Mercakete

Wow. Okay, I'm not against 3 Houses getting more units in. And I do like the house leaders. However, can we not bring in anyone other than them+Byleth+Rhea+Sothis? There are a LOT of characters from that game who could reasonably get into the game or get alts (especially since most characters have 2 versions, not counting class variances.) But yeah, we got Byleth+Byleth this time, plus the house lords and (randomly) Yunaka. Apart from this, kind of glad Claude has a deer alt, but we can stop now. It's also a bit funny how Dimitri and Edelgard swapped main weapon types. Well, Claude is free, so ok. I may try to get Dimitri. (I also like how his outfit here is kind of between his two ages' outfits. Edelgard too, but I haven't actually run Crimson Flower so I don't know her that well. Her horns are neat, though.) Anyway, that's my take. Also, there's a surprising amount of setting things on fire. It's not like a fire for keeping people warm, it's more like razing the pretty winter village. ... That said, that kind of fits with the house lords, so eh.

Well, the silhouettes are out. And I was all... "Is that Claude with antlers?" Given the hair, it could be Golden Reindeer Claude with antlers and yet another bow.

I think that has less to do with names at creation vs names later on and more to do with identity hiding/keeping identities/roles straight. Gullveig knew how time would go, such as when she'd lose her memory as Kvasir. Personally, I think Kvasir came first as a glitch in time (but at the time, still knew about all the loop's events) and told Njordr what to do (including to start calling her Seidr after she lost her memory.) Gullveig having a different name helps to set her apart as "that one villain everyone needs to focus on" which protects her Seidr self (note how no one in the story jumped to attacking Seidr or anything since their focus was on Gullveig, but if they knew Seidr and Gullveig were the same person before they became friends with Seidr, that could have been a problem. Worse, if Seidr herself made the connection of who she was (Kvasir and Gullveig) too early and Heidr's role couldn't have been set up properly in order to transfer the curse.) As for Eitr, Lady Gagap gave her a new identity because she didn't want her figuring out that she was Freyja. Besides this, Heidr got her name upon her creation and it never changed. That was explained as unrelated to her bad sense of direction. It was just "I'm new at this and time travel is hard and complicated." Also, I don't quite remember, but I think it could have been that Gullveig was attacking too, or something. I don't think they went to the wrong place, exactly, but Kiran did get separated from the rest of them and wound up showing up further into the past than the rest of them did. I just decided to address a couple things I had knowledge on, but yeah, your thoughts are fun to read. 🙂

Huh, nice theories! Though, I still think an abduction is possible. If it's all about a surgical strike for Hraesvegr, she might use her warping ability to take Alfonse away and make it a 1 v 1 match. Then her own people could retreat and she could fight Alfonse in more favorable circumstances (where she has a terrain advantage, and he doesn't have allies.) Just like separating one individual from a herd when hunting.

The triple agent plot is probably based on that, but I doubt they'll try to make Rat the instigator of the conflicts. Everything seems to be lining up with what she's saying so far. I'm glad for it, too; I feel like making her a mischievous liar would just be a poor move, especially since we had a similar thing with Gullveig in the last book. It's 2 men and at least 5 women. 3 men and 8 women (so far) if Alfonse, Sharena, Anna, and Veronica are counted. So, I'd say it's more 1/3 men and 2/3 women than 50%, which is in alignment with their general percentages so far anyway. But yeah, actually, Ratatoskr and her sisters feel right to me. Like, for some reason, them being women just makes sense to me. For some reason I can't explain, I like it in this case, even though the fem fatigue is so present for me in other books (especially Book 4.) I've said it again and again in my reaction, but I really like Ratatoskr. I don't see her as you described her, though. Here's my assessment: she's sincere and honest, but not extreme in her views. She hopes for life and health, but understands that sometimes there need to be exceptions. She does not believe that exceptions should be made lightly, though. Specifically, she says that she can't kill someone who "has done nothing wrong." She also seems to believe in thorough investigation before casting a judgment, since she didn't refuse to kill Alfonse until she'd met him for herself, but cited all the research she'd done/read up on about him when she gave her reasons for why she couldn't bring herself to kill him. However, she didn't object to her mission until then. She seems intelligent and fair-minded to me (to the point of even understanding that she might justly be executed for attempted regicide), while also having a realistic fear of death and pain, not wanting to die, but if she had to be killed, to be killed quickly. She also has deep insight into things, and develops these insights quickly -- she's astute. That said, it doesn't often occur to her to share context or news that is old to her with others. In her mind, it's already understood information because it's already understood to her. Notice how what she usually talks about are things she just noticed or figured out herself, rather than explaining why her insights are important by giving context for them for others' sakes. As for her crush on Alfonse? I'm not actually sure if she has a crush or not. If she does have one, it's probably only just developing, and I'm guessing she's not aware that she has a crush at all. Her admiration feels platonic to me. She certainly respects and likes him, but it could just be as a leader or friend. (Look at what leadership she's recently had to follow. She's a servant at heart, and all servants want a kind master.) Plus, as Alfonse was her target and the one she did research on, he's the one taking up her attention right now. She may think similarly of others if she took the time to focus on them, but things are a bit tense for that right now. (Plus, Anna's rough treatment of her is probably not fostering good feelings toward the commander.) She's a bit high-strung, too, but given her position, that's completely understandable. I really like Ratatoskr. She's not a gimmick, she's a character, and dang does it feel nice to read a well-written female. Eh, seems like Alfonse is fighting in his own way, and defending himself that way. He's sticking around the Order for now, and he's actively coming up with strategies to oppose these new foes. (We also don't see whether or not he has contingency plans in case Ratatoskr betrays them, but knowing Alfonse, he's considering that too, and just keeping those thoughts quiet.) So, it's not like he's doing nothing to defend himself. I'm worried that he'll use himself as bait (and I've said as much on here) but that's just me being a reader in some nice tension, hoping for the best for a character in a tight spot. So, the writers are doing their jobs. 😛 Askr took us to his realm in Book 6, and it's either in or connected to Yggdrasill. It's been said (I can't remember where right now -- maybe in a castle quote somewhere) that Midgard is where mortals live. So, Askr, Embla, Nifl, and Muspell are certainly part of Midgard. Jotunheimr and Nidavellir are also part of it, I'm pretty sure. However, Vanaheimr, Asgard, the dream worlds, and Yggdrasill are most definitely not. Askr (deity) came from Yggdrasill, so yeah, it could be that he got his gate powers from the tree's world-connecting nature, and why a relic of his (the summoning ruins, where Briedablik was stored before Anna summoned the summoner at the beginning of Book 1) depicts the world tree. As to what counts as one of the realms and what doesn't, though? I have no idea. FEH is not clear on that at all except that there are 9 of them. Heck, the Bifrost might be its own world in the next book with the big bad being Heimdall (and a bunch of valkyries mixed with undead versions of big players who have died in previous books as the einheijar, which would follow with Lif and Thrasir having been recruited by Thorr already) just before Asgard and Alfador being Book 10's main focus. We're at the world tree now, so it would follow. Queen Henriette will certainly have a role. She might die, but I'm hoping we learn more about her past. What if she's actually originally from Yggdrasill herself, and just has her animal aspects "turned off" like how Ratatoskr's ears and tail disappear when she's unconscious in the trailer? Most notably, in the FB of Rowan, she says that she shouldn't take to the battlefield, and hints that it's because she's too powerful. (This was before we gat Valentine's Henriette, but even in things she says as that unit, she could be trying very, very hard not to accidentally obliterate everyone. She also says that she used to watch the Askran Day of Devotion (it feels very "watch on from afar" to me, which works well if she's watching from a no-mortals pathway), and that it was one time when she was actually at the festival that she met Gustav and the two fell in love.) Anyway, even if she's not someone from Yggdrasill, she could very well be a goddess -- maybe even a direct descendent of Alfador's, trying to keep her identity a secret so she can keep living amid mortals. They've done it before. Most notably was in Book 6 during the part where you fight Ascended Veronica. Even if you have the game set to change music when you enter a battle, the music stays the same as the map theme when you attack her/she attacks you. Neat idea. Too much is up in the air to say yet, but it's nice getting more info from the myths. Yeah, it's been talked about/noticed, to answer your uncertainty. Anna and Sharena have been getting a lot of lines already in this book, too, so it's not like they needed to kidnap Alfonse for that. Personally, I just really like high-stakes tension in stories, so for me, seeing how Alfonse tries to survive is what's making me excited about it. I'd be more excited about the Anna/Sharena focus if IS didn't refuse to grow their characters. Sharena shedding her "I can't understand why anyone would ever want to hurt another person" and becoming more "This is just how some people are. We can't change them all, even with an open hand. We should try to make peace with them if we can, but we need to have weapons ready in case they choose violence." would be such an awesome move to me, though. Edit: OKAY HOLD UP. I was looking at the key art again, and the stag man's holding something in his right hand. It looks like a dumbbell with a spike on each end. Not sure if that means anything, but the thing that caught my attention is the blue haired girl. At the end of each braid is a spike that reminds me of the end of Askr's and Ash's tails, and the ends of Lady Gagap's tendrils. I wondered if there was a connection between Lady Gagap and Askr because of it, and maybe there's some connection here too.

