#sacean family

[randomnameless]

How would you feel if IS decided to release a Forging Bonds where Claude and Hilda acknowledged Cyril's situation prior to Rhea saving him, Hilda specifically apologizes to him for what her family put him through, and Claude specifies that one of his first actions upon becoming leader of the Alliance was to outlaw any and all indetured servants throughout the country and free all the ones that already existed, along with giving them support structures to help them get readjusted to normal life?

On the one hand, it'd be pretty much the only choice IS has at this point if they were to ever adress the slavery problem in Almyra, and the writing team for Heroes has clearly shown itself to be more than willing to go against stances taken by the Fódlan games, such as having Lissa call out Edelgard on how stupid her stance towards crests is, so it wouldn't be entirely out of the realm of possibility; on the other hand, they did go out of their way to conveniently skip over the part of Cyril's backstory where he was a slave when he was added to Heroes, implying they really don't want to touch that subject either, and it'd be really lame if such a major issue with one of the three major countries in Fódlan was only ever addressed and resolved in the gacha game.

Anon,

Have you seen/lived through Book 7 of FEH?

All jokes aside, I think that even in the case FEH suddenly bring backs writers from the fridge, that would teeter to close to "uwu challenging a House Leader" and we know, with the bonkers A!Ingrid FB's event, that this is something they will never do.

Claude (and Hilda) having to grow from their FE16/Nopes selves?

Nah, can't do.

In a way, I think the Nabateans (and Billy?) were able to be "tooled"/"more developed" in FEH because, as ridiculous as it is, they're not the main selling points of Fodlan.

Lissa and Supreme Leader's FB was really odd, because FEH dared to go in that direction (ditto with Mila and Hegemon!gard) - so maybe they could... or, as seen in Engage with Supreme Forehead, they will try to erase everything that made her controversial or a character to begin with, to focus on "uwu rivals uwu school friends uwu".

So, if Supreme Leader's situation is that "difficult", I can't see them give the same amounts of fuck to Claude -

And, as you pointed out, given how Cyril's BG was "modified" to make sure House Goneril isn't mentionned or whatever happened in Almyra, I don't they will ever care - even if there used to be a time (or is it still going on?) where Supreme Leader's MYH blurbs, just like Dimitri's and Rhea's were periodically edited/modified by IS (especially the JP versions, for reasons we all know :p ) so, who knows, maybe one day, Cyril's MYH blurb will also be modified?

As for the idea in general -

In the paralogue, Hilda sorts of feels sorry for Cyril's time as a "servant" in House Goneril, which is like, the minimal kindness-reaction she can give, but there are no other mentions of that situation in this paralogue.

Hell, later on, when Hilda goes to Holst after the battle, she checks on his health, and recovers Freikugel - no mention of "plz tell people not to pick almyran children or at least don't give them so much work to do because they're having a hard time".

And while I liked the idea, in FE16, of Hilda being a sort of kind and caring character, who still has a lot of prejudices against Almyrans - she is lazy and doesn't want to do her chores because she's afraid she will mess up, and yet, she can be lazy because her House is the only one mentionned in Fodlan that has "servants" who aren't fed everyday who do "hard work" - because while Tellius went ham on the people who are prejudiced against other races, sometimes racism means someone can be the kindest and nicest person you ever know... except not to some other group of people (iirc we get this with Lyn's grandpa, who didn't approve of his daughter marrying Hasan, a Sacean, and yet, through his few lines and appearance, we see how he is a kind (albeit feeble) old man - who finally managed to get over his prejudice on his "deathbed", only for him to recover and spend time with his granddaughter at the end of Lyn's story).

Of course FE16 couldn't give this character arc to Hilda - which is kind of a shame, bcs tfw an ultra minor NPC from FE7 can grow but not a playable character in FE16 - but as an idea and concept, it could have been nice.

Instead, both Hilda and Claude are in a kind of limbo regarding this issue, because their games want to push the CoS scarecrow, thus the source of "everything wrong in Fodlan" and so, human vice, human greed and human failings aren't explored in their routes.

FWIW, I don't think any major state and its issues are explored in the Fodlan games, save for, maybe, Faerghus thanks to Nopes - and the Fodlan games aren't really concerned with tackling racism, even if I still give them a spot above Tellius, since Tellius has "biological reasons for anti miscegenation", but even if the games don't pretend to make a huge point of being "anti racism", imo this issue is best presented in the Elibe games.

