Magenta Fantasies

I forget who Nagi is and what game it is from, and I have a great memory for characters and lore, so that probably says something. As for minor/obscure characters I dislike, Geitz from the Blazing Blade immediately comes to mind. For such an obscure, minor, difficult to recruit character, he is so deeply obnoxious and unlikeable. He’s by far my least favorite Blazing Blade character. While less obscure, they are completely optional characters and can be missed whether by accident or on purpose, so I’ll count Dwyer and Yarne. I hate their personalities and attitudes, and hate even more the fact that they’re the sons of two of my top five favorite Fire Emblem characters.

I really hope Shura is summonable on a banner and not as a GHB. He’s one of my favorite Fates characters and it’s a shame he only had two supports. A Forging Bonds conversation would be wonderful for him. On the other hand, I wouldn’t be devastated if he were a GHB as long as he had decent skills, as it would make him easier to obtain and he is a character I would definitely +10. I was expecting a Birthright/Hoshido-themed banner, but the roster is different than I expected. I’m genuinely surprised to see Mozu and Yukimura on this banner (and as 5-star units!) but no Scarlet. I’m quite happy to see Hayato finally in Heroes, as he’s one of my favorite Hoshidan characters. Too bad his art is terrible. At least he looks like a decent demote unit and great fodder. Attack/Speed Ideal is a welcome addition to the 4-star pool (if it wasn’t added recently) and I really hope Rauorlantern is inheritable. While Attuned Azura killed my dream of an Attuned Jakob with a Corrin theme, at least I like her design. Her skills seem less impressive than Mozu and Yukimura, though. There is also a non-zero chance of an Attuned Corrin with a Jakob theme, which would be awesome as well. The GHB choice is weird (still no Shura, and if not him I was expecting Kotaro for a Hoshidan-themed banner) but I actually like Candace and I’m curious how Heroes will handle her character. That’s one thing I love about Heroes: it adds a lot to characters who didn’t get to do or say much in their games. I really enjoyed how Heroes handled Brigand Boss, who is about as minor as Candace.

The Black Knight’s art is amazing! He has some of the best art of any Resplendent alt. I was really hoping we’d get a Muspell Resplendent and a GHB Resplendent soon, so I’m happy to see him. There are a lot of GHB characters I’d like to see have Resplendent alts, so I hope this trend continues. Still, I think I’ll let my FEH Pass expire because I don’t use the Black Knight and his original art is also fantastic. What other GHBs do you speculate will receive Resplendent alts soon? I was thinking about this a couple days ago. The ones I want most are Panne (Jotunheimr), Naesala (Embla), Xander (also Embla), Navarre (Muspell), Michalis (also Muspell), Oliver (Vanaheimr, whenever we get Vanaheimr Resplendent outfits) and Berkut (Muspell.) However, I think Lyon, Xander, Berkut and Narcian are most likely.

I’m disappointed (but not surprised) that Michalis lost to Lindhart, although I’m more surprised Lindhart won against Bernadetta. Is Lindhart actually popular, especially by Three Houses standards? Maybe people didn’t want to vote for Bernadetta because she won CYL this year. Now onto Team Karla/Freyja. They were my second choice.

I have most of these characters, and Michalis is both the highest leveled and the one I like the most. In the likely event he loses, I wouldn’t mind switching to Karla, and Bernadetta is a third choice.

Capturing in Fates was a very fun game mechanic and I liked its implementation better than Thracia’s. Getting to keep and use enemies you fought is such a cool concept. However, I almost never use it because I have plenty of units already (including many I already don’t have time to raise or deployment slots to use.) I’d rather use characters I like and build supports between them. Not having supports is a deal breaker, so I virtually never use Einherjar or captured units. If games like Shadow Dragon (no supports,) Radiant Dawn (minimal supports,) New Mystery and Shadows of Valentia (relatively few supports,) and the GBA games (supports are a pain in the neck to get) had enemy capturing as a game mechanic, I would absolutely use it.

I just visited your My Castle (your Your Castle? Your Castle?) and gave you a bath towel. The bath towel always takes me a long time to get and it elicits some hilarious reactions from the characters when you give it to them. Somewhat related question: can the rewards for battles and visits only be claimed once ever or can they only be claimed once per game file? I'm debating if I should claim them or not, because I'm worried they'll disappear if I don't, but if they only can be claimed once ever, I don't want to claim them on files where I've completed the game.

