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#marth the stress ball

raxistaicho · 10 months

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Why the chapter 10 twist in Engage fails.

One of the most (in)famous moments in Fire Emblem Engage is the surprise twist at the end of chapter 10, when the villains steal the Emblem Rings you've been using all throughout the game up to that point and turn them against you.

It works as a shocking, demoralizing, and heart-rending moment on one's first playthrough. And it's not something that's swiftly undone, no, you go six chapters before you reclaim any of your old Emblems, and you go almost twice that with Veyle's evil half reminding you she has Marth captive at every opportunity, almost as if she's the villain of an NTR manga.

The moment is presented as a major low point for Alear, because they failed to take appropriate caution when engaging (pun not intended) the enemy at their home base. However, I'd like to present the argument that, not only does it fail at that during the moment itself, Alear doesn't demonstrate having learned anything from it later on.

Whatever we do, we must avoid a direct encounter with the Fell Dragon.

So, to set the stage, the party has managed to close in on Destinea Cathedral, where the Elusian forces will soon conduct a ritual to restore Sombron to full power, using King Morion of Brodia as a ritual sacrifice. The Brodian siblings obviously want to rescue their father, and Alear and Vander want to obstruct the ritual so Sombron will remain in a powerless, largely harmless state.

Just before entering, Emblem Marth warns Alear,

I sense the Fell Dragon's presence. He's waiting for us inside the cathedral. We're not ready to fight him. If the ritual has been completed, we should retreat. And even if it hasn't, I think we had best escape at the first sign of danger.

But in the face of Marth stressing caution, Alear remains confident, reminding him of Ivy's claim that Sombron can hardly move. The conversation then segues to Alear talking about the strength of their bonds with the Emblems, not giving a direct response to Marth's warning.

So far, the twist is adequately set up. Marth warns Alear in no uncertain terms they shouldn't risk a confrontation with Sombron, but Alear doesn't treat the threat with the proper respect.

Unfortunately, Alear's boldness will end up not being what ruins the day.

It must also be stressed, at no point does Marth suggest simply abandoning Morion without even trying to rescue him. And for good reason: if Alear and Co. had arrived sooner and rescued him before the ritual was completed, the situation would have swung in their favor.

It appears you were a few moments too late.

The party barges into Destinea... only to learn the ritual is already over. Morion is little more than a mindless Corrupted now. Marth, ever on the ball, wastes no time telling Alear it's time to go,

We have to leave at once, Alear. Call a retreat without delay.

When Alear tries to protest, Marth sadly informs them that King Morion is beyond their aid. Alcryst is having none of this shit,

You would have us... leave our own father behind? I cannot! I will not abandon him here!

And even the normally level-headed Diamant agrees,

The only option is to Hyacinth. I won't flee after... after what he was done!

Alear's stuck in a difficult position where, even if they want to leave, they have to somehow convince Alcryst and Diamant to obey the order when both aren't in any condition to listen to reason (nor will Alcryst be in such a state for a while yet, as seen in the end-of-chapter cutscene of chapter 11). Of course, Hyacinth makes the whole point moot by signalling to forces unseen, causing the cathedral doors to slam shut.

Marth and Alear agree they're trapped inside now, and while there's no sign that they test this in any way, I'll give them (and the writers) the benefit of the doubt.

Unfortunately, this was a huge mistake on the part of the writers, because now at no point in this part of the story has Alear made a mistake that was avoidable without the benefit of hindsight.

They had to at least try to rescue Morion, because not doing so would allow Sombron to regain his power without a fight and would also surely alienate all of Brodia. Alear waffles on calling the retreat despite Marth's urging, but the problem isn't completely in their hands, because Alcryst and Diamant are making it very clear they don't want to leave without Morion.

And in spite of all that, Alear's hesitation doesn't actually matter. Indeed, even if Alear had immediately called a retreat, and Diamant and Alcryst had immediately obeyed, they still would not have been able to escape, as Hyacinth would shut them in anyways!

The opening to this story segment suggests that overconfidence will be Alear's downfall, but in reality the whole debacle happens because the Elusians were too well-prepared. Alear was facing an unwinnable situation from the start and their only correct option - just ignoring Morion and going to Solm instead - was only obvious in hindsight and would still have ended poorly for them (almost certainly with Alcryst and Diamant abandoning Alear and potentially taking Roy with them) - just not as disastrously.

