Something Something Inigo Is Such An Inherently Tragic Character Who Quite Literally Never Gets To Rest

Ahhhh! It’s done! I’m so glad! This took a week to make, but it was a lot of fun! I took this as an opportunity to learn a new engine and also make a xanlas tribute~ And I’m so glad to finally be able to share it with everyone!

This story takes place in the aftermath of war, when the countries of Nohr and Hoshido have decided to make peace, Laslow prepares to return home as Xander becomes Nohr’s new king. Filled with doubt and regret, he has to decide: will he stay or will he leave?

This game is post revelations end. It should take, at most, 10 minutes to play. There are two possible ends. You pick the true end, decide as you see fit!

This game is made with love, so it is free to enjoy in its entirety. However I do request that you do not reupload it to another sharing site. Have fun! Happy Xanlas Week!

Characters: Laslow, Xander, Selena, Odin  Warnings: shaking screen Other: Fluffy, cheesy lines

[Download it here!]

Wallace @ Norman as soon as he learns about all the shit he did to Ruby throughout Pokespe:

[ID: a gif of a person winding up and kicking the camera. End ID]

@someobscurereference I’M FINALLY DONE WITH THIS 44 SLIDE MONSTROSITY

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1u0HxzRT2jte626lSvK_MyNhxaxwOpoAHHXokXT08fuI/edit?usp=sharing

Here’s the link to the slideshow, it should pop up as “This is a title” because I am very creative

Also WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE HIDDEN FATES DLC AND LASLOW-ODIN SUPPORTS

Make sure to view it in presentation mode because there’s a lot of transitions and animations! 

Anyways, AFTER HOURS OF WORK IT’S FINALLY DONE SO HERE IT IS, I SPENT SO MUCH TIME GETTING ALL THE NOTES AND PICTURES AND THIS TOOK AT LEAST 10+ HOURS OVER THE LAST WEEK

LIKE, I’VE NEVER PUT THIS MUCH WORK INTO EVEN SCHOOL PROJECTS

BUT THIS WAS FUN AND I ENJOYED IT AND I HOPE YOU DO TOO

Fire Emblem Fates: Personal Arcs and Thematic Parallels for the Royal Siblings

Introduction

As we all know by now, the royal siblings of Fates are all mirrors and contrasts with one another.

Xander and Ryoma are the wise and kind elder brothers who have the weight of their kingdoms’ futures on their shoulders, however Xander is an anxious stoic entrenched in state of denial who worked hard to get as strong as he is, whereas Ryoma is a charismatic natural talent, a huge hothead and has major prejudice issues.

Camilla and Hinoka are the caring elder sisters, with Camilla being overbearing and feminine and Hinoka being stubborn and tomboyish. 

Leo and Takumi are the intelligent younger brothers who face massive self esteem issues (in regards to their older brothers) and jealousy (in regards to Corrin), but while Leo’s problems are hidden under a layer of cold pragmatism and isolation, Takumi’s are front and center since he is very emotionally volatile. 

Elise and Sakura are the sweet and compassionate little sisters, with Elise being excitable and cheery and Sakura being shy and timid.

However, these aren’t the only parallels that exist between the siblings. More parallels are discovered when you look at the story closely. Especially when you lock down each of their personal arcs. Furthermore, close analysis reveals other interesting parallels, namely for Leo and Hinoka in regards to their brothers, Xander and Ryoma.

Themes, Arcs and Developments: Hoshido & Birthright

The development for the Hoshido siblings and the Birthright path is belief in others, collaboration and tolerance. The siblings start off separated from each other, with Takumi and Ryoma going missing and Hinoka having already left to go find them. 

Corrin’s belief in others gets tested through being double crossed by Zola, and the possibility of there being a traitor in the party. Nevertheless, his doubts don’t consume him, and his belief in himself and others gets him through tragedy. Many times in the story, trust and working together gets brought up, like during Chapter 14 where Corrin asks if anyone’s reluctant to move forward with the invasion, but his siblings reassure him. The same thing occurs when Corrin learns about the Rainbow Sage; at first he says if he needs to go alone, he will. But again, his siblings make sure to come with and support him. This dovetails into how the siblings personally develop as well.

