You are a firebender named Ayushi, who has been accepted to guard over the royal family. You end up guarding Zuko through his travels to visit the sun warriors. The mission, protecting the newest dragons, begins.
Warning: this is 18+ AF. Be aware. It gets descriptive. It starts at the cut so there you go. Just want to mention the dragon is Canon if you haven't seen Korra. It felt OP but it's Canon so whatever.
Your bare skin etched in Zuko's thoughts. He did look away but dared to glance. You were turned towards him unlike every other time before. "Zuko, which one should I wear?" You asked, holding up the outfits. One was the commoner outfit, and the other was a firenation elite design. He looked up, seeing your top still gone. Your body was only shielded by the clothes you were holding out.
"That one." He pointed to the firenation design he pulled his bottom lip in thinking of anything but you wearing the clothes you held. He stood up and walked to his bag. Grabbing his armor that was packed away. "Can you fasten this?" He had his armor pulled over his shoulders. You held your shirt in your arm. It hadn't made its way covering you yet.
You stepped closer to Zuko. He turned his strong bicep to you so you could fasten the shoulder guard. You press your hand on his bare chest, guiding him to the other side to fasten the other arm. Your fingers trailed his chiseled chest. Your eyes lifted to his. His fingertips slipped down to your waist. His hands were warm against your skin. The wall pressed against your back that you hadn't realized he had guided you to. His innocent nature that was wholesome and pure was tossed away. The man with power and strength stood in front of you. You were weak, defenseless against all the power he held.
He leaned closer, glancing from your lips to your eyes, fire burned within them. The torches lighting the room burned brighter, hotter than they did just a few moments before. His hips were pressed against yours. Your legs ached, begging for this new man in front of you. Your hand fell to his shoulder.
The room became an inferno. The flames between you had become uncontrollable. Your lips met his suddenly. His hands lifted your legs, pulling you from the ground. His lips melted against yours. You knew there was no redemption from this indulgence in pleasure. You held yourself against him. Your chest enmeshed with his. No fabric to stop the senses. His scar was rough against your skin. It was a reminder of who you were with, the man with the most power in the nation.
He pulled his lips from yours and kissed down your jaw. You both played with fire as his name glided softly from your lips. His lips returned to yours, then pulled away. His tongue slowly pulled at your neck to your ear. "Say it again." He whispered, then bit down softly on your neck. You gasped is complete shocking bliss. "Zuko." You said a little louder than before. His hand traveled up your leg, holding your hip. Your body was pressed so close to his you could feel him craving you. You kissed his neck, wanting nothing more than to finish by the man that was built like a God.
A knock sounded at the door again. "Lord Zuko, we have docked." He pushed his lips to yours one last time. "Are you ready to see the dragons?" He spoke hesitantly. The entire reason and passion for the trip suddenly took a back seat in your mind. "Yeah." You said softly. Your mind weighted on questions, for starters, what that was and what it meant for you?
You both broke apart, and your body felt cold without him. You got dressed, hoping it would bring warmth back.
You both were dressed. He held out his hand. "You can leave your stuff here. The ship is staying here for our return." You grabbed his hand and walked down the hall, and up the stairs, the deck was bright. You looked around once your eyes adjusted and saw the air temple.
You walked down the ramp, meeting the sand. Zuko turned back to the general. "Stay here until we get back. We will be back tonight."
"Yes, Lord Zuko." The general bowed.
You both began your walk through the jungle. You walked through as zuko sliced at vines, creating a path. You followed close behind. The sun was in the middle of the sky. "When we get there, you have to watch for traps, so don't go off without me."
"I didn't plan on it..." You paused. "Zuko, what Hua told me was true... wasn't it?"
He slashed a few more vines. Despite the scene that they just participated in, he still wasn't prepared for the rejection that he always seemed to face. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, you just... we just..." You struggled to speak of the heavy actions that had just unfolded within the last hour.
"I never told her anything, so I don't know how she would have known." He cut the last vine. He stepped aside and held a tree limb for you to go ahead. You stepped through the path. You saw a clearing full of old ruins. The site was incredible. You stared at the walls and old buildings. It looked so familiar and yet so foreign. In the distance, there was a set of tall towers. Zuko stood beside you and wrapped an arm around your waist. Your gaze lifted to his eyes. He looked over the site and then down to you. He leaned down, lifting your chin. His lips met yours in a much softer kiss then before. He lifted his head, looking back over the land.
"She was right. I don't know how she knew, but she did." He spoke, walking down a path.
You kept walking and felt a wire. you pulled Zuko back. "Wire." You said pointing to the extended wire. You both stepped over and continued on the path. You both got to an opening in the path. A group was ahead. You both passed by a wall that was painted. "Dragons?" You spoke breathlessly. the paintings had taken your breath away.
"That's what you'll be doing." Zuko pointed to the firebender in the middle of the blaze.
"I'm finally going to meet them."
Zuko nodded. "Let's go. You have to meet an old friend first."
You walked towards the group. "Lord Zuko, it is nice to see you again. I see you are breaking your promise with a guest."
Zuko nodded. "This is Ayushi. She is a Kyoshi warrior, She is a firebender who keeps the closest watch over my family. I think it would be best if she learns from the masters to better defend me and my family. She has proven herself worthy in my palace."
The chief nodded. "Then I hope that the masters see her worthy as well. Follow me." He instructed.
He stood in front of a fire. "This is the eternal Flame. It was a gift from the masters long ago. You will take these flames up to the top, and you will present them to the masters. That's when they will judge you."
You held out your hands. Zuko held out his. He placed the flame in both sets of palms. "Burn it too small it will die out, burn it too big, you will lose control. Follow the path." He pointed to the path, and you began balancing the flame within your hand.
The chief went around the opposite path. The sun warriors gathered around. When you both arrived, you saw all the warriors gather around. You held your flame and stood in front of the stairs. The drums bellowed in the surrounding air. You both walked up the stairs, meeting each other's backs at the top. "Remember we do the firebending form when they come out."
Your eyes were glazed over. The emotions swirled around fear of being deemed not worthy, the honor of being in the presence of such amazing creatures that you dreamed about.
The loud horn sounded, calling the masters you gasped as the dragons began circling around the pillar. Your eyes followed them as best you could.
"Ready?" Zuko asked you both, held your flames, and took the first stance. The flames stay controlled. You both did each stance the sacred flames grew but under control. The dragons followed each movement with ease. You both took the final stance, and the flame vanished and then appeared back in your hand. The dragons connected to the pillar eyeing you both from the side. You fell to your knees and held the flame to the dragon. Zuko followed your led and fell to his knee behind you, bowing to the creatures.
The dragons blew a blaze around. The spiral was adorned with a rainbow of color.
You lifted your eyes, and each color spoke wisdom to you flashes of meaning in each color. The flames spiraled up, disappearing. A flash of red flew overhead. A small dragon landed at the base of the pillar, landing in front of the stairs. You stood up, and Zuko grabbed your hand, walking you down the steps. You looked up at Zuko quizzically. He had the same look. You both reached the bottom, staring into the eyes of a creature that was smaller than the two that completed the ceremony. The creature was still large. You both bowed to the dragon. The dragon bowed back.
He leaned his head down. Zuko reached out and placed his hand gently. the dragon accepted him. You reached your hand out, and the dragon accepted your touch. Your lips curled into a smile. The chief spoke up. "Zuko, this is Druk. It is your responsibility now to care for him. Ran and Shaw have chosen you to look after him. Druk is now bonded with you." Zuko nodded, accepting the responsibility. "Druk seems to like Ayushi. She's not just your guard, is she." The chief asked. Zuko looked back and saw Druk wrapping his neck over your shoulder in a dragon's form of hug.
"She's more than that." Zuko smiled fondly as the dragon bonded with you.
"You are free to leave with him. Keep him safe." The chief warned.
The dragon laid down. You looked at Zuko, unsure of what to do. Zuko climbed onto the dragon. He held his hand out, and you mounted the dragon holding tight to Zuko. The dragon stood tall and flapped its wings, taking off into the sky. You had never been so high up. Your eyes widened, seeing the trees become so small. You both saw the ship, and Zuko guided him to the ships deck. You both landed, and the soldiers were stunned by such a magnificent creature.
"General. Take us home. Protect Druk at all cost. Shoot on site, and if anyone brings harm to this dragon. I will mount your head in my palace along with the dragons my father murdered." Zuko spat at the soldiers. They bowed the Zuko. "Yes, Lord Zuko." The sun was disappearing under horizon. Zuko slid off the dragon. You slid down. Zuko caught you in his arms. He put you down to the ground gently. You rubbed the dragon one last time. Druk laid down on the deck, curling up. Zuko patted the dragon and grabbed your hand. He led you down the stairs. "We will be back at the palace by morning."
"I just met dragons. Zuko, there is a dragon on this ship." Your mind boggled about the idea.
"Yeah, there is." He smiled proudly.
He wrapped his hands on your waist. He gripped tightly, pulling you into him and kissing you. The fire seemed to burn bright again. You pulled away breathless. "You are amazing. Thank you for making my dreams come true."
Zuko smiled, kissing your cheek. "I would have done it a long time ago had I known it was your dream."
You kissed him gently. "We need to rest before we get home. We've got explaining to do. Would you like a bedtime story?" You giggled out at the thought that everything happened because of stories you both had heard as children.
