#when i think of marth and alear

[phoenixkaptain]

This is how I interpret their relationship.

[emblemxeno]

As a Fates fan I'll give my take: Corrin's thing is at it's core sexism. And since most FE fans appear to be gamer dudes they don't like those traits on a male character, the female version gets a pass because that's just how girls act. So Corrin get's both the ew emotional boy and the girl gets the critique that Celica and Erika get and it's a perfect storm. That's all it is and it'll never change especially when you look at how the world appears to be going backwards. Byleth though? Byleth is just so cool and relatable, Byleth is a great character unlike Corrin and both versions are so badass and don't you dare say the female version is fanservice too because she actually does something fight the power. Byleth makes sense why everyone fawns over me-him! Before Byleth everyone was praising Robin for being a great avatar and why can't Corrin be more like Robin (who for the record is almost more of what gamer men consider an acceptable personality) Now we have Alear who is also more emotional so due to that gets shit but not quite the extent of Corrin. Put that with his design (lots of people don't like it compared to the other male avatars who have similar hair while ever Corrin haters think FCorrin is cute) and all the shit slinging Fates gets for "having a bad plot/no continent name etc" and it's a recipe for disaster. But the base is sexism and that's why to this day Corrin is over criticized.

Y'know, that does run in the back of my mind, because you're right. Corrin gets the same types of hate that female lords got pretty exclusively in previous games. Naivete, complicit in bad things while trying to make the best of a situation, getting positions people don't see as deserved, being on the losing end/getting trapped, etc.

The exceptions would be ones like Lyn, Elincia, and Lucina, but those are also characters who have their "main character/lord" status put into question constantly, and the reason for that is probably the reason they don't get as much hate. They're not the most central part, so whatever happens to them isn't a slight on the player by way of absence of control.

As you say, Byleth and Robin being cool and competent at all times is welcome because people can project themselves onto that and find relatability in spite of the fact that they have established and immutable traits inherent to their design and writing. But it goes further when you consider other lords and the forefront behind their popularity. Ike has Smash of course, but he's also a no-nonsense merc who's not afraid to speak his mind. Hector, Alm, Ephraim and Chrom have similar vibes as well. Sigurd and Leif are venerated because of being from games that are genuinely pretty genius in writing and (sometimes) game design, and their popularity is only kneecapped by the fact that their games aren't overseas. Yet even then, they still share the "get shit done" type of personalities, the fact that they have to be developed out of those aspects notwithstanding.

But the others? There's a connecting line when it comes to Marth and Eliwood, because they have very similar traits. Marth gets by with Smash and first lord legacy status but I find it hard to see anyone declare him as their favorite. Roy would be in the same position had Smash not been a factor, since he's even more like Marth than his dad is tbh. Seliph would be the oddball considering his CYL win, but FE4 fans were smart in banding together behind one character that time.

The point is, going by the idea that a significant portion of the player base is a certain demographic, we can parse this into a pattern. Possible subconscious unintended misogyny affecting perception of characters who embody stereotypically "feminine" traits (Celica, Eirika, Micaiah, Corrin and Alear); extension of that dislike to fond ambivalence to characters who, while they don't have the former issues that the previous ones have, still aren't "masculine and action oriented enough" to be the auto favorites (Marth, Roy, Eliwood, Lyn, Elincia and Lucina); and characters who, for better and worse, will have massive fans because of the no-nonsense vibe (Alm, Hector, Sigurd, Leif, Ike) and/or for projectional power fantasy (Robin and Byleth).

Part of this is also definitely how IS writes each of these characters, that can't be understated. Having a prominent trait of "Naive and Indecisive" be a staple for that many female lords, inches towards "WTF Territory." But the audience bias needs to be seen as well, I feel.

Including what you say, as it's incredibly egregious with Corrin atp.

[sorenversh]

Engage's story is kinda neat

I made this account some time ago, and I thought to myself... Why not post something? Since I feel controversial, I feel like I should say that Fire Emblem Engage's story is vastly underrated. It's definitely much better than what the fandom portrays it like. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't think Engage's story is the best in the entire series. Sacred Stones, for example, is a story that I enjoy much more. With all that being said, let's begin. Spoilers ahead, of course.

Engage's story is a pretty simple one at surface level. Protagonist must defeat bad guy. Another story following the Hero's Journey structure. However, saying that THAT'S all that Engage has going for is plainly wrong. Many stories, most that have a villain actually, could be summarized in that same way. And because of that, people ignore that we need to go deeper on the story, not just stay in such a surface level take.

Let's take a look at Alear as a protagonist. When I first played the game I didn't expect to like them as much, but here I am. Alear is a take on a lord that we haven't seen before. They start as a coward that is terrified of the corrupted, who really lacks any kind of leadership skills. Most lords we've seen either are kinda strong since the beginning or have some sort of special skill (Chrom is strong and has the falchion, Micaiah has her future seeing powers), and if they don't, they compensate it by having great intelligence and courage (Eliwood discovers a whole assassin group being related to his father and he still wants to find him)

When we look at Alear... We see nothing of that. At the beginning. They pretty much kinda depend on Emblem Marth. After Lumera's death, and specially after the 6 first emblems are taken away, some growth is seen in them. Sure, they still may get scared, but they show more determination than ever. Far more courage than when the game started.

When Veyle is revealed to be their younger sister, and knowing that Eveyle (Evil Veyle, basically) is literally taking control of her, shows just how much determination they have. From the scary wet cat that wants to run away just because of a few corrupted, to dying to protect their little sister. Literally. Alear dies just so they can ensure Veyle survives.

And because of that determination and inner strength, they decide to let Veyle revive them as a corrupted. The same thing that scares them to death. And all of that so they can make sure that their friends are alright and to make sure someone can defeat Sombron. And with such display of inner strength, the 12 emblems get to transform Alear into an emblem. Alear finishes the game with all the skills that they lacked in the very beginning.

The only thing that is not properly explained is the memory loss and the irrational fear of corrupted. Or... Is it? Keeping in mind the dialogue that Past Alear has on chapter 24, we know that some Alear siblings died BECAUSE of the corrupted. Even while being under the orders of Sombron, they despised them. Alear has PTSD because of the corrupted, and yes PTSD CAN result on memory loss while still retaining that fear of them, making Alear an extremely human character.

And while being probably some of the most realistic and human characters that all of Fire Emblem has, they still get ignored because "haha Colgate Chan goes brrr".

After talking about the main protagonist, I want to talk about the story. I can't remember the amount of times that I've seen people call this story bad. It's understandable if you don't like it, but calling it *objectively* bad is totally different.

In reality, Engage's story is simple. Not bad, but simple. A story can be complex but be bad (Callout to Sonic '06 for being both unnecesarily complicated but being reaaaally messy). It doesn't have a huge political drama. It doesn't a generational tale. It's a simple hero's journey. But that does not make it bad, does it?

Let's think it from another perspective. Don't just think about what happens. Think HOW it happens. Who do you meet on your journey? What tragedies did you stop and which ones you couldn't? What makes you want to keep going? If you think about that kind of thing when you think of a story, you'll like it much more.

