#and i absolutely love seeing emmeryn in writing

[iturbide]

Do you have any thoughts (or headcanons) on Emmeryn for like. writing her? The game gives us so little, I have a lot of trouble with it, but I refuse to give up and write her out!

OH MAN I HAVE A TON OF THOUGHTS ON WRITING EMMERYN I honestly love getting to play around with her and I wish I had more opportunities to really do so.

She may look frail, but much like Lissa, she's not delicate, and actually a lot stronger than she appears. Emmeryn experienced firsthand what her father's strength could do when he used it carelessly, and she had made every effort to be gentle in all matters; however, when her emotions are running particularly high, she can slip and be more forceful (things like hugging her brother extra tight when he gets back from a dangerous mission because she's just so relieved to see him safe).

Similarly, while she may appear calm and measured, it's actually a mask that she's spent years perfecting, starting with interactions with her father and proceeding through her early years as Exalt. Emmeryn is much more emotional than she lets on, but she's had to be this perfect icon for so many people in her life -- a guardian for her siblings, a leader to the Ylissean people -- that it's become habit by now to wear it. When the mask does slip, it's usually because something has pushed her to a breaking point (though her partners can see the full measure of her trust in them when she purposefully sheds it).

Mask or not, Emm is a very compassionate person, and despite her cultural upbringing, she makes every effort to treat everyone -- regardless of their history or heritage -- with kindness and respect. Because of this, she tends not to react instantaneously to anything: whatever her gut reaction is, she does not voice it, instead taking a moment to examine it before speaking so that she can avoid causing offense with a thoughtless remark.

Emm is a pacifist: she has no intention of making war the way her father did, only of defending her nation's borders when needed. This does not, however, make her a pushover: Emmeryn is much more stubborn than her brother, and staunchly refuses to back down when she sets her mind to something. We get at least a glimpse of this when news arrives about Maribelle's kidnapping: she turns both her brother and the captain of the pegasus knights down when they insist on making Gangrel pay, insisting instead on speaking with Gangrel directly to try finding a way to peace.

This can, however, be something of a double-edged sword. Emm's pacifism extends to the point where she hesitates to use the power that she has at her command, having seen the horrors wrought by its abuse under her father. This can lead to its own kind of abuse -- specifically by those who realize that they'll never be punished for disobedience because she won't bring her power to bear against them. This rarely happens out in the open, of course, but I suspect that it's much more widespread than she would ever want to believe.

Above all else, Emmeryn loves her siblings and her country. She walks the street without any barriers between herself and her people, clear proof of her trust and affection for them. I suspect that, along with her routine bureaucratic and legislative duties, she makes time whenever she's able to hold audiences for the common folk, listen to their grievances, and offer what aid she can to ease their burdens. She recognizes that they are the heart of the nation, and Ylisse would crumble without their support; her popularity stems in no small part to how she tends to their needs, rather than prizing the nobility over all else as her father had.

Again, though, this is something of a double-edged sword, as she has not done herself any favors with the nobles. Between the way she favors the common folk and her stubborn refusal to give them the benefits they got used to under the former Exalt; while they're polite to her face, more than one noble is frustrated by how she's chosen to rule the halidom. Their pushes to have her marry are not only so that she will have an heir to continue the Exalted Lineage, but in hopes that her spouse will be able to wrench some measure of favor back to the family that weds her; on top of that, some have far more wicked plots to depose her entirely, like the hierarch who sold her out to Gangrel for the likely promise of power.

[the-priestess-of-dawn]

I like to merge the Echoes backstory for Grima with their Support monologue in Heroes: they could've turned out a decent entity, but Forneus was The Worst, and the world reacted in fear. And then Grima was locked away in isolation. It's a theme of Fire Emblem (and especially Awakening) that evil blood doesn't make you evil, so I strongly HC this as a case of Nurture over nature. (Blood does play a part of it, but it's not as important.)

Oh, I think you're right. I absolutely believe it's nurture over nature here... "Evil" blood is nonsense anyway... I mean, the kind of crimes at issue here require intent...

(Putting the rest of this under a read more because I accidentally started rambling about my interpretation of Grima despite not being asked for it... oops, haha...)

Although personally I think that Forneus and the isolation was only the beginning... I mean, FEH Grima talks like they helped humans for at least some time ("They have no qualms asking for divine assistance when it meets their fickle needs... But how quick they are to shun their benefactors once they get what they desire.") so that's why I believe that Grima trusted humans at some point and had that trust betrayed...

But I really hope that people don't think I'm trying to exculpate Grima just because I think they were wronged... Grima says "it's the world that wants me to be evil" but Grima's the one who decided to embrace it. "Humans are selfish. And the ugliness of mankind has turned me repulsive." They know full well what they're doing... and I'd say it's fairly obvious that they hate themself as much as everyone else. And yet they keep sticking to their choice... "Memories or no, I will lay waste to the world all the same. You think me so fickle I'd change my mind?" Okay so... is it only stubbornness that keeps them sticking to their plans?

But that's FEH Grima... I write Awakening Grima a little differently...

The way Awakening Grima insists so strongly that what they're doing is "fate" really gets me sad because... okay, first of all you have to know that I first played Awakening after my first year of undergrad as a psychology major and I *immediately* thought that Grima read like a representation of learned helplessness... And keeping in mind that I think Robin and Grima are the same entity, that means that the original timeline sees Grima get to live among humans the way they always wanted to ("If I were human, and able to live among you, then perhaps..." in FEH, which is very reminiscent of "I wish that I were human! That I could have lived a normal life with you!" from the Future Past DLC) and it very well could have been worldview-changing for them... Except what happens? Emmeryn is assassinated, never getting to make the sacrifice that would convince the majority of the Plegian people to stand down. Nevertheless, Chrom is still victorious against Plegia and Valm... but he dies at the end! In FEH, Grima (who, remember, has amnesia) says "If you think there's someone out there capable of leading the world with such high-minded ideas of love and bonds... I'd love to meet them." Well, they DID meet someone like that and both Emmeryn and Chrom DIED. Does that not "prove" to Grima that they were always right about humans? FEH Grima may still talk about despair, but it's Awakening Grima who has lost all hope... The fact that they cling to "fate" just reads to me as an admission (lacking in self awareness) that they didn't want this to happen, that they no longer feel that they have a choice...

And I mean, it seems obvious from an outside perspective that no, they absolutely did not have to kill all their old friends, raise a risen army, torment Lucina and her cohorts, chase them back in time, etc. but... I don't know, there's one line Validar says to Robin in Chapter 23 that really gets to me... "Have you considered what happens should I fall? These followers of Naga will spurn you now that they've learned what you are. Kill me, and you incur the wrath of the Grimleal as well... Would you truly choose to be so utterly alone?" Because if that's how their original timeline self felt... it's kind of understandable that they might feel there was only one way forward, only one course of action that they could realistically take... even if they had once wanted something different from the world.

[someobscurereference]

I just read one of your old fics, Where We Began, and honestly I'm so in love with it? If you don't plan on writing more do you have any other abstract ideas about it? Like about how the Nohrians would try to calm them down or which of the trio decided to trust them first or just anything like that? I just really like it a lot and it's entirely fair if you don't have any other thoughts about it, it's an awesome concept but you wrote it years ago, I just thought I'd give it a shot

(referring to this fic) Firstly, I'm so glad you enjoy one of my older works! I write a lot of FE, but I enjoy my early stuff as much as my more recent stuff, so I'm glad you enjoy it too!

Secondly, I don't plan on adding more to the fic itself like as a sequel or anything, but I always welcome questions about any fic I write!

Re: The Nohrians calming the kids down

The Trio definitely get rounded up after Severa gets caught in the barn, lol. The only hope they had was running away, and Camilla caught Severa. Owain & Inigo aren't going to just leave her behind, and Niles is probably hot on their tail. So there goes that escape attempt. They'd probably get herded back to the castle pretty soon after, but that just means they're (very clumsily) trying to whisper escape plans to each other once get they stuck in a (windowless) room. So the kids are probably panicking less outwardly at that point but still Freaked. Even if this is post-war, it's a big, dark castle full with Bad Vibes. Why wouldn't they still think this is Plegia?

Re: Gaining trust

This is harder because you have to convince a bunch of 12 year olds whose last memories are of the apocalypse and who have been taught anything that resembles Plegia is probably on the side of Grima that hey, you're in another universe, you don't remember coming here, you're actually adults, we didn't know your real names before a second ago and the aesthetic is Ominously Dark Here but we promise it's cool, we're tight. Like, even for a kid, that's not going to fly

Ultimately, this would come down to how much the Trio have revealed about themselves to their lords, I think. Because you need at least one (better if at least 2) of the lords to say, "Hey, your mom's name is _____ and you told me about this secret memory from the time you were _____ and ____ happened, which I never could have found out unless you told me yourself."

It would not require all the lords/retainers to do this because if Inigo or Owain were both like "Hm, that is true, the only way you'd know that is if I trusted you enough to tell you myself," that would sway Severa not to freak out entirely, I think. (And vice versa; if Severa & Owain both were convinced Leo/Niles & Camilla knew them, that would convince Inigo even if Xander didn't have anything to offer just then, etc.)

However, they're not all the same levels of trusting. Inigo would be the easiest to sway, Owain would be medium distrustful even if Leo/Niles offered good evidence bc Imagination Running Wild (although that also means he's the easiest to convince they hopped dimensions/time traveled too), and Severa would be hardest to convince about anything in general, even if she didn't have any other way of explaining how Camilla or Beruka knew X about her otherwise. Severa is jaded at age 12.

Inigo probably compliments Camilla & Elise even more so than in canon but he gets Visibly Flustered every time they talk back to him because Tween Vibes. (I elaborate a bit more on this down below).

I think Severa would actually butt heads with Camilla because Camilla is so doting and motherly (and a flyer!), and Severa at this age has a lot of Angst and Mommy issues that she has yet to work through. Also, it's up in the air how soon aver Cordelia's death this would be for her. So this would be a tough dynamic for both of them to adjust to, and Severa would probably avoid Camilla until/unless something changed.

I can't remember if this was an ask in regards to this fic or something else, but I remember a long, long time ago having the thought that a de-aged Odin/Owain would actually be more drawn to Xander and Camilla rather than Leo, simply because of the fact Xander has such a cool sword and Owain canonically admires Camilla's armor. Leo is a dark mage, which is also cool, but not quite as Immediately Cool to a 12 year old who Loves Swords and doesn't yet use magic. I think this would actually make Leo jealous and exacerbate his inferiority complex, lol. (*Niles voice: Green isn't a good color on you, milord*) But all it would take is Owain seeing Brynhilder and hearing about it for him to Flip Out over that too, so I think the problem would solve itself then, lol

As a side note, here is a short blurb I wrote years ago in a scenario where Leo is there when Odin de-ages instead of Niles. Also, here is another ask about young Inigo's behavior with the royals. In summary for that, I think he'd actually be a bit shyer than he is in Awakening (when he's late teen age, I hc) because at 12-ish he's reached the "always smile, no matter what" stage of his facade but not the 100% "fake it 'til you make it" approach, so he's still really nervous around anyone and everyone. (Espcially royalty. Especially Extremely Tall, Very Handsome/Beautiful Royalty. For reference, Lucina may not intimidate him at this age because they've known each other since forever and That's Different, but I think people like Chrom (assuming this isn't Chrom! Inigo) and Emmeryn (were she alive) would get him flustered still. But maybe not Lissa because she may be more Owain's Mom to him than princess just because of the way she acts (though he may avoid her out of fear of getting a frog in his shoe or something) (But he'd still be flustered if she complimented him bc Nervous!!) Anyway!! That's too long! Inigo at this age, even after he's calmed down and knows what's up, would be shyer than his canon self, I think. He's still growing up

EDIT: also an additional old ask found here about this fic. However, I mention the kids being 13/14 in that ask rather than like 11/12 like I mentioned here. I don’t have any concrete ages written for them in the fic, so just assume they’re whatever age that seems best (and their ages probably vary anyway). However, if they’re on the younger side I think the Trio are still absolutely Okay with fighting (even though they wish they don’t have to, they fear the Faceless too much to be comfortable when one comes close bc Risen Vibes), BUT the age difference between 11 & 14 does mean its even harder for them to fight than it might be as slightly older teens (although they still do probably have pretty good teamwork, despite not getting along) and without rescue there’s a good chance they’d still lose

[punoy]

Blood of the dragons: A post-canon concept.