"I can think of a few things I want that don't involve stories." His low voice taunted. He gripped at your waist, pulling you in again.
Your hands tangled in his hair. His lips glided along yours. His tongue teasing yours. You both were equally craving. Your hands slowly lifted his clothes away. Your hand pressed against his chest. He trailed to your neck.
"I'm yours." You whispered softly. His hands ripped fabric that stood in his way. Your skin warmed by his touch. It felt as warm as it did during the morning. His touch was passionate, and the warmth sank into you, traveling down your body. You wanted his everything. You tossed the scraps of silk that was once a top to the floor. His eyes connected with yours, his pupils dilating at the sight of how perfect you looked. You were in complete submission. He didn't always love the power he held, but this power was his favorite. He had complete control of your body of your pleasure how much and how little you were allowed.
Zuko lifted you from the ground, tossing you on the bed with ease. Your pants slid away from your body, exposing how wet you had become from his teasing. He took his time traveling his large hands down your curves. His lips melted into your collarbone. Your back arched as he left kisses down your breasts. Licking and sucking every sensitive area. "Zuko," you gasped.
All of his clothes were tossed to the floor. He laid down beside you, guiding your body on top of his. His arousal was tempting you. There was nothing between you. Your hips rocked back and forth, teasing him. You leaned down, kissing him gently.
Zuko ran his hand through your hair softly, pulling you toward him. He pulled away. "You know what I want. Give it to me."
"Yes, Lord Zuko." You hummed against his lips. You guided him into you. You tightened at the sudden sensation. Your teeth clinched at how big he was. He filled you in the best way. You rolled your hips. He pushed you to sit up. He held the back of his neck, propping himself up in the best position to watch you. His other hand held your thigh, and he squeezed when you hit all the right places.
You lifted up and down, riding him. He bit his lip as you sped up. His biceps were flexing, showing his strong build. Your hand gripped the headboard for stability. Your other hand pressed against his chiseled abs. Your hand slid over the rough scar.
He pulled you back down, crashing his lips to yours. Zuko kissed down your jaw. "You look so good. You're such a good girl pleasing me." He pushed you down to your back. He kissed down your body his tongue pressed against your clit. Your body felt pure bliss pulse through your veins. He teased you flicking his tongue slowly. "Please." You spoke so softly, begging for more. He sped up bringing you closer to the edge. Your gasps and moans echoed off the metal walls. Your back arched from the sensitivity.
He pulled away and lifted back up kissing you. His lips were sweet and so hypnotic. He slid himself back into you. He pressed into you. Your hand cupped his cheeks you felt the scar on his cheek it was smooth having been there much longer the the newer one on his chest. His jawline was sharp in your palm. His lips glided into yours as he thrusted into you. He lifted himself back up and thrusted harder and faster. He groaned feeling how tight you were. Your hand fell down rubbing your clit as he was furfilling his pleasure.
Your moans became louder. He knew you were close. He kept the pace it was bringing him closer as you squeezed tighter. You slowly came undone under him. "Zuko!" You screamed as the satisfaction coarsed through your body. Euphoria settled in your body swirling around. His peak followed, and his euphoria swirled into yours. You both rode out the sensation. He pulled out cum dripping out of you. He laid down next to you. You both tried catching your breath. He wrapped his arm around you pulling you in kissing you softly. You pulled the covers over you and you both entangled together comfortably falling asleep happily. Everything was perfect.
The prince and dragon you had dreamed of turned out to be real.
Decided to rewatch NATLA to properly form my own takes that’s been running through my mind: (I’ll have both things that I like and dislike.) Part 1
SPOILERS!
I like it like a friend from a hundred years ago:
First and foremost, NATLA predominantly consists of Asian American Pacific Islanders. Good for them for creating a version that is more in their lens and creativity.
The Bendiiing. All of the elements, except for Earth, are 10/10. I really want it to be more solid, especially on AangvsBumi. It’s not that bad though, so much better than…well u know. I’ll give it an 8/10.
I rewatched it with a Filipino dub and it’s good, 9/10. Aang VO was convincing as a kid, so either they’re a great actor or a great kid actor. The jokes (Sokka’s sarcasm) hits better on my mother tongue
"You're my friend. You will always be my friend.”
Avatar state under the ocean
The costume. The only one that I do agree with everyone else that lacks is Zuko’s scar. They should’ve put prosthetics on the eyebrow.
Zuko’s hair? Hello? They did a great job. Even though my sister and I sing Ariana Grande song whenever we see them swaying. It’s an integral part of his story, and I loved that they keep it. There’s an East Asian culture that indicates that kind of haircut as a punishment. I remember my History teacher taught me this in eighth grade but I forgot which it was, my bad. And the actor’s such a champ for having that hair IRL.
My favorite actor performances: Gordon (Aang) superb acting. Liz (Azula). Utkarsh (Bumi). Justin Wong (Chong/SecretTunnelguy) sounds exactly like the character. Made up for my delusional expectation that Dee Bradley Baker would be in this. Ken Leung (Zhao) pisses me off so much, and that means he’s doing a great job. Dallas (Zuko) & Iroh (Paul). DDK's(Ozai) a natural idk if that's acting /j
Was it established in the OG that Katara's intro is a folklore/legend? Because yeah, I don’t mind that it is considered that way in this version.
AAAAA, the Lieutenant Jee younger casting makes so much sense now! The 41st division is chef kiss. Zuko cryiiiing when he was being banished!? Dallas Lui ate!
THE HYBRID ANIMALS LOOOK SO GOOD. The ostrich horse blended well with whoever rides them. It doesn’t look CGI to me. MOMO HIS MOMONESS, MOMO OF THE MOMO DYNASTY
Any Zuko fight choreography (MY FAVORITE CHOREO DALLAS LOOKS FIIIRE). And Aang’s too (Oh hey).
Aang the Hype Man
The fallen Fire Nation ship behind Zukka fighting. (It’s in my notes idk why but I guess background details are a win)
Aang and Iroh's interactions
NATLA Zuko (I don’t think there’s much of a difference though with the OG lol, and it’s probably because the NATLA directors/producers like Zuko)
Camera direction
The Found Family Hug™, what Netflix can do well.
End scene of Episode 1, is very cinematic. I can’t believe TV shows have come this far. I hope employees are paid well.
The End Theme remains the saaame, and is added with cinematic effects as well.
The folly/sound effect at the start of Episode 2. Why is this the only episode with that flair?
Creating a grave for Gyatso.
How Ozai’s forced unity/being totalitarian is represented. Reminds me so much of our own government, it amuses me. I know it’s not directly referencing that though. It’s good that they show it early on I guess. With the Fire Nation culty greeting as well.
On a lighter note: THE AIR SPHERE/BALL whatevah, yes! More of this goofiness. How about instead of being inspired by GOT, NATLA should be inspired by Stranger Things in terms of fantasy + childhood simplicity balanced by this trauma they're going through. (Well, ST lacks worldbuilding cause it’s just normal Earth but anyway)
Kyoshi Takeoveeer. I hope Roku gets more screen time someday though. Pls pls pls.
They incorporated the OG character theme songs! Of course! The ones I noticed right away are the FireNation Siblings’. So if you watched OG Avatar and you watched the scene where a mysterious girl joins the infiltration of the FN Royal Palace, you’ll know who she is.
Sorry not sorry, Daddy Dae Kim is daddying. (Although he did catch me off guard in Zuko’s Agni Kai lmao.) The plot.
The Aang VS Zuko fight! A reference to the Fortune Teller fight. The team did so well.
Zuko The Master of Disguise Major In Stealing Clothes. Full-time Avatar researcher.
A fourth wall foreshadows Bumi’s OOC for this version. Jet’s "he’s not like he used to be" in line. I mean they did warn us.
Another 4th wall is the line “Things shouldn’t be here” referring to the prototype Fire Nation balloon.
Nice animation with the retelling of Two Lovers legend.
Lu Ten Funeral scene ate. That single teaaaar. I recommend everyone who loves the animation to watch this scene. To feel something idk AHAHAHAH.
The actors were convincing when interacting with CGI animals. Specifically the badger moles.
ZUKO AND IROH SCENES!
CGI’s great did not waste any money
In Katara’s flashback. She experienced this in her present form. And when she was so scared to go to the place where her mom was killed, she immediately changed back to her young self. Like, I wanted that so bad when I was watching the flashback. I thought, this shouldn’t be the present-day Katara. There should be a moment when she switches back to young again. And they did.
Big Iroh moment that makes you cry as an adult when Gyatso was reassuring Aang that the genoc*de wasn’t his fault, and shouldn’t blame himself. Ahh, and the subtle sadness as they say goodbye.
Random eye drawing from Zuko. He’s an artist AHAHAHAH. Okay, I forgot which episode. Sincerely, unreliable narrator.
Showing Zuko's scar when Aang says "Do you even know that lives are at stake".
Basically every scene/plot they 1 by 1 copy from the show. Did not disappoint (well, maybe because OG showrunners were there). Blue Spirit, Siege of the North.
Zuko’s room. I love me some character bedrooms. He’s like a TV Sitcom character for that.
Gaang teamwork scenes! It works and it's dynamic.
Hahn as an honorable man? Yes. I don’t like love triangles so much. I like me some camaraderie. And Ian (Sokka) acted well for feeling included and seen as Hahn recognized his value as warrior/intel.
Zutara fight scene.