As always, I’m hoping for a Northern Fortress themed child banner. The optimal lineup would be either (or most likely both) Corrins with Jakob as the demote, Felicia and Flora as the duo and Silas as the Tempest Trials character. Female Corrin won CYL last year, but I don’t think it’s impossible that she could get another alt in April. It’s also entirely possible that only Male Corrin will appear. They often, but don’t always, appear on banners together. However, that would make Felicia and Flora the only girls on the banner, and I doubt IS would do that. Azura already appeared as a child on the Adrift banner years ago, so it would be redundant for her to appear again. My personal preference would be Peri. She isn’t connected to the other characters on the banner, but it would be fascinating (and adorable) to see her as a child and I’d like to see her get an alt at some point. More than likely, I’m expecting Shadows of Valentia. As long as we get Faye and/or Kliff, I’ll be happy with the results. They’re my favorite SoV characters. Faye seems pretty likely, but Kliff has more competition for a spot on the banner from Gray, Tobin and Boey. Celica and Alm are givens.

This sounds like fun, and I set up my Conquest My Castle (my most developed one with my strongest Corrin) for this only to realize I jumped the gun and didn't read your rules at all. 😅 I don't feel like creating an all-new Corrin for you to use, but you're welcome to use mine or even just visit my My Castle.

Coming up next, we have Hana wearing the first Jotunheimr outfit in seven months. I really like her art, although I have mixed feelings on her as a character and wish that one of the many Fates characters I like more (several of whom are on my wishlist) had been chosen instead. It doesn’t help that Hana comes after Selena and Azama, who I’m also not crazy about. Come to think of it, it’s a little strange that we would get two units of the same type (infantry sword) from the same game (although to be completely fair, Selena is from Conquest and Hana is from Birthright, although Heroes usually classifies all three as “Fates”) almost consecutively.

It looks like my predictions were absolutely wrong, although Marth-themed Attuned Caeda is an Attuned alt I hoped would happen. It’s really odd to see Yuliya without Yubello. I wasn’t expecting Arlen, but he’s a fitting choice along with Ascended Merric. Speaking of which, I dislike having two Ascended/Rearmed/Attuned characters on the same banner. Not only do they compete with each other (one becomes much more popular than the other, e.g. Attuned Peony vs. Triandra) but it takes away a slot for a new character to be added. I don’t see why Merric couldn’t have been saved for a future banner. Castor is a pleasant surprise. While I genuinely like Castor, him being an infantry bow GHB makes me concerned about the chances of Shura being on the next Fates banner. We’re almost certainly getting Fates next month (unless it is pushed off until June because of the Fallen banner and the possibility of being the child banner theme.) There aren’t many bow GHBs and I doubt two would happen in a row.

I have a feeling it will be Fates or Archanea. Probably Archanea, which is fine by me as there are still a good number of characters from those games who I want to see in Heroes. I could definitely see this banner featuring Yuliya, Yubelo, and Marisha with Ascended/Rearmed/Attuned Katarina and Lorenz as the GHB. The former three and Lorenz are introduced around the same time in New Mystery. Marisha is one of my favorite Archanean characters, so I really hope she’s there. Alternately, I could see a banner featuring the remaining 7th platoon members (Cecil and Ryan) with Ascended/Rearmed/Attuned Katarina, Yubelo and Yuliya. Cecil would be the GHB, which would be a little odd, but you train with her in the prologue of New Mystery and we’ve seen weirder GHB choices. I’m holding out that there’s some remote chance we’ll get Rickard, since he’s the only Archanea dagger option left (barring any odd reclassing decisions IS makes.) I’d be surprised to see him here, but I think Rickard has a fairly decent chance compared to other “unpopular” Archanean characters. Also, I’d like to see Castor and I don’t think there is too much competition for archers among the remaining Archanean cast. As for a Fates banner, I don’t think there is any way I could be disappointed (though I may be jinxing myself since the last Fates banner was a dud.) Scarlet is almost guaranteed. I noticed in the last Fates Lost Lore that she was mentioned by name (which almost never happens with characters not in Heroes) so that cements Scarlet for me. I could see it being a Birthright/Hoshido themed banner with Scarlet, Hayato, either Mozu or Izana, and Ascended/Rearmed/Attuned Takumi or Sakura. If Shura isn’t the GHB, Kotaro would be a fitting choice. Honestly, a Fates banner with Shura in any capacity would make me happy.