Lucina wanders the globe acting once again as a symbol of hope. Morgan desperately searches for a way to reunite their family. Marc is hiding they key to potential disaster.

This is just some musings I had thinking about what life could be like after the events of Awakening specifically for the children of Chrom and Robin. I don’t believe this is what likely what happens after canon, just concepts I found fun to play around with. This is a clean up of an exchange I had over discord, so it’s still a bit of a mess in terms of structure, but hopefully still comprehensible! It’s not really a fic, so I’m not too worried about the flow.

※ Chrom/m!Robin. This could really be for either, but it was written for the intent of m!Robin and as such will reflect in the pronouns. Marc is female!Morgan while Morgan is male!Morgan. They were both found at the same time and both have amnesia. In this timeline, Chrom and Robin only have Lucina. The first part is more Lucina-centric while the second part is more Marc/Morgan-centric.

Now that’s out of the way, let’s go.

Side: Lucina

Lucina doesn’t stay long after Robin disappears. She sticks around and tries to help stabilize Ylisse and to help the communities affected by the influence of Grima. To be by her father’s side helping the people she failed in her own timeline is one of the most treasured experiences she has. But that’s just it. She failed them in her timeline. And now that everything is returning to normal, she feels more out of place than ever. Walking the halls the perfectly maintained castle in Ylissitol feels absolutely foreign to her. Not to mention seeing a younger version of herself toted around and cared for. Chrom doesn’t beg her to stay, but he wishes she would. (He’s lost so many others, and he doesn’t want to lose her too, he doesn’t say.) Lucina wanders Ylisse acting as a mercenary and humanitarian, not being able to bring herself to leave the continent completely. She still loves her father and doesn’t wish to see him alone if he is once again in a time of need. Sure, he has her younger siblings, but they’re all but children. But, she needs to find her place in this world (and perhaps she is searching... searching for something she cannot yet admit to herself) and not let her be a shadow for her younger self. She fought for the her of this world to have the childhood she never got to. To live the life she could not. And so she keeps her distance.

Contrary to what Chrom, Marc, and Morgan believed, Lucina did return. It took her many months, but unannounced strolled their wandering princess. She’ll recount her tales across the lands and catch up with her family and friends. Some stayed in Ylisstol and joined the royal forces. Meanwhile, others set off on their own journey to distant lands. Lucina missed her cousin, but she couldn’t speak as she had nearly done the same. As quick as it she came, she left once again, back on her journey.  

This was how things were for awhile. Lucina would come back, they would be a normal family again, then the feelings of being a byproduct of a cursed time would bubble up inside again. Lucina would leave until she was able to face them again. Marc and Morgan especially had her anxious. She didn’t tell a soul more than she needed to as to not resurface bad memories, but the two fell under the influence of Grima after he had invaded the castle. She tried to escape with them, but she was unable to help.  If possible, she would rather meet her family outside the palace, away from the place he had lost them.

At the times Lucina was in Ylisstol, she tried her best to avoid her younger self. She isn’t quite ready for either her or this small child to face each other. How was she going to explain all of this? She didn’t want to pressure her younger self or act as some sort of aspiration. She wanted little Lucina to live the life she wanted, without some reminder of the failures she may become. So, for the time being, the few times Lucina was with her younger self, now old enough to talk and read and write, she was Aunt Marth. She looked quite passable as Chrom’s sister, no? Although, it was hard to hold her tongue and not address him as father.

Marc and Morgan had to get used to being the older siblings. They do recall Lucina from their time, and she was always the one taking care of them. Now, Lucina is ages younger, and they’re the responsible ones. They both grew into their own, Marc following in her fathers footsteps to becoming a tactician, while Morgan studied under Miriel to become a researcher of magic. But, they still made time to hang out with their little sister. It was hard not to project the Lucina of the future onto her, and they really tried. But, they couldn’t help but be a bit sad their sister was hardly ever around.

Robin returns five years later and Lucina rushes to Ylisstol as soon as word reaches her. She can’t help but feel frustration that she left partially in search of him, yet he was found the one place she could not look. She cannot contain her joy that her father is back, he returned to them, and she has the family she needed. Perhaps, she can stay longer this time.

Robin can’t believe the amount of time he’s missed. Lucina is a no longer an infant, but a young girl! He already feels regret missing out on the youth of the older Lucina, despite not having any control of that time. He doesn’t want to let another moment slip away from him. He is so proud of everyone. Ylisstol is stable for the most part, Chrom is loved by all, the tensions with Plegia have mostly subsided and they’re working towards a bond not built upon lies. Ylissians are sending aid to Valm to help their recovering nations. Not to mention his children, all blossoming in their own fields.

In the year that Lucina spends in Ylissitol, she doesn’t shy away from her younger self as often. They develop somewhat of an awkward sisterly bond. She tries not to say much about her past or compare herself to her. She truly is happy that child Luci gets to have this life, and now that she’s stopped running, she can have it too. Little Luci can hardly help but look up to her. This fantastic princess who roams the world to bring hope to others? What a dream.

Luci, now ten, has started to become wise to how dodgy her family is when it comes to their past. Marc and Morgan don’t seem to be able to tell her anything before she was born. Chrom always gets really nervous talking about his “sister.” Aunt Marth barely even seems to know her father. No one will answer why was Robin gone when she was really little. She vaguely recalled this loud man telling her stories and waving around his... his brand? She couldn’t be remembering that correctly. The only people that could be was Marc or Morgan but she swear it wasn’t them. Also... just how old was her parents when Morgan and Marc seemed so big now. Over the years she prodded for answers, not really suspecting much, just being a curious child. But, she slowly came to accept there was some truth to her family they were keeping from her. She knew enough it was probably better not to ask if they haven’t told her yet.

Luci gets to be a bit older and, ever the studious one, begins reading through some accounts of the war. As princess, she’s obligated to stay aware of current events to prepare her for the future where she may rule (which is becoming ever more a reality as her older siblings don’t seem that interested in the throne.) She begins with the war between Plegia and Ylisse. It seems so far away, the reality that her grandfather inflicted upon her parents and aunts. Then, she reads about the peace Emmeryn brought, wishing she could have met her one day. The resparking of the war with Plegia was next. She knew the toll it took on her father and the regret he felt causing all this loss, the trust of the citizens, lives of the innocent, his sister. She is about to call it a night before she gets to the war in Valm. She so happens to find a particular account that catches her eye though, a roster of soldiers enlisted.

Funny that. Someone with her own name appears on the list, fighting alongside her parents. Perhaps she was named after her? Marc and Morgan are here too. Strange, her parents couldn’t have been older than their twenties, so what were her siblings doing in the army? Now that she thinks of it, her fathers said Aunt Marth had served with them, but she’s nowhere to be seen in the reports or the rosters. She sets out to ask her parents about it soon after.

“Who’s Lucina?” “You, of course.” “No, I mean. She was a soldier in the army but she didn’t have any additional information on her in the log books. Did you know her?”

It was at that time, Chrom and Robin realized, perhaps their daughter was old enough to know. She generally knew of the Grimleals and their god, but never did she think her own father would be the key to this whole conflict, the vessel of a chaotic god. Not to mention her siblings were from a completely other time. And why everyone fell just short of saying “You remind me so much of your aunt.” 

Hanging out with Aunt Marth, now herself from another time, she knows, has become strange. There used to be moments when she would catch Marth about to say something, but not follow through, laughing it off as some joke she just remembered. Marth would be standing and watching wistfully from afar. She was always accepting of whatever she wanted to do because she couldn’t do those things in her youth. It all made sense to her now, but she wasn’t sure what to make of it.

Little Luci continued to look up to her older self, but instead of feeling inspired she was left with feelings of inadequacy. How could she live up to one of the heroes that saved Ylisse? What if she didn’t grow up to be as strong or skilled as her? This is exactly what Lucina wanted to avoid and told her as such.

“I made my sacrifices so you could make your mistakes. Please, live for yourself and not try to live my life. This is the world we fought to make for you. Give it all that you have.”

Side: Twins

※ Takes place starting simultaneous with side Lucina and then after.

Marc dutifully takes up the the mission of becoming Ylisstol’s next royal tactician. She learned from the man who won a handful of wars and saved the world! She knows she isn’t as experienced as her father, he could easily best her in any manner of tactical thinking games and practice, but in his absence, she would have to make do. Chrom was competent enough on his own to be able to handle the military and command by himself, but it endeared him that his youngest daughter felt that prideful connection to Robin. He gave her all the resources and tutors he could, but they were no replacement for her father. 

Morgan dreamed to become a researcher, learning the causes of the universe’s phenomena. To understand just a fraction about the gods. With a focus in magical studies, he joined Ricken under Miriel’s tutelage. At first his intentions seemed to be very pure, to learn and understand what makes the world what it is, but he couldn’t help but wonder something very specific about his own past. The path he was taking might be the road to finding it.

He was always more curious about his and his sister’s amnesia. Robin’s was caused by Grima willfully wiping his memory, but what about theirs? From the accounts of him and his twin sister, he had begun to piece together something puzzling. Their memories contradicted Lucina’s own. Chrom and Robin died so young in her own history, just after Marc and Morgan were born. Lissa raised them until even their aunt and other closest allies fell. Then, Lucina was left to care for them on her own, all while leading a rebellion. She didn’t go too deep into what became of them, but given her grave expression, it was most likely not good. Meanwhile, the few memories Marc and Morgan could recount were rather happy. They were mostly of Robin, occasionally featuring Chrom or Lucina. They had memories growing up in the castle with their parents. Trips to Plegia and Ferox. Travelling with Robin and their sister. All the way up until they were in their early teens they could remember always being by Robin’s side. Morgan came to the conclusion that it was highly likely they came from another time, separate from Lucina’s and the other children. 

Their past was a bit of a sore subject between the twins. Marc had accepted her amnesia for some time. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little curious about her memories, but she never went out of her way to look for them. She was perfectly happy enjoying the life she had now, especially now that Robin was back. Morgan on the other hand, loved his family, but now believing that they were from another time, wanted to know what that was. They’re the only remnants of that world held within this one.

An argument sparks between the two over this.

“If it’s true we’re from another time, what happened to father?” - Morgan “I suppose he would probably be looking for us on the mountain we were found on.” - Marc “And that doesn’t bother you? We just left him all alone?” - Morgan “That isn’t our time anymore. Of course I don’t want him to be alone, but we’re here now. There really isn’t much to be done about it. We can be with the family we have.” - Marc “But what if we could do something about it. Would you?” - Morgan.

While Morgan hasn’t found it yet, he poses Marc with a simple hypothetical, if they had the option to return to their time, would she take it? Marc denies any furthering of the thought. She’s not planning on wasting her life thinking of the hypothetical of abandoning her family when she could be making the most of her time with them. Lucina didn’t go back to her time when all of this was one either. Meanwhile, Morgan is offended at the thought he’d be the one abandoning his family and the implication that he doesn’t care for them. They left Robin to be forever searching on that mountain top, unsure of where their children are. Robin and Chrom have Lucina at least and possibly them if they ever decide to have kids again. Their father only has the one set of kids. And in the case of Lucina, she couldn’t go back because there was nothing left for her there. There is a family waiting for them in their own time.