Good to hear from you! I have to say, it was really nice reading your thoughts. You were able to put to words some things I wasn't sure how to say, but when I read it, I was like "that's it exactly!" You came up with some great things that Eitr could have been bullied for, and while I get that birthmarks can be a thing people get teased for, it's usually obvious ones. Eitr's is covered up by her hair (I get why she did that, but it would be effective at reducing the ridicule, which defeats the plot purpose of it) and it's not a super obvious biwthmark to begin with. Plus, she's a goddess. Was she actually born, or was it a soul thing? If it's a soul thing like with Heidr's creation, then it doesn't make sense for there to even be a birthmark. I'm pretty sure Njordr's her dad (since Freyr mentions in a castle conversation that Nerpuz is his father's sister, and I don't know of Nerpuz having any other brothers, and well, I'm fairly certain that Freyr and Freyja have the same dad) but we don't know who her mom is. It's very probably Njordr who teaches Seidr about how to make a baby from a piece of a mortal's soul, too, so it certainly makes it possible that Freyr and Freyja were made in the same way. Another thing is that Seidr's bad sense of direction didn't even last the whole book. It was a "cute quirk" that feels like it got forgotten about (but I guess getting time travel powers somehow gave her her sense of direction back? They could play it off that way if they wanted to.) But yeah, it was pretty random. Would've been funny, though, if it affected her time travel. Like, "And here we are, in the future! ... Why are there dinosaurs?" I kind of agree about the ending movie, too. I guess at least it gives a better visual if you watch it side by side with the ending in the story? Nerpuz randomly being able to give Seidr the ability to have her other selves live within her makes no sense, though. It feels like a cop out. That said, it does open up interesting plot opportunities, so I'm not going to complain about it. Personally, I'm annoyed at the handling of Njordr (his motivations and composure especially), but I've already talked about that on here so I'll leave that alone. He could have been such a nice, complex character, though -- it's such a shame. And man, I completely agree with what you mean about the character designs! It was well said on many counts, but I'm especially glad I'm not the only one annoyed with the clothing choices. Their poor circulation... Someone is certainly going to get blood clots in their legs.

Hmm we're due for another calendar soon, eh? This one expires tomorrow. Personally, I'm hopeful for the next batch of Christmas heroes. I normally don't care very much for this one, but they do put in some wholesome heroes (the main one that pops into my head is FE7 Zephiel, holding the little fox plush to represent the fox kit he gave to his little sister...not that that ended well in the actual game.) And recently, Diedre's theme and Elena's theme were put into the resort. So, I'm hopeful for some FE moms to make it in on this year's Christmas banner. (I'm especially hopeful for Elena, but what if we got Eleanora (Eliwood's mom) and/or Ismaire (Joshua's mom) too? I'd also list Almedha (she's a mom too, from Radiant Dawn, but it's a bit complicated to explain it any further) except that I feel like she'd fit better on a different banner. Honestly, so would Ismaire, but I figured I may as well put her here.) And if dads make it onto the banner, then there are a lot of candidates there, too! Rodrigue especially comes to mind, particularly because his son has already been on a Christmas banner, so it would be fun seeing them try to celebrate together.

