#hortensia is still annoying

[katfreaks-hidyhole]

[moe-broey]

AUGH Pokemon Scar/Vio DLC spoilers below bc I'm NOT gonna have anyone to talk about this with for a little while LMFAOOO

God I wish when Kieran ran off with the mask, challenged you to a battle to get it back, and lost that battle. I DESPERATELY WISH he just ran off with the mask again anyway. LIKE. For one could you imagine how fucking funny that would have been LMFAO but also!!!!! I think something like that happening would have absolutely raised the stakes, AND would have given you a reason to be mad at him. I think, what Kieran needed MOST as a character and the development they're taking with him, is for him to have moments where he doubles down and is stubborn and bratty.

LIKE. This is going to get SO incoherent LMFAO but I'm thinking about Hortensia Fire Emblem's whole character arc, where you meet her and she's bratty right off the bat. But the thing that GETS me about her is that she doubles down. She's stubborn. And you see Why, you see her scared and hurt and traumatized as she's trying to figure out what to do next. And what REALLY makes her character to me, is when not even Ivy being on your side is enough for her to join you. She still needs time. And by "time", I mean needs to keep digging her grave deeper because she just can't stop yet. LIKE. She's acting out. Which isn't me invalidating anything, like, I'm struggling to find the words for it but she's just 14 about it you know. Something SO horrible has happened and you feel SO MUCH about it that not even your older sister can talk sense into you, at least not right now.

I THINK. The connection I want to make here is that I think Kieran has SO MUCH POTENTIAL as a blooming antagonistic character, he just NEEDED a moment like Hortensia has with Ivy. Where she doubles down on her path. And I think Kieran, maybe initially planning on keeping his word... when you defeat him, and everything just wells up inside and overtakes him. I think THAT would have been a fantastic and shocking moment, if you could see him make that decision to Make Things Worse in real time. And I can only IMAGINE the reaction that would have gotten out of Carmine too!!!

AND. CARMINE. CARMINE. I FIND HER SO FASCINATING. LIKE. Yeah yeah overheard a conversation/misunderstanding tropes are cliche and can be super annoying as a storytelling device. AUGH BUT I FEEL LIKE IT COULD ACTUALLY WORK FOR THEM..... with how both of them Are. I think Carmine and Kieran have SUCH incompatible personalities and there is SO much to explore there. Like. It's established as soon as you meet them, that they must be close and care for each other. You see it in how Carmine looks after Kieran, speaking up for him when he's struggling to, and you see how Kieran admires and looks up to her as he cheers her on in battle. But you ALSO see that Carmine has the emotional intelligence of a brick and she is naturally just. Abrasive and temperamental, with an ego. ALL. HORRIBLE TRAITS TO HAVE IN ONE REALLY HAHAH (I love her though). And you see that Kieran is EXTREMELY sensitive, shy and mopey.

BUT ALSO. WHAT GETS ME ABOUT KIERAN ACTUALLY. Is how you See those traits evolve and twist into more detrimental versions of themselves. AND you start seeing some Similarities he has with Carmine. He also is temperamental. He also has an ego. THIS. WAS SO COOL TO SEE TBH!!! Espppp seeing the uglier aspects of being "shy" and "sensitive". Traits that are really easy to make endearing and to woobify. It's easy to look over just how destructive these traits can get, when you take things too personally and then shut yourself off completely. AND. THE EGO. ADDED ONTO THIS. The fact that he IS a sore loser, the fact that he DOES get bratty about it. Like, I think another thing I really appreciate about Kieran is he acts his age. He quickly starts to feel like the entire world is against him AND he's 14 about it.

In turn, I think I really appreciate how Carmine is so much just an older sister. Like. Yeah, she has a temper and an ego. But also, I think you see that she's a pretty good sport actually. She's competitive, but she's not actually holding anything against you (beyond like, her frustrations about her home town feeling like a tourist spot -- which like! I think is reasonable actually, to dislike that). Like. She's abrasive, she's prideful, but ultimately she does have an air of maturity. She is Not 14 about it. On account of not being 14, unlike her little brother LMFAOOO (ALSO!!! I think it's clear how much she Does care too, how she does end up looking out for you, how she congratulates you and hypes you up... like!!! She's just a little bit of a jackass LMFAO but I love her for it)

And like ultimately maybe all this is just set up for a slow burn, as Kieran goes sicko mode LMFAO but I REALLY wish. There was at least ONE moment where he did something that's just a dick move. And REALLY digs his heels in. Makes it clear, compromise is NOT an option for him, not right now. That, for a while, no one is going to be able to reach him, not even his sister. He just needs to get it out of his system.

Plus, I think it would be incredibly useful for the player to have a reason to be mad at him, because GOD. I HATE. MORE THAN ANYTHING. When Pokemon gives you rivals you just feel bad for!!!!!! Like I just pity him!!!! I think he's right to feel the way he does and I think he has every right to act out. And like, I think I'd Still feel that way actually, if he did actively make bad choices that just makes everything worse and Isn't particularly palatable about it LMFAO. BUT. At VERY least, if he pulled a dick move, I can have something justifiable to want to fight him over. Lowkey Takumi feelings actually, where one of my favorite things about him is When he's an asshole, and it IS entirely on him, like... it's vindicating to see other characters push back. I, as the player, want the characters to get his ass for it. And it's rewarding, when he does come around (either immediately or after some time), and tries to make up for it. Like.... give me a reason to WANT to get Kieran's ass. Piss EVERYONE off in the process, ESPECIALLY your sister for the angst and drama of it all!! I just feel like I stomped on a little autistic boy's dream and stole away the object of his special interest HSKAHKSHA dude THIS SUCKS 😭😭😭😭😭

AUGH!!!!!!!!!! Anyway misc thoughts

The townspeople's turnaround about the ogre off screen was SO STUPID LMFAOOO LIKE. Like yeah yeah Pokemon game......... but you know what else was a Pokemon game. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky. LIKE AGSJHSJSJSJJ I FEEL LIKE SUUUUCH A CRAZY RAMBLY OLD MAN but Pokemon Scarlet/Violet HAD THE POTENTIAL. TO BE ON THAT LEVEL. I THINK. PERSONALLY. ON A STORYTELLING FRONT. And AGAIN I feel like there could have been potential here.

Like I think the main issue is the story even in the canon itself took place in too short of a time to develop in the way I think it deserved. But I'm thinking about the whole Process in PMD2 of returning from the Future, you, your partner, and Grovyle. How the three of you Can't just go back to the guild, especially Grovyle in tow, a wanted outlaw in this time period. How it takes days, of laying low, planning carefully, gathering intel, and hitting a wall, before finally deciding you really have no where else to turn BUT Wiggletuff's Guild. AND. AND. THE WHOLE PROCESS. THAT WHOLE THING CHATOT PUTS YOU THROUGH. AFTER TELLING YOUR STORY. Where Every Single Guild Member Individually has to decide, no, Chatot, I'm with Hero and Partner actually. Up against The Great Dusknoir's reputation, Grovyle's reputation, and your standing as the most recent additions to the guild versus Chatot's standing, Wiggletuff's right hand man, second in command, a respected authority figure.

LIKE........ I just think. With the folklore surrounding Ogrepon and the Loyal Three. Even if they didn't have That Much Time to build up to it exactly like that (speaking canonically, school trip constraints), I think. Even just a scene where You're part of trying to tell the town the truth about Ogrepon and the Loyal Three, AND you see the inital pushback, especially from an authority figure (maybe the Caretaker?) would have been enough. Especially would have been nice to see, instead of every NPC talking about how they got things wrong -- if there was divide and conflict, some believing you and feeling regretful towards how Ogrepon was treated, and others not believing you at all, ESPECIALLY as an outsider, who are you to tell us our history? AND even a few NPCs who are on your side, but are still in a state of disbelief or feeling betrayed. Like. Make us feel the weight of Why Carmine and Kieran's family kept this a secret for generations. (ALSO LITERALLY DIDN'T THEIR ANCESTOR TRY TO TELL THE TRUTH AND WAS HARSHLY DISMISSED AND CRITICIZED???? Why would Kieran be treated differently now for doing the same thing???????)