TBH, I'd prefer a FB where Cyril interacts with the Nabateans and/or calls them his true family, maybe to someone like Medeus and or Xane or even later Jahn when he will be released? who wonder why he is hanging out with Dragons when he is only a human, Cyril replying that human or not human, Rhea showed him kindness and saved his life when no one else cared, so she is his mother and savior, period.

End of FB ends up with the Rheas overhearing him and each taking a turn to hug him which embarasses him to oblivion, with Seiros the Warrior not participating because she doesn't know that human yet, but if there is that kind of human in Future Fodlan, then even if Adrestia will fall, her fight wasn't for nothing.

[sentofight]

as i told varus before, you can take the girl out of the plains but you can't take the plains out of the girl. i'll revisit this once i finish the game because i wanna be sure of my own hcs for l/yndis. i personally can't see her being stuck in a castle; she was not born to be idle, she is a proud sacean woman and will work for whatever she wants. hence, why i see her going back to start her own family (wink wink.) though i would want to look at the sequel, too to see if she was mentioned beyond the first chapter because my brain can't recall much of that game.

[electricprincess96]

I've got the whole family now

[arkus-rhapsode]

Rhapsode’s Top 10 Favorite Fire Emblem Antagonists

Hey guys, so I wanted to do something a bit special because of a few asks I’ve gotten from time to time. Namely, who are my favorite villains in FE. Thing is, I wanted to do something with this for a while outside of an ask, and hear I am.

Now before I even start, these are all MY OPINIONS. These are my favorite antagonists in FE, not some objective masterlist that means anyone who isn’t on here is a bad villain. If you agree with me on this list, great! If you think I got everything wrong, I respect that opinion.

So if I left out any of your personal favorite villains in FE, let me know in a reply or reblog.

Now a little bit of criteria on how I had made choices,

Uniqueness: What does a villain bring as a character. Because FE is nothing if not a bit archetypal.

Impact on the Narrative: Now I think a good villain should be an active participant in the narrative as well as have a level of relevance. They also should have relation to the lore of the world they’re in.

Personality: In my opinion even a poorly written character with a magnetic presence can be more tolerable than a poorly written character with no personality

Were they satisfying of a boss in game: While FE emphasizes narrative, it has some terrific gameplay. So I would hope the opposing units really give you a run for your money.

Oh and fair warning, this will have spoilers.

With all that out of the way, sit back and I’ll tell you all about my favorite FE villains!

10. Uhai (Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade)

Yeah, so, we’re starting with probably the most tertiar antagonist on this list. While Uhai might not seem that important in the grand scheme of things. Being a Black Fang member who’s scared of what Nergal is going to do and is out for Ninian. 

So why did I pick him over other Black Fangs or Saceans?

Well in terms of Saceans, I really felt Uhai brought the most personality compared to someone like Glass, who was pretty basic. Especially for Lyn’s final villain. Uhai definitely felt the most… “Sacean,” if that makes sense. Having a code of honor and integrity. As well as acting on self preservation.

And while Uhai isn’t my favorite Black Fang, he shows something different as being one of the original fangs and having this sense of honor. Which was a really nice reminder about the humble origins of the Black Fang.

I also really like how he could’ve easily killed Lyn when he kidnapped her, but let her go to kill her as a warrior. Given Lyn’s underlying theme of fighting sexism, to have an opponent that didn’t factor in her gender and would fight her on equal terms, it was a really cool scene.

Sadly, he’s just a minor antagonist and if he got more time like being a part of the Four Fangs, I think he could’ve really added more.

9. Orson (Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones)

Orson seems pretty simple all things considered. He loved his wife, Monica, and after losing her, he is willing to make a deal with the devil to bring her back. It’s not much, but I think what plays into the effectiveness is seeing him before his wife is revived and having him on your team, then watching what he has become after her revival.

Having a villain who starts off as a playable character and then later is an antagonist is always tricky. From a story perspective, you spent time with them that even you, the player, feel negatively affected by the heel turn. However, from a gameplay aspect, it's a tad annoying if you spent time grinding them. 

Orson, is pretty obvious in that he’ll be turning against you, but we really see him as a somewhat charming and endearing guy at first. But then when he returns to Renais to be with his wife, it leads to one of the most unsettling narrative shifts I think FE has done.

