• Breaking News

    Wednesday, July 8, 2020

    Home Unlabelled Fire Emblem Mangs accused of Sexual Assault by Goosaphone

    Fire Emblem Mangs accused of Sexual Assault by Goosaphone

    July 08, 2020

    Fire Emblem Mangs accused of Sexual Assault by Goosaphone

    Mangs accused of Sexual Assault by Goosaphone

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 08:35 AM PDT

    Couldn’t really see them clearly last time so here’s a better picture of my oil-painted house leaders Yuri included!

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 01:49 PM PDT

    I love him a lot :( fanart is my own.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 10:50 AM PDT

    And just because a few people demanded it: Gordon Edlegard for all the degenerates lol. I hope it haunts you like it does me.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 07:11 AM PDT

    Dorothea bead sprite

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 08:58 AM PDT

    Is Three Houses Perfect? No, but it’s a massive step in the right direction.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 09:49 AM PDT

    Over the past couple of months I have noticed quite a bit of a change of opinion towards Three Houses online. As it has been almost a year since the game came out, I remember on release and in the immediate months after, it was hailed as potentially one of the best in the series. Many loved the story, characters, and surprisingly for me at the time, the setting. Now, it seems that there has been a swing in the other direction as many point out the massive quality differences between certain paths, perhaps the most map reuse in the series, and complaints about certain story elements. While many of these praises and complaints are justified in their own ways I would just like to say I completely agree that Three Houses is not the perfect game that many thought on release. However, what I want to address here is that regardless of what you think of Three Houses itself it is a MASSIVE step in the right direction for Fire Emblem as a series.

    With Awakening and then Fates there was a worry among many of us that Fire Emblem had now gone down a permanent path where story, characters, and in some cases gameplay were not being given the effort they needed. While I am not going to just simply restate the complaints about Awakening and Fates again, because I am sure you already know them after they have been repeated hundreds of times here, I will mention them in relation to Three Houses.

    Story wise, Three Houses is in many ways a Genealogy of the Holy War ripoff (but in the best way possible). They take an already fantastic structure for a story and put VERY interesting twists on it (such as the well handled differences between the two games in regards to the origin of relics and bloodlines). This results in the game feeling like a very well done modern spiritual successor to Genealogy, and has worldbuilding and emotional storytelling close to that of Genealogy itself. Now are the story and its elements as perfect as Geneology (arguably the game with the best story in the franchise)? No they are not, but storywise Three Houses is still very good. The complaints that can be levied against its story are no where near equivalent to those of Awakening and Fates and it shows that while it has flaws it is a massive step in the right direction.

    Character wise I just want to state that Three Houses shows the "gimmickization" of characters that was in Awakening and Fates has been massively addressed. Are there gimmick characters in Three Houses? Yes, but if I was to state a percentage I would say maybe only 15-20% of the playable cast and even then they are handled much better than in Fates and Awakening. This may still seem unacceptable, which I personally agree with, but I would also state that in many of the well regarded games in the series there are still gimmick characters in the cast, such as Arden, Dew to an extent, and Johan in Genealogy. In short, my point is that while there are valid complaints about the characters in Three Houses they are still for the most part fantastic and a massive step in the right direction for the series (feeling the same way characters from some of the best games in the series did).

    I could go on but this post is already long. My main point is that I feel many of the main complaints we had about Fire Emblem during the time of Awakening and Fates were addressed well in Three Houses. In addition the complaints levied against Three Houses are not generally equivalent to those of Awakening and Fates, as while they may share some faults, Three Houses' are much less as bad for the most part. While work still needs to be done, the complaints I feel are much more minor and show them hopefully attempting to return Fire Emblem to its pre Awakening roots in many ways.

    Just some final thoughts:

    I do personally agree with many of the complaints about Byleth and that he/she is a downgrade avatarwise. But at the very least being silent means they can not be a bad character (like Corrin or Kris in many ways). I did not talk about them because I feel IS has decided Avatars are here to stay in Fire Emblem and if they can still make a good game with a good story with a bad avatar, well so be it, as long as they are not put in remakes of games that did not have them to begin with.