I guess last thoughts about Carmine and Kieran I didn't get to earlier but. I think you can See, as the story plays out, where there is this building frustration that turns to resentment from Kieran, towards how Carmine treats him. How, while she does speak up for him, she also speaks over him. What she sees as probably tough love or standard older-sibling teasing, HE takes it just. So personally. And it festers. It seems he feels ignored, dismissed and invalidated -- and his dialogues where he is mopey, and Carmine (almost on the right track), calls it for what it is -- her baby brother just being a baby. Like, I say "Almost on the right track", because in a way she Is Right. He's Very Loudly sulking and pouting, she sees this and sees he's being 14 about it. But she fails to consider just how much Kieran internalizes this treatment, of being teased and having others around you be told "He'll get over it". WHICH... even if he does. Even if he will. Something that JUMPS out to me IS how loudly he's moping and sulking, how dramatic it is. To me, it's like a cry for attention, for someone to listen to him and take his feelings seriously.

THIS. IS WHAT I MEANT BEFORE. When I talked about how the misunderstanding trope actually lends itself SO well to these two characters, as siblings who do love each other, but there IS this emotional distance. Where Carmine looks over Kieran's feelings, and doesn't know what to do with them, and Kieran is going to internalize all of this until he implodes. And when he DOES implode, when it feels like his entire world is crashing and burning around him (in a way, it IS his whole world!)... he doesn't trust her at all. Whether Carmine meant to or not (which, I don't think she has ever meant to hurt him, I do think it's the incompatibility), Kieran has been made to feel like he's an outcast, like his feelings don't matter, and no matter what he does, no one is going to listen to him or care about him. WHICH IS. AGAIN. WHY. I THINK HE NEEDS TO FUCK SHIT UP MORE. That is the GO TO thing to do when you're a kid and you feel this way LMFAOOO

Aughghhh........ Pokemon Scarlet and Violet you have so much potential I just wish you'd FOLLOW THROUGH and PUT YOUR WHOLE PUSSY INTO IT (AND MAYBE THEY WILL. IN THE FUTURE. THIS IS THE FIRST DLC. HOWEVER. I do think there are certain areas in general, like the ogre ordeal, where they just dropped the ball 😔)

[yanderefairyangel]

I honestly think the sexualization claims about the manga are a bit overexaggerated, especially when it comes from those who don't even read it. Dislike the manga if you want, that's fine, but it IS annoying that the criticisms ("damsel" Ivy, whitewashed Saphir??) seem to ALWAYS come from those who don't read or bother to give it a chance. Kind of like Engage itself in the fandom, hm?

Because if they did, they would see that scenes focus more on characterization than blatant sexualization, and that the ladies, when they do have spotlight (which is already hard for the manga to give evenly, because of the amount of characters) are treated as characters first and foremost. Celine is great. Ivy has had some wonderful exploration so far, and Hortensia? Has been amazing.

While I do agree that the proportions of characters like Lumera and Chloe were RIDICULOUS in the earlier chapters, that has absolutely improved over time. And as you said, none of his bonus artworks do this. The women get suits! Pants! And are honestly presented quite tastefully!

And this ask is coming from a woman herself, thank you. I'm sorry, but there have definitely been FAR worse (and actual, look no further than Heroes itself) examples of gross sexualization in this series.

Thank you for your perspective Anon !

"I honestly think the sexualization claims about the manga are a bit overexaggerated, especially when it comes from those who don't even read it. Dislike the manga if you want, that's fine, but it IS annoying that the criticisms ("damsel" Ivy, whitewashed Saphir??) seem to ALWAYS come from those who don't read or bother to give it a chance. Kind of like Engage itself in the fandom, hm?"

Remove the "a bit" I think it's exagerated period. And I agree that having people crying out loud they don't read it comment on things to offer criticism is... not good, especially as (your rightfully point out ) THIS A THING CONSTANT WITH ENGAGE EVEN GAME. Like ? Someone even called Timerra's and Lapis's design fanservice and complained about them not being appropraite for fighting...I had to bite my lips to not say "like 999% of the design in this franchise" like do you really believe Marth would survive without his pants on ?! And the ignorance is really showing, most people who were worried about "damsel in distress" didn't even knew what happened, they just ad it being on hearsay and failed to recognize that Ivy does gets captured in chapter 9 of the game. They also showed they don't know why, how and when the tropes is sexist. Yes, damsel in distress is just a trope, it can be done, it's not necessarily sexist. And the whitewashed Saphir was ??? Like ???? I remember when I first saw the picture I though it was Mrs Brodia but wasn't sure, how the heck do people believe she is Saphir was beyond me, the woman had shorter hair than Saphir, straigh hair unlike Saphir's longer and wavier hair, Saphir has WHITE hair and her tips are not the same.

"Because if they did, they would see that scenes focus more on characterization than blatant sexualization, and that the ladies, when they do have spotlight (which is already hard for the manga to give evenly, because of the amount of characters) are treated as characters first and foremost. Celine is great. Ivy has had some wonderful exploration so far, and Hortensia? Has been amazing."

Oh yeah, the mangaka does a good job with ladies and I am tired of pretending it doesn't, which makes the whole "objectifying" accusations worse. How it objectfying if the female character are still written with respect ? The manga even managed to integrate Yunaka's past in the story. Now granted, the manga is mainly feed off the game who already had great characterization but it does an amazing job at using those data.

I also remind people that none of those scene were aimed at being sexual, like I said many times; sexualisation is the entire set up. It's not just the "boobs and buts" or the "design", it's the entirerity of it. Which is why reading the manga is important to know the full context before idk pointing to a scene where a character is being threatened and said it's "sexualisation" because.... chest....

"While I do agree that the proportions of characters like Lumera and Chloe were RIDICULOUS in the earlier chapters, that has absolutely improved over time. And as you said, none of his bonus artworks do this. The women get suits! Pants! And are honestly presented quite tastefully!"

Oh yeah, Like I said though, I think it's more "he drew women with large cup like that" than wanting to sexualise since none of the scene in question are in such a context, in fact the manga and Engage have a similar tone which makes any actual fanservice impossible and by that I mean ... look at Awakening and Fates...

And I agree, now they do look normal, ironically enough swimsuit Chloé (as I pointed out) is less extravangazza of proprotions than the first time he drew her. Also, I talk about this with a friend and he reminded me that most of the outfits are OFFICIAL outfits, such as the swimsuits. All the original outfits Kyo designed for the cast are very modest, and he even made them to help sell the manga because he is really into this project. Like, he commented on how he frenquently replay Engage to gather informations and use them in the story.

"And this ask is coming from a woman herself, thank you. I'm sorry, but there have definitely been FAR worse (and actual, look no further than Heroes itself) examples of gross sexualization in this series."

Oh yeah I agree, heck if we are to talk about problematic depiction of Ivy, do we talk about how they wrote her freaking FB ? That for example is giving me bad vibes. "but it is with F!Alear, it couldn't possibly be sexist !"

The issue is that they are taking one side of Ivy who in the game isn't her entire character and doesn't manifest like that to make it her entire character, we are so close to have flanderized Ivy and I do'nt like that at allll. Like it says a lot that the same people who screamed sexism towards the manga for the capture scene despite Ivy not being reduced to one aspect of her character and having actual introspections are complete silence radio mute to heroes putting her in a fight against her but in a swimsuit for Alear... and I wouldn't even imagine the damage if it had been M!Alear instead of F!Alear.

Do we remember how people argue that if F!Alear was the protag of the manga this wouldn't have happened ? Do we remember ? I do remember !! So yeah seeing people cheer on that type of flanderizing writing but throw a tantrum at the manga for how it wrote Ivy and also ignore the other side of the argument cannot make me look at all of this with good faith. At all.

Like, if you are not confortable with how Kyo draws women, just stop reading the manga and that's it but accusing of objectifcation the official manga is just...like, taking things tooo far ? Don't you think ?

Also, it's worth noting that Engage might not be perfect, but it's waaaaay better than how FE used to be. We aren't anymore in the Kaga era were out epic fight with the Evil dragon had this random saving the pure brainwashed maiden plot from the dragon who wanna eats popping up, with the worst offender being Maria and Elice has both had no personality alone other than being saved by MarMar until the remake came and decided to try to fix the mess (it didn't, but at least it tried), we aren't anymore in the era where you would have Jamke show up with an arrow, a bow and getting married because "he is one of the good ones", now in Engage, there is a balance between female character and male character, there isn't weird sexist or racist prick in the cast, Solm is actually respected and not treated as barbarians, there isn't weird random fanservice that actually hurts the integrety of the plot or the female characters tangled in it (kof kof Camilla, kof kof Thraja), we don't have a damsel in distress to save every 30 seconds and the evil dragon don't only eat pure maiden's blood and the brainwashed maiden is more than just a plot device since it's actually rooted in her characterization. So far the manga respects this spirit, and I think accusing it of ojectifying the female character just because of wonky drawings in the early chapter that have now calmed down is very unfair

Don't read it if you don't like it, but don't expect everyone to agree with you, this is a much more complex issue than it seems

[fayesdiary]

Hortensia from Engage ? :D

Answering these later than I wanted, but it's been a crazy week so

First impression: Oh, definitely not good. I was pretty skeptical of Engage when it was first announced (and you can still see my old posts about it), and not only her designed looked more like an idol than an FE character and had a really squeaky voice, what little we knew about her kinda made her look like a Heroes-tier villain. Yes, I know how hard of an accusation that is.