Two points that I don’t know if I like but it makes me realize some stuff:
Meek Katara. I know there are specific plot points that Feisty Katara is needed. But she was always nurturing, so I think it makes sense she’s…meek? That Jet scene explains it. Maybe because I relate to her being a log AHAHAHAH. But yeah, uh, I do not, ironically, have strong feelings against that water down.
Angry Bumi. IDK how to feel about him tbh. I always think Bumi is…harsh like that. Almost scary. But yeah, he never blames Aang. Still, it doesn’t feel out of place here. He will return anyway so he’s not this one-dimensional character that is only angry at his friend (hopefully). I never thought of how Bumi would actually feel. And that he will be upset, and now it’s sad because that’s like your friend when you were twelve years old and you wonder where he’s been all this time, and if he’s alive. And..war..never made it any better to process that emotion. So, we got two versions, one that is cautious and then eventually welcomes him, and another who's completely angry and blames a literal kid that he does not know the pain (from the war). Too real, and I personally don’t mind.
What do you think about the contrast between the Firenese nobility and the Brodian one ? While the Brodian one is mainly portrayed as scheming and being the main responsible for the war against Elusia, the Firenese one seems to be more quiet and less scheming
I think there is a clear distinction between greed and charity. Firene is definitely depicted as a virtuous ideal and Brodia as a kingdom that needs to change, even the Crown Prince Diamant sees the reliance on a war economy as damaging. However I think the nobility and royalty of both nations are a little more grey than they appear on the surface. I think all the nations have to take some responsibility for Sombron. Brodia and Elusia the biggest portion but Firene, Solm and Lumera could have done more.
Firene's nobles are defined by charity and the desire for peace. Boucheron is an example of this mindset. In his ending card he devotes himself to helping restore Florra Port, a selfless endeavour. I wouldn't say that the royalty of Firene are not shrewd or self interested. Queen Eve must have ensured Firene's peace and sacrificed Elusia's by not involving them in the pact. To say that Firene does not have much contact with Elusia because of distance ignores the fact that merchants travel there and Elusia trades with their allies. Firene and Solm have to take some responsibility for Sombron's return by not negotiating with Brodia to include them. Elusia's exclusion gives them the reputation of 'otherness' which can be used to justify further isolation from them and dehumanisation.
A powerful part of Brodia's nobility are definitely self interested, scheming and to quote Hortensia, greedy. They want more land and more resources and will pressure the royal family for their desires to be met. There is greater poverty which could point to less charity and a a minimal safety net for the poor. Clearly there are charitable nobles in Brodia as shown by Citrinne and Yunaka's conversation. I wouldn't tarnish all with the same brush. A big part of Brodia's problem is the importance of might, it creates an environment of hostility, individualistic meritocracy (you are responsible for your strength and help is weakness), competitiveness and discrimination. It is seen as honourable to be successful as a human weapon, as a killer rather than a feeling human being and this devalues life. There is also a circle of violence. Brodia attacks Elusia - Elusia retaliates - Brodia seeks vengeance and attacks Elusia and so on. Yes King Morion's warmongering means that Elusia acts by awakening Sombron. Brodia needs to take a large portion of the blame. I still think Sombron would have awakened even without Brodia's attacks. Zephia and Fell Dragon fanatics would have found a way. It would have been less urgent. Elusia also need to take responsibility for their part in awakening Sombron.
I think Lumera's role needs some consideration regarding Sombron's awakening. She did try and communicate with the Elusian royalty but was turned down. Should she have done more to influence Brodia? The Xenologue Alear managed to ensure peace in Elyso by diplomacy with the nations. Isn't it a Divine Dragon's role to encourage peace? I see a Divine Dragon's role as one of guidance rather than ruling human kingdoms. A Divine Dragon can advise Brodia to seek peaceful solutions but it is not their place to demand it. I don't think Lumera is blameless. She could have used her influence more.
i love the idea of isekaiing into fe engage because like. theres really only two livable countries to be in and you better hope its one of them. oh you wanna like. survive the plot? make your choice between late-stage capitalistic hellscape and the fucking desert!
"why isn't firene livable?" well you see canonically most of the people there are aristocracy or higher (where are all the ordinary people) amd also firene is one of the more consistently attacked countries during the plot. also if you "disrupt the peace" (royalty and aristocracy definition of peace) the royal family straight up kills you so you can bet theres no unions and no chance of getting a union. i hope those tea field workers are all getting paid well...
meanwhile you dont want to be in elusia because thats the heart of the zombie apocalypse and also if its mid-to-late game youre prob gonna be sacrificed
Mostly for my own use but if you need it feel free to use!
This is based strictly off of dialogue that main game units can have with the FX characters
Spoilers ahead!
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Edit: Jean, Yunaka, Anna, and Seadall aren't listed because there's no dialogue referencing them from any characters.
First off, I'd like to say that I am aware that all the royals we fight against are corrupted, but this is much more fun
Firene
Etie - Unknown. Alfred was unable to view the flowers he left for Etie, stating it was too difficult for him to do.
Boucheron - Fell defending Alfred in battle.
Chloe - Fell while surveying Brodia by pegasus in preparation for Celine's attack. It's implied that she died, but it's possible she could still be alive. Celine had awaited Chloe's return.
Louis - Unknown. Celine has been unable to drink a certain tea that Louis brewed for her since his death in Fellyos.
Brodia
Citrinne - Though exactly how is unknown, it's implied that Citrinne fell away from the rest of her family in her dialogue with Alcryst, due to Alcryst mentioning that the rest of her family had died. Alcryst wouldn't have mentioned this if Citrinne had fallen with her family.
Lapis - Fell protecting Alfred in battle. Alcryst speaks of wishing that Lapis would have seen him ascend to the throne.
Jade - Succumbed to her wounds laying in a bed with Diamant by her side. Diamant had hoped that she would one day spring up, that they would be able to laugh again, but she fell asleep and never woke again.
Amber - Died protecting Diamant in battle.
Saphir - Fell in battle protecting King Morion, it is also noted that this was long ago.
Elusia
King Hyacinth - Was killed after attempting to stop the ritual to resurrect Sombrom in a cathedral not far from the battlefield, even offered up as a sacrifice.
Zelkov - Unclear. Ivy mentions that Zelkov had died for her, but also asks about Zelkov's travels, which means he may have left Elusia on a journey of sorts and died along the way. Zelkov is Ivy's favorite retainer.
Kagetsu - Sacrificed himself for Ivy. Ivy notes that Kagetsu was a faker, never a genuine smile, and he seemed to despise her.
Rosado - Stayed behind while Hortnesia fled the Corrupted and didn't make it out alive.
Goldmary - Completely unknown. Goldmary is described as withdrawn with no elegance or grace. Depending on how you interpret Hortensia's dialogue with Rosado, it's possible that both Rosado and Goldmary stayed behind and fell to the corrupted.
Lindon - Unknown, no mentions of how he died, only that he is gone. Ivy says that, with Lindon, Sombron would have already returned to Elyos.
Solm
Merrin - Died shortly after becoming Timerra's knight. Merrin hated animals of all kinds.
Panette - Unknown. In their conversation, it's said that Panette always hated graveyards, and Timerra was a vegetarian as well as hating music.
Pandreo - Slain in front of Fogado.
Bunet - Unknown, but bled out while Fogado watched. Fell Bunet is described as a brute, and useless in the kitchen. Implied to be a bit of cannibal (unconfirmed, just my own speculation based off dialogue).
It also ignores the fact that well..the bandits are burning down villages and killing people. Like the plight of one's suffering is not an excuse for the crimes that they commit and while it's never too late to do the right thing and atone, it's not a pass to commit crimes. And like you mentioned, there's no evidence suggesting that the bandits in Firene or in any of the continents in Engage for that matter are doing the things they're doing because they're poor and starving; Engage doesn't want to well..engage with that cause that's not the focus (and it doesn't need to be).
Ugh, this feels like a continuation of that stupid "woobifying the villain" trend where their argument is "the villains suffered, so therefore their actions are justified and how dare the heroes try to stop them and uphold the status quo."
You are perfectly right anon. Céline could have still tried to arrest them, but let's not act as if her decision didn't had some justifications. She isn't doing it out of pure pleasure either, she simply want to protect her people.
Also that's going to be a little long but
When it comes to explaining why a crime is born you need to fufill a lot of conditions : when do people enter this crime ? at childhood or adulthood ? Is it linked to economic problem ? if so which one ? and why ?
I already talked about it but even if you, a player used to FE never diving onto why there is banditry in some part of the world, I simply don't think the idea that it is a result of economic hardship or a flawed system makes sense with what is presented of Firene
It's is canonically introduced as a pacifist country, the wealthiest of the 4 kingdom and holding philantrophic value as well as having a pastoral style of life. The Kingdom if Abundance is it called.
