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Fire Emblem: Irrelevant Women
Nov. 1st, 2009 12:14 pm I feel ambivalent about Lyn. Not because of gameplay, not because of the whole Sacaen "otherness" issue, though I'm ambivalent about that on its own merits. No, my issue with Lyn is this: Intelligent Systems created a character who is essentially irrelevant in terms of her own universe, and then demanded the player spend a great deal of time investing in this character. And, of course, the irrelevant character is the female one. Hector and Eliwood have preset destinies that lend some depth to what the player sees of them in FE7. Anything they do, say, or make out with in FE7 carries a shadow, even if the worldwide audiences who encountered Rekka no Ken as Fire Emblem didn't necessarily know it. Lyn, though, can be retconned into FE6 only as a ghost or a cipher.
Fate #1: Lyn marries Eliwood and becomes Roy's Dead Mom, a role played just as easily by Fiora.
Fate #2: Lyn marries Hector and becomes Lilina's Dead Mom. This one makes a little more sense, as Caelin is subsumed into Ostia anyway. Still not very satisfying.
Fate #3: Lyn goes away with Rath and arguably ends up as Sue's Dead/Missing Mom. At least, she and Rath have a daughter, who is assumed to be Sue, whose parents play no role in FE6.
Fate #4: Lyn goes back to the plains, with or without Kent, and is lost to history. I can see why people gravitate to this, as it is the only fate that doesn't assume or imply Lyn's premature death.
But the effect of all of this is very strange. Lyn's fight for her rightful destiny as heiress of Caelin, her bond with her grandfather and his vassals-- none of that matters in the long run. Lyn renounces the birthright that people died for, and Caelin loses its independence. I guess that's a win for self-actualization, but it seems to fit the pattern of FE women who allow people to fight and die in their name and then bail on their responsibilities (hello, Empress Nyna).
Speaking of irrelevant women, Eirika's Route and Ephraim's Route should have had different endings in FE8. Either that, or this whole Restoration King/Restoration Queen business should've been explained a bit more. Eph Route should've had the ending wherein Ephraim learns to accept his responsibilities and becomes a dutiful king. Eir Route ending should've have Ephraim handing over Renais to his sister and then going down to keep order in occupied Grado. Otherwise the whole Restoration Queen thing doesn't make much sense. Brother/sister co-rulership is a weird enough thing to see in a pseudo-European nation that the possibility of it demands some backstory, which I don't see anywhere.
Fate #1: Lyn marries Eliwood and becomes Roy's Dead Mom, a role played just as easily by Fiora.
Fate #2: Lyn marries Hector and becomes Lilina's Dead Mom. This one makes a little more sense, as Caelin is subsumed into Ostia anyway. Still not very satisfying.
Fate #3: Lyn goes away with Rath and arguably ends up as Sue's Dead/Missing Mom. At least, she and Rath have a daughter, who is assumed to be Sue, whose parents play no role in FE6.
Fate #4: Lyn goes back to the plains, with or without Kent, and is lost to history. I can see why people gravitate to this, as it is the only fate that doesn't assume or imply Lyn's premature death.
But the effect of all of this is very strange. Lyn's fight for her rightful destiny as heiress of Caelin, her bond with her grandfather and his vassals-- none of that matters in the long run. Lyn renounces the birthright that people died for, and Caelin loses its independence. I guess that's a win for self-actualization, but it seems to fit the pattern of FE women who allow people to fight and die in their name and then bail on their responsibilities (hello, Empress Nyna).
Speaking of irrelevant women, Eirika's Route and Ephraim's Route should have had different endings in FE8. Either that, or this whole Restoration King/Restoration Queen business should've been explained a bit more. Eph Route should've had the ending wherein Ephraim learns to accept his responsibilities and becomes a dutiful king. Eir Route ending should've have Ephraim handing over Renais to his sister and then going down to keep order in occupied Grado. Otherwise the whole Restoration Queen thing doesn't make much sense. Brother/sister co-rulership is a weird enough thing to see in a pseudo-European nation that the possibility of it demands some backstory, which I don't see anywhere.