Impression now: Like most things about Engage for me, they did a 180! Hortensia's great :D

Her design and voice eventually grew on me (esp because her VA, the same of Faye btw so :D, absolutely killed it), she has a lot of great moments both in and out of the story and she's a lot more interesting than you'd give her credit at first glance, between her neverending tragedy called her life, her hidden smarts and being both in the position of an atoner like several other Engage characters, but also one who struggles to forgive and forget Veyle who was in a very similar situation to hers (but I am absolutely not faulting her for that let's be clear).

I really like in general how all of the atoner characters in Engage have at least one support partner who will give them a bit of trouble before accepting them because, well.. redemption does not come easy, and not everyone will forgive and accept them right away.

Also, Fell Xenologue Hortensia. My heart.

Idea for a story: Either her time at the Elusian Academy or Fell Xenologue Hortensia being brought to the main Elyos because SHE DESERVES TO BE HAPPY

Unpopular opinion: Her voice is more than fine (although definitely an acquired taste) and she's more than the annoying cute little sister. Nuff said.

Favorite relationship: Platonically with Veyle because of their slow burn, with Hortensia struggling to separate her two personalities and especially to forgive her for... a lot but especially getting her father vored by Sombron only to corrupt him and have him fight her and Ivy, and by the end of their A support she still can't bring herself to forgive her... but at least wants to give her the chance to start anew. Both of them are in a really rough position with each other, but they're taking the steps to build bridges and I think that's lovely. How Hortensia can't bring herself to forgive Veyle straight away but still wants to give her the chance.

Romantically with... Céline, I guess?

Favorite headcanon: Oh, hmm. Don't really have one, but I just imagined her doing Alear's makeup so let's go with that, it's cute

[random-delights]

Lila

Basic Information

Name: Lila

Age: 20

Bio: Lila is a friendly Elusian villager who made the journey to Brodia for a better life, having taken a thief’s request in order to support her family. She is a skilled magic user who finds joy in making meals and sewing accessories and clothes whenever she can. She tries her best to keep a facade with the army, but slowly it falls apart as she starts to feel more at home with the Divine Dragon.

↓ More Info Below  ↓

Thank you @shellysaurus-rex for putting in all this work for providing the template!

Ally Notebook

Initial Page;

Initial Class: Mage Knight (Sword)

Birthday: April 17

Basic Info: A friendly Elysian villager who got lost on her way to Brodia seeking for a better life. She joined the Divine Dragon’s army after coming across her on their journey towards the Kingdom of Might.

C Rank;

Likes: Flowers, Sweets, Reading, Sewing, Snow, Seeing those around her smile, Family

Dislikes: Insomnia, Rain, Being useless, Bugs, Annoying people

B Rank;

Hobbies: Sewing accessories

Talents: Making meals

Background: Born in the countryside of Elusia, she raised her two younger brothers alone when their parents passed away unexpectedly. Desperate to support her family, she took on a job offered by a thief who tasked her with taking a royal’s life from Brodia. In return, he promised her great bounds of money upon completing the task. Due to desperation, she took the job and headed towards Brodia.

A Rank;

Height: 5′6″

Ring Size: 6.75 | N

Personality: Might appear cheery and social, but at times she can be reserved when not around people. Deep down, she is kind and helpful which surfaces time to time when she lets her guard down. She is the most likely to have the most nimble fingers in the army.

Supports:

Alfred

Louis

Chloé

Céline

Alcryst

Lapis

Citrinne

Ivy

Hortensia

Rosado

Yunaka

Zelkov

Panette

Fogado

Mauvier

Rafal

Agate (oc)

Battle Quotes

When Selected:

“Trust me.” (Full Health)

“Let’s get this over with..” (Full Health)

“We can still push through!” (Medium Health)

“I can’t stop here…” (Low Health)

Critical Attack:

“At last you fall!”

“This is where you end.”

“Goodnight and farewell!”

“To the ground with you!!”

Defeated Enemy:

“I suppose that will do.”

“I survived another day, it seems.”

“Mika, Finley…I will be back home soon.”

“Phew…that’s over with.”

“This is more than I signed up for…”

Ally Heals:

“I owe you one.”

“Much obliged.”

“Let me treat you to a meal, yeah?”

Emblem Engage:

“Emblem Engage!”

“Give me strength!”

Post-Battle Exploration

Chapter-Specific: 

“I’m glad you found me, Divine One. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I stayed in these forests for longer. I hope to be of some use to you!” (Own Paralogue)

“No need to worry about me! This might be Brodia, but I feel rather safe here.” (Chapter 8: Kingdom of Might)

“To be fighting Elusia…the crown princess herself…how awkward, right? Aha…” (Chapter 9: A Clash of Forces)

“I might think so greatly of the Elusian royalty…but nobody deserves to see their family fall before their very own eyes.” (Chapter 10: The Fell Dragon Sombron)

“.... Oh. Divine One, apologies, I didn’t notice you there. I was lost in my own thoughts…forgive me, but I would like to be alone right now.” (Chapter 19: The Dead Town)

Battle-Specific:

“I can only sew so much…please keep me in your considerations for the next battle!” (Not Deployed)

“Who knew I had this much strength in me? I enjoy aiding you, Divine One. ” (Deployed Numerously)

Location-Specific: 

“Never did I imagine I would get to see so much of Elyos. When the war is over, let us go for a picnic, shall we?” (Default)

“S-so many flowers…it would be wrong of me if I picked some, wouldn’t it? They would wilt by the time we end this war and I return home.” (Florra Mill Town)

“Hm? Oh Divine One, apologies, my attention was focused on someone-I mean! On something! Do not worry!” (Brodia Castle)

“It feels cold here…colder than our own winters here in Elusia.” (Destinea Cathedral)

“I-I was not made for this sort of landscape…wait why are there two of you? Oh dear, I perhaps should go sit somewhere.” (Tullah Desert)

“It is so quiet…how surreal.” (Givre Port)

Somniel

In Somniel:

“What a lovely place you have, Divine One. I wish I could bring my own brothers here, they would love the view of the sky from here, definitely.” (Default)

“Divine One, did you see that adorable bow in stock? I wonder if I should pinch it before anyone else does?” (Plaza)

“I was forced to leave the kitchen, because I couldn’t stop preparing meals. Vander said I should rest…I simply wanted to help.” (Café Terrace)

“I’m not all too fond of swimming, but perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to dip my toes into the water for a little while.” (Pool)

“Look at all the delicious fruit! You wouldn’t mind if I ate them all, did you? I’m joking of course…please don’t give me such a worried look.” (Orchard)

“I didn’t know Alcryst fished…hm? Ah, ignore what I said!” (Pond)

“I wasn’t expecting to be training so much, I’ve worked up quite a sweat…gross.” (Training Yard)

“Back in Elusia, I took care of a few animals. I am so happy that we have some here in Somniel.” (Farmyard)

“Oh Alear, nice to see you. Care to join me? This spot here is perfect for taking in the view.” (Lookout Ridge)

“I’m sorry? You remembered my birthday? Did I ever tell you when it was? My…t-thank you.” (Their Birthday)

“Happy Birthday! I sewed a little something for you in celebration. I hope you like it! (Alear’s Birthday)

Gifts:

“Are you…sure?” (Disliked)

“Why thank you, I will take care of it well.” (Liked)

“I am speechless. Can I truly have this?” (Favorite)

“I…I’m not sure what to do with this. Is this a prank?” (Horse Manure)

Café Terrace:

“Welcome, what would you like to have today? You can rest assure I can handle the preparations.” (On Duty Quote)

Arena:

Introduction;

“I won’t go lightly.”

“Up against me? Very well.”

“Careful, I may cause quite a spark.”

Win;

“May I return to my sewing, now?”