    Gameplay could also be seen as a downgrade, from Conquest for example, but I have two points about it. First I personally feel that it is still pretty good overall and nowhere near as unbalanced as awakening and maybe on par with Genealogy imbalance wise (may I bring up Wind magic and weapon weight in that game?). Second, despite what many think, I personally didn't think gameplay was ever that much of a concern for the series as Conquest showed IS could still make fantastic gameplay (and intentionally didn't for Birthright and Revelations). Even with the faults I still think Three Houses is a step in the right direction gameplay wise as it shows they can still handle more oldschool mechanics in a modern way, such as weapon weight and canto, though imbalance is still present.

    Also one thing I would like to highlight is that Three Houses being fully voiced acted is fantastic as it was no guarantee it would be. In fact I actually believed that only remakes would be fully voice acted as the cost needed for them is significantly less and I find it amazing that mainline series games now seem to have the standard for full voice acting.

    In conclusion Three Houses is not perfect, but it is a massive step in the right direction for the franchise and hopefully shows future entries will follow this direction.

    submitted by /u/Mage360
    [link] [comments]

    As promised, here’s Zorian Dimitri. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if the actual design is as strong as Claude’s lol; but I will say it was harder to come up w/ overall.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 07:10 AM PDT

    Sonya Fanart (Fire Emblem Echoes) [OC]

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 03:14 AM PDT

    Fire Emblem has some of the best written women in games.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 05:05 PM PDT

    Before I make my case, I want to give a little bit of background. I grew up in a conservative Christian family. We weren't super strict except for following the ESRB. But I was taught very early that games that sexualized their women were sexist and were garbage for doing so. However, a few days ago my brother made a comment about how Fire Emblem's women were well written. And ya know, he's right.

    I grew up playing all American localized games (I've gone and played Binding Blade and the DS Mystery of the Emblem). And from the start, this series has hit it out of the park by writing complex and dynamic female characters without feeling like they simply copy pasted a male character.

    Look at Lyn. She's this independent woman basically living on her own when she finds out she's royalty. She then has to fight in order to finally have a family again. Then when she does rescue her grandfather, she doesn't just become like a typical princess. The moment her land comes under attack she goes out and fights back without the game once making it a big deal that this woman is fighting alongside the noble Eliwood or bear like Hector while still giving her tender moments that are typically considered more feminine by gender norms.

    Or how about Erika, who starts off as a by the books princess who is forced to fight back when she loses her kingdom. While they leaned a bit more into her princess nature, she was not someone to back down. But go back and read her A support with Seth. It feels straight out of a princess story for little girls. But it feels natural for her and Seth without feeling like some sexist damsel in distress narrative.

    I could keep going with examples, but I'm gonna rapid fire some of my favorites of the other games. Jill's development from a racist soldier blindly following orders to impress her father to a kind hearted rebel is amazing. Micaiah grows from a simple girl on the street trying to make a difference to a queen. I love Lucina's journey to give everything to change fate. Hinoka shows how losing parts of your family can force people to become stronger. Rhea and Edelgard are excellent examples of the greyness that comes from trying to maintain the status quote for the safety of the majority vs making a change for the sake of justice. Every game in this series has memorable women and I could literally go on forever.

    I also want to address the claim that the series is becoming more "waifu and sexual." While we can look at Fire Emblem Heroes as an example of this, I also would argue Fire Emblem has never sexualized their characters for the sake of fan service alone in the main games at least. To explain this point, look to Manuela.

    When I first saw Manuela my upbringing made me immediately hesitant. But when you listen to her supports and hear how she's this former star who's afraid of being alone for the rest of her life, but her alcoholism and other character flaws (which are most likely rooted in her time with the opera, which was more than just glamor) keep getting in the way. This totally makes sense for this former star to try to make herself as presentable as possible when trying to score a husband as she starts to get desperate. The sexualized outfit helps play into her narrative as a former star desperate for love.

