Top Eleven Fire Emblem Characters (11)
Jan. 29th, 2012 10:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mark_asphodel Boy, raphiael has some good memes going on her tumblr, and some really good material posted to cover them. I stole this one, too.
Top Eleven Fire Emblem Characters. The catch here is that I'm not bringing headcanon or ficcing potential into it, so a character whose appeal to me derives largely from what they could be instead of what they are on the screen (Lilina), or who annoy me onscreen but are redeemed by meta and fanfic (Eirika) will not place highly. Or place at all.
#11: Serra and Lute (tie)
I'd read piles of fanfiction involving Serra before playing FE7, and in almost every fanfic, I loathed Serra. Shrill, shallow, loud-mouthed, deliberately obnoxious... no thanks. Upon playing FE7, I realized Serra was the victim of gross mischaracterization at the hands of fandom. Yes, she can be shrill. Yes, she is a manipulative little minx. Yes, in some aspects, she's flat-out delusional, or at the very least consciously trying to fool herself and everyone else. But the chinks in her facade show plainly (especially in her supports with Hector) give her a poignancy and depth that, IMO, the other "flaky staff chicks" don't have.
And no, she's not the original flaky staff chick. I would argue, based on design and their darn-near identical death quotes (death is annoying!), that she's an expy of FE3's daft little Malliesia... except the single-minded fixation on getting swept off her feet by the local Lord has, in Serra's case, been broadened and deepened into a bundle of "issues" on class and status and her very value as a person. Malliesia needs to grow up. Serra isn't really after vassals and buckets of jewels so much as she needs outside confirmation that she's not human rubbish who was stashed in an orphanage because her parents didn't love her.
A wonderful character, handled poorly by fandom. IMO.
And then we have Lute. She is, aslyndis as pointed out, basically trolling her way through life. She doesn't get people and doesn't attempt to understand them on their own terms, because her terms of understanding are the only ones she finds relevant. She studies bugs and has a head packed full of facts and arcane lore. She'd just as soon converse with a pegasus in place of a human being. She reminds me of my mother. She reminds me of myself about fifteen years ago. I didn't much care for FE8 at first, but I reacted in a positive way to her from the get-go, and in spite (or because?) of her flaws, I adore Lute.
And I ship her with Kyle something fierce.
I would probably not want to spend time with either of these girls in real life, which is why they're down at eleven.
raphiael has some good memes going on her tumblr, and some really good material posted to cover them. I stole this one, too. Top Eleven Fire Emblem Characters. The catch here is that I'm not bringing headcanon or ficcing potential into it, so a character whose appeal to me derives largely from what they could be instead of what they are on the screen (Lilina), or who annoy me onscreen but are redeemed by meta and fanfic (Eirika) will not place highly. Or place at all.
#11: Serra and Lute (tie)
I'd read piles of fanfiction involving Serra before playing FE7, and in almost every fanfic, I loathed Serra. Shrill, shallow, loud-mouthed, deliberately obnoxious... no thanks. Upon playing FE7, I realized Serra was the victim of gross mischaracterization at the hands of fandom. Yes, she can be shrill. Yes, she is a manipulative little minx. Yes, in some aspects, she's flat-out delusional, or at the very least consciously trying to fool herself and everyone else. But the chinks in her facade show plainly (especially in her supports with Hector) give her a poignancy and depth that, IMO, the other "flaky staff chicks" don't have.
And no, she's not the original flaky staff chick. I would argue, based on design and their darn-near identical death quotes (death is annoying!), that she's an expy of FE3's daft little Malliesia... except the single-minded fixation on getting swept off her feet by the local Lord has, in Serra's case, been broadened and deepened into a bundle of "issues" on class and status and her very value as a person. Malliesia needs to grow up. Serra isn't really after vassals and buckets of jewels so much as she needs outside confirmation that she's not human rubbish who was stashed in an orphanage because her parents didn't love her.
A wonderful character, handled poorly by fandom. IMO.
And then we have Lute. She is, as
lyndis as pointed out, basically trolling her way through life. She doesn't get people and doesn't attempt to understand them on their own terms, because her terms of understanding are the only ones she finds relevant. She studies bugs and has a head packed full of facts and arcane lore. She'd just as soon converse with a pegasus in place of a human being. She reminds me of my mother. She reminds me of myself about fifteen years ago. I didn't much care for FE8 at first, but I reacted in a positive way to her from the get-go, and in spite (or because?) of her flaws, I adore Lute.And I ship her with Kyle something fierce.
I would probably not want to spend time with either of these girls in real life, which is why they're down at eleven.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-29 04:52 pm (UTC)As far as Lute is concerned, she's quirky, but I don't really care much for her except as a unit, aha. I don't think I'd want to be with either of them irl either, though.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-30 01:39 am (UTC)If crap fanon were crimes, fanon!Serra would be a felony.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-29 05:35 pm (UTC)Sadly, I have to agree that I wouldn't enjoy spending time in the company of either lady-- I could maybe deal with Lute more, but the thing about Lute is, is she secretly amused at her trolling? Does she realize that she's trolling through life? Or is she just going on auto-pilot? Because honestly, I get the feeling that she finds just about nothing genuinely funny when she does it-- she just...does it. In which case, she'd be really dull (and maybe a bit frightening) to be around.
But TBH Lute is probably my favorite FE8 character. Maybe. Not sure. But probably. (Actually I have no idea.)
And well, everyone knows I like Serra. But the young version of her? No way could I put up with that in person. Would drive me nuts.
no subject
Date: 2012-01-29 06:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-01-29 07:16 pm (UTC)I think there's some possibility that she's being an intentional troll with Ross, but otherwise, I'd say that's just how she functions. However... I dunno, she kind of views people as a big science experiment, or an ant farm. So provoking different reactions in people might just be part of how she experiences life.
There's a reason Kyle's friends are "disturbed by his choice in brides." :/
no subject
Date: 2012-01-30 12:00 pm (UTC)Not as many know that I rather like Lute, too.