I received quite ago an anon ask that made the clever remark that if all the character originating from Firene had name derivated from fashion brands, was to show the wealth of Firene and when you look at the design for the Firenese they are all wearing outfits that look incredibly lavish and very designed, even in contrast of the other Royals. What's more in the jpn version, all of the member of the Firenese cast safe Alfred, Jean and sort of Boucheron speaks a very polite and fancy japanese, Etie even sounds a bit snobbish. And all of them are rich : Alfred and Céline, obviously as Royals, Etie being the daughter of a marquis, same for Chloé, Boucheron is the son of a count and while Louis holds from more common origins and that his father had to work harder to provide for the family, his polite speech and is outfit for Somniel and his personality in general seems to infer he was still from quite a wealthy family and it adds up with how he hails from a town that is famous for the grapes it produces. Mauvier too hails from a wealthy family and Jean, a commoner, is the son of a doctor and wants to be one. And he can freaking read and afford fridging glasses ! While it's likely thanks to his dad, his dad HAD to go through studies to be a doctor and even in medieval setting those were very pricey. So that's telling a lot of how the common people of Firene beneficiate from quite the wealthy style of life and if you compare the commoner outfit to the noble one avalaible in the Somniel, they aren't that different and those commoner outfits stands out a lot compared to the Brodian and Solmic one. From that we can deduce that the peasants in Firene are quite wealthy.
And it makes sense since Firene is mainly operating in interior from an economic point of view. It relies a lot on agriculture and since Firene is a land of abundance and fertility, they have a lot of land to cultivate. With most of the trade between farmer and merchants being operated in the inside, it creates more wealth for them since the concurance is so little and mainly between Firenese rather then with an exterior country for a less pricey product. This explain why there is so many farmer, peasants and merchants in Firene and you can expect the people to be quite wealthy, even among commoners.
This description doesn't fit one of a country who suffers from banditry because of poverty. Because poverty can be one of the main reason for the practice of banditry, but usually those are country that rely on agriculture and have a crisis in such domain like China or Russia at some points. Firene is described as an ever propesperous land, where even in autumn they can benefit from the recolts. The only season where it could be harder would be winter but seeing how the climate in Firene operates since they can cultivate oranges and grapes, fruits mainly developped into Mediteran region irl, and how Alfred and Céline describes it, I doubt they ever had to face a disastrous winter.
If you wanted to make that arguments for Brodia or Elusia, I could believe it since it has been established that those two had financial problem because of the war. Saphir is 35 and saw her villager ravaged as a child and all the character who had suffered from poverty are younger then her : Yunaka, a Brodia, was abandonned by her parents (in the manga, she was literaly sold), Griss (and in XenElyos Gregory) was sold to Sombron's cult when Marni was abandonned by her mother there too and they are both from Elusia. And the reason was because for the three of them, their parents were too poor to deal with them, having several other children to take care off in Marni's mother case, but in Yunaka and Griss, they were only children. From Alcryst's introduction in chapter 7, we also learn that there is thief there too.
For Firene it is much harder due to how the land is described in canon. It simply doesn't add up.
As for the bandits, seeing how the mainly operates around the Firene and Brodian border, it is likely because it is the less defended part of all Firene since there is no one to guard the border. But they clearly don't originate from there. Teronda is said to have taken over the village since he killed all the villagers and Mitan invaded the ruins because there was nobody there to make it her lair. However, it's no indicator they come from Firene. Their name don't evocate any fashion brand I know off, when even Jean's parent are named after it (Sean/Sean John and Anje from Maison Anje). Their name seems to be after a hotel brand and a confection brand ? But they don't have name that have any French signification, and their palette doesn't look very Firene either, with Mitan being closer but having colors much less bright. As for the highwaymen, in the JPN version their nationality isn't mentioned, it is likely that the localization added that were from Firene because they are said to attack shipment comming from Jean's village.
But again, even if they were from Firene, that begs the question of where exactly ? Because for them to move out this far, this clearly mean they had the means since someone really poor can't afford to leave their place. Or in that case they hail from a region where agriculture is less present and performant, so near the Firene border since there is more mountains and therefore is an environement less welcoming for agriculture, but it is invalidated by the presence of a village that they robbed off. The villager had some valuables, meaning they were still wealthy, and in the ruins that the bandits invaded there is a territory where agriculture can be grown there so... yeah, I don't buy it any seconds.
And the fact that they were able to set out a squad to kill an entire village.. people that are really poor don't have the means. They are also too numerous to fit that profile seeing how again, actual bandits operating because of their stomach being empty have less means, targets smaller targets and operates in a much less number.
And even if they had began a carrier because they were poor, by the time we fight them, it's obvious they amassed quite enough of the money to try to live another life rather then keeping this buissness they are involved in. But they didn't. They clearly can't have been kids that had been poor if they are from Firene and if they started out recently, their description invalidates this seeing how they have been operating for a while and are described as "willing to do any evil deed for the sake of treasure" or as "systematically stealing people". And seeing how Mitan steals mainly valuable, she isn't poor or starving, her target are too precise for that. (note it's their JPN descr, and in the case of Mitan, it implies she isn't targeting only merchants)
And again, seeing how the Royals are willing to spend any money possible to help their people since they hold philanthropic values, I don't see why they wouldn't try to help out their less favored citizens. After all, Alfred is willing to dig well himself for them. Céline to protect them had the gouvernement heighens the funds for the merchants and peasants trading the tea leaves that they spend time growing and even state in the jpn version she doubled the number of escorts. They did everything to rebuilt Florra port and to help the survivors heal and rebuilt the home that were ravaged by the Elusian army. They even went personally to help a little commoner, to collect the good that were stolen from their people and blames themselves for not having being arrived sooner to save that village of chapter 6. They would absolutely provide for their people if they were in need.
Another evidence of this is the plague and how they helped their citizens in thos time and speaking of which, I think the Plague is literaly the only ground someone could have to argue that Firene had economic hardship as a side effect of the plague, but you can't blame the Royals for it when even the King of Firene was struck by it and that at that time, they though Alfred caught it too. And seeing how Louis's father had to double up the work after losing his wife, it might be an indicator of it.
But again, as you pointed out too, the game never tried to infer that Firene had economic hardship, it does the exact opposite. But since the army is less present and that the country is so wealthy, it would obviously end up having some people choosing to be bandits to exploit others but with such an economic system, it's banditry that is hurting the economy ! It's perturbating trade, raving village and thus agricultural field and cultures, etc. They aren't poor or anything, they ARE what is causing economic hardship to Firene if any there is !!!
But as your rightfully point out, whatever is the reason that motivated them, it doesn't change the fact they choose to prioritize their own needs at the cost of the suffering of other and turned it into a literal buissness and commiting crime against humanity by sacking village, robbing of innocent people of their rightful belonging and commiting massing killing is not jusitifyable and makes me really doubt the claim they are simply trying to put the two together. Whether Céline was being harsh or not, they deemed others, villagers maybe even poorer and working hard to gain their life, to be lesser then then them and went on to rob them and kill them. And reminder that this is a SOFTCORE version of what actual bandits might commit as a crime, look for Berserk to get an idea closer to reality. But again, Céline herself still admitted to not completely liked that idea, but I really don't see how she is in the wrong here for punishing people who terrorized her citizens, killed them and steals them.
It got a bit long here, sorry I just brainstormed a lot and realized how it simply doesn't add up.
"Ugh, this feels like a continuation of that stupid "woobifying the villain" trend where their argument is "the villains suffered, so therefore their actions are justified and how dare the heroes try to stop them and uphold the status quo.""
Yes, I think that trend is VERY much a problem. Do you imagine if I tried to justify idk Rafal by saying "yes he destroyed an entire world and commiting 1 000 of attrocities but he was sud uwu" ? ugh, make me sick and it would go against his character since the whole point of his character is that he did it, acknowledges it and refuse to have someone take the blame for it, and goes into a whole redemption arc. Remove his crime and you lost 99% of what makes his character so savory !
But frankly, I think it's because of this trend that people can look at Zephia or Sombron and think the game is trying to redeem them or make them human or sympathetic for literaly giving an explanation as to what the heck they motivation are.
Besides that's like saying that it's fine to do evil when you are oppressed when as someone who holds that as a dear principle, you are responsible for your actions not matter what and can't blame any one but yourself for the choice you did. Which is also one of Engage's message : that no matter how you are born, you can still be a good person and that you should held responsability for your action and be ready to change to obtain forgivness. So, the whole defending the minro boss bandits in Engage thing is literaly going against the message of the game.
So, this is a preview of my offering for day six of @malflearweek. Day four was a deliberate break, and day five was a less deliberate break because I ended up having to stay 13 hours at work (compared to 'only' 11 hours today). I don't want to rush out more stories I'm not fully satisfied with, so the completed fics for today's and yesterday's prompts will appear...at some point in the future.
Anyway, for now here's this!
His first memory of visiting the Somniel is hazy, dreamlike. Five or six years old, and excited because it was his first trip outside of Firene, to the holy shores of Lythos and then the private sanctum which floated overhead like a cloud. His caretakers impressed the etiquette on him beforehand, how he needed to be on his best behaviour, show due reverence to Queen Lumera and her sleeping child (not that he was capable of causing much trouble back then, besides chattering on silly topics until his breath ran out). A blur of perfect blue skies, delicate white flowers, and curtains of translucent gauze encircling an altar-bed. A figure lying still and silent as the grave, and he had to believe the adults, insisting it wasn't actually death and simply a long, healing slumber.
Queen Lumera's son was a heroic warrior, in the terrible struggle against Fell Dragons a thousand years ago. Struck down by a near-fatal blow, but not before his actions saved all of Elyos for generations to come. Alfred's mother told him the story, and shook her head sadly when he asked if a magical sleep like that would help make him better, too. They aren't Divine Dragons, only humans, so it doesn't work the same way.