Through Corrin accepting Sakura’s pleas to come with them, Sakura goes from meek and unsure princess to a strong willed young woman who’s able to punch Iago in the dick. Through being reassured and believed in by his family, Takumi goes from a prickly skeptic to a confident and heartfelt prince. Through learning of Nohr’s plight and accepting that he can’t do everything alone, Ryoma goes from a stubborn and prejudiced high prince to a tolerant King who seeks to break boundaries and misconceptions, walking hand in hand with his former enemy. The siblings enjoy their newfound perspective and the peace that comes with it; the peace their mother cherished.

Themes, Arcs and Developments: Nohr and Conquest

The development for the Nohrian siblings and the Conquest path is moving on to the future, where justice lies and change. Nohr and the siblings are set in their ways; doing what needs to be done to survive. Upon his return to Nohr, Corrin seeks to change that necessity and bring an era where Nohr can seek glory through mutual respect, not oppression. His willpower gets tested constantly; at times he succeeds in settling things peacefully, at other times he fails or his plan backfires. Still he moves on, working behind the scenes toward his own path of justice, along with his siblings who have done the same for much longer than he has.

Through Corrin’s leadership and conviction, Xander is shown the truth, and from that leaves behind his entrenched way of thinking. He grows from a scared crown prince set in his ways, into a benevolent King promising to bring prosperity to his kingdom through his own sense of justice. Camilla is able to cut away from the same mindset, no longer being afraid of the monster her father has become. Her love for her family outgrows her fear of Garon, the fear that was established during the aftermath of the Cheve rebellion. Elise starts out naive and innocent, but playing a part in the tragedies that unfold gives her perspective. When she first meets Sakura, she’s childish and selfish, but later comforts the Hoshidan princess during a time of great pain. At the end of the route, the two are fast friends as a result of Elise’s compassion. The siblings enjoy the light they are able to bring to their kingdom and the future they seek to walk towards.

The Outliers

But in all that, there remain two siblings whom I didn’t really name specifics for: Hinoka and Leo. This is because, other than the general development of the siblings as a collective and the themes of their routes, they don’t really change too much. Leo starts as the pragmatic executioner who imparts the course which Corrin begins to take, and remains as such later in Conquest. Hinoka is the stoic and determined princess whose concern is the protection of those she cares for, and she remains as such later in Birthright. Neither seems to have personal growth to accomplish other than the general themes of their routes. 

That is, until you look at the routes in which you oppose them.

In fact, a new form of development occurs for all of the siblings when you oppose them, and with that, come new parallels.

Opposing Paths and New Parallels

Xander and Ryoma remain each other’s mirror and contrast. On the respective paths that you oppose them on, they are the notable threat to overcome later in the game. You encounter both of them in earlier chapters as well, and both of their maps are escape objectives; this shows in gameplay how much stronger they are compared to Corrin and how it is the smarter decision to pull back and regroup. They both can’t forgive Corrin for betraying their kingdom and family, but while Xander accepts Corrin has turned traitor, Ryoma is intent on bringing him back by any means necessary. Upon Elise’s death at his hand, Xander falls into despair and forces Corrin to strike him down. Ryoma on the other hand, sacrifices himself to spare Corrin the hardship of striking him down when he realizes his brother is still the kind soul he thought he was. 

The elder brothers are the ultimate test of Corrin’s resolve, to see if he’s ready to finish the path he started. The loss of these two are a tragedy, and the impact is felt in many ways.

