Micaiah Personality Analysis

[Icelerate]

Welcome

This is an incomplete personality analysis. While I analysed Micaiah's personality in part one, I didn't touch upon her personality in part 3 or part 4 and some subtle changes in personality throughout her story. CYL3 is fast approaching and this is shameless propaganda for Micaiah. Please vote for her. If she wins, I'll update this analysis and complete it. Possibly even adding how she contrasts with Ike and Elincia. 

Introduction

Anyhow, I often hear people claim Micaiah has a bland/boring personality. Micaiah's infamous line where she calls Ike the father of Sothe's children is often thought of as an outlier and possibly out of character even by respectable individuals (3:38) within the FE community. Granted that line was added in the English localization and not found in the original Japanese script but in this thread I'll argue that it is in character for her and that she does have a passive aggressive way of teasing people who she's close to.  

Analysis

We see that when Micaiah is upset with her enemy, she asks sarcastic questions with obvious answers to vent her frustration. SF attributes these quotes to Edward but they're wrong. In her second line, Micaiah is quick to express her anger verbally with fiery speech. So it is well known to her they don't keep the peace hence her first line being a sarcastic rhetorical question showing us she has a snarky personality.  

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“Where is the Imperial Occupation Army this time? How can they keep the peace when they’re nowhere to be found?”

Lady:
“Who, the Begnion soldiers?! Hah! They don’t care a lick about us! We lost the war, and they won. We’re nothing to them. They’re only interested in chasing down the Dawn Brigade. They let the real Bandits run wild and brutalize us.”

Micaiah:
“They’re worse than useless! We’ll be glad to help you. Just find someplace to hide, and leave those bandits to us.”

 

Furthermore, in her first two boss conversation, Micaiah goes straight to the point and blasts the bandit showing that she's very blunt. So just from the first two chapters, we see Micaiah speaks sarcastically, showing her anger and is quite blunt. Doesn't seem like a bland character to me. 

Spoiler

Micaiah vs Pugo

Pugo: You give proper thieves a bad name. Hah! You like charity? Come closer! I’ll show you some charity!
Micaiah: These people work hard to feed their families mere scraps. Then you come along and steal what little they’ve earned.
Pugo: Shut up, kid! I work hard, too! You want honest? Once I’ve sold you, I’ll have earned an honest penny!

Spoiler

Micaiah vs Isaiya

Micaiah: Step aside!
Isaiya: The girl we’ve been looking for! The lucky little escapee. Too bad for you, sweetie. Your luck ends today!

 

Micaiah is also shown to be quite sentimental, remembering her time in Nevassa fondly. 

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“I’m so fond of Nevassa. It’s where we all met. It feels like my only real home. We will return…someday.”

 

Micaiah also loves nature's beauty. Moreover, she's a flexible person who takes hardship easily and tries to see the best in a shitty situation a quality which she uses to inspire her comrades to be steadfast. So Micaiah is an inspiring person. Who wouldn't want to be lead by her even in a shitty situation as she's great at cheering you up and improving morale? 

Spoiler

Edward:
“Don’t tell me… This means another night sleeping on the cold ground with nothing but bugs to keep us warm!”

Micaiah:
“Oh, Edward, it’s not that bad! The forest is so beautiful and serene. I’d almost rather be out here. Right, Yune?”

 

Once again, Micaiah shows her sarcastic side because she's obviously not afraid to disappoint and mixes being polite and cocky. 

Spoiler

Micaiah vs Zaitan

Zaitan: The Silver-Haired Maiden! I’ve got you! Lucky for you, Jarod wants you alive—but there’s no escaping now!
Micaiah: I’m afraid I have to disappoint you.
Zaitan: Oh, how pompous! Try to “disappoint” me, and I’ll break both your arms!

 

When Begnion soldiers spot the DB again in the prison, Micaiah is once again sarcastic because it is obviously no surprise that Begnion would find them in the prison when they've always been finding them in harder to find places. Hence the added emphasis on surprise which she repeats twice. 

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“Surprise, surprise! They found us!”

 

Micaiah has the tendency to tease Sothe, play around with him and make fun of him as you'll see more in the future. In this case, she's making fun of him for randomly bringing tomes without knowing what they are. So Micaiah has a playful personality. 

Spoiler

Ilyana:
“Um… I… I can fight too. Could you…lend me that tome?”

Sothe:
“What, you mean this one? Ilyana, I didn’t know you used light magic, too.”

Micaiah:
“Sothe, that’s a tome of lightning magic.”

Sothe:
“It is?”

Micaiah:
“I give up. You just grabbed at random, didn’t you?”

Sothe:
“You know I can’t read the old language. The letters all look the same to me!”

 

Once again, Micaiah shows her bluntness and argumentative nature. She even uses logic by bringing up her past experiences to argue her point. 