We see him now in charge of Renais, but now more mentally disturbed, physically malnourished, and locking himself away from the rest of the kingdom to be with his wife. Seeming like magic has possessed him. But when you find that this is due to being reunited with his wife who is now just a corpse that can only say “Darling” you really feel this messed up mood permeating the chapter.

There's so much unsaid, and I think that it works to the advantage of the story. Comparing the Orson you meet when he’s your ally to the Orson you meet as an opponent, it really doesn’t need to be said how he fell so hard. That Orson has given up so much and now that he has his wife back he’s just convincing himself that she’s alive.

While another villain on this list did the heel turn far better than Orson, I still think that the sheer shock of Orson’s story really makes you feel for him, while just wanting to end him.

8. Bloom, Hilda, Ishtar and Ishtore (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War)

So this one is definitely cheating. 

While only two members of the Friege family could really stand on their own as definable villains, I actually think when all are together they offer something more unique for FE. Families of villains are a bit of a rarity in FE, especially ones whose family dynamic is well defined in the main story, and not supports. 

But with Bloom, Ishtar, and Ishtore, you get to fight all of them in a chapter thanks to the set up of the Genealogy of the Holy War. It allows for a more unique encounter and this growing feeling of outrage if you end up killing a member of the family.

House Friege continuing on as secondary antagonists in the second generation was a great addition. Giving this sense of history repeating itself, with Bloom seemingly no better than Reptor from the first generation, but where as he is a power hungry politician, Bloom shows some shades of gray in his detestment of Child Hunts and actually being a somewhat decent father figure to Tine. Which actually leads to some interesting contrast to his wife, Hilda.

Hilda is easily the most monstrous of the family, and while I was considering her to be her own separate entry, as she is possibly the most wicked and cruel female villains in the entire franchise. Driving Tailtiu to death, and using Ishtar as a step towards more power. Her additional role a matriarch of the household who married for Bloom’s money and power, adds an extra layer to the band of villains.

Ishtar and Ishtore also offer a role as both not being Child Hunt supporters but act in different ways to them. With Ishtore not getting involved and instead spending more time on Liza and Ishtar actually working with Arvis to free the children rounded up.

As a family unit, it offers a lot of unique villain interaction that I’m sad the limited technology of the time couldn’t capture all of. I’m glad that games like Fates have tried making family units as opponents, but I’d like to see a dynamic similarly fleshed out as the Frieges.

7. Jedah (Fire Emblem Gaiden/Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

Okay, how the hell did this guy so high up on the list? No joke, Jedah started at the bottom when I first started this list. I mean, he’s just another Gharnef. What makes him all that different from Nergal or Manfroy?

Well, truth be told, what got Jedah so high up for me is presentation. A lot of Gharnefs are the big game manipulators, and sometimes that can be frustrating if you’re not really in the character. I think Manfroy is one of the most effective villains, but he’s not particularly stand out. 

Nergal is a far more justifiable villain with his motivations, but he’s basically corrupted by “Darkness.”

Jadah, especially in FE15, oozes personality and charisma. I give a lot of points to his more inhuman design that went beyond just making his a wrinkly old man. As well as his expressions. When playing Three Houses, I was shocked at how stone-faced Thales was. But with Jedah, I feel like the artists took a lot of opportunity in giving him a face that could contort in such a way to to sell how much of a schemer and villain he was. 

He has this look of a guy you love to hate.

Also, in terms of story, Jedah really does eclipse Rudolf as a villain (Yes I know, Rudolf is not really a villain) and is easily a more proactive villain than even Berkut. While Jedah serves Duma faithfully, the purple baddie still seems to have done more as an antagonist then the detriorting dragon.

He’s really the most satisfying overarching villain next to Berkut. And power, don’t get me started. While Gharnef’s Imhullu seemed relatively foreshadowed on how he wouldn’t be beaten by normal means, the first time I fought Jedah, I was surprised just how much of a gap in power there was between us. As well as the terrors he summons for the first time are more lovecraftian than the other terrors you fought before.

While Jedah is definitely a fun villain, his greatest weakness is that he is unquestionably in the morally black category. The man sacrificed his own daughters to prove his loyalty. Before then, there was a bit of an argument to be made that witches were just a sign of society and that offering up your soul for more power was just common in a power focused structure. But sacrificing your daughters is a tad on the unforgivable side.

As well as his end goal is really just war and conquest, while being Duma’s number one servant. So ultimately, he’s not very complex. But that lack of complexity still added a chaotic edge to Echoes that was really welcomed.