Eventually, he drops the argument and they decide not to speak of it or to tel their family of it. As they grow older, Marc stays in the castle working alongside her fathers. Meanwhile, Morgan embarks on a quest to discover the true nature of their time. It takes him mostly to Plegia and the Ruins of Time. Occasionally, he even saw Lucina who was out on her own journey. It was in one such time that he asks Lucina about her own world, and how she came here. She’s hesitant to go into the details at first, warning it’s dangerous and irreversible magic. Once there’s a rip in the times, it’s hard to close completely. She had originally assumed that’s what happened to the twins, following after her, but that had now proven to be false. Morgan promises that it’s simply for research, and that he wants to be able to prevent an abuse of time magic. She trusts her brother, and explains what sacrifices and hardships it took to create the portal here.

Marc is so concerned for her brother’s well being. She knows he most likely didn’t stop thinking about it, and she worries for what he’s getting himself into in that world. He wasn’t truly going to leave them, was he? Without saying goodbye if he found his way back? Aside from worrying about her brother leaving, she had questioned why. Why was it they were here? Their childhood seemed so normal compared to Lucina’s. She left out of desperation. What could have possibly happened that suddenly they were with their father on a trip and then they were waking up clueless in the Ruins of Time? She cam to the conclusion there had to be a reason, and she put faith in her father doing this for her own good.

When Morgan returns to the castle with Lucina, everyone is filled with delight. Luci missed her brother. Marc was glad he was safe. Lucina was glad to be home with everyone. It’s been ages since they had all been together. They stay at the castle for awhile, Marc off studying with their father and Morgan seemingly always caught up in his next research project.

One day, Marc notices something strange on her hand opposite her brand. A scar perhaps? Perhaps she had nicked herself while sword fighting, or scratched herself in her sleep. It was insignificant at first. Then, as time went on, she began to notice it take a faint but very distinctive shape, the mark of Grima. She alerts Robin immediately. It’s a major cause of concern, of course. It’s been over a decade since Grima was vanquished. Robin’s own mark had faded as well. Marc begs for Robin to keep this between them, and maybe Chrom for now. She isn’t mentally prepared for the implications of this until they find out exactly what it means. She’s not stupid, and knows that the others need to know eventually, but hopes, just for now, she can keep things to herself.

In an attempt to keep a sense of normalcy, Marc has tea with Lucina and Luci. Apparently Morgan was too busy to join them. Lucina starts sharing stories of her adventures with Morgan as he has been a bit too avoidant for Marc’s liking. It seemed relatively tame, nothing much to do with any kind of timeline hopping. Until Lucina starts reminiscing about her siblings. 

“You two always had your nose in your books, it was hard to get you to look five feet in front of you. You were such nice kids, in spite of everything. Morgan said this a lot, that he was planning on finding a way to save everyone, even though you guys were barely eight. Already looking out for your big sister. Look at him now, trying to set up precautions against other time travelers. I guess he’s finally fulfilling his goals.”

Marc stops her right there. She didn’t.... teach him how to time travel did she? And upon realizing that Morgan has been planning something this whole time, they go to find out what these experiments and projects of his really are.

They find him doing just as they had expected, trying to open a gate through time back to where he came. Before Marc could even get a word out about how betrayed she was, her hand stung with pain. She could feel a long dead god whispering to her, “You will not escape so easily.”

As Marc suspected, there was in fact a reason that they were in this time, but it wasn’t of their father’s volition, but Morgan’s. While she could barely recall more than a whisper of their past, something grave was about to begin, she knew.

Marc and Morgan come from a future where Robin managed to suppress Grima rather than outright killing him or putting him to sleep. Chrom and Robin try their best to keep the world at peace, but Risen are appearing at alarming rates, Grimleal are terrorizing the villages, eventually the chaos even reaching Ylisstol. Eventually, the capital falls and Chrom with it. Robin escapes with Lucina and the twins, desperate to keep the last of his family safe.

They travel Ylisse, fending off Risen, trying to figure out how to rid themselves of Grima’s curse. Eventually, Robin recalls words from Naga. Grima has to be defeated by their own hand in order to truly die. Robin had been able to suppress Grima’s influence to the extent their mark had vanished, but everyone in the family had the unspoken suspicion that it was not quite gone from their blood. Morgan or Marc must die by the others hand.

Robin is not very keen on the idea of letting his children kill the other. He vehemently is against it. They search for other methods for years, but they keep coming back to this. It seems almost like an inevitability to the twins though. Morgan can’t bare the thought of it, but Marc puts down her foot and demands they stop running from it before it gets worse. She volunteers. The mark has begun to manifest on her first anyway. She’s much more vulnerable to Grima, so it should be her to go. Morgan doesn’t see a way to escape this and accepts.

Marc and Morgan go to the ruins nearby to complete the deed. But, just before Morgan is able to go through with it, the Risen attack. Unfortunately, the came alone. They couldn’t let Robin and Lucina stop them. It would be no good if they died like this, and Morgan runs, dragging his sister behind him. And, instead of fighting back, he opens a portal to another time and falls through. And the rest of their days were spent with a father of a different fate.

Morgan and Marc are foreign entities to this world. They are viable vessels of Grima introduced to this world, and with the rips in time that Morgan has been creating, Grima has been slowly exerting his influence on them once again. Even to the extent the mark has rematerialized onto Marc. If he manages to manifest within one of them again, then what? What was all of this for?

Morgan closes the portal he made with the best of his ability. Little did he know, these rifts are not so easily sealed. His fallen father, wielder of the corrupted Falchion, and Risen King, finds his way through to their world.

The Risen King, barely a semblance of the man he once was left in him, still held fondness for his family. He would do anything to see Robin again, even if it means razing the world. Grima has told him, the only way for him to stay with them forever, is to convince Robin to take on his soul.

[This is where I start to lose the plot!]

Imagine the encounter between Risen King Chrom and the Robin of this time. He sees for the first time in years, a Robin that doesn’t fear him. A Robin that perhaps naively thinks Chrom is not a threat, if only they can get through to him. It’s heartbreaking for what’s left of Chrom, to see this young man he loved before his death, but there isn’t enough left of Chrom to pull back.

※  Finishing notes: I know that was a bit inconclusive, but this is all I have so far! As I said, this isn’t really meant to be a fic, just a concept in my head. Feel welcome to send ideas my way about any part of it. Alternatively, if you want to use any of these ideas in a fic, I would love to read whatever you came up with.

Side Lucina and Side Twins were two different conversations which is why they don’t really connect thematically, but in my head they were of the same universe and it felt strange to separate them.

[writtingfiction]

*G A S P* Is it alright if you could write another Chrom x Robin, with an angst? Robin has feelings for Chrom yet believe her love is unrequited because: 1) he has been avoiding her and 2) the close relationship between Chrom and Sumia. It ends with Chrom wanting to speak with Robin in private. However once they're alone, Robin saw Chrom making a hurt expression. She assumed to be Emmeryn's death however noticed he's eyeing on her wedding ring. This implied Chrom has feelings for her.

You’re killing me here. Making me write this with my own two hands. Making Chrom and Robin suffer, as they sort through their feelings but not quick enough. Just, oof. Although, I did enjoy writing the ending for this. 

pairing: Chrom x Robin

words: 2k

Robin sighed as she played with the griffin feather in her hand. Was it truly alright for her to have feelings for Chrom? Doubts clouded her mind. She was amnesiac, yet she still knew that a tactician and general during the time of war wasn’t a good mix.

The army needed support and moral high, not having their commanders canoodling during the middle of the war. But Stahl’s words come to her; ‘Take the chance, there will always be time after the war.’ Maybe she could take a leap of faith, but what if he rejects her? What if his feelings are truly reserved for Sumia? Robin breaths in deeply, she could at least try.

So, here she was, hands shaking as she tries to steel her nerves. Letting out a deep exhale, as she runs through her plan. Go inside, talk to Chrom about the battle plans and then, voice your feelings.

“Chrom?” Robin called out, holding the extra map in her hands as she swallows the nervous feeling.

“Come on in.” Chrom replies. Robin moves the tent flap open, seeing Chrom smile gently towards her, but her eyes quickly catch Sumia and the pie in her hands. “Ah, Robin! Come here, have a piece of Sumia’s rhubarb pie! It’s absolutely divine.”

She takes confident steps towards the pair, trying to write off that meeting the two here was a coincidence. Trying to convince herself, that there was an inkling of hope. She takes hold of an extra fork and takes a piece of the pie.

“Hmm!!” Robin’s eyes widen. “You’re right, the pie is delicious.” Sumia’s smile brightens considerably.

“Thank you, Robin!” Sumia says happily. “I can always bake one for you!” The words hit Robin hard, always choking on her next bite.

“Hmm, would you? I would really appreciate that, Sumia.” Robin says, swallowing her piece with slight difficulty.

“Of course! Now, I better go wrap this up. I’ll talk with you all later.” Sumia bids them goodbye as Chrom and Robin waved to her as she leaves the tent.

“So, what did you need Robin?” Chrom then asks her. Robin blinks quickly, remembering her mission.

“Right! So, could you take a look at this for me. I drew up another path, a way to get us to Ylisse perhaps faster this way then the way we arrived to Regna Ferox.” Robin says plainly, trying not to show how nervous she was. Chrom peers over her shoulder as she rolls the map out.

“Looks good, you know I trust your judgment.” Chrom bears a wide smile, Robin in return, smiles back. She could do this.

“Um, Chrom…” Robin trails off, eyes connecting with his and suddenly her minds draws a blank. Her hearts racing, heartbeat loud in her ears, as her hands shake.

“Robin?” He says, confused. His head tilts slightly, making him look beautiful in the dim lighting. She had wishes where he would embrace her on cold nights, whispering sweet nothings as they fell asleep-

“Chrom, I—“

“Captain! I may need your help! The horses are loose!” Sumia’s voice cuts in, loud and in panic. Chrom sends Robin an apologetic smile, moving towards the entrance of the tent.

“I’m sorry, Robin. We shall speak soon, is the matter urgent?” Chrom says, as he pauses by the entrance. Everything in her tells her, that this is important. That the matters of the heart, are important, that it’s okay to be selfish.

“No, we can speak tomorrow as we march back to Ylisse.” Robin said. Chrom sends her another smile, before he calls out to Sumia that he’s on his way.

They didn’t speak the next day, marching back to Ylisse. Instead, his attention was focused on the Pegasus knight. Of course, she shouldn’t expect anything new. She let out another heavy sigh.

“That’s the fourth heavy sigh I’ve heard within the last five minutes.” Stahl speaks up beside her, on his horse. Matching her pace as she walks. She turns her head from Chrom to Stahl. The look she gives him, tells Stahl everything. He sighs in return. “Buckle up, and tell him, Robin. You’ve only got to so long.”

“I know, Stahl, but it’s not easy. I freeze, and my feelings all get caught in my throat.” Robin said, eyes filled with worry as she looks to Stahl; missing the longing gaze from Chrom. “I want to tell him, but I can never seem to get the right atmosphere.”

“Hang in there, Robin.” Stahl reassures. “I know you’ll figure something out.” He smiles, but it’s almost bittersweet. She can’t place why but doesn’t linger on it for too long.

That night at camp, Robin tries to start a conversation with Chrom. Keyword, tries. It was as if he had gone up in smoke. She saw him at dinner, eating with Sumia much to her disappointment. But he just, disappeared from there. She had even asked around, receiving nothing in return of his whereabouts.