We can't!

Honestly, this scene's not even very difficult to fix. Simply have Alear refuse to run! Supposedly, overcoming their fear lies at the crux of Alear's character development. I say supposedly because fear is something Alear only expresses when it's convenient for the narrative and never actually disables or inhibits their heroics, but I digress. Lumera urges them not to run as she lies dying, Alear talks about their fear with their past self late in the game, and one of Alear's kill quotes even has them say they aren't afraid anymore.

So, to tie that into this moment and give Alear something to actually make a mistake over, make it so when Marth urges Alear to flee, they agonize briefly over the decision. Then, when they see Diamant and Alcryst's rage and grief over their father's lost state, have it remind them of their own grief for Lumera, which then reminds them she told them never to flee.

Drawing Libération, Alear would declare that Lumera told them never to run away, and they won't run from Hyacinth now. The fight then proceeds without the doors being sealed. The option to retreat is still there, Alear just refuses to take it.

This would be a great moment of negative growth for Alear: they've gone from being too afraid to being foolhardy, and pay for it with the loss of the Emblems they've grown so attached to. This would further drive the point Lucina and Lyn try to teach them at the end of the next chapter, about the difference between stubbornness and courage.

Speaking of which...

My mother told me that a Divine Dragon should never run away.

At the start of chapter 11, Alear makes a half-hearted plea to stand and fight to rescue the Emblems, but you can tell immediately that this doesn't come from a place of bravery, confidence, or stubbornness, but desperation. Alear just wants to make things right, somehow. Alfred, in a surprising moment of tactical know-how, shoots Alear down and convinces them rather easily to flee instead, and that's the end of that until the end-of-chapter cutscene.

After settling an argument between Alcryst and Ivy and re-affirming that they intend to continue fighting, Alear takes a moment to lament having been forced to flee, only for Lucina and Lyn to... play semantic word games with them and tell them it's actually fine, tho.

This scene seriously falls flat, because like I mentioned before, Alear didn't reach this low point by refusing to run. They kinda waffled at it in the cathedral and briefly wanted to try fighting in the forest, but they fled when it came down to it and had the option to do so. Nothing could be learned, because the lesson is not coming from a place of Alear making an actual mistake that ties to said lesson.

This is supposed to be the beginning of a character arc in which Alear becomes stronger and wiser, but how well does that pan out?

Weeeeeeell...

I'll give her back. All you gotta do is beat me.

Exactly 10 chapters after their failure at Destinea, Alear confronts their failure once again when they march upon Elusia Castle. Despite being in a much stronger position now than they were then, Alear's still shaken by that moment, and fears what might happen if they fail again. Therefor, they order,

Be vigilant. At the first sign of danger, we should retreat...

The irony that this was the last warning Marth ever gave them is not lost on them. Unfortunately, this time Alear absolutely falls prey to overconfidence, and is only saved from repeating their past mistake because their enemy has a very different trap for them in mind this time.

Alear and company find Elusia castle eerily quiet, but before they have much time to dwell on it, Griss steps out of the shadows and all but dares them to fight,

I gotta hand it to you - two more rings in your pocket. Not bad. But for the complete set, you'll need more. Like... this one.

even revealing the quiet Emblem Celica just to bait them further. When Alear questions what Griss is up to, the masochistic mage deflects the question by asking whether they're afraid Sombron will appear. At this, Alear replies,

It's one against many. We'll crush you.

But Griss continues to insist this isn't a trap and nobody is coming to help him. Alear, finally, decides to play his game,

Fine. I don't know what you're after, but we won't let this chance pass us by.

So, I must now ask... what lesson, exactly, did Alear learn at Destinea? Supposedly we should believe Alear learned the value of discretion, but here, when Griss is eerily all but daring them to fight and take back Celica, Alear just accepts his challenge without much sign of caution. No scouting the area for traps, no contingencies, just, "fine, we need Celica back anyways, so have at you!"