Loss;

“I should have been sharper…”

Wake-Up Events

C1:

“Good thing I know how to tip-toe into a room, I won’t scare you awake, Divine One. Hm, where should I sit and wait? ”

“Awake, Divine One? I hope you slept well. How did I get in without a sound? Oh don’t worry about it…perhaps it is a hidden talent of mine.”

“O-Oh my! I must be out of shape. Sorry to wake you so early…apologies, Divine One!” (Waking Early)

C2:

“Why would they send anyone in, especially me? This army is too trusting…I could be an assassin in disguise and I simply waltz into the Divine One’s room? How daft.”

“I suppose it is rather nice they would trust me though…hm? Divine One? Oh you’re awake, apologies, I hope my drivel wasn’t the reason that woke you up.” 

“O-Oh Divine One! Hello! I will try to be more silent next time…apologies.” (Waking Early)

B1:

“ (Humming). ‘Sleep soundly, oh bright one, let the stars watch over you, sound asleep, careful and ever so calm…’”

“Hello Divine One, welcome back from the land of sleep, I hope you slept well. What was I humming? A small lullaby I used to sing to my younger brothers when they were smaller. You liked it? Well, I suppose I can sing it again next time I come to wake you.”

“Oh, was I singing too loudly? Apologies, Divine One…I was singing a lullaby I usually sang to my brothers to help them sleep. I hope you didn’t mind it.” (Waking Early)

B2:

“I hope the Divine One doesn’t mind me bringing in a blanket I sewed…will [she/he] like it? Maybe it’s too much…what if they hate it?” 

“Divine One! Hello, I was wondering if you get cold while you sleep. Please, take this, I created it for you especially in mind. Oh, you like it? What a relief.”

“A-Ah Divine One! Good morrow! This? O-Oh it’s nothing. I simply came to wake you up, aha. Hup to it! Let’s start your wonderful day, shall we?” (Waking Early)

A1:

“And I find myself here, without any orders or ask from the others. I simply wanted to sit idly by your side as you rest, Divine One. Your sleeping face brings me calm…just like back at home, when I looked over my little brothers’ sleeping faces.”

“Awake, Divine One? I hope you had pleasant dreams…hm? Why am I smiling? Obviously because of you, Divine One.”

“Divine One, oh my, I didn’t mean to wake you up earlier than usual! I hope I can return here to watch your sleeping gaze soon.” (Waking Early)

A2:

“I am glad to be here again…I suppose not sleeping at night has its perk. I get to see you before you awaken Divine One.”

“Hello Divine One. Ready to start the day? Take my hand, I will help you up on your feet, Divine One.” 

“Aw…you’re awake. No, no, I don’t mean it in a bad way…apologies, I was just enjoying the view selfishly. Come on then, let us start our day, shall we?.” (Waking Early)

[fireemblems24]

Engage 9 - 11

Spoilers and thoughts below the cut. Pretty big spoilers for the story this time.

You know it's a good sign when I'm already making plans for the next playthrough. I still want to finish Three Hopes, but Engage is so much fun to play, and there's already so many things I want to do differently to optimize more.

Alcryst and Celine's C support was pretty deep for a C support. They bonded over worrying about their older brothers dying.

Chloe is such a hopeless romantic.

I sense Louis and Chloe may have a romantic leaning support. She understands his ways and he finds her interesting. Their hobbies overlap. He said some stuff that could easily sway romantic is anyone but Louis was saying it . . .

Alfred is so fucking precious, omg. It's so funny remembering people were suspicious of him after his official art was released. Like, I doubt it would even occur to this guy to do something shady or devious. His and Yukana's support started pretty good.

One of my favorite things about Alear is that she's not stupid. Sure, the MC is very basic and generically heroic, but isn't annoying either. Doesn't rush into battle. Isn't irritatingly naïve, etc . . . It's nice.

I'd really like to know more about why Brodia keeps invading the mage country. They said some generic stuff about the mages wanting to wake the fell dragon up, but I hope there's more too it than that.

Oh, shocking, the Brodian king dies (is dying, got shot by that baddie). I'm so surprised. Parents. Dying in my Fire Emblem?

I have a feeling Ivy will be recruitable soon. All her retainers felt guilt fighting the divine dragon, and now her dad left her here to just die. She also lost her ring to us, so that's probably lowered her status on the enemy side too. She also offered her allies a chance to retreat. Definitely doesn't seem evil.

Found Citrinne and Diamant's support interesting. Diamant says he doesn't plan on waging wars when he's king. He acknowledges that it's good for his nobles because it makes them rich, but otherwise is something he wants to avoid. Citrinne supports this and seems to have some kind of diplomatic/messenger role in Brodia.

One of Alfred's talents is making flower garlands 😊. Pretty sure I'm picking him for my S-Support. He's just too adorable, plus I think he and Alear work. Right away he offered friendship and help, and they just have compatible personalities.

Forget Alfred being Dimitri's child, Dimitri is Alfred and Diamant's child. Like he is a bit like both of them smashed together.

Ok, I'm worried. Marth told me I need to stock up on supplies before ch 10 started. This reeks of back-to-back chapters.

I want Rosado on my team so bad already. And Hortensia is not annoying me anymore. She seems honestly worried about Ivy and seems to have no idea what her father is up too.

The artwork for all the places in this game are gorgeous.

Another parent bites the dust. The Brodian king got corrupted. I feel bad for the two brothers.

I made Alcryst attack his own dad. The dialogue made me feel so guilty. It made me feel much worse than Diamant's, until his second half. Alcryst is really growing me as a character too.

Glad the good guys actually tried to kill the villain even though he begged for mercy. That mysterious hooded person showed up (bet it's that girl Alear keeps talking too who had chains on her legs). Also bet it's brainwashing thing. Edit: At least 1/2 guesses right. Ok, probably 2/2 right since this version has never spoken to Alear.

Fell dragon about to eat the king lamo. Literally ate him in a cut scene lol.

Ok, so the 4 wolves are 3 unhinged people and the old guy, who is either a Camus or recruitable later.

Oh. Shit. We just lost the rings. Honestly, I'm more upset seeing all my old protagonists getting turned evil against their will than losing them in gameplay. To be honest, I didn't use them THAT much. It hurts way worse seeing red Marth, Sigurd, Celica, Micaiah, Roy, and Lief.

Losing the Time Crystal. THAT hurts like shit.

Our team took a major L. Honestly, good. 3H's storyline blows this one out of the water, but part of the issue with it was that Edelgard always got her ass kicked except in CF where you just romped over everyone as easily as everyone railroaded over her.

I'm really regretting bringing Citrine and Amber right about now. They're dead weight compared to everyone else who more or less can handle themselves with Alfred, Celine, and Yukana being neigh unkillable at this point.

Fuck yeah! Ivy is here to help me out. And her retainers.

She brought rings. She brought the time turning thingy. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Thank GOD. It's annoying as fuck to reset an entire chapter over a misclick or something and I can't ever let anyone die. I literally think I allowed one person to die the entire time I've played Fire Emblem lol, and this was before turnback was ever a thing too. Zelkov is my new favorite for this. I could kiss him.

Ah!!!! Lyn. And Lucina 😭😭😭😭😭 My girls. 😭😭😭 Lamo, Alear confused Lucina for Marth.

Ok, that chapter was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I stopped after ch 10 yesterday and was wondering about 11, but not too bad. So far, the difficulty balance in this game is pretty good.

Ivy MVP. Happy to have her after that.

Alear, Alcryst, and Diamant all being like "I'm sorry. It's my fault!" Ivy being like "kinda is a bit my fault." Meanwhile Alfred is just awkwardly sitting here being like . . . "I'm the only who didn't make a dumb call here."

I like seeing Alcryst get angry with Ivy. It seems so human. I like the royal characters so far a lot, except Hortensia but she's growing on me. I just wish Celine also got more attention.

This kinda feels a bit like the end of a part 1.

[sleprandomizer]

Was it wrong Timerra not in the top 25 FE engage popularity poll in Nintendo dream?

First at all I don't like Timerra. I don't hate her but I don't love her too. For me she is between exist and not exist. As a royal her presence not so impactful in story. As a unit very mediocre and she relied on sandstrom which was funny skill but strategically bad to rely on it just like Alcryst luna crit.

Now, did I expect her to be so low in term of popularity? No! I expected her to be higher but then I remember this poll was in Japan not global. In global I believe she would be quite popular. Especially since Westerner (this is how people in my country called American and Europian) reception was pretty good on Timerra and Fogado before the game launched. Was japanese who participated in this poll racist? IMO probably there was racism but if I excluded that as one of the factor, Timerra not so popular in this poll actually quite logical.

