#support: seteth

[heavy-draw]

alcohol cw /

seteth irons a calloused palm down his soot-speckled face. the upper half of his uniform is in tatters, whatever's left of it.

"... shamir. it pains me to ask, but i require assistance," he sighs, approaching the familiar figure from behind. "if you have some form of outerwear, perhaps a cloak or—"

and then the stench fills his nostrils, which scrunch posthaste. "hold on. just how much have you had to drink?"

"Huh?" Okay, that's not a voice she expected to hear creeping up on her when everything in her mind is moving at a snail's pace, but Shamir tries her hardest to appear somewhat put together. The sway on her feet and the red in her cheeks is enough to make all her efforts in vain, however, hooded eyes staring absolutely dumbfounded at.... Seteth? That's certainly his voice. Those are..... certainly his pecs. But it's so out of character for him to bare such beauty to the outside world. She thinks. There's a few moments of awkward silence that passes before she silently holds a drink out to him. "Too much, apparently-- no way I'm seein' you .... walkin' around without a shirt." Some words are slurred while others remain normal, and it seems there's no method to her madness. "But hey, the look suits you. I think more people would like you if you did it more often. I've got a jacket back at the bar, c'mon." An overly hearty slap to the shoulder follows, nearly knocking HERSELF over in the process. When she pulls her hand away, a few shreds of his uniform's remains are in her palm. "Weird fashion statement, but okay... Good to see you venturing out of your shell?"

[fellsparks]

[ SEVEN MINUTES IN HELL ] - A few people who saw the heaven closet shenanigans thought it was really funny, and so they spelled a different closet to play a bit of a prank on those who were expecting to be dragged into the other one. The difference? This one during the seven minutes over time starts to close in on you, forcing you to get up close and personal with the other person. Hope you’re not claustrophobic!

this is what happens when you let clowns man the boat. seteth reviles having his authority revoked by the wrong people; to have it challenged within the same night has him bristling more than just a smidge.

clowns. jesters! wicked little ones, masked and tittering about their inappropriate displays of affection, conspiring to trick him into one of these closets under the pretense of aiding his shutdown.

"you rambunctious lot will open this door at once!"  he bellows with a bang of his fist against wood, but receives no answer. in fact, the blow seems to bounce off with too much enthusiasm, locked door appearing marginally closer (?) than it had been before.  "do you hear me?!"

and if they don't, surely the looming presence behind him does. he hadn't even registered her under the cloak of darkness, having spun around to protest at the first sign of foul play. it was less that seteth had yet to notice the other at all, and more that the situation was too irksome for company to sit at the forefront of his mind.

Briefly, Nel had been confused as to why so many of the misfits had fallen silent upon Seteth's arrival-- even moreso when their laughter ended up with him stuffed into the nearest closet, Nel following close behind once she opened her mouth to make a protest. And now, with his futile attempts at breaking them free, the Fell Dragon can do nothing but heave a big sigh, even as the walls close in on them. "I would wager that they do, indeed hear you, judging by the giggling." The moment he spins, her arms remained crossed over her chest. Yet as she opens her mouth to make any sort of a suggestion, the entirety of the room rumbles and collapses, the walls closing in around them at a rather alarming pace as the sound of laughter only grows in volume. Her cheek is already pressed firmly against the plane of his chest, ruby eyes squeezed shut and silently thankful that she had the sense to turn her head before the walls started closing in on them. Despite her heels being dug into the floor beneath them, it does nothing to keep her from being slowly shoved in his direction. It's bad enough that he's a stranger. But there's a peculiar scent underneath it all that causes her to clench her jaw, knowing exactly what he is. It's impossible to not notice under these circumstances, when his MASSIVE BREASTS are IN HER FACE. His squawking and his attempts at escape are doing nothing to help the situation at hand.... and Nel lets out a snarl that sounds a bit more animalistic than she intends. "You," Her tone comes out low, albeit slightly muffled by the amount of SETETH in her face at the moment. "What have you gotten us into...?!" She thought it would be easy enough to survive, albeit uncomfortably... until the floor jerks underneath them, her legs nearly giving way as it does. The Fell Dragon falls forward further, hands frantically gripping at Seteth's arms as her face is pressed harder against his chest, a sputter of a curse coming out of her before it's muffled by the expanse of sinew that swallows her whole. Good heavens. At what point is this sheer greed and no longer a simple matter of a nice physique? No man should have this much. Surely. "Mmf..... mmgrhggh!" It's a poor attempt at snapping 'do something' at him, feeling as if the closet is practically forcing her to bend the knee. "Mmmffg.h...." This one sounds more like a sob than anything. And maybe it is!