Robin sighed, perhaps Stahl would enjoy her company for the evening before bed. Taking her only a couple steps before she saw Stahl, working on his lance. She gently made her presence known before Stahl greeted her happily.

The two enjoyed their evening together as they talked, not noticing any wandering eyes that may have fallen upon them.

—-

They had arrived back in Ylisse, within a couple days. And to say Robin was frustrated, would be an understatement. Chrom was avoiding her. He couldn’t even seem to look her in the eye when they were talking about important affairs. Even to just stop and spare a moment, he would flee. It wouldn’t help if he was with Sumia either. In fact, it had almost seemed as if those two were attached by the hip.

“Robin, you’re scowling again.” Stahl reminds her, not even sparing a glance from the soup he was making. Robin let out a frustrated cry.

“I just do not understand. Have I done something to offend him lately?” Robin said, a grumble on her lips. “Doesn’t help Sumia is constantly with him.” There was a light sigh that came from Stahl. She heard the soup ladle being placed down before she saw Stahl in her line of vision.

“Robin, I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times.” Stahl stares her straight in the eye. “Confess, even if you get rejected. You won’t feel such a heavy weight on your shoulders anymore.” Robin sighs after a moment. Eyes closed, as his words sink in.

“…Alright.” Robin opens her eyes once again, mentally preparing herself. Stahl smiles brightly. He placed a hand on her hair, ruffing it up a bit.

“Good, I’m sure half of the army is getting sick and tired of the puppy eyed look.”

“What?!”

—-

After coming back to Ylisse, barely a full day has passed before they hear of Maribelle’s kidnapping. The Shepherds were quick to move, night was falling though, they had to rest and Robin couldn’t hold it in any longer. Her feelings had to be made known by the prince.

Her feet, drawing her closer to where Chrom was this late at night. Wherever it might be, but to stumble across this. Her heart shattered to pieces.

“…I love you!!” It was clearly Chrom’s voice that echoed in her ears. Her entire body froze. It couldn’t be true. She felt her heart sink to her feet.

“Of course…I love you too…” By the Gods, that was Sumia. Robin felt sick, stomach turning. She was right in the first place, her love was unrequited. Tears stung in her eyes, biting her lip as she turned on her feet.

She didn’t know where she was going, but away. She needed to be away from him, everything. So, the best spot was obviously, just outside of camp, behind a tree.

She sobbed, as she folded herself into a ball. Back against the rough bark of the tree. Her chest was heavy, heart aching as her mind became fuzzy. How could she have let herself hope? How could she think there was a chance, to be with him?

“…Hello…? Are you alright..?” A voice came from behind. The footsteps came closer. She wasn’t ready, she couldn’t figure out an excuse quick enough as the figure came around the tree. It was Stahl. “Oh, Robin, I’m so sorry.”

He immediately apologizes seeing Robin’s red eyes, tear stained cheeks and heavy heart. He kneels down and opens his arms, to which Robin falls into, only to sob louder. Stahl, just holds her, not asking anything of her, just holding and waiting.

Stahl didn’t notice exactly when she had fallen asleep, but she had. It must have taken a lot of out of her. With some trial, Stahl picked up Robin, carrying her back to her tent. Only to run into the main problem of her troubles lately.

“Stahl? Is Robin alright?” Chrom’s voice was quiet but filled with worry.

“She’s fine, Captain, perhaps little tired.” Stahl responds. Chrom only nods, and he looks to her. Brows furrowing upon noticing her still wet cheek. Chrom is tempted to say something, anything over the concern of her well-being, but he can’t grab enough courage.

“Take good care of her.” There’s more meaning to it, as he says it. Stahl knows, he understands. He just wishes it didn’t have to be like this, to hear him say that.

——

Days, months pass by and the events unfurl quickly. Robin’s head is a mess, trying to think of a plan to rescue the Exalt from the Mad King’s clutches. As they march towards them with a fierce determination. She breathes in deeply, trying to clear her mind. However, a quick call from Chrom, tears her away.

“Are you ready?” He says, although he doesn’t sound very convinced. She sends him a reassuring smile, hand placed against his arm.

“We will get her back, alive.” Robin says confidently. “I’ve got an idea.” And she truly does. Chrom means a lot to her, he’s the one who found her in the dirt in the first place.

Robin had only ended up eating her words. Emmeryn sacrifices herself for the good and better, and so Chrom wouldn’t hand over the fire emblem. Her hesitant steps took her close to Chrom, hands shaking.

There were shouts in the distance. Things were going so wrong, they needed to retreat. Fingers brushing against him as she tries to pull him up and away.

“We need to go… we can’t stay here…” Robin says, trying to keep herself from breaking down. She needed to stay strong. Chrom shrugged her off. “Chrom!” His head spun towards her. Tears streaming down his face. Pain clearly etched on his face. Robin’s brows furrowed; sadness evident as she gently pulled him to his feet before ordering a retreat.

The grief process was slow, but their anger was swiftly turned into a blade for Gangrel. Recovering in Regna Ferox, as they also armed themselves. The Mad King’s rule was going to end by their hands. So, when she had approached Chrom, she cautiously offered the idea to come up with a plan that could work.

Chrom agreed, although his body language said the complete opposite. Robin still brought the map in, laying it across the table for him to see, but his eyes catch the small silver band on her ring finger. He can’t hear anything she says from then on. When did she get the ring? Who gave it to her? His heart picked up the pace.

“Where did you get the ring?” He blurts out. Robin stops, blinks and gives him a questioning look. “Your ring.” He repeats, almost tempted to point at the band hugging her finger.

“Oh, you mean this?” Robin holds up her left hand, bringing it close to him. “It’s my engagement ring.” Robin doesn’t feel or hear it when his heart breaks in pieces. But she does see the heartbreak in his eyes as he stares at the ring. His thumb running over it carefully. There was a brief moment, that she thought it was over Emmeryn, but she knew the look in his eyes were very different. She had seen it before.

“Who’s the lucky man?” He asks, and Robin’s heart aches. She couldn’t believe it.

“Stahl.”

Chrom was in love with her.

[bxstiae]

[ my url...? ]

[ @ofostia​ / —– 🇸 ​ 🇪 ​ 🇳 ​ 🇩 ​   🇦​    🇺 ​ 🇷 ​ 🇱​ ]           🇬​🇱​🇦​🇩​🇱​🇾​ 🇦​🇨​🇨​🇪​🇵​🇹​🇮​🇳​🇬​ 🇦​🇱​🇱​﹗

Opinion on;

Character in general: I honestly can’t answer this without talking about you so. Let me try first opinions/at first glance. Forgive me cause this might be an arrow to the knee. I…. Actually didn’t care much for Hector. Note I said DIDN’T!! But I mean he’s from a game that I know nothing about? That being said, from the screen shots I’ve seen from mostly you, I’ve come to notice that Hector is very much a mood. I really do like his no filter sort of attitude. That being said, before I met you and witnessed your hector (and idk how i even found you tbh), he’s a character that… I paid little to no attention to. I apparently! have a Hector in my FEH game. I never knew. But that’s how little I really cared for him. It sucks to say that, but he’s from a game I didn’t know soo… I mean, its not hard since, I don’t know many of the older games, but still. I’m relatively new to Fire Emblem. And Hector is one of the rare muses that I’ve come to love because of how somebody portrays him and not because of a game. Anyway…..

From your writing though, I find him to be boisterous kind of guy. He’s like a big old Teddy bear! A Muse I can stand by to be honest. I mean most of the time at least. He isn’t without his flaws for sure.. but stil I want to think that he’s a great man. I always say that Muse A is somebody that the world doesn’t deserve because of XYZ, but honestly, I think for hector? He’s definitely somebody where I’m like. Yea, the world is deserving of you. Hes def a man that I will defend for sure. I think I stan Eliwood just a little bit more! But I also stan Hector too! and yes, I stan him cause of you! Anyway, lets move forward.

I’m gonna put a read more cause its getting long!!

How they play them: Nox, man. Where DO I START? damn, I really don’t know??? I’m also extremely biased too. You’re a wonderful writer in general and your portrayal is honestly one of the best portrayals for any character! I mean this too. I mean, I can say that about a lot of people but.. Honestly, there’s not many that when I see a character, I don’t instantly think of a specific MUN. I’ve done it for a few characters already in various situations. I won’t go into depth about which characters, but I can tell you that it’s less than 10. (as in less than 10 muns – not characters ) These people, while most I’m friends with or talk to (but there are a few in there that I don’t talk to!), have been able to create such great metas and have done a wonderful job at characterisation that it leaves me amazed. I’ll admit that somebody even made me go from hating that character to loving them because they managed to fix the plot holes and bad characterisation that the canon had made him to be. What I am trying to get at though is there aren’t many people that can do that! To make me fall in love with a character? And Nox, I am honestly really happy to tell you that you have that honour. You really do.

I cannot look at hector and not think its you. I know that you say you try, but by the gods, you have. You’ve done so well on him that I think it’s YOUR character. I’ve honestly begun to start reading your other threads/answers that you do for others because I can’t get enough of him. While no i don’t normally read other people’s threads, there are a few that I’m like, yea I wanna see what nox wrote today. It has nothing to do with my interactions with you. While I love and adore our interactions, I love seeing hector outside that sappy/shippy stuff we do! I know this is getting long but you sent me this, I want to tell you. I only wish that I had better words to tell you.

There isn’t any word to tell you how wonderful you do with him. As I said before, I only wish to see him in situations where he’s forced to be OOC. I want to see him in situations that push him out of his limits. You already have to an extent in one answer I’ve seen, and this was since I last told you that. And really? It’s absolutely wonderful. Sometimes I feel like I’m bothering you too much, but sometimes I feel like I want nothing more than to grab a bowl of popcorn and read all of your content. And God, Nox please let me tell you that its really hard for me to fall in love with a character like that. It’s hard cause I end up playing favourites, and I don’t mean to. I want to be fair to everybody. I know I’m supposed to give you concrit, but seriously? I think all the concrit I have for you is nothing but good stuff to be honest.

Like I want to see him at his weakest, where he’s on his knees. I want him to admit he needs help. But then again, I’m sure you do to. He’s a frustrating man. But you do him so much justice to him. Honestly? I just want to say this one last thing. THANK YOU.

The Mun: wELL now that I gushed about how you are as a writer? And how you write him? Perhaps I should go to you! as a person! cause you are a person as well. And you have a heart and feelings, just like me! And honestly? You’re a really great pal! I do hope that we can continue to talk! And talk more often. You got me to play a game if its any consolation. Only 2 people have been able to do that. one of them I have known since High school. He’s been with me through some really rough patches. the other? Hell, I would die for her. I know we aren’t close & that we’ve met not too long ago. At times, I’m still very careful/afraid to step on your toes because I know I can be a lot, but I do care about you! Not because you’re a good writer! but because you care! I do appreciate the fact that you took the time to check up on me. We really should talk more! And we don’t have to talk about our muses either! Hell, you obviously play League, while I don’t play that, I play Smite so I’m sure we can find common ground with that! And I’m sure you will be hearing from me more often as I play the game. If you want I can try to stream it on Twitch! Hell I don’t mind doing that. I’ve been in calls with people and watched anime. While we don’t have to do that, we can still chill and talk. I’m honestly down for anything you wanna throw at me. And please, just cause I’m a bit shy about approaching you at times, don’t hesitate to bother me at any hour of the day. I’m normally really good about responding but sometimes I’m a potato. okay wow tangent but anyway!

You? Nox? I appreciate you! And yes I do wanna talk to you more okay? I’m trash with small talk, so you gotta like… get right into what you wanna talk about. You’re a passionate person for your muse though! and I hope you’re not too bothered by me and my wild antics.

