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four-loose-screws · 4 years

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FE4 Suzuki Novelization Translation (Gen II) - Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 - Dark God Loptous

After the battle at Thracia Castle ended, Seliph gathered his entire army and said, "With this battle over, all of Thracia is free! But that does not mean the war is over here, because the children taken from here are still missing. When we safely save them, that will be the beginning of the end of the war in Thracia.

"We didn't come here to fight and defeat the Thracian dragon knights. We came to fight and save the people from the Loptr Church's oppression, as well as save the children from being sacrificed.

"Just because we've liberated Thracia, does not mean we can party, or rest. We must begin to march soon. To Miletos, to rescue the children. Then, we will go to Grannvale next, and topple the empire!"

After fighting one battle after another, the soldiers were all tired, but Seliph's speech put them in high spirits.

"To Miletos!" One person shouted, which soon turned into everyone shouting.

"To Miletos!"

Seliph had also grown over the past year. His position as the leader of the liberation army made him experience many times more worries, decisions, and orders than one living a normal life, but it had also outfitted him with charisma befitting of a leader.

The liberation army left Thracia Castle without taking much time to rest, then started marching towards the Miletos region right away.

The Miletos region (sandwiched between a portion of the sea surrounded by land) was located south of the empire, and was home to many cities that had built a great amount of wealth through trade. Those trade cities used the power of their wealth to avoid interference from the surrounding nations, and each possessed self governing rights like that of independent countries.

Peruluke was one such city. It was a northern port city located near the Thracian border. The land bridge that connected Grannvale and the Thracian Peninsula was extremely inconvenient for transporting goods, so Peruluke took advantage of that geographical situation and prided itself on how it flourished as a relay base for trade.

However, when the liberation army reached Peruluke after fighting a harsh battle, they couldn't believe their eyes. What lay before them was a far cry from a prosperous city. Instead, it looked like it was about to die. After just a few years of the empire and Loptr Church's rule, the most beautiful city on the isthmus had changed into a town that reeked of death.

The Thracian children were nowhere to be found. As they were the first children to be taken from Thracia, they were said by the Loptrian priests to all be "the finest treasures." Because of that, they were quickly taken to Queen Hilda's Chronos Castle.

Hilda was from Velthomer, the same house as the emperor, but she'd married Bloom of Friege and had two children with him. One was Ishtor, who'd been killed at Melgan Castle, and the other was Ishtar, Julius' beloved.

Hilda was so cruel by nature that it could be considered insanity. And it was only doubled when her husband and son were killed by the liberation army.

When the liberation army thought of what kind of fate awaited the Thracian children, they couldn't afford to relax in Peruluke. They quickly prepared for their next attack.

During their preparations, Julia went missing.

'Did she have some kind of premonition?' Seliph wondered.

As soon as they'd gained control of Peruluke, she had approached Seliph to talk to him, and he did not know the reason why, so he’d felt uneasy ever since.

'It's really unusual for her to be the one to start a conversation with me.'

Ever since Lewyn had entrusted Julia to him, as her guardian, he'd always taken special care of her. However, she did not take advantage of that. Especially ever since she'd learned that Lana loved him, it was apparent that she was always avoiding him on purpose.

But on the battlefield, she told a different story. Though she'd previously been a shaman, she could also use light magic. Seliph had given her an Aura spellbook he’d obtained during the battle in Isaach, and used it to fight bravely, killing countless enemies.

Seliph talked to Lewyn about what to do.

"Julia's gone missing!"

The always calm Lewyn looked unusually shaken up. "I see, that is a huge error on our part. We needed to be more careful. It seems we underestimated the enemy a bit."

"What's become of her?"

"She was kidnapped by the enemy. That's the only thing I can think of."

"But why?"

"I don't know why yet. But your mother Deirdre also went missing once. It was during the fight with King Chagall in Augustria. She'd just given birth to you, so she didn't participate in the battle. However, during a break in the fighting, she left the castle to meet with Sigurd. That was when she went missing.

"The next time I saw her was during the Battle of Belhalla. She appeared before us as King Azmur's granddaughter and Arvis' newly wedded wife. That makes you and Crown Prince Julius brothers from different fathers."

"Lewyn, I've always had this feeling. This feeling that you're hiding a lot from me. Please tell it me. Don't worry about my feelings. I want you to tell me everything you know."

"Yes, I was thinking that the time would soon come for me to tell you. It seems like this is perfect timing.

"Until now, I have emphasised the aspect of this war that is the people standing up against the tyranny of the empire and Loptr Church. That was because I wanted you, as the leader of this army, to think about the people. No matter how many Crusaders wielding Holy Weapons rise up, if you are not an ally to the people, you have no chance of winning.

“But when I heard your speech in Thracia recently, I felt that you now have all the qualities of a leader. So I think it's finally time for me to tell you about one more aspect of this: the Crusader's battle.

“I have traveled the world for over ten years in search of the truth about the Battle of Belhalla. What really caused it? I met more people that I could count, and scrutinized each and every record of the event I could find. I thought the profession of bard fit in perfectly with that goal, but I also occasionally changed my appearance. I have even disguised myself as a priest of the Loptr Church.

“That was how I discovered a huge secret."

And so, Lewyn began to tell a long story.

"This happened about three hundred fifty years ago.

“Galle, who would go on to become the founder of the Loptrian Empire, crossed the sea and traveled the world when he was young. His goal was to drink the blood of an ancient dragon of legend and gain power that humans could not possibly match.

"Nowadays, ancient dragons have become the products of our imaginations. No one has ever seen one. However, when Galle returned home from his journey, he possessed a mysterious power.

“Galle had been ambitious from the very beginning, and in Year 440 of the Gran Calendar, he said that he was the arrival of the one and only god Loptous, then founded the Loptr Church. After that, he used his mysterious powers to reform many young people, and created an evil army that did exactly as he told them to.

"Seven years later, his army caused a civil war within the Gran Republic. The world called it "The Rebellion of the Twelve Deadlords." In just half a year, the republic fell. And in the next year, they established the Loptrian Empire, with Archbishop Galle as its emperor. That was when Loptous transformed into a dark god.

"Loptous wanted the fresh blood of children. Those who resisted were killed without mercy. The "Tragedy of Miletos" and "Massacre of Edda" that we still pass down stories of now, are nothing more than particularly striking examples from that time.

"To the people, every single day was a living hell.

"Finally, they were unable to put up with it any longer, and in Year 535, Maira, of the imperial family, started a rebellion. Maria's rebellion was quickly suppressed, but after that, a liberation army rose up in every region, revolting to overthrow the empire.

“The liberation armies were defeated by the mighty imperial army, but where one was defeated, another rose up in its place, and the fighting continued on for a long time. Only the fighting itself could not be stopped. Then, the Miracle of Darna, which you've spoken of before, occurred.

"The gods that descended at that time knew that the chaos occurring on the Jugdralian continent was caused by powers those of the dragon tribes possess, and if they left things as they were, then the entire world would one day be controlled by dragons. To prevent that, they came from their other world.

“The gods took on human forms. For example, Light God Naga appeared as a young girl, and Fire God Salamander appeared as an old man. Next, they exchanged a blood pact with twelve warriors, meaning that they pricked their fingers, and gave their blood to the warriors. It was the same way that Galle hand received the ancient dragon's power. The twelve gods were actually dragons as well.

"The dragons gave the warriors their blood, as well as twelve weapons that had their powers sealed inside them. That is how the Twelve Crusaders were born.

"Loptous was the most evil of his tribe, one that possessed terrifying power. Only the Dragon King Naga could oppose him. And so, Naga gave Saint Heim, the leader of the liberation army, her blood, and the Book of Naga.

“After that, they passed on several warnings to the Crusaders, then left. The Twelve Crusaders combined their powers and finally defeated the emperor of the Loptrian Empire, who was Loptous current incarnation. Some were against the efforts to eradicate Loptous’ bloodline, as they questioned whether or not it was necessary to go so far as killing the children. However, they had no other options. One of Naga's warnings explained to them that Loptous could be revived.

“If a woman who'd inherited Loptous' blood birthed a boy and a girl with one of the descendants of the Twelve Crusaders, and their children then had a child of their own, Loptous would be reborn in that child. Fearing that possibility, the Crusaders killed every member of Loptous' family. However, one person managed to go undetected by the Crusaders.

“That person was a descendant of Maira, the one to start the rebellions. The emperor who suppressed the rebellion had massacred Maira's family, but a child he'd had with a commoner when he was young escaped. Maira had only spent one night with the mother, so he didn't know they'd had a child together. Because of that, the child was not treated as a member of the imperial family.

"One hundred years passed.

"Naga's warning was the "Hope of Resurrection" to the surviving followers of Loptous. Any of them that were found were burned at the stake. However, the priests could use magic, so some hid their identities, and served royals and the wealthy.

"Those mages searched tirelessly for a survivor of Loptous's family, and, in the end, they found a descendant of Maira. That lineage had birthed a daughter, whom the priests educated in the behavior and speech of a high-class woman, dressed in fine clothes, and sent to a place where she would be noticed by a man who'd descended from one of the Twelve Crusaders.

"Eventually, the woman, named Cigyun, caught the eye of Duke Velthomer. Though she did not wish to marry him, she had no choice but to do exactly as the mages told her to.

"That marriage resulted in the birth of Arvis.

"But later on, Grannvale's Prince Kurth sympathized with her plight, and the two developed a secret love. As soon Duke Velthomer discovered it, he felt he could not bear such a disgrace, and committed suicide.

"Meanwhile, Cigyun was terrified of the weight of her sins, and fled Velthomer. She was pregnant with Prince Kurth's child at that time. After returning to her home, the Verdane Forest, she gave birth to a daughter, who was your mother, Deirdre.

"The Loptrian priests searched frantically for Cigyun. However, by the time they figured out where she had been, she had already passed. That was when Deirdre and Sigurd were married, and had even already had you.

"However, the priests didn't give up there. Their only hope was in Loptous' revival.

“For that reason, they kidnapped Deirdre and erased her memory. The one to do that was probably Archbishop Manfroy. He had appeared when Arvis came of age. This is also just a guess, but Manfroy probably told Arvis that he has both Mage Warrior Fjalar and Loptous' blood, and once Arvis knew that, he likely feared that he would be burned at the stake. Of course, Manfroy undoubtedly also whispered in his ear sweet words of making him emperor if he'd cooperate with the Loptr Church.

“And so, Arvis fell in love with Deirdre at first sight. Then, he introduced her to King Azmur as his betrothed. The king took one look at her, and suspected that she might be a member of his family. When he had Deirdre take off her circlet, he saw the Holy Mark of a descendant of Saint Heim. He recognized her as his late son's daughter, and entrusted the country to them.

"That happened right before the Battle of Belhalla. Since three years prior to that, battles had occurred here and there across the continent, but it’s believed that those were also orchestrated by Manfroy from behind the scenes. There's no question that Manfroy's target was Arvis and Deirdre's child, and to end the bloodlines of the Crusaders before Loptous was reborn. And things went as he'd planned. When the Battle of Belhalla was over, the only surviving descendants were Arvis and Travant.

"Then, Julius, the child who was supposed to eventually become Loptous in the future, was born. The first half of Arvis rule was not a bad one, but recently, the Loptr Church's tyranny has become obvious, and I'm certain this is because Julius has grown and become powerful.

"Arvis and Deirdre had one more child, a daughter and Julius' twin. She should be, of course, Saint Heim's descendant, but no one has seen her at the palace in years, meaning she has gone missing. But she is actually Julia.

"She is your sister from another father.

"The only thing is, I do not know the reason why she was kidnapped.

“I know it has something to do with Loptous' rebirth, but how is Julia connected to that? She may be a descendant of a Crusader, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she was born with one of their powers. Julius should be the same. Has Loptous already been reborn within Julius, or has that not happened yet, and they need Julia for it? Or perhaps they are trying to round up all the Crusader’s descendants fighting with the liberation army, for something like the Battle of Belhalla. Is that why they kidnapped Julia, because their goal is simply to recreate that?