[far-from-common]

"how are you finding the event, l'arachel?" it had since been some months, the last time seteth had approached her under similar circumstances.

a party, a platter, a place—though the last of these now differed from before—where rubble and class banners once hung, clear waters and sands lay as far as the eye could see.

"regrettably, we had to change the venue for this year's ethereal ball." after countless years of tradition. he shook his head with a small sigh, but raised his chin again all the same. he holds out a plate of some of the viscount's refreshments, offering any to l'arachel should she so wish to taste.

among the variety, too, were a few of his turtles in case they were asked of him��not edible, of course! "i hope you will be able to witness our next one when the monastery is restored to its full splendor. in the meantime, would you care for a treat or turtle?"

“Mister Seteth! I am finding it quite charming, thank you very much for asking. I hope your night has been going similarly splendid!” She gives a bright smile and a curtsy, happy to see him amidst the festivities. True, it may be part of his job, but he is still giving it his all and making sure people are comfortable. Quite admirable, she thinks!

“I suppose it is understandable.” She gives a nod. “It is a bit of a difficult situation to parse, I would suppose. I can imagine how novel and exciting a change of venue may be to a fair bit of people, but with how recently the land has been shaken up, normality would have probably also been appreciated. Still, I think the event has been going quite spectacularly so far.”

She happily takes a sandwich from the platter. “I shall be very much looking forward to next year’s Ethereal Ball. Witnessing the true beauty of the event amidst the historic halls, I would not miss it for anything, mister Seteth. And in the meantime, I shall happily take a turtle friend! The more the merrier, as they say!” She lets out a boisterous laugh as she takes a turtle from the plate.

“And since we are supposed to be sharing in the merriment during this event, a turtle for you as well, mister Seteth. May it carry on its back the wish for an even more grandiose ball next year.” She places her own turtle charm on the spot from which she had taken one of Seteth’s.

[kimikaami]

watching, waiting, worrying

for @ethereal-will

[obsmiechujek]

guess what I've been replaying

[randomnameless]

Why do the FEH devs insist on ignoring Nabatean lore so much?

I recently had a surprisingly cordial discussion on redshit with someone about the "nabateans = colonisers" take, and one of the main points raised was that the game was purposedly foggy around Nabateans/Sothis/their story because it would obviously favor a certain narrative (and thus make another narrative look, uh, not that marketable anymore).

To be honest, we still ended up with a product that had a lead go "this race and its blood* is the reason why the world sucks" and yet that lead is still marketable enough to have raunchy cipher cards and 5 FEH alts, so I actually wonder if, while pissing on that lore had that purpose, it was ultimately pointless since Supreme Leader can still sell goodies despite her incarnation in FE16.

And not only Supreme Leader - but the entirety of WC where we basically have 70% of the cast crying/complaining about their "mixed blood" or lack of and basically adding their 10 cents to the "this race and its blood is the reason why the world sucks".

I mean, can you imagine Sylvain selling any goodies and alts if Flayn replied to his "wah wah people only are kind to me and want to fuck me because I have Nabatean blood :(" by some uncharacteristic "good for you, I have to hide my ears, had to dye my hair, have to lie about my family because if the truth is found out about my identity, I will be hunted and vivisected like an animal and harvested for parts by people who call my kin abominations - just like what happens in the game where the same people who call my kin "abominations" ally with a classmate who calls me a creature and pretends I am incapable of human feelings based on my race".

FE Fodlan's main selling point is its cast of students, for various reasons, but even if I tried to kid myself, Nopes and FEH made it clears : students are the main selling point.

If you spare more time and attention to the Nabatean plot/lore, the students either grow from "likeable" to "despicable" or worse, you won't gaf about them because yeah sure, Hilda might be upset because people expect things from her due to her crust, but it would feel like a "peanut" compared to Seteth's irrational (granted, it's not so irrational since GW exists) fear that Flayn's newest friends would dissect her if they learnt she was a Nabatean, and being conflicted by finally letting her have human friends and form bonds she crave, or protect her due to the trauma from the genocide of their species.

Don't get me wrong, I love peanuts, I mean, not everyone can have a tragik of loaded backstory!