And maybe I should add that having some cringe moments doesn't make the story bad. Yeah, Clanne and Framme being fangirling over Alear waking up is cringe. But you know what? They literally have an Alear fanclub. They are teenagers. THEY ARE CRINGE. They just saw the one they fangirl for wake up after a 1000 year long nap, of course they'd react like that!

As a reader, do you genuinely believe that every character should be calm and collected and reacting to anything the way you personally would? Or would you rather let the character's personality express the way they'd react instead, even if you wouldn't do the same?

Another thing that is more than talked about is the so called Avatar worship. But I've seen people say that there would be insane amounts of Avatar worship before the game even came out, so I'm sure that people just tagged it and refuse to actually understand anything at all.

Alear is a divine dragon. A god. But in reality their a really normal person. Out of all the characters that worship them in any kind of way, Alear THEMSELVES tells them that there really is no need to. Yes, this so called Avatar worship is an important thing because Alear explicitly dislikes it. I could also talk about how the games without an avatar also have lots of protagonist worship, but that's a story for another day.

Now, let's take a look at Lumera. Engage's "mom that dies early". Keeping in mind that she dies on chapter two, you'd never expect for her to be actually that important. Before you say anything... Yes. The death cutscene is too long. I agree with that.

Lumera is Alear's adoptive mother. We don't know much about their actual mother though. They met 1000 years ago, in the middle of the war against Sombron. Alear is a broken person in the past. The first one that ever showed them some kind of love or compassion is Lumera herself. Maybe at first she didn't plan to adopt Alear, but she turned into the maternal figure that they really needed.

Even if Lumera is the divine dragon, the one that finishes off Sombron in the past is Alear. All of that so they can finally be happy with Lumera... Not knowing that Sombron would make sure that they couldn't make that dream come true.

Once Alear wakes up, Lumera makes sure to try to make them happy. Treat them like their child. Only wanting happiness from them. But again, just a few days after their first encounter, Lumera sadly dies, her dream of being with her child stripped away from her again. And Alear, even though they don't remember her, still cries, for what she means to them is enough to pass through their PTSD caused memory loss subconsciously.

Lumera dying this early has a lot of meaning. First of all, she's the main reason of why Alear begins their adventure... Even if her death means that Alear must do it even if their clearly not ready for it. Second of all, she haunts the narrative. The queen of Firene and Solm, past Alear, all of them have Lumera involved in some sort of way, and the way she's present in our army is through the Libération, the weapon that belonged to her, and once Alear transforms into an emblem, through Alear's birthday gift that she gifted to her.

And once she returns, corrupted by Sombron, we don't see the madness that the corrupted usually have. We see the madness of Lumera herself, who has been stripped from everyone she loves time and time again. At first because she had to see them all die. And back in chapter 3, because she died herself. For a character with minimal screentime, she surely can be really tragic.

Not everything is tragic though. Her last moments have her regaining her sanity before leaving the world for good. Now she sees what Alear has become. Stonger. Brave. Determined. And what she wanted the most. She sees her child finally growing up to become a more than fine adult.

Now, one important thing. If you want to criticise the story... At least make sure you experience all of it. I've seen way more people saying that they started to skip the cutscenes to then claim it is bad than more people saying that they experienced it all and that is bad. If you refuse to engage with the story, do you really expect to like it? Give everything a chance, it's that simple.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I think there are Fire Emblem characters that would listen to Taylor Swift but have the self respect to not be a swiftie.

I will now give my opinions on what artists I like or know of that each lord would enjoy. Not necessarily their biggest fan, but someone they would enjoy listening to. I also don’t know that many artists.

Marth would be a Madonna and Whitney fan, I think he would respect their respective expansive and unique careers. Also Steely Dan. I’m counting Caeda and she would enjoy Cyndi Lauper, Bonnie Tyler.

Alm, Avril Lavigne. Celica, Marina.

Sigurd, Creed and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dad shit. When I look at him I see the boomer wojak holding the white monster. Seliph, NSync but because his dad showed it to him. I’m counting Julia, and she would like Kero Kero Bonito.

Leif, Adele. I think he would really like the emotion of the song but not really relate to the actual lyrics. Other than that, I feel like he would try older music to try and connect with what his parents liked, so Frank Sinatra. Also Steely Dan.

Roy, Miley Cyrus but because he was a Disney channel kid in the era where he was just old enough to still really be into Hannah Montana but when she left that behind and became an artist in her own right outside of Disney he was like yassssss

Eliwood, Linkin Park. Hector, also Steely Dan. Lyn, ABBA.

Eirika, early P!nk, also Pat Benatar. Ephraim I really have a hard time imagining liking music for some reason. Steely Dan.

Ike, same problem, but I think he would also like dad rock, so like, AC/DC, Guns ‘n Roses. Steely Dan.

Michaiah, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, and for some reason, I see her enjoying Dua Lipa

Chrom, that same problem where I really don’t see him liking a lot of music other than dad rock. I’m hitting the Steely Dan button. Robin, early in life they’d be on some Evanescence shit and also be genuine Avril fans. Lucina, I can see her having questionable taste in music like her taste in fashion, but instead of being mean I’m gonna say early Gaga because she would gag for the weird shit she used to do. Lucina would loveeeeee meat dress

Corrin I can see liking Charli xcx. The older brothers from both royal families are dad rock guys. Steely Dan. Sakura, Elise, and Hinoka would all probably like Ariana to some degree. Takumi pretends he doesn’t like music but listens to Britney. Leo’s on some Evanescence shit too.

Byleth listens to nature sounds or LoFi HipHop Beats To Study/Relax To. Dimitri, dad rock. Steely Dan. Edelgard, P!nk, Ariana, Nicki. Claude would enjoy Mariah to a crazy degree.

Alear I’m also feeling strongly for Kero Kero Bonito or maybe Charli. Alfred, Rihanna, Adele. Diamant, dad rock, Steely Dan. Ivy, Chappell Roan, Avril. Timerra, Mariah, Whitney Houston, also Chappell while she makes out with her retainers.

.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Hello! ^-^

Can I please request Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie hearing that their S/O worships the fell dragon, but when they question them it turns out they're just a massive fan of Robin?

This kind of scenario has been in my head since I started the game hehe.

Have a nice day ^-^ thank you for the stories!

(FE: Engage) Alear, Yunaka, Framme, and Etie's S/O worshipping the "Fell Dragon"

Now that I think about it, if you did worship the fell dragon legit but were still part of the good guys, would you get persecuted?

Alear immediately tenses up when S/O mentions they worshipped the Fell Dragon.

(Alear) "...Are...you truly okay helping us then, S/O? I'm the Divine Dragon after all."

(S/O) "Hm? Why wouldn't I be estatic? I get to fight alongside Robin, it's like a dream come true!"

(Alear) "O-Oh. That's what you mean."

Marth suddenly appeared next to her.

(Marth) "I'm not exactly sure Robin would feel comfortable being called that."