    Now I'm not saying Fire Emblem is perfect. Personally I don't agree with the outfits of characters like Nowi or Nyx and think they're creepy. However video games have had a reputation for having toxic representations of how women should behave and act and the conversation over this topic is equally toxic at times. However I believe Fire Emblem is a wonderful example of women being written well without coming off as sexist. In an era where a lot of toxic people whine whenever there is a woman who's strong on her own, I appreciate knowing I grew up with a franchise that always had a positive message when it came to women.

    submitted by /u/Vaporsflower
    [link] [comments]

    [OC fan art] Summer Ingrid

    Posted: 07 Jul 2020 08:15 PM PDT

    (OC) Summer Dorothea

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 12:51 PM PDT

    Mangs’ statement on the allegations

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 12:53 PM PDT

    I nap for five years and he goes feral. :( Dimitri. Why. (Game still in-progress) art by me

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 06:52 PM PDT

    Been thinking about Awakening recently. So i did some art.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 04:15 PM PDT

    I am very soft for Yuri and Guyleth <3 this is a quickie and kind of old but eh.

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 12:14 PM PDT

    My experience as a newcomer to the community

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 05:56 PM PDT

    I'll be honest, I haven't been playing Fire Emblem for very long, just since January when Byleth got revealed for Smash. During that time, I've been playing the games sequentially, and am now in the middle of playing FE4. I didn't expect to latch onto the early games as much as I did, but they scratched an itch that I didn't even know I had. I'd never played tactical RPGs before, so FE1 actually ended up being my first. And after playing it, I can definitely see how it spawned a franchise this big.

    Of course, the games are just one part of my experience with Fire Emblem. My time in the community is another. On Discord, I found an awesome group of FE fans to hang out and talk about the games with, and they've been incredibly kind and helpful when it comes to getting these older games running properly. They even helped me get my youtube channel off the ground, and it's been really fun making videos (even if they're not particularly high-quality).

    I just wanted to say, thanks for making Fire Emblem such a welcoming place. I know recent events have put a strain on the community, but I legitimately think it's a wonderful place filled with a lot of diverse people. Whether you make romhacks, youtube videos, or art (including that art), keep doing what you're doing, because I love it.

    submitted by /u/Nivrap
    [link] [comments]

    My very talented friend painted Hilda on playing cards for me as a birthday present!

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 01:31 PM PDT

    Jeralt's reaction to Summer Byleth & Rhea (Art made by cuboon)

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 04:14 AM PDT

    Summer Alois and Leonie [OC]

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 09:13 AM PDT

    |OC| Watercolors - "Sing With Me A Song..."

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 04:26 PM PDT

    Fresh summer Gautier cheese �� insta: chrommy707

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 06:47 PM PDT

    [OC] Lysithea and Claude ordering cocktails at the beach.png

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 12:15 PM PDT

    (My Fanart) Cordelia’s Birthday~

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 09:43 AM PDT

    Ranulf is one of my favourite characters in the series. Here's why

    Posted: 08 Jul 2020 07:58 AM PDT

    Ranulf's Character

    Let's begin by talking about Ranulf's personality. I had a bit of trouble getting a read on Ranulf when I first played the Tellius games. I couldn't quite tell what kind of person he was. He's quite nuanced!

    Path of Radiance

    We first meet Ranulf in a fort near the border of Gallia, when he rushes in with a bunch of laguz to save Ike and Co. from Daein's forces. Ike's companions tend to refer to the laguz as "sub-humans". A label that is not well-meaning, though Ike was never taught that, and so he uses that term when first meeting Ranulf.

    Ranulf: "Sub-human? Ha! What arrogance it takes to coin such a name! You think yourselves the only ones worthy of the name "human," and so we laguz must be beneath you? And thus you call us "sub-human." We are less than human to you, is that it?"

    Ike: "I'm sorry…I don't know any other name for you. If I have offended you, I apologize. What should I call you? laguz? Would that be more appropriate?"