"That is what I do not know."

Lewyn's long story was finally finished.

There was so much to it, that Seliph didn't know what to say right away.

Just then, Lana walked into the room. "Am I interrupting something?"

"No, you're okay. Do you need something?" Seliph asked.

"A bard has asked if you'd like to listen to a poem about the Crusaders."

"I don't really want to hear it right now, but…"

"No, a bard is a person that always tells the truth. If he's come from afar, we absolutely should listen.” Lewyn said.

Lana led them to the bard, a blind old man. His clothing was not at all stylish like Lewyn's, and he had nothing but a kithara with him, making him easily mistakable for a beggar.

He clumsily bowed his head, then raised his kithara.

However, from the moment his fingers strummed the strings, and the first sound echoed into the air, the proof of his skill was undeniable. The first measure was powerful, the second was like something from a dream, and from the third onwards, he strummed a string of complex chords.

When the short prelude ended, he recited with a clear voice,

'Black Knight Hezul

Cut through the darkness with Demon Sword Mystletainn

Sword Saint Od

Swept away the darkness with Divine Blade Bulmung

Holy Warrior Baldr

Lit up the darkness with Holy Sword Tyrfing

And lastly, Saint Heim

Prayed to the heavens with the Book of Naga

The prayer turned into a light

Which turned into a white dragon

That challenged the black dragon to battle

The white dragon and the black dragon,

Light and darkness,

Fight a long battle that might never end

Will it end in victory?

Or in death?

I am not afraid

For even if our battle

Ends in defeat

The light we seek

Will never be lost

I believe

In those who will inherit our hearts

I believe

In those who will inherit our light.'

Seliph gave a huge round of applause for the bard's magnificent recitation of the poem.

The bard winked at Lewyn, then left the room.

"What's the matter, Lewyn? That was an amazing performance, wasn't it?"

Seliph looked at and asked Lewyn, who hadn't clapped, and spoke not a word, because he was lost in thought.

"I was a fool."

"Why? Why were you a fool?"

"The reason why Julia was kidnapped. It was obvious. She isn't necessary for Loptous’ revival. She's the opposite - she's an obstacle in their way, because she is the inheritor to the Book of Naga. Meaning she is the one who possesses the power to defeat Loptous. I fear that Loptous has already been revived, and he intends to kill her. Why did I not realize it sooner!?"

"What did you just say!? Then we must go save her right away!"

'Julia, please stay alive.' Seliph prayed. 'We'll come save you. Until then, please stay alive.'

#fire emblem #fe #fe4 #genealogy of the holy war #nintendo #super nintendo #snes #famicom #super famicom #seliph #japan #japanese #translation #novel #light novel #fe4 suzuki novelization translation

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koichanne · 5 years

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The Voice of My Nation: An Autobiography of Nicole Anne L. Tropia

I am Nicole Anne L. Tropia, and I was born on February 4, 2003, at Toran, Aparri, Cagayan. My parents are both Ilocano. My father, Allan B. Tropia, is from La Union while my Mother, Ferdiliza V. Lobendino, is from Cagayan Valley. Up until now, they are still not married, and when I ask them why, they would always tell that there is no need for that kind of thing. Recently, we didn't expect a blessing to come to our family. I had my sibling after 16 years, and her name is Allizah Jeanne L. Tropia. The reason why it took a long time for me to have a sibling is that I'm not really fond of having one. I remember telling my parents and other members of my family, "Magpapasagasa ako kapag nagkaroon ako ng kapatid." My family was cautious when they told me about the pregnancy of my mom because they thought that I meant what I said before.

My family and I are music lovers. We sang along to old CD's, vinyl, and cassette tapes that we have in the house. Collecting old records has always been my family's hobby. Going to different antique shops and record stores is how I bond and spend time with them for a day. Here we get to talk about artists in the past and their contribution to the music industry. A reason why I also love going to antique shops is because of its musty smell together with the vintage set-up and classical songs playing in the background.

Aside from my mother and father, I was also raised by my grandparents, whose love for me is as deep as the oceans. They are the ones who inspired me to serve and do something for my country like what they did. My grandfather from mother's side, Tatay Rogelio, is a retired Soldier, a Dentist, and a Barangay Councilor. At the same time, from my father's side, Lolo Pido is also a Barangay Councilor and a Farmer. For me, they are my heroes, and I am very proud of them for dedicating their whole life to serve the country and provide the needs of its people. If the sugar rush was a person, then I would be that for my grandparents would always tell me that I was a lively and energetic kid. Every morning they would invite me to go with them to the market, and I will always look for my "Darna" costume to wear. People in the market would always tell me, "Totoy, salaan da kami man mut!" meaning if I could dance for them. "Totoy" is a nickname of mine given to me by my family. They got it from Vhong Navarro's song "Totoy Bibo" which tells about a kid named Totoy who loves to dance in front of many people. Up until now, whenever I go home to our province, people would ask me “Ikaw na ba si Totoy? Dati sinasayawan mo lang kami.”

At the age of 3, I already started schooling at Pattao Day Care Center in Cagayan Valley. I was the top 1 of our class with an award for consistently being neat and clean. After finishing nursery and kinder in our province, my family and I moved to Metro Manila. Here, I studied at a public school near our house, which is Libis Elementary School. As a child, moving to a different place is quite tricky. I was not used to the surroundings and also the people. However, I found my way of adjusting with the help of my parents, especially my mom. She is supportive of me when I was a child. She would always push me to join different co-curricular activities in our school, whether it is dancing, singing, acting, modeling, drawing, and even cooking. Before, I also joined a gymnastics class in our school; however, after three years, I stopped because we had numerous practices.

Starting from 4th grade, teachers would always give me the lead role in our book parades. I was enjoying the opportunity given to me to show my talents until the 6th grade. The book given to our section is "The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." I was not expecting to get the lead role because, in the first place, my skin color is not light-toned, but still, my teacher chose me to play the role of Snow White. Some of my classmates bullied me because of that. Starting then, I lost my self-esteem and my interest in doing things. This event truly made a massive impact on my life.

As I remembered, my elementary days are also just full of games and stories with my friends. We spent our free time sitting under a tree and talking about our dreams or anything about ourselves. Before, being an only child is challenging because I don't have someone to play with and lean on to every day. Nevertheless, I never really felt alone because I have my friends with me. We usually stay at our house a lot of times and play Barbie's and Legos. Sometimes my mom would also invite them for a sleepover.

After graduating from elementary, I transferred to a private sectarian school in Quezon City, which is Stella Maris College. When I was in Junior High School, I became quiet and reserved. I wasn't able to show and enhance the talents that I had before. Stella Maris College is a school that I will never forget. Here, I met kind-hearted people. They welcomed me and treated me as a family. I didn't also excel in my academics until 9th grade. My friends, especially Angelica Lorenzana and Frances Lavinia Martin, have pushed me to study hard and do better in my academics. Since then, I became a consistent achiever. I can genuinely say that it is the most significant achievement that I had at that time.

I continued working hard for my academics, and I moved up from Junior High School. Now, I am a Senior High School student under the Humanities and Social Sciences strand still in Stella Maris College. Senior High School is a time for me to find again and establish my old self. I promised myself to not let any chance to walk out the door, so I joined an organization in our school called Nexus. This organization is responsible for documenting all the events within our campus. There, I slowly found my passion in the visual arts, such as photography and videography. In our subjects, I was also given the opportunity to showcase again my talents in performing arts. Being a HUMSS student has sincerely unleashed the creativity within me. I am now able to speak and perform in front of many people without being afraid.

In 11th grade, I became the top 7 of our batch. I am truly grateful for this milestone in my life. I have regained the confidence that I had before, and I have adequately expressed myself to other people. Now that I am in the 12th grade and an incoming college student, I have applied to various universities. First is my dream school, which is the Philippine Military Academy. However, I wasn't lucky enough to pass the exam. I felt disappointed with the results because it has been my dream ever since to be a soldier for my grandfather. I had a hard time moving on, but my friends and family made me feel better by telling me that I can always try again, and there are other ways I can do to help and serve my country. Aside from PMA, I also applied to other universities such as the University of the Philippines, University of Santo Tomas, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Saint Louise University in Baguio City with the course of BA Film and BA Psychology. At this point, I'm not sure where life will take me, but I believe that no matter where it is, I will always try hard and exert all my efforts to achieve all my dreams.

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x5red · 5 years

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Sixty fun & fascinating facts about the classic Supergirl (1 / 4)

Great guns! How time flies!

May 2019 will mark sixty years since the pages of Action Comics #252 carried its landmark tale: a crashed rocket ship in a Midvale field, and emerging from within, an enthusiastic young teenager who was destined to become one of Earth’s fiercest champions. That teenager was, of course, Kara Zor-El -- otherwise known as Supergirl..!

To celebrate the classic Kara Zor-El’s sixtieth anniversary, compiled below is part one of a series outlining sixty surprising or unusual facts about the original intrepid Argo City teen who leapt from that crumpled Midvale rocket ship. Covering her original Silver and Bronze Age incarnation, in comics and on screen, each factoid is calculated to intrigue and delight -- hopefully even seasoned Kara fans will find a few morsels of trivia that had previously escaped their attention.

Enjoy...

1. She wasn’t originally known as Kara Zor-El when she debuted in comics.

What’s in a name? Well not a lot, it seems, if you happen to be Kryptionian..!

Although everyone knows Supergirl’s real name is Kara Zor-El, the Maid of Might herself didn’t deem it worthy of a mention until Action Comics #288 (May 1962), three years after her introduction, when she innocently referenced her full moniker during a dream sequence. After that readers would need to wait another fifteen years(!) before she’d mention it again in Superman Family #177 (June 1976). Outside of these rare instances Kara was usually known as Kara of Argo City, or in very early comics simply just as Kara, her birthplace itself not having acquired a name until Action Comics #280 (Sep 1961).

2. 1984′s Supergirl wasn’t actually the first movie headlined by a superhero female.

Many movie buffs will list 1984′s Supergirl as the breakthrough release that finally saw women headline a movie in the superhero genre, but this is far from the truth.

Supergirl’s record is true, but only in the English-speaking world: there had already been numerous superhero movies in non-English markets centred around super-powered female crime fighters, most notably in the Philippines. The most popular Filipino superheroine, Darna, had already racked up no less than eleven movies by 1980, plus one guest appearance in another hero’s movie.

3. She once fell madly in love with a woman.

As incredible as it seems today, the straight-laced DC Comics of the 1960s once okayed a story in which the Maid of Might fell head-over-heels in love with a woman. It happened in Adventure Comics #384 (Sept 1969), and, as you might expect, the story had a few twists and turns before the true nature of Kara’s romance was revealed.

The short version is this: Kara uses computer dating to select a match suitable for a superwoman. The computer picks Volar, a male superhero from the deeply misogynistic planet of Torma (second planet of Star-Sun 447B, in case you want to pay a visit.) Kara travels to Torma and is smitten by Volar, but he seems reluctant to reciprocate her affections. Eventually the plot reveals its twist: due to Torma’s notorious chauvinism, Volar is actually a superheroine forced to masquerade as a superhero. ”I’m heading back to Earth – where I belong!”, exclaims a disappointed Girl of Steel, “I found out Volar was no hit – but a real miss!” (Ho ho!)

4. She’s a self-professed fan of Jazz.

Growing up in both Argo City and Midvale, Kara was probably exposed to a wide range of different musical styles -- but at the end of a long day saving the world, what kind of sounds did she like to relax to? The pages of Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #7 (May 1983) dropped readers a hint when Kara expressed a strong affinity towards Jazz music. Indeed in a later issue of that same series, it is while attending a free Jazz concert with friends in Chicago’s Grant Park that Kara first tangled with the super-villain Reactron (making his comicbook debut.)