Seven years old, and the memories are clearer. That was a bad year, and sometimes he sat miserably confined in a wheelchair, because his legs couldn't be trusted to stand firm, and his lungs couldn't be trusted to draw enough air for activity. Still, when he heard that his family were planning a visit to the Somniel, he begged not to be left behind. He remembers the slow, stubborn struggle of climbing each step to the enchanted bedchamber, to kneel between his parents in prayer, proving he was capable of that without needing to be carried. Queen Lumera waited patiently, indulging a sickly little boy's yearning for inclusion.
Nine years old, and Alfred was growing taller – though not so tall or strong as he wanted – but the figure on the altar looked just the same, peaceful and unchanging. He didn't look injured either, and maybe that meant the spell working on him was almost complete, and soon he'd wake up. Queen Lumera smiled, when Alfred voiced that thought. Perhaps even a goddess liked to hear words of reassurance, sometimes.
Once, Alfred asked her what the Dragon Child was like as an actual child, when he was Alfred's age. Was he obedient or mischievous, lively or shy? What games did he like to play? Did they play the same things a thousand years ago? Instead of answering though, Queen Lumera only said something vague and sad, and then Alfred felt guilty. He'd thought she might enjoy it, reminiscing about when her son was awake, but maybe it only reminded her of what she'd lost. So he didn't ask again, after that.
Eleven, barely. Fatherless and forlorn, in the months since the epidemic's shadow lifted from Firene. Of course they had to wait until all symptoms vanished before travelling, to ensure it couldn't spread. Of course the symptoms lingered in him more than anyone else, brewing restlessness and frustration. He didn't want to act badly though, to upset his mother or sister. For their sake, it was important to try and smile, to be brave for them rather than a burden.
Finally, it was deemed safe. Boarding the ship at Florra Port – the Seablossom which always carried the royal family, with its specially embroidered sails – felt like closing a chapter on their sorrows, as the fresh ocean breezes whirled around him. A return to their normal lives, in a healing realm. Even if only three of them would be crossing to Lythos, this time...
After the standard rituals of their Somniel visit, his mother retired to speak with Queen Lumera alone, in a corner of the tranquil gardens where they wouldn't be disturbed. At the time, Alfred assumed they just wanted a friendly chat, but looking back with an adult's perspective, there were likely politics in play that afternoon, tensions hidden beneath the sunny surface. Mother was worried that Brodia might take advantage of her kingdom's weakened state, wasn't she? She wanted to ask where Lythos stood, if they'd offer support or remain neutral, and didn't like to discuss that in front of the children. Later she'd secure the pact of non-aggression, but it was only in draft at that point, no firm guarantee of safety.
But Alfred wasn't worried, oblivious to such grown-up problems, so while the queens handled matters of state and Vander took Celine to pick peaches in the orchard, he wandered back up to the altar. Trusted as harmless, no longer contagious, and too pious for pranks in a place like this.
Celine sometimes gave him a light scolding, for telling foolish things to the Dragon Child besides prayers. Alfred insisted he'd like it though, hearing something new instead of the same old words repeated every time. Stories of the dolphins who followed the Seablossom, and horse riding lessons, and the delicious marmalade the castle's new chef made. Nothing bad, nothing about plagues or sorrows that might disturb sacred dreams, only the good stuff. Sharing small joys with a person who couldn't go out and find his own.
Maybe if he knew more about all the different things happening in the world, it would encourage him to wake up faster and join in. Queen Lumera's stories made him sound amazing, so surely everyone would be happier, getting to meet him at last.
Thirteen, and another level of appreciation was forming for that lovely face, with its eternally gentle aura. Alfred had enough sense to keep that thought to himself, though. Besides, there was a limit to how attractive someone could actually be, simply lying around, lacking animation or a voice. Like a painting the artist had sketched out, but not filled in the colours yet.
There was no official rule forbidding weird thoughts about deities – and Alfred's family didn't follow those niche religious branches that tried to shame people into chastity – but Queen Lumera showed no inclination to find a king, and never mentioned the father of her child. After a thousand years, maybe personal interests like that just...faded away. Which seemed lonely, but then again, Alfred's mother barely spoke of his father anymore, after a much shorter span of time. It made his chest hurt to dwell on too much – a duller, heavier, less panicky sensation than one of his attacks – and so he decided not to.
Fifteen, and he ignored Celine's sideways stare as he chattered to the dormant dragon, mentioning his retainers and exercise regimes. There was an upcoming festival too, his favourite of the year. Oh, but when the Divine One finally wakes then there's bound to be a huge, once in a lifetime celebration! So he'd better wake soon, because Alfred would hate to miss out on that. Celine sighed, but then in the Somniel's always-perfect sunlight – radiance softened by the layered curtains of this chamber – she smiled a little at her incorrigible older brother.
So the years pass, and Alfred manages to keep going, past milestones everyone feared he'd never reach. Perfecting the training that help strengthen his weak frame, and lessen the strain on his heart. Cheering up everyone who needs to see a happy, prosperous Crown Prince, someone they can place their trust in. The exercises aren't just maintenance, but daily self-reassurance – because if he can run so many laps without struggling, or complete his lance drills without a stumble, then it's solid proof he's okay, pushing back his worries. A sick person, a dying person, couldn't manage that, could they? The sentiments echo back from those around him, building his confidence, even if the muscles don't follow quite the way they should.
The Somniel visits are a family tradition, as much as a religious rite or display of political unity. Not every kingdom does it, but that's up to them. Queen Lumera is always welcoming, ageless and serene. Fresh white roses arrayed over fresh silken sheets, every inch of the chamber pristine, the most holy and well-protected sanctum in all of Elyos. And yet the figure it was arranged for never stirs, time after time.
Until finally, everything explodes into action. Corpse-like monsters invading the land, tainting the bountiful earth of Firene with malice. Rumours that the Divine Dragon was glimpsed soaring over Lythos, when her true form is so rarely taken. The decision to place Alfred on their swiftest ship, to seek guidance from their deity and ensure trouble hasn't spread to those sacred shores.
It has, though. He isn't prepared for what they face in the castle. Corrupted swarming halls where they shouldn't be able to tread, running riot against a small number of attendants. Pure white marble scorched and bloodstained.
And amidst it all, the most beautiful vision Alfred has ever seen. The Divine One, awake and vibrant and glowing with magic, floating on the gold and azure wings of an Emblem.
Let's chat about the Fell Xenologue (again). I wanna talk about what I think is one of the main themes, if not THE main theme. Wanna take a guess what it is?
It's Love baby!
What kind of love, you ask? All kinds!
There's the romantic love between Nel and her divine dragon. Definitely the least touched on of the kinds I'm going to talk about, but still very sweet and still adds to the story as we see Nel work through her grief through her relationship with Alear. There's also the one-sided affection Madeline has for Mauvier, but I appreciate that he sees her more as a daughter or younger sister.
Next we have the familial love between Nel, Nil, Rafal and the Four Winds. The Four Winds on their own have a nice little found family going on, of course this is supposed to mirror the Four Hounds (they find each other in every universe I guess). Then we have the deep love Nel, Nil and Rafal have for each other. We see how much Nel cares for Nil through the flashbacks of her protecting him, entrusting him with her dragonstone, even killing some of the siblings who threatened him (albeit not 100% intentionally). The last chapter shows us how Nel cares just as deeply for Rafal as well, as she knew he wasn't Nil, but still treated the same and grew to love him all the same. Even off screen we learn that Nil and Rafal were very close, with Nil trusting Rafal to take care of his sister in his stead. Nel chooses to end her own life because she couldn't bear to lose another sibling and sees herself as the source of Rafal's pain. And of course we can't forget how Rafal stayed by an unconscious Nel's side for a thousand years, ALONE, to bring her back to life.
The last observation I have is the distinct LACK of familial love between all the royal siblings in this world. Of course all their personalities have been flipped, which also means that the dynamics between the siblings has to change to fit these new personalities. The Firene siblings in this world do still care about each other, but it feels off. Celine uses the fact that Alfred cares about her to get him to start a war, which is kinda fucked up. Both Diamant and Alcryst assume the other is out to kill them and Alcryst actively loathes Diamant. Ivy has none of the care she holds for Hortensia in Alear's world. As for Fogado, I wish we could learn more about what he was like before he decided to go freak mode, but as is he does admit he always wanted to be the one to kill her.
The main conflict is Rafal seeking validation since he perceives himself to be weak. Even after Sombron dies, Rafal is still seeking something even if it means killing the last remaining people in the world. What he didn't realize is that all those remaining people (Nel, the Four Winds) love him dearly, but he was too caught up in his end goals. During that last battle with Rafal every conversation he has with everyone is them trying to get it into his thick skull that they love him. Even Alear, an outsider in this situation, is like GOD DUDE WHEN WILL YOU REALIZE???
I just aaaaa, having the main theme for a world filled with so much death and despair can be love and hope.
Anyway, they said it themself everyone. It's love :)
(Also just a fun detail since I was playing in Japanese. Rafal says 好き (suki) and 大好き (daisuki) more than you'd expect. Off the top of my head he says it twice when talking about Alear and another time when talking about Nel.)
Well since I did a blurb about the kingdoms of Elyos, I might as well do one about their Fell Xenologue counterparts.
All of it is under the cut cause spoilers. If there is anything you noticed, please feel free to add to it!