And yet, given how this verse's DNA is "can you fight against the red emperor who uwus about you", they had to add copious amounts of Earl Grey to their games so there's no clear-cut factions :

The "Your alien blood and its influence on the world corrupted it, so I want to reform it under my command" vs "I don't want to die and you oppose me due to my race and side with the people who genocided my kin"

is turned to :

"Your alien blood Crests and its your church's influence on the world corrupted it, so I want to reform it under my command"

"I don't want to die and you oppose me due to my race and side with the people who genocided my kin"

Sprinkle with the cast's hammering here and there that the "reforms" might be needed - but never develop on what they are - and add a few baseless and groundless takes as a toping (basically everything Claude says about tolerance and the general "isolationism/foreign policy" stuff) and you get FE Fodlan where the Red Emperor's war isn't seen as the catastrophe it is in the other entries from the series!

Now, for FEH...

FWIW, the F!F!Billy's trailer had them try to explain that Sothis was a bit pissed about her slaughtered/massacred children when Nopes never gave any reason about why she was pissed - maybe on Billy's behalf bcs Jerry's dead, but come on, she would indeed deserve the medal of the worst parent in the franchise if that was the case, since Billy can murder her daughter without Sothis taking over ! - but given that they cannot write/go against the source game those characters are from.

They tried a bit, with B!Supreme Leader and Hegemongard's FB, but then it stopped (because she had no "new unit" released since then lol) and I can understand why : Hegemongard came out before the Supreme Emblem, and Hegemongard hates dragons who are seen/perceived as gods by some of their human followers. Come FE17, and now Supreme Emblem accepts Alear because they are "one of the good ones". We can come up with HCs and details and talk about what are emblems or if Hegemongard's views were only hers at the end of AM all day long... But imo, Doylist wise, it still feels it's a retcon because the devs from the main games tried to scrap and remove the most "controversial" traits she had.

For the other characters... Well, you see what Marianne is in FEH (but even in her base games), she's one of the few characters who reacts - in a way - to the partial history about relics and demonic beasts and all... only to give sad uwus to Maurice.

FE16 (and Nopes) refused to have any "student" character react to the Nabatean lore/reveal, about what are relics and all. There are no lines, Claude shared some knowledge in the explore section of VW's last chapter, but we don't have anyone muse or think or even talk about what are relics, what are crests, and what kind of fuckery their ancestors or the ancient humans of Fodlan did.

With that in mind, FEH can't do much : either they write Marianne in a retcon-y way like what happened for Hegemongard (and they're not afraid to piss on characterisation, look at Lyon!), or they flanderise her "character" and develop her around 3 lines she had in the game in her paralogue, and continue to give sad uwus about Momo when he was at best a guy who slaughtered and murdered so much that he abused the Nabatean turned into a relic to the point where he turned in a demonic beast even if he had a matching crest, or at worst, had been part of Nemesis's piñata party in Zanado and was something of a genocider.

Tldr :

Why FE Fodlan never gaf about Nabateans : earl grey + the marketable cast has to stay marketable and you can't sell peanuts at the same price you'd sell swordfish

Why FEH dgaf about Nabatean lore : they can't afford to retcon characters + they have to sell peanut alts with the same seasoning they had in their base game.

For what it's worth though, I think FEH is more daring than the base game(s) given how they gave more lines and screentime to Rhea - through her different alts - than GW. And they even designed her Halloween!alt's lines to piss on some of Claude's assertions, while the various FB involving members of the church also - indirectly - reply to some accusations thrown their way in FE16 when, FE16, never gave them an opportunity or lines to explain that those takes were full of dung.

*"but random, maybe she doesn't know that the crests she often decries is "dragon blood"!"

It's highly debatable, especially given what she and Hubert throw to Billy in CF - but even if she doesn't, Doylist wise we still have a character who, knowingly or not, says "this race and its blood* is the reason why the world sucks" and who is never called out on her prejudice. That's more of an issue regarding the general writing though, she has to be a red emperor and took pages from Ashnard's book, and yet, the player must still feel bad and want to romance her, so her mindest/goal cannot be looked at too closely, because, I guess, even the devs thought it would be difficult to romance her (thus sell goodies!) if more light was shed on the "blood from this race corrupts our people" schtick -> which in turn would also make characters whose backstory and gimmick rely on "crying about crests" be way less likeable, thus marketable and able to sell goodies.