5. She once packed in her superhero career to become a socialite and style-icon in Paris.

The mid-60s was an interesting time for DC Comics; a tipping point between the juvenile gimmick-driven hangover of the Golden Age, and the more mature storytelling style of the upcoming Bronze Age, as one generation of artists and writers slowly gave way to the next. Brave and the Bold #63 (Dec 1965) fell squarely into the former category with its outlandish story, Revolt of the Super-Chicks.

The tale begins with a restless Kara feeling unappreciated: the public see her as just a hero in a gaudy costume, ignoring the sophisticated woman inside. Much to the chagrin of Kal-El, Kara abandons her superhero-ing career and heads to the bright lights of Paris to live it up. Kal sends Wonder Woman to Paris to talk some sense into Kara (the first time the pair had shared an adventure, by the way), but Diana is likewise wooed by the socialite lifestyle and joins Kara in her nocturnal revelry. If it hadn’t been for the intervention of the villain Multi-Face, the pair might have still been in Paris now.

6. Producer Ilya Salkind regretted Helen Slater’s casting as Supergirl.

When Ilya Salkind took on the task of co-producing Superman-related movies in the mid 1970s, he’d argued against the wishes of both Warner Bros. and his producer father, Alexander, by suggesting that the title role not go to a Hollywood A-lister. Ilya followed exactly the same logic when it came time to cast 1984′s Supergirl, championing an unknown actor called Helen Slater over more bankable names such as Brooke Shields (favoured by his father.)

In an interview in 2000, however, Ilya seemed to have some regrets, telling Scott Michael Bosco on behalf of Digital Cinema, “[...] frankly, with hindsight I regret it. Brooke Shields would have – not made it a better movie, but perhaps a more commercial one. This I’m convinced. I think there would have been more men seeing the movie.” Commenting on how Slater’s screen presence was more Katherine Hepburn than Sophia Loren, Salkind noted, “What happened, I think, is that we lost a lot of the audience, the male audience. I think it was also because the girl was a little unattainable.”

7. One of her most iconic costumes was originally designed by a fan.

Supergirl has had a number of crime-fighting outfits over the decades, but two particularly stand out as being iconic: Helen Slater’s 1984 movie costume (plus its imitators, such as the post-Crisis Matrix costume and Melissa Benoist’s tv costume), and the 1970s hotpants outfit.

The Girl of Steel’s hotpants attire was a racy number that screamed 70s sexploitation at a volume only Kryptonian lungs could achieve: short shorts, a plunging V neckline, billowing sleeves, and a neck choker, all in the customary red, sky blue, and yellow. The design wasn’t something dreamt up by one of DC’s staff of artists, however. but taken from a sketch submitted by reader John Sposato of Edison, New Jersey. DC had used several fan submitted costume ideas during the early 1970s -- each outfit typically receiving one or two story outings -- but John’s submission was obviously so liked by DC artists that it eventually became her permanent costume for most of the 1970s.

8. She turned Streaky into a Super Cat by accident.

DC in the Silver Age prided itself on being a family-friendly brand, free from the squalor and depravity that had once graced the pages of some of its competitors, causing moral crusaders (armed with books written by Dr. Fredric Wertham) to brand the medium as a threat to the youth of America. Without the use of excessive violence to bring thrills and drama to its superhero comics, DC relied on gimmicks such as Kryptonite. Consequently, by the Silver Age, the stuff was everywhere(!)

With her keen practical mind, Kara decided (much to the condescending amusement of her cousin) to develop an alchemy that would neutralise the harmful effects of this ever burgeoning supply of Kryptonite (Action Comics #261, Feb 1960.) She failed, naturally, but the discarded end-product, labelled X-Kryptonite, ended up accidentally giving a local stray alley-cat super powers. And so Streaky the Super Cat was born -- entirely by accident..!

9. Lena Luthor wasn’t the only female Luthor family member giving her trouble.

The Luthor family has a long history of causing trouble for the Girl of Steel. Not only did Supergirl struggle to keep her secret identity from the telepathic Lena (Thorul) Luthor -- Lex’s little sister -- but Adventure Comics #397 (Sept 1970) saw the introduction of Lex’s scheming niece, Nasthalthia. Nasty, as she was known, joined Stanhope College with a determination to help Uncle Lex flush out which of Stanhope’s students was secretly Supergirl. Suspecting Linda Danvers from the start, Nasty even followed Linda when she graduated and moved to San Francisco to become a TV camerawoman. The pair would play a dangerous cat-and-mouse game throughout many early 1970s Supergirl tales, but Nasty never quite got the proof she needed to unmask the Maid of Might.

10. She was married when she died in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

A story published in Superman Vol. 1 #415 (Jan 1986) saw the Fortress of Solitude infiltrated by a mysterious visitor from a distant planet. Intent on stealing a memento of the recently deceased Kara, the handsome green-skinned thief named Salkor is quickly apprehended by Superman.

Salkor explains how he had found Supergirl drifting unconscious in space some two years previous. He had cured her of Kryptonite sickness, but she had been left with severe amnesia. In the days that followed Salkor and Kara drew close and entered into a quickie marriage, but not long after the marriage he awoke to find Kara missing -- her memory had presumably returned. Over the next two years Salkor slowly traced his bride back to Earth, but tragically he arrived just as news of her death was broadcast around the world.

11. Her creation was part of a strategy to boost DC’s flagging superhero comic sales.

Supergirl wasn’t created on a mere creative whim; the impetus behind her introduction was likely a long-term sales strategy DC Comics had been following since the mid-1950s. According to Gerard Jones in his book Men of Tomorrow, DC knew that the demographics for the Superman radio and television shows revealed a sizeable share of young girl audience members, and that market research showed that girls read their brother’s Superman and Batman comics (second hand!) DC therefore set out to entice young girls into buying their own superhero comics by introducing titles like Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane, and characters like Batwoman and Supergirl. Although some superheroines have been accused of being nothing more than eye-candy for the young male audience, Supergirl was introduced squarely to inspire young girls.

12. She could read your mind.

In Adventure Comics #397 (Sept 1970) Supergirl investigates a mystery girl found in a coma on the Stanhope College campus. As the anonymous patient lies motionless in a hospital bed, the Girl of Steel conveniently remembers that she has the ability to perform Vulcan mind-melds: ”I'll try to delve into her subconscious -- maybe I can learn something”. The trick reveals that the mystery girl was the victim of a black magic cult, causing Supergirl to infiltrate the group undercover (literally!) Strangely, although the Girl of Steel can read other people’s minds, she seemed very poor at reading her own, as she promptly forgets all about her mind-reading abilities after that single issue.

13. She always knew how to be popular.

When Kara from Argo City first landed on Earth, she took it upon herself to pick her own secret identity name. “While you were gone”, she tells her cousin, “I used my super-hearing and heard many Earth girls’ names! I thought of a good one for myself.” The name she chose, of course, was Linda.

It isn’t perhaps a surprise that her super-hearing fixated on that particular name, given that according to names registered with US Social Security, Linda was one of the most popular girls’ names in the 1950s, beginning the decade in the top slot, but dropping two places to third by the time Kara arrived on Earth in 1959. (Kara, by the way, was 935th on the girls list at the time that Ms. Zor-El crashed her rocket ship in Midvale.)

14. Her first appearance on television was in a 1962 comedy sketch, played by Carol Burnett.

In 1962 the Garry Moore Show featured a seven minute sketch lampooning the popular George Reeves Superman TV show -- the comedy gimmick being that instead of the Man of Steel, the sketch’s evildoers were pitted against the Maid of Might, played by comedian Carol Burnett. (A similar spoof by Lucille Ball a few years earlier doesn’t count, btw, as Lucy was playing Superman, not Supergirl.)

The madcap plot sees Carol dashing to and fro, frantically switching back and forth between her everyday clothes and her hero costume, while performing an array of ridiculous feats of strength. It is debatable whether this truly qualifies as a genuine Supergirl appearance, given the obvious Reeves inspiration, but Burnett’s 1962 version does use the Supergirl name and a reasonable facsimile of her 60s costume.

15. Her first proper appearance on television was in an advert, selling underwear!

Even if the 1962 Carol Burnett sketch is ruled out as not being canonical Kara, Supergirl’s late-70s underwear commercial qualifies without a shadow of a doubt. The short advert, for the kids brand Underroos, sees Supergirl, Spider-Woman, Wonder Woman, and even Batgirl, all extolling the virtues of wearing superheroine themed undergarments. Dating from sometime around 1978, the ad seems to be the first authorised on-screen appearance of Supergirl, meaning that the ad’s opening line, “Now Supergirl is on Underoos”, is the first spoken line uttered by any actress playing the Girl of Steel. (It is unknown who the lucky voice artist was.)

That’s all for part one -- hope you enjoyed it..! Check out part two (soon) for another fifteen fascinating factoids.

#supergirl #superhero #comics #dc #dccomics #superheroine #karazorel #kara zor-el #silver age #bronze age #streaky #superman #luthor

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ofstarsandvibranium · 6 years

Text

Costume Hunting

Fandom: Marvel

Pairing: Peter Parker x Filipina!Reader

As requested by anonymous: Maybe a Filipino!reader x Peter P where she’s struggling to find a perfect costume for Halloween due to the fact that there’s not many options for her due to the lack of Filipinas in movies, tv shows and books... I’ve always had this problem when Halloween comes around...

Filipina!Reader Inserts Masterlist

Halloween. You always dreaded the Halloween season. You loved trick or treating and going to Halloween parties. However, what you heavily disliked was dressing up. As a Filipino woman, you struggled finding the perfect costume for you. All of the costumes you would see from childhood up to now were for characters that were white with white skin and blue eyes. You definitely hated the fact that lack of Filipino representation in American media reflected this. So when Peter asked if you were going to MJ’s party, you declined.

“What? You’re not going?” he asked in surprise and disappointment.

You shook your head, “Yeah. Halloween...isn’t not really my thing. Unless, I can go without dressing up?”

Peter shook his head, “No, you gotta dress up! Y/N, come with me! Please?

“I’m sorry, Peter.” you closed your locker and turned to walk down the hall to class.

Peter followed you, “Hey, what’s goin’ on? There’s something else isn’t there?”

“Please, just let it be, Peter.”

He rushed to stand in front of you, “Y/N, c’mon. What’s this really about?”

You shrugged, “I don’t have a costume.”

“Then we’ll get one.”

You shook your head again, “No, you-you don’t get it.”

You tried to push passed him but he wouldn’t let you, “Then help me understand. I wanna help you, Y/N.”

You sighed and leaned against a set of lockers, “Being me, being a brown girl...there’s not a lot of costumes and characters that I can identify with. But you, you’re white and 98% of costumes out there are catered to White people. It’s not fair. I just-I just wish there were costumes for me, ya know?” you chuckled to yourself, “When I was little, I used to watch this show on the Filipino Channel. It was a show about a Filipino superhero named Darna. She’s like a mashup of Wonder Woman and Shazam. I wanted to be her for Halloween when I was once. But they don’t make costumes for people like us and I couldn’t make it myself.” you cleared your throat, “Anyway, that’s why I don’t really like Halloween all that much.” You pushed off the lockers and continued to head to your class leaving Peter behind.

You didn’t talk to Peter that much the following days. You were busy with school and extracurricular activities. But once in between classes, he came rushing up to you.

“Y/N!” he nearly ran you into a locker, “I have a surprise for you!” he held up a garment bag that was labelled Stark Industries.

“Uuuuhhh what?” You watched as Peter unzipped the bag to reveal to you your very own Darna costume, except it was a little less revealing, “No way! What?! How?! Why?! Peter?!”

He laughed, “I saw how upset you were the other day, so I talked to Mr. Stark about making you a costume.”

“How on Earth did you pay for this?”

He shrugged, “Perks of being an Avenger is free stuff from Mr. Stark. You like it?”

You pulled him by the collar of his shirt, pressing your lips to his, “I love it.” You giggled when you saw his wide eyes and reddening cheeks.

“G-Great. Awesome. So, uh, you’re going to the MJ’s Halloween party now, right?”

“Peter, I would love to go to the party with you.”