    Ranulf: "Huh? You show manners? How odd. I like that. Now, you are…Who, exactly?"

    At first, Ranulf is defensive over Ike's use of "sub-human". However, he quickly changes his tune when he realizes it was an honest mistake from Ike. Ranulf is exceptionally kind. This is showcased in his abilities as a host as well.

    Ranulf: "…Understood. What thoughtful guests you are. If you'll excuse me. Oh, and if it's not overly presumptuous, I'll have food delivered to you later."

    Greil: "We'd appreciate it. The road has been hard, and we had little time to pack more than salted meat and hard biscuits."

    Ranulf: "Then we shall provide! Princess Elincia, shall we leave?"

    Despite being total strangers, Ranulf is exceptionally generous and kind towards them. More than just diplomatic, he makes everyone feel as welcome as possible under the circumstances. Though he can't bring them to the palace, he's more than happy to offer everything in his power to aid these people he's never met before.

    An important event takes place in the port town of Toha a short while later in the story. Once Ranulf's disguise is blown and he's revealed to be a laguz, the beorc of Toha start ganging up on him.

    Ranulf: "Why did you come back?"

    Ike: "Because some fool was going to lay here and get beaten to death instead of defending himself!"

    Ranulf: "Ah, Ike. What would you have me do? Gallia and Crimea have formed an alliance. I cannot jeopardize that by harming these people, no matter what ill they may bear me."

    Ranulf keeps a calm and measured perspective on things even when it's totally not fair to him. I believe this moment is an exceptional showcase of Ranulf's self-control. He sacrifices his dignity for the sake of the futures of Gallia and Crimea. He believes full-heartedly in Caeneghis and Elincia's ability to tear down the prejudice between laguz and beorc, and will fight (or in this case, not fight) to defend that.

    On a more lighthearted note, of my favourite traits of Ranulf is his sense of humour.

    Elincia: "What?! Are you certain?"

    Ranulf: "Princess, I'm hurt! Of course my information is reliable."

    Compared to most other laguz, Ranulf is a lot more playful. He's got a sarcastic, laid-back attitude that makes him feel more at ease and approachable compared to the harsh Lethe or larger than life Caeneghis for example.

    Ranulf: "My princess Elincia! Welcome home! I'd curtsy, but the tail makes it look silly."

    This joke is interesting as well since it sort of pokes fun at what makes him different from beorc, in this case, his tail. Throughout the game, we see a lot of laguz are quite proud of their unique strengths and look down upon the beorc's seemingly inferior bodies. Ranulf is no exception and is proud of his tail.

    Ranulf: "Hey, a tail is a good thing to have! It's what gives us such great balance in high places. You poor beorc... I can't imagine living without a tail!"

    The fact that he can appreciate what makes him different while also being able to joke about it shows an excellent sense of humour and a humble attitude.

    Ranulf isn't all jokes all the time, however. Just as often as he jokes, he can be quite serious.

    Ranulf: "Ignoring impending doom because you cannot prevent it...Fatalism is by nature a disheartening beast. Well, for all those born with nothing, there are those born with everything. Perhaps those who never notice the difference are the ones we should envy."

    Ike: "What's that supposed to mean?"

    Ranulf: "Huh? Oh, I was talking to myself. Pay me no mind."

    We get an interesting insight into Ranulf's philosophy here. Ranulf is commenting on Soren's observation of how the people of Toha ignore Daein's atrocities because it doesn't directly impact them. He's calling the Tohan people out on their privilege. The beorc of Toha want not, and live peaceful lives. For Ranulf however, this has further meaning beyond just their indifference to Daein since he suffers from the prejudice of the beorc against laguz. His last words are key, since Ranulf is all too aware of the differences he speaks of. The beorc of Toha are sheltered and don't have the perspective on life to understand that they're the same as the laguz of Gallia who they beat up on the streets. It's easier to live in a world of black and white morality, and Ranulf understands that. But more than most, he also knows that the easy path is not the one worth taking.