Takumi and Elise gain new mirrors and contrasts with each other. For starters, each of them get inflicted with illness and reveal a truth they wouldn’t otherwise have awareness of during their delirium. It’s the suffering of these two that gets highlighted the most on routes you oppose them. Elise is miserable from her family being broken apart, and has to escape her home just to find some semblance of joy. Takumi meanwhile, lashes out more and more against Corrin, becoming more volatile and suffering from constant headaches. Elise only fights you once (and even then she’s an optional fight), while Takumi fights you the most out of any other sibling. Both of them end up losing their lives through indirect means; Elise throws herself in front of Xander’s sword in a bid to get him to stop fighting. Takumi throws himself off the Great Wall of Susano-o, blinded by rage, frustration and sadness. 

Takumi and Elise are major victims of this war and the path Corrin chose, victims who expressed their misery in different ways.

Camilla and Sakura are each other’s mirror and contrast. These two probably have the most difficult parallels to pin down, but they are there nonetheless. When Corrin chose Hoshido, Camilla lost her security; her family is broken apart and she can’t do anything to stop it. She is forced to accept that Corrin has left her to join Hoshido, and finally comes to terms with it after her second encounter. When Corrin chose Nohr, Sakura lost her solace; her country is being invaded, she had just lost her mother and now her older sibling is choosing to go back to the kingdom responsible for her suffering. She is forced to suck it up and defend her home on the from the front lines. Instead of development coming naturally due to positive reveals and encouragements, both sisters are forced to change in order not to break entirely. 

Camilla and Sakura are loving sisters who now have to accept a harsh reality during and after a war they had no control of.

Bear the Crown, Bear the Development

That leaves Hinoka and Leo, and this is where they each get major development as opposed to their native routes. 

Hinoka and Leo were spared by Corrin after thinking they were gonna be killed, and eventually the thrones fall to them when the war concludes. After all, Hoshido favors kings over queens so if it wasn’t Ryoma, it would be Takumi. Nohr has an age based inheritance, so if it wasn’t Xander, it would be Camilla. Leo and Hinoka never dreamed it would be up to them to lead their kingdoms. When they bear the crown, they bear the weight of a responsibility they never expected.

However, when looking at it closely, it seems they also bear the character development their older brothers would’ve had.

Leo has battled feelings of inadequacy and jealousy in regards to his siblings already, but Corrin choosing Hoshido causes those feelings to surface. He’s angry and hurt over it all, but hides that under a layer of cold-bloodedness. Leo, promising to kill Corrin at every turn, thinks of his brother as dead to him.  However, Leo later finds himself. When talking with Corrin and seeing the truth about Garon, he realizes that Nohr doesn’t have to remain the way it is in order to survive. 

Leo at the end of Birthright begins to feel similar to Xander at the end of Conquest.

Hinoka has dealt with the guilt of Corrin’s kidnapping for over a decade. She became strong by choosing the path of the warrior as opposed of the princess. When Corrin chooses Nohr, she is in disbelief; after all, why would her brother return to to his kidnappers? She resolves to defeat him, and thinks of her dream of being a family again as a fantasy that will never come to fruition. However, Hinoka later believes otherwise. When talking with Corrin and seeing him and his Nohrian siblings work to end the war in a different way, she realizes that Hoshido’s beliefs about Nohr are wrong and that those misconceptions must be cleared. 

Hinoka at the end of Conquest begins to feel similar to Ryoma at the end of Birthright.

Conclusion

Leo and Hinoka each become the rulers that their kingdoms needed. They fill the space left by Xander and Ryoma. They don’t have personal arcs on their native routes nor on Revelation because there’s no absence to be filled; they can remain as they are, rather than be bound by the weight of the crown. Their rule as monarchs is bittersweet, for it’s a role neither of them expected, but they perform said role well nonetheless.

That’s, at least, how I feel about all of this. Of course, this whole thing isn’t a perfect interpretation, nor does the game handle this aspect as well as it could have. Hinoka still lacks in number of notable appearances compared to pretty much every other sibling; hell, there are even scenes in Birthright where every sibling except Hinoka appear. Leo, meanwhile, has many more scenes of importance, especially since he wields a divine weapon and his big hero moment triggers the Yato’s transformation during Conquest. The negative effects of Hinoka’s later addition are still very present, and it’s something that I hope would be done better in a possible Fates remaster. 