Aunt May had dropped you and Peter off at MJ’s house. You walked in hand in hand chuckling to yourself, “I still can’t belief you’re just wearing your Spiderman outfit.”

Peter shrugged, “No one’s really gonna think that I am Spiderman.”

“Hey, Spiderman! Looking good!” another guy dressed as Spiderman gave Peter a high-five.

Peter then looked at you, “See?”

“Oh my God. Are you kidding me?” Ned said as he approached you and Peter, “Peter!”

Your boyfriend just gave a nonchalant shrug, “No one suspects a thing.”

Ned then looked at you, “Sweet costume Y/N! Darna, right?”

You nodded profusely, “Yup! Costume by Stark himself.”

“Badass. Oh! MJ’s in the kitchen if you guys wanna see her.”

Peter gestured to the kitchen a few feet away, “Shall we, Darna?”

You hooked his arm around his, “We shall, Spiderman.”

#peter parker #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #peter parker x filipina!reader #filipina!reader #filipina reader

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feywildatheart · 5 years

Text

Oh Darna. I wish you were here, too. I wish I could have that hug. I don't know about legend, but-- Well. I won't argue with you about that. I may have your stubbornness, but you've had more years to hone it, and I can recognize arguments I won't win.

I don't feel like a legend. Shouldn't legends feel like they have the faintest idea of what they're doing? When does that start?

I am sorry to make you worry. I hated writing you about the balhannoth, because I knew how it would make you both fear for me. I'm trying to be better, and smarter, I am, I just don't know... how.

You will, I think, be glad to know that we've begun the process of increasing our supplies. We've left Haewood and come to the port city of Arstead, which is quite sizeable. We stopped in at a shop for spell components for Elyn, so she'll be able to cast Teleportation Circle, which she's recently learned, and while we were there I bought a potion of climbing, to have should the occasion arise that I find myself in need of climbing swiftly and well, since Elyn and Cloudleaper are both far better at it than I am, and we went to the Pack and Tack where Elyn perused their armor, but ultimately didn't find anything she liked enough to buy, and I bought a set of lockpicks. We spent a few days making our way into and then up through the sorceress's tower when we were down in the ruins, just before returning to Haewood, and within the tower we found a few doors barred to us by locks and with no means at all of circumventing them, so I-- Well, I'm sure you both recall those adventuring novels I took a fancy to after the first time you took me to Cadiz Beta, and wheedled with you until you bought me my LICD and the rest of the series so I wouldn't be left in suspense when we returned home. They were always picking locks in those books, and goodness knows I read and reread them enough to have them practically memorized. And I'm decently good with my hands, a bit steadier in a pinch than either Elyn or Cloudleaper at any rate, and so I thought, well, what was there to lose? And I borrowed a screwdriver from Elyn and, with her tools and her encouragement and those novels buoying me up, I made a go at seeing if I could work the lock open.

And, nenîth, you won't believe it but it worked! There were a few locked doors in the tower, all told, and I was able to get each of them open in turn. It must be because the locks were so very old, I'm sure, they must be simpler technology, less secure. In any case, though, I didn't suppose that using the wrong tool for the job was going to make me any better at it, so I bought the lockpicks while we were at the Pack and Tack, and got a recommendation from them about where I might find a bookstore likely to carry an instruction manual that I can learn from, and with a bit of luck and a great deal of practice, perhaps the next time we encounter a locked door -- ancient or otherwise -- I'll be able to make sure it doesn't stand in our way.

I'm going to try, anyway.

There was a compendium of monsters and beasts at the bookstore, too, that I set my eye on, and when I opened it up to see if it had anything about a balhannoth written there (no one we've spoken to, really, seems to have much more than a vague notion of what it actually is, and I envy them that, but it seemed like a decent litmus test to identify just how thorough and useful the compendium might be), Cloudleaper leaned over quicker than I could snatch the book away and wrote in it, just wrote right in it, something about balhannoths being a nightmare to fight, as though that's news to any of us at this point. I protested, and the store clerks were highly disapproving, and Cloudleaper declared she was going to buy it for me, to make it up to us both I think, so I let her.

After the bookstore, we headed across town to find a tanner whose name Elyn had been given, to see if they could make something of the dragon hide that we found in the balhannoth's lair, and Cloudleaper started wailing in the middle of the street, because -- honestly, I'm still not exactly sure what happened. Elyn and I managed to convince her to collapse onto Squirt's back, rather than there in the middle of the street, so we could get her to a park and try to figure out what was wrong, which seems to be that her friend Stormflight, from the monastery, wrote her and something about the letter made her realize that she's in love with him, which she seems to think is something utterly terrible.

I really don't understand her at all.

There didn't seem to be anything that we could do to try to console her, so Elyn distracted her by taking her off to find trousers and boots to replace the ones that have been a mess ever since we fought the balhannoth, and while they did that I excused myself to go find a decent tech shop.

It occurred to me at some point during the few days we spent in Haewood, after leaving the ruins, when we were all rejoicing in having LICD connection again, that we could almost certainly afford an upgrade there, too, and I thought-- well, Cloudleaper's always so upset when she doesn't have access to the internet and the stories she likes to read, and I thought I could buy her one, as a sort of a gesture, and an attempt to repair some of what's broken between us. And then she was so upset by Stormflight's letter, it seemed the right time to go and get it, and try to make her happy.

It wasn't terribly hard to find a decent tech shop, and the clerk there was very helpful, and in short order I left with three IICDs, one for each of us, and with special access on Cloudleaper's to science databases, and on Elyn's to ones for music and history, and on mine to a beastiary, to hopefully keep us better informed about the things we might be finding ourselves facing.

Elyn and Cloudleaper weren't at the shop where I'd left them when I came back, but I managed to find them, wandering about in search of a tech shop themselves, it turned out. I gave Cloudleaper her IICD, and-- oh, Darna, she's so effusive! I don't think I'm particularly reserved when it comes to affection, but Cloudleaper's is always so overwhelming! Maybe it's only because she's twice my size that I'm so easily overwhelmed.

In any case, she sobbed, which was very concerning and the opposite of what I'd hoped to accomplish, and then she snatched me up in her arms and squeezed all the breath out of me, and when she finally set me down I gave Elyn hers, who looked very startled by it -- as though I'd have bought such a thing for Cloudleaper but left her empty-handed!

Once Cloudleaper had recovered, they mentioned their search for a tech shop, and I was going to show them to mine until Cloudleaper got that look in her eye that she sometimes gets and started being all insistent about how I hadn't paid more than fifty gold for it, had I? And, well, I was perfectly capable of affording what they cost, and I don't in any way feel that the price was unfair, but it was definitely more than fifty gold, and I just had a vision of Cloudleaper storming into the shop and terrorizing that poor clerk who had been so helpful to me, so I changed my mind about that right quick, and then Elyn reminded us about our plans to find the tanner Balla, so we headed off in that direction.

Balla was very kind and helpful, though his eyes about popped out of his head when I pulled the dragon hide out of our bag. He seems to know what he's about, though, and said that he could make a set of armor from it, and that the properties of the hide would likely give its wearer some extra protections against dragons. Elyn and I have both been feeling a need for a little bit more protection than we have, especially after that balhannoth, so it was a little disappointing to learn that there was only enough material for him to fashion one set of armor, but Elyn and I are close enough in size, at least, so we commissioned him to tan the hide and make a set of studded armor from it, in dimension that would fit either of us, and I suppose once it's finished Elyn and I can argue over who it belongs to. I'm inclined to insist that she takes it, since I have my cloak to help protect me and also it's really imperative to all of us that she stays on her feet, since she's the one with the healing magic. I think she's as inclined to shove it at me, though, she's always saying that it's important that I stay on my feet, because I have the wand of healing and can get her back on hers if need be. So, we'll have to see how that goes once it's finished, and perhaps in the meantime as we continue our shopping, she or I will find some other set of armor that we fall in love with, and the debate will be moot.

We decided to find a bank after that, so we could unload some of the considerable amount of loose coins in the bag of holding and put them into our account, but as we were walking Elyn heard music playing somewhere nearby, and so of course we had to make a detour to find its source. We met a pair of dwarven cousins who were busking, one playing the harp while the other sang, and after we'd watched for a while and Elyn struck up a conversation, they invited her to join them, and seemed to appreciate both her own harp and her gloves very much. They played a song from their home planet about the creation of the Ollamh Harp, and it was incredibly lovely.

Eventually Elyn said that we should leave before the bank closed for the day, though it was obvious she'd have stayed longer if she could, and neither Cloudleaper or I were rushing her away. But off we went, and took up some poor teller's time as we dug all nine thousand coins out, one handful at a time.

Cloudleaper and I got into a little bit of an argument then -- well, it wasn't heated, so I suppose it was more of a debate. But she started talking about how we should be investing our money, so that it earns interest and we can have more money, and ... I just can't fathom the purpose of that. We have so much already! What's the point of acquiring it for its own sake? She was talking about investing it in the sorts of places that wouldn't let us have access to it for years, and what if we need it? And when I protested she started demanding, what if I get hurt and I need it for my medical bills, what if I die and it's needed for funeral costs. I pointed out that there are temples dedicated to healing those in need of it, and that our funds would be better used in service to keeping us alive than squirreled away in event of our death, but Cloudleaper didn't much seem to hear me about any of that, and she was just getting more agitated and the conversation was just going in circles, so I said that she could do whatever she liked with her portion of the money, and left it at that.

I don't know, I don't think your or Cylla will agree with me, considering what you said in your letter about managing our money. It's not that I'm opposed to the idea entirely, but I need a better reason for it. Elyn mentioned saving up for a college fund for the kids, and that's a reason I can get behind, but I don't care about acquiring money just for the sake of having it. And we're already doing that, aren't we? If the balance in our party funds is anything to judge by, we're already acquiring money faster than we can spend it.

Anyway. Elyn cut through the argument by suggesting that we all go get dinner and talk about Stormflight's letter, if Cloudleaper felt like talking about it, and to my considerable surprise she did. So off we went, and what followed was a very bewildering conversation, in which Cloudleaper said with one breath that she loves him, and with the next that she'll never say so because she doesn't deserve to be happy, which is such bullshit. Even I, who has spent much of our time together unhappy with her and thinking she disliked me, wouldn't have ever said that she didn't deserve to be happy. We tried to gently encourage her to see that, Elyn and I, and I asked if that was why she'd cried when I'd given her the IICD, because I'd gotten it for her specifically to try to make her happy, and I told her she could give it back if she didn't want it (I didn't really think she'd take me up on that, not considering how delighted she'd been by it when I gave it to her), and she snatched me up again and squeezed me again and started going on about how I was hers now and she would fight to the death for me (I pointed out, with what breath I could manage, that she's already done that, she's killed lots of things for me and Elyn both).

I still don't know what to make of her. I think I've given up on ever knowing what to make of her. She talked in such a matter-of-fact manner about not deserving to be happy, like it was a simple and undisputed fact, like the speed of light or the force of gravity. And then she started talking about leaving like the one thing followed from the other, and only Elyn pointing out that the two of us will definitely die without her stopped that particular line of conversation.

In any case, at least now we all have our IICDs, and magical necromancer towers notwithstanding, should find ourselves much less likely to be out of signal range and out of contact than we so far have, which I hope will be a relief to you both. And we've made a start to better equipping ourselves, at least, and once we decide on where to go next we will hopefully be able to make some further progress on that. I wrote to Marsa, asking if she knew of where might be a good place to go to find magical supplies, and she suggested a few options that we've yet to decide between. She mentioned Sumula Station as one, and I think Elyn and I would both be glad for an excuse to go catch up with Biza, but there are a few others she listed as well, and we're thinking we might reach out to the adventuring guild for guidance on where to start. We've certainly the funds to take teleportation circles from one to the next if we felt the need to shop widely, though.

I'll write you both once I know where we're heading, or if anything exciting happens in the meantime -- though I certainly hope it doesn't, I think we've all three had our fill of excitement for at least a little while. I'd like to at least get our shopping done and the lot of us a little better equipped, before the next excitement finds us.