This meshes with neither the introduction to this chapter, nor with chapter 10 at all! The only reason Alear doesn't fall into the same trap all over again is because Veyle and Sombron really aren't here. What would they do if Veyle was skulking in the shadows, preparing to unleash her capped pickpocketting skill on them again because they carelessly let Griss bait them into a fight?

And speaking of Veyle...

Amazing you didn't notice. You must not be very bright.

Of course, no discussion of the failures of the chapter 10 twist can be complete without mentioning how absurdly contrived the actual theft of the Emblem Rings is.

After having a little chat with the new villains who are soon to be the victims of repeated and repetitive ass-kickings, the Four Hounds, Alear orders the team to Engage and fight their way through, only for the scene to cut to arguably the worst villain in the entire franchise, who does... something...

and suddenly the rings are gone.

Veyle explains she took back the Draconic Time Crystal while Alear was arguing with the Four Hounds. How did she do that? Did she acquire it magically at range? Then why doesn't she do this again later? Did she sneak over and snatch it out of Alear's pocket without Alear or anyone in the army noticing? Veyle's very far away from Alear in this scene! I mean sure, the Four Hounds are being a distraction, but are you trying to tell me nobody was keeping an eye on the goddamn dragon behind them? Not Yunaka, not Citrinne, not Louis or Jade or Céline?

Alear blurts out, "you used it?" which implies Veyle used the DTC to steal the rings, but the DTC is never shown to permit the user to carry back anything acquired after the point they returned to, and Veyle was shown to possess the Emblem rings both before and after she was implied to have used the DTC, as I demonstrated in the picture above.

Furthermore, why did Veyle use the DTC when she already had at least a few of the rings? Was she secretly having to try multiple times off-screen? Did she just grab them one by one as a joke to see if Alear would catch on before it was too late? And again, how did she still the rings? The DTC doesn't freeze time, so how did she snatch the rings off their bearers' fingers? Magically at range? Using her capped pickpocketting?

And why doesn't Veyle just do this again later? At Flora Port, all she had to do was steal the DTC from Alear again, and then steal their Emblem Rings again. Alear doesn't even handwave taking better measures to take care not to lose the DTC again - in fact once Zelkov gives it back it's never mentioned again in the story.

Speaking of which, how did Zelkov manage to snatch the DTC out from under Veyle? She can either acquire it through magic or she's a godly thief, and yet he just nabs it from her even though she should be distrusting of him, Zelkov being both the recently-disgraced Ivy's retainer and a human, who Evil Veyle naturally loathes.

Just, nothing about this chain of events makes any sense in the broader narrative and it exposes a lack of continuous planning. I'm legitimately curious how the manga handles this scene.

Shine on, Emblem of Beginnings.

So yeah, the twist at the end of chapter 10 exists for the sake of being a gut-wrenching moment. Because Don't Speak Her Name! wound up being such an iconic moment in Awakening, IntSys decided every future Fire Emblem needed such a moment. In Fates it was Thorn in You, and in Engage it's Broken Bonds.

Unfortunately, the need to have such a moment outstripped any consideration for how we get such a moment, so any story justification for why and how the scene takes place and how it stands in the broader narrative is secondary.

Contrary to their own claims, it doesn't happen because of any mistake Alear makes, Alear learns nothing from it, and the villains just don't do it again even though it should be within their power. The plot twist doesn't serve any purpose aside from being a twist. And that's why it doesn't work.

#fire emblem engage #alear fire emblem #critique

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saviourkingslut · 2 years

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me: maybe the Engage designs will get better with the new trailer

Engage: *shows off the girl with the Ike Emblem*

me: nvm holy shit

like wow girly's clothes are ugly as fuck. why does she have easter eggs glued all over her. how does anyone look at that and not want to shut off the screen 🤢

brother they already lost me at that girl with a dress that looks like an onion. no one in this game looks good except vander and the red haired dilf, and i think the latter might die early so his son can be the actual unit we have to interact and play with. every new woman they showed in this trailer got me like 💀 girl what is with your design why do you look like that. i know it's fire emblem but the fanservice on some of these... the fucking stress ball outfits were the worst fr tho. looking at the trailer Nothing abt it feels like fire emblem at all i need marth there to Actually remind me it's the same franchise

#also the fact that the summoned heroes can turn evil... girl we already got that shit it's called smash bros #marth and ike already had their evil arc it is Enough.#anyway. it's not inspired is what im saying #asks

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butternuggets-blog · 3 years

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OLD ENOUGH TO KNOW BETTER

@baldwin-montclair @adowobsessed @sylverdeclermont @nicki-mac-me @thereadersmuse @kynthiamoon @adowbaldwin @profoundme444 @beautifulsoulsublime @lady-lazarus-declermont

Part Seventeen

Summary: Baldwin de Clermont manages to upset an ancient hag. He wakes up.. different.