1. Many participant probably not finished their game yet. There was tendency for late recruit less popular in the poll.

2. Support conversation in engage 1.0 hard to be unlocked. Engage support points only gained in player phase and units must be adjacent to each other. Not many somniel activities for the sake increasing support points in 1.0.

3.As relatively late recruit many player probably didn't have chance to unlock Timerra support conversation. She was not in priority since many prefered to see support conversation from earlier units that already formed attachment.

4. Not impactful in the story. This applied to Fogado. Once passing chapter 13 the story return to Elusian and hounds again. I don't even remember she existed in cutscene after chapter 14.

5. Simply not appealing personality. I am not Japanese but at least as fellow Asian. Characters like Timerra, Goldmary, Hortensia, and Rosado are not well liked in my country. Their personality were annoying. Also sorry but Timerra bad singing was big turn off for me. I can't stand it. Not endearing at all.

6. Not appealing character design. Timerra design reminded me with pokemen gym leader than FE. Also the beauty standard of Asian people were fair/light/white skin not dark skin like Timerra. Whittening lotion so popular in Asia not without reason. Simply just because how culture shaped the mindset. Was it racist? maybe but again it was not easy to change people mindset.

Oh by the way Alfred in top 3 was surprising but then I rememebered his voice quite hot in the JP voice unlike the ENG voice. He was definitely quite relevant in the story. He kinda like childhood friend for Alear which probably quite well liked archtype in Japan.

I still dislike him tho. Even the writter pull out sob back story for him I would not give pity point for him. In fact because of that sob back stroy I disliked him more than him simply just obsessed muscle boy.

[nabateaprodigy]

Hello! Can I request Hortensia/Clanne pairing where Hortensia gets REALLY jealous whenever Clanne is getting hit on by some girls?

I'm Not Jealous!

Series: Fire Emblem.

Characters: Clanne and Hortensia.

Genre: Fluff.

Proofread: Yes.

Hortensia was jealous even if she wouldn't admit that to herself. But the fact was Hortensia was jealous but why was she jealous? I mean, after all, today seems to be going amazing!

Well until THAT happened like the other members of the Divine Dragons army Hortensia was in the Somniel. She was taking a stroll around the Sommiel admiring the beautiful weather. She then overheard two people talking.

One of these voices Hortensia recognized was her sweet prince Clanne! Of course, this got Hortensia in an even better mood, and rushed to where the voices were coming from. However, then she saw something she wished she could have not seen.

Some girl was flirting with her sweet prince! Who did this girl think she was? Did she not realize the Princess of Elusia? Did she not realize she was in a relationship with Clanne? She would need to teach this girl a lesson!

A pout formed on Hortensia's face as she rushed over to Clanne and the girl. She wrapped her arms around Clanne in a defense way. "I am Princess of Elusia! Princess Hortensia! Who are you? You must be a witch trying to trick my prince! Away with you!"

"But-" The girl started to speak but then was caught off by Hortensia! "Away!" The girl decided to give up and leave both Hortensia and Clanne alone.

Hortensia was glaring at the girl not taking her eyes off her until she left her field of vision. "Uhm Hortensia?" Clanne spoke looking at Hortensia who still had her arms around him. "Who was she? What was she saying?"

Hortensia spoke still annoyed from the scene that she had witnessed. But in truth Hortensia was worried. She was very worried that the girl could take Clanne away from her.

"She was no one I promise she just approached me and started talking to me. I wasn't sure how to respond to her." Hortensia now let go of Clanne looking him in the eyes. "That's right she better be no one! After all, you are the president of my fan club! And you are also my sweet prince!"

Hortensia spoke confidently with a smile. "That's right I am and I always will be I'll be your prince Hortensia and you are my princess," Clanne spoke as he hugged Hortensia lovingly and Hortensia hugged him back with a big smile on her face.

[theeeveetamer]

I still haven't seen absolutely every support yet but I think I've seen enough that my general opinions won't drastically change. So, I thought it would be fun to do a tier list with my general sentiments on the cast. Explanations (and spoilers) under the cut.

Tiers are arbitrarily ordered (mostly) by recruitment/encounter order. Also I couldn't find a tierlist with Lindon and Saphir but Lindon would be Neutral but ended up liking, and Saphir is I thought I would like you and I did.

I thought I would like you and I did:

Not much to say here. I immediately gravitated toward Alfred and Alcryst when they were revealed because they have the looks and personality of characters I usually like, and I ended up liking them. Diamant was a character that didn't really catch my attention pre-release but as soon as I met him I figured I'd like him. Lumera is a hot dragon mommy and I have a type. Saphir was immediately interesting to me because we don't get a lot of visually older looking female characters in FE, and her supports are actually pretty interesting.

I thought I would dislike you but I ended up liking you:

Alear, nothing personal, I just usually don't care for the self-insert/Avatar characters in games. They're at best something I just view as utilitarian and at worst they can be both bland and warp the entire plot around themselves. Alear is definitely some degree of bland, but in a generically shounen anime good guy way not in a "there's just nothing there" way.

Pandreo I just wasn't into the whole frat boy vibe, but he wound up being surprisingly fun.

Hortensia is someone I found kind of annoying in the main story. Her voice is also a little grating. But having gotten all of her supports she's got a lot of interesting stuff going on and it really endeared me to her.

Goldmary I initially pegged as annoying, but honestly she's just so desperate it wraps all the way back around to being endearing. The fact that at least some characters actually react to her obnoxiousness in an expected way (e.g. Vander being just baffled that she can be so Like This) does a lot to make her schtick endearing.

I was neutral and I ended up liking you

Again not much to say. These are all characters I didn't have much opinion on one way or another, but they won me over either through their supports or plot involvement.

I'll just call out Etie for her voice (I was fully expecting her to have a very typical high squeaky young anime girl voice based on her design, so when she opened her mouth and sounded like she does I was very pleasantly surprised) and Celine for the sheer ruthlessness she can display. Love me a girl that looks sweet and soft but will happily cut your head off without a second thought if you try to hurt the people she loves.

I was neutral and I remained neutral

I don't love them, I don't hate them either. Mauvier is here mainly because he kind of confuses me with some of the decisions they made with him. It's not enough that I'd say I dislike him, but it's also not counterbalanced by enough to make me say that I like him.

I was neutral and I ended up disliking you

Louis's entire thing is that he's a massive creep, specifically toward women. Yeah, I know the localization tried to censor it, but it's still kind of obvious that he's creepy just based on how most of the characters react to him in his supports.

Maybe a bit hypocritical because I tend to like the shameless flirt types, but something just hits different about a guy being a bit of a flirt vs. a guy showing up to a pool to vouyeristically watch half naked girls without their knowledge. Like, at least the shameless flirt characters usually get shot down all the time or characters acknowledge that they're being creepy. I haven't seen a Louis support yet where someone just goes "you're being fucking creepy, women don't exist for your viewing pleasure, knock it off."

I thought I would like you and I ended up disliking you

CW here for disordered eating

Lemme just say I love Seadall's design. The second I saw him I knew he was gonna be a character I wanted to get all of the supports for and possibly ship. I just hate a lot of his supports. I wish they hadn't leaned so hard on his food thing, because after a while it just started getting really uncomfortably reminiscent of disordered eating. And like canonically I'm sure he wasn't meant to be representative of disordered eating. I think it's more about the crazy physical standards professional athletes (dancers and figure skaters especially) maintain to be at the top of their craft... but, well, there's a reason why so many of them develop disordered eating habits. I don't think this would bother me that much if he just complained about not getting to eat food that he likes sometimes, but it's the extreme reactions to the food that bugs me. Like, he will literally hunt down Timerra whenever she's cooking just to yell at her for cooking food she knows he can't eat or he'll sit there and agonize over whether or not he should eat something to the point where he's consulting fuckin' fate to decide if he's allowed to eat a thing, or he's beating himself up over the mere thought of eating something.

He definitely has some good supports don't get me wrong, but the whole food thing really dragged down the character for me.

I thought I would dislike you and I did

TBF to this tier, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. A character that you love to hate can be just as much fun as a character you just love, and boy do I love to hate these guys.

So yeah, generally I find most of the cast very likable. There's not really a lot of characters I dislike, and honestly the ones that I do dislike are for pretty specific reasons

[crystalelemental]

All supports have been achieved, so this is my tier list for the characters.  As characters.  Not combat performance.  I am in no way equipped to make a tier list on combat performance.  To give the general breakdown...

S: Favorites.  Like, above and beyond favorites.