I love you both, more than my letters can ever convey.

Maliah

#in character #in character: letters #episode 72

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nadineresearchdesign · 2 years

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Week 7 SDL

Bulletpoints

Wonder Woman, feminist Icon? Queer icon? No, love icon

Article by Phil Jimenez 2018

The American Wartime Propaganda During World War II: How Comic Books Sold the War. 2019

https://librarysearch.aut.ac.nz/vufind/EdsRecord/edo,138583516

The Philippine "Komiks": Text as Containment 1997

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Questions for da: Interview with my dad

What was your favourite comic growing up? Filipino komiks- Darna but I forgot the story line. This was a long time ago. I’m not sure if I read it but I used to watch the tv series back in the Philippines. I remember one other comic but it wasn’t superhero related - it was more drama based. I was a kid back then so I don’t remember but that was what our source of entertainment back then. We mostly just play outside -“harangan at taga” (street games)

How much were comics back then? 2 pesos ata or 1 peso. I forgot. There weren’t computers back then.

Do you know much about what happened in WWII? No but my grandmas told me that the “hapon” (Japanese military) would take the women from our streets then they would use them for "comfort" and they would behead the women’s heads and parade them on the street to scare the people away. But I’m sure you can find stuff about this on google.

What did you learn from nanay? This is what lola said. (Referring to the question above) Your lola (grandma) told me about it you can ask her more because she was alive during that time.

What was it like living in the Philippines in the 70’s - I was just a kid back then; that’s when I was a baby. The houses were minimal and small back then. There was a lot of trees and we were still able to swim at the streams because the water was still clean back then. If you wanted a fruit you could just climb a tree. We would have Picnics at the rice Fields. When the 80’s came the pollution started to become worse “ligo kami sa ilog” “laro sa daan”

What was rhe comic trend back then? I forgot but I’m trying to remember because we used to read a lot when we went out at the rice fields

Did you read? Yes “tinanong mo na yan” Comics nga. Ah! I read horror comics back then but I forgot the names. I would always follow along the story of those types of comics. But when I became I Christian I gradually stopped reading because there was a lot of activities to do . When I was 7 your grandpa would leave me alone so I’d go play with my cousins outside on the street “sulok”

Reflection #1

After having a chat with my dad I found out a lot about his life back then even though he had trouble remembering the tiny details. He wasn't born in the 40's but my grandma was so he told me the stories that my grandma talked to him about. It was disturbing to hear about and heartbreaking. The info on the comfort women that were killed could help me to research bigger topics like feminism and women empowerment which is seen in Filipino Komiks. Some things I found out about my era of choice was that comics were cheap back then and that there are a lot of details about what the Japanese Empire did that didn't make it on the web.

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This is the Philippines in the 1940s before WW2 - Panda Classic TV

This documentary film is made by the U.S. Army for the trainees going to the Philippines. It showcases how the Philippines was a Modern and Civilised Society before the war.

Reflection #2

This documentary shows the perspective of the Americans towards the Philippines back then. Calling it an "American City." - stating it as if the Philippines belonged to them. This piece of information and the documentary itself relates to my topic of Americanization in the Philippines through comics because it tells me not only what my country used to be like before the war but how other people's perspectives were like towards my country.

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babae-sa-tabi-ng-balete-tree · 4 years

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2021_02_22

Have you ever felt used? Abused? Unhappy? Burnt out? Have you ever felt like you just want to hide under your blanket and sleep while the world revolves around you? Have you ever wondered how bears feel after waking up from hibernating? Have you ever wondered why you feel disheartened from time to time? Yung tipong kaunting kibot, masama na agad loob mo, or naiiba na agad ang timpla mo? Unreasonable emotions, ganon…

They say each person has a different coping mechanism. Some are adaptable to any situation shifts, and some find even a slight movement very difficult to deal with. I am somewhere near the latter. Oversensitivity has always been a problem. Low self-esteem, accompanied by unplanned situations make it real hard for me to be stable emotionally. I have always been stubborn. May sarili akong trip sa buhay na mahirap intindihin ng iba. Ang dami na kasing nangyari. Adventurous kase ako eh.

I have had numerous ups and down for the past decades. I have learned to deal with it. Most of the time, I take a quick break from everything. A day or two alone in my room, reading a good book, watching kdramas, or even doing my favorite 3D puzzles would reset me, but sometimes, none would work. Constant tired feeling and laziness would always cripple me, but time would still pass and I will just wake up one day like nothing happened. Normal. Weirdly normal. Frighteningly normal.

Ang hirap ko tuloy maintindihan. Sabi ko din naman, Paano nyo ako maiintindihan eh hindi ko rin nga maintindihan ang sarili ko. Parang trumpo. Parang isang katawang-lupa na nasaniban ng espirito ni Tazmanian Devil. Parang ipo-ipo. Minsan din, parang tulog na bulkan… Hindi malaman kung kailan sasabog. Nakakatakot…

This essay would probably be a pep talk. Why? I am currently convincing myself not to crawl under that blanket. I want to keep calm and shout: Hindi Po Ako Si Darna! Feeling ko, member ako ng isang girl group, kaso ako lang mag-isa yung member, kaya para magwork, kailangan, ako yung lead vocal, backup vocal, main dancer, backup dancer, rapper, at cheerer! Nakakawala ng ngiti sa labi… Hasyt… lilipas din to… bukas okay na ulit ako. Aja! Hwaiting!

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lehdenlaulu · 9 months

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Not mentioning the series name to avoid spoilers (though will gladly tell if asked, since I absolutely want to recommend it!), but this UF series I'm reading right now is just hitting so many marks for me, mostly for deftly sidestepping most of the worst UF clichés, but also:

Enemies to reluctant allies slowly evolving into a devoted 'Queen and her Knight' dynamic in an absolutely deliciously entertaining UST-y slow burn?

Oh hell yeah. *chef's kiss*

#Darna reads #honestly this is such a rare treat for me #Darna talks books

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gethealthy18-blog · 5 years

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Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya: 27 Years Of LGBTQ Pride

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/getting-healthy/getting-healthy-women/pyaar-kiya-toh-darna-kya-27-years-of-lgbtq-pride/

Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya: 27 Years Of LGBTQ Pride

Saumya Gaur Hyderabd040-395603080 June 28, 2019

Love knows no bounds — this thought, while deeply philosophical and poignant, is also quite removed from reality. For the world which we inhabit, this abstract idea of love is chained and governed by cold, material reality. The reality of class, caste, religion, and yes, gender too.

But the heart wants what it wants, right?

The month of June is celebrated as the Pride Month in the memory of the Stonewall Riots that took place in New York, USA, in June 1969. These riots sprung from a spontaneous act of rebellion against the systemic harassment of the members of the gay, and lesbian community, by the police. Till then, the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community remained divided into factions and lived in relative obscurity. But these riots helped them unite as a cohesive unit and thus, was born the active current of LGBTQ activism (where Q stands for queer). In many official and unofficial historical accounts of the LGBTQ movement, this moment is seen as the one where the gay and lesbian community gained a political identity (1).

thestonewallinn / Instagram

This alternative bit of history is still a part of mainstream considering it happened in a developed nation, but what about the 2nd most populous nation in the world, India? As we mark the end of the Pride Month, let us take a look at India’s own coming out of the closet.

India’s Rainbow: Existing In The Imaginative

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Since the early days of the Indian society, ordinary Indian citizens who identified as homosexuals or those who acknowledged them to exist, tried their best to remain in the shadows, but every now and then, they would venture into the collective imagination through a mention in books, or poetry.

In 1942, the publication of Urdu writer Ismat Chughtai’s short story, Lihaaf, led to an obscenity trial wherein Chughtai was asked to apologize for her depiction of a relationship between two women as seen through the eyes of a young girl (2). Though she did end up winning the case, the story made her (in) famous as a provocative writer of corrupt books.

micandmanch / Instagram

From then, till the early 90s, depictions of homosexuality were attempted by a few brave writers, still the society at large remained uncomfortable talking about the issue, branding it immoral and corrupt (3).

The Opening Of The Closet

feminismismagic / Instagram

India’s own Stonewall moment came almost two decades after the original one. On August 11, 1992, a few protesters from an organization called AIDS Bhedbhav Virodhi Andolan, (ABVA), decided to block the entrance of Police Headquarters in Delhi to protest the arrest of several men on the suspicion of homosexuality (4).

The organization also laid the foundation for the repeal of the outmoded Section 377, which punished anyone who had voluntary carnal intercourse against the order of man with any man, woman, or animal.

Not only was this law used as a tool to oppress and terrorize members of the LGBTQ community, but its archaic phrasing also rendered certain sexual acts between consenting heteronormative couples as illegal! Needless to say, it had no place in modern India.

In 2001, the NGO Naz Foundation filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Delhi High Court to make homosexual intercourse legal. After a prolonged legal battle of 8 years, in 2009, Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexual acts, terming the section 377 as violative of the basic rights as given in the Constitution, but this decision was overruled by the Supreme Court in 2013 (5). Finally, after a number of walk-backs and debates on the constitutionality of the law, the Supreme Court finally legalized homosexual acts by partially striking down section 377, in September 2018 (6).

bhopalpride / Instagram

Though the credit for this landmark victory goes to these foundations, and a few eminent private citizens who mobilized support to fight the good fight, one can’t ignore those countless ordinary individuals who braved moral policing and contempt of the society by participating in freedom marches and pride parades. India’s first pride parade was held as early as 1999, in Kolkata, when 15 LGBTQ activists took part in Kolkata Friendship Walk (7). This tradition was adopted by other cities of the country which soon went on to host their own Pride parades.

Abolition Of Article 377: Towards A More Inclusive Future

officialhumansofbombay / Instagram

Though its neighbors like Taiwan have taken more radical steps such as legalizing same-sex marriage, India’s still testing the waters. But one thing is sure, the change is coming and for a lot of members of the LGBTQ community, there’s a rainbow at the end of the tunnel.

This can be evident from the fact that public personages like the athlete Duttee Chand, had no inhibition in announcing her sexual orientation to the world. And why would she, when she had such a strong community to support her (8).

More and more, acceptance is becoming the norm. It’s true that society fears what it does not understand, and now, the Indian society is collectively making an effort to understand its much-maligned faction. Stories of individuals who were accepted by their families, who are encouraged to be themselves unapologetically are increasing in numbers. Social media projects like Humans of Bombay are replete with them.

Popular media too has left behind its crude, mocking ways and is trying to portray the rich inner life of this section of the society without reducing them to cruel stereotypes.

It wouldn’t be right to say that everyone is free to love in this, post-377 India, but yes, they are no longer deemed criminals for loving someone who is of the same sex.

So, yes, with each passing day, India is surely but certainly making its way out of the closet.

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Source: https://www.stylecraze.com/trending/twenty-seven-years-of-lgbtq-pride/

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thegloober · 6 years

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ABS-CBN STUDIO EXPERIENCE TRINOMA: Guide for First-Timers

Here’s our travel guide to the new ABS-CBN Studio Experience in Trinoma which covers prices, top attractions, and opening hours! This is perfect for families and friends. It’s also a great choice for venue for team-building!

Filipinos love watching television. That’s for sure. Many of us won’t give a damn if we miss a get-together with friends but would die if we miss an episode of our favorite reality shows. We may not know much about our friends and partners, but we know everything about our most-followed celebrities and characters. We may have trouble memorizing our lessons at school, but we know by heart all the most unforgettable teleserye lines.

I’m lucky to be part of the TV industry in my past life (LOL). I previously worked as a member of a production design team servicing ABS-CBN shows and Star Cinema projects before becoming a full-time travel blogger. But gosh, back then, there was never a family or school reunion where I wouldn’t receive comments like, “Ipasok mo naman ako sa Showtime!”

Our collective fascination with showbiz make us wonder what it feels like to be a contestant in a game shows or to audition in front of celebrity judges or simply to rub elbows with our favorite singers, actors, and hosts.