First off, we have Firene. The Firene of Fell Xenologue is different than the Firene we know. While normal Firene promotes peace and tolerance, Fell Firene is a warmongering nation. After the death of Queen Ève, Alfred had become king. While he was hesitant to invade other nations, Céline had insisted on it. As she says, the crops and flowers were losing their color. Fell Firene does not have the bright greens and yellows of the Firene we knew. Rather, Fell Firene's colors are made of harsh reds and oranges that reflect their now crueler nature. As Fell Céline says, "If they must suffer in order for our people to live, so be it."
Next is Brodia. The Brodia in Fell Xenologue is isolationist. Unlike the counterpart from the main story, they avoid fighting. However, Fell Brodia still has its militant force. They have the strength to protect themselves and keep within the walls of their country. But during the Xenologue, they had chosen to take a step forward and attempt to invade other nations to steal their bracelets. Unlike the Brodia we know, Fell Brodia is shrouded in greys. The land is in a constant state of rain. It gives a somber and oppressive vibe.
Unfortunately we did not explore Elusia much in Fell Xenologue. However, based off of the special dialogue, Fell Elusia still worships the Fell Dragon Sombron. King Hyacinth had tried to stop the ritual, but Fell Ivy killed him and used him as a sacrifice. Fell Ivy and Fell Hortensia do not have a good relationship. It seems that within the royal family, there were tensions. Fell Hortensia and her retainers had to keep from drawing attention to themselves.
We don't really know too much about Fell Solm, but based off of special dialogue, it seems to be a more serious and oppressive place. The way Fell Timerra talks makes it clear that Fell Solm took things seriously and did not have time to be carefree. When she speaks to Fogado, she says "It's been so long, Fogado... All I want to do is run up and embrace you. What a shameful impulse. I am a queen." It seems like they saw showing emotion as shameful.
This is what I was able to get from playing the Fell Xenologue, but there may be things I have missed. So if there is something, feel free to add to it!
My prejudgement of the engage cast: Firene edition
This is as of before I venture into chapter 3, so obviously I don’t actually know ANYTHING about anyone except what I’ve accidentally absorbed through fanart. This is all purely based on their appearance and the vibe.
I’ll reblog with what I actually think of them after I’ve finished the game, or have sufficient enough exposure to them (*☻-☻*)
(These are probably really harsh, I have unleashed my full prejudice)
Alfred
Probably going to be my blorbo
Husjshsja pretty little noodle, very scrunckle
A wet lettuce
Dimitri but make him cottagecore
Major pathetic Alear simp
Too kind for his own good
classic Lord
i want to put him in my washing machine
gay coded but all the ladies want him
allergic to mud
Boucheron
I already know I’m not gonna like him
Friendly neighbourhood patriotic buff man
Probably obsessed with healthy eating
popular with the gorls
looking at him makes me a bit angry
no personality other than to serve a trope
looks like a carpenter
donates food to the orphans then tried to “hide” it
Etie
Likes MLP unironically
A bit of a snobbish pretty Princess that’s going to complain
But we like her for that
Will have a crit line something like “yOu ruinEd mY bOw”
im going to end up liking her a lot
Cold hearted and apathetic until you get to know her
Ed sheeran’s sister
very intelligent when you give her the chance
will commit war crimes
Celine
Cliche waifu sweetheart
popular with straight people
She’s going to annoy me
the worse version of Etie
Nice for no reason
Sings all the time and won’t shut up
Is a Dead mother but has no children and is also alive
Has a slow, soothing voice but to the point that it’s dull
Has no personality beyond being upper class and naive
Louis
Is always late
wish version of Linhardt
loving the bed head
just a happy little guy awwww
I will love him and I will squeeze him
trying his best and it’s good enough
doesnt want a lot from life
has a tragic back story that makes him want to help people like his sister was tragically stabbed to death on the ides of march
Summary: You are a firebender named Ayushi, who has been accepted to guard over the royal family as a kyoshi warrior. You end up guarding Zuko through his travels to visit the sun warriors. The mission, protecting the newest dragons, begins.
You stood in the hallway of the palace. Your armor clung to your body. The moon took over the night sky. The windows were open, letting in the cool breeze from the summer night. Pitter patters of feet down the hall jerked your attention back to reality.
"Princess kiyi." You called out running after the footsteps. You caught up to the girl. "Princess, you should be asleep. What's wrong?" You kneeled down next to her.
"I'm scared. I can't sleep." She mumbles, then hugs into your body, pulling you in to comfort her. You immediately wrap your arms around her and hold her.
"What are you scared of?" You asked gently to the girl. You picked her up and walked back to her room.
"I had a bad dream about a dark spirit." She whines into your shoulder. Her tears were starting to roll.
"It was just a dream, Princess Kiyi. You don't have to be scared. How about I sit with you and tell you a story?" You smiled brightly as the girl wiped away her tears nodding her head.
You laid her down on her bed and tucked her back in. You sat and told the story of the little dragon named Kioko. He was a very adventurous little dragon who learned he had to rely on others for aid. He couldn't do everything by himself. It was a firenation tale you heard many times from your parents.
She had fallen asleep, and you pet her hair before slipping back out into the hallway.
The next morning, Ursa was tending to the very energetic girl. She had retold the dragon story to her mother. "Where did you hear this story from?" Her mother giggled at the girl as she continued to almost the end, but kiyi didn't know how it ended because she had fallen asleep.
"Ayushi told me! I was going to get ZuZu up to scare away the spirits, but Ayushi told me a good story, and the spirits went away." The girl smiled proudly.
Zuko ate the breakfast in front of him, not paying too much attention until his nickname was said. "You were scared last night?"
"Yes, but Ayushi made it better. Mommy, I want Ayushi to tell me the rest of the story tonight. Can she please?" She spoke up to her mother.
"You can ask her before dinner tonight." Her mother smiled pleased that one of the kyoshi warriors was being so kind to her daughter and not just being a fire nation guard that was heartless like the old days.
You woke up getting ready for the night shift. You had been guarding at night. It was a long shift, but it was important to look after the royal family. You had stopped your fair share of criminals from getting to them.
Your job was about to become more interesting. "Ayushi, dear, will you come here, please? Kiyi has a question to ask you." Ursa's voice sounded through the hall out from the throne room.
You entered the room and bowed to the firelord and to the royal family.
Kiyi ran up to you. You kneeled down, sitting on your knees to face her. Your face brightened as she laughed energetically.
"Can you tell me another bedtime story tonight?" She said as she got to you.
You nodded. "Of course, Princess Kiyi. I would love to."
The girl jumped in glee. She wrapped her arms around you with a smile. You hugged her back, and then she ran back to her mother happily.
"Ayushi, I asked Suki if it was okay for you to take a daytime shift so you could tell Kiyi a bedtime story every night before your shift ends so you could sleep during the night." Ursa politely spoke.
"Yes, of course. What times work for you, work for me." Your voice is calm and respectful.
"You can have the next two nights off to readjust to daytime." She offered happily.
"Yes, Lady Ursa, thank you." You bowed, and you were dismissed.
The bedtime came quickly. You changed out of your uniform into a casual yet presentable outfit for the royal palace. You walked to Princess Kiyi's room, but it was empty. You looked around the nearby halls. The young girl poked her head out of the fire lords chambers. "Ayushi, come in here. I want Zuzu to have a bedtime story, too." You hesitantly followed her into the room. It was fit for a ruler. The room was huge. The walls were a darker color, very comforting and cozy. The fire lit torches flickered, a fireplace warming the room to a comfortable temperature to your skin. Fire Lord Zuko laid in the bed he was in silk sleep wear. His hair was down and messy. It was a stark difference from the times you've seen him. He seemed to be much more relaxed.
"Zuzu, she is here. Are you excited about the story?" Lord Zuko chuckled. Yes, much more relaxed than you've ever seen him.
"Yes, I'm excited." He said as kiyi got into the bed and tossed the covers over herself.
You bowed when your eyes met Zuko's. "Lord Zuko, I'm happy to tell you a bedtime story with Princess Kiyi." You giggled softly at the situation at hand. You leveled your body back up. His lips were turned into a grin. "Thank you, Ayushi." His eyes were a gorgeous golden brown. Your cheeks brighten ever so slightly seeing the Fire Lord in such a casual place. You were one of the new kyoshi warriors. You had never been in contact with Zuko before he became the Fire Lord.
"You can come in and sit. What story are you telling us tonight?" He seemed so welcoming.
"I was going to tell the story of the princess and dragon beast." You sat at the edge of the bed.
"Is it about a princess like me?" Kiyi gasped.
"Yes, it is her name is Bealin. She falls in love with a prince."
She laid down and held onto a stuffed flying bison Avatar Aang had given her from the air temple that was being rebuilt.
You started telling the story to the young girl. You were at the part where the princess was having fun with the dragon beast playing in the snow when Zuko leaned over, checking his sister. She was fast asleep. "She's out." He said quietly.
"I can take her to her room." You started to get up. Zuko shook his head, "That's alright. I can take her." He paused. "This reminds me of when I was little. My mom told that story a lot to us when we were little."
"My mother told me it a lot too, but my favorite was sleeping beauty. I always thought I would be rescued by a prince with a dragon from the dark spirit." You giggled at your own naivete.
"I've seen dragons they are as incredible in person as they sounded in the story." He trailed remembering the time with the sun warriors.
"But they went extinct..." Your face fell into shock.
"No, I am bound in a secret of their location, but I assure you they are very much alive." He stood up, and you stood as he walked past you.