A: By quality, just as good as S, but didn’t quite hit the same favoritism button

B: Still good, but a little more one-note, or less interesting overall.

C: Starting to lose interest.  They’re not bad, but their supports were mostly just checking boxes.

D: Verging on active dislike.  Really didn’t do much that was engaging.

F: I am actively annoyed by you.

S TIER

Veyle.  That’s BABY.  I’ve seen people refer to this as a “Julia Archetype,” and immediately it’s like “oh yeah, that tracks.”  Only Veyle like...there.  Like she gets real lines of dialogue and agency and stuff.  And I love her.  Baby child.  Baby.  Almost wish they did a bit more with Nega-Veyle, since that side seemed to have its own hangups, but maybe the DLC, eh?

Celine.  Holy shit what a round of supports this girl’s got.  Celine was on track to be B-tier through a lot of this, since almost everything focuses on tea, but the development she gets from Alear and Alfred’s supports alone are fantastic.  But you get her and Fogado being friendly but only after putting away the knives.  You get Hortensia, which is adorable, and Alcryst, who is devastating.  Her supports rule.

Goldmary.  I actually married Goldmary first playthrough.  I kinda love her.  the arrogance is spectacular, but all of her supports come around to her being legitimately kind and thoughtful.  I think my favorite angle, though, is her backstory on why she’s like this.  Because she’ll present it as her reason, but it’s so...delightfully mundane.  She’s a lot of fun.  I think I really like how much it’s showcased that her appearance is hard-earned.  Like, she tries really hard to maintain this image, and while it’s a lot of work, it’s what she wants.  My wife has a fun stance on how it relates to femininity broadly, and how everything you do is supposed to be elegant down to things that typically aren’t like crying, and how she narrates it like it’s an elegant, beautiful thing she’s doing.  I’ll leave it to her if she wants to post it.

Panette.  Okay so by design and class designation, Panette was one of the earliest characters I knew I’d like.  I did not expect how much.  I really enjoy Panette; the rebellious child from a bad home, who’s now on the straight and narrow and is over-emphasizing that constantly to avoid slipping up.  She’s a lot of fun too.

Anna.  This is the best iteration of Anna.  Turns out, all they needed to do to achieve peak Anna was make her a baby child who missed her family.  And she’s so uppity, I love it.  “Anna’s too formal, call me Lady Anna.”  And just how she develops her products.  I dunno, I feel like this was the answer all along.  Just give Anna supports.  Flesh her out, it’ll be great.  And it was.  It was so great.

A TIER

Yunaka.  Yunaka, despite not being one of my favorites, has a good argument for being the best character in the game.  While a lot of her supports revolve around the assassin thing and not wanting people to know, but when they don’t focus on that, she’s really strong.

Zelkov.  Actually love this guy too.  I didn’t think I would at first, but he grew on me quick.  He’s such a goon in the best way.  And per Alear’s supports, apparently talks like that on purpose to seem profound.  What a delightful lunatic.

Chloe.  While I think in any realistic situation Chloe should probably be B-tier, I admit having a soft spot for the big eaters, and particularly like how her eating habits involve “I’ll eat anything once.”

Framme.  I really, really like Framme too.  She’s energetic and exciteable, and just a lot of fun.  And an absolute disaster child.

Ivy.  Another I wasn’t sure I’d like, but honestly they basically just did Camilla again but without the sibling fetish angle.  Now it’s a worship fetish.  Which is still weird, but at least it only comes up in the Alear support!  Everything else is a delight, though.  Ivy’s fantastic.

Lapis.  Lapis is Chloe-esque, in that her gimmick is she’s poor and trying to hide it, but is really, really bad at hiding it so basically everyone knows.  I think Lapis is just the kind of character I have a soft spot for?  She’s just sweet and adorable.

Alfred.  My sweet boy with rocks for brains.  He is so stupid, I love him dearly.  I think I just love the energy he brings.  I know a lot of people expected more of a refined prince angle, and oh man do I love the swerve.

Rosado.  While Rosado can be a bit one note with the cute thing, I think it’s who he partners with that works out.  Everyone he talks to is about getting them to appreciate or recognize their own cuteness, and it’s great.  Also, Pandreo supports confirm Rosado is a party animal.  And his supports with Seadall confirm he doesn’t know what shampoo is.  I think it’s a bit of a copout to insist it’s just natural based on being from the village of the fair folk, and I think Goldmary’s thing of her elegance being hard-earned and hard to maintain is more real, but Rosado’s fun enough.

Hortensia.  While she can be a little grating, I actually...really like Hortensia.  She gets a lot of development in the main story too, I feel, and her supports were all really strong too.

B TIER

Etie.  Everything is muscles, which is similar to Alfred but she’s not quite as fun.  That said, her dynamic with Alfred is the best, I love those two.  She’s not the most dynamic, but I like her a lot.

Alear.  Actually a really solid protagonist?  B is probably a bit unfair, but gut feel on this placement.  I actually might like Alear more than Robin.  Time will tell, but they made a great showing.

Fogado.  Fogado’s actually a lot of fun, but I feel like they don’t quite do enough with him most of the time.  The only one that really stands out to me as something profound and interesting is Pandreo’s.  In most other situations, he’s fine, but loses points for being the flirty character because I don’t love those.  I want to like him more than I do, is the simple answer.

Pandreo.  PARTY MONK, AR-AROOOOO!  He’s fine.  I expected to like him a lot less than I do, but I did enjoy a lot of how they approached his faith and means of worship.  But I also think he gets hit a bit by the awkwardness of the divine being he worships being...you.  And, eventually, Veyle.  It’s just weird.

Louis.  Actually liked Louis a lot more than I thought I would too.  His people-watching habit was initially offputting, but I like how a lot of supports also emphasize that he is a genuinely caring person, and likes helping others.  He wound up more engaging than I expected.

Merrin.  Actually wound up less engaging.  I expected more out of Merrin, but she’s categorically fine.  She’s trying to be cool, but loses composure when she sees rare critters.  It’s fine, but lacks substance.

Alcryst.  I know a lot of people really like Alcryst.  I like him well enough, but don’t quite feel the same.  I couldn’t tell you why I don’t connect with him as strongly.  It’s kinda weird to me too.  Also hey, all the archers are in B!  That tracks.

Amber.  When I finished my first run, I did not touch Amber.  Never once brought him to a fight.  He shows up pretty late for a lance cav guy when we have Alfred right there, and even he’s not Chloe.  But having used him a bit and gotten his supports...I actually like him?  Similar vibes to Alfred, in that he’s just a fun character.  I feel like they try a bit hard to make him into the butt of a joke, but when he gets to just exist, he’s pretty great.

C TIER

Diamant.  Okay, so.  I don’t care much for Diamant.  He’s not bad, but he’s one of the less interesting royals for sure.  He’s just so...bland.  Like oh yes, I am serious training man who wants to not do war, but my war kingdom is pretty mad about it.  Like it’s fine, it should be more engaging, but it never is.

Timerra.  Meat.  Also she’s wild because she goes out to take down bandits herself.  And through all of that...I really never felt like there was that much to Timerra.   She and Diamant very much brought up the rear in terms of royals.

Lindon.  Lindon’s alright.  I didn’t really connect with him that strongly, but I feel like that’s because he didn’t have more supports like with Mauvier.  If we spent more time on him being unhinged, that’d be great.  But we get a lot of time instead on his being wrapped in the past as an old man, at the decrepit age of...60.  Forewarning, Engage does not know how age works.  We’ll get to a lot of that.  But I do think some of his banter is a lot of fun.

Boucheron.  He cries a lot.  I do like that he’s genuinely a nice guy, but the lack of a more interesting gimmick kinda holds him back.

Clanne.  I feel bad for Clanne.  Framme gets to be this over-excited lunatic child, and Clanne is...shy quiet boy who likes pickles.  But you know, I also have to admit, this archetype is definitely a preference thing that misses me specifically.  You’re supposed to like him or Framme more, and apparently I’m the Framme side.

Jade.  My first response to Jade was F-tier.  Her novels are comedy fanfics about Amber’s misfortunes?  That’s just mean-spirited.  And no, the idea that she wrote one (1) book that makes him seem cool is not sufficient.  But I think repeated exposure to the dry wit and shenanigans made me warm up to her a bit.  Still not a favorite, but she’s fine.

Bunet.  Bunet is just weird enough to stay somewhat interesting.  I feel like if they didn’t let him be completely unhinged about the licking everything he’s interested in tasting, he’d be D-tier.  But, they let the man have a bit of insanity, and for that, C-tier.