Well, you can stop wondering now. Now, you can enjoy being part of all the fun and action even just for a day at ABS-CBN Studio Experience!

WHAT’S COVERED IN THIS GUIDE?

It’s an interactive indoor mini-theme park where you get to experience what it is like to be on your favorite TV show. It features some of the network’s most popular programs like The Voice, Minute to Win It, Pinoy Big Brother, ASAP, and Showtime.

It’s not a studio tour because these are not the actual taping locations. That’s what I thought at first too. But it’s more like a collection of set replicas in one place. It’s genius, actually. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

The Studio opened last September 2018. It’s located on the 4th floor of Trinoma in Quezon City.

Additional facts about ABS-CBN Studio Experience (Studio XP):

Operating Hours. 12:00 NN – 8:30 PM (Weekdays); 10:00 AM – 8:30 PM (Weekends). Note: These are the usual operation hours, but time may vary depending on the date.

Themed Areas. This 1,400 square meters studio city is divided into three areas — Reality, Fantasy, and Retail.

Production Staff. The term used for ABS-CBN Studio XP employees.

Official Website. ABS-CBN Studio Experience

ABS-CBN Studio Experience is located on the 4th floor of Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. Trinoma is directly connected to MRT North Avenue Station, so you can just take the MRT to get there.

Any day is the best time to visit! Normally it is less crowded during the weekdays compared to the weekends, when most people have no work and just spend time with family. If you want to experience everything, it’s ideal to go during the weekdays. But you can still experience them during the weekends if you come early as it would only take you an estimated time of two and a half hours to experience everything.

There’s actually a screen at the ticketing booth showing the day’s shifts and how many slots are still available. The amusement park will be controlling the foot traffic to ensure that everyone will make the most of the place, the time, and the money they spent.

The admission ticket for Studio XP is called XPass. There are two types of XPass — XPass Prime and XPass Lite. XPass Prime allows access to all attractions except for Star Catcher and #Starsnaps, while XPass Lite allows access to all attractions except Star Catcher, #Starsnaps, and Kapamilya Theater.

The XPass is like a reloadable tap/touch card. It’s like your Studio XP lifetime I.D. It works just like the Beep Cards. Keep it with you at all times. Here are the rates:

XPass Prime: P375 (first-time guests); P350 (returning guests)

XPass Lite: P300 (first-time guests); P275 (returning guests)

Xtra (Optional): P125 (Unlimited Kapamilya Theater Access); P25/attempt (Star Catcher); P50/print (#Starsnaps); Additional P50 (Personalized Card)

You can buy on the day itself or you may book online. The ticketing booth is located on the left side of the entrance, beside the Heroes Burger takeout counter.

Go to the ticketing booth.

Check the time and choose the shift that is most ideal for you (or your group).

Choose your preferred XPass: Prime or Lite?

Load your XPass. If you are a returning guest, you just have to bring your existing Pass and reload it.

Tap your XPass on the designated sensor machines to access the attractions.

For big groups, especially those availing for field trips or team building events, you may reserve slots or block off the whole day itself online. A calendar will show you the available days and slots. To reserve and book online, check here.

Pinoy Big Brother – Breakout

This will test your group’s teamwork. Complete the tasks given by Big Brother on time or before the time runs out. The challenge is good for two to four people.

Activity duration: 15-20 minutes

Showtime – Director’s Booth

Located just across Pinoy Big Brother Breakout, this activity will test your group’s coordination and teamwork. Work well together and help each other out by telling out loud what you need to do to surpass each level. See your group’s ranking at the end of the challenge.

Activity duration: 10-15 minutes

Minute to Win It – The Experience

Beat the other three challengers as you accomplish each of the three tasks before the time is up and be the Last Man Standing. See if you can finish the Ultimate Minute to Win It Challenge. Exciting prizes await the winners.

Activity duration: 10-15 minutes

The Voice – Open Mic

Sing your heart out and see who among the four celebrity judges will turn for you. Is it Sarah, Bamboo, Sharon or Lea? Or will you be a four-chair turner? Choose a song, rehearse it backstage, and sing your heart out to impress the judges.

Activity duration: 15-20 minutes

Star Lab

Sing with your favorite ASAP star, answer difficult Fast Talk questions with Boy Abunda (GP, PG or SPG), act funny and witty with the kids of Goin’ Bulilit or act out famous movie or teleserye scenes with your favorite actors/actresses.

Activity duration: 15-20 minutes

Kapamilya Theater

This is an 80-seater 4D theater that will let you experience watching featured shows and musicals or play interactive games with other people.

During our visit, the shows were ASAP 4D and FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

Activity duration: 15-20 minutes

Action Academy

If you are into fitness and physically challenging activities, this one is for you. Experience being trained like your favorite Kapamilya action stars like Cards Dalisay. Finish the obstacles and outplay the rest of the trainees.

Note: There’s a 4-ft height requirement for this attraction. It can accommodate 20 people per round.

ARX

Defeat the enemies/monsters in this augmented reality experience. Strike, duck, and defeat The Boss! This attraction can accommodate a maximum of four persons. Activity duration: 10-15 minutes

Other Attractions

Celebrity Calling & #Starsnaps

According to the official website, the top picks are the following:

Action Academy

The Voice Open Mic

Pinoy Big Brother Breakout

But during our visit, Pinoy Big Brother Breakout and Minute to Win It: The Experience seem to be the most popular.

However, we think It’s Showtime: Director’s Booth and Minute to Win It: The Experience are the most fun.

As the shifting aims to ensure that everyone gets to enjoy most of the attractions, if not all, just being on time for your preferred shift will give you enough time to savor the experience. You may want to rank the attractions and go straight first to the ones that are on top of your list.

It’s also wise to prioritize the most popular ones if you see that there are little to no line.

Participate and take on all the challenges. Don’t be shy. It will be fun!

Each attraction lasts for a specific period of time. You can check the information board that can be seen near each attraction’s entrance/facade.

Unlike most amusement parks, the food inside Studio XP is very affordable, considering that the main ingredient is organic. Heroes Burger is inspired by the classic Pinoy Komiks superheroes. It offers these six organic burger meal options:

Kaboom Burger – P55

Pow-Wow Cheeseburger – P65

Double Slam Cheeseburger – P95

Darna Burger Meal – P89

Lastikman Cheeseburger Meal – P99

Captain Barbell Double Cheeseburger Meal – P129

All three combo meals (Darna, Lastikman, and Captain Barbell) include french fries and drinks. Heroes Burger has a takeout counter that is accessible to the people outside the Studio XP. It’s situated beside the ticketing counter.

Outside food and drinks are not allowed inside. If you want to eat outside, do it before and after your preferred shift. Reminder: Once you tap to exit, you cannot go back inside. You need to reload again if you wish to enter again.

The ABS-CBN Studio Experience has the Retail Studio greeting Kapamilyas/guests right at the entrance. You can buy Kapamilya-themed merchandise and other limited offers before or after the studio experience.

Wear comfortable clothing.

Charge your phone or bring a power bank. Have an extra battery for your camera. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to snap those fun moments.

Keep your XPass with you. It’s yours. Bring it whenever you want to experience the studio city again. You just need to reload it. If you forgot to bring it with you on your next visit, you have to purchase another card.

Outside food and drinks are not allowed inside the park.

Please follow the rules and guidelines.

Fall in line and wait for your turn. Be courteous and respect other people’s time and space.

Parents and adults should look after the children while inside the studio city.

Keep an eye on your belongings.

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Source: https://bloghyped.com/abs-cbn-studio-experience-trinoma-guide-for-first-timers/

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desyrable · 7 years

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50 Questions Tag! Here are the questions and my answers:

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Not from anyone but from my mom’s experience while giving birth.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Not sure when but I’m sure why. Char 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? YES. Not to brag but I get a lot of compliments because of it 4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Lechon paksiw 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? NOPE! 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of Course I'd probably date myself too LOL 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? To some people, yes. But not my mom. Definitely not! 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Depends. How much will you pay me? 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? None. I prefer pancakes 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Yes, sometimes :D 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not a pang-darna kind of strong but yes I am, emotionally and mentally

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Selecta Cookies and Cream and Pistachio 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Looks. Psychologically speaking, we all notice that first 15. RED OR PINK? Red 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My acne -_- 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad 18. WHAT IS THE SPARK FEATURE THAT HAS HELPED YOU THE MOST? None. I’m actually not one of them :) 19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Right now? None 20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Dried Mangoes from Cebu PH. Yum 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Nothing but the last song I listened to was Marry Me by Train 22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Pastel Purple 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Coffee

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My mom 25. MOUNTAIN HIDEAWAY OR BEACH HOUSE? I want both 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? I’m not really into sports but I watch basketball sometimes

27. HAIR COLOR? True brown 28. EYE COLOR? Hazel 29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Never! 30. FAVORITE FOOD? Cheesy foods and ice cream 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings. Nothing’s better than a happy cry! 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Baywatch 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Dirty white 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? We don’t have winter in the Philippines and yes I want to experience that 35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs, especially the ones from the back 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Buko pandan and ice cream ice cream ice cream 37. STRENGTH TRAINING OR CARDIO? Cardio 38. COMPUTER OR TELEVISION? Uhm, computer ^^ 39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? None. I just finished reading Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen 40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? None since I’m using my laptop 41. ANY TATTOOS? None 42. FAVORITE SOUND? Instrumental Sound of Disney princesses’ movies 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles! 44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME IN 2013? Samar, I guess 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? HAHAHA 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Olongapo PH 47. WHERE ARE YOU LIVING NOW? Leyte PH 48. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR HOUSE? White and pale yellow 49. WHAT COLOR IS YOUR CAR? Don't own a car! 50. ANY PETS? Yes. Sabo, Jiro, Wacky, and Chichay (who passed away last Dec 2016) ps:They’re all dogs

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moczothe1st · 6 years

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Let’s Play Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Holy War, Part 17: Leif and Let Leif

Part 16

Welcome back to Fire Emblem IV: Genealogy of the Goddammit it’s another desert map. We just beat one of those, dammit! *sob* Damn you, game. Damn you to Hell. Tell me your story, you bastard.

And wide, inspiring courage anew in the Empire’s victims. Still more uprisings erupt across Jugdral, but once again, precious few are properly organized and are easily crushed, and the death toll climbs ever higher…

Leonster, a kingdom in the Thracian Peninsula…

(FIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNN!)

But they have suffered a devasating loss before King Blume’s vast hordes and are stranded in hostile ground.

The oasis city of Darna,

(Guess which one of these faces will be recruitable.)

In Rivough, Seliph and the warriors of his liberation army now prepare themselves to embark on a journey and come to the aid of their allies in far-away Leonster. Each warrior sets aside their worries as, under Seliph’s leadership, they prepare for the new battle on their horizon.

(Well. Finn is back, but he’s not exactly a bundle of sunshine, huh.)

Finn: This is a crippling blow to our army. We’ve lost most of our might in one fell swoop.

Leif: This can’t be happening… I thought this was our chance… was all of this useless all along? Damn it all! I’ll kill Blume with my bare hands!

(Damn, Leif is way less chill than his dad was.)

Finn: Please calm yourself, milord! This isn’t the end quite yet. I’ve just had a word with King Lewyn. He’s sending Prince Seliph’s liberation army to back us up. Until then, no matter what, we must endure the siege milord.

Leif: Prince Seliph, you say… He’s the son of my father’s old friend Sigurd and Empress Deirdre, right?

Hair Wings are the Best: I think we should abandon the castle for now, and seek refuge in that western church.

Leif: Hm, you’re right. I suppose we don’t have much choice now. Very well. Our priority is to play this out defensively for the time being. Until Prince Seliph gets here, we must endure…

Blume: Buffoons, all of you! Do you really think I want to hear excuses? I want Leonster seized! No more delays! If you waste any more time on this, then we’ll have to contend with those Isaachian mongrels as well!

(So blume takes after his dad, then. Good to know.)