[axebois]

Let me tell you lads discovering that I'm fucking autistic + adhd in my 30s, getting therapy, reading books and learning shit, and then going on the internet to try and help other negative toxic nerds understand that expecting others to intuit your boundaries and expectations by osmosis and having a zero tolerance policy on people who disappoint you for any reason and waiting until you are outside the window of tolerance to say anything only to melt down explosively when your maladaptive coping mechanism eventually fails --

REALLY makes me appreciate the seteth/felix supports

lmfao

"From one autistic hard ass with high expectations for themself and others to another............ friends and connections and bonds between myself and other people are actually really valuable even when they disappoint me every day. Don't take hundreds of years to learn this like I did/kinda still am. You literally don't have that kind of time." - seteth to felix, basically

[yukyunotabibito]

Ah, so it was an alias then. That was to be expected. At least this poor man had some semblance of self perservation, to hide himself behind a fake name though he did not change his visage. Curious though. That he would change his name and nothing else about his person. She can't help but to wonder: why on earth that would be the case?

"Nasir is my real name, of course. I've never thought to betray the legacy of the name given to me by my parents. I could even tell you my surname, if you were to wish such a thing," She lets out a soft chuckle. There would be no reason for her to change her name anyway. She had only been running from Goldoa, not the entirety of Tellius. The people she met would change and fade day after day anyway, some remembering her name and others forgetting it entirely.

A name is not a secret she needs to keep. It never has been. It's not a secret she holds close to heart. Because there is no need for her to.

"Now then... why don't you tell me why you need to hide your identity so? I know in my homeland, there are many who are not favourable to our kind - be it dragons, or those of the bird and beast tribes. Is it perhaps something similar here in Fodlan? Or another reason entirely?"

How's That Aggro Ping Working Out for You?

[hapigairu]

Some Cyril appreciation featuring his mom:

[dubiousdisco]

ingrid, sweetie, i'm so sorry

[bucketofcrows]

how anyone could look at this man and feel anything less than insatiable lust is beyond me

[slanky-here]

not to drag too much haterism on main: i think 𝚏𝚎𝟹𝚑 needed to add jeopardy sections hosted by anna at the end of every chapter. the questions would be about basic events for that month to check players understanding if you pick the wrong answer, you lose support points with everyone (including NPCs). if you completely flop jeopardy for that month, anna gets to steal all of your funding for the next moon

[crevassier]

the door swings shut behind sylvain as soon as he enters the oddly empty classroom. the calloused palm spread across said door leads up a burly arm and to a pair of green daggers for eyes.

"sylvain."  is seteth's singular greeting—or perhaps it is a eulogy. perhaps it is an omen for all else to follow. because seteth sees and hears all. and what has most recently come to his knowledge does not make him a happy boy.

"a word."  seteth's hands join behind the small of his back. sylvain ought to start clasping his own hands as well. the older man slinks forward with easy, soundless steps, circling sylvain like a snake might coil its mark, circling sylvain like a vulture and not a hawk—because it is the vulture that comes for what is already dead.

"there have been unsavory reports of a certain scoundrel running about the monastery. bystanders attest that, under the ruse of holiday spirit, this fellow has been approaching young girls with impure intentions."  a cant of his head. the footsteps slow to a halt behind sylvain.  "might you know anything about him? he has caused many of these girls unacceptable volumes of grief. i should like to hear your opinion on what disciplinary measures i might mete out for our culprit."

“Seteth- woah, hey…”

Sylvain was well aware he had been roaming purely on borrowed time, that at any moment the consequences for his actions would catch up to him regardless of what he did or said- because that’s how it has always been, hardly a surprise for the red haired boy. This was a game he had been playing for most of his life by now, with or without the mistletoe, the shrub being just a convenient excuse he could use and abuse to his own delight.

However, even if retaliation was familiar and expected, it didn’t change the fact it was still able to knock him off his axis. If anything, if this had gone off as usual- a tearful girl trying to berate him, an angry brother or surprise boyfriend chasing him with a weapon in hand, a group of friends cornering him ready to beat him up, it would’ve been better. Take the beating, run away and hide, let the dust settle. Give it maybe a week and return to the playing field as if nothing happened.

Seteth’s wrath was one of the few things Sylvain wasn’t quite keen on dealing with. This was no upset nameless girl or run of the mill angry friend, this was a man perfectly capable of doing real damage to his future- and not the physical kind.

(Well, physical too if he really wanted.) 

Knowing Seteth, it was best to just put his cards on the table already.