Personally, I'm just happy that I can finally run the Grimleal Family team (+Fallen Chrom.) I love theme teams, even if they're not actually that strong. It's a pleasant surprise when they are, though. I haven't tested this one yet, but it includes Validar, Fallen M!Robin, Fallen M!Morgan (yes, I know M!Robin's kid is F!Morgan, not M!Morgan, but this is more fun for me) and Fallen Chrom. It's fun exploring the other side of a version of Future Past in this way for me. Destroying the world with friends and family. ❤️

She also mentions him in a castle conversation, actually, but I only encountered that after typing up the thing you're quoting so, yeah. Anyway, pretty sure he's the lone brother (whom she doesn't care about saving? She only asked that her sisters be saved, so... (I'm kidding, but it's kind of funny. Could be that the Japanese used, though, was "shimeitachi," which would mean "(my) sister(s) (and company)" which could include her brother. But, usually, when a male is included, you'd use "kyo(u?)dai" even if it's a bunch of ladies and just 1 dude.)) So, at least 2 dudes this book, but I'll wait until he actually shows up to count him. But yeah, masks are common in the medical field. I have to wonder what sort of occupation in said field he's inspired by, or if they're doubling up on types of medical professionals. Maybe he's a paramedic or an emergency search and rescue medic (similar jobs, but still distinct)? Like, the sort of guy who'll pull you out of the rubble after a natural disaster and do some emergency first aid while trying to get you to a medical facility. That sort of hard core, demanding medical job would make sense for a late-game character. I'm pretty gosh dang convinced she's Heimdall, yeah. (Also, may be good to clarify that that's either one heck of a drinking horn, or a signal horn. I kept looking on her head for a horn when it was said she had one. XD) Heimdall has special eyes too, and he (she in this case) blows a horn to signal Ragnarok once the world tree gets breached and the human forces advance into Asgard. (I got most of this info from a YouTube comment, though, so take it with a grain of salt and/or more research.) This sure looks like the direction FEH is taking too, so I'm fairly convinced that Ragnarok will happen in the next book. He's in Nifl organizing its restoration, just like Leavateinn was doing in Muspell.

XD I love this summary. I think it's more meant to be "I'll protect them even harder since they're in critical condition! Then I can focus completely on healing them! For now, let's end this fast!" though.

I did not know about that Muarim thing. XD Or I forgot. Now it seems familiar, actually. But yeah, I was more suspicious because of the mom vs aunt thing for Nerpuz. Yeah, that was neat. Oh my gosh I love the Hrid blessing thing, too. XD Nice joke. (Even Alfonse technically died back in Book 3, so Hrid is seriously the only male character in Heroes to have not died at all. He got close to it, but he toughed it out, and then he met the Askrans after that. His reward? He's rebuilding Nifl and will probably rule over it if Fjorm doesn't be all "I got a direct power-up from our founding goddess, so thanks for patching up the kingdom but I'm taking over.") Edit: I got curious, so here's a list I compiled for my own sake about how many male characters FEH introduced. I'll not count Kiran, even though I think his canon gender is male. I'll also not count characters that are only referred to but do not actually appear. Book 1: Alfonse, Bruno (2) Book 2: Surtr, Helbindi, Hrid (3) Book 3: Gustav, Lif (Lif acts as a separate entity from Alfonse even though they are the same person, so I'm counting him here.) (2) Book 4: Freyr (1) Book 5: Otr, Fafnir (2) Book 6: Askr, Elm (2) Book 7: Njordr (1) Book 8: Laeradr (1 or 2, depending on if he's the guy depicted on the left side of the key art or not. Also, more dudes COULD be introduced. Since only one guy has been mentioned by name here so far, though, I'll count him as 1, and this is a special exception to the restrictions I put up earlier since this book is only just starting.) Extra: Muspell (he wasn't introduced in a book, but he's still a Heroes character) So, in total, we have 15 dudes, 4 of which (since I counted Lif and Alfonse as separate and Lif is still technically dead) are (currently) living (Elm died a few times but he's currently alive. The others are Hrid (the chosen one), Alfonse (not dead yet in this timeline) and Laeradr (who isn't dead yet but will probably die by the end of this book.)) Also, Alfador is coming but hasn't arrived yet, and a previous male emperor of Embla was mentioned. Also, the first king of Nidavellir was an important plot point at the end of Book 5. There's also the first king of Askr, Lif (not undead Alfonse, but the guy whose name he took.) On the other side... Sharena, Anna, Henriette, Veronica, Fjorm, Gunnthra, Ylgr, Laevatein, Laegjarn, Nifl, Thorr, Loki, Ymir, Hel, Ganglot, Eir, Thrasir, Peony, Mirabilis, Plumeria, Triandra, Freyja, Eitr (if I'm counting Lif and Alfonse as separate, I'm counting Eitr and Freyja as separate), Lady Gagap (I don't feel like looking up her name), Reginn, Nott, Dagr, Eitri (may have originally been male; has switched bodies a lot over the years), Ash, Green Veronica (I forgot her name), Embla, Kvasir, Seidr, Gullveig, Heidr, Nerpuz, Ratatoskr, Hraesvelgr, and Nidhoggr (plus unknown lady in the key art.) That (not counting Book 8 key art lady) is 39 ladies. Of those, 26 are alive (I didn't count anyone living within anyone else, so Kvasir, Gullveig, and Ymir are considered dead. I also didn't count Thrasir as alive since she's dead, even though she's still an active player. However, I did count both Freyja and Eitr as alive...since they are, currently, both alive. Counting them as separate beings for now, but that'll probably change with the next TT+.) Those mentioned but not with actual appearances: Helbindi's little sister, Veronica's mother, Bruno's mother, Eir's (birth) mother, assorted Muspellian princesses and their moms, the Nifl royal siblings' mother (and father, actually, I think, but he doesn't go in this pile and their mom was specifically mentioned), the first queen of Nifl (whose name escapes me right now), Thrasir (the first queen of Embla, not undead Veronica who took her name)... Eh, I don't really feel like listing much more. Anyway, totals, as of the beginning of Book 8 and just before the end of the Nihility and Nightmares TT+: 4/15 males are alive. (Interestingly, 2 are mortal (Hrid and Alfonse), 2 are godlike (Elm and Laeradr)) 26/39 females are alive. Females have about a 2 in 3 shot at living. Males only have a 1 in 3 shot, which isn't great since there are so few of them to begin with (and even then, they might die before they survive.) Those are some amazing stats. Really feels like the species (multiple, technically) won't be able to survive for long.