6. Reinhardt (Fire Emblem: Thracia 776)

Now speaking of complexity here we get, who I consider the best of the Camus archetype. First off, I really like how Reinhardt is built up as the second coming of Crusader Thurd. Especially if you’ve played FE4 and know just how much of an obstacle Ishtar, Bloom and Ishtore were. 

Second is just how tragic his story is. I never really cared for the romance between Camus and Nyna, so at times I didn’t really care for his internal conflict. But the fact that Reinhardt has eyes for Ishtar to the point that Julius is feeling jealous and stripping him of his title. You also get the heartbreak of his sister, Olwen choosing to side against and how much denial he feels until Saias needs to point out how Olwen made this choice herself.

It’s just sad to see a guy who comes off as so imposing and level-headed have so much internal strife because his convictions of loyalty keep putting him on the wrong side of things. At times it feels like you can invest more into him than Lief, I really hope to see an expanse of him in a remake.

Reinhardt is not a character I enjoyed fighting because I wanted to see him be with the Liberation Army. He’s suffered from Julius’s pettiness. He knows how bad things have gotten with Grannvale’s expansion. Yet he just won’t because of his loyalty to his home. 

(I like to think that if you release him, he goes onto serve Tine and Arthur.)

Now, as I said, he still fits that Camus archetype. But unlike Camus or someone like Xander, I wish I had more of an expansion of his loyalty to Friege. I know he loves Ishtar and he probably has some ego built up about “second coming.” But if you’re not a fan of, “he did this out of love.” You’re probably not gonna like him. As a lot of the Camus archetype have always suffered from a, “why are you so loyal.”

People like Dedue and Catherine had the benefit of being playable characters, so you could support them and peel back a lot of their reasonings. And even Camus got more of a reason when he became Zeke and was saved and given a new life in Rigel.

So while Reinhardt makes for a great adversary, I do find him leaving me wanting more that other rival characters could give me.

5. Grima (Fire Emblem: Awakening)

(Note: I’m using masculine descriptors for Grima because I’m personally more used to male Grima and male Robin)

Here’s another baddie I wasn’t too sure where I was gonna put on the list. I knew I wanted him on here, but again, I wasn’t expecting Grima to be so high. He’s built up all throughout Awakening, as well as turning out to be reincarnated in the main character, Robin. Already does push him up on the list. But if you were to dissect his personality, he’s really just your godly final villain, who condescends down on you.

But there’s actually a lot more to this monster than you’d expect.

At first, I see a lot of similarities between him and Duma: Cult worshipers, really powerful dragon, catalyst for a war etc. But Duma as a villain is due to the dragon deterioration. Sure, he’s got bad followers, but losing his sanity kinda enabled them. But Grima… This guy wants to wipe out all life because he can.

Grima is much more a force of nature as a villain. He doesn’t try to dress up his simplistic desire with fancy philosophy. No, he embraces just how above everyone he is and how he’ll enjoy wiping them out. 

Not only that, but design-wise… Holy crap.

The sheer size and power of Grima, coupled with one of the most unique designs for a dragon, makes for a truly nightmarish foe. The boney, almost mechanical way Grima turns his head when ready to attack, just sends shivers down my spine. His size and pension for only wanting to destroy all life really gives off this sense of being an inevitability. A force that can not be stopped from washing over the world.   

It really works with the overall theme of Awakening. Robin trying to forge his own identity and is not tied down to fate. But how exactly can you fight that fate when its just so intimidating? Why with friends, of course! The final moments of Robin and Chrom slaying Grima is one of the most tragic things I’ve watched. With Robin knowing he needs to die to prevent Grima, but the only way to kill Grima is with a Falchion in the hands of Chrom. So Robin must be slain by his best friend, the one he’s gone through hell with and gave him a chance at making this new life for himself. It’s a final battle that breaks my heart.

Speaking of final battles, Grima offers one of the most unique environments for a final battle. Using that monstrous size to serve as a stage for your final fight against the Grimleal on the back of their god. Not to mention the priest warping in to keep bogging you down as you try to get off that killing blow on the Fell Dragon.

The background added by Shadows of Valentia about a young Grima actually being an alchemic monstrosity made to find a way to cheat death not only elevates Grima thematic impact, but also make him more like a lovecraftian horror. Which is something rare in this series. 