“Look-” The heir of Gautier took a step away, one hand reaching up to scratch the back of his head as he looked around nervously. “I didn’t do anything to Flayn! I just asked for a kiss, but I didn’t actually make any moves towards her! She just threw some fish at me and left, and I didn’t pursue her any more!” As much as Sylvain naturally held disdain for most girls, Flayn was an exception. She was his sweet classmate, cute as a bug- he just wanted to tease her a little bit, but not actually hurt her in any way. "It was just for a joke..."

The corner of his lip pulled slightly, almost as if he held back a wince. “I’m well aware of those…disciplinary measures, I’m passing on the reminders, thanks…I promise I’m not going to approach her like that again. Just don’t cook me alive or anything.” Ingrid and Dimitri were probably already going to do that in the near future- perhaps even his father if word reaches him. Which it most likely will.

[mirkspices]

me, irl: i'll just focus on the present and enjoy life as it is. i'll miss out on right now if i plan ahead for later.

also me, starting my 12th playthrough of fe3h this year, addressing my party: alright gang, i have all your paths planned out and we're already behind! i have a list of the units to recruit to fill certain classes and get through the supports! i must save this golden apple for when i recruit the very-much-not-charming motherfucker that im going to make my dancer! (no what do you mean i don't have to make them my dancer, of course i do!) and yes of course i have a five year plan do you take me for a barbarian?

[archiepiscopus]

"Rhea," says Seteth in lieu of traditional greeting, approaching with bandages in his grasp. Even though he oversaw the battle—this time not by Rhea's side, but by his lonesome while she opted to compete—his duties as a cleric preceded very much actual spectating. He settles beside her as easily as any old friend, the Faith spells already brimming at his fingertips. "Welcome back. Now, you must indulge my curiosity: of all three houses, why did you opt to fight under the Lions' banner?"

Regalia once more adorned her body. Green locks were carefully brushed, whatever scuffs of dirt were quickly removed from the white of her dress, dull pain had subsided into distant calls that would at most bloom into small bruises hidden by clothing. At the top of her head sat the golden crown, intact and bright as ever, almost as if Rhea hadn’t stepped foot into the battlefield herself. Her work there was done, she had simply agreed to join the students to offer a boost of morale as well as to evaluate their performances herself, wishing to see and feel their progress so far.

That, and because a part of her did wish to join the festivities as well, in her own way. But The responsibilities of an Archbishop were quick to tug at her cape, urging her back to her usual position in watching over those remaining as the battle slowly approached its last beats as well as roaming the medical tents to ensure the wellbeing of those forced to retreat.

“Seteth.” Her smile showed itself before even turning to meet Seteth, gently lifting one hand at the offering of bandages. “I am not injured, worry not. The blows inflicted on me, while well calculated and firm, were not enough to cause me any discomfort. I thank you for your aid, however.” Flayn was not around, or at least Rhea failed to locate her, and so she could only assume Seteth was here for his usual duties- not too different from her own. 

At his question, a knowing look subtly reached her features. It wasn’t unexpected, she knew some would approach her about her decision one way or another- it wasn’t a problem. “The Holy Kingdom of Faerghus has always been diligent in swiftly offering aid to the Church of Seiros, look no further than the current situation in our hands. While we will surely repay them as soon as Garreg Mach returns to its glory, I thought it would be fitting as an act of gratitude to don the banner of the Blue Lions for this occasion.” Emerald pools left the field before them, glancing at Seteth by her side.

“Make no mistake, I am by no means encouraging acts of bribery. This is merely an act of sympathy in the aftermath of war, to instill hope in the people as well.” Stifling a short laugh with a hand gently brought to her lips, Rhea carefully eyed her old friend. “I assume you thought I would be joining the banner of the Black Eagles, am I correct?”

[raijintosworn]

i have something to ask of you, but only for 25 turns. afterwards, i wil🎲

kiss roulette ; not accepting 38 - A kiss while one party is carried

So, maybe they ought to stop serving alcohol at staff parties.

This is a faint thought that graces the back of Ryoma's mind after one too many glasses of something strong. But he's too tipsy to think much more about it.

He can't even explain what prompted this. It was a discussion of tales of old, of knights rescuing princesses from towers. And, of course, all one can do is demonstrate such a tale. He knows that scooping up a random woman would look terrible.

Scooping up Seteth? What's the worst he could do, fire Ryoma?

(Well, yes. But who cares?)

And what does one do with a rescued princess? Well, they get a kiss, of course! Ryoma kisses Seteth's cheek, as if this is something he does every day of his life.

It won't be until later that he realises just how much trouble he will be in.