There were kisses, there were tears. Liv and Baldwin hugged out their stress, talking long into the afternoon and evening. Eventually they fell asleep together on the couch, arms wrapped around each other, and woke up the next morning to discover that someone had crept upstairs and put a blanket over them while they were unconscious.

They decided that, yes, the rest of the De Clermonts would have to be told as well. Baldwin was dreading having to look his brother in the eye; after the hoops he had made Matthew jump through to be with Diana, there was no way in hell he was ever going to let him live this down.

‘Well Baldwin, what is this about?’

Baldwin cradled the tumbler of whiskey above his chest. He had asked everyone to gather for a family meeting, and he'd be damned if he had to do it sober.

'I've been seeing a young woman. Her name is Livinia-'

'Nice' said Marcus, drily.

'-and she's pregnant. With my child.'

Baldwin slammed back his drink as he watched Matthew speed through the five stages of grief. Diana swallowed her tea the wrong way and was thumped on the back by Phoebe, who looked beyond ecstatic. Marcus and Ysabeau were staring. Marthe had turned into a beaming statue in the corner.

'And how long have you been with this woman?' Ysabeau chose her words carefully, the ghost of a smile pulling at the edges of her mouth.

'..two mon-'

'TWO MONTHS?!' Marcus, Phoebe, Diana and Matthew chorused. There was a momentary pause as shock set in then an explosion of noise as everyone started yelling over each other.

'-told her about vampires-'

'-want a boy or a girl? Ooh-'

'-very irresponsible! You're cursed-'

'-wasn't allowed to be near Diana, much less-'

Baldwin slammed the tumbler onto a sideboard, making it jump.

'ENOUGH! I am the head of this family, and you will not lecture me on how I conduct my private life' he jabbed a finger at Matthew who had snorted. 'Especially now. You have no say in the matter.'

'I would very much like to meet this young lady' said Ysabeau. She gave a subtle gesture and Marthe stepped out of her corner. The tea tray under her arm was trembling; vampires never dropped anything in shock, but she had been close to it.

'Please let the kitchen know that Sieur Baldwin will be bringing a guest to Sept Tours presently' Ysabeau turned back to her stepson as Marthe marched purposefully out of the room. 'Please tell Livinia that we look forward to meeting her soon.'

________________________________________________________________

''Soon'' turned out to be next Monday. Liv had been unusually quiet on the way to the castle, peering apprehensively out the window as they whizzed through the streets. Baldwin squeezed her hand every now and then, trying to reassure her.

'You’re going to be fine, I promise'

Liv smiled warmly, faint terror in her eyes.

'Ysabeau turns her nose up at everyone, Matthew’s insufferably nice to everyone he meets, Marcus is an imbecile but eager to please, and Diana is a historian, so you two should get along well'

Baldwin parked the car in the driveway and leaned over towards Liv, brushing a strand of hair back behind her ear and kissing her on the nose.

‘Ready?”

‘Ready’

Baldwin and Liv linked arms and marched up to the front door. Marthe opened it for them, her face lighting up as she took Liv.

'Welcome to Sept Tours!' she trilled. 'If there's anything you require, please don't hesitate to ask'

'Thank you..?'

'Marthe'

'Marthe' Liv repeated, with a smile and a nod. She allowed Baldwin to steer her along a short corridor and into a wide drawing room, where Ysabeau, Diana, Marcus and Phoebe were sitting and standing, dramatically back-lit by the wide windows. Baldwin frowned. Matthew was noticeably absent.