That said, the biggest fault in this character is hw sidelined he is. There’s nothing wrong with a simplistic villain, but even in Robin form, Grima really doesn’t take much part in the events. I would’ve liked more interactions with him and Chrom or Robin before the revival.

I also completely understand if someone doesn't care for the “kill all people in the world,” type of villain. What is the endgame after destroying everything? Guess make some zombies. 

I do argue that Grima being a force of nature makes him unique to the whole point of “what happens next?” But again, as a finally boss, I can see if that’s not your style. And while I think the simplicity is kinda beautiful, I myself have a preference for more complex villains.

4. The Black Knight (Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance/Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn)

Hoo boy, I’m not gonna make any friends with this one.

How do I even talk about this guy properly? Mainly due to some narrative… Disconnects... between Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn. Well I’ll just try and keep with his outing in Path of Radiance.

Black Knight has easily some of the most thematic presence in the series. His anonymous name and sleek design make almost all of his cutscenes a treat. Just stepping onto the battlefield and killing Greil, with the only hint of who he is being that he was one of Greil’s former students already sets him up as an anomaly.

But something you notice quickly, Black Knight has chivalry. He offers to give Greil the legendary blade of Ragnell so they can have an even fight. Sure, Black Knight wants to kill his mentor to prove he has become better, but he’s not gonna do it unfairly. And he lets Ike keep Ragnell, so that he can truly grow as strong as Greil and then give him a true fight.

Speaking of Ragnell, I actually love how it and Black Knight’s Alondite blade are sister swords. Setting up for a rivalry that goes beyond just Ike getting revenge for his dad. It leads to a lot of interesting encounters over the course of the game, building up to a crescendo of when Ike will finally defeat the armored menace.  It honestly makes for a more compelling final brawl than Ashnard.

Also with Ashnard, we come back to that whole chivalry thing. Because while Ashnard displays himself as a “Mad King,” Black Knight still honorably serves him. In fact, while I’ve seen many people debate the true identity of Black Knight, I actually like the idea that he was just a student of Greil. He needs no true identity except being an embodiment of knightly principles and power.

For all the good and bad that entails.

Leading to great parallels between him and Ike. Ike being a mercenary whose principles differ so much from the Black Knight make him an ideal opponent for the Black Knight.

Now all that said, we need to get to the big but. The actual identity of the Black Knight being Zelgius raises a lot of questions and messes with the consistency of the story. I genuinely feel like it would be more powerful if Zelgius was his own character. While the ambiguity of the Black Knight added to his.

The best moment in Radiant Dawn for me is honestly his end, where he’s at least proud to have helped perfected Ike’s swordplay. But after that, I can’t exactly say he’s the same character. And that unfortunately keeps him from being any higher on the list.

3. Berkut (Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia)

Top 3, everyone! And we’re kicking it off with the Rigelean Prince, Berkut.

After coming off Fates, there was this really big cloud hanging over the FE fandom if they’d actually be able to recover from their dip in storytelling. And then Echoes came up with the game-exclusive addition of Berkut. 

Berkut really was a return to for with understandable villains. Having grown up being a noble of Rigel and as nephew of Rudolf next in line for the throne. In a society that prides itself on power, Berkut was only ever asked to be strong enough to ascend to that title of king.

And when you first see him dancing with Rinea, he really does seem invincible. Dancing in the conquered halls of Zofia Castle with his one true love as he does not need to take to the battlefield to assist in fighting the Deliverance. Only bothering to fight Alm as “sport.”

At first, he really just comes off as an arrogant Blue Blood that you wanna knock off his horse. But after he loses once and sees Alm’s brand, it just starts this downward spiral. Begging is uncle for one more chance, rejecting the help of Nuibaba’s mirror, only to use it out of fear that he might actually not be able to win against Alm.

Also, massive props to Ian Sinclair as Berkut’s english voice. As FE had started going fully dubbed, Sinclair brings such a performance as the deteriorating prince.

I like he even makes more dynamics with the Duma Faithful, believing that they’re supposed to serve his house and respect him, but Jedah counters that their real allegiance is to Duma. Tempting Berkut with his power. But Berkut himself even finds Duma’s strength disgusting.

When he finally falls after Rudolf naming Alm his true heir, so see just how low he’s fallen as he sacrifices Rinea to make his pact with Duma and use his new mystical enhancements to take out the Deliverance golden boy Alm, once and for all.