Going through the story now! Okay, cool! Looks like there's going to be a ceremony to make official the new peace between Embla and Askr! Wow, this really feels like the end of the first main arc. ( The Embla vs Askr arc started in Book 1, not the battle between gods and mortals which has been going on for generations and became more involved with the main characters in fuller force in Book 3.) Glad they're being realistic about there still being Emblian nobles who oppose a lasting peace, too. They set that up pretty hard in Book 6 after all. Pff. "We need to make sure nothing occurs which could jeopardize the ceremony." IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT: "Your Majesty, apologies for the interruption, but there is an urgent matter in need of attention. We must dispatch members of the Order on a mission immediately." And then she specifically asks 2 of the 3 Askran royals if they can personally involve themselves in this, even though those two maybe should be more focused on matters of state right now. Anna, I have over 700 heroes and these two are among the weakest of them. Do you really need to call them away? (Though this last bit is more "per summoner" it's still kind of funny to me. Have to wonder how good Anna really is at organizing military resources.) Oh great. So, the armed forces coming into Askr uninvited is composed of members of the Emblian Army. Glad for the consistency, but dang, that timing is akin to "What could possibly go wrong?" Aaaand Sharena doesn't seem to get it. "What are they doing?! We're about to make our alliance official!" That's the point, child. Yeah, though the reasoning seems kind of obvious, I'm glad they're explaining it for younger players. Veronica didn't send these guys. It was a third party (but if we knew less than we already did, then the reasoning to discard the chance of the Emblian nobles would be beneficial, too.) Though, have to say, Sharena being "the dumb, sensitive one" is a bit annoying... She should have gotten enough experience by now to not be so baffled by this. Okay, Hraesvelgr has a warped idea of what it means to be family. Obeying orders no matter what, eh? In answer to Alfonse's question of what I think is happening: Someone's trying to frame Embla for attacking Askr, the same thing is probably happening over there with imposter Askrans, and we should send a trusted envoy to enquire about it. The foes retreated quickly and weren't that strong, despite their boldness in their invasion, and they had legitimate weapons and armor from Embla. Seems obvious to me that this was for the sake of sowing mistrust. Given all the warring goimg on, it wouldn't have been hard to acquire Askran and Emblian equipment from dead soldiers, either (especially during Book 6's first half.) XD Okay, Rat's appearance happening just then with the serious music cutting off got a wheeze out of me. XD That face! And hugging her tail! And just an ellipsis for text! Okay, that's great humor. XD Ah. Good for you, Rat, not being able to kill someone like that. Aww. And trying to help her sisters too, so they won't have to kill anyone they weren't already ordered to. Good for her. I like her. XD Yeah, I get Alfonse's response. Confused, but this is still an intruder when we've already had invaders. He's handling it right by demanding answers. Oh. And she's being honest, which is good, but explaining it poorly, which is bad... Introductions and expressions of goodwill first, Rat. It's bad to open up with "Prince Alfonse of Askr, you're our target" (I edited out the stutters, in this case.) XD And now Anna's catching up and Rat's still not said anything helpful. It's really cool that the map for this one is just the Order of Heroes main screen, too. 🙂 XD Oh man I love her sprite's nervous fidgeting just before she transforms when she's attacked. Ah. Well, at least she's explaining things honestly. She's being good about the whole "I understand if you have to kill me" thing, too. She did have attempted regicide there, after all. Poorly attempted regicide, sure, but that just leaves more room for the royals to decide what to do about it. Oh. So, contrary to the book's opening movie, she snuck right up to Alfonse without him noticing. Good job, Rat. Pff. Alfonse is giving her a chance to explain herself and she's just freaking out about not wanting to do. XD Understandable, but come on. You are not handling this well, girl. XD Ah, and there we go. Glad she said something to improve her situation there: "But I still...I can't bring myself to kill someone who has done nothing wrong!" This expresses not only her desire not to kill Alfonse, but also that she doesn't even think he's done anything wrong. It also points strongly toward someone else pulling the strings, and even expresses that she might not be opposed to killing someone if the need arises/that person has done something wrong enough to warrant it. Really liking Rat. Aw. And then Alfonse just smiles at her. That calms her down a bit which helps her to speak more clearly, too. This little exchange is so good and has so much in it already. Very nice. Interesting how Rat details out how her assassination group works, too. Their study period sounds right for the work they do. "You are always seeking out tactical approaches, and you do not fear making choices some may think cold. But you are a gentle person at heart, and you do everything you can for your people..." I am so glad this gets stated straight up. It's been shown consistently, but some people take their perceptions to extremes. I hate it when that happens. "If you were to die now, the people of your country would suffer... And so, that's why I...can't do it." Man, Rat's perceptive. Seriously, I like her. So astute. "...What's your name?" Yeah, there's that. XD I kept being all "That's great, but I think you're forgetting that these people don't know things that you consider old news. Stop only sharing the stuff that's new to you." I know someone like this irl, too. I keep having to remind her to share the context that only exists in her head with everyone else. XD "That is the name my father gave me." Interesting that she would state it like this. This could either be meaning that she has (or could receive) another name, or just be a cultural way to say it, again pointing to the absolute rule her father has over her and those like her. Man, all that in just Chapter 1! Of course, Chapter 1 in FEH tends to have a good amount of writing in it. I think it was really well done. A lot was set up, and the subtlety in the characterization was handled deftly. Time to move on to Chapter 2! Cute music. It's nice to have a friendly chat with Rat after all that. And now Alfonse and Sharena can just explore their curiosity about their new friend. As expected, the great tree connects to all the worlds, like a gateway (and since Askr (deity) was born from it, that explains his gate powers and love of exploration and meeting others.) The Healing Hands are also explained. XD And thank you, Commander, for calling out how assassination is not healing. Sharena just wants to befriend everyone and Alfonse likely would rather not bring it up and make Rat feel threatened again, so Anna's the perfect one to speak up here. Part of her job is (or should be) protecting the royals, after all. "It felt like we were helping people protect their joy... That's what it felt like to me, at least." Awww I really like Rat! She's nice in a realistic way. 🙂 "Is your father the leader of your group? What's his name?" Good on you, Anna, driving the plot forward while actually doing your job for a change. And Alfonse is making the connection between the fake Emblians and the assassination attempt. Yep; astute as always. Good for you. Man, I am loving how in character everyone is, not that they're usually not. "How did you know?! Amazing..." Hahaha! Rat's cute. "Alfonse is quick when it comes to figuring things like this out!" Yup; Sharena has the right of it. Again, glad this is spelled out for some players. "I suspect I'm not the only target. There must be others - on both sides." Yep. Like I said: send an envoy. The sooner, the better. "Who are the other targets?" Glad his priorities are straight. "The queen? Sharena?" Though it makes sense that he would worry about his family first. "Or..." Veronica seems obvious to me, yeah. He must've already been thinking this if he said "on both sides" before. "I-I'm just one piece of the plan! I don't know all the details!" Okay, but why are you freaking out again? This feels a bit inaccurate to the character here. She has an intense focus on saving lives and the threat to her has already died down, to the point of having friendly conversation. "Ratatoskr, you'll be joining us as our hostage." (Anna.) XD I kind of get it, but it also feels a bit hurried and unnecessary. I'd personally let her be under a sort of house arrest in the castle while AN ENVOY IS SENT TO EMBLA so that she could come to grips with herself and join of her own volition. "Don't try anything rash, alright?" At least there's that. Hmm yeah. The enemy covered their tracks and got