Do I:

RP with them: Yes I do! Just not on here. I do on Emmeryn and honestly, thats become more of a Emm/Hector loving blog than anything. But hell yea, I don’t care. You are what keeps my muse for her alive. I just sometimes wish I had more people want to interact with her. But if its just you on the blog? then alright thats fine too! I’ve made muses only for certain people before. That’s actually how Emm came to be. I didn’t intend her to be wih Hector but my look at us now.

Want to RP with them: Of course! All day every day. And yes! I do actually want to RP with you on Link too! Please dont be afraid to send prompts for him! We can talk about it too. Aside from the hec holding dog boi. But you know! Nox, I will always want to RP and interact with you.

What is my;

Overall Opinion: I’m trash with gifs and I’m running out of time cause I have work soon but I’ll quote my favourite guy MythyMoo: DEN/DEN

**NOTE: Mun’s answer are all to be completely honest. Don’t send url if you don’t want brutal honesty

[timecall]

word max loving hours?? you are so nice!! ive always felt welcome by u when i first came into the fandom... & i still do if that makes sense huidjn but you're always a joy to see on my dash; your writing is absolutely superb & your crack is so funny & in character... basically. you're just amazing in every way!!

THANKS I KNOW I WAS THAT WEIRDO THAT IM’D YOU LIKE PRETTY MUCH THE SECOND U MADE UR MULTI BECAUSE I SAW MARIBELLE AND EMMERYN AND KINDA LOST MY MIND WE SHOULD DEFINITELY RP MORE BC I REALLY LIKE UR WRITING AND CHARACTER CHOICES

[tangerinabina-de-archanea]

Hello yes I see this Nilemm thing you have and I would like to hear your sweet sweet imagines on it

Someone has come into my inbox,, in the year 2019,, and ACTUALLY ASKED ME TO TALK IN DEPTH ABOUT NILEMM?? PINCH ME I MUST BE DREAMING

I’ll be honest idk exactly how to do imagines or if there’s a specific way to do it?? so i’m just gonna rant and sob about how much i love them

okay so FIRST of all I think their dynamic is Just Swell. Absolutely Fantastic. They each bring something very different to the table that really completes the other, you know? 

In his support with Azura, Niles says “It left me with a low tolerance for people who lack compassion. I cannot stand shallow people!” and like WHO’S MORE COMPASSIONATE THAN EMM?? Chrom says in Chapter 6 that Emm "represents the best of the halidom—the part most worth protecting.” and it’s true!! She’s so warm and loving and forgiving and gentle and just asd;fjksdjf he really needs someone like that in his life!! Especially after all the shit he’s been through!  

On the other hand, with Emm, we have less canon evidence, but what we do know is that Emm always puts others before her, and is usually very driven and work focused. She just never takes time to herself!! Niles helps her loosen up and actively encourages her to relax and take time to herself. Also, imo, because of the weight of the crown and Emm’s incredibly selfless tendencies, even if she’s surrounded by people she loves and who are willing to help her, she’s really just felt... alone. As I once said in a previous ask about Emmeryn, “Emmeryn sacrificed herself long before she walked off that cliff in Plegia.” She’s always given her all for Ylisse, and she knows she’s not alone, but at the same time she is because she doesn’t share her struggle because she doesn’t want anyone to worry. Chrom and Lissa know that it’s been hard for, but do they know how hard? How much has she sheltered them from? Niles knows what it’s like to be alone and feel like you’ve only got yourself to rely on in the end, and I think he’d be the one who’s able to see really see what she’s going through, even if she doesn’t say anything, and he’d help her through it.

They are just,, SO GOOD WITH EACH OTHER,, even though i started shipping them as a joke in one of the fics i’m working on and now they’re my otp daskfjl;sadfjsdjf and now here’s THE CUTE AND SWEET BECAUSE IT’S VERY IMPORTANT (also, a lot of these will probably apply to an au i’m currently writing with them, in which Niles ends up in the world of awakening and somehow manages to get with the exalt of ylisse a;dhf;aksdjf) 

- Something they would definitely do a lot is stargazing. They’d just snuggle together, looking at the stars, all cozy and warm and happy and a;kdf;dsjffjdfsj

- Emm absolutely loves sunflowers, and Niles always loves giving them to her (in fact, in my awakening au he gets a sunflower garden planted for her at one point in the ylissean royal gardens and HMM IT’S SO CUTE AND SWEET)

- okay so we all know that Niles gets nightmares right? Emm would be THE BEST at helping him calm down and go back to sleep, just holding him and kissing him and telling him over and over that it’s okay, he’s safe now, she’s here for him and she’s not going to let him go until he’s finally able to relax and go back to sleep. 

- Niles being an absolute flirt and super affectionate ALL THE TIME and she just takes it all in stride like “yes i’ve been walking around holding my husband’s hand for almost three hours now what of it??”

- Emm having the absolute worst bedhead and being super slow to wake up most mornings (even though she does get up early) and Niles just thinks it’s absolutely adorable

I could go on for HOURS about these two but I’ll refrain because otherwise this will get far too long a;kfj;sldjf i have a discord server dedicated to all of my fanfic writing but there’s a whole category with these two that is WAY TOO BIG with way too much rambling in it so that’s a testament to how much i will ramble if given the opportunity thank you so much for this ask though~! I always love talking about my rarepairs, especially... them

[trimaplenut]

hey maple! I was wondering, do you have any book/fic/story recommendations? ❤️

Hoo boy, I can certainly offer some! I’m more well-versed in fanfics than actual books but I think I’ve stumbled across my fair share of good fics over the years.

Also I’ll warn you this’ll be long.

Cycle by RoseGarden

Hot. Damn.

If you’re a Fire Emblem Awakening fan there is not a fic I can recommend to you more than this one. Cycle is easily in my top 5, no top 3, heck my absolute favourite story ever. The updates are slow - I started following it in 2016 summer at Ch 44, and the latest chapter was (at posting) 55 in 2018 winter - but this is not a complaint. This delay is understandably so because these chapters fucking deliver. Each chapter averages about 10,000-25,000 words (by my rough estimate - chapters tend to include a lot of reviewer replies from the author). This is honestly my current inspiration, and has been since I found it. I dream of writing like this one day. I cannot express how much I love this goddamn story.

Okay enough fangirling, time to buckle down to the content. From the beginning, it seems like your average but well-written insert - Robin is an FE fan and baker from the real world who wakes up to find Blue-Haired McGee and his motley crew with no idea how she ended up in the field in Ylisse. But you find out pretty quick that things aren’t quite what they seem. Mysterious unfamiliar characters are popping up, some people know more about events than they’re letting on, and Robin’s gotta figure out all this shit while dealing with her own missing memory and the responsibilities that come with playing tactician for a nation going to war.

It’s amazing. It follows along Awakening’s plot, but honestly I’m on edge the entire time, I don’t know what’s going to happen next. The worldbuilding is hefty and incredible and really brings the world to life. The character interactions are gorgeous. The characters themselves are gold. One of my favourite things is that each character has a clear and defined voice - even if there’s no narration to say who’s speaking, you can work it out by their words and tone. The character interactions are charming and even if the ships aren’t your favourite or usual cup of tea, they’re all so genuine and they work. Robin is different from what I think is the general depiction of canon Robin in fics, she’s pretty crass and blunt and the Earth culture she and the readers know shows, but she certainly stands out as her own personality and still fits in well with the Shepards. She’s also got her own issues and problems and she makes mistakes so that’s fun.

Oh, that reminds me, also be prepared for a heck ton of feels. Laughter and heartbreak in equal helpings. Always a good time.

Queen of Hearts by Circuit

One of the first, and one of my favourite, Persona 5 fanfics that I’ve come across so far. Queen of Hearts retells Persona 5 but with Makoto Niijima playing the role of Wild Card. The change in protagonist brings a few new interesting changes, the big one being the Confidants Makoto hangs out with, including people such as Shiho and original characters in the Student Council. It’s cool to see the changes caused by a Makoto-led Phantom Thieves and also the struggles she herself has with being in that position of leader.

This feels small in comparison to the wall of text for Cycle, so I’m just gonna throw in another P5 fanfic, Crimson. This one’s closer to a retelling of P5′s canon than Queen of Hearts but tackles it with a lot more realism of kids messing with the law and the big bads of P5 and includes quite a bit of Questionable And Morally Ambiguous Choices:tm:. It’s one I’m honestly losing a little interest in, hence why it’s only got this small section here, but it’s still a good fic. I remember liking the beginning and certain scenes that are thrown around here and there, but this fic starts off pretty depressing and gets even more morally ambiguous in more recent chapters. Still a good read. Queen of Hearts is just a lot lighter in comparison and that’s why I recommend it a little more.

Worm by Wildbow

Okay this one’s a little different but hear me out. Technically a web serial, Worm is an original story written on Wordpress. I found it when I read a crossover between it and Okami (also a good fanfic in and of itself, has a pretty different tone from Worm but it’s very entertaining. I’d recommend reading Worm first though since I read the crossover first and, it’s fine to read through itself, but I understood some of the details and nods only after reading Worm). Honestly, I’m still not done with Worm. There’s a lot of story to get through. But what I’ve seen so far is pretty interesting.

The story follows Taylor, a teenaged girl with superpowers, called parahumans in this universe. It starts off pretty dark, though, and honestly it stays that way. Taylor’s bullied at school and feels pretty shitty, but she wants to be a hero. So one night she tries her hand at some vigilantism. Result? Nearly gets killed by a superpowered gang leader, gets saved by a small group of supervillains her age, they think she’s actually a supervillain too. They offer Taylor to join them and she figures it’s a way to go undercover, but over time she faces an internal dilemna since she finds herself actually enjoying their company.

There’s more to the story beyond that. Like I said, I’m not actually done reading it. There’s like 30 arcs, with each arc having about 8-10 chapters, each chapter about 5000 words?? and I’ve only read up to Arc 11. It’s an interesting take on a superpowered world, though, where villains aren’t so evil, good guys aren’t so good, and there’s a whole lot of morality and gritty details that come with it.

Through Her Eyes by Peroth

A RWBY fic that actually has a remastered version currently being written. The story’s about a Ruby that actually has a different semblance than the one we’re used to. This Ruby has the power to summon Grimm - and that’s it. She can’t control them whatsoever. This leads to Ruby being stuck at home for most of her childhood and gives us quite a different personality than canon Ruby - she’s a lot more shy and nervous around people and usually speaks with a stammer. Still the badass little scythe-wielding Grimm slayer we love though. Ruby’s also got eyes pretty similar to Salem’s, which also come with a fear factor, inciting primal fear in anyone who looks at her eyes, which means she has to wear big goggles.

So there’s a lot of changes, but it still mostly follows Volume 1. Ruby goes to Beacon because she still wants to help people -  with some focus on the catchup work Ruby has to do as a result of her missing school as a kid - teams up with WBY, makes friends with JNPR, usual kind of stuff. The original fic ends where Volume 1 ends, but I can’t say what changes the remastered version will bring. It seems to mostly be following the original with a few details changed or added, though. 

The Shrouded Throne by Iburtide

Okay yes it’s another FE Awakening fic, sue me I’ve been through a massive FE faze. Chrobin is near and dear to my heart. Iburtide has actually written more Chrobin fics, both male and female, but I admit I’ve only read this one, The Heart of the Moon which is also a good one, and Crown of Shadows which is almost the same as Shrouded Throne but told with Male Robin (and also explicit so u18′s don’t look at it you hear me).

So Shrouded Throne (and Crown of Shadows) tells the story of a Robin who fled from a Plegian civil war to request aid from Ylisse. By the time the story starts, they’re in the employment of the Shepards, and after some words shared during a battle, Chrom offers to get Robin an audience with Emmeryn, which pretty much kicks off the story. Kinda follows Awakening’s plot but Robin knows they’re from Plegia and the civil war is between Gangrel and Validar.