Berkut’s story is easily an ideal tragic character. Very powerful and smart, but flawed. His own fears motivating his actions as well as the constraints of his society and family pressure. Add on how he’s made that he will not marry Rinea until he becomes Emperor, as he feels that is only when he’s worthy enough, and this guy’s basically telegraphing the grave he’s about to dig himself.

No way can I undersell how much Berkut seemingly revived faith in writing for future FE antagonists as the series was still suffering from the… mixed reaction to Fates.

2. Edelgard von Hresvelg (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)

God what have I not said about Edelgard? Well if you want to read more comprehensive stuff I’ve written about her, you can find it here.

But in short, Edelgard was a phenomenal twist character. Built up slowly over the course of the game and the fact someone as high as a lord would secretly be planning to destroy the church was a shock. 

Her role as the most intellectual of the three house leaders, motivated by logic and pragmatism offered a unique opposition to the over emotional Dimitri. Her being the product of crest experimentation and the second wielder of the crest of flames makes for a pretty powerful backstory. Not to mention being one of the few lords whose political system we fully get to see realize. With the multiple ministers having robbed power from her family.

Her relationship with Dimitri is also one of the sweetest villain backstories. You see the two actually sit down and try to end this and you know it’s probably only because of their shared past. The oath of the dagger of how they both have made their own paths that veer off in different directions is the first signs of turmoil that El has felt ever since her declaration of war.

And then there’s her final fight. I don’t think I have felt a more satisfying final battle than with Hagemon Husk Edelgard. The long throne room crawl as guards and monsters poured in to try and stand in your way. All whlie Edelgard tries to snipe at you from a distance with her new fireball technique. 

Also if were giving points to acting, Tara Platt brings a great performance as both Edelgard and the Flame Emperor.

Now like Black Knight, the biggest flaw is a lot of minute nitpicks that really add up over the multiple routes. The Black Eagle route even seems to do away with a lot of Edelgards ambiguity. But if you stick to BL and GD Edelgard, you have one of the best antagonists in the series. Leaving me excited what FE17 has in store.

1. Arvis (Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War)

Yeah, you all knew this one was coming. The OG Flame Emperor himself, Arvis.

So for those who don’t know, Arvis was basically Edelgard before Edelgard. Having watched corrupt nobles run Grannvale for a time as well as grown up under the self destructive Duke Victor, Arvis had intended to make Grannvale a more fair world. Free of prejudice and pain.

Use the feuding lords to his advantage to claim land and renown, Arvis also stayed by the current King of Grannvale, Azmur. Earning him some brownie points. Arvis’s alliance with Manfroy and the Lopto Sect ultimately leads to him getting his chance at the throne. With Manfroy finding the long lost granddaughter (and wife of Sigurd) Deirdre,  wiping her memory clean and “conveniently” leaving her for Arvis to find and fall in love with. 

By marrying and impregnating the newly found prince, Arvis was named Emperor Regent by Azmur till their child came of age. However, to unilaterally have Grannvale under his control, he had to take out Sigurd in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the history of FE, The Belhalla Massacre.

At first Arvis seems like this manipulative puppet master with delusions of conquest, but the more you learn about him and the environment he came from. Arvis truly wants to make a better and more fair world. And unlike someone like Zephiel, he doesn’t think that means wipe out all humans. You see that he doesn’t even hold contempt for Sigurd, more indifference as he regrets that Sigurd would not be able to see Arvis’s new world.

But with his ultimate tragedy being that faustian deal he cut with Manfroy ultimately led to the birth of Julius. Who, with the Major Loptous blood, would go on to not only be Loptous’ vessel, but also wrestle away power from Arvis. The tragic irony of what secured his hold on the throne being what ultimately makes him lose it. Add on some more angst as he realizes that Deirdre is actually his half sister and that Manfroy’s intention was for them to bear a child like Julius, you have easily one of the most tragic tales in FE.

We also see more of the dynamics of Arvis in the Seliph book of FE4. Actually trying to save all the children taken by Julius with Ishtar. As well as his love for his own children, Julius and Julia, going out of his way to save Julius and finally face his reckoning against Seliph.

His battle is brutal, as after what he did to Sigurd, you want to beat down Arvis with Seliph. You want nothing more but to his rule. But as you’ve gone on, you see just how much of person Arvis is. And while you want Seliph to get his vengeance, it doesn’t make the fight any easier as you are left to wonder what things would be like if Arvis was Emperor without Manfroy using Julius.