away. This is obviously a ruse. They don't want people to find out where they're really coming from. Glad Anna thought to ask where their base of operations was. Aaaand Rat's not great with giving straight answers. You need to share the context in your head, girl. XD "Give us serious answers or I'll have no choice but to interrogate you." I get it, and this is a Commander-ly thing to say, but you should have picked up on her patterns well enough by now to understand that that's not necessary. As expected, the short answer to the actual question was "the world tree." XD And good on Anna for actually shifting gears and being nicer while still commanding authority and cooperation, telling Rat to lead the way. "Mortals are unable to see the pathways we use - and you can't pass through them either." Ah. Inconvenient. Also, sounds like some Shinto spirit stuff got tied in heavily here. Neat. But you know what leads into the Shinto spirit world? Torii gates! And you know who can open gates? Askran royalty! Will we actually see Alfonse/Sharena FINALLY use their bloodline's ability that's been talked about but never used thus far?! "Special permission, hm? Your father sounds like a powerful person." Sharena, stop changing the subject and open a gate. "Born from Yggdrasill... Hmm... That sounds familiar..." No kidding, Sharena. Askr was too, remember? Open a gate! With Askr's power! I wonder if Rat's dad's "special permission" is just opening a gate, actually... I wonder if he has gate powers like Askr did. What if they were twins? At this point, I'm convinced they're at least brothers. It could even be that Askr was protecting Askr (country) from his bro all this time, which is why said bro is only moving now: because Askr is out of the way. "The Divine Dragon Askr was born from Yggdrasill as well..." Yep. Thank you, Alfonse. Still weird that you call him a dragon, though. "Laeradr must be a godlike being akin to our Askr." Safe assumption. Also, I suspect that they're brothers. Same roots, you know? Same family tree. Askr just branched out and decided to leaf. (Puns intended, though I admit that last one wasn't great.) "Everything proceeded as planned." Oh dear. Though, the does make sense. Poor Rat's being used, perhaps. They really used Alfonse's kindness against him. "Oh, uh, hey...how about the kid?" Interesting how Nidhoggr refers to Rat as "the kid." I wonder if there's dissociation going on there, since these ladies are supposed to be sisters. "I heard Ratatoskr went missing..." I guess she either didn't realize Rat was supposed to be taken hostage, or that really wasn't part of the plan. Also, I keep forgetting to say this, but I noticed that Nidhoggr seems to always be drunk. (I'm guessing the fruit she's always eating is somewhat fermented, or just poisonous in general, but results in intoxication of a different variety for her.) If she really is dissociating, perhaps these are tied together. Like, she hates killing instead of saving lives so much that she's doing everything short of disobeying in order to escape that reality. That seems like the sort of thing IS likes to do with characters like this. "She disappeared mid-mission." Oh. So, not part of the plan. At least they're not using her and were legitimately giving her a job. "She was likely captured. Potentially killed..." Hraesvelgr is either manipulating Nidhoggr's feelings (under orders) right now, or really isn't sure what happened. "Ah! And you're sad! So you do care about her after all! I knew it." This either is more dissociation, reflection, or she really doesn't care (unlikely) and is just calling out Hraesvelgr. "My only concern is the mission." You're not fooling anyone, "cool beauty" type gal. Ah, and indeed, the fruit makes Nidhoggr drunk. Oh heck! Okay, didn't expect Hraesvelgr to just...appear like that and start commentating. We knew she could warp, but... Yeah. Big plot stuff incoming. (I'm excited.) ... Ah, she sounds more like she's directing the enemy from behind her own forces' lines. That makes more sense. "This need not be a battle. Battle will give them an advantage." Well, yes. Okay, she's calm under pressure (good for a surgeon) and tactical. Nice. I can just imagine her focused monotone here, too. Dang, she really sounds surgeon-esque. The writers/localization team did a good job here. "All we need is for one of them to die. That should be sufficient." If that was sufficient for a retreat, that would be one pathetic army. The wording makes it sound like "any one of them" rather than a specific target. Buuut knowing her, this will be a rather literal surgical strike. "If Embla tries to deny these attacks, the Askran people will see it as a tacit approval..." Then inform them of what's really going on and send an envoy already. "What's more is that it seems key figures are being targeted, but we don't know who the targets are..." Well, you know one. I have a bad feeling that they're going to try using Alfonse as bait... "I will release you. You are no longer our captive. I want you to return home to your group." Ohhh so his "request" is, perhaps for her to spy for them? Maybe the opening movie showing her running down the tree was to deliver important information to the Askrans as a spy, but she was knocked off the tree by Hraesvelgr, which delayed her so that the tree side could act before the Askrans could react. Hmmm... Do they succeed in killing Henriette? Is that why Rat's crying as she hugs Alfonse -- because she's sad that she couldn't deliver that or other news in time? "If you would, I want you to bring us information about any plans for assassination." Yep. Spy. "We need you to be a spy for us. Or more accurately, a double agent." Uh, Anna, why are you talking like you already discussed this with Alfonse when he clearly just had the idea? "But can we trust her?" Okay, now at least she's actually engaging in discourse. "We've captured her, so even if we play it off as if she found an opportunity to escape..." What? That's exactly how it should go. She was able to sneak up on Alfonse without him noticing. This is reasonably within her capabilities. "Will she be able to lie convincingly enough to her own group?" Okay, good point. She's very honest, after all. "I believe in her. She can tell them most of the truth about what actually happened to her." True. And she's good at not giving full context, though that's done on accident... She'll have to be a lot more intentional about it. "She can even tell them I asked her to get us more information on the assassination plot." Uhhh that's a risky move. Technically, it could work, but it's still very risky to tip your hand THAT much when Rat's already known and trusted over there. "It's a gamble on our part, but if our enemy thinks like I do...they will see a similar opportunity in front of them." So he IS aiming for a triple agent scenario! Dude, you do not have enough info on your foes to make that kind of call reliably. Besides, if the foe's smart, they'll be watching Rat's movements even more closely if she tells them THAT. "They will try to use you to get more information on us..." Except that they don't need that if they already had as much as Rat said they did -- down to your habits and routines. True, that could only apply to Alfonse, but it's fairly safe to say that they at least have a good idea of it since Alfonse's actions are intertwined with the Order's and Rat was able to break into the castle unnoticed. "So, what, she'll be a...triple agent?" Wow Anna. Never heard of one? "I'll do it. I...I have one favor to ask of you in return." Interesting. I wonder what it is. "Just, please...save my sisters." Uhhhhh right... No biggie, eh? I hope you realize what you're asking for. I get that this is the outcome you want the most, but... That's unlikely, at least realistically. Alfonse could agree to try, but promising to achieve it makes it a promise he may not be able to keep. "Your sisters?" Uhhh have you not been paying attention to that at all, Alfonse? "But there was something else I overheard..." Ohhh? I'm intrigued. "Father is planning to have them all dead after this..." I wondered as much. Well, at least we have some info which may help us win them over. They won't believe us, of course, but having something factual that could make someone question their orders is useful. "He told them that, once their missions were completed, they were to end their lives." OH so they know already. And they're still following orders. Dang, that is some blind loyalty right there. Yep; okay. Saving them by defeating them sounds good to me now. "My sisters cannot defy an order from Father..." but you can? Is this a "will not" or "can not" thing? "No matter what, I don't want them to die. I want my family to live." Rat's good. I like her. "So...whatever you ask of me, if you can save them, I'll do anything." Man, I like this character. She's not over the top, but she's honest and resolved. The caring aspect of her isn't overdone, either -- she has exceptions she can make if it's reasonable. Very nice. Okay! This book is off to a good start! Really looking forward to more. ^_^