(S/O) "Hm...I suppose that is kinda insensitive."

(Alear) "...In more ways than one."

She simply sighs and shakes her head.

(Alear) "Saying that kinda thing will give people the wrong idea, S/O. Please make sure you choose your words more carefully."

Yunaka's eyes widen at the mention of the Fell Dragon.

(Yunaka) "You what?! But...Why are you even here, and why did you mention it so offhandedly?!"

(S/O) "Huh? What do you mean?"

(Yunaka) "People just don't go around saying "Oh, I worship the god trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "OH! No, I mean Robin!...Do you even know the history of Emblems Robin and Chrom?"

(Yunaka) "Probably enough to know that he'd probably hate being called that! Who the heck would start that as an icebreaker for a conversation!?"

(S/O) "I worship the Fell Dragon."

(Framme) "You

WHAT?!"

Framme screams out, waiting to beat S/O to death with her hands, or the accounting book of the fan club for the Divine Dragon.

(S/O) "Hey, what's wrong with liking Robin?! They're pretty cool!"

(Framme) "...Oh, that's what you mean!"

Framme quickly tossed aside a large rock.

(Framme) "Listen, you can't just casually saying that, considering what's going on out there!"

(S/O) "...Oh yeah, guess that does sound bad."

(Framme) "You think?!"

(Etie) "Oh, neat you worship the Fell Dra-What?"

Etie immediately stops wiping the sweat off herself and turns to S/O with an extremely concerned expression.

(Etie) "Are...you alright?"

(S/O) "Hm? I'm fine, why?"

(Etie) "You just said you worshipped the Fell Dragon, and you don't expect me to be surprised by that?"

(S/O) "But Chloé loves people like Sigurd for being fairy-tale esque. Can I not like Robin for being cool?"

(Etie) "OOOOOH! Okay, you meant RObin! Well, next time just say that instead of the freakin' dragon trying to kill us!"

(S/O) "Oh, yeah that is a good point."

(Etie) "Besides, I don't think you should just casually bring that up. If it were someone other than me, you might have gotten beaten up considering all of us here worship the Divine Dragon."

===

Bonus:

(Robin) "I'd...really appreciate if you didn't call me that."

(Chrom) "Honestly, I'm surprised that even got in the stories told around here."

(Lucina) "But it seems...distasteful, does it not?"

(Robin) "I suppose it makes sense, our past is just a story to them."

(Chrom) "Kind of like how Hoshido and Nohr's war is a story in our world, but current events for Camilla and Corrin."

(S/O) "My bad, I'll make sure not to call you Fell Dragon anymore!"

(Robin) "...Well, at least you're not going around, shouting "I love the Fell Dragon" to everyone you meet."

(S/O) "..."

(Robin) "...Oh my gods.-"

[goldlightwriting]

Changes I'd Make to Fire Emblem Engage

I've talked about Fire Emblem Engage a fair bit on my channel, so I think it's about time I delved into the alterations I would personally make to the narrative.

-The world of Elyos is themed around the cycle of time: each of the main nations are each based off one of the four seasons.

-Firine is spring, Brodia is fall, Elusia is winter and Solm is summer. In the center of the map is an island divided between Lythos and Gradlon, which are themed around day and night, respectively.

-In ages past, the central island was regarded as the home of the Dawn and Dusk dragons; the former held the power to usher new life into the world and help it grow, while the latter held power of death and guided souls to underworld where they entered eternal rest.

-The Dawn and Dusk dragons were once both revered by humanity, but over time, the people of Elyos came to worship only the Dawn dragons, while the Dusk dragons were feared and reviled.

-Eventually, a group of humans banded together to hunt and slay the Dusk dragons, believing that doing so would eliminate death from their world.

-Sombron was one of the few Dusk dragons who managed to escape slaughter by hiding away in the underworld itself when he was young. For years he remained isolated there among the souls of the departed, his hatred for life growing ever stronger along with his power.

-Centuries later, Sombron returns to Elyos and begins raising the corpses of the deceased as Corrupted. His goal is nothing short of the extermination of all life, as he believes life itself to be devoid of meaning.

-Sombron amasses a following by granting power and a degree of immortality to those loyal to him; effectively, he can halt the decay of mortal flesh, ensuring that his faithful will live until the day he brings about the end of all things, however many ages that may take...

-A fearsome war rages between Sombron and the Dawn Dragons. While Sombron is able to kill a few of them during his initial return, the rest band together and put up a solid defense against him.

-To turn the tides of battle, Sombron begins having half-dragon offspring with some of his followers. He raises and trains them to be effective, efficient warriors and killers, capable of slaying even full-blooded Dawn Dragons.

-Many of Sombron's children fall in battle, but he views these losses as acceptable, considering that they die bringing Dawn Dragons down with them. Eventually, only two of these half-dragon offspring remain: Veyle and Alear.

-Soon, only a single Dawn Dragon remains: Lumera. In desperation to stop Sombron's vile ambitions, she enters the underworld herself and calls out the souls of the departed for aid. Her prayers are answered by the spirits of noble heroes and warriors from realms beyond her own.

-Lumera uses her power to place each of these noble souls into enchanted rings, thus creating the Emblem Rings. The rings have the power to grant the spirits' strength unto those who wear them, allowing Lumera and her followers to turn the tide against Sombron.

-At some point during the war, Lumera encountered Alear, considered the 'runt of the litter' among Sombron's offspring. After failing to meet their father's expectations, Alear was left wounded and abandoned on the border of Gradlon.

-Lumera took pity on Alear, infusing them with Dawn Dragon energy to heal their wounds.

-After witnessing Lumera's kindness firsthand, Alear eventually resolves to fight on her behalf. As Alear was a relatively unremarkable warrior, though, they were given one of the mightiest Emblem Rings of all: The Ring of the Hero-King.

-With Marth's strength and Lumera's forces at their side, Alear eventually fought their way through the legions of the Corrupted to face Sombron. The two dealt each other grievous wounds, forcing Sombron to retreat and Alear to fall into a centuries-long slumber.

-The opening cutscene removes Alfred, Diamant, Ivy and Timerra, since it's basically just a fake out to trick players into believing we're opening in-media-rez.

-Since that day, Veyle has been working alongside Zephia, her human mother and one of Sombron's most devoted followers, to set her father free.

-The roster of Emblems Rings available in the base story now include: Tiki, Robin, Chrom, Hector, Alm, and Azura. (I'm making Robin and Chrom their own separate rings.)

-This may be a touch controversial, but I would personally make it so that the Emblems are permanently bound to their chosen partner. I realize this would heavily alter and even limit gameplay to a fair degree, but the tradeoff would be that Emblem spirits would have deeper bonds/connections to their canon partners.