 His final words to Seliph just echo in your head, making you wish there was a better way this could’ve turned out.

If there is one negative I could say about Arvis, its the fact he basically monopolizes the story for his own. His actions basically pushing so much of the narrative he eclipses Sigurd. But honestly, if we got a remake with more time devoted to character interaction in Sigurd’s army, I think it would balance out nicely.

Welp, that’s my Top 10 FE antagonists. Let me know if you agree or disagree. And if this gets enough hits, I might do similar posts in the future. Till next time, take care!

[lanonima]

bluegrasscountry replied to your post: bluegrasscountry replied to your post: ...

It doesn’t have to be a major part no, but I find it an interesting factor if it is to be considered that any of the Lorca survived. I honestly prefer that the Lorca get wiped out however, as it has a bit more impact and speaks of more interesting social and political dynamics between sacean tribes. Aside from that it’s implied in sues ending that hanon did not take up a leadership role after sacae was founded and remained a nomad which would potentially influence how-

bluegrasscountry replied to your post: bluegrasscountry replied to your post: ...

Leadership roles are viewed in sacae, and we’ll they would certainly pay more respect to women as important figures and strong warriors due to the influence of hanons legacy, it would be possible for some clans to prefer a patriarchtic structure to leadership as opposed to other forms of clanship. The Djete would probably not have a patriarchal structure however, instead having a focus on warrior skill due to its large size and it’s role as the protectors of hanons bow-

bluegrasscountry replied to your post: bluegrasscountry replied to your post: ...

Well what is known of the Kutolah suggests it could be a patriarchal structure, though like the Djete it could instead have a focus on a warrior culture. Due to their size it would most likely be those two clans that influence clan politics and how most clans organize themselves. Sorry I’m rambling, point being… er…

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Look what I’m trying to get at is that the text suggested in game does basically state or atleast implies that the Lorca have a patriarchal structure, and I think that could play into or be far more interesting in the larger clan politics sense. For instance it could be part of the reason their a smaller tribe, as their practices mark them as a black sheep clan or something. Certainly good people, and allies of the Kutolah who are one of the nicer clans about though-

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Sacae as a whole is suppose to be a pretty brutal place. I guess I just find your headcanon a bit odd as it doesn’t help make the clan all that more interesting, or play up the idea of diffrent customs and beliefs being one of the sticking points for dividing sacae, or really seems to have much intent of fleshing out a believable structure for sacean politics it just seems to exist to make the something that was worded in a kind of sexist way less interesting. Granted-

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Stock fantasy sexism is very boring as well, but refusing to explore the implications of it in a setting just seems kinda lame to me. However, after reading the wiki I’m just gonna go with the Lorca all died and she’s the last one left. Clichéd as fuck but more understandable why she would be hell bent on killing the tavilar, and honestly more understandable to me why she lives alone.

Alright there’s a lot here so I’m going to try to address it in some form of order. No promises.

We’ve already disagreed about world-building vs character development re: Fire Emblem in the past but I think we can both agree that Sacae gets practically nothing, which means to some extent we have to form our opinions based on the characters too.

(although I do think it’s a little rude to dictate HOW one forms headcanons I mean sometimes I’m just really fucking fed up with always dealing with sexism in real life and would like a break sometimes in video games and books BUT HERE WE GO)

I don’t think it makes as much sense with Lyn’s personality if all the Lorca are wiped out. She’s a girl who puts a lot of blame onto herself, and has, as I’ve talked about in a lengthy line-by-line analysis of the game, a fanatical need to become stronger. (very evident in her supports with Hector and also here and there in the main story)

Why? It could be only that she failed to protect anyone during the raid, but it’s much more poignant if she failed to do that AND failed to keep her tribe together afterwards. She wasn’t good enough, or strong enough, for them, and that has stayed with her for the past six months to the start of the game until it’s become a driving goal up there with revenge. As I said earlier, I like revenge as a fallback plan for her. She wants to protect her clan and now that it’s functionally dead, revenge is all she has, but it also is a means to allow her to become stronger.

I do agree that different clans probably have different structures, it just makes sense. However I’m drawing my opinion about the Lorca from Lyn’s own dialogue. When she first comes to Caelin (and throughout the game including some of her endings) she expresses doubt about her ability to rule there to the point where she gives her land up to Ostia instead. She does not appear to have this same hesitation about the Lorca. She is the chief’s daughter, and she clearly believed that she could be the next chief. Her people disagreed with her, but I’m willing to bet that the Lorca have had female leaders in the past. Maybe not many. Maybe it’s even uncommon. But it has been there, otherwise why would she have immediately attempted to assume leadership after her father’s death?