Citrinne.  I...don’t know.  I think it’s a personal issue with throwing around wealth in this way, and it doesn’t really connect to much?  Like sure, Alear support makes it clear a person she considered a friend called her cheap for not spending money on them, but I dunno.  Citrinne just doesn’t do it for me.

Jean.  He’s fine.  He wants to be a doctor.  He’s healing people.  He’s a baby child that everyone has to tell to take breaks.  I don’t have strong feelings about Jean.

D TIER

Vander.  Vander is very similar to Bunet, if Bunet weren’t a lunatic about anything.  He just comes across as bland and uninteresting.  He’s just some guy.  I don’t hate him, but he’s...kinda boring.

Saphir.  Alright, let’s get this over with.  Saphir is 35.  I call bullshit.  The Elusian attack happened 30 years ago, but she retains information from her village that is so wildly specific, like how to prepare the food they eat, that there is no way that timeline tracks.  More importantly, so much of her story is based in the trauma and holding in the desire for revenge for the Elusian attack...but man, the main story already confirmed most hostilities are Brodia’s fault.  How much you wanna bet the Elusians attacking are doing so because you’re Brodians living on their land you took over?  I just have a hard time with this one.

Mauvier.  Okay!  This fucker is lucky it’s not F-tier!  Notoriously, I hate the Camus archetypes.  Almost every iteration is a matter of “You could’ve just fixed your shit.”  And if he didn’t get on our side, he’d be down there.  But even with that fix, it feels like too little too late in a very, very dumb way.  Why did you let Marni go?  Like...you knew what would happen.  You knew how this would play out.  Even if it wasn’t immediate, you were willing to fight her and kill her too?  This guy bugs me over that.  That and the whole atonement thing being all he’s got.  All three of the ones I remember not being about that are interesting because of the other character, too.  Mauvier is...fine, I guess.  I don’t hate him.

F TIER

Seadall.  I will admit.  Seadall is not atrocious.  But he’s also more annoying to me than anyone else.  I dunno, I have basically zero connection to the idea of dieting constantly, and the angle of him really wanting all this fried food but denying it because oh his dancing doesn’t do it for me.  Constant denial of your wants isn’t the same as discipline.  And the fortune telling thing is also really not my jam.  I admit he’s probably in F just because of how hard it was to get his supports.  He just keeps dying!  Stop being dead!

Kagetsu.  On his own, Kagetsu is not terrible, but I think what bugs me is the whole “from a different land, everything is so strange” gimmick.  I dunno.  The whole thing is just...kinda annoying after a bit.  And his only real character notes are “likes to fight” and “ran away from home.”  I can get more interesting options elsewhere.

[arctic-hands]

Still annoyed at the time I went to the succulent reddit for help after Hortensia took a tumble and someone said "now you can replant in a proper pot!" And I'm like. Madam. You dare to mock the Pot Of Many Faces? Oh woe and pestilence be upon thee!

[faroreswinds]

Seeing the emblems in engage got me wondering about how the characters are handled outside their original games and i’m confused. Byleth can actually talk and emote (more) outside of houses and he/she sounds honestly surprisingly nice, very caring of others, even sweet. He has pretty deep lines in engage saying that even though hortensia is battling him he reassures her that they’re still friends and tells alear that power can be used by good and evil alike. Ike on the other hand seems to have taken a massive nosedive after his games. In his games he was sometimes unsure if himself but always has a strong sense of justice, firm in his beliefs, and was fair and helpful to everyone. Now in feh and engage he’s just always gruff and seems to only care about strength and battle and always annoyed at everyone. Lyn is the worst though she’s just blandly generic cheerful lines only sometimes talking about her friends and sacae. Sigurd and Marth are alright which is good.

So my question is: why are some characters surprisingly good outside of their game but other characters got flanderized?

It depends on who is writing them anon. That's really it.

The people who originally wrote Ike may no longer be writing them, and if they have a shallow understanding of his character, then you will get shallow writing.

It will also depend on how the character is used too. Zelda, for example, is actually really good as a character in Warriors because she is used well. Better than her base-game versions imo. Byleth had so little in his own game that expanding in his character is super easy.

So yeah. Situation and the writers themselves play a part in this scenario.

[perles-infinite-fictional-love]

Milk Cookie x reader (part 16)

Content: Fluff, adventure, gender neutral reader, SFW.

Plot: You’ve been turned into a cookie by a witch. Milk Cookie doesn’t know that you’re human, but he’s still trying to help you get back home! In this episode, Milk Cookie tries to stand against Lotus Dragon Cookie.

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/story/304676013-milk-cookie-x-reader-by-my-side

<Part 15 Part 17>

-Not Y/N POV-

On his way to the Lotus Paradise, he almost started to have second thoughts about his decision... But, he knew that diving into danger alone wouldn't scare Dark Choco Cookie.

However, to his surprise, the guards of the palace stepped aside to allow him inside. It seemed his presence had been expected...

Squinting his eyes, he cautiously ventured inside the Palace... Yes, he could be gullible and naïve at times, but he fought evildoers often enough. He knew when it was time to keep his guards up... sometimes.

Walking right into the lair of a dragon that cursed countless people was one of those times.

"Oh, it's you." Hydrangea Cookie's voice startled Milk Cookie. She was standing behind him like a statue, calmly smiling at him.

"The dragon's kind servant!" Milk Cookie hurried to her. "I believe your kingdom may be in danger! The dragon is not what they seem!..."

"...Is that so?" She replied, not even bothering to blink. "Well... the dragon wishes to see you..." She pointed the way to the dragon's throne room. "Perhaps they want to hear your... complaint..."

"...Don't worry, I won't let your kingdom down. I'll make sure everything is okay!" And so he headed down the way she was pointing...

He just had to follow the faint sound of the dragon playing their mandolin... and quickly enough, he found himself into the same room where they first met the dragon, with those intimidating scaly pillars leading him to the silk veil...

The calm music almost made Milk Cookie feel bad about disturbing the peace as he approached the silhouette of the dragon, but he knew it had to be done.

"...Dragon! It is I, Milk Cookie! I know the secret of your wish-granting powers!"

The dragon stopped playing, and stared at him through the silk. Milk Cookie... This annoying cookie... If it weren't for this cookie's unusually strong will, it would have been so easy to claim the human's vitality... Even luring him away from the human turned out to be insufficient to finally take the human for good...

...It seemed the dragon wasn't replying, so Milk Cookie spoke again. "...In the name of Cookie kind... I cannot allow you to poison cookies with dark magic!!"

"Dark magic?... How insulting... A dragon's powers are beyond any magic that a Cookie can wield. You know nothing."

"I know that you're making cookies miserable!"

"Miserable..." The dragon said. "I make them happy, in exchange of their vitality. This island was once brought to nothingness by a storm. The land was devastated, nothing would grow... and the cookies here were starving... But I changed that. I gave these cookies a chance to be happy, forever... and in return, I used part of their life force to bring life to this island. Prospering, endless and colorful gardens full of life and food... It is all thanks to my powers that this island is now a paradise!"

"...A paradise full of cookies who are drowning in illusions!... This isn't real happiness!... You are tricking them into a lie they cannot escape from, and draining them dry...!"

"Oh? Is that what you think?... How... naïve of you." The dragon smiled behind the veil. "I'll have you know, most cookies of Hortensia Town are aware of the nature of my powers."

"...Huh...?"

"Tell me, ever since you realized you were under a spell, you've been feeling better, haven't you?"

"...This is because the celestials protect me!"

"Fool..." The dragon hissed. "You realized it was an illusion, decided you didn't want it, so it stopped... Don't you see? I don't force anyone to be under my spell... The cookies of Hortensia Town are willing to give in to my powers. Whatever their little minds need, I can provide. Unlike foolish cookies like YOU, they know it's best to embrace what makes them happy... just like your friend almost did." They said with clear bitterness in their voice.

Milk Cookie was speechless a moment, then shook his head. "My friend would never give in to your powers willingly..."

"Are you sure...?~ What if I told you their wish couldn't possibly come true in reality anyway?~" The dragon said with a smile. "This is... the only way for them to be happy."

"You're wrong! We can make our wishes come true! Your illusions are not a true way to be happy... They just need help to see there's a better way!"

"What if I told you your friends are most likely dead?~"

Milk Cookie was pale for a moment, then glared at the dragon, but didn't say anything.

"...You poor thing... denying such a chance at happiness..." The dragon sighed. "...So you really desire for all the cookies to be freed from my powers?"