    A rare side of Ranulf is seen towards the end of the story when they stumble upon laguz corrupted by Izuka's vile experiments.

    Ranulf: "Those poor laguz... Someone will die for this today!"

    At first Ranulf is sad, but that sadness quickly turns to rage.

    Ranulf: "...What, what is this? Oh, by the goddess…"

    Nasir: "..."

    Ranulf: "W-what is this...?! Nasir! Answer me!"

    Once he sees the place where the experiments took place, that rage turns to anguish. I think this chapter is a prime example of just how empathetic an individual Ranulf is. It's exceedingly rare that Ranulf gets so emotional, but at the sight of his laguz brethren being tortured and corrupted, he can't hold it in anymore.

    Radiant Dawn

    In Radiant Dawn, Ranulf takes a more active role in the campaign, working right alongside Ike and Co. for the majority of the game.

    Titania: "Wild beasts…? That was uncalled for, Soren!"

    Soren: "But it's a fact."

    Ranulf: "Don't worry about it, Lady Titania. I apologise, everyone. You're correct that Skrimir and Ike are completely different. Although they're both the type of people who keep marching forward….. but Ike trusts his companions and will listen carefully to other people's views."

    Ranulf's brilliant at reading people. He shows a keen ability to analyze people's behaviour and use that knowledge to his benefit when deciding his next course of action. It's this ability that often puts Ranulf in the position of mediator, whether that's in-fighting between his own subordinates or when he works as an ambassador for Gallia.

    Radiant Dawn has the most explicit examples of how Ranulf is different from many laguz.

    Ranulf: "… I'm sure you've all seen it yourself. Gallia's General Skrimir doesn't pay attention to details, nor does he strategize. Sadly, it's not just Skrimir. Most laguz are the same. They're arrogant and stubborn, thinking that all you need is brute strength to defeat the enemy. It doesn't even occur to them that they won't be able to power through the beorc forever."

    The way Ranulf describes "most laguz" doesn't really apply to him. He feels this stuff to an extent sure, but not nearly as much as other laguz do.

    Ranulf: "…How about this? First, I'll abandon my useless pride. Because if things continue like this, we're going to get nowhere. Please, lend us your beorc wisdom."

    Ike: "You can count on us, Ranulf."

    This is Ranulf's most self-aware moment in describing the general characteristics of laguz. But the fact that he has that awareness to think "Okay I'm acting this way, I need to stop" is itself not something usually characteristic of most laguz.

    These aspects of Ranulf puts him in a pretty unique situation. Ranulf doesn't quite fit into laguz society, nor does he quite fit into beorc society. He's stuck somewhere in the middle. It makes it easy for him to get along with both laguz and beorc, but hard to form deep connections with either. At several points Ranulf has to fight directly against his fellow laguz because they're losing their reasoning to their nature.

    Ranulf: "I can see you won't change your mind, Skrimir. All right, if it has to come to this…"

    Skrimir: "Are you joking? You can't beat me, Ranulf. You know that."

    Ranulf: "I can't let you or our men die in vain. It's my job to keep you from doing anything that stupid. If I have to knock you out to keep you out of this battle, then that's what I'll do."

    Just like in Toha, Ranulf is willing to get hurt or even sacrifice himself for the greater good. He knows he'll lose this fight, but he has to stop Skrimir.

    Gallian Soldier 1: "If General Skrimir is defeated, we must fight on in his name! We must get revenge! Don't be fooled by that human! Fight on, brothers!"

    Ranulf: "Stop! We will fall back! Brothers, listen to me! I swear upon my life that I'll take Skrimir back with us! Fall back!"

    He uses the full extent of his authority to prevent further harm from befalling his people. He looks beyond his primal instinct for the good of all. Loosely related, but this is exactly how it works for people in real life too. It's easy to fall victim to our most basic of wants. To use the least amount of energy as possible, to take the easiest paths available for a short term burst of dopamine even if we suffer for it in the long run. The ability to overcome those instincts and do what you don't want to do for what is good in the long run is difficult and admirable, and Ranulf is showcasing that ability in spades.