A farmer’s market banner could be fun, although I wonder what characters would wear. Maybe more casual/villager-like clothes? You mean sakura/cherry blossoms aren’t the flowers of cherry trees? That’s news to me. It’s awesome that you live in a place where cherry blossoms bloom. It’s too cold where I live. One year I went down to Washington DC with my camera to see the cherry blossoms (and art museums,) but the temperature ended up being 20 degrees colder than usual. Not only were the cherry blossoms not in bloom, but I was underdressed for the weather and cold the whole time. I’m surprised that in seven years there hasn’t been a Sacaen banner. Not only is Sacae in two games, but it’s more important than most of the locales that have been featured so far in seasonal banners. Sacae also has a very distinctive aesthetic to be used for the outfits. I imagine a Sacaen banner featuring Lyn (inevitably), Rutger (he’s one of the more popular Binding Blade characters, he doesn’t have an alt, and he could be part of the festival to learn more about his heritage), either Guy or Rath (I prefer Guy, but Rath seems like the more likely choice and I don’t think IS would use both of them,) Wolf (the plainsmen of Aurelis are somewhat like Sacae; he’d be curious about a Sacaen festival and he deserves an alt) and a duo of Fir and Binding Blade Karel (I’d like to see the niece-uncle pair interact more; Fir would want to know more about life in Sacae and her family, and Karel would tell her about it.)

It’s that time of year again in Heroes, where the polarizing spring banner launches. People complain about it every year, but it’s popular enough to be a reoccuring banner and I see more fanart for it than pretty much any other seasonal banner except maybe summer. Personally, it’s my favorite of the season/holiday-based banners. I love the aesthetic, somewhere between the Playboy bunny uniform and Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit (which seems to inspire a lot of anime artists; I’ve seen a surprising amount of art of human versions of him and the Cheshire Cat,) with dapper black or white bodysuits or dresses for girls and suits for boys with bright accent colors as well as the frilly capes, top hats and floral accessories. I’m a sucker for quirky formalwear and I like the bright and pastel spring/Easter aesthetic in general.

I usually find the Nifl outfits bland (it’s my least favorite theme,) but this is one of my favorites. Shigure also had a pleasing Nifl outfit. At last, we are done with the CYL 2 winners. Unfortunately, the CYL 3 winners are looming on the horizon and they’re moving closer. I hope some Book 1 and Book 2 characters I want will be added before the CYL 3 winner glut begins.

As a form of copium, I’ve been scouring the fandom (Reddit, Twitter, Discord, etc.) for fanart of a hypothetical spring Karel. I’m surprised I haven’t seen any; I remember seeing tons of spring Michalis fan art both after spring Maria was added in 2022 and in 2023 when Michalis finally was added. I like the Tempest Trial conversation so far, although I’m surprised it doesn’t feature Mirabilis and Lindhart.

There go my hopes for a spring Karel alt... I'm really hoping the child banner will be Fates-themed (Northern Fortress life in particular,) if Fates isn't featured on this month's New Heroes banner.

That was what I thought, too. There must be something hanging off Mirabilis’ wings because it really looks like a braid or ponytail. It’s funny how the silhouette sort of makes it look like there are three characters, with a figure on the left in a wide-brimmed straw hat and a ponytail or braid.

I’d whale for either Soren and Jakob or Female Corrin and Elincia, as long as they weren’t boring themes like winter or New Year’s. Others I’d like to see would be: Shigure and Reyson: To complement Azura and Leanne, and also that they’re both gorgeous singing bishonen. Charlotte and Serra: A fun combination of overbearing and falsely demure personalities. Navarre and Karel: They would look incredibly cool together, and their contrasting moral views could lead to an interesting conversation between them. Bonus points if they’re drawn by Yura. Cynthia and Arthur: FOR JUSTICE! Libra and Lucius: They have similar personalities and backgrounds, and could have some very interesting dialogue together. Lethe and Panne: Two beast units with similar personalities and both their character arcs involve learning to trust. Faye and Marisha: Adorable and determined villager girls with crushes. I’d also take either with Meg. Bonus points if this Harmonic is on a bridal banner. Shura and Rickard: I can’t think of two thieves that are less alike, and Rickard would look up to Shura, which would greatly bother him. They’re also my favorite two thieves. I’d also take Ashe and Rickard for their contrasting moral views and they’re both cute. Minerva and Hinoka: They’re both warrior princesses who prefer battle to courtly affairs and they would look incredibly cool together with their matching fiery hair.

Spring is definitely my favorite of the season/holiday-based themes. I love the dapper black or white bodysuits or dresses for girls and suits for boys with bright accent colors as well as the frilly capes, top hats and floral accessories. All of those things I find aesthetically pleasing in general, and the spring theme is a bonus for me. This theme also allows for a wide variety of color schemes and accessories. Summer is boring with swimsuits; I prefer the desert theme for revealing outfits. These banners almost never feature characters I like and there are two summer banners each year. The Harvest Festival is hit or miss. Leaving dragons behind was a good move. Last year’s banner was one of the best Harvest Festival banners. Day of Devotion is in the middle for me. I prefer the Spring Festival, but Day of Devotion has a few of the same aesthetic elements. Some of the New Year’s kimonos are lovely, but this is generally not a theme I’m interested in. The Winter Festival is by far the worst for me. There isn’t much variety in the designs of the Santa-inspired costumes (with a few outliers like Tharja, Manuela and the Black Knight) and it’s not an aesthetic that appeals to me. For non-holiday-based themes, Bridal would be pretty high on my favorites list—I’m a sucker for formalwear—except it almost never features characters I would want to summon for (Bride Faye or Marisha for 2024!) I also like the ninja banner and desert banners and am happy these have become annual seasonal banners.

