#especially when Kusakihara didn't nuke Sonya's plot about finding a cure for her sisters in the previous game so...

[randomnameless]

Completely unrelated but -

(@lumeha your WIP made me think about the nonsense that is SS' final boss again with the crest stone shards lol)

I find it pretty irksome, but in a "this shows where our priorities are", that the only routes where the game lampshades how people turning in Crest Beasts is a tragedy in the post TS are the two BE routes, but not in the way we could "legitimately" expect.

Far from blaming Izuka for turning Laguz in Feral Ones, or Ashnard for using them, instead, the game puts emphasis on the Faerghan soldiers (especially Dedue!) who, in a bout of desperation to protect their land and loved ones from an invasion, turn to this "method" to fight, willingly risking everything to protect Faerghus.

Of course we can't ask Ashnard to give any fucks about Rajaion especially when, in this route, we hold his hand, but it's pretty telling that something that was seen as upsetting (and revolting?) in the Pre-TS, inflicted on unwilling participants, is now shown as a tragedy suffered by pretty much willing participants, who prefer to suffer through this than bow the knee.

The other instance - completely WTF of an instance may I add - is SS's finale, where it's revealed that Rhea apparently gave her blood and shards of her crest stone (???) to cardinals : when she goes berserk, it triggers their transformation in white beasts - who roam around to crit you protect her.

Again, we're not blaming Izuka for the entire feral ones nonsense, despite fighting him a few maps earlier, but this time, the transformation in a feral one happens out of nowhere, and is apparently a corollary to dragon degeneration (which, in this game and for the so-called first designed route, isn't even explained!).

The tragedy here is centered around Rhea, and somehow, minibosses spawn because they must - but doylist wise, the tragedy of their transformation is tied to the tragedy that led to Rhea's mental breakdown/suddenly going berserk (which will never be explained, with the 1 000 figs question of why Rhea is going berserk in SS, but not in VW or in AM...).

Basically, the games pushes a "isn't it so sad that those people are turned in demonic beasts" in CF and SS, when the transformations are either willing by people who want to protect their country, or unwilling as an unforeseen consequence of a dragon becoming berserk.

But as soon as Flamey's mask falls, the game completely drops the "isn't it so sad that those people are turned in demonic beasts because someone wants to weaponise them to conquer the continent?".

Pour one for Waldo and Baldi I guess, they're not Faerghans defending their country or cardinals becoming cray-cray because the plot demands it, so the Fodlan cast can never care about them :'(