It's actually a technical term used for talking about written works. It's like saying that calling a computer monitor a monitor and saying that grass isn't a monitor is being too strict. 😕 Anyway, sorry, but I think you're not willing to listen to anything I have to say here. I'm not putting any more time/effort into this (including the rest of your post, at least for now. Again, sorry, but you're just not being someone I can work with here.)

Ah, right. Good catch. Indeed. I forgot to mention it, but these were my thoughts, too. Edit: New info! I don't read the datamines, but I do read (off and on) Sharena's Meet the Heroes. It seemed a little premature, but I wound up reading Ratata Multitasker Ratatoskr's entry. So, not sure if this is a mistranslation or not, but there it says that she was sent to assassinate her older brother. (Could this be Askr himself? Did they not get the memo that he died back in Book 6?) Now, this could be a mistranslation, and it could be that Sharena's supposed to be saying "my" here (especially since Alfonse is depicted in the image next to it) but it could very well be that Askr himself is the one she was sent to assassinate. This is especially since another relation was revealed here: her father is Laeradr, who, according to his description in the "closely associated characters" section, "can be seen as the World-Tree's other self." Askr said he was born from the World-Tree, so that could mean that he's saying that "the World-Tree's other self" is his father (which would, of course, make him Ratatoskr's brother, sharing a father like that.) That said, it does also say that Laeradr was "born from Yggdrasill," which is the same wording Askr used to describe himself. In that case, it would make Askr and Laeradr brothers. Fun note: When I saw the guy in Book 8's key art, I did briefly wonder if he was Askr's brother. I then dismissed it at the time, though -- not enough info was available yet for such a theory. Now, though, I can't help but wonder if that's Laeradr, and if he really is Askr's brother. That said, there's another character in the key art I haven't brought up yet: the mask-looking thing at the very top. Who is that depicting? Or is that what the person actually looks like? Is that actually Laeradr, not the guy depicted on the left side of the key art? If he's considered to be the "other self" of the tree, then it makes sense that he would look, well...not as human-esque, you know? Could go either way. Anyway, at least we got an answer: the one sending the trio of sisters out to kill people is their father, Laeradr. Personally, I'm really curious about who Laeradr is, and who each person in the key art is, and all their relations to Askr (as possibly Embla, but mostly Askr.) Plus, who exactly is the brother Ratatoskr was sent to kill? Is "brother" meant to be taken literally, or is it more like a general relation? (Of course, how Askr himself relates to all this is key to understanding the rest. For example, when he blessed Lif (the first king of the country of Askr) how did that affect his relationship with Lif's descendants? If Nifl and her conversations with Fjorm are anything to go by, they'd be considered his children, in a way. Does this mean that Askr made Ratatoskr, too, and that Lif/his descendants are the "brother" she was sent to kill?) There are so many possibilities, I'm looking forward to more info so I can keep working this out. 🙂