I doubt the Macedon theme will continue (since it was focused on the Whitewings and the royal family,) but Julian and Lena are two of my favorite Archanean characters, so I’d be happy to see either get their first (and probably only) alt. Spring Karel is a very likely candidate. I speculate he will be older/Binding Blade Karel (like how Winter Zephiel was younger/Blazing Blade Zephiel, and his normal self was his older/Binding Blade version.) I’d be excited for either. My prediction is that he will be the demote or Tempest Trial unit, which is fine by me because I’m running very low on orbs and he’s probably the character I would want most on that banner. Eitr also seems like a very likely candidate, given Freyja and Triandra were on last year’s Spring banner and how prominent she was in last year’s Tempest Trials+. I’m surprised Panne and Yarne have never appeared on a Spring Festival banner, either. As much as I’d love to see Panne, she and Yarne received alts on last year’s New Year’s banner (fittingly Year of the Rabbit,) so we’ll probably have to wait another year. They’re not that popular.

I’m surprised we’re getting two Embla outfits in a row, but consecutive repeating themes has happened a couple times before. I don’t care for Selena, but I must admit I really like her art and her new outfit. It’s a much-needed upgrade to her original art.

I absolutely hate the art style of Three Houses, so I’m glad I’m not alone in that regard. The character portraits creep me out so much. They look dead and glassy-eyed. That being said, I struggle to think of any specific character designs I dislike. I’m neutral on most of them. It’s the art style that is abysmal. Most FE games have hit-or-miss character designs, so it’s hard for me to pick a favorite. Overall, I’d probably say Fates, with Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn as a second. There are several designs I really like from both games (Corrin’s retainers, the Nohrian royals, Shigure, Shura, Effie, Ryoma, Sakura, Hana, Selkie, Keaton, Siegbert, Soren, Elincia, Mia, Callill, the Black Knight, Petrine, Oliver, Lethe, Lyre, Vika, Naesala, Nailah) and extremely few I dislike. Ranulf, Makalov and Odin are the only ones I dislike that I can think of offhand, and at least Odin’s design perfectly fits his “over-the-top weirdo dark mage” personality. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the 90s and 2000s and fondly remember MMORPG/online RPGs, but I tend to like fantasy designs that are more fantastical or over-the-top (e.g. Dynasty Warriors, Naraka Bladepoint, League of Angels.) Awakening is fairly high on my favorites list, but silly elements like the goofy toilet-bowl neck armor and the comically oversized witch hats push it below Fates. Engage is the most hit-or-miss of all for me. For reasons stated above, there are some character designs I really like (Céline, Chloé, Lapis, and Seadall come to mind,) but others I think are hideous. I’m unsure if I like or dislike Panette’s design. I’m not sure if she’s supposed to be a “butterface” or not, but if she is, at least unlike with Tharja or Aversa it seems intentional. I’m surprised no one has mentioned TMS. I think the same about those designs as Engage. Some are cool and some are ridiculous. As for the worst character designs, putting aside graphical limitations (many of the Geneaology/Thracia portraits look too similar, the general quality of the Shadow Dragon/Gaiden portraits) I’d have to agree about the Binding Blade. The other GBA games aren’t nearly as bad about using eye-searing oversatured colors (although Myrrh’s color scheme burns my eyes.)

Lately I’ve had terrible luck on banners as well. I had to get FEH pass to spark for both Emblem Marth and Maid Lysithea. Despite that, I at least got a second Emblem Marth, two Legendary Hinoka (fantastic Deadeye and Wings of Mercy 4 fodder,) two Elise/Sakura, and a Spring Triandra. I was very disappointed not to get Ascended Fir while the summoning rate was 8%, but at least she’s part of the normal summoning pool. That’s why I’m glad I can confidently skip this month’s New Heroes banner. I want to save as many orbs as I can for the upcoming Fates, Tellius and Archanea New Heroes banners.

I’m not sure what to call this one, but an overbearing, sassy girl who is associated with a much more mellow and submissive boy. E.g. Mae and Boey, Yumina and Yubello, Serra and Erk, and Charlotte and Benny all fit this archetype.