Below is a list of how I'd rearrange the "canon" Emblem partners. Please note that this list is NOT in any way, shape or form influenced by game balance, mechanics, or meta builds. Skills and abilities could be reworked as needed, but frankly speaking, that's not my area of expertise. I'm just trying to fit the Emblems with arguably more thematic partners. (17 in total)

Alear: Ring of the Hero-King (Marth)

Vander: Ring of the Holy Knight (Sigurd)

Framme/Clanne: Ring of the Azure Twins (Eirika for Framme, Ephraim for Clanne)

Alfred: Ring of the Shepherd Exalt (Chrom)

Celine: Ring of the Caring Queen (Celica)

Diamant: Ring of the Burning Lion (Roy)

Alcryst: Ring of the Saint King (Alm)

Ivy: Ring of the Singing Princess (Azura)

Hortensia: Ring of the Ashen Demon (Byleth)

Timerra: Ring of the Plains' Champion (Lyn)

Fogado: Ring of the Sage Lord (Lief)

Veyle: Ring of the Fated Heir (Corrin)

Mauvier: Ring of the Radiant Hero (Ike)

Anna: Ring of the Princess Exalt (Lucina)

Yunaka: Ring of the Dawn Maiden (Micaiah)

Lindon: Ring of the Master Tactician (Robin)

Saphir: Ring of the Relentless General (Hector)

[overlordofships]

So you guys know Clanne and Framme's support chain, where they hand out pamphlets with interviews about Alear

Obviously the first thought you'd think is "They interviewed Alear themself" but that doesn't make much sense - no one can really say that Alear would LET THEM pass out pamphlets like that, right? Yeah, I can't see that happening (it's possible they didn't know but I feel like Alear would want to know why they wanted the interview in the first place)

So imagine

Imagine if they interviewed Marth about Alear instead

And when Alear finds out later they just

Alear: MARTH?! WHY DID YOU LET THEM DO THIS?! Marth, no hesitation: Because they're right. More people need to love you. Alear: Marth: Also I'm the third president of their club now. Alear: *suffering*

[moe-broey]

It's not a Full Thought but I was a little miffed about the introduction of Emblem Heroes, ESPP after it was established that Alear couldn't call upon them in Askr. Like that was her Entire FB with Alfonse, the fact that she couldn't call upon the Emblems and it made her feel alone (but, hoping she may find a way to reach them again someday -- which, I guess there's that! That's charming and sweet, esp now that it's the case!)

But something that stuck out to me SO much esp the first Engage banner was how it was Heavily implied everything in Engage happens much later in the timeline. How (and I'm just going off of memory here) the Askr library didn't have any information on Emblems and the workings of Elyios (which is why Alfonse was so keen on speaking to Alear -- yes, she needed help settling in, but she also has a wealth of information he had no resources on otherwise and he was deeply interested in it!).

I also think esp for things where Heroes "come from the future" in a way, it's like. A time paradox. Previously Alfonse (guy who can fit SO much information in him) and the Askr library as a whole had No resources on Emblems and the world of Engage. Alear and her buddies end up in Askr, and Alear tells Alfonse all about her world and the Emblems. (Implication?) Alfonse takes notes and this is added to the information the library holds. (Maybe?) Emblems exist now because Alear told him about it and Alfonse recorded it and submitted it to the library (not sure how that works).

But also! I think a similar thing happened with Kris, actually. Where both Krises didn't want to be remembered as heroes, as they're completely in service to Marth. But they end up in Askr anyway. And (this is VERY much going off of memory) there's little to no information about them, but I think it's Kiran who starts compiling information on them. Which established the Krises as Heroes in their own right, when they otherwise would have been lost to time and history.

I think another thing that's established in Kris' FBs is that, the way Heroes Are summoned, they're required to have a record within the world of Askr (and the library) itself. Aahh I know I should be pulling up screenshots lmfao..... but I think it was directly stated at one point, that

I THINK IT WAS KATARINA ACTUALLY!!!!!!! WHO MADE MENTION OF KRIS!!!!!!! BECAUSE KRIS WAS IMPORTANT TO HER!!!!!!!!! And I think it was Sharena who told her, that if they're recorded as A Hero, maybe she would reunite with Kris one day (and Kiran played a role here too I think, as a keeper or recorder of the records).

Like maybe I'll go more in-depth w it I just. I can't get too occupied at the moment cause I got other things to attend to at the moment 🥲

[rafent]

TOA Anniversary Monday

Celebrating TOA and the people who contribute to make our group what it is. Repost, don't reblog. Only fill in what you feel comfortable sharing! Happy anniversary, TOA! Here's to many more years spent together.

Name: Soji

Pronouns: She/her

Birthday (no year): October 14th

Where are you from? What is your time zone? United States and EST timezone. I was born in California, I lived in Pennsylvania for 15 years, and now I'm living in—(it's a secret)

How long is your roleplay experience? 14 years, phew

How were you introduced to roleplaying as a whole? Wolfquest Online

How were you introduced to TOA? The TOA blog spamming the Fire Emblem RP tags which I can't even blame because it works

Do you have any pets? Soji Man my lovely chinchilla. There's a Bichon Frise puppy in my household right now but I consider him more my mom's dog

What is your favorite time of year and why? Maybe Thanksgiving for the food. Autumn is the best

What is your IRL occupation? I'm a medical scribe in the meanwhile but I'll be going back to school. Occupation...soon to be student :littleantbitch:

Some interests and things you like/enjoy? Sleeping and also curating my pride and joy Fire Emblem shrine

What non-Fire Emblem games do you play? FFXIV, Lethal Company, and Stardew Valley with friends when the mood strikes

Favorite Pokemon type & Pokemon: My favorite Pokemon is Scizor and I like bug type Pokemon

Tell us some fun facts and trivia about yourself! 1) My favorite food is shaved ice with condensed milk. When I last went to Korea that's what I ate every day so I understand Rafal's sweet tooth 2) I have very strong, dexterous toes from years of picking up laundry and throwing it in the bin with my feet

How did you get into Fire Emblem? SSB Brawl and Marth (soft smile)

What Fire Emblem games have you played? FE1, FE3, FE7, FE9, FE11, FE12, Awakening, SOV, 3H, Engage

First & Favorite Fire Emblem games: Awakening was my first game. My favorite games are Shadow Dragon, FE3, and Engage

List your 5 favorite Fire Emblem characters across the series! Marth, Rafal, Rath, Xane, Alear

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

Any Fire Emblem crushes? None

If you’ve played (or are familiar with) the following games, who was your first S support? Who would you S support nowadays?