As it stands now though, I still think all of this is done well enough for everything I described. Fates’ story is smarter than one might think, and I believe all of this is an example of that.

Chapter 13 of Fates Revelation is a writing highlight for me.

Corrin: What's going on? They're both blaming each other for this carnage.

Azura: Of course. Kingdoms at war will always twist things to benefit themselves.

Ryoma and Xander-representative of Hoshido and Nohr as a whole-uphold the conflict and status quo of the world they live in. Even if it makes no sense, they accept that they're enemies and an enemy must have done something awful to harm the peace.

Even parts of their battle quotes and end of chapter dialogue emphasize this.

Ryoma: It doesn't matter, Kagero. Anyone who doesn't side with Hoshido is the enemy. What will you be?

Xander: Trust her? Don't be a fool. I won't listen to any more of your lies. You've chosen your side—opposite me. Prepare yourself, Camilla.

-

Xander: This isn't over! We'll fight to the very last man!

Ryoma: You won't see Hoshido waver! We'll fight until there's no one left!

Xander: Whoever retreats now admits defeat! Nohr will never lose to Hoshido.

Ryoma: This war will continue until we take our last breath!

They are unable to see any part of a conflict as something with them or against them. Nuance and rationality don't sit well in minds stubbornly steeped in years of animosity. War, hatred, and reinforcing the way things are is something both of them are willing to do, because they see no other path or choice for themselves.

Corrin and Azura meanwhile, actively disrupt their world views.

Corrin: ...You may be my brothers, but I won't go easy on you if you try to stop me! Come, everyone! ... Ryoma! Xander! Please, you both have to listen to me! We've defeated the real enemy—you don't need to fight each other now!

Azura: Ryoma, Xander... It wasn't Nohr or Hoshido who destroyed this town. It was done by the invisible forces that we just defeated. Now that they are gone, I will not allow any more senseless violence. I will sing my song as many times as necessary to restore peace. Do you still insist on fighting?

And it's not empty words or cries that fall on deaf ears. Corrin is strong. Her will is iron-clad, and she will ensure her vision of peace is made a reality, no matter who she makes an enemy of. Azura is strong as well. What she lacks in directing a path on her own, she makes up for with raw resilience and no qualms about using her song-something that risks her life-to end things on her terms.

They force their stubborn older brothers to look at things in a different perspective; to stop trying to hack and slash their lives away and consider a bigger threat to what and who they care about.

While they aren't swayed immediately, they're undoubtedly shaken. After that, it takes personal introspection and uncomfortable truths for each of them to swallow their pride and admit their ways are wrong, and to follow Corrin to end a senseless war.

And I love this exchange at the end as well:

Scarlet: Ryoma's talked my ears off about what happened to you as a kid. You sound like an idealistic brat to me. You want to bring peace to the world? Ha!

Corrin: There's nothing idealistic about ending this horrible war.

REJECT 👏🏽THE 👏🏽 STATUS 👏🏽 QUO 👏🏽!

Accusing others of being naive or idealistic for things like this, in my opinion, shows cowardice, or even ignorance; a life that's been beaten down by other upholders of a terrible state of the world until they agree.

Why is it naive to trust people? Why is it idealistic to want something like endless warring to stop?

We're fed a lie as children: "Life's unfair, you can't do anything about it." Says who!? Why accept that life is cruel and unyielding, when there's so much capacity for good in the world? Is life actually unchangeably unfair in its nature, or is it simply malefactors taking advantage of innocent people in order to rise up to slake their own greed?

Once terrible people get in power, they beat down any forms of resistance and feed this very same lie to them. Worse still, they can even convince the masses to discriminate, fight, and kill each other all so they can swoop in during the aftermath and reap the benefits. And people, at their lowest point, take solace in any explanation-no matter how untrue and no matter who it's coming from-in order to have some semblance of control or direction. That forms their new view of the world.

