Random Fandom Roundup

[mark_asphodel]

 Things I contemplated during my two-hundred-and-fifty (250!) mile roundtrip commute in the ice today:

1) If Archanea/Valencia/Jugdral take place on the same planet as Tellius (which I personally don't believe), then the destruction of the other continents can't happen at anytime remotely close to the gameplay era.  IIRC, the math works out so that FE4/5 have to happen approximately 1100 years prior to FE1/2/3.  But we know from the ending of FE2 that the dynasty Alm and Cellica establish on Valencia endures for at least 1,000 years.  If any sort of ocean apocalypse happened, Valencia would be the first thing wiped out-- Archanea is (we think) a far larger archipelago with mountains in excess of 1500 meters high (per FE3).  If Valencia survives, then Archanea and Jugdral wouldn't be affected either.  So either the Tellius games are in the far, FAR future of Planet Fire Emblem (or VERY distant past), or they don't take place on the same planet.

Or the other continents were never swamped to begin with.

2) So were Abel and Est actually married or not?  Relationship chart, you confuse me.  Abel, if you loved that girl so much that you were willing to Betray the Cause for her, yet couldn't be bothered to make an honest woman out of her... then what the hell is your problem?

3) Looking back over my former fandoms reminded me of all the stupidity from those days that I forget about when I'm being all nostalgic about the Good Old Days of recs pages and essential archives.  Things like people squabbling over who got to be miko of this, or miko of that.  People having to maintain lists of who was "officially" the Keeper of The Hairpick in Duo's Braid or the Keeper of Heero's Gym Shoes.  People who overdosed on Fushigu Yuugi tacking "no da" onto the end of very damned sentence.

4) Eine is such a crappy assassin.  How hard is it, really, to kill Marth using magic?  She can't have been trying very much, or at all, because a ten-year-old armed with a Thunder tome should've been able to pull that one off.

5) I had something else on par with the geekiness of #1, but the nap I took on getting home pushed it out of my brain.  Will edit if I recall it.  ETA: I remember now.  It was something to do with Alteans being losers.  Not the playable ones, the whole country.

Comments

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

So were Abel and Est actually married or not?

Started up my rom to check and yeah, apparently the relationship chart just says lovers*. Which is most certainly different from the Hardin/Nyna connection, which explicitly says "married". I'd have to go through the script to check further, but to my recollection I guess there wasn't any specific reference to their marriage, was there? Or was it implied in one of the endings? Hmmm.



Oh, I see. Abel's ending says he was to be married soon... so engaged, maybe? I suppose FE2 must have thrown a wrench in their plans, although trying to make sense of all this as well as Palla's feelings and Est's apparent lack of them in FE2 makes my head hurt.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

If Abel was planning to marry FE2!Est...

No. The mind boggles.

Also, what is UP with these characters and their multi-year "engagements"? Nobody can just, you know, get married, apparently. Except the wrong people.

[shimizu-hitomi.livejournal.com]

Yeahhhhh I don't get it either. :/ The whole situation was much easier to stomach when it was presented as a choice between wife and country as opposed to... I don't know what.

"What the hell, Abel," indeed.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

"What the hell, Abel," indeed.

So, I guess he's just a gutless loser now like half the other canon characters.

[myaru.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, I remember those old fandom days! I'm so glad they're over and buried in the Wayback Machine.

Re: Tellius and its ocean apocalypse, the implication is that all the places people thought were submerged were not. FE10 introduces characters from Hatari, which was supposed to have been destroyed, and likewise the people in Hatari thought that Tellius had been destroyed until Rafiel (heron) fell into their collective lap. My guess is, it's just that nobody on Tellius has been able to sail, fly, or walk far enough to see for themselves. There are huge deserts, and I don't even know about their naval technology. Politics didn't really encourage exploration, either.

Technically it's possible. But likely? I don't think so either. The mythology and the history of their racial evolution suggests a definite no, as we don't see anything like the Zunanma on Archanea. Also, dragons of the sort we see in the older games don't exist on Tellius.

I can go on about this forever, but I thought the flood was more like a series of destructive storms. Just my theory, though.

[samuraiter.livejournal.com]

^^^ Myaru and I are thinking along the same lines, though I fall on the side of thinking that Tellius is on the same planet. Still collating my thoughts on that. :-)

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

OK. That makes more sense.

I still think they're on different planets, for all the reasons you outline. If anything, I believe Hitomi's theory that the TearRing Saga games are on the FE1/2/3 planet is more likely.

[hooves.livejournal.com]

Or the other continents were never swamped to begin with.

I actually like this idea, and I will probably run with this in my headcanon (because dear God it's already forming, though I have no idea why). Maybe A continent was swamped-- think a continent like Japan or China, not as big as like, Russia, but big enough that it'd be very noticeable should it happen.

Perhaps whatever was flooded and ruined was close enough that it was one of or THE ONLY other known continent. Or perhaps what was sunken/flooded was a series of small islands/etc. If that is all people THINK exists... Well, they would assume "all continents" had been flooded.

Also, for example, they might not decide to explore of their own free will. Not much fun and honestly, it'd be considered a waste of time. On the ocean, even a bird laguz would die too far from land/if any trouble befell the ship, say, they ran out of food/etc.

/babbles incoherently

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

The Abel/Est thing is weird. Abel is not coming out of this game well at all, but there is nothing new there. It appears that, if I like the character, then they've been diminished to the point that I have trouble dealing with it, with the possible exception of Caeda and Palla, who might have escaped with mildly less damage then the rest (At least, I don't recall anything that has truly offended me in their characterization the way I have with Marth, Catria, Cain, Minerva, etc).