- Awakening: First was Stahl, then Chrom. I'd still S support Stahl now - Fates: Have not played, but Leo or Takumi - Three Houses: Dimitri was my first S support. I'd support Yuri now - Engage: Alfred at first. I would S support Rafal or Gregory now

Favorite Fire Emblem class? Manakete

If you were a Fire Emblem character, what would be your class and stats? Would you be playable? Archer or mage I feel it in my gut. Good skill, okay speed, and okay attack. Shitty defenses. I would be playable

If you were a Three Houses character, what would be your affiliation? Blue lions

If you were an Officers Academy student, what would be your boons, banes and potential budding talent? Boons in archery and faith. Bane in axe. Potential budding talent in sword

If you were an Engage character, which nation would you originate from? Solm, my original bias nation in Engage

How do you pronounce TOA? Toe-uh

Current TOA muses: Rafal

Past TOA muses? Marth and Xane * blows them a kiss *

Who was your first TOA muse? If you no longer have them, can you see yourself picking them up again? Marth! I could see myself writing him again but not for a long, long time. He and I need a break

Do you believe you have a type of character you gravitate towards writing? I joke about it all the time in DMs, but yeah...sighs..."The Little Brother"

Do you have characters or types of characters you don’t think you can handle writing, but wish you could? Soft, girly girl type characters. I've written female muses before but I'm usually very picky. I like my women chaotic and cray cray

What kind of scenes, situations etc do you believe you enjoy writing the most? I like writing scenes with complicated emotions. Feelings are funky, this is true for reality, but I like putting that to words in roleplay as well. I think characters most come to life through these moments and it gives them a 'human' edge so to speak

Do you have any scenario in mind for your muse(s) that gets you thinking “man I hope I get to write this one day”? I don't really have a wish list. I find value in every interaction that Rafal has because he's a bit of a blank slate. The perks of starting over as a new person and turning over a new leaf

Favorite TOA-related memories? The first month of joining when everything was fresh and new

Present or past tense? I can do either, it just depends on the muse for me, but I've definitely written in present tense more

Normal size text, small text, no preference? Small text! I think it looks nicer for myself. No preference for partners though

Got any potential muse delusions to share? Not right now. When I consider possible muses, I am very focused on their potential for longevity because I tend to be extremely loyal to what muses I DO have. Call me an oshi with how I give them 100%

[yanderefairyangel]

I can''t... I just can't... this fandom can't be real... this has to be some ... WHY WHY WHY ?!

why do i bother.

Ok, look. See that one criticsm of Alear's reaction when they ask Veyle to give them back the rings in chapter 10 :

"OOOh why does Alear says that, you can't take my rings, not fair gimme back, acting like an actual child like they are on some playground to they think Veyle will really give it back are they serious ? This game's writing sucks so much uwu"

It's all you need to know about how low the bar is for media analysis these day.

"Alear behaves like a child in this scene. They are so immature". Congrats. Congrats on getting the freaking point this scene tried to establish !!

Yes, Alear behaves like the child they are ! they are 17 year old for God's sake, they are thinking with their amygdalia !! This is what this scene is trying to establlish and by the reaction you all have it did it incredibly well !!!

Alear literaly got stolen from them the 6 rings that they spend all the game collecting. All of them !!!! With the rings he stole, Sombron is at 2 rings of reaching his objective and to destroy Elyos !!!!!! The world is so close to be doomed because of this !! And Alear losing the rings mean losing their emotional supports and the one thing that helped them feel braver. Alear is someone who is 17 year old, they are amnesiac, they just woke from coma, they are weak, unaware of the world, they showed they were scarred by the Corrupted and fear to not being ready to fight them and Sombron yet, Marth's presence is what helped them defeat them, if it weren't for Alfred's arrival they wouldn't have been able to handle the castle's attack, they didn't had the time to prepare when Lumera died, they saw their mother dying right in front of their freaking eyes to protect them and were thrown into a bitter war in that state when they didn't even had the time to properly mourn her, are in a state where they clearly aren't ready and are very dependent of other, notably Marth !! Of course, of freaking course they are acting as their character are !! As a teenager who has been living all of this and got it pushed into them as the successor of their mother when they aren't ready yet, of course they are going to show immaturity !!! That's the freaking point of this scene, showing Alear's flaws !!!

HOW THE HECK DO YOU WANNA KNOW THE FLAWS OF A CHARACTER IF THEY NEVER SHOW THEM ?!

That's the whole point of this freaking scene !! Alear is literaly desesperate to know that they failed to fufill the promise they made Lumera to colllect all the rings and prevent Sombron's faction to collect them before they do !!!! They lost the Emblems whom they consider to be their friends !! Did you see the face of absolute terror they have upon seeing Sombron summoning Marth ?! How do you want them to react exactly ?! To brush it off as if they are some sort of Superman ?! They aren't !! They are just a normal person, a teenager that is pushed into this when they are amnesiac and desoriented !!! This is incredible that this comes from the same people who keep saying that Alear isn't a relatable protag because of their deity status (which is quite ironic considering Engage's message about birth not mattering) when they are literaly reacting like anyone their age would in a situation where they got stolen from them the one thing that might threatened the balance of the world when used with ill intent knowing that they have a whole world weighting on their shoulder when theya re 17 amnesiac and didn't even had the time to mourn their mother who DIED TO PROTECT THEM RIGHT AFTER LEARNING SHE GAVE ALL HER LIFE FORCE SO THAT THEY CAN SURVIVE AND FEELING GUILTY ABOUT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ahhhhhhhhh !!!!!!!

Don't get me started on how they also just learned that Veyle whom they considered a friend was on Sombron's side, killed their mother and are incredibly disturbed by how differently she behaved !!! Or the fact that a 1000 years earlier, they were speaking like a child because their trauma got them frozen in their age resulting in them using the alphabet of a 10 year old !!

"Why do you ask her to give you back the rings ? Are you stupid You think she will give it back ?" OF COURSE NOT THEY DON'T !!! This dialogue exist to SHOW Alear is desesparated !!!!!!! It's not based on logic or anything, it's just to convey their freaking emotions of being desesperated !!!

It's absolutely jarring that people keep acting as if the story never showed Alear as evovling or failing at being brave ! There. There it is! Look at the terror on their face and how they are falling to their knees, begging Sombron to stop in a sign of desesperation !! There they are ! Can you really not look at this scene and see that Alear is failing at being brave ?! They are overwhelmed by the situation. This is the most angry you will ever see them in the entire game !!!! Yet "they don't evolve, their so called frail character and fear is just narrative gaslighting "and yadi yada WHY DO I EVEN BOTHER ?!

It took them 10 chapter to realize that they were too imature yet. It took them 10 more chapter to have Alfred comment on how far Alear went and how they finally seemed to have stepped into their role as a leader and deity figure. It took them 25 chapter to show how much they evolved from their mother dying in chapter 3, begging for her to not die and leaving them alone as they REVERT FREAKING BACK TO SPEAK LIKE A CHILD and being so marked by it that Lumera won't stop haunting the narrative, to chapter 25 were they had to take her down while Lumera was still refering to chapter 2, the only moment the two of them spent as family, with them actually accepting what's comming and refusing to cry anymore !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And this, this is the straw

"A 17 year old becoming the head of an army when they are amnesiac is unrealistic". YES CONGRATS ON UNDERSTAND THE WHOLE POINT THAT THE STORY WAS MAKING ON HOW THE EXPECTATIONS PUSHED ON ALEAR ARE UNREALISTIC WHEN THEY ARE A TRAUMATIZED AMNESIAC TEENAGER THAT IS INTO THIS SITUATION TO SUCCESS TO THEIR MOTHER WHEN THEY WEREN'T READY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats on understanding the whole point the story was trying to make to explain why Alear acts the way they do !!!