'Bienvenue' Ysabeau stepped forward, hands clasped in front of her. 'Je me rends compte que tout cela est assez court mais j'étais curieux de rencontrer la mère de mon petit-enfant.'

Baldwin grit his teeth. Occitan. It was the same little test she had used on Diana when she had first come to the castle. Ysabeau seemed determined to put Liv on the back foot too.

Before he could open his mouth, however, Liv stepped forward, sheepishly inclining her head in a curt bow.

'Tout cela a été un peu court préavis. J'espère seulement être à la hauteur de vos normes pour un..un..' Liv paused, fumbling for the appropriate word. 'Belle-fille? Je suis désolé, toute cette situation est un peu à l'envers.'

'We will make do' Ysabeau smiled broadly, and extended a hand towards the rest of the group. 'My daughter-in-law, Diana, my grandson Marcus and his wife, Phoebe, and Gerbert, an old family aquaintance who is staying with us at the moment.’

'Where’s Matthew?' Baldwin demanded, ignoring the sudden rush of pride he felt at Liv’s little demonstration.

'He’s upstairs' Diana stepped forward, shaking Liv’s hand firmly. 'He’s on a conference call from the lab but he’ll be down in a minute. Dr Diana Bishop, it’s a pleasure to meet you'

'A pleasure to meet you too! I thought I recognised you; my aunt bought me a copy of Visualizing Alchemy shortly after it was published. I found it really interesting'

'I’m glad to hear it' Diana’s eyes flicked over to Baldwin, and she slowly backed up. 'I’ll just go and fetch Matthew'

'Stop being so fussy Baldwin'

Baldwin scowled as Marcus strolled over, Phoebe bouncing on the balls of her feet beside him.

'Marcus, family dissapointment'

'Phoebe. I’m so happy for the both of you!'

'Thanks' Liv smiled and unconciously placed a hand on her stomach. 'It was a bit of a shock, for both of us'

'A pleasant shock, one would hope' Gerbert wheeled himself forward, inclining his head slightly. Domenico had been unceremoniously kicked out of the castle for the evening on the premise that he needed to get some fresh air, but Gerbert had dug his heels in until everyone was so exasperated that they let him stay.

Baldwin didn’t like it at all but he had it in writing that Gerbert would behave himself. For now.

'Dinner is ready' Marthe announced, just as Diana and a flushed Matthew appeared in the doorway. Ysabeau raised a hand towards the dining room.

'Shall we?'

________________________________________________________________

The dinner went much better than Baldwin had been expecting, so much so that he felt himself starting to relax a little towards the middle of it. Gerbert refrained from asking any pointed questions, Matthew and Marcus were slightly less grating than normal, and Liv charmed Ysabeau with tales of her growing up alongside the family business and going on to run her own.

The night wore on until, eventually, Baldwin insisted that he had to drive Liv home. Marthe and Ysabeau insisted that Liv stay, offering her the use of Louisa’s old room, but Liv politely declined.

The family trailed out into the driveway to see them off, waving as the car sped away into the night. Gerbert parked himself next to Ysabeau, and looked up at her quizzically.

'So...'

Ysabeau ignored him and stared resolutely ahead, following the distant car headlights until they were swallowed up by the darkness. Gerbert grinned.

'Which one of you wants to tell the idiot he’s knocked up a witch?'

AUTHOR’S NOTES:

= Welcome. I realise this is all quite short notice but I was curious to meet the mother of my grandchild

I realise that I wrote that Ysabeau and Liv are speaking Occitan but I used an English to French translation via Google Translate. I can only apologise profusely, and state that I would be happy to use the actual Occitan translation if someone is generous enough to send it to me, however I couldn't find one on Google, hence the lies.

Bienvenue. Je me rends compte que tout cela est assez court mais j'étais curieux de rencontrer la mère de mon petit-enfant

Tout cela a été un peu court préavis. J'espère seulement être à la hauteur de vos normes pour un..un..belle-fille? Je suis désolé, toute cette situation est un peu à l'envers.