"That stays between us." He trails quietly.
"Yes, Lord Zuko. Can you tell me more about the dragons?" You ask softly, making sure no walls could hear your conversation. You felt such a connection to dragons since you were a child. You just brushed it off to just being a firebender, but your connection seemed higher than the rest of your classmates.
"Wait here." He spoke softly, picking up his sister and then disappearing out into the hall.
You sat back down on his bed. Your hand ran across the silk. It was so luxurious and soft against your skin. His bed was so comfortable. It was better than yours back in the kyoshi housing.
Zuko returned to his room, and he pulled off the top robe. His silk bottoms were loose fitting. Your eyes stole glances at his fit figure. He didn't seem to notice. He slipped back into the bed and sat down across from you.
"The dragons are huge. They towered over me. It was so humbling facing them. There is a sacred firebending form. That started from the first firebenders that learned from the dragons. The ones I saw were red and blue. They breathed the most amazing flames that were every color you could think of." He explained the dragons to you, cautious of the secrets he had to keep specifically the where.
"I am so jealous. My dream is to see dragons. That is all I could think about as a child." You sat comfortably talking with the Fire Lord. It was the first real casual conversation.
"Maybe one day I can take you to see them. You've been very kind to my sister, and you've dedicated your life to serving the kingdom. You've put your life on the line. I will need a personal body guard when I return to them. Consider it a gift." Zuko leaned back against the headboard. His body is on even more display. Your mind didn't notice as your dreams were coming to life. His body had no place in your mind at the moment. Your eyes widened at the thought of meeting real dragons.
"Lord Zuko, you would do that for me?" You leaned forward in complete awe that he would take you to see them. He nodded, chuckling at your reaction.
"Can you teach me the form? I would be honored to learn it." Your eyes were still full of wonder.
"Yes, I can show you tomorrow. Kiyi is going to want to hear the rest of the story. I can teach you tomorrow after she falls asleep." Zuko offered to you.
"Thank you so much, Lord Zuko." You bowed respectfully. "I don't think I could ever repay you..." You trailed.
"You don't have to. It's a gift, and showing you the form is a right to all traditional fire benders." He stretched and wrapped his hands behind his head.
Your eyes then took in the scenery. The pillows, the bed frame, Zuko in less than appropriate attire for a woman to be in his bed even if you were just sitting on top of the sheets a distance away from him.
"Thank you, Lord Zuko." You bow respectfully. You stood up and made your way to the door.
"Good night, Ayushi." Zuko called out to you as you opened the door.
"Good night, Lord Zuko." You exited into the hall to go back to your housing unit with the other warriors joining the others that completed their day guarding.
this is spinning off a post i reblogged to my main but i want to talk about fire emblem so im jumping in here fully aware that it will be somewhat incoherent and lacking context: what is the purpose of categorisation is not gleefully arbitrary distinctions. ok.
one thing that i have not seen mentioned in the criticisms of engage I've found (which doesn't negate their criticism in any way, i just want to tack this on) is any kind of closer reading or analysis of how engage creates and presents authority: who has it, why they have it, why they get to keep it, etc. which feels strange to me because the vast majority of the engage cast are either monarchs-in-waiting or their personal guards. the closest things engage has to representation of the common people are Jean (bourgeois doctor's son in training to be a doctor), yunaka and Anna i GUESS but i think engage Anna is one of the least coherent entries into the anna canon (annon)
everyone else is either a monarch (alear, alfred, céline, alcryst, diamant, ivy, hortensia, timerra, fogado, arguably veyle) [side note: it is so hard to remember these names off the dome but I'm doing it!] or directly employed by the monarchy (all the retainers obviously [including mauvier, if he calls her "Lady Veyle" there's a power differential] and also Saphir is a royal knight, Lindon was a royal priest, if there is anyone not covered by these categories they're either DLC or i forgot they existed) so you may think engage takes the general stance of "your boss has authority over you as part of your contract of employment", etc. well .
what engage actually says, over and over and over again, is that you're either born into authority or you're not. and that's it. alear is allowed to make life and death decisions for every single person they meet on the basis of their authority as Lumera's child despite being asleep for like a thousand years and knowing absolutely nothing about the world. alear's social power is granted on the basis of them being born into the correct family to wield it and the later revelations about the circumstances of alear's birth don't change that (mostly, i think, because engage had completely given up on the idea of characters knowing or not knowing information actually meaning anything for the story) so being APPARENTLY the right kind of birth is sufficient for your claims to authority to go unchallenged
"but tama," you might say, "alear is challenged all the time". yes! whenever alear expresses an opinion on their own emotional state, they are challenged on it. if alear says they feel scared and don't want to proceed with the suggested course of action, their advisors will immediately tell them their feelings do not matter and every single time alear says "oh ok" and does it because if they were allowed to say "no i really don't want to to fight these guys" then engage would have to provide a narrative that does not merely exist to propell the player between maps
alear is imbued with authority because they embody the authority of the state; they are not allowed any authority over their own physical and mental state. alear's body is not their own, it is the body of the Divine Dragon, an object of literal worship and it is not allowed in the text and the paratext of the game to be divorced from the functions of religion and state
states appear in engage ONLY through the persons of their royal families and it is made clear that the monarch has absolute authority over every aspect of their state. an attack on queen éve threatens all of firene. this is also demonstrated with the Queen of solm; military encroachments from elusia (personified in hortensia, who leads them) only matter to the story when the queen of solm is potentially threatened. we see nothing of the battles before hortensia reaches the inner castle, because as far as engage is concerned, they don't exist. the people of solm are not real people in any meaningful way for the story. the only threat that matters to the state is the threat to the monarch
and isn't that .... you know, isn't all that "the health of the leader is the health of the state" nonsense fashy as all hell???? especially when there is no authority beyond the authority of the state as embodied in its leader: there are no opposition political parties, there are no grass roots political movements, there are no possibly avenues of challenge! you are born into power and thus justified to use it however you see fit or you don't ever matter at all!!!
I’ve been wondering tho and it’s gonna be different from the usual asks…
What made you really like the Fates (both Hoshido and Nohr) royals and how can the Engage royals (Firene, Brodia, Elusia and Solm) could take cues from them?
This is actually a really good question and I kind of had to mull it over (also I wanted to wait until I got to my computer lol). Because honestly some of the Engage nobles do what some of the Fates nobles did, but out of the main nobles, the only one who I felt really made an impression was Diamant (and that's just not because I was desperate for someone to simp over XD). The other nobles ended up outshining their older siblings and honestly I feel have more impact like the Fates siblings do.
But here's why I think the Fates siblings stood out more: Because they were YOUR siblings. These were all characters who had pretty strong intros: The Nohrian siblings were all shown to be close to you and each other, and you get a sense of family right off the bat. You care about them so quickly because it's pretty clear that they care about you.
So what about the Hoshidan siblings? Well, despite the fact that they've been separated from you, they ALSO had pretty strong intros that showed they never stopped thinking about you or loving you when you disappeared.
And in each path, they're very clearly prominent in the story instead of just... talking without any kind of personality influencing what's going on. I've only played Birthright and Revelations, but in the case of Revelations, it's pretty clear that the Fates siblings get to be their own characters instead of just accessories to Alear's story. Your whole goal is trying to convince them to follow you; recruiting Ryoma and Xander takes time with how stubborn the both of them are (And it's pretty clear that it takes time for them to even trust each other, let alone form a bond like they do at the end of the game), but it's pretty influential to the story and they continue to play a role in aiding you (especially when it comes to Valla and having to face Sumeragi in battle).
I think Firene and Solm are actually the weakest of the kingdoms, because it's "Save mom and move on", while Brodia and Elusia actually have the more decent development to the story: Morion is used as bait to lure you in and THAT'S what causes the reveal of Sombron, the death of Hyacinth, and the loss of all your rings. Big key points in both the Brodian brothers' story and the Elusian sisters' story, especially when Hortensia goes through that major character arc of coping with her grief and doing what's right.
So for the Engage nobles, I think if Solm and Firene actually TRULY came back to be a part of the plot, maybe we'd get to see more decent characterization from Timerra and Alfred (and even more lore added to the already nicely developed Celine and Fogado). Diamant's already in a good position with how important getting Morion back is to the story, though Ivy could use a little more... something. Maybe more distrust of the other royals would be good for her character, since Elusia is constantly invaded by Brodia. Make her cold with the other royals and constantly disagreeing with everything they say, so that she has to work towards trusting others.
Alear first learns about King Morion from Alfred's introduction. Alfred describes him as an 'ambitious man' who is always launching attacks on Elusia to expand his own territory. In his introduction he also mentions that Firene is part of a non aggression pact with Brodia and Solm however getting Brodia to sign the pact took some doing. Right from the beginning Alear is given the impression that King Morion is a warmonger.
When they enter Brodia, the landscape and greeting does little to change that impression. Alear is nearly hit by an arrow fired by the youngest prince and his two retainers look like they want to kill him. Lapis even claims that Brodia is a kingdom of warriors, if Alear cannot dodge an arrow then they are not worthy enough to enter. The rugged landscape also adds to the atmosphere. This builds up the expectation of King Morion being a fearsome warrior, even if Alcryst is self deficating.
In the battle against Hortensia, she says that her father told her that Brodia is a 'greedy and barbaric country'. This description adds to the impression that King Morion is an inhuman, warmongering monster.