I swear... I am tired. I can't, I can't with this fandom,...

But writing this reminded me of how good of a character Alear is... I CAN'T, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THEY ARE SOOOOOO !!!!!!!

[fayesdiary]

I had a hunch that Past Alear was stronger than Present Alear, so I grabbed an average stats calculator, punched in the numbers and sure enough, they are.

These are Past Alear's Normal mode stats (for the sake of this analysis, let's ignore the Revival Stones and Marth's stat boosts):

While these are Present Alear's average stats in Fixed Mode as a Dragon Child of the same level (so arguably with the same experience Past Alear would have):

As you can see, they are completely outclassed in everything but Luck. (Also that six Build difference, gee Alear must have lost a ton of weight during the coma)

They can only match them when promoted to a Divine Dragon of the same level. Same HP, Str and Speed, lower Magic, Res and Build, slightly higher Dex and significantly higher Luck. Which makes sense, at this point in time Alear's life was nothing but misery.

...but that's in Normal Mode. In Maddening, Past Alear once again wipes the floor with their present self, outmatching them in every stat. Poor Present Alear can't compete even at their max level.

So why does this matter?

Besides the ingame explanation of losing most of their power during the coma KH-style (and the fact that as @airlock pointed out in the replies, a boss that would be evenly matched with one of your units would be a total pushover especially for the endgame), I think it also clearly defines who Alear is at these points of time.

Past Alear can only rely on themselves. And they're so strong because they have to be, else their father decides they're better served as food for the Corrupted.

Meanwhile, Present Alear has so many people they can rely on, from their friends and allies to their Emblems. So their unique skills as a Divine Dragon and as an Emblem are all about supporting them, boosting their allies' performance, speeding up the Emblems' Engage recovery and being able to use their power more effectively.

In fact, Alear is an outlier compared to all the other Avatars because they are not a powerhouse. They can definitely fend for themselves, but they are clearly meant to fit a support role.

So what I'm saying is, it's nice seeing their growth reflected even in gameplay!

[onyxedskies]

“I can’t stop thinking about you”

hehe

sorry about the delay i've been tired

also are you proud of me this isn't in a modern au

pairing: marth x m!alear

word count: 441

Marth was staring at him.

Alear was pretending not to notice–if nothing else, after all, he really did have to get through these financial reports at a semi-reasonable hour–but the longer it went on, the harder it was. Alear was tired, and he really just wanted to go into his emblem form and cuddle up with Marth, but Vander said that these needed to get done so he really wanted to at least try.

It wasn't working very well.

Alear was this close to giving up, and then Marth wrapped his arms around him. And, well, Alear was just a mortal. (Probably.)

"I can't stop thinking about you," Marth said, and Alear felt a blush crawl up his neck. "You're working too hard. Come to bed?"

"I have to finish this," Alear said, though the call of sleep was getting stronger by the minute and his protest sounded weak to his own ears.

"It will be there in the morning, darling," Marth said, voice dripping with affection. Alear melted a little bit, relaxing further into Marth's hold.

"You're a bad influence," Alear teased, but he tilted his head so he could press a kiss to Marth's jaw anyway. Marth's smile was so bright it nearly blinded him.

"You love it," Marth said.

"I do," Alear conceded. He then smiled. "Just like I love you."

That got a dusting of pink to crawl up Marth's cheeks, just as Alear had planned. Marth settled with burying his face in Alear's shoulder, and Alear laughed.

"I love your laugh," Marth murmured, still audible despite Alear's shoulder muffling him. Alear felt his blush grow.

He glanced at his work, sighing when the words kept swimming on the page. One look out the window told him it was some early hour of the morning.

The reports could wait one more day, Alear decided.

Wordlessly, Alear shifted into his emblem form. He didn't have to know that Marth was grinning; they could feel each other better, this way, feel the kisses and hugs and warmth generated by whatever plane of existence their bodies seemed to reside in.

Alear floated over to the bed, Marth trailing behind him (still clinging to him, of course). They got settled, facing each other, and Marth began to pepper Alear's face with kisses.

"I love you," he murmured. "My lovely, lovely little dragon. My beautiful darling. My love."

Alear's face burned with the compliments, and he leaned forward to bury his face into Marth's shoulder as he continued to spew them. Marth tightened his grip around him, and Alear smiled, closing his eyes.

Yeah. This was better than financial reports. Much better.

[emblematicemblazer]

World building and theories of Engage

Emblem Zero; Part One: What do we know about Emblem Zero?

In Chapter 26; The Final Engage, is where we learn the most about Emblem Zero. Sombron is the one who describes the mysterious Emblem and how it motivated him to forgo all bonds to achieve his goals. This motivation is unique to the Sombron encountered in the main game, the Sombron in the xenologue has different motivations and ambitions. 

What does Sombron tell us about his Emblem?

The Emblem is not from Elyso, but is from the same world as him.

He brought the Emblem across from his world and it has enough power to survive the distortions.

It was known as the Emblem of Foundations.

The Emblem was unable to speak when awoken with Sombron's power.

The invocation to summon the Emblem was ‘Burn us, Emblem of Foundations'. 

Emblem Zero fought without aid. Without allies and with only ambition they became strong, or so legends say.

He believes that Emblem Zero abandoned him once he was found by villagers because the Emblem wanted him to bond with the people of Elyso.

As he dies, he claims to see Emblem Zero, Alear, Marth and Veyle see no one. When shown the scene from his perspective, light, Alear and Veyle are seen. 

The ring disappears with Sombron. Emblem Rings and Bracelets only vanish completely when their purpose is served.

Sombron feels his Emblem in dark and dim places such as the shade of a tree.

I have a few things to note here. How Emblem Zero lived their life was something Sombron learnt from legends. Legends are not always accurate. In some cases they can be exaggerated or the tale altered to fit political or social motivations. The truth can simply be lost with the passage of time. Everyone conceives a story differently and the interpretations differ. In some cases information can be ignored and only the details that fit with the desired interpretation taken. Legends are not a reliable source of information and neither is Sombron's interpretation.

The Emblem could not speak. Sombron's Fell Dragon powers rob an Emblem of their free will. They are forced to fight and serve him. It is possible that Emblem Zero was captive and actually did not want to be with Sombron. The encounter with villagers could have been the only opportunity to escape. Emblem Zero could not communicate with words and had to obey Sombron because of the absence of free will. If this is truly the case then the bond with Emblem Zero was one sided. Sombron imposed his will upon his Emblem, just like everyone else in his life and used them for his own selfish ambitions. It is possible that Sombron is not describing the Emblem but he is describing himself. He has imprinted who he wants to be onto Emblem Zero.