    That said, even Ranulf has his limits.

    Ranulf: "I know, I… I'm kind of surprised I'm still holding together. The situation is terrible right now. But, I've always been different to the others… The other laguz are probably on the verge of losing control."

    Ike: "But, can't we just stop fighting now?"

    Ranulf: "We should. But… I can't stop them, Ike! If they find Micaiah, they're going to tear her apart. I guarantee it."

    However, the fact that Ranulf still holds it together even with the influence of the Medallion is just a further testament to his mental fortitude and strong will.

    Just as Ranulf's rare anger came out only at the end of Path of Radiance at the sight of the tortured laguz, so does it in Radiant Dawn when he finally meets Izuka face to face.

    Ranulf: "I saw the results of your experiments at Gritnea Tower. The mutilated bodies…the rotting flesh…It was the most horrifying experience of my life. I wonder if my nightmares will pass when I kill you?"

    Izuka: "How could you not see the importance of my beloved research? That was my life's work!"

    Ranulf: "Then it is appropriate that you will pay for those terrible crimes with your life. My long-suffering kinsmen, watch as I destroy your tormentor!"

    This exchange is so raw. So powerful. His experience at the Tower haunts him years later. Notably, his final words before the battle are not towards Izuka, they're towards the souls of his lost brethren. This is the one point where Ranulf lets himself be totally consumed in vengeance and rage, but it's all in the name of those who have suffered.

    This exchange is contrasted greatly by another late-game event when Geoffrey brings Amy into the group and her mother Calill is not with them. Amy gets very upset, but then Ranulf jumps in and comforts her.

    Ranulf: "Hey, don't cry, Amy! Mommy told you not to cry, right? Remember?"

    Amy: "K-kitty-cat man…?"

    Ranulf: "Good, you remembered me! Listen carefully, all right? If you're good and travel with us without complaining, you'll get to see Mommy really soon. Does that sound good?"

    Amy: "Really!?"

    Ranulf: "Would I lie to you, pumpkin? And I'll tell you a secret… If you're patient, we'll even find a way to get your daddy moving around like usual!"

    He's quick to accept a silly nickname like "kitty-cat man" and adopts a nickname for her too, even using techniques like telling "secrets" to make things more fun for her. He reveals to Elincia after the exchange that he's a sucker for kids, which is yet another interesting layer to Ranulf revealed, even though it's the tail end of the second game by that point.

    Ranulf is discerning, perceptive, sarcastic, wise, kind, empathetic, proud, responsible, laid-back, and sensitive. This wide array of character traits initially made me unsure about the character. I couldn't quite get a read on his personality. But once you see everything in the bigger picture, you can understand the depth that it brings and makes Ranulf one of the most interesting characters in the series in my eyes.

    Ranulf's Relationship With Ike

    There's one character who is more important in getting to understand Ranulf than any other, and that's Ike. From strangers to inseparable companions, their relationship with one another is one of my favourite parts about the Tellius games.

    Their C support in Path of Radiance reveals a lot about each of them and reaffirms other traits I've talked about already. For example, Ranulf quickly sizes up Ike and analyzes why he is the way he is.

    Ranulf: "I see. So your strength doesn't just come from your bloodline. It's also a result of your persistence. No wonder you grow more powerful every time I see you... Nice. Very nice…"

    In the support, Ranulf walks in on Ike's training session. He tells Ike that he's being a "mother cat". He shows concern for how hard Ike's pushing himself, but also describes Ike's behaviour as "crazy". They come to the conclusion that Ike's behaviour is atypical of most beorc, but also that Ranulf worrying about him like that is atypical of most laguz. Neither of them quite fit in with their respective societies. In the end, they both have a laugh over some terribly unfunny jokes, showing that they've quickly grown comfortable around one another.