"Yes. I would like you to stop, please." Milk Cookie said with a frown.

"There is... one thing. Something that could allow me to let go of all cookies, and still keep the island healthy and full of life."

"There is?... What is it??" Milk Cookie's eyes widened hopefully.

"Your friend."

"...Huh?... Y/N?..." Milk Cookie was squinting an eye in confusion. "...Wh-what about them?..."

"Your friend is not a cookie, they are a being much greater. A being with enough vitality to keep this island a paradise for generations... If I have them... I won't need cookies anymore~"

Milk Cookie frowned. "...There must be a mistake... My friend is a fellow cookie, like me!"

"Oh, but I'm not mistaking... I heard their wish. Your friend is not what they claim to be. They even lied to you about the wish they made... You should know your 'friend' is selfish... and their kind do not think of you as friends, they think of you as food."

Milk Cookie glared. "ENOUGH! I will not let you spew these absurd lies about my friend!"

"...So I take it you won't let me have your friend, in exchange of the freedom of all the other cookies?"

"...Well... I don't know why you want my friend so badly, but I can tell you're just trying to convince me to give up on them! I'm not that gullible!" He readied his weapons. "You're not taking my friend! We'll find a way to help these cookies find happiness without your help!"

"...What a shame..." The dragon struck their mandolin, making a glowing blast of sound towards Milk Cookie, and sending the silk veil flying. But at the same time, Milk Cookie rose his shield to summon to celestial light shield, blocking the blast.

Although the dragon still kept their permanent calm smile, she was staring at Milk Cookie with savage eyes. "You are nothing but a nuisance to me."

Milk Cookie was scared. Despite being a warrior, he's always been better at keeping people safe during a battle. But fighting? He never enjoyed hitting cookies and creatures, no matter how hard he trained... Without Purple Yam Cookie and Mala Sauce Cookie, it was going to be a lot harder to take down a dragon...

But he couldn't run away or yield, not with what was at stake. He had to make it through.

His only hope for now was to stand his ground and endure, hopefully tire out the dragon, and stay alert for an opening to strike...

Milk Cookie prepared himself for another blast, but instead... the dragon started playing regular music... although menacingly, as a giant lotus flower started to glow behind the silk veil.

Milk Cookie was getting... sleepy.

[inthelittlegenny]

someone's character design tier list came on my dash, and it was the opposite of mine basically. i loved seeing characters i don't like be high on someone's list; and i wanted to make one

character rambles under the cut

(Not ordered within tiers)

S

Diamant: Everyone loves him. He looks so cool. Look at him.

Panette: Apparently controversial. I love her design and I don't know why. You would assume she'd be down with Hortensia and Marnie, but I just love her?? idk.

Ivy: Look at her. The circle thing? The spikes? Navy with bright pink? It's just cool.

Zelkov: Tired and edgy.

A

Chloe: Design grew on me because she was my mvp, initially I was indifferent but I like that little hair tie on the side of her head.

Alcryst: He's soo good. My boy. Don't really like the collar, but otherwise honorary S. Is A because, I prefer the S tier designs, even though I love his. (Does that make sense?)

Lapis: Boring, I admit. And you'd think her colour would be blue. But she grew on me too, S supported her because she was someone I didn't anticipate liking. She became my girl.

Citrinne: She looks cool.

Merrin: She looks damn cool.

Fogado: Looks fun, too many feathery bits but I'm always a sucker for that archer strap thing.

Pandreo: I like it, but also no. Like, I could see myself liking his design but I have to use him a bit before I commit. But, I do like it?

Kagetsu: Good, solid.

Roasdo: Grew to like.

Anna: Hate the fact that she's a child. But the design is cool.

Zephia: Edgy. Extra. Maybe a tad too much, but yeah.

Griss: What a guy. Looks crazy. Is crazy.

Mauvier: I like his design. Suits him. Sometimes a chunky armour just hits the spot.

B

fAlear: I got used to it. Don't really like it, but with everyone else, it isn't actually too bad.

Vander: Standard Jagen. Like the beard.

Clanne: Eh. A little too young/nerdy for me? Also, can't look at him and not think Deku.

Alfred: Grew to like him. Still a tad too silly. (Prefer Dimitri as a princely design, and obviously they are comparitable.)

Boucheron: Head is too small for his body.

Etie: I like the colours. I like the bow motif for her muscle-obsessed personality. I don't like the colours and bow/frills together.

Louis: Face annoys me. Too much hair.

Amber: Too close to a mullet; so no.

Goldmary: Suits her. Too smug.

Yunaka: Love her personality. She just looks 12 with prominent boobs. Uncomfortable. Otherwise, I quite like the outfit (Again, minus boob cut)

Lumera: Eh. Would prefer she look older.

Veyle: Wish it was toned down a tad. But it's alright. She reminds me of togekiss... don't know why.

C

mAlear: Hate the trousers. Hate the fringe gap.

Framme: I hate the hair. And the hat is too modern (I changed everyone's somniel looks because they look modern).

Celine: She grew on me. But still. The hair and skirt combo is ridiculous.

Timerra: Spheres :/

Seadall: Close to loving him. Just the headband/hair kills me. It's like he's hiding a giant forehead. Just remove the headband, maybe put his hair in a ponytail, or make it short. Then, so good.

D

Jade: Again, so close to loving it. But I hate her short side hair pieces so much. I can't ignore them, they ruined her.

Bunet: I want to slap him.

Hortensia: Suits her. I love and hate it. Just, clown vibes. (And I don't even hate clowns)

Marni: Just too bratty. Which, I get is her. But oh my god, ew, the design. Also, wavy hair and a straight fringe? Kinda annoying.

[yata776]

Hortensia is a somewhat tanky flyer with healing and her personal skill gives her one more range in all of her staffs. Alright, we are done here guys! She is possibly the best staff bot in the entire series.

Seriously I don’t have much else to say. That’s a crazy combination of simple mechanics that just makes her better at using staffs than anything else the other healers provide. And in a game with the Emblems? Christ, she is just fantastic.

Combat wise I have heard very conflicting things about Hortensia. Is she good? Is she bad? I am not sure; some argue her staff utility masks how competent she is fighting enemies. I am going to use her as more of a fighter until my Pandreo/Clanne dies, so I guess I will be able to test it out.

Character wise I find Hortensia frustrating. She is another abused little girl with some severe daddy problems that made her crave his attention, manifesting into trying to accomplish all of his shitty orders for world domination. This is, again, a possibly very compelling concept! After all, she is just like Ivy, but unlike her, the consequences of the abuse and how they have molded her as a person are shown to the player. She was an annoying little shit all game.

Her voice actress, who is fantastic, REALLY tries to sell her heel turn as she realizes the errors of her ways. And it comes close to being somewhat emotional! Ivy has to tell her how her efforts to accomplish the wishes of his father (and even revive him?) are just dumb and will negatively affect everyone she loves who is still alive. As misguided and blind this love is, Hortensia has to decide if she wants to honor the wishes of someone who is just completely gone or protect the few people she cares about who are still alive. As a concept, it is very sad! But Engage doesn’t have any self-restraint and you have the four hounds mind breaking her into being the final boss of the chapter and it just kills the entire scene. Mind control is possibly one of my least favorite JRPG tropes, and it stings it kills what had potential of being the best scene of the game. Just IMAGINE how powerful (for this game’s standards) could it have been seeing Hortensia bitch slap the fuck out of Zelestia as she decides to betray the Elusian army and join up out forces for the rest of the map. Would have been great! But nah, just mindcontrol. The scenes after the fight aren’t great either.

And I don’t remember anything resembling a good scene after this……. Jesus……

[thelogicofikeandsoren]

Fire Emblem Engage finally, 16 years later, gave something that resembled a "no homo" remark in Soren's bond with Hortensia. Yes, from Soren's side. In response to her interrogation of whom he finds cuter than her, he responds:

"Even if I gave you a name, you'd wildly misinterpret what I meant by it"

The problem is, why does it resemble such? Soren doesn't give a name, but literally everyone knows who he's talking about anyway. And if everyone is able to tell the one correct answer to the person you find cuter than.... well, anyone, it gets into "implausible deniability" territory.

Unless of course we're wrong and he's actually not thinking of Ike at all. In which case, he's thinking of some other random character who he really DOESN'T have any interest in, but still thinks is better looking or less annoying than Hortensia. Which in the second category could be almost anyone.

(or a third option, it could be lost in translation, since most of the time the Japanese word for "cute" isn't used for traditionally attractive adult men).