It takes people who haven't been exposed or raised to believe such nonsense (Corrin) and people who are wise enough to recognize the true problems of the world (Azura), to push against this normalized destruction between two innocent groups of people and direct their ire towards the actual oppressor (Anankos).

It's succint, but scathing. The word choice-in both JP and localization-is too deliberate to consider it a coincidence, I genuinely think it's a good criticism of how our modern world works as well. From a philisophical standpoint it is basic, but Fates as a whole also tackles issues of ignorance/discrimination, xenophobia, the boundaries and meanings of family, who defines justice, the belief of many versus the will of the few, embracing consequences instead of running away, and exploring the concept of leadership in general.

For a game this big, IMO, it meets the mark more often than not when considering the points it wants its audience to hear.

i love the awakening kids but i also hate them so much at the same time because they all have the exact same problem in that they all insist on dealing with their problems on their own! they have literally endured two worlds worth of trauma but wont talk to anyone about it! not with eachother, not with their parents, no one!! it has to be coaxed or bribed out of them because theyre all convinced that opening up is equivalent to burdening other people and it’s just!! not true!!

laurent refuses to talk about how being isolated for five years changed him until his dad and lucina push him! severa wont talk to her mom out of fear until cordelia makes a deal with her! inigo wont open up to his dad until he almost dies! kjelle convinced herself she cant show a smidge of weakness or else everyone will die! brady convinced himself his insecurities are a liability! owain and cynthia would rather die in their alternate personas than admit theyre not as happy as they let on! im not even gonna touch gerome’s refusual to talk about his feelings with a ten foot pole. nah was neglected by her foster parents and forces herself to treat it like its not a big deal BUT LIKE. IT IS? noire was literally abused by tharja and talks about like all she did was get a slap on the wrist once. yarne is carrying the livelihood of an ENTIRE RACE on his shoulders. admittedly hes probably the one who talks about it the most, but honestly. he deserves to! because what the fuck?? dude?!

and lucina. oh my god lucina. i dont even think i can put into words how much pressure she was under in her own timeline, and how much she had to repress in order to be the exalt her people needed, even though she knew she was leading her friends into a losing war. and then we literally see her first moments in canon timeline of awakening, the first thing she sees is her father who she misses more than anything in the world, and she cant even react to him?! she cant tell him how much she loves him, how much she missed him, she cant cry, she cant do ANYTHING shes quite literally hiding everything behind her mask. and then she continues to hide it all for TWO YEARS until she accidentally slips up, but the fact that it was an accident means she was going to keep up the marth facade. like GIRL. JUST HUG YOUR DAD!!!

anyways this is all to say they make me emo

So I was rather curious as to why Corrin and Azura were barefooted and everyone else (except Kana) had shoes.

In ancient Rome, footwear was a sign of power. Fathers would give their Sons shoes on their wedding days to symbolize “a transfer of power.”

Those who were imprisoned, enslaved, or even captured would have their shoes removed. Many prison uniforms did not include any form of footwear! And if you played the game, you would know that Corrin and Azura are captives, just raised by the royal family. The lack of shoes may represent their lower status in their countries, or may just show that they are captives.

However, bare feet can also symbolize innocence, which very much ties into the fact that, despite their choices, Azura and Corrin are ‘innocent’ for wanting peace. Another meaning to being barefoot is “a child”, which can explain Kana’s lack of footwear.

Julius and Ishtar are Well Written Characters, Actually

You All Are Just Taking Spoken Words At Face Value

The title to this post is tongue in cheek and the subtitle to this post is mostly a joke, but I've seen a lot (with no real change over time) of misunderstandings regarding the character writing of these two. Mostly confusion over exactly how "himself" Julius really is, and why the hell Ishtar stays with him; there are some finer points as to what the game expects you to feel about these characters, too.

Part 1: Julius (The original one, to be clear.)

So, most people know Julius's general backstory- was a good kid until he was given the Loptous tome. This is where the information ends, though. We learn nothing else about him, even from other characters, besides "he was such a nice guy."