    Their B support really emphasizes their different personality traits. Ike is quite serious and direct, with nothing but combat on his mind. He mistakes Ranulf's simple stretching for some kind of "special laguz technique", and when the topic of Ranulf's tail comes up, Ike asks him about a trick Ranulf brings up to keep it out of the way during sleep. Ranulf thinks he almost fell into a clever trap of Ike's to reveal some deep, hidden secret of the laguz. An allegation Ike seems totally oblivious to. Hilariously when Ike loses interest, Ranulf does a 180 and is upset that Ike isn't more interested in learning about it. It's a pretty humorous support.

    Moving away from their support chain for just a moment, you can see Ranulf starting to grow closer to Ike through the story dialogue.

    Ranulf: "We run up the mountain as quickly as possible and smash the enemy commander!" Right?

    Ike: "Right... How did you--"

    Ranulf: "I know...genius."

    At this point, in the famous "eat rock" chapter, Ranulf understands Ike pretty intimately and he's not afraid to show it either, with some sass to boot which I always appreciate.

    Back to their support, the final support is an interesting one. Ike checks in on Ranulf, worried about how tense he's seemed as of late. Ranulf reveals it's the medallion's negative energy that's making him feel that way. Ike is considerate of this and asks Ranulf if he'd like to be left alone. Ranulf initially agrees, but then changes his mind, taking a deep breath to calm himself down. He then reveals he's upset that he let a beorc see him in such a state. Ike's taken aback and asks Ranulf if he trusts him. Ranulf says he does, twice in fact, but then reiterates that he can't trust beorc to the extent he can trust laguz. Ike's response is blunt: "I trust you". Perhaps unexpectedly, Ranulf responds by calling Ike dumb, advising that if he trusts everyone he's just going to wind up hurt. Ike is unsure what to make of this response, unable to tell if it was friendly advice or anger. In my opinion, this stems back to Ranulf not quite fitting in with the other laguz. I believe Ranulf does trust Ike fully, but as a laguz that's "wrong". I believe Ranulf is projecting a bit here and that he feels dumb for trusting in a beorc so fully. There's an exchange towards the end of the game that backs this idea up.

    Ike: "Of course. The Daein army is large, so we're going to be attacking them from the front and holding the two eastern gates. I'd be very appreciative if you would agree to take command of that front."

    Giffca: "If that is your wish, I can but agree."

    Ranulf: "What's this now? You weren't satisfied with the work I was doing? I mean, I know that I'm no Master Giffca, but please…"

    Ike: "Ranulf, I want you to be with me. Is that all right?"

    Ranulf Oh, now I see. Sure, that would be fine! Getting to be part of the main pack is the highest of honors.

    Right before the final battle, Ike is laying out the plan of attack. He gives Giffca the job Ranulf thought he'd be a shoe-in for, and Ranulf is a bit distraught. However when Ike reveals that it's because he wants him by his side, his tone changes. Ranulf actually appears happier that he gets to fight under Ike's command than his previously assumed position. From strangers sharing an awkward laugh to friends who'll fight side by side to the end, their relationship grows a lot over the course of Path of Radiance. In fact there's an additional line of dialogue at the end of the game if Ike and Ranulf have an A support with one another.

    Ranulf: "Oh, and another thing. You'll be seeing me again soon. Gallia's decided not to spare any effort in aiding Crimea's reconstruction. I'll be back shortly with a whole army of workers and laborers. Look for us!"

    Gallia sends in supplies and labourers regardless of supports, but Ranulf leads the charge himself only if he has an A support with Ike, showing that he's doing this specifically for Ike's sake, and not just Crimea or the relationship between their nations. It's a pretty sweet gesture in my opinion that he'd go through all that extra trouble without it being necessary in the slightest.

    So, in Path of Radiance, Ranulf and Ike get off to a rough start with the whole "sub-human" debacle, but slowly grow closer throughout the game until they're two peas in a pod by the end. As they're both outcasts of sorts in their societies, they found some solace in one another.

