FE13 Update: To Chapter 11

[mark_asphodel]

And here I will pause because I had almost no time to play yesterday and won't get another chance 'til tonight.  I've been busy cooking, cleaning, astronomizing, and playing in the Internet Test Kitchen.

One thing to add on the front end-- I was taken aback with Sully being the Lance Cav when I played the demo because after Sain, Oscar, Abel, and Rody, I'd gotten used to the Green Cav being lance specialists.  Nice to mix it up every once in a while, I guess.  She's at A-rank now and Stahl's at B for swords.

I've started promoting once characters hit Level 15, so now I have a Level 17 Grandmaster Robin.

OK.  So, the plot's barreling along, and now I have my dancer.  As I said, originally I was thinking of Chrom/Olivia, but you have all of one chapter to get them to C-support, and if he's at C or higher with Sumia, Maribell, or Sully, they bump Olivia.  If he's at B or higher with those ladies or female Robin, Olivia's out of luck.  I'll pair her with Henry anyway, as that support looked like it offered actual character development.

I'm still playing semi-blind, but since I knew who was recruitable and who wasn't, Chapter 10 didn't fool me.  Otherwise I might have mistaken that chapter's boss for the Honorable Recruitable Old Dude, aka the Lorenz.  I don't think we get one of these in this game, which is sad 'cause I like that archetype.  I guess Old Dudes are not sexy enough to be makin' the Gen 2 babies?

Oh yes.  Chrom and Sully got married.  She proposed to him.  I like it.  <3

Stahl/Cordelia and Gregor/Nowi at B.  Robin/Anna at C.  Lon'qu/Maribell is just not happening for some reason so I'll put Lissa back in rotation to boost her with Frederick.  I need to get Owain because he has a fake Mystletainn.  :)

[Stahl can support with Kellam (benched) and Donnel (benched) and Frederick supports with Virion (LOL) but they can't support one another?  Boo hiss.]

Anyway, Stahl's a real sweetie, and I can't even recall what I read in the fan-translated supports that annoyed me.  As for Frederick, I know damn well what annoyed me in his fan-supports, and he's so appealing in the main game itself[*] that again I wish I'd never read the stupid things.  Hell, now he's even got a full-on case of Knight Failure Angst, so he's totally back in my good books until I unlock something that makes me feel otherwise.

* But stop cleaning up gravel constantly, k'thx.

A word about Sumia.  Cordy's my main peg knight but I use Sumia now and again 'cause I want Cynthia from Gen 2 and now there's no chance she can swoop in and bag Chrom.  But man, I do not like her.  Saving Chrom in that cut scene was fine, but counterbalancing that is... everything else about her characterization and the specific "trope" she fits.  No.  I already saw some whining over on tumblr about "Wah, don't talk up how cool Sully is so you can hate on Sumia and bash Chrom/Sumia."  Sorry, little children.  I find Sumia dislikable in the extreme, and she earned that on her own, and while I was biased toward Sully back when she was "Soiree" she got into my affections on her own, and I don't have to like a character just because it appears I'm jumping on some new Chrom/Sully bandwagon by favoring one over the other.

It is permissible to not like Sumia.  I don't like Ninian either.  And whiteknighting and whining about character "bashing" is never, not ever, going to change my opinion.   

Comments

[solmedes]

Astronomizing? =o

*--I'll pair her with Henry anyway, as that support looked like it offered actual character development.--*

Alas, their fanlated [C] support turned me off Henry by having him press one of my red buttons. I'm now wondering if the localization will change it.

Even without that, his trope doesn't appeal to me. Stepford Smiler with cruelty potential? Not my cup of tea unless I'm going to be killing him.


*--Otherwise I might have mistaken that chapter's boss for the Honorable Recruitable Old Dude, aka the Lorenz.--*

Said boss actually made quite an impression on me. FE's fond of playing his particular card, of course, but for me it didn't always succeed at evoking sympathy; in some cases (FE8's Selena), it's had the opposite effect. I felt for this guy right away, though. Definitely wouldn't have minded recruiting him.


*--I guess Old Dudes are not sexy enough to be makin' the Gen 2 babies?--*

Depends on your taste. Me, I think he's pretty darn decent-looking, speaking as a guy. I wouldn't have minded getting the chance to pair him up with folks.

(I mean, we all know how awesome Hannibal/Patty was, right?)


*--Oh yes. Chrom and Sully got married. She proposed to him. I like it. <3--*

I can't remember if this happened in the original/fanlation or not, though I want to say it did? I like it too, though. <3


*--As for Frederick, I know damn well what annoyed me in his fan-supports, and he's so appealing in the main game itself[*] that again I wish I'd never read the stupid things.--*

He's that different? =o I'm gonna have to check this out.


*--But stop cleaning up gravel constantly, k'thx.--*

I don't remember seeing anything like that in the alternative translation sources, so...I'm gonna have to wonder what the inspiration was for that addition. o_o


*--I need to get Owain because he has a fake Mystletainn. :)--*

Seriously? Holy heck. =o


*--I already saw some whining over on tumblr about "Wah, don't talk up how cool Sully is so you can hate on Sumia and bash Chrom/Sumia."--*

...That's some funny logic there, internet.