= It was all a little short notice. I just hope I live up to your standards for a..a..step-daughter? I'm sorry this whole situation is kind of upside down

#baldwin montclair #baldwin de clermont #adow #adow crack #a discovery of witches #all souls trilogy #all souls series

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shadowhawk24601 · 7 years

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My sensory kit! I carry this stuff in a medium-sized swiss army bag, which makes everything easy and portable. Pictured (from left to right) is- Earbuds- listening to music is a good relaxation method for me (mainly the song Andromeda by Gorillaz because of the beat and the video itself is perfect) Fidget Cube- One of the most effective items here. My favorite sides are the buttons and the roller/gears. The only con is that it's noisy Stress Relief Scent- A mixture of lavender, sandalwood, and bergamont. Fidget Spinner- Not nearly as satisfying as the cube, but it's much quieter Bead Keychain- This was made for me by my aunt, who used those specific colors because they looked like small nebulas (and space is my special interest). I like to hold it in my hand and roll the beads through my fingers. Razorback Stress Ball- Too tough to properly squeeze but I like running my thumb along the ridges Pokeball- A simple Pokeball with a weight put inside- good for moving around in the palm of my hand. Mints- Both to chew on and for the wonderful minty flavor Stuffed Cat- Her name is Marth (after the Fire Emblem character), and she has been my main comfort object for the past few years. She sits with me outside the bag in my lap for weight, and while listening to lectures at school or other things I'll pet her. When I get anxious I either squeeze her paw or hug her Crazy Aaron's Thinking Putty- Since I don't have the original container, I placed it in a yellow container (not pictured, but the lid has a drawing of wonder woman). It makes a satisfying clicky noise when squeezed correctly and also just feels nice to stretch and shape into spheres. Stretchy Dragon- Named Mordremoth (one of the Elder Dragons in Guild Wars 2), he was a gift from one of my friends who is also on the spectrum. I enjoy stretching his tail or squeezing his belly area where most of the pellets are. White Puff Ball- Very soft and good for squeezing. It also has a translucent star on it which is nice and smooth. Bast Figure- A gift from my World History teacher because of my love of mythology. It's small enough that I can fidget with it in my hand and not be too noticeable. Blue Stress Ball- Very good for squeezing; has lots of feedback.

#sensory bag #sensory kit #positivelyautistic #actuallyautistic #stimming #stim toys #guild wars 2 #autism positivity #stuffed animal #comfort object #personal #fidget toys

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radiantxhero-moved-blog · 7 years

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whispers ikemarth

Who eats the least healthy:

When I think about it, it’s actually very close between them. Marth eats healthier foods, but often doesn’t eat enough or when he should. Ike eats the worst garbage ever and a lot of it, but he eats consistently.

Which one exercises more:

Ike, though Marth certainly does so when he has the time! Marth also has a more varied regime than Ike does, and Marth knows how to fucking stretch before and after unlike someone.

Which one stresses out the most:

Definitely Marth. This poor blue boy is one big ball of concern and stress. Whether its on account of work, social obligations or his own personal insecurities.

Which one organizes the fridge like a boss:

Ike! He’s the one with his snout in the fridge more often than not, and while Marth likes to keep it organized, he’s not much of a food person – not like Ike – so it’s easier for Ike to have it all set up for easy access since he’s bound to be the one getting in there.

Who cannot sit still for a moment and who is always drained:

Ike is pretty fidgety at times, restless. Marth has way more patience for just…sitting still and getting things done that way. But, Marth is definitely the more drained of the two. He works himself into the ground constantly, doesn’t fuel his body properly, and forgoes sleep if it means getting just a little bit more done.

If Ike is tired or drained, he’s much more likely to just tap out and take a nap.

Who must leave the house every day and who never wants to leave:

Marth, more than likely – he’s a busy body, going in all sorts of directions. As much as Ike likes to go out and have a good time, home is comfortable and he can just stay in and have fun on a low scale without forcing himself into social situations he has a hard time maneuvering.

Who obsesses over hygiene:

Marth! Let me tell you, this man takes a bath so much. ike is content wallowing in his own filth for as long as possible

Who wakes up earlier:

Marth again! He gets up at roughly the same time pretty much every day, and gets started on whatever mountain of work he has to. Ike is not a morning person, he likes to sleep, and will only get up early when he has to.

#dignumrex #[mmm I love these two]

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shadowhawk24601 · 7 years

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