There are a lot of arguments made that certain actions taken by the Julius we see imply that he's still in there, but these don't hold much water. There's also mention of Loptous "fully returning" in the final chapter, but in terms of actual events, this seems to refer more to the fact that Arvis is out of the picture than to any change in Julius himself.

Characters in the game who actually interact with him treat him in varying ways. Arvis calls him a demon; Ishtar spends half of Thracia worried for his health; Manfroy spends much of the second generation of FE4 treating him like a child, suggesting that at least he thinks that he's not actually speaking to his god for most of it. All three of these people, though, have good reasons to be deceiving themselves. (Arvis is a major wifeguy; Manfroy really doesn't want to be shown up as a religious authority (see his interactions with Veld); Ishtar (in Thracia specifically) is a 14-year-old at best going "I can fix him." with her childhood crush.)

The most important testimony, funnily enough, comes from someone who's not seen him in over half a decade. Julia, upon initially encountering him, tells him that he is not her brother and asks him who or what he really is- that her actual brother died seven years ago. Julia, who treats her father and his sins with a gentle hand, and even greets Julius by calling him her brother, isn't the type to treat someone as unforgivable if there's any way she could see to save them. And of course, she has no memories of possessed Julius to mix with her memories of the Julius she knew and loved as a child- unlike Ishtar.

Per Kaga: "The tome... makes Loptous able to control Gair's descendants. The final boss of Genealogy of the Holy War was its victim." It certainly doesn't sound like Julius has any effect on things.

TL;DR: Julius is gone as hell from at least the start of Thracia 776, but in practice probably from 771.

Part 2: Loptous (This Fucking Guy)

As for Loptous, we get PLENTY to characterize them. They're a complete misanthrope and a sadist, of course, which isn't news to anyone who's played FE4; but they're also interesting in terms of how incredibly paranoid they are- for the sort of evil god figure, such vulnerability is surprising. There's a lot to dig into.

Most people who've played Thracia know about the "jealous about Reinhardt" scene, and many people take this (and his obsessiveness in general) to be a twisted expression of Julius's actual feelings for Ishtar- but this doesn't actually make any sense. Julius was possessed (and killed Deirdre) at age nine to ten, at the oldest- seven to eight is more likely. (Deirdre's not pregnant yet at the end of chapter 5, which takes place in 761; 778 is the year the game ends. Per Julius himself, Deirdre bit the dust seven years before 778, thus he'd be ten at maximum.) If Julius has feelings for Ishtar at all, they would have developed entirely after being possessed (or at most been a puppy crush that developed into something more later). While possible (if Julius is still there) Occam's razor simply says that Loptous is the one who has feelings for her, instead. (Or doesn't, and thinks of her as useful. Who am I to psychoanalyze a lizard? But dragons in FE are perfectly capable of getting attached to people, and cartoon villain though he is, I don't think Loptous would be an exception.)

This scene makes more sense in the context of Julius's further paranoia in chapter 10, after successfully capturing Julia; Manfroy is understandably more concerned about the army of rebels on their doorstep than some chick with a book (who doesn't even have a chance to get her hands on the book.) Julius, by contrast, sees Seliph and crew as busybodies at worst, but is very nervous about Julia escaping. Together with the Ishtar discussion, it seems that he's entirely unconcerned with any threat he's posed unless it's an obstacle to another vessel coming into existence or Naga herself. (This bites him directly in the ass, but it does the same to Manfroy; the paranoia in Julia's case is justified, but Seliph is why she's able to become a threat in the first place.)

His relationship with Manfroy is interesting- Manfroy seems to believe that he's speaking in some way to "Prince Julius", even going so far as to attempting to provide justification for why Arvis had to be gotten rid of in chapter 10 (The Emperor had long served his purpose, Your Majesty. He was little more than an obstacle to your ambitions. He had to die.), but Julius doesn't seem to care about this in the slightest. This is curious; why would Manfroy expect him to care about this after killing his mother in cold blood? One possibility is that he's convinced that that was only because he saw her as a threat- that Loptous exerts some influence over him, but Julius is still at heart a teenager who still cares about his family members to some extent.