[mark_asphodel]

Alas, their fanlated [C] support turned me off Henry by having him press one of my red buttons. I'm now wondering if the localization will change it.

I got that support last night and I believe it to have been toned down, yeah. The Olivia supports seemed to enlighten Henry a little, which is why they grew on me.

Depends on your taste. Me, I think he's pretty darn decent-looking, speaking as a guy. I wouldn't have minded getting the chance to pair him up with folks.

(I mean, we all know how awesome Hannibal/Patty was, right?)

Hah! I need to write that Corple + Stepmom!Patty story sometime.

I was being mostly sarcastic, though-- this game seems to feature the Young and the Pretteh to an unprecedented degree. It seems like another regressive step-- oh, our token Old Guy is GREGOR? C'mon, that dude's probably my age.

I don't remember seeing anything like that in the alternative translation sources, so...I'm gonna have to wonder what the inspiration was for that addition. o_o

That's his stock action when he's placed on a sparkly EXP tile-- cleaning gravel.

Seriously? Holy heck. =o

Yep!

[raphiael]

I wanted so bad to like Sumia based on those cutscenes, and she's turning out to be a pretty good unit for me, but. . . I really, really don't like her. This is looking to be a fairly common opinion, so I guess I don't blame people for reacting against critique of her, especially considering the crap certain heroines get from fandom years later. But there's a huge difference between not liking a character and talking about that and going on and on and ON about how they're the worst ever, or getting up in people's spaces about how their favorite is actually awful or whatever.

Also sad that Stahl and Frederick can't support, even though I expected stupid decisions like that from the get-go. It's more important that they each be able to have kids with near every female, I guess. :\ Disappointed that Stahl and Chrom don't really talk either, at least not to my knowledge.

[mark_asphodel]

Also sad that Stahl and Frederick can't support, even though I expected stupid decisions like that from the get-go

So why's Fred hanging out with Virion? Oh well. I mean, lack of conversations between Stahl and Frederick ain't a deal-breaker, but I am a little miffed by it.

[samuraiter]

Sumia is rather fragile, but that isn't unusual for a Peg Knight. I get the sense that the game is nudging her towards Chrom, and, though that might be a nod to something resembling canon for later, I'm not obliged to go with the suggestion, so ... Chrom / Miriel. Don't know what to do with Sumia just yet. And, really, I'm having fun just reading Virion's Supports with other people. (Not putting him with Sully. Might have her go with Stahl. Because I'm also really liking him.)

[raphiael]

Wait, do they even support. . .? I thought Chrom's marriages were Sully, Sumia, Maribelle, and Olivia?

[mark_asphodel]

As far as I know, Chrom/Miriel is impossible.

May I add that the selection of ladies that Chrom CAN marry adds to my view of him as Mr. Everything Bagel? Peg Knight? Check. Troubadour? Check. Dancer? Check. Red Cav? A shout-out to Kent and Forde, perhaps, but CHECK. Oh, and the swordy-magicky-Other Protagonist girl who seems more like a (bastard) descendant of Celica than a true self-insert.

[samuraiter]

Without Miriel, I'm not sure who I want to slap on Chrom, since Sully's gonna get her Stahl on, Sumia's the one the game shoves at him, and taking Maribelle away from Lissa really doesn't feel right to me. (That last might happen anyway; I haven't seen anybody on my FL doing Chrom / Maribelle yet.) And several people are already going for Olivia.

[amielleon]

You know, the more I think about Swordy-Magicky-Other Protagonist Girl the more she confounds me in terms of archetypes. Her trope is so, so common in JRPGs and yet it's not something FE does very often. The closest it miiiiiight come is Ninian, and yet the differences are vast.

[mark_asphodel]

Yeah, it's strange. Even when you use a male Robin it's very strange; Kris was nothing like this.

[mark_asphodel]

Actually, you're obliged to go with suggestions where Chrom is concerned. He's the one dude in the game with limited marriage options. You can have the Peg Knight, the Troubadour, the Red Cav, the Dancer, or the Self-Insert. Archetype violations need not apply.

[samuraiter]

*facepalm*

Well, that explains why the little hearts weren't appearing. How do I Fire Emblem?

I either need more sleep or more coffee.

....

On the up side, this means I've discovered a pairing that can only happen in 'fic. :-) It's a start!

[amielleon]

I should mention, or rather clarify, that first class units (Tactician, Mage, etc) are generally promoted at 10 because that's when they learn the last first-class skill. In the long run, early promotion means they get more skills for their exp, especially since total-levels-gained seems to be a major factor in exp gained even after use of the second seal. And several of the second class skills are quite worth having.

(Mmmm, Bowbreaker on a flying unit...)

Btw what was annoying in Fred's fan-supports?

[mark_asphodel]

In that case I'll promote a bunch more of them before I play any more chapters.

Frederick came across as a Training Freak ad absurdum- Cain from FE12 ramped up to the max. I was deeply disappointed.