The word ‘foundation’ means a basis upon which something stands or begins. The game does tell us exactly what Emblem Zero is the foundation of. A little word play hints at Emblem Zero being the foundation of Fire Emblem because the invocation is ‘burn us’ and in his final moments he looks towards Alear, who is the Fire Emblem, and believes they are Emblem Zero. Alear is the archetype hero, something that is the hallmark of the series. Another suggestion is that it is someone involved in the creation process, who helped when the series first began. The ‘foundation ‘ could also be something much more abstract, such as imagination. It takes imagination to create games. I will explore the identity of Emblem Zero further. I just think it is important to consider the meaning of ‘foundations’. Could the Emblem be the ‘foundation‘ of Sombron's ambitions? Could Emblem Zero be the very first Emblem ring. The word ‘foundation’ might have been used to symbolise multiple themes. 

Zero means ‘nothing’. Sombron's Emblem is literally nothing. It could be argued that ‘Zero’ refers to the number of bonds or allies the original Emblem had. It could be a reference that no Emblem with the characteristics that Sombron lists exists, therefore the Emblem is his imagination or a hallucination. A little bit of a stretch but I think it is worth mentioning but zero could refer to the shape of a ring. 

The final point I would like to make is that in Sombron's final moments he would have mentally been incapable of clarity. Did he really see Emblem Zero or was he hallucinating? I think both theories are possible. As the only Elyso Emblem with a physical form, Alear might feel similar to Sombron's Emblem or they might be his Emblem.  Alear could have caused him to hallucinate for that reason. Sombron might have hallucinated in desperation. It is also possible that an Alear from another universe is the original hero who Emblem Zero is based on so typically Sombron does see a version of his Emblem in his final moments. 

[elysianstars]

Looking through Emblem bond conversations with the Fell Four, and picking out my favourites because why not?

Marth: You may show bravado, but you’re actually quite kind, aren’t you? Both in and out of battle.

Rafal: What?! That is laughably inaccurate. Though I will admit to making an effort of late.

Love that every time someone calls Rafal kind, his response is 'withdraw those false accusations immediately'.

Celica: Deep down, I know you possess a kind heart. Why do you not show it?

Rafal: What do you mean? My disposition is nothing short of sunny. Surely you agree.

He's figured out a new way to deal with it now.

Edelgard: When all of this is over, what do you plan to do?

Alear: Hmm… I think I’d like to take my time and travel the world. And also read and sleep a lot.

Highly relatable, but YOU HAVE SLEPT ENOUGH.

Celica: It’s no good to eat such acidic food all the time. You should try to round out your nutrition a bit.

Nel: I suppose if someone is going to mother me, it may as well be an ancient and ageless Emblem.

Emblems trying to make dragons stop eating such terrible foods, round one.

Veyle: Roy, look! I’ve never seen food this red before. I bet it’s super spicy and super delicious.

Roy: But, Veyle…the look, the smell, the burning! It does not look like it belongs in anyone’s mouth.

Round two!

Roy: An entire shaker, Nel? I can’t imagine any food needing that much salt.

Nel: It is a pity you will never be able to taste my gift to culinary advancement.

Round three!

Edelgard: I’ll admit, one thing about you does trouble me. The amount of sugar you put in your tea…

Rafal: The sweeter the better, Edelgard. I will brook no disagreement on this point.

Round four! There's a few others too, so I stopped at this point.

Alear: Your battle strategy is always so calm and logical. I should probably try to think that way…

Soren: We each have things we are and are not suited for. Calm rationale may not be yours.

Ouch.

Rafal: Am I cursed to have older sisters eternally fuss over me? Did I not tell you I am no child?

Micaiah: I’m sorry. I heard you were a little brother, and I was thinking you must have been very cute.

Micaiah, the woman who called Rafal cute and lived to tell the tale.

Veyle: Didn’t a Fell Dragon ravage your world? You must hate it when I’m around.

Lucina: Not at all. You look different. You act different. You are your own dragon, Veyle.

Fell Dragons feel awkward around Lucina, part one.

Lucina: Rafal, is it my imagination, or are you avoiding me? I thought we were a team after that battle.

Rafal: Your home was destroyed by a Fell Dragon. I, too, am a destroyer. You should avoid me.

Part two!

Nel: I hear you have a history with Fell Dragons. Do not feel obligated to socialize with me.

Lucina: I don’t feel obligated, Nel. I’d like to get to know you as a person, not just as a Fell Dragon.

Part three!

Lucina: Nel! As a token of our friendship, I’ve designed some clothing for you. Vander’s handiwork!

Nel: A large spicy pepper embroidered on the front. I suppose it does represent my preferences.

The follow-up. Since she mentioned Vander, I'm guessing it's a piece of knitting? Maybe a jumper?

Lyn: You look tired. If there’s something dragging you down, you can tell me. I’m a good listener.

Alear: I still hesitate sometimes in battle because I’m so inexperienced.

Alear: Then I second-guess myself afterward, thinking of all the things I should have done instead.

Lyn: Don’t worry about making mistakes. You have friends─and me─to guide you through them.

*grabs Alear by the shoulders* SWEETIE YOU ARE DOING AMAZING. Even when you're screwing up and getting yourself killed, you're still amazing. He says similar things in other conversations and I just. Can someone corporeal please give him a hug already?

Ike: Well, what do you think? Do I seem strong to you yet?

Rafal: I will admit your aid was helpful. Perhaps, of the two of us, we can say you are second strongest.

This is even funnier in context when you see them standing next to each other.

Rafal: You… You are quite the enigma. You fight so fiercely, yet appear so weak.

Eirika: Should I…take that as a compliment?

I don't think he knows whether it was a compliment either.

Alear: Oh, Professor! Sorry, I know I’m not one of your students. I just wanted to see how it felt.

Byleth: I don’t mind. It’s what most everyone called me, after all.

Alear is being cute and I can't handle it.

Byleth: Whatever you’re eating looks pretty tasty.

Rafal: An ally gave these to me. I was told that they were too sweet, but I find them perfect.

Byleth: Good to hear! Seeing you enjoy those reminds me of an old friend.

Rafal: We are having a conversation here. Reminisce on your own time.

Rafal has now become known as a repository for unwanted sweets. Also...did you not realise Byleth telling you that was part of the conversation. That's what was happening there. Sharpen those social skills, Rafal.

Corrin: I spent most of my youth cooped up in a castle. Everything felt fresh when I got to leave.

Alear: I can relate to that. It sounds like our circumstances aren’t so different.

I mean...if I had to pick the main similarity between you two, it would not be that. I'd probably go for the whole 'amnesia + reunited with my mother and then watched her die + evil dragon dad final boss' chain of events. Maybe that's just me though.

Corrin: I hear you risked your life for the sake of your brother. I did something very similar once.

Nel: Rafal is precious to me. I wanted to protect him. Above all, I wanted him to feel accepted.

I love you Nel.

Edelgard: You charge alone into battle far too frequently. I would urge you to think more of your allies.

Rafal: If you dislike me so intensely, then leave. No one is forcing you to deal with me.

Edelgard: That is not what I said. I am merely imploring you to consider some basic strategy.

Rafal: If my being alone in battle is your concern, then clearly your best course is to accompany me.