Moustache: Y-yes milord! We will strike immediately, milord!

(Dammit all, I let Dew die childless specifically to avoid a character like you.)

Girl!Dew: But I can’t afford to dawdle now. Still gotta get out of here, and quick…

Do the Dew: Do you have any idea how tough it was to get my hands on this sword? If you want it, come get it, nincompoop!

Shanan: W-wait!

Priest Whose Name I have Already Forgotten: And they absconded with Balmung?! You fools! Go seize them! Now!

Mook: Y-yes, your grace! But, er, your grace… surely a master of dark magics of your caliber could crush common thieves such as these with a single blow, even from here?

I think it was Cthfuzorc or something: I’ve misplaced my book of Fenrir. My men are scouring the shrine to find it, but so far it has yet to emerge…

Trying Not to Laugh: Understood, your grace. In that case, my clan and I will take a few mercenaries and pursue them. We swear to you, your grace, that we will have the treasure back where it belongs post-haste!

Lewyn: the order’s fell mages infest the desert, mercilessly assaulting anyone they find in it. People’ve taken to calling the region the Desert of Death… a fitting name, really.

Seliph: I can only imagine how awfully travelers struggle here! I wonder… perhaps it’d be possible to seize the shrine from the Order?

Lewyn: Heh, I thought you’d never ask. There’s always a way, but this one won’t be easy. We may need to make sacrifices.

Seliph: So be it. At this point we’ve little choice. Not to mention, Shanan is likely still in the desert… for now, let’s focus on taking control of Yied! All else will begin there!

And here we go, the first REAL chapter of generation two. And what I mean by real, of course…

THERE’S AN ARENA! SCREW LEIF AND SHANAN, IT’S TIME TO SPEND FIVE HOURS DOING GLADIATOR COMBAT, BITCHES.

Seliph: Seven wins, gained four levels: +8 HP, +3 Skl, +3 Str, +1 Mag, +2 Luck, +2 Def, +1 Res

Julia: Three wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Magic, +1 Luck

Oifey: Seven wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Luck

Ulster: Seven wins, gained two levels: +3 HP, +1 Skill, +1 Strength, +2 Speed, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Larcei: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +3 Strength, +2 Speed, +2 Magic, +1 Luck

Lester: Seven wins, gained two levels: +2 HP, +2 Strength, +1 Magic, +1 Speed, +1 Defense

Dermott: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +1 Skill, +3 Strength, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Fee: Seven wins, gained three levels: +3 HP, +2 Skill, +1 Strength, +3 Magic, +1 Luck, +1 Defense

Arthur: Seven wins, gained three levels: +5 HP, +2 Skill, +4 Speed, +1 Magic, +3 Luck, +1 Defense, +1 Res

Johan: Six wins, gained one level: +1 HP, +1 Speed, +1 Defense

Dammit, Julia. She’s unfortunately too slow to deal with the Myrmidon hanging out at Rank Four; he doubles her and she can’t hit him with any sort of accuracy. We’ll try this again at the end of the map. And speaking of the map…

So here’s what we’ve got. To the west of us is Yied Shrine, which is full of Loptyrites, and the desert between us and them is just silly with Dark Mages. Shanan himself is to the west of the Shrine; and directly south of it are two additional castles that we’re going to have to conquer eventually because of course we will. However, they don’t go hostile until we take Yied, and we can’t get the rest of the army to Lief’s rescue until we take them, so we’ve got a war ahead of us. Lief himself is directly south of our starting point, at the neutral castle Leonster, and directly south of him is the end-of-chapter boss. He has two units to protect him, and despite being told to run away, the three of them can often hold out on their own. But there’s a lot of villages down there and we want those bad. So we’re gonna abandon the castle… AND CHARGE.

Now. Before we get rolling, I do believe we have five new people to look at.

First off, Shanan. Like Oifey he’s a pre-promote, joining as a Swordmaster despite being level 12. However, he has some factors that make him more useful than Oifey in the long run:.First of all, his growths in everything other than HP and Skill are very much on the low side, but his base stats are so high it hardly matters; he’s not really going to get significantly stronger, but who cares when he’s already strong enough to fight 90% of the game’s enemies right now? Even if every level he gets is mediocre at best, he’ll probably still be fine for the endgame. Second, his abilities are great, joining up with Pursuit, Adept, and Astra ready to rock. Third…

Dewlette: Wait… give it back? Is it yours?

Shanan: Yes, it is! That’s my family’s ancestral blade, Balmung. I’m the only person capable of using it. You’ve nothing at all to gain from keeping it.

DewTwo: Wait, so how’d this thing end up in Yied, anyway?

Shanan: It belonged to my father, who died in Grannvale’s war with Isaach. Someone must’ve stolen it from him after he died. I only recently learned that it was being kept at Yied, so I came to retrieve it.

Dewlightful: Hang on, hang on, hang on! Could it be… are you Isaach’s Prince Shanan?!

Shanan: I am….

One, Dew, Three times a Lady: Really?! It’s really, really you?! Wow! Oh my gosh! This is incredible!

Shanan: Er…

Dew it To Me One More Time: No, really, I’ve heard all the stories about you! All of them! I’ve been a huge fan of yours for so long, but I never thought I’d actually meet you!

Shanan: …

Don’t Dew Drugs: But you’re here! You’re really talking to me right now! It’s like all my dreams’ve come true!

Shanan: … Yeah, I think I get the idea. My sword, please?

COULD YOU JUST INTRODUCE YOURSELF ALREADY: Oh, right, sorry! Here ya go.

Shanan: Balmung… my holy sword… It’s finally mine… hm? Ahh! What is this power…?!

Screw it, her name is Patty: Woooow! This is incredible…

And there we go. Balmung is pretty excellent, enough to push Shanan into a tier higher than his growths would otherwise allow; it gives the same broken stat boosts as Forseti, falling behind it only by virtue of not being able to attack from a distance. Since he’s currently alone against an army of dark mages and mercenaries, he’s gonna need it.

Well, okay, he’s not alone, but he might as well be because Patty is, unfortunately, a level one thief. She’s, as you see from the Minor Odo and Minor Ullur blood, the daughter of Bridget and Holyn, and one of the pairs of kids in the game who inherits the gear of her opposite gendered parent; she gets Holyn’s gear and swords. Unfortunately, even with her Odo blood, she can only use swords up to B-rank, and I was a dimwit and didn’t leave Holyn with one of those for her to inherit. So she only has her default weapon, a Sleep Edge, which is unfortunately kind of too heavy for a fragile speedster to really put to its best use. Like Dew before her she will eventually turn out pretty good; better than Dew himself by a good margin due to having Holy Blood growth boosts and inheriting Holyn’s Luna skill, but she’s… gonna take some babying.

And now a member of the other pair of kids who take after the opposite parents. Prince Leif, son of Quan and Ethlyn, and heir to his mother’s swords (unfortunately not her staves because… well, because Fire Emblem hates the players, and despite being the same class as Lachesis, who could use staves, he can’t until he promotes). As a Prince, he starts off on the weak side and becomes a demon god when he promotes to Master Knight; he’s a little easier to get there than good ol’ Lachesis was, though, on account of having much better growths and inheriting Adept and Critical from his parents. However, he’s also going to need some babying to achieve his full power.

All grown up and ready to kick ass, Finn is unchanged from his appearance in the first generation stat-wise, and still has all his kick-ass old spears. Our Finn turned out really well, you may recall, and so he’s going to be doing a lot of the legwork in keeping Leif alive. He’s also only 32 EXP away from promoting, so he should be improving himself even more by the end of the map. I’m frankly amazed; I’ve never gotten a Finn that was able to hold up in the endgame of the second gen, but this one may actually pull it off. He’s already slightly better than Oifey without even getting his promotion stat boosts.

And last but not least, Nanna. She’s Beowulf and Lachesis’s daughter, and Dermott’s sister, and a fairly solid unit. If nothing else, she’s a Troubador like good old Ethlyn was, meaning she has staves and a horse. Her growths are pretty below-average for a second generation unit, but she’ll never be useless simply by virtue of being a healer with a huge range of movement. And with Pursuit and Accost from dear old dad, she should turn out to be a pretty solid combat unit as well if she gets lucky.

… Don’t be like Ethlyn, Nanna. She isn’t even your mom, you just share her class. Please.

*whew*

All right, that’s it for new units, so let’s rock. The main army begins moving west towards the desert; there’s a small army of dark mages in their way, but too far away from us to reach on this turn. Dark Magic is a pain in the ass as you may recall; it’s outside the weapon triangles, which means nothing has an advantage against it. Even Light magic only manages ‘neutral’ and all other magic is inferior. So…. I’m not in a huge hurry to fight them, but Julia will be pulling her weight here, I tell you that. Leif, Finn, and Nanna, on the other hand, begin moving south toward the many villages in their section of the map. There are, of course, tons of bandits, so we’ll need to rush if we want to kill them before Blume’s army reaches us.

End turn.

You… you guys can stay out in the desert if you want…

But my cartoonish terror aside, only one enemy can actually reach us this turn, a mercenary who takes a shot at Shanan.

It coulda gone better for him.

On our turn, I move most of the army to the north; I want Julia to bear the brunt of the mage assault, backed up by Arthur with his book of invincibility. I also take this opportunity to have Oifey have a chat with Dermott.

Oifey: Sir Finn, you say… you’re eager to have the chance to see her again, aren’t you?

Dermott: Yes sir! I can hardly wait!

Oifey: Heh. You’ll have to give this battle your all first, then! How about a quick lesson?

Dermott: Yes, sir! I’d appreciate that!

Normally I would say that during a battle isn’t the right time to be exercising, but it gives Dermott a permanent +1 boost to his Strength, Skill, and Defense, so I’m not gonna complain.

Now, Patty and Shanan. The thing about this situation is that Patty really cannot fight anything here, so Shanan is gonna have to carry this situation while she hides. But while the enemy is coming from the east, there’s also two enemies south of them coming along the ridge.

And guess what, of course Patty can’t fight them either. So this is gonna be a dance. First, the mages are the biggest threat. They have very little chance of hitting Shanan while he’s got his ubersword in hand, but if they hit he’s fucked. So let’s deal with that first.

One down, a small army to go.

And Patty is safe for the moment. The two swordsmen should both die on Shanan this turn, so she can move in again around the time the southern wing starts getting close. Neat. And now for Leif’s team;

Leif and Nanna use mad teamwork to barely defeat a single enemy. I’m so… proooud? Nanna follows up by liberating the village, stopping them from ever touching it.

Passive Aggressive: Lord Quan… Lady Ethlyn… I pray you’re both proud of your son… please, kind knight, accept this Speed Ring. I’d like you to wear it proudly to your battles.

… I wish I’d let Leif have that instead of Nanna, but I forgot it was there. Eh, I’ll cope. I have Finn make a run for the farthest village he can reach, the goal being to kill the bandits more than loot anything. He’s actually got funds left from his own army days, so he doesn’t really need the money. I just want to stop these jerks from torching the money which will be divvied up later amongst my noble men. End turn! The dark mages move in and one takes a swing at our girl Julia.

“SECRET PRINCESS… BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAM!”

And over near Yied…

Shanan you are the man. Forget prince, my man, you’re KING.

…. Fuck, story is happening. What now? Do we really need more enemies? Really?

(Celice and Serlis were common fan translations for Seliph’s name before Intelligent Systems confirmed an official one. Someone’s in the writer’s booth is being snippy~)

Bramsel: The Empire’s put a hefty price on that boy’s head. Let’s make sure we’re the ones to rake in the bounty, shall we? Keep our border locked down for the time being. The best option is to let them run themselves ragged, leaving them wide open to our strike! Instruct commander Jabarro to put his squad on standby. His services will be needed in short order!

(Okay, game, that’s literally just Eldigan with a different colored shirt. You could at least try to keep these things a mystery.)