After Diamant introduces himself, his father shows up unannounced. The father and son role is reversed as King Morion is scolded by Diamant for leaving the castle. Alear mentions to Alfred that they are surprised by his friendliness. King Morion presents himself as informal, friendly and a family guy. His fatherly side is demonstrated by his eagerness to greet Alcryst who has arrived home and praises his son for his good work. The informal side is demonstrated by the way he goes to throw the Emblem ring to Diamant. Finally his friendliness and hospitality is demonstrated by the proposal of a welcoming duel and his sympathy for Firene's plight. Clearly he is a big personality and Diamant pressed the importance of him staying alive. Alear is shocked when King Morion goes to face King Hyacinth without the aid of an emblem ring. What Alear thinks beyond being shocked is unclear.
Alear only has a positive experience with King Morion. They witness him as a family man having heartfelt conversations with his sons who clearly show their love. Alear does not see the 'demon ' on the battlefield because they do not face him as an enemy. It is natural that Alear is upset when he is turned into one of the corrupted.
The blame for the return of Sombron
It is clear that King Morion's military action in Elusia caused the royal family to assist in the freeing of Sombron. In chapter 9, The Clash of Forces, King Hyacinth says;
'Your invasions of my country come at a very high price and now you will pay it.'
King Morion's policy of basing Brodia upon a war economy is what causes Sombron to be freed at that particular point in time. King Hyacinth was acting to defend his people. If Brodia hadn't been invading there would have been less urgency to free their god.
King Morion should not take the sole blame for Sombron's return. There are other factors such as:
Solm and Firene not pushing for Elusia to be involved in the non aggression pact.
Lumera not using her influence to encourage peaceful solutions
Fanatics of the Fell Dragon and Zephia's involvement.
I still think that Sombron would have returned even without Brodia's invasion. Zephia is fanatically loyal to Sombron and a powerful and influential mage dragon. Mauvier reckons that she could have been the Fell Dragon if Sombron hadn't existed. With her mind controlling abilities, her ability to lie and manipulate people and her renown, it is likely that she would eventually find a way. Sombron has her obeying him with the possibility of giving her a child when his ambitions are met. The fanatics of the church, an institution that engages in brainwashing, would have done everything possible to free their god.
Without Brodia's invasions it is likely that Sombron's awakening would have taken longer, potentially giving the surrounding countries an greater opportunity to stop any rituals, or at least to bolster their forces. Sombron would not have had easy access to sovereign blood. Elusia would have no reason to attack Brodia, therefore little opportunity to capture King Morion. In a way King Morion is the architect of his own downfall.
Why war?
It is impossible to say when Brodia started to attack Elusia and use their worship of the fell Dragon to dehumanise and fearmonger Elusia. Alcryst mentions that Brodia had been in conflict with Elusia for as long as he can remember. My hunch is that King Morion did not start the invasions nor the propaganda against Elusia, he carried on Brodia's single minded approach to war.
What changed to make Brodia go to war? For a time after the First Dragon War there was a period of peace. Here is my theory; Brodia is not an abundant country in the same way Firene is. The harsh climate makes agriculture difficult as well as the lower quality of soil. Lapis hints at a period of hardship like the potato famine. Brodia is based on Scotland and in 1846, in the Scottish Highlands, potato blight caused the widespread failure of potato crops. I reckon that wide scale crop failure in Brodia caused them to adopt warfare as a way to provide for their people. There could have been several periods of hardship in the 1000 years after the First Dragon War. It wouldn't be the first time the Fire Emblem creators have used infertility as a reason for war. In the two most recent Fire Emblem games before Engage, the Sreng attacked Faerghus to seek fertile land and Nohr, before Garon was possessed, conquered to supplement their resources. It is not unreasonable to believe that they would use a similar scenario again.
Grey?
King Morion fits nicely into the grey area character category. As a father it is clear that he adores his sons, he encourages them and they idolise him, but at the same time they are able to question his judgements. Diamant and Alcryst are allowed to speak freely. From the way Saphir talks about him it is clear that he looks after his loyal soldiers. He lifts spirits with tournaments, balls and feasts. He can be reasoned with, as proven by the signing of the non aggression pact.
As King, he is responsible for maintaining a competitive culture where 'the weak serve the strong', criminals can justify their crimes because it is believed that it is fine to take things by force, nobles can push for invasion to increase their wealth and Alcryst has a pessimistic attitude due to constant criticism. He is responsible for failing to adopt peaceful ways to improve Brodia's economy. His warmongering policies forced Elusia to retaliate by freeing Sombron. He also does nothing to change the negative opinions about Elusia, in fact he encourages such attitudes. Alcryst calls Elusia 'unpredictable and dangerous'. This attitude would have been learnt from his parents.
For a npc with a couple of chapters of screen time, he is multilayered and faceted. I think his informal nature contrasts nicely with Diamant. I also believe that Diamant's and Alcryst's ability to love, respect but at the same time criticise their father is a credit to their upbringing. He has many faults and has to take a large portion of the blame for Sombron's return but I like that he is not a one dimensional warmonger. He has warmth and likeability.
Spoilers for FE Engage 15+. Though, this game is way better at gameplay than it is with story, but the characters are all likable so I'm good.
I really appreciate how different all the nations and their castles and interiors look in this game. I adore Three Houses, but one thing I really wish they did was have more variety in the weather, landscapes, etc . . . This game nailed it.
Solm, a desert country, having waterfalls in their palace is such a good touch. Not only does it show that water would be valued in a place like this, but it's also flaunting the royal family's wealth and power, like a palace should.
I'm not sure I'll ever warm up to Veyle. She's a walking moe cliche. Mind control. Innocent cute loli type otherwise. But, hey, I didn't like Hortensia at one point but her VA sold me in the last chapter.
Does anyone else find it a bit funny that we're a dragon worshipped as a god with influence over the land and this is a good thing. It's like a giant middle finger to those people who tried to rewrite the entire history of the franchise around a certain character's not-so-great view of dragons.
Also worth noting that Brodia invading Elusia is seen as a universal bad and something Diamant's supports resolve around stopping. Just putting that out there.
Ivy/Diamant feels cannon to me. It makes too much sense.
Kagetsu is so awkward. I love him.
I feel like I just took half of my units and got them with level 5 with Byleth. Mentorship is too good not to stick on a few people, and it's cheap too.
I love how literally no one takes Hortensia seriously. It makes an otherwise grating character kind of cute.
Holy shit, Merrin laid it on thick for Chloe. Honestly, don't blame her. But she is not subtle, gave Chloe flowers, called her beautiful, then asked her to dinner. Homegirl's even willing to try and stomach Chloe's . . . uh "food" choices. And Chloe thinks Merrin is like a cool knight out of a fairy tale. 100% new ship happening.
So far I like AlearxAlfred, IvyxDiamant, CelinexAlcryst, and now ChloexMerrin.
Alfred and Boucheron's support went exactly like I imagined it would. Poor dude. Alfred would lose his mind meeting Dimitri, someone who's abnormally strong despite not looking like a hulk, but is still shredded.
Alfred is probably the only person in the world who would've be offended or weirded out when someone asked to lick the flowers he's wearing and also offer to get licked later. Otherwise, Bunet is weird.
Seadall is VERY hot. He's like Sothe and Navarre had a baby. Or like Navarre put Sothe's clothes on.
F!Alear confronting Veyle again had really good voice acting. As long as we ignore that everyone just stood around instead of attacking her. Gratned, it was un-brainwashed Veyle who wasn't attacking so I'll let it go. Maybe.
Doing Ike's prologue is making me feel things. The nostalgia is real.
I love so, so much that one of Byleth's canned dialogue in Somniel is "Nothing to report!" and his paralogue is the Holy Tomb. And most of his dialogue was about Rhea, lol.
Eirika, my beloved, she's finally coming to me 😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you, Rosado and Goldmary.
Rosado and Goldmary are both amazing. I want to use both, but I can't. There's just no room for both. But I think I'll use Goldmary because she's a bit better out of the box. She takes self-absorbed to hysterical new levels lol.
Anyone else think it's dumb that in Classic your units can die in the ring paralogues? It's like, oh bummer, Lyn/Corrin/etc just killed my healer who's the little sister of my mage, but our bonds are now stronger!
It feels extra sad seeing Firene get attacked. It's such a peaceful kingdom. It's nice to see Alfred back in the spotlight though. His lines about how these are just farmers and not soldiers reminds me a lot of Dimitri after Lonato.
I love how often the villains chit-chat with the heroes before and after battles, but like they never attack or threaten each other.
So mean that they're making Ivy and Hortensia fight their own dad :(
So I didn't start ch 17 after seeing the dialogue because it was too late and I didn't realize it, but I'm seeing the world map now and it's on fire :(
FYI, put Corrin on Alear. She/he can use all of the Dragon Vein terrain bonuses. I know most classes are locked to one type or another. I don't know if there's any other exceptions like Alear, but man I'm loving using this ring on Alear.
Alfred just did 5 criticals in a row. You think enemies would wise up and quit attacking him, but no. He is pissed off right now.
Alfred deserved that MVP. Boy put in the work.
Haha, they lost a ring. Wonder who I got back? And Veyle threw us another one? Nice! She got some points back despite being a character archtype I'm not about.
SIGURD! Fuck yes. Everyone's getting Canto. And Lief. Less exciting, but I'll take it. Jugdral boys are back.