I also don’t really assume there needs to be any specific reason for the tribes to be divided. Maybe it’s family lines. Maybe it’s practices. Maybe it’s just that they’re herders or hunter nomads and they all have different territories. We don’t know that. We don’t know what clans are the biggest, or whether any clans influence the others. There’s also the conversations between Lyn and Rath that suggest Lyn doesn’t know that much about the Kutolah (neither does Rath, obviously) that implies that the Lorca weren’t really paying attention to their neighbors. I doubt there’s a huge over-all political structure for the clans.

I don’t believe it’s necessary to have a hard division between the clans as much as it is to have a hard division between Sacae and Lycia, for instance. We also know that Lycians are apparently kinda racist re: Lyn’s mom was fucking disowned for marrying a Sacaen and if they’re being assholes then there’s no reason to believe that the Sacaens don’t also dislike Lycians. Lyn did say that her family lived a happy and peaceful life, but that doesn’t mean that Madeline was accepted right off the bat, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that Lyn’s people might not want a half-breed at the helm which is interesting to me. (I also headcanon the Sacaens as being pretty dark and Lyn having darker skin than say, Hector or Eliwood. Why? WHY NOT?)

On the surface, yes, I want to believe that maybe for once we can get away from stock-sexism because Hanon is a woman which leads to some interesting implications for the world but I’m less concerned with the clans as a whole and more how this world has shaped Lyndis. Reverse engineering does seem to suggest that it’s not completely unheard of for women to rule a clan in Sacae and that’s what I’m going to believe.

[sentofight]

"I'd hope we meet under better circumstances. But I have a penchant for finding myself in... interesting situations." Perhaps it was a sight that a commoner could hug Lyn warmly as he does. But she has saved him once and he has been at her side to reunite her with her family and in turn a side of her that she was kept from. Markus held Lyn in his embrace as he gave her a warm smile. "Who knew that serving Lord Eliwood would have me right back around to you in someway. Glad that Lord Eliwood's forces arrived as we did and Florina guided the way." (Mark @ Lyn! Lyn reunites with her boy after a year!!! 😀)

To think she would get attached to someone; to someone who she barely knew if fate hadn't brought them together in a mysterious way. Lyn was sure she would remain secluded most of her life in the plains Not to mention Kent and Sain showing up to tell her that she could have another life other than being a nomad. Lady fate sure have an interesting way to steer people's lives around.

Lady fate may have her ways, but also leaves hope for reuniting who your heart years for. And to follow on her kind leads, rumors of a genius tactician strategizing plans for lord Eliwood caught her attention. It would be a lie if she didn't pray for every deity she knew that this person be the one she wants to see. Though at this moment, her hands were full to actually go check for herself when reinforcement came to their aid. But once again, lady fate decided to give her joy other than pain; she had spotted the man. Well, more like he had braved the battlefield to come as close as he can to see her without endangering his companions.

Green forest eyes lit up when she saw his figure from a far. Oh, how she wanted to rush and see him, alas, the battle is not yet won.

When things calmed down and the table turned in their favor, her forces were able to take a breather to allow Eliwood's men to advance and land the final blow. That allowed the Sacaen princess to fall back and meet up with her ... friend.

"Markus! Is that really you? I--I can't believe my eyes! It is really you!" no one could beat that beard and scruff look with a hint of aloofness. Of course, the embrace was not resisted one bit. In fact, she wrapped her arms around his figure as hard as she could (who to blame her when she thinks he might just take off if she let him go.) Ah, yes ... she misses this smell. Would it be bad that perhaps what Hector called her once--a hound, was slightly true? His smell is unique--old books pages, a hint of his handcrafted ink scent, not to mention a subtle familiar fragrance.. heh Sacean plains... perhaps the last one is more mentally itched more than being real.

"Y-yes, it is...heh..." pull it together, Lyn. Tears are not suited now, a smile is better. "I am glad, too. Florina did good by leading you back here to me--I mean, to us, ahem, yes. The battle would've been weighted heavily on everyone had it not for Eliwood's forces...yes." ooh!!! How embarrassing! What was she saying!? Hope she didn't make things awkward ...

varus treating my muses good | @amalanexus