Ribbons: Oh, that’s good. I guess I’m a bit worried about how you’re gonna have to go and fight too, Ares…

Ares: What sorry excuse for a mercenary would I be if I refused to join a battle, Lene? Never mind one which, rumor has it, will oppose Sigurd’s son… never would I deny a chance to personally slay the spawn of my father’s mortal foe.

Lene: Hee hee! You’re still going on about that, are you? Oh, you dolt.

(Lene Burn!)

Lene: I mean, think about it. Both your father and that Sigurd man were knights, weren’t they? And isn’t killing part of a knight’s job? It’s like my job. Sometimes I have to dance for foul, leering men! I hate it, but it’s part of the work. I have to just deal with it. We’ve all gotta do what we’ve gotta do to get by in life. I dunno… I just don’t think it’s right to hate someone for doing their job.

Ares: Lene… I understand. I’ll have to think it over for a time, but I do understand…

And with that (and a very off-putting few seconds of movement while the other enemy faction down in Leif’s area moves around aimlessly) we have our turn back. Julia strikes down her foes with the power of a queen.

And Arthur powers up the Invinci-cannon.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm that’s the stuff. I discretely move Lana back toward the castle because I realize I forgot to repair all her staves, while everyone else moves to the west, getting ready to intercept one slow mage coming up through the desert. Julia is our queen and she shall slay the bulk of these filthy peasants, but she’s kind enough to leave her leftovers for the other, lesser souls.

Oh, and Shanan is here too.

Actually not bad! Like I said, his growths are actually not great, and Defense is one of his less impressive stats at the moment, so I’ll take it. And finally, the Leif team.

… I missed you so much, Finn. Leif and Nanna need to team up and use the power of friendship and proclaim the power of Sailor Moon just to kill a bandit, while Finn is just BAM, BRAVE LANCE, DONE. Weapon Triangle? For bitches.

End turn!

You are nothing to her, worms.

And that’s the only combat for this turn, barring someone taking a shot at Shanan and missing. Which, speaking of, I think it’s time for Shanan to start moving on. See, the boss in Yied Castle actually does find that tome he was talking about in the opening cutscene if you wait to long, and then he starts blasting you. So the guy who missed him last turn gets to live, because he’s moving in to slaughter the castle defenders and assassinate the boss. And we add one more kill to the Daughter of the World-ender.

Estuans interius

Ira vehementi

Estuans interius

Ira vehementi

Julia

But there’s a lot of them, and if I let her kill them all, the game will last forever. So I have some peons take a shot.

… I hate dark mages.

Lester if you wanted to make me happy, gaining a point in damn magic wasn’t the way to do it. I have Fee start running across the desert to join Shanan, since she has enough resistance to be trustworthy around these jerks, and have Seliph move onto a forest in the range of one mage. My hope is that he’ll dodge this one while Julia crushes the others, then everyone can gang up on the sole survivor.

See, Lester? This is what being reliable looks like. Finn has weapon triangle disadvantage and he’s still wrecking these jerks. Just for that, he gets some money that he doesn’t need.

Apparently Not Sure What ‘Terrifying’ Means: Then there’s Tinni, a young mage… Blume’s niece she may be, but that girl’s still got a kind heart on her. She’s come to our aid and the aid of our neighbor villages time and again… she’s nothing like her family.

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORESHADOWING. Let’s wrap things up with the Friendship Team.

Not bad. I would normally complain about the lack of offensive growth of any kind, but Speed and Defense in the same level really makes up for it. End turn!

… And luckily, the AI is kind of dumb, and prioritizes Julia because it can’t miss her. Thing is, it also can’t kill her. She doubles the dark mages, and Nosferatu heals her when she hits them. So they hit her once, and she hits them back twice and eats their health to get back to full power.

…. Oops. Did I leave Leif in enemy range? Well, he’s doing well so far, no biggie. Our turn begins on a fairly strong position with one exception: A dark mage is close enough to Patty he might attack her. If that goes wrong, I’m screwed! I messed this up badly. Patty, run. Run, Patty. Run.

…. Fuck. She can’t run. I… ugh. Okay, well. Patty has one shot at this and it’s very, very unlikely she’ll pull it off.

… Nope, didn’t do it. If he’d fallen asleep from getting hit by her Sleep Edge, she could have maybe held out until Shanan got back to her, but he didn’t and as a result she’s dead on the enemy phase regardless of what I do. Reset.

All right. Looking ahead on things with the foresight of someone paying attention to where units are actually standing, I do a few things differently. First, Shanan kills the last enemy in his area so Patty can’t get caught in a pincer.

That done, Patty runs over to hide under his skirt.

Two, remembering well that Lester got creamed, I hand it to Johan, who also can’t miss but hits somewhat harder.

Good job, Johan. You’re not gonna be marrying Larcei, because something about you worries me. But good job. Team Leif, meanwhile, does exactly what they did before and it goes about as well, only Leif actually gets a somewhat better level!

No magic, of course. He takes after his mother, after all. Okay! End Turn, and let’s try this again.

And hey, Julia remembers she has Adept and kills two of the mages she only wounded last time! Her dark power grows. She also gained a slightly different level, but I lost the screenshot: +1HP, +1 Magic, +1 Speed. I’ll take it gleefully.

… Less Gleeful, but Nanna will fix that right up.

Right then. Our turn starts, and the main army has only two mages left to kill. Arthur wipes out the one Julia crippled earlier…

While Julia moves herself to intercept the final one. In fact, this is mostly a turn of moving, because few people make any real attacks. Shanan moves toward the boss, Patty moves to hide behind him, the army moves toward Yied, and Leif… moves back toward the castle he was told to abandon.

Yeah. Yeah. We’re not giving up. Fuck that. Nanna patches him, and he makes a run toward Leonster! He is going to defend his home. And hopefully gain some needed levels.

… This might end badly.

End turn!

Well, Julia’s back to not killing things. That’s nice. Well, it’s our turn again, and she’ll fix that.

Yum. Shanan finally starts the attack on Yied proper…

And Leif takes up position to wait out the siege.

This is a risk. I’m very much not sure it will work. But the enemy army is almost entirely armor, which means only one of them can attack Leif at a time, and with the castle he gets a bonus to evasion and heals every turn. If he manages to kill all these fuckers and gets mostly decent levels, he will be pretty much set for the rest of the game. Don’t be like your mother, Leif.

End turn.

…. Nothing happens on the enemy phase, so. At this point, Shanan could just walk up and shank the boss, but if he does that Patty will die to the other units in the area. So instead he runs up to hit this guy…

And Patty once more hides under his skirt. Fee, who has finally arrived after a million years, takes up position to intercept the incoming swordsman that’s behind them. I forgot to repair her spear after her arena runs, but she should be able to hold out.

I’m… not doing well on this map.

Now, Seliph is needed to liberate Yied and Larcei has a conversation with Shanan, so I send the two of them into the desert while the rest of the army starts moving south. As soon as we take the shrine the rest of the map opens up, and I want soldiers in position. Similarly, Nanna and Finn move into position to support Leif if he needs it; hopefully he will not, between his bitchin’ sword and strong defensive position. End turn…

FEE! DODGE!

LEIF! DON’T EMULATE HER!

Hoo boy. This may have been a mistake. Um… okay, guys. Take your shots. Don’t fuck this up.

Light Bright, on! It doesn’t kill the armor, unfortunately, but Leif is technically hitting him from a distance here and can’t be countered, so it works out. Shanan, can you please shank the boss?

Damn, you sure can. Um… end turn. Patty will die if she attacks anyone. This is bad. This is super bad. Unless for some reason the enemy all go for someone else, we’re a bit screwed. In fact we might be screwed anyway if the swordsman can double her.

OH THANK YOU JESUS. The remaining mage attacked Shanan, and when the sword guy hit Patty her Sleep Edge worked for once and caught him, so he’s immobilized for a few turns. Oh. Oh, man. Thank you. We live another turn, though this is still gonna be wonky to get out of unless the enemy AI futzes up again and keeps trying to zap Shanan. Leif, as well, gives a good showing…

One down, way too many to go. On our turn, I have Shanan clear out one of the two remaining mages:

And move Patty behind him, and…

And win. The battle for Yied Shrine is over, and despite fucking up like seven times, we came out on top. The sole remaining mage can only attack Shanan, who he cannot one-shot and who definitely can one-shot him in return. The swordsman down in the corner there is asleep for five more turns, so Patty can plink him to death and get some much-needed Experience.

Leif kills another armor, meanwhile, and continues his long but sure ascent to godhood. It’s never 100% safe to assume in FE, but with two levels in a row that good, I’m reasonably sure that Leif will hold the castle against all comers. Once we get him to an Arena he should be well on his way to outright amazing before the end of the chapter. End turn.

*sniff* Everything is coming together for the end, I swear. What follows is going to be very boring, as barring a few more armors spawning in Leif’s area, there’s no threats left. So it’s going to be nothing but Seliph wandering the desert like Moses while we plink away at enemies. So here’s the highlights.

Shanan: You went and took back Isaach behind my back, did you, Seliph? I can’t thank you enough!

Seliph: No, we’d still be in Tirnanog if not for you. You inspired us. You gave us your courage. If not for you, we could never have taken to the field!

Shanan: Heh, you’re starting to put on a bit of muscle there, aren’t you? You’re finally starting to…

Seliph: Shanan…?

Shanan: Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. Pay me no mind, Seliph.

Seliph: Anyway,we’re finally starting to challenge the empire! Not bad, wouldn’t you say?

Shanan: Heh, not bad at all. I’ve waited so long for this day… we all have, really.

Seliph: Thank you, Shanan!

(Seliph gains +1 Skill from this, because… um… it was… a very… skillful discussion?)

Larcei: Don’t worry about it! The important part is you’re safe. I, er…

Shanan: How’s your sword arm doing? Any stronger?

Larcei: Yes, but still far below your prowess, sir.

Shanan: How about a quick lesson to patch that up. See, raw power isn’t quite enough here. Try putting a bit more spirit into it… and swing!

Larcei: Nnnn-yah! Like this, sir?

(Must be, because she gets +2 strength from that. Hell of a workout, apparently.)

(Nanna, I swear to God if you don’t get some magic growth I will shave your ridiculous 80′s hair.)

(Fucking finally. I realize that was quick for you, but for me it was like twelve turns of sand and non-threatening combat that wasn’t even worth showing.)

Lewyn: They had no choice. Trying to build new lives on the surface would have led to their mass persecution, or even being burned at the stake. I suspect that at first they weren’t really bad or unusual people, but before long, their life here twisted them into what we know them as today.

(Not to question your wisdom, Lewyn, but they probably could have built a life on the surface if they didn’t insist on worshipping a god that eats children.)

Seliph: I can hardly believe it… It’s as if they were being tortured for the sins of their long-dead ancestors…

(Well, I mean, dude, they did keep worshipping Loptyr. Who, again, eats children.)

Seliph: All my life, these people have been branded as ‘the dark cult’ or ‘devil’s kin’. I can hardly imagine their pain… hold a moment. This scribble on the wall… is that a child’s penmanship? It’s a prayer. And it begs for the return of the dark god… was loptyr the only hope these people had?

(No, forgetting Loptyr and moving on to the worship of… I dunno, Fluffingor, god of soft things. That would have been a good hope. I’m all for freedom of religion, I know people like to keep to their faith, but when your god eats children you really need to reconsider.)

Lewyn: Yeah… Consider this a lesson, Seliph. Good and evil can’t be easily reduced to simple, black-and-white ideals. If you must hate, hate the evil that lurks in us all, not the individual. Never forget this.

Welp. As much as I’d love to sit around and debate morality with Lewyn (Again, my counter-argument would be ‘don’t worship a child-eating demon’, but you’d be shocked how applicable that is), we’ve taken the castle and I’m very tired. You guys take a nice week off while I sleep. I should wake up by the time the next update is due. Maybe.

Resets: 21. Level One Thief syndrome is a terrible thing.

Part 18

#Let's play fire emblem #let's play fire emblem four #let's play #Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War #fire emblem 4 #lp #let's play fe4 #my writing

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