I guess I’ll talk briefly about Heart of the Moon too since I mentioned it already. The Shepards get sent out to a village where a monster is stalking the woods. When they meet the creature, Chrom gets challenged to a hunt, one-on-one, with the beast. In the middle of this, Chrom comes across an old abandoned castle - or not quite so abandoned, as a young woman lives there, one who claims to be prisoner to the beast.

Both fics include fun new things like Henry being Robin’s little brother - not by blood but their relationship is cute and precious and gives me new life - and a normal Grimleal religion practiced by normal people and Validar just takes it to an extreme.

Those are a handful of ones I can recommend. I read a lot of fics though so I have skipped over some of the ones I wouldn’t say are my favourites but are still quite high on my list. These are all also multi-chaptered fics, a few of them being unfinished as well. There are more fics I wanted to talk about but they’re either one-shots or don’t have enough chapters for me to definitively recommend them. I dunno, if people want more recommendations or recs from specific fandoms like DR (which surprisingly I haven’t touched upon at all, wow it’s been a while since I’ve read a dr fic), I could do another post or something. One covering a lot of one-shots or short stories, but not speaking in as much detail as I have here oops somebody gets distracted and goes on tangents

OH AND BOOKS. Quick book recs are Percy Jackson and How to Train Your Dragon. I’ll be honest, I don’t read a lot of books these days. And I think these are popular enough that they don’t really need a big ol’ explanation from me.

[kumeko]

Birthdays

A/N: for the FESibs zine! I absolutely love writing about Lissa, Chrom, and Em and I should really do more of it. For those that bought the zine, I’ve added an extra piece about Em in this version, which I couldn’t fit into the zine.

Summary: Three different gifts for three different times—Lissa, Chrom, and Em through the war.

…

…

…

…

Lissa wasn’t sulking.

War required sacrifice, she knew. Sacrifice which sometimes included food, forcing them to resort to bear meat. Or boar meat. Or whatever-Frederick-managed-to-hunt meat. Despite any misgivings she had about it, she held her nose daily and swallowed what could only be described as month-old shoe.  She even raised only a minimal fuss about it too.

So when Emmeryn apologized, explaining that they didn’t have the rations to make a birthday cake, Lissa understood. It was war, after all. If she happened to leave the castle, climb up a hill, and plop on the ground, it was an unrelated thing. It was quiet here and it had nothing to do with sulking.

At all.

“There you are.” Chrom’s voice startled her and she lifted her head. Sparing him a glance as he trudged up the hill, she buried her face in her knees once more. “Are you still sulking?”

“I’m not!” Her voice was a little louder than she intended, a little harsher, and maybe she was sulking. Just a little.

But only a little because Lissa knew better.

“Lissa…” Chrom sat next to her.  Bumping his shoulder against hers, just like he used to when they were children listening to one of Em’s long lectures, he sighed. “I’m sorry but you know we can’t—”

“I know.” Lissa cut her brother off, raising her head slightly. Despite how she acted, she wasn’t a complete child. “I know just…I’m a little sad, ok?”

“Yeah…I think you liked cake more than the gifts.” Chrom laughed weakly. He wrapped his arm around her, giving her a loose hug. “I’m sorry.”

It was unfair, entirely unfair. She couldn’t stay mad when he acted like that. Resting her cheek on his chest, she mumbled, “It’s not your fault.”

His grip tightened. “I’m still sorry.” They sat there for a moment, quiet, before he let go. “I know this isn’t quite what you wanted, but we got you something.”

She peeked up at him. “What?”

“A gift. It was hard to find something good, considering how strapped we are.” Chrom reached into his pocket, fumbling in there before pulling out a small yellow pouch. “Em got you some orange ribbons and I managed to convince Gaius to part with a little candy. It’s not quite a cake or a big present, but—”

Lissa tackled him to the ground before he could say another word.  She had the best big brother and sister.

“Chrom?” Tentatively, Lissa entered the throne room, hiding a bag behind her. There were few candles lit; most of the attending nobles and guards had left to prepare for her brother’s birthday feast. Squinting, Lissa spotted Chrom standing next to the throne. Sensing something wasn’t right, she slowly approached him. “What are you doing?”

“Hmm?” At the sound of her footsteps, he glanced at her. There was a pensive look on his face, the same look he had when he had been crowned just a few weeks ago. “Lissa?”

“You asleep?” Even to her own ears, her joke fell flat. Dropping her smile, Lissa stood next to her brother and set the bag on the floor. With most of the candles out, the room felt bigger, emptier. “What are you doing?”

“I…” Chrom laid his hand on the throne, gripping it tightly “Em should have been here.”

“…yeah.” Downcast, she stared at the empty seat. Emmeryn was dead. For a while, Lissa had hoped she was trapped in a nightmare, that none of this was real and she’d wake up to Em’s gentle smile. Yet the war grew worse and Chrom was king and no matter how much she pinched herself, reality stayed the same.

“I…I’m not ready to be king.” Her brother’s confession came out a whisper, soft and delicate like a seashell.

Lissa couldn’t say anything, not even that he was wrong. Her hand reached to her hair, to the orange ribbons she used on a daily basis now. Her gift was the last thing she had of Emmeryn and even that was getting harder and harder to remember.

Chrom’s voice was barely audible now. “I couldn’t save her…”

“We couldn’t save her.” Lissa wiped the tears from her eyes; this was no time to cry. Not when her brother needed her, not when he sounded like a child, lost and afraid. Emmeryn would never have wanted that. “It’s not your fault.” When he didn’t respond, she grabbed his arm. “It’s not,” she repeated, firmly.

He didn’t look convinced but he stopped frowning. “Lissa…”

“Besides, it’s your birthday! We can finally have cake and celebrate!” Lissa let go and reached down into her bag. Pulling out a large blue cloth, she presented it to Chrom. “Here’s your present.”

“What…” Chrom trailed off as he unfurled the cape. “When did you make this?”

“…Em and I worked on it together…” Lissa blinked furiously, refusing to cry. Shakily, she pointed to the edge of the cape. A quick look and it was apparent two different hands had made this—in some places, the seam was barely visible, in others all that could be seen were mismatching stitches.  Em had promised to help after and—Lissa had to stop thinking about that. “You looked like you needed a new cape.”

“You…” Chrom gripped the cloth tightly, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, with a shaky smile, he donned the cape. “What do you think?”

It was crooked and Lissa snorted. There was something very Chrom-like about this, something that screamed of home and normalcy. Em would have laughed, she was sure. And if she wasn’t around anymore, then it fell to Lissa.

“You didn’t put it on right!” Lissa scoffed, reaching up to tighten his clasp. “Here, I’ll fix it.”

Emmeryn was alive. Lissa repeated herself over and over. Em was alive. No matter how many times she said, thought it, it didn’t feel entirely real.

But Em was sitting next to her, breathing and smiling and fully, 100% alive.

“It’s nice out.” Lissa beamed at her sister, resisting the urge to throw her arms around her. Even if Em was alive, she wasn’t back. Not entirely, at least.

“Yes…it…is.”  Em’s words were slurred, her mouth having difficulty pronouncing what was clear in her mind.

“This is the best view of the city.” Chrom gestured at the view in front of them. Coincidentally, the hill she had sulked one less than a year ago happened to be the best picnic spot. She was glad that was one detail Chrom left out.

“...I see…” Her sister nodded slowly as she scanned the surroundings. “It is…beautiful…”

“And at peace and all because of you.” Chrom held Em’s hand tenderly, his expression soft. He smiled more these days and Lissa wasn’t sure if it was because they war was over or because Em was alive. It was probably both.

She was sure her face looked exactly the same.

Perplexed, Emmeryn squeezed his hand. “…ok…”

“We…I would not be here right now if it weren’t for what you did. Thank you.”

It was too much, all too much. Lissa could feel her eyes sting, her throat burn, and today was a happy day. She wasn’t going to cry again. Quickly, she shooed Chrom away. “Get the picnic basket!”

There was a knowing look in his eyes and he ruffled her hair. “You ok?”

“I’m hungry.” Lissa batted him away and he dodged, laughing.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go.” Rolling his eyes, he obeyed.

“He’s not allowed to tease me.” Lissa complained, resting her head on her sister’s shoulders. When she was younger, they’d come out on nice summer afternoons. Chrom would practice his swordsmanship in the one place it didn’t matter if he broke something while she napped on Em’s lap. Her sister would stroke her hair softly, just like she was doing now.

Lissa’s eyes snapped open. She wasn’t imagining it, her sister was stroking her head.

“The ribbons…look…good…on you…” Em gave a gentle smile, her hand still softly brushing Lissa’s hair. Was it a coincidence? Lissa was wearing her birthday present, those orange ribbons Em had picked out herself and did she recognize it?

Her mind was in tatters, a jigsaw puzzle with most of the pieces missing, but maybe it was starting to slowly stitch back together. The smile Em gave was ambiguous, the clarity in her eyes possibly a trick of the light, but Lissa wanted to believe.

Her sister could back. Her sister was coming back.

“Alright!” Having returned, Chrom set down a cake in front of them. “Fredrick helped make this, so we didn’t burn anything down this time.”

Lissa wiped the tears from her eyes before her brother could say anything. “Happy birthday, Em.”

Really though, it felt like she was the one getting the gift.

[iturbide]

Thanks for the Emmeryn stuff! It does help! I really like the idea she hugs Chrom too tight cuz she's been worried. ; u ; Do you have any more ideas about how she is with her siblings, or like, with close friends, where she can be a little more casual? How does she react to Lissa's pranking people? (does Lissa ever prank her?) Do you think she was taught how to use any weapons, like to defend herself?

I'M SO GLAD THAT IT HELPS I love Emmeryn a lot and have a lot of thoughts about her because of it. ;v; So I absolutely have more ideas about her relationships with people she's close to hold tight.

Emmeryn loves her siblings so much. They, more than anything else, are what keep her going and give her the strength to hold firm in her beliefs. She wants to make a better world for them -- and while it certainly has benefits for all the people of Ylisse, I think that first and foremost, she set her sights on peace for the sake of her siblings. Emmeryn spent her earliest years in a country falling to ruin because of her father's crusade, so as soon as she was crowned Exalt and had the power to do so, she ended the war and tried to make the peaceful world she couldn't have for herself, so that her siblings could have better childhoods than she did.

I suspect that Emm did everything in her power to give Chrom and Lissa that peaceful childhood -- which includes trying to give them as normal an upbringing as possible. Rather than push studies on her brother that would prepare him for future rule, should something happen to her, she arranged for more mundane tutealge: reading, writing, arithmetic, etc. She tried to ensure that her siblings would recognize that everyone in the halidom was deserving of equal respect, regardless of their class or place of birth. This contributes to Chrom and Lissa's easygoing manner with commoners and nobles alike (especially compared to Maribelle).

Related, but this also explains their inability to recognize Grimleal symbology like the eyes on Robin's coat: Emm never taught them how to spot Plegian iconography, to keep them from succumbing to the prejudices of the wider halidom, meaning that while they know enough of the history between Ylisse and Plegia, they don't actually have a solid visual reference for what Plegians might look like until they actually go to Plegia, by which point Robin is so ingrained in their friend group that they wouldn't dream of kicking them out.

As much as her siblings mean to her, though, Emm keeps a lot from them, telling herself that it's for their sakes. Even with Ylisse now at peace, politics are strenuous and frustrating at the best of times, a delicate balance of keeping multiple groups with disparate needs happy to avoid the outbreak of civil war. She never lets on about this to Chrom and Lissa, though, because she doesn't want to burden them: that sort of burden isn't part of the peaceful world she wanted to make for them, after all, so she shoulders all the pressure on her own. She does her best never to cry around her siblings, even if she wants to: her tears are a private release for her, and if Chrom or Lissa happens upon her while she's crying she will swiftly try to get back under control and pretend it didn't happen to avoid making them worry.