But that's not what character development is. "Development" is when a change occurs in a character. This can be for better or worse, but it is always a change. "Exploration" is when new things about a character are revealed that were already a part of the character. Otherwise, it's just screentime. I'm telling you that you are not attaching the correct meanings to those terms. Also, "every time" is not a compound word. And his name is spelled "Alfonse." Also "there" is the spelling you're looking for in "there needs to be introduction." There's a lot more in what you said, too, but I'll just leave it there. If you want to tell me the definitions to words, please at least get other basic components of the language right before you do so that you can have some authority behind what you're saying. I'd argue further about how your claims are flawed (i.e., the reader/player/etc. does not actually need to see development for it to happen) but it seems to me like you're ignoring my corrections where they actually apply and are just trying to get me to submit to your own views. Feel free to correct me on this point if it's not accurate. Additionally, I didn't ask any questions. I said I don't see why it's a problem. Allow me to rephrase this: It is not a problem. It is good. Sharena and Anna have their own things they can do. Solving this kind of thing before Alfonse can is not one of them. Have to say, when Sharena got her "I'm a cat!" stuff, I couldn't help but be all "Well, you guys wanted more lines for Sharena. Here they are!" She gets most of her lines in Forging Bonds, as does Anna. Given the goals of IS with their work on FEH's main story (such as restrictions on what the text is to focus on and how much text to include), it just doesn't make sense most of the time for Anna or Sharena to speak up. After analyzing these things since FEH first came out (and from points IS has emphasized as a collective entity itself), I've gotten enough data now to pinpoint that. In the end, it's the creator's choice, and they're doing exactly what they want to do with their own work. When you come up to that, even as a professional editor, then you concede. In the end, your preferences do not trump the author's. Any advice to "improve the work" has to be in alignment with the author's own goals. So if the problem is the author's goals being different from your own, well, there isn't actually a problem at that point: just a difference in goals. Now, if IS wanted to go deeper with their characters and explore them more, I'd personally like that and I have advice ready to go on how that could be done. That said, they probably wouldn't need it. It's not like they don't know how to go about it (they've proven that they can via other titles and even their deft handling of adding in characterization here in Heroes to the point of this mass amount of characters remaining in character most of the time across many titles.) It's that they don't want to, and for the reasons that I've expressed in previous posts. Now, I'm curious how much of what I've said will be ignored this time. Let's see. BUT if you want to discuss Tolkien's work, then let's do so briefly. I'll put this in spoilertags because it's getting a bit off topic. Insights in how to go about this business below. I'm probably going to stop talking about this regardless now. It's taking up way more of my time than I can afford to actually give it, but know that I did this much for your benefit. I hope it's something you wind up valuing or it'll really feel like I wasted my time going into this much detail. Even so, if you don't appreciate it, then that's okay, too. But I won't spend any more on it. Edit: That is, on "is or is not." I'm still happy to discuss more opinion things than "should or should not/definitions." Like, would I personally appreciate character development? Yes. I could even do a deep dive into what I personally would have liked to see. Do I think IS wants to go very deep into that? No (and for reasons I've already explained.)

Hahahaaa they're giving summaries after showing the units' skills now. I'm glad they are, but it's kind of funny. It really is a good way to promote less premium units, too, especially to casual players. 🙂 Happy as I am about Laurent, I think I'll use my free summon on blue. We'll see how things go, but I'm enjoying the squirrel so far.

Hmm so, while the music grew on me a little, I personally don't think it makes as much of a statement as the last three books' did (for me, anyway.) Books 3, 5, 6, and 7 had the best music, in my opinion. This one fits the theme of the book and all, but it's just not as catchy and/or make as big an impact as the others did. This is just how it affected me, though.

That's not development, though. That's character exploration at best. Also, I don't see why it's a problem that he's the one who usually figures stuff out. He's smarter than Sharena, Anna, and everyone else who's been on the team per book. Get someone of equal or greater capability to solve stuff and you'll probably see that role being shifted more. It's not like he got more cookies than the other kids or anything; it's just that this is one of his abilities. Now, screentime is another matter. That said, I'd say the issue is with IS not wanting to develop Sharena beyond her being the cheerful "heart" character and Anna being a greed gimmick who sometimes acts commander-y. Alfonse himself actually needs a LOT more development than he's gotten. I've said this elsewhere, but Book 4's opening would have been a great place to start working on him before the dream crisis hit. He has a lot of emotional baggage to unpack after Book 3, let alone all that happened in Book 6. At least there was the Laguz leaders FB to help with that, but really, the focus of these stories is WAY too plot-driven and not nearly character-driven enough. Of course, that could be because IS wants to keep FEH somewhat lighthearted/easy to digest, but you really sacrifice character development when you make it as shallow (thus "easy") as IS is making it. Another pattern I've seen is that each of the Askr trio has its "realm." Anna tends to pop up in announcements, Sharena has a whole "let Sharena introduce you" thing online (and she's more involved in Forging Bonds than Anna or Alfonse is) and being the most serious and "main character-y" one of the Askr trio, Alfonse's place is being the main consistent (as opposed to per-book) non-silent (as opposed to the summoner) lead for the main story. So, if you really want things to be "fair," then Alfonse needs to introduce heroes too, and have more presence in FB's than he does now. What I think would be best, though, would be to have some between-book chapters or something for actual character development...except that IS doesn't want that because major changes in character makes it harder for players to experience the various books non-linearly, which is a thing they've mentioned wanting to provide.

He gets screentime, sure, but has hardly gotten development at all. Most of his growing was in Book 1, then just a bit in book 3. Otherwise, nope. He's about the same.