    This means by Radiant Dawn, they're already super close to one another! This is made immediately clear and evident in their base conversation from the prologue of part 3. Ranulf is all stressed out that he's causing Ike all this trouble, and Ike's pretty much like "Yo, don't worry about it, it's chill, relax". He also tells Ranulf three separate times that he's there to listen if Ranulf needs to talk to him about anything. At this point it couldn't be more clear that Ranulf does trust Ike (and vice versa). They've both become much more sympathetic towards one another as well. The rest of the game shows Ranulf and Ike worrying for one another and making sure the other is heard and understood.

    In 3-1 Ranulf once more deeply thanks Ike for his help, obviously still concerned he's bringing him into a battle he doesn't need to fight.

    In 3-2, Ike understands that Ranulf needs to do his duty and fight Skrimir, but as soon as the battle is over he's very concerned for Ranulf.

    In 3-7 Ike chooses to fight with Ike instead of staying with the main laguz force.

    In 3-11 Ranulf says:

    Ranulf: "Ike, I know you're not happy about this, but you're the only person who can bridge the rift between the laguz and beorc."

    No small compliment to be sure, but Ranulf knows it to be true from personal experience. Ike was the person that got him to totally and completely trust in a beorc.

    Towards the end of 3-13 Ranulf rushes in asking if Ike is safe, before realizing it was a dumb question because nobody is safe at the moment, showing his concern for Ike temporarily superseded his usually sound reasoning.

    In 3-14, since Ranulf and Ike are put onto separate teams, and in their final interaction of the game, he makes sure to tell Ike the truth about the Black Knight before he leaves, apologizing to Ike for not telling him sooner, and wishing him luck.

    Finally, of important note, Ranulf has a singular paired ending. If you get an A support with Ranulf and Ike, he'll leave Gallia to journey with him. For Ranulf to abandon his home despite his high position there to wander aimlessly with Ike (a non-laguz) is not something that should be taken lightly. It's the sum of their entire relationship up to this point. Two outcasts coming together, bridging the gap between laguz and beorc. I find it to be an incredibly sweet thought personally.

    Miscellaneous Gushing

    Now to take a breather at the end to just talk about some aspects of Ranulf I love. First, what a cool design! He's got a brilliant contrasting colour scheme with the bright blue hair and fur and orange clothes, while the green compliments both the orange and the blue. He has a feature only seen in a tiny number of Fire Emblem characters (surprisingly), and that's his heterochromia, his left eye being green and right eye purple. There's probably some metaphor to be made here about how he's some in-between of laguz and beorc culturally but...I just think it looks cool. Nowhere does this design look cooler than in this Cipher card in my opinion. It's actually one of my all-time favourite Cipher cards. Although there is another really cool one you can see here, which features him mid-transformation, another super cool look. Speaking of cards and Ranulf, he's the only laguz to be featured in the One Hundred Songs of Heroes card set. It's a pretty unique take on him too, but I think it looks rad, and the post is very fitting. Although if we want to talk about a rare Ranulf look, I gotta talk about his unhooded Toha disguise from Path of Radiance. What a cozy kitty-cat man! Which reminds me, the kitty-cat portion of this man also has a pretty cool design. The intricate markings on his forehead and leg look super cool. Finally, I have to mention that I really like his voice acting in Radiant Dawn. I know the RD voices are a meme...and for the most part that's deserved, but I legitimately love his voice in Radiant Dawn. He's calm and stoic sounding, with a soothing voice. And if "I'm Ranulf, right-hand to Gallia's future king. Will that do?" Isn't one of the most legendary lines in Fire Emblem then I don't know what is.

    So! That about covers it I think. Thanks for reading! I've never written about a Tellius character before, and I found this to be extremely challenging due to how spread out all the information is online for Tellius in regards to supports, base conversations, scripts. There's a lot to go through lol. But I hope I got across why I think Ranulf is such a cool and interesting character!

    submitted by /u/PsiYoshi
    [link] [comments]
    Read more
    at

    No comments:

    Post a Comment