This isn't to say that Chrom and Lissa don't want to help, or haven't tried to take some duties on to make her life easier. I tend to think that Chrom taking over as Captain of the Shepherds was his way of trying to ease some of his sister's burden: by going afield and dealing with simpler matters on her behalf, she could focus on the larger issues facing the halidom. While Emm does wish that a militia weren't necessary, she does appreciate her siblings' willingness to act as her agents in the wider halidom (and beyond, when it eventually comes to Regna Ferox), seeing to matters she can't easily tend herself.

Emm might keep up some of the mask with her siblings so that she doesn't burden them with her problems, but she certainly doesn't keep them at the arm's length she does most people. Her smiles are warmer and her laughter more open, and she's much less reserved on the whole, showing much more emotion than she does in public (though she still keeps a firm lid on any frustration or anger she might feel, preferring to take a gentle yet firm approach in correcting their behavior). In private she enjoys lightly teasing them about minor embarrassments and fussing over memories of their youths that they find mortifying; she can also let loose and just be silly with them, making funny faces to get a laugh out of them.

Emm tries to encourage her siblings' pursuits as much as she's able, and so long as Lissa's pranks aren't hurting anyone, she's usually the sort to laugh it off and encourage others to do the same. It's just harmless fun, something to spice up the day. With that said, though, Lissa may have pranked Emm when she was much younger, but probably tapered off dramatically as she got older because she could see the stress it caused Emm when Lissa snuck a frog in her sleeve, and she really doesn't want to stress her big sister out because she loves her: it's not fun to see Emm in distress. The worst she does now is sneaking into her sister's study and putting all her quills and ink on the wrong side/in the wrong drawer.

With a partner or especially close friend, I like to think that Emm would be easygoing, expressive and excitable with a sweet smile and a sweeter laugh. She can be playful, but she also enjoys the quiet moments she can share with good company, the kind of comfortable silences that are only possible with people you share a deep bond with. She would even be willing to let down more of the walls that even her siblings aren't allowed to see past, once there's a suitable bond of trust (something that's not easily established -- she's well aware that of how people might try to win her favor just to abuse her station, and tends to over-scrutinize interactions for possible ulterior motives). For someone that close, Emmeryn would even be willing to express doubts and fears that she would never otherwise give voice to.

Emmeryn was almost certainly trained to defend herself, though she probably refused physical weapon training following her father's death and her rise to the throne. Her distaste for war extends to the arms associated with it, and she staunchly refuses to handle them. Instead, she focused on her magic training for self defense, building off the lessons she first received from her mother. At the end of the day, though, she will only use that magic as a last resort (she's already been wounded and is unable to run); she will always pick her staff first if she has the option.

I also love the idea that Emm was never trained to ride a pegasus, despite pegasi being emblematic of Ylisse: it was considered too dangerous, given the risk of grievous harm that could come from a fall, so she got some cursory instruction in horseback riding and that was it. She does wish she could have at least tried, though: she wonders if it would feel freeing to be up in the sky like that, the world and all the problems that go with it shrinking below her, and maybe then she would be able to breathe easy in ways she hasn't been able to in...perhaps as long as she can remember.

[princessmacedon]

me talking about macedonk sibs. mobile view link in case my theme is hard on the eyes. 

hi i just wanted to ramble about the macedon siblings so this is basically just a bunch of bullshit. i’m not very smart so it might just amount to a bunch of wrongness, but if you still read this, then i’m very grateful for your time!!

what spurred me to start rambling was me taking a quiz. because i’m a big nerd, i took a sorting hat quiz as maria, then again with my vague understanding of michalis, and a third time with my very limited understanding of minerva. (of course, the only one i can vouch for with any amount of confidence is maria, but--) i was initially surprised by the results. maria ended up as primarily gryffindor. michalis was slytherin by an incredible margin, and minerva was... ravenclaw?

i think these are fairly accurate, give or take. i was expecting maria to get either gryffindor or hufflepuff. while she generally comes across pretty hufflepuffley in her interactions, at her core, she’s also very brave and determined. in a situation of conflict, she will take the side she feels is the most just and and kind, and she will not back down.

michalis’ results leaned far more heavily towards slytherin, but i think a lot of that is sort of...wibbly wobbly. i think the main thing that puts him as so drastically slytherin is that, to achieve his goals, he is not stopped by honor or morality (please don’t interpret that as me saying ‘slytherins are evil,’ because that’s far from the case). rather, instead of tenaciously chasing after a morally just solution to protect the macedonian people, he was willing to do absolutely anything to achieve the safest path that macedon could take to peace and security.

in essence, i sort of interpret michalis as being firmly of the mindset of ‘if i had to betray or even kill my own family to save macedon, i would’. conversely, maria is firmly of the mindset of always believing in her siblings, no matter what-- she would never hurt them, even if one day it meant they had to kill her. maria would chase that morally just resolution, while just as determinedly chasing after an ending where everyone can be happy. (which i think is different than her being naïve-- she knows that such peaceful resolutions are not always possible, but she will still choose to believe in them with all her heart)

but minerva doesn’t share maria’s resolve to love or michalis’ resolve to protect, both regardless of cost. (and yes, i think michalis is/was protecting macedon-- or trying to, in his own way). she can’t blindly give her life to her siblings (or else she would have let michalis kill her), nor does she have the strength to end them if that is what her goal calls for (she tried to summon that resolve when she faced michalis, but ultimately, she couldn’t kill him).

(of course game maria has very little importance and very few lines so i might just be blowing hot air out my ass)

but i feel that the game sort of presents maria as the middle grounds between michalis and minerva. at the very least, i believe she’s the one person they both want to protect the most. (i have strong feelings about michalis sending maria to castle deil to protect her-- maria, who should never have to take another life-- from becoming a part of their war. it’s also very striking to me that if maria fights michalis in ch22, michalis has no great and mighty dialogue for her; all he says is “M-Maria? What are you doing here?” because maria is not supposed to be on the battlefield-- she is not supposed to be able to hurt or be hurt. and michalis-- elegant and powerful and prideful michalis-- stutters for her. but i suppose that right now, that’s neither here nor there.) 

Minerva:

Oh, Brother... ...The blood of warriors, you say? Perhaps you speak the truth. But Maria is different. Both you and I seek the light she radiates. The peaceful Macedon I wish for, and the mighty Macedon you seek... I know we can accomplish both. Maria might just be the link between the two of us...

while i think maria is definitely their best chance at connecting peacefully, i think the real median of the siblings is minerva. michalis has the resolve to kill; maria has the resolve to be killed; minerva can do neither.

which isn’t particularly bad, of course-- minerva could be interpreted as more rational than either of them, in a way. she wants the peaceful ending that maria is chasing, but she knows it’s likely not possible. she isn’t as willing to murder someone in cold blood as michalis was, but she’s definitely prepared to dirty her hands with war, if that is what saving macedon calls for.

but i think that minerva ended up torn between the two and unable to fully steel her resolve. because she knew she had to accept painful losses / could not avoid battles in a war, she resigned herself to the fact that she would have to fight and kill michalis. even when marth asks her if she’s sure she wants to fight him, she says “Even now, some part of me loves him. …I love him enough to spare him death on some stranger’s sword, you see? Let him be punished by my hands.”

part of me wonders if she’s not saying that at least partially to assure herself that this is what she has to do. whether or not that’s the case, though, we know for a fact that minerva ended up not having the resolve to actually kill her brother-- it’s how he ended up in maria’s care on the brink of death. ah, but i think it’s interesting that minerva’s lack of resolve is the reason we get to see that michalis also has the resolve to be killed for (and perhaps because of) maria later. 

but overall, i think that minerva’s the median between maria and michalis’ extremes. as much as i’ve mentioned her lack of resolve because of the subject of this long mass of fuckery (to the point where i feel bad. i’m sorry minerva |D it might even sound like i’m calling her a coward, but i don’t think that’s the case at all), i think minerva’s very courageous for standing up to her brother and engaging him in battle with the idea of killing him, despite how much she loved him even at that moment. her dedication to macedon-- her ability to face what many would never be able to for her country’s sake-- that she had the strength to go through with fighting and defeating michalis at all-- is in part because of her brother’s influence, i think. if i regard her gryffindor aspects as being influenced by her brother, especially with him being a slytherin, i feel... proud of the both of them, and maybe just a little bit sad. i also admire how much minerva strives for peace, though-- how much she wants that happy future for everyone. she prizes the people’s safety and their happiness, and there’s a gentleness about her that i won’t say that is because of maria, but i do think maria encourages that gentleness. 

but in a way, i also feel that minerva thinks more than her siblings. where michalis quashes his feelings in favor of strategy and the end goal, and maria stubbornly, unwaveringly believes in happiness, minerva thinks with both her mind and her heart. it might even be why she’s so torn, even when she thinks she’s steeled her heart. all three of these siblings are... really incredible. 

as a side note, i also half wondered if minerva’s lack of resolve (at least in comparison to her brother before her) might have been the reason she was so unpopular as a leader. we know she didn’t have as much charisma or leadership ability as he did, so i wonder if minerva might be the least charismatic of the three siblings. it might just be my bias, but i feel like, given time and a chance at the throne, maria would have had the ability to become a beloved leader, whether immediately or very gradually (somewhat similar to emmeryn, in a way?).

also, while writing this, i had the thought that michalis might deserve more credit than he gets. i mean, i have no doubt that he’s rash and arrogant and competitive and prideful, but i don’t think he’s as much a villain as he comes off as, either. i believe he has a great love for his country and a desire to protect it-- great enough that, whether alone or combined with a sense of duty to his people, he was willing to murder his own father (because he thought him weak, because osmond (the trio’s father) was simply waiting around for archanea to send reinforcements to help them defend themselves from dohlr, and those reinforcements weren’t coming). he thought to ally with dohlr instead, and then overthrow them later. 

( i’d also like to note that michalis’ murder of his father wasn’t easy on him, and it’s not like he’s heartless. he’s willing to go to extremes that few are, but he’s still human, much as others might think he’s not. 

Gotoh: “The weight of his father’s murder threatens to crush him…Poor boy. …Poor fool.”

the rest of that script with michalis and gotoh is also really good and important )

i’m definitely no expert, but i think this might have been the most safe and secure path in his eyes-- while defeating other countries, dohlr and macedon would support each other. since dohlr is their only land neighbor, it would minimize the amount of worrying about defending its villages from enemy attacks (...probably?). then, once michalis was sure of macedon’s strength, he could overthrow dohlr without great damage to macedon. maria being left in castle deil was both a way to prove their loyalty and keep her safe, and maria’s captivity was incentive for minerva to display absolute loyalty. whether or not michalis ever actually intended to execute maria if minerva disobeyed, i’m unsure-- i’d like to think (hope?) that he knew the threat alone would be enough (especially in the wake of osmond’s death). 

in the end, though, i like to think that maria would not love her brother so dearly-- would not be the loving and warm person she is if her brother was a wicked man. 

so yeah! that’s my Many Many Cents. if you read all of that, thank you! i’m sorry i didn’t have any real point

[argetcross]

For the character ask meme thing, Haura? Good luck w/rest of your semester

Pick a character I’ve written and I will explain the top ~three to five ideas/concepts/etc I keep in mind while writing that character that I believe are essential to accurately depicting them.

I have to say, this was kind of really hard. I realize I’m really bad at describing characters, ahaha. Haura is tricky to write because she plays a lot of roles, war tactician, avatar of a god, lover, mother, comrade, so what she would want as a mother often comes into conflict with what she wants as a tactician and so forth. Balancing all of those is key to understanding how she makes her decisions and how those shape her. 