Love that Rafal's reaction to being told he's endangering himself is 'okay guess you hate me then'.

Nel: If it is all right with you, Tiki, I would like a hug.

Tiki: Of course! I feel so safe with you. I think the gentle hands had to be yours…

Nel: So you do recall my sending you to slumber. Well, I am glad you are back with us for good.

Wait, Emblems CAN give hugs now?

Tiki: I don’t remember you too much, but I feel like I’m safe with you for some reason!

Rafal: That is the wrong instinct to have. Nevertheless, I will endeavor to be kind to you from now on.

His line delivery is the best part of this. He's so absolutely done. Like, he was the source of the original problem, so he gets no right to complain, but he's still done. AND he'll keep knocking away accusations of kindness, even though he's just owned up to it here.

Veronica: I hear you spent a thousand years looking after your sister. I’m jealous of your relationship.

Rafal: You envy my atonement? My just punishment for crushing my sister’s heart?

Veronica: No, I envy the time you’ve had together. I may never see my brother again.

Rafal: If he left you, it must have been with some goal in mind. Trust in that, or find him and stop him.

Too late, Bruno's dead.

Camilla: You have such lovely hair. If only I was corporeal, I would love to brush it for you.

Alear: Oh, um… That’s very kind of you, but just the thought is enough for me.

Camilla no.

Camilla: You need a confidant, Rafal. Come, rest your head on my shoulder. Tell me everything.

Rafal: Ridiculous. Your shoulder is not even corporeal. Why are you looking at me like that?

Camilla NO.

Camilla: I’ve noticed you keep your friends at arm’s length, no matter how warmly they accept you.

Rafal: I caused my sister’s death. I all but destroyed an entire world. I am irredeemable.

Camilla: That’s not what your friends believe. Don’t you think you owe them a little bit of trust?

Rafal: You…do have a point. Thank you, Camilla. I will try to see the matter from their perspective.

Camilla yes actually, tell him how it is.

General Observations - Veyle asks most of the Emblems if they'll be friends with her, and it's adorable. Nel mentions a few times that she's been speaking too harshly to Alear, despite not meaning to. Rafal and Soren's conversations are a disappointment, the two meanest people in the army and they hardly say anything funny to each other.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

Concept for a Smash Bros Alear

Jabs, tilts, and grabs are based on the martial arts they get on promotion

Smashes use their sword (which stays sheathed when not being used for an attack)

Not sure if aerials would be martial arts or swords, maybe there wouldn’t be a hard rule about weapon type here

Specials are all based on engage attacks (Lodestar Rush for neutral, Override for side, Warp Ragnarok for up, Dark Inferno for down), and are performed using an associated engage weapon. The emblems themselves would not appear, because I feel like that would be really distracting and clutter up the screen, and also because I want Alear to be defined as themself and not as an FE multipack

Final Smash is a transformation into Emblem Alear, which gives increased mobility, armor on everything, and replaces all their moves with big particle effect-enhanced sword strikes, and finishes off with Dragon Blast (I consider this the least realistic part of the moveset because Sakurai seems to have developed an allergy to fun final smashes)

I think it would be cool, and I’m certain that annoying people will still call them a Marth clone

.

[genshingorlsrevengeance]

Can I please request Ivy, Goldmary, and Alear(because I always have to include Pepsi chan in my requests, you write her too well) with a faceless changeling S/O who's love language is turning into the character?

Like they love them so much, they feel the most comfortable as them. I think that'd be neat

(FE: Engage) Ivy, Goldmary, and Alear with a shapeshifting S/O

NGL I'd be freaked tf OUT if I saw that. And thank you for the kind words about Alear! When it comes to Fire Emblem characters, I feel obligated to make sure they're in-character as possible. It'd be an insult to my love for the series to do any less.

Ivy was startled when S/O first changed shapes right in front of her.

Truth be told, she felt she should be a little less surprised, considering what was in this world already. Gods, heroes from another world, magic.

Yet here she was, shocked by the fact there was a shapeshifter.

Ivy didn't mind S/O being a changeling, though she was curious as to what they looked like naturally.

What she did mind was the fact another Ivy was next to her as they were cuddling.

(Ivy) "...S/O."

(Ivy?) "Yes?"

(Ivy) "I...I understand that you're comfortable with me, to the point you are me...Um...How do I put this?"

The fact the other Ivy was tilting their head so curiously, something she would never do was throwing her completely off.

(Ivy) "It's strange. As if I'm staring into a mirror that is not mimicking my own actions."

(Ivy?) "Sorry, I can change if you wa-"

(Ivy) "No, please. I am quite flattered that you even want to turn into me it's...please keep this between us. I do not need Somniel screaming in terror from a second me."

(Ivy?) "Ha, alright."

She didn't mention it, but she also felt quite self conscious.

Was her chest that big...?

(Goldmary) "Why, it's no shock that you decided to transform into perfection!"

The other Goldmary began pouting.

(Goldmary?) "That is not why I changed into you, Goldmary..."

It was honestly a bit jarring for her doppleganger to sound exactly like her, but have their manner of speech to be completely off.

(Goldmary) "Who can blame you? I am quite beautiful!"

Goldmary becomes extremely happy whenever S/O transforms into her. Imitation is the greatest sign of flattery, after all!

And she had no idea she was so comfortable to snuggle into!

And so beautiful when she was smiling too!

Author's note: I can only write Goldmary admiring herself before an ego singularity forms and swallows this post whole, this whole bit goes on for a while, you get the idea.

(Alear) "Huh...that's what I look like?"

(Alear?) "Beautiful? Yes, yes you do look like that!"

Alear giggled sheepishly, her hand covering her mouth.

(Alear) "It's a little weird, hearing my own voice say that. But...thank you. Are you sure you're alright with this though?"

(Alear?) "Of course! I choose who I transform into, and I chose you for a reason!"

The other Alear gave her a peck on the cheek. While the gesture was quite affectionate and made her heart flutter, it was still really weird.

(Alear) "Thanks, it means a lot to me, and to you I'm sure. Someday, I want to see your true form, you know. That's who I love the most, after all."

The other Alear now shared her same blushing smile.

(Alear?) "Hah, you're such a smoothtalker...!"

Marth materialized next to the real Alear, eyeing the situation currently unfolding.

(Marth) "Wow, this is a confusing sight."

(Alear?) "You know who the real one is, right Marth?"

(Marth) "Yes, but it's like I'm seeing Alear speak into the mirror. Thank goodness she isn't actually like this by herself..."

(Alear) "Hah, I couldn't imagine...I am quite dashing though, don't you think me?"

(Alear?) "Why yes, yes you are!"

Marth playfully rolled his eyes as he disappeared, both Alear's laughing at their antics.

(Alear) "Oh! This should go without saying, but don't let Vander, Framme, or Clanne see us like this. I think they'd begin frothing at the mouth if they saw two of me."

(Alear?) "...Oh gods, I didn't even think of that. Where do we even go? People would be confused if they saw two Divine Dragons!"

(Alear) "...Maybe this isn't such a good idea."