And, because I've always been fond of Cain's and Abel's friendship, I was disappointed that there is no connecting line between Abel and Cain at all. I mean, My Unit and Katarina get "trust" (They've known each other... five minutes before she goes evil?) and Cain and Abel... don't appear to know each other (Well, outside of the support data, but that all makes my head hurt by this point). I mean, it's irrational, but taking in the account the lack of conversations has caused me to wonder if I read entirely too much into their relationship to start off with. I'm not pleased, but that's not new.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

It appears that, if I like the character, then they've been diminished to the point that I have trouble dealing with it

Yeah. I got a review for "Lucky Horseshoes" today and went, "Yeah, I liked that. Why didn't I continue that story?" Then I remembered I was working on it when I read the translation part where MyUnit and Jagen tell Marth to run away after the battle at the Bridge of Chiasmir... and Marth listens to them. And the wave of disgust that hit me at that memory reminded me of exactly why I couldn't go any further in FE12-inspired anything at the time.

I think that was where my attitude went from :/ to >:[

At least, I don't recall anything that has truly offended me in their characterization the way I have with Marth, Catria, Cain, Minerva, etc

No. I don't recall anything specifically off-putting about Palla other than the company she's keeping (creepy!Catria and weepy!Minerva). As for Caeda, the main hit to her reputation is the Talysian rebels capturing her in the downloadable chapter, at least from what I've seen so far.

Cain and Abel... don't appear to know each other

They had to have known one another. Exile in Talys and all that. Even if they didn't know one another before then.

but taking in the account the lack of conversations has caused me to wonder if I read entirely too much into their relationship to start off with.

It certainly is... disconcerting. I mean, if we have to resort to the manga and anime to get a taste of their friendship...

Sigh.

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

As for Caeda, the main hit to her reputation is the Talysian rebels capturing her in the downloadable chapter, at least from what I've seen so far.

Considering how poorly a number of the characters have faired in FE12, I'll consider that a win. It's not great, but having her captured once isn't awful (Assuming that she's still Caeda and not some damsel in distress). As some of the other characterization proves, it could have been far worse. *shrugs*

They had to have known one another. Exile in Talys and all that. Even if they didn't know one another before then.

Admittedly, I exaggerated a bit (I was in an overly dramatic mood :P), but I do wonder if IS is trying to downplay or gloss over their supposed friendship- sort of the way that they appear to be glossing over Palla's crush on Abel (or perhaps it was never really there to start off with in the games- after all, they can easily know each other and fight together without being friends or being terribly concerned about each other, which upsets me and suddenly makes the supports in FE11 concerning that pair make even less sense).

I mean, if we have to resort to the manga and anime to get a taste of their friendship...

>_<

I have to say that I've never cared for a lot of the characterization in the manga and that applies to the dynamic behind their friendship in there too (and Cain's characterization in general). At least, that's what I recall. I haven't looked at the manga for a while and I was only able to find translations of the early volumes, so my impressions could be mistaken. It would make me quite sad if that turned into the best source for information on their friendship.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

or perhaps it was never really there to start off with in the games- after all, they can easily know each other and fight together without being friends or being terribly concerned about each other, which upsets me and suddenly makes the supports in FE11 concerning that pair make even less sense

If not for FE2, I'd wonder about that myself. But FE2 is unequivocal evidence that Abel meant a great deal to Palla on some level, at least at that time. In the moment of her death she thinks of him and not of her sisters? And regrets not being able to return? And then FE3 in its roundabout way appears to enforce that.

I don't know why IS decided to waaaay ramp up Linde's crush on Merric (which before was a matter of some contention) or do what they did with Catria's feelings for Marth (ditto) while downplaying Palla-->Abel... unless, as Hitomi has theorized, they wanted to make the Abel/Est matchup more appealing and Palla was an obstacle.

FE12 has not succeeded in making Abel/Est one jot more appealing. Quite the reverse.

And the support network is just a big ball of @#$%.

[penandpaper71.livejournal.com]

If not for FE2, I'd wonder about that myself. But FE2 is unequivocal evidence that Abel meant a great deal to Palla on some level, at least at that time. In the moment of her death she thinks of him and not of her sisters? And regrets not being able to return? And then FE3 in its roundabout way appears to enforce that.

That part was actually discussing Abel and Cain's connection, although I apologize because I wasn't terribly clear. I certainly don't deny that Palla is definitely interested in Abel in FE3, considering what we see in FE2 and FE3. FE12 does indeed appear to being to try to downplay Palla's feelings for some reason. I might argue that, perhaps, they were trying to lighten the mood by not having an unrequited crush on Palla's end, but that doesn't make any sense in light of what was done with Catria and Linde, both who could easily have been left up in the air regarding their romantic interests (Plus, it's not like FE12 really made Archanea any less bleak. Just more twisted. -_-).

Hitomi's suggestion is definitely a possibility, but it still calls into question why build up Linde->Merric and Catria->Marth when those two also compete with canon pairings unless they specifically wanted to build up just Abel/Est... which doesn't make sense to me in light of their endings. And their attempt backfired anywhere as far as I'm concerned. I dislike the piaring more now then I did originally. Honestly, I attribute all this nonsense to laziness and poor writing.

And the support network is just a big ball of @#$%.

Yes. Yes, it is. D: Trying to make sense of it really does make my head hurt.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

Plus, it's not like FE12 really made Archanea any less bleak. Just more twisted.

That sums it up nicely.

[sarajayechan.livejournal.com]

...I could've sworn it explicitly said Abel and Est were actually married? *checks Monshou book 1 endings* ...no, it mentions Abel's upcoming wedding and that's it. But in my opinion it was safe to assume they WERE married sometime before book 2, I dunno why FE12 would say otherwise.

[mark-asphodel.livejournal.com]

I dunno why FE12 would say otherwise.

Possibly because FE12 appears to be more concerned with lulz than it does plot continuity or fidelity to characterization.