1. Aggressive and Assertive

Haura was born and grew up amidst war. Even as an amnesiac, she instinctively distrusts the world and believes anything good in her life must be protected. To her, surviving and defeating the enemy is the manner in which to "win" in the world. She always plays to win. She's unafraid to use various methods to dominate her opposition, be it physical violence or mental intimidation. I try to keep her goal-oriented and forceful mindset at the forefront when I write her. Even her seduction methods are somewhat aggressive. Overall, Haura is very aware of her value as an agent of violence. She may not delight in murder but she takes pleasure in being damn good at it.

2. Absolute Loyalty

In contrast to that martial mindset, Haura holds a lot of absolute loyalty in her heart. She makes her decisions for people, not for nations or ideals, unlike Emmeryn. While she is aware her friends and lovers and children are not flawless people, that doesn't stop her from putting everything on the line to protect and do right by them. She is always thinking of others, partially because it's her job as a tactician and partially because she sees little value in her life otherwise. She spends so much energy on affirming and reaffirming her alliances so that she can believe in herself.

3. Chessmaster

This one is key. Haura thinks highly of her own judgments. Many times, too highly. She might be incredibly loyal but she also thinks she knows best for you. This might mean her going behind your back or withholding information from you because she thinks you won't handle it well. While this has its benefits in wartime, withdrawn or sensitive people find it hard to relate or intimate with Haura. She does not always treat people with the delicacy or nuance they deserve. This backfires on her a lot when she also suffers from her own compartmentalization and her roles on the game board.  

I try to write Haura as someone who doesn't always make correct or sympathetic decisions and, due to her natural gifts and role in the army, often ends up justifying her 'acts for the greater good'. Not many people find her a desirable confidante because of this.

4. Affectionate and Honest

Haura genuinely enjoys people despite her main occupation is using and destroying other people. She both gives and takes teasing, she likes to take the time to build stable and trusting relationships, and, while she is naive about romance, she grows to care for people easily. Giving praise and receiving praise comes naturally to her and her love for people tends to takes the edge off her more calculated decisions. In situations where it doesn't cost her anything, then Haura would prefer to be kind rather than cruel. Sometimes that honesty ends up doing both. This is almost 100% Chrom’s influence. 

5. Equality and Meritocracy

Haura seeks equality and treats people equally. This is a big part of her character and one of her great internal contradictions. It is both a positive and a negative. She lets her role as a mother slide into her role as a tactician and so and so, she treats kings and peasants the same, and she hates being thought of as less because of her Plegian blood or as a woman. Because she tries to preserve an equality in a hierarchal society, it causes her to mix her personal and professional life. This above all else kickstarts her relationship with Lon’qu. 

Thanks for playing!

[fe14fiction-blog]

Request for Awakening week: Little Lissa crushing on Frederick (he was her first crush)

Lissa pulled at her bangs, frowning as they just bounced back up wildly. Unlike her brother she had inherited curls, and unlike her sister her curls weren't elegant. She considered pulling out her braid but wasn't sure what else she was going to do with her wild hair. That was when she realized somebody was walking in beside her. "Lissa darling, what are you doing?" Emmeryn said, her voice ever soothing.

Lissa leaned away from the mirror and pouted up at her sister. "Nothing," she mumbled, trying to hide the book. Emmeryn gave a sweet smile, reaching up and pushing back some of Lissa's bangs. That was all it took and Lissa realized she was weak. "It's not pretty like yours," she mumbled.

"Oh dearest," Emmeryn hummed, sitting on what room there was on the seat in front of the vanity. Lissa scooted to make room, stilly hiding the book. "Come here and let's see what we can do. My hair isn't always so tame, either and it takes poor Terah forever to get the curls to lay right."

"Really?" Lissa brightened. She doesn't think she's ever seen her sister look wild but the thought that it is possible makes her feel better about her own hair.

"Really really. And, Terah isn't here. But I bet between the both of us we can figure something out for your hair."

Lissa cheered, nearly sending the book flying before she remembered herself and stuffed it back behind her. Emmeryn just smiled, waiting for Lissa to turn. Lissa nearly melted when Emmeryn began to brush her hair, gently pulling the braid out to do so. Then she started humming and Lissa was pretty sure this disaster had turned into something magnificent. Emmeryn was becoming more and more busy and Lissa knew it was important. She knew she needed to let Emmeryn work. Chrom had told her about it, before, but she hadn't listened too closely. But Emmeryn often looked tired when she thought nobody was looking and Lissa thought being a good girl would make it better. But apparently that also meant less time with Emmeryn.

Maybe today would actually be good and lucky, Lissa thinks as she glances down at the book in her hands. She was very proud of it and absolutely sure it was the best work anybody her age had ever done. She had carefully found the best, most perfect things to fill the papers with and made sure to write with her neatest handwriting. Her tutor would be jealous to know how well she did for this, considering her usual effort. But just because she did so good on it, like really good, did not mean he would like it. There was nothing to say he would like it no matter the research and her careful crafting.

She only realized she was staring at it because the hands in her hair had stopped moving. Lissa glanced up to see Emmeryn staring at the book as well, a fond smile on her face. "There. All done."

Lissa glanced to the mirror, surprised to see her hair in perfect pigtails with a lovely curls. "Thank you!" Lissa cried, turning to kiss her sister on the cheek. "I love it!"

"Good," Emmeryn said with a bit of a giggle. "You're absolutely lovely, Lissa and don't you ever forget that."

Lissa squirmed, a bit, but nodded. "Because  I look a little like you."

Emmeryn shook her head. "Because you're Lissa." She returned the kiss. "Now, I think there are some knights finishing up their morning training. And I should be getting back to Phila."

Lissa sucked on her lips until Emmeryn had left, eyes narrowed at her sister's back until she was gone. Then she grabbed her book and rushed out through the halls of castle. Emmeryn might know too much but sometimes it was helpful. Lissa hadn't memorized anybody's schedule and she was again reminded how hard being queen seemed to be. She made her way around, glancing at the knights she passed until she spotted the one she wanted.

Frederick was newly appointed to watch over Chrom, having exceeded everybody's expectations of him. Even better was that Chrom responded well to the young man. Lissa hadn't paid much attention to that. Simply recognizing that something good had happened to Frederick, as he seemed happy with the change, and that he'd be around more. Which, she liked the idea of. Not that anybody had asked her opinion on the matter.

She carefully made her way over to where he sat in the garden, reminding herself not to skip and bounce because she was trying to be a lady. He glanced up as she approached, his face softening when their eyes met. Lissa tried not to feel too giddy about that. He was already so tall and had such a stern face but he always seemed to take the time to listen to her and she felt like an actual princess when he talked to her. "Princess Lissa," he greeted with a bow of his head.

"Frederick," she said, watching the way his hair fell with the bow, barely tamed now after his morning training. It seemed tired, unlike the rest of him.  

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes." She continued to smile up at him until realizing she had to do something else. She felt her gut twist a little but swung the book out from behind it's masterfully hidden place behind her back and presented it to him. "I made you a present"

His eyes went wide and he glanced from the book to her and back. "For me?"

"Of course, silly!"

Gently he took the handmade book from her, smiling as he turned it so he could see the cover. Lissa watched, trying to catch everything. She already knew what was inside. It was a story about a wonderful knight and all his adventures. He was, of course, based off of Frederick. He flipped through the book, not quite reading but not rushing either. "Thank you so much, Princess," he said, closing the book and bowing to her again. "I am unworthy, but shall do everything within my power not to let you down."

Lissa couldn't stop the blush or the giddy giggle. "You like it?"

"Very much so, my lady. I will treasure it."

She giggled again, unable to keep from rocking. "I'm happy you're going to be protecting my brother," she said. "I'm happy you're here."

He looked up then, surprise written all over his face. "My lady."

Lissa felt her gut tighten and could do little else but giggle. She turned and fled, still giggling. He had liked her gift. Nothing could ruin this day- even when her tutors finally found her

[iturbide]

Given you gave sympathetic qualities to Grimleal, I'm sure you could write sympathetic qualities to the Agarthans?

As much as I would love to say yes, the unfortunate answer is that I can’t, because the game gives me absolutely nothing to work with.

The Plegians and Grimleal have a number of things going for them when it comes to expanding their traditions, culture, and religion into something that’s not just “evil villain cardboard standee”:

There are multiple canon sources stating the Plegia is a theocracy established around the Fell Dragon, and further stating that worship of Grima is the faith of the land; while the game only calls the worst of them Grimleal, I think it makes sense enough to define a break between the Grimleal faith (aka the general worship of Grima) and the Grimleal cult (aka the people under Validar trying to resurrect Grima), whose actions do not reflect the larger faith. 

Awakening itself shows us that the Plegians are not evil, first through Mustafa -- a man of honor who cares deeply for the soldiers he leads and who is only fighting for Gangrel because of threats made against his family -- and next through the forces that desert Gangrel in the final battle following Emmeryn’s martyrdom.  While they’re brief glimpses in the overall scheme of things, they speak loudly of the potential that the Plegian people -- who, again, worship Grima as the major religion -- are opposed to Gangrel rather than supportive of his cause.

Though the game doesn’t highlight it, I feel it’s important to note that the villages in the chapter where we meet the Grimleal cultists who are hunting Nowi are almost certainly Plegian owing to where the Shepherds are; the fact that no one attacks them but instead thank them for the warning implies that Plegians are on average decent people.

Heroes strongly implies through M!Grima’s level 40 dialogue that Grima is not an evil entity who’s always been bad, but rather a jaded cynic whose abuse at human hands led to their desire to wipe out mankind.  It’s reasonable to think that any religion established around the fell dragon would reflect far more of Grima’s words and actions before that catastrophic break than after, and equally reasonable to imagine that the people who follow it would use the fell dragon’s early interactions with humanity (where they were most likely helpful and protective )as their model for their way of life, rather than their destructive end following centuries of being taken advantage of. 

This is what I started working with when I turned my attention to Plegia and the Grimleal as a whole.  I know that everything I’ve developed for them is personal headcanon only, but it’s rooted in these facts that show Plegia’s people on the whole as very much Not Evil.  Unfortunately, the Agarthans don’t get that treatment in canon:

The Agarthans aren’t a religion.  As best we can tell, they might be a cult group divorced from any religious connotation.  The fact that every Agarthan is implied to be part of said cult makes it hard to expand anything, especially given how little information we’re ultimately given regardless of the route chosen.

We never get to see any redeeming qualities in the Agarthans.  Every single one we meet, whether it’s Thales, Kronya, Solon, or Cornelia, is utterly reprehensible; it’s only made worse by the nameless group of mages, researchers, and scientists that orchestrated the experiments that ruined Lysithea’s and Edelgard’s lives.  If we don’t see anything that casts doubt on the picture shown, it’s really hard to come up with something humanizing that makes logical sense (especially since I really don’t think there can be redemption after acts that criminal).

All we ever hear about the Agarthans, whether it’s from the Nabateans or from their own mouths, is basically clear-cut evil.  Even in Heroes, Kronya’s dialogues are unnerving if not outright horrific. There is absolutely no evidence provided in any of the canon sources that implies the Agarthans are in any way good, sympathetic, or compassionate even to their own (given how Solon and Thales had planned to sacrifice Kronya for the Rite of Zaharas without batting an eye), which leaves no basis for providing them with any kind of humane qualities, let alone any notion of redemption.

This topic actually came up in the past week or so and I expressed my frustration at the way the Agarthans were presented that made it impossible to extrapolate anything even remotely sympathetic about them.  The above just provides a better outline of why it’s so difficult to establish something like that for them: because canon doesn’t give us anything to work with.