Fic Update: "To Freely Serve, Part Four" / Game Novelization Wibbles

sailorvfan10 , this is your fault.  I've been sitting on this chapter since JUNE of last year, but since you mentioned Norne-epics... 

Well.

Anyway, at this point this story's been out there for the better part of two years.  It's not that I don't know where it's going-- the final chapter is already done and I have no intention of changing it.  The problem is the whole uneasy situation regarding "continuity" as far as Archanea games are concerned.  This was begun before FE12 was announced, much less released, and FE12 canon claims that Norne and Athena and Horace and the other gaiden-chapter weirdoes were rubbing shoulders with the old-school members of the Archanean League.  Hell, even Nagi apparently fits into the continuity somehow, which hurts my head to even think about.

( Musings and 'fic spoilers )

But, anyway, since I have strong opinions about that odd beast known as the Game Novelization, I feel obliged to lay my cards on the table to explain what I was trying for with my entry into the novelization game.

1) Pick a minor character, a bit player, as viewpoint character.  If I wanted to follow Marth around for the entire story, I'd replay the game.  A supporting character offers a potentially fresh view of the game events.
2) Keep in mind that character's limited perspective and likely activities.  Norne is not hanging out with the whole cast of characters.  She's not with Marth every second, and she doesn't know everything, much less understand everything she does see.  She's not a noble, she's not even a proper knight, and she's Altean to the core.  She sticks with her people.
3) Don't cover every chapter and plot point of the game.  It's OK to skip over some of the bandit encounters, you know?  Also, what's relevant to Norne?  Taking back Altea, dammit.  Not the rest of the crazy stuff.  Conquer Macedon?  Why the hell do we want to do that?
4) Show no mercy.  Characters get maimed and characters die.  Norne will lose friends.
5) This is not the best time for a teenage romance.  Which does not mean that some characters aren't relieving their stress by making out in the bushes.  People are people, and we all have slightly different reactions to extreme situations.  But don't expect a kissy-kissy love fest.

Yeah.  If I think of something else, I'll add another point.  

Happy Fun Fanart Spammage

 As penandpaper71  inspired me to go diving through Pixiv, I decided it was time for a reminder that, while fanfic Archanea is a miserable place, fanART Archanea is the land of images like this.  Because Hardin and the Wolfsguard are all about fun, games, and vegetables.

Remember how hooves  traumatized us all with awful bucktooth Abel from FE1?

Here's a far nicer image of Palla/Abel/Est, with bonus Catria.  This is the pic that makes me think of Ranma1/2, with Catria as a bored Nabiki.

Cain seems irked by Abel's popularity.  Wish I knew what was going on in the dialogue.

Meanwhile, Roger just can't win.

Creepy Castor, Perky Norne...

I'm guessing Feena gave everyone makeovers…

I so want to see a translation of this one.  "My Wife Is My Life"?

The Adventures of Matthis.  Looks like a good/bad idea for a spinoff series.

That's it for now.  Maybe daily doses of fanart spam will lighten the mood a little.  Except I sort of twitch every time I see characters like Katarina and Kleine, so maybe not.