This probably comes as a surprise to the player, too- Julius can come off as a bit childish. The way he follows his whims instead of plans and "plays around" can come off as being a teenager. Indeed, the game in chapter 10 has essentially no rhyme or reason to it, and seems quite out of character for an ancient dragon- at least until you remember the previous conversation, where you see his certainty at nothing but Naga being able to kill him. (This is even shown in gameplay, very funnily, by him not having Nihil- unlike every other one of Sigyn's (Maera's) descendants. Nihil, in Japanese, is 見切り awareness of everything. He's not paying attention!) In play that's just a way for you to get the Leg Ring if you somehow lost it in gen 1, plus a bit of a challenge. The intended solution is suicide + valkyrie staff; but if you're willing to put in the effort, it's a great way to demonstrate how arrogant Julius is right from the get-go.

As for the sudden turn to flower gardens in chapter 4 of Thracia, that's less whimsical and more practical- telling Ishtar to shut up without doing so explicitly when she won't fall for some particularly weak lies. Those lies are an interesting point, though! What good does it do to try and convince her that what he's doing is harmless when he eventually gives up in lieu of open threats ("Are you trying to escape me in death, Ishtar?")

My hypothesis is that "teenager under the dark god's influence" is vastly more capable of getting things done given Arvis is still around than "actually, it's just a dragon". Manfroy himself doesn't seem to be too loyal to Julius, in actuality- he's perfectly willing to make decisions that he won't agree with. There's a possibility that he's doing this because he thinks he's talking to a teenager, but there's another, quite salient possibility that he enjoys being the head of the church quite a bit, actually, and doesn't want to give up that position. In essence, I argue that Manfroy is a Gharnef in more ways than just being an evil wizard- he's got the one-upmanship, too. In that case, convincing him that the reason he wasn't listened to was because he was trying to argue with a bratty teen and not because the demon he summoned in the basement doesn't actually like him at all might be very useful.

(There's an interesting point, if that's the case, to be made about "why the FUCK would you send Julia out to fight instead of just killing her"- besides the fact that Manfroy doesn't see her as a real threat, there's always "well, just in case she IS a real threat, it's best to have her around in case my relationship with the brand new emperor goes pear-shaped pretty fast." like elice with aum. That's just a theory, though- it's perfectly reasonable for him to just be an overambitious idiot, too, like Hilda.)

Therefore, the thesis of this and the first part is that Julius is a.) Dead as hell and b.) Being imitated to some extent by Loptous in order to get things done more efficiently.

Part 3: Ishtar (Well, Why The Fuck Is SHE Still With Him, Then?)

Most people generally take issue with one of Julius or Ishtar on the basis that either we're expected to think of Julius far too sympathetically considering how Ishtar acts around him or Ishtar's a complete idiot for staying with him for this long that the devs tried to make sympathetic by having her save kids at the last minute.

I've attempted to deconstruct the former line of reasoning (we are NOT expected to think of Julius-as-of-right-now at all similarly to people such as Lyon) but what about the latter? Is Ishtar really an inconsistent, poorly written character?

The answer is... mostly. In Genealogy, that is.

Ishtar in Genealogy, textually, seems to have a fairly happy relationship with Julius, all things considered. He does act weirdly possessive in chapter 8, and there's the implication that she's trying to run away in the final chapter (and she saves those kids), but you're given no real reason why other than her conscience catching up with her, which is inconsistent with her behavior in chapter 10; sure, the rebel army killed her dad and brother, but the same thing happens to Julia and she's perfectly happy to return to your army at endgame- it's kind of odd for Ishtar to participate in a game of hunting rebels with this in mind.

Of course, in Genealogy, you can argue that evidently their sunny relationship isn't all it seems, and she's not leaving due to her obligations to her family, that she doesn't seem THAT happy to play kill-a-rebel, et c. But it's just "whose interpretation is it, anyway" with only Genealogy in mind.

And then we get Thracia.

