dork (I mean, all of them are) and I gotta admire how he tries to overcome his fear of women and try being there for his wife and daughter if he happens to have one. There's also the fact he has to literally psyche himself up to talk to women if you check in with him in the Barracks and I'm just like "Fucking hell, that's adorable and I GET it". Best girl is Panne because believe me when I say that the moment I see this woman and hear her voice, I'm immediately gay for her. Then she transforms into a giant rabbit, kicks so much ass, and I'm in love. Funny story, I'd talk to my friend about my progress in Awakening on Discord and the moment he asks me who best girl was and I answered Panne, he called me out for being a furry. Granted, I would've automatically said Luce but I'm trying not to pick fan favorites so I get his criticism. If a woman like Panne existed in real life, bunny ears and tail and all, I'd probably become a furry for her, no questions asked. As for worst boy and girl, Virion and Miriel are characters I honestly don't give much of a fuck about. Not that they're bad, I just don't care about their archetypes, if that makes sense. Miriel I found to be boring and Virion's of the Casanova archetype and I've always kinda hated that archetype so that's why they're on the ranking.

Oh boy, 2nd gen. So, best boy being Owain. This boy is going to kill me. He's so adorable and sweet and he's just a good boy. There are literally Tweets on my Twitter where I just gush about him and he deserves so much love. He's just a sweet boy who loves his parents so much and is so proud to be their son and how he manages to rope his cousins (Luce and Morgan) into going with his fantasies and how they just go along with it! Owain is a cinnabun and I want to protect him and love him. Anyway, best girl being Cynthia is sorta the same reason as Owain. She's just so bubbly and happy and just adorable. Yeah, she may get carried away with showboating but I just love her earnest desire to be a hero. I think everyone can see why I paired Owain and Cynthia up. Now for the worst. Inigo and Severa are probably the only characters in this whole game that straight up got on my fucking nerves and for different reasons. Outside of his supports with Olivia and Henry, Inigo's constant flirting with the girls and Robin and inability to take no for an answer just rubbed me the wrong way. I actually put out a Tweet saying how Inigo's like an r/niceguy and I still think he is one. Course, this doesn't mean I didn't have my fair share of laughs from him. I fucking died at his and Gerome's A-Support where he ends up pathetically crying after the emo loner got more game than him and Gerome has to comfort his ass, that was hilarious. It also helped the fact that Liam O'Brien, who I've only heard him as the brooding emo loner role, voiced Inigo as the complete opposite of that and I had a blast. Severa, on the other hand, was...really unpleasant. There's a reason I hate Tsunderes with a passion and it's because they're unnecessarily bitchy towards everyone they know, even if they have no reason to be. Severa, however, was somehow worse because she went out of her way to be horrible to people. My dislike for her was cemented the moment I saw her and Cynthia's C-Support and she chose to make fun of her, despite Cynthia minding her own business and Severa just going "fuck it". However, I should express that I understand why Inigo and Severa are the way they are and that's why I'm not being as harsh on them as I could be. They still have their good moments and I can appreciate them while also raking them over the coals.

So that concludes my review/experience of Fire Emblem: Awakening! Despite some moments of frustration and annoyance, I had fun playing this! I mean it when I say I'm gonna miss these kids but I had plenty of time to spend with them so it's time to move on to newer lands. Next up on the list is Fates and I think I'm siding with Hoshido first. It's funny how, despite me spoiling the story for myself 3 separate times, I still can't remember much, if any, of it so that may say something about the quality. I also know Fates is pretty divisive among the fandom but the thing I know it for is the weird pseudo-incestuous ships it has so that's going to be fun! Hopefully, I'll get around to playing as one of my other mains in Smash, my water horse dragon Corrin, sometime soon and I'll be sure to let everyone know when my journey will start!