Yeah that. Sorry; was pulling from info I learned years ago, so it was kind of vague in my head. I just remembered the double coil and was all "Was it a snake and something else or was it 2 snakes?" I didn't want to muddy my main point, though, so I kept my message as simple as I could and clear mostly on the points I remembered clearly. Yeah, I saw that being talked about in the FEH Channel thread. I think that's pretty cool. So, Veronica's dealing with her biochemistry being messed with and Alfonse is in danger of being taken apart. Man, this sounds like hospital horror to me when put that way. I'm glad it's in more of a high fantasy package -- makes it easier to appreciate! Ah, the medical industry... It can either be an absolute savior or the worst nightmare fuel out there. It's all in how it's used by those who practice it.

I was watching the trailer again and you're totally right, especially on this! Poor guy seems like he's really struggling to survive those blind spot attacks. I wonder how long he has to outlast those since his allies do not seem close by. I wonder if he was taken to a sort of "pocket world" or something. Reminds me of birds taking prey to their nests, actually. Dang, I'm getting more excited for this. XD Edit: Also, forgot to mention this, but all these new characters from the trailer have the same "gold knots on white" clothing patterns that Askr (and, subsequently, the Askrans) has. ("gold knots" is a thing for a lot of FEH designs, but this particular combination is distinctly Askran.) That really strengthens the connection to Askr (deity) even further. I really feel like Askr (deity) is a a key component to this story. These ladies may even be his sisters or former vassals or something. Edit the third: Actually, looking again, it's even closer to Askr's design scheme since it also includes a muted brown leather and dark blue, too. Edit again: If they want Alfonse and Veronica dead, why don't we just hand over Lif and Thrasir? There. Dead Alfonse and Dead Veronica. 😛 (Though, really, a part of me can't help but wonder if this has anything to do with Lif and Thrasir's roles in Asgard. It's just a far-flung thought, though, so even I'm not putting that much stock in this one.)

"But she's popular so we had to make her cute and someone people could feel sorry for." *sigh* Honestly, with the number of female characters we have, greater variety in design is practically required. The odds are just too terrible that EVERYONE would fit into the "conventional eye candy" mold. Even with as few male characters as we have, there's more variance in their designs than in the female ones. I get that accuracy to odds isn't IS' focus -- they're trying to market -- but it doesn't feel very good. Oh well. I'll enjoy what I can from it. (Also, Eitr is NOT a child. She's a young adult or teenager at youngest. That said, she is absolutely a brat if being teased made her decide it was a good idea to destroy all humans because of her jealousy because her brother is only allowed to pay attention to her.)

I began writing this in my thoughts on the FEH channel thread, so this is why it starts out the way it does before I decided to put it here instead. Now, onto the thing which matters most for me: story! Yep, this is why I said "if they're going to Asgard/Ragnarok next." Well, it'll probably be the next book (or the book after) since there's a LOT of buildup leading toward that particular arc, and to make it a big story for Book 10 but 9 is a big number in the plot too ("9 realms") and that would give them 10 to start a whole new arc. Anyway, focusing on Book 8 for now... World tree, eh? Makes sense that they would focus on Askr and Embla's new relationship for this book if the world tree is the focus. If you guys recall, Askr said that he was born in the world tree (and, in fact, his realm is either right next to the tree or is connected to the tree, especially since we got that fruit from there.) So, this is practically a sequel book to Book 6 (which continued the Askr vs Embla story's focus from Book 1.) My guess is that Squirrel Girl (I love the concept; it's funny. Of course a squirrel would live in a tree!) was Askr's friend or something, so with the command going out to her and her sisters to destroy Alfonse, Veronica, and Henriette, she couldn't bear it. After all, Askr loved these people, and had even given his direct support/blessing to the Askrans (especially the royal family, ever since the first one.) We also have the snake and the eagle, and in the background of the key art, there are 2 other characters! The dude may be the stag said to live at the roots of the world tree. His glowing collar reminds me of branched antlers. But the lady with the blue hair on the right has little glowing ears. Not sure which animal she's supposed to be. Snake lady is definitely one to deals in poisons, so it makes sense that she'd try to take out Veronica that way. Have to say, I wonder which god they serve (they look like they're following orders.) And since they're supposed to be focused on healing (according to their group name, anyway) I wonder what changed/who's calling the shots. By the way, a two-headed snake makes perfect sense for a healer focus. You guys may have seen a symbol in the medical industry of two snakes coiled around each other upwards. In ancient Europe (I believe it was) snakes were associated with healing. This is a really neat play on all that. Now, focusing on the bird lady, when squirrel girl is falling, two glowy birds fly up from the branch she breaks. One is red, one is green. The red one's wings look just like the bird lady's. But then what's the green version? I'm curious about that since we never see it again in the vid. I also wonder whose shadow crosses Henriette's wanted poster at the end of the video. Speaking of, I am SO EXCITED that we may finally get to learn more about Henriette! FEH keeps hinting and hinting about her origins. Perhaps she's actually from the world tree? If so, it would make sense how she wound up in Askr, given Askr's association with the world tree. Maybe this is a "Henriette, you should be here, not there. We finally found you." sort of thing? It really looks like these people are on orders to kill key players in Embla and Askr, perhaps even to end the two countries. After all, Henriette is ruling Askr right now as regent, and Alfonse is the next in line to be king. Plus, Veronica's ascended the Emblian throne. Maybe, since Askr and Embla died, these people are trying to exact revenge? Askr was born from the world tree, so he may be considered a relative of these people, and it wouldn't be a stretch to assume Embla has similar origins and connections. Since this references Book 6 so heavily, I wouldn't be surprised to see Ash and Elm make appearances, too. Anyway, I'm looking forward to it! There's a lot of mystery here right now!

Oh my gosh, that new battle mode looks so cute. I love the graphic of the two summoners working together, too! ^_^ As for the new heroes, FINALLY Validar gets in! His art looks a bit weirdly...stretched, to me, though? Also, what the heck happened to Lucina's pants? Did she get thrown into Nohr or something? Love the fakeout axe, too. Expected another lance for a moment there. XD Laurent is also in now! I'll talk about the Book 8 stuff in the Book 8 thread. 🙂

TRUE. Fantastic backgrounds, too, that will probably go largely unnoticed by the fanbase at large. FEH has some amazing music and beautifully illustrated backgrounds that have such distinct themes they carry.