Thracia sheds light on all of this to an incredible degree. At the end of Chapter 4, we get to see Ishtar and her family obligations show up- they don't seem to actually be that pressing, though. She seems more concerned with the fact that Julius is unhinged, appearing more forlorn than anything, and appears to think that she can argue him out of child sacrifice. This is "I can fix him" Ishtar; she seems to be convinced that whatever Julius is going through he'll recover from eventually.

After this, we don't see her for a hell of a long time! But she eventually does return in 17A, to summon Saias and his ten leadership stars off the field. In this chapter, though, she's a bit more than forlorn; she refuses to ask the Loptrian bishops for help in healing Julius's illness, because she thinks they're to blame for his condition. (She'd be right, though.) Here, she seems to be a little less convinced of her ability to Fix Him(tm)- she just wants to stop things from getting worse.

And finally, the fucking chapter of all time, that confirms the light to see her actions in Genealogy. 21x. The two of them make a stop by the fort after you escape, and Julius mocks House Friege again- but notes that she's not the problem with it. As the conversation goes on, Ishtar spends the whole thing horrified, at both him and her mother- far from her forlorn air in chapter 4, by the end of the conversation here she's begging him to not kill her childhood friend and guard. There's no more "I can fix him" or even "I can stop him from getting any worse". The reason she's staying now is for her own safety- because she feels like she'd not be able to escape, even if she wanted to.

Of course, all of our encounters with her in Genealogy are after this conversation. By the point we fight her in chapter 8, she's too afraid to flee (and her father IS still alive at that point- she's fighting so he might not be killed, too. To a small extent, Blume and Reinhardt both get the same treatment as ch. 10 Arvis; Hilda, who's useful, isn't allowed to kick the bucket even after putting herself on the frontline, but the former three are, to put it nicely, left out to die.) By chapter 10, it's worse; instead of stating her opposition to the child hunts directly (like she does in chapter 4 of Thracia) she instead couches her disagreement in what Arvis wants- she doesn't want to anger him by speaking out here.

So, by the time you get to Miletos Castle, is that "I'd love to!" really something you can trust? Voicing her disagreement but still going along with something is one thing, but she's already passed that point. At this point, she's just hoping that she survives, because her mother evidently won't back her up. (Sorry Ishtar dear, mommy is climbing the social ladder.)

And eventually, she gives up on that, too. In the final chapter, when going off to fight your army, what she says is that she wants a chance for vengeance. Unlike in Thracia 21x, though, I don't think that what Julius says in response is baseless paranoia. Ishtar has personally betrayed him, after all; if he finds out that she saved those kids, she's going to go the way of Arvis- staying around as long as she's useful, and then being offed.

And as for joining the rebellion... She isn't entirely fabricating; they did kill her entire family. Also, though, it's pretty unlikely they'd allow her to join in the first place- princess of the Empire and all that. And who knows if Julius would try to get her back? He's brought her back from the brink of death at least once, most likely twice if you're decent at the game; evidently there's not much that would stop him from pursuing her.

So she's left with two options; to likely die once her treachery is discovered, or to definitely die and absolve her sins once and for all. I think it's pretty understandable, considering all she's experienced, that she'd choose the latter.

Of course, she's still complicit in the empire's actions over the past seven years- and she did make the mistake of thinking she could help Julius in the first place. She is not without sin- even if that sin stemmed from a childish crush that she never got an option to back out of. Yet, she (and Julius himself, though we never get to see him) is more of a tragic figure than a fool trapped by her loyalties. She may have once been the latter, but eventually had no choice.

Thanks for coming to my jugdralposting.

(Arvis is still the better main character of a Greek tragedy, though.)

Fire Emblem Awakening: Reclass Relation to Characters

I’ve gushed about this already in Fates, and 3H has a similar concept in regards to skill levels and such, but Awakening also does this, so I thought to lay it out.

Putting it under the cut because it got really long lol.

Afficher davantage

Coming this November: Pokémon Pink Diamond™ and Pokémon Renegade Pearl™