Spoiler

Micaiah vs Burton

Burton: You! Crawl quietly back into your cell, and I’ll spare you. More than that, however, I cannot promise.
Micaiah: Don’t be so sure. This isn’t our first fight, and it won’t be our last.
Burton: A brave, yet foolish, sentiment. Before the might of the empire, you lowlifes are just cracked dirt beneath my boots!!

 

When Sothe starts talking about how Ike made him realize that the laguz are equal to beorc, Micaiah got upset and basically took back her compliment. This shows she's quite bitter when praise is given to someone she doesn't like. This goes to show she's quite stubborn. 

Spoiler

Sothe:
“Well, come on. Beorc are called the Children of Wisdom–and the laguz the Children of Strength–for a reason. But I know now that just because our two races differ, that doesn’t mean one is better than the other. The age-old beorc bias against laguz is based on sheer ignorance. When I met Ike during the war three years ago…and fought beneath him… he made me realize this.”

Micaiah:
“Honestly. Here I thought you were saying something enlightened, and you’re just talking about him again?”

Sothe:
“What do you mean, again?”

Micaiah:
“Sothe, sometimes, every other thing you say is like an ode to Ike. I know you fought beside him. I know you owe him your life. And I know you want to be just like him… But to the people of Daein, he’s the man who crushed us three years ago. Some would even call him our archenemy. If we hadn’t lost the war to that man, Daein wouldn’t be in the mess it’s in now. You know that.”

 

The "Father of Sothe's children" line speaks for itself and while it isn't in the Japanese version, the context of her Japanese lines do make this a reasonable addition to the English localization as Kantopia argues. It's also consistent with Micaiah's previous lines as she loves to tease Sothe and take jabs at people she dislikes. 

Quote

To answer the personal curiosity: Micaiah’s legendary line may not exist in Japanese, but it does help convey how she was likely feeling with the previous two lines.

In short:

The Japanese is a slow reveal of Ike’s name and role in the previous game. Micaiah speaks in a way that is likely repeating what she has heard (many times) from Sothe in a “thinking out loud” kind of way (but also with a hint of reluctant resignation). In English, the localization translated the lines across but then added more clear signs of biting sarcasm (“Right.” and “hero” as well as the “father of Sothe’s children.”) While the line itself is unique to the localization, the tone behind it certainly exists in the original to give enough precedent for it. The only drawback is that perhaps Micaiah comes off as more harsh toward Ike in the localization than intended.

 

Spoiler

Sothe:
“Entering Gallia by yourselves would be nearly impossible. The man you need to get you into Gallia actually resides in Crimea. That man, Ike, is in contact with King Caineghis and his advisors. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the man you need.”

Micaiah:
“Right. Lord Ike, hero of the Crimean Liberation, leader of the Greil Mercenaries, and father of Sothe’s children…”

 

 

 

When Sothe shows an overprotective tendency towards Micaiah, Micaiah gets irritated. This goes to show she is also irritable. 

Spoiler

Sothe:
“But let me just say one thing.”

Micaiah:
“What?”

Sothe:
“I will protect you.”

Micaiah:
“I know that! Why do you think you need to say it?”

 

Micaiah is very empathetic and considerate of other people as she doesn't intrude in Kurthnaga's privacy even though she's quite the curious person based on her inquiring on Kurthnaga's hobbies. 

Spoiler

Kurth (*)

Micaiah: What are you doing out here, Kurth?
Kurth: Hello, Micaiah. Pay me no mind. I’m just watching the desert. How the wind changes the sandscape…The ebb and flow of the dunes, like giant swells in the ocean. I find it mesmerizing.
Micaiah: Is this your first time in the desert?
Kurth: Yes. My homeland is ringed with mountains. Everything about Daein looks new and curious to my eyes.
Micaiah: I see.
Kurth: …You have not asked.
Micaiah: I’m sorry?
Kurth: You have not asked me who I am or where I am from. Not just you, Micaiah, but the others as well. No one seeks to know who I am.
Micaiah: You seem to not want to talk about yourself. Am I right?
Kurth: Yes… Quite right.
Micaiah: That’s why no one asks. People can tell when someone wants privacy. Many of us desire privacy too. Kurth, you are not our enemy. I know that much. You’re kind and gentle. That is all I need to know.
Kurth: Thank you…

 

Micaiah shows us that she's both polite yet firm. Agony insulted her but she politely rebuked him and ordered him to step back. This goes to show she's not just diplomatic but also assertive. Both are good qualities in a leader which goes to show she has a leader-like personality. 

Spoiler

Micaiah vs Agony

Agony: Oooohhhh…a beorc mage. Shiny, sparkly magic makes me soooo scared.
Micaiah: We do not want your treasures, and we mean no ill will. Step back, and we will not harm you.
Agony: If the fire don’t roar like a furnace, it don’t scare me! Mwah-ha-ha! I’m gonna rip your throat out!

 

Micaiah's politeness can make her hesitant to call out a new ally out when she's upset by them. She's too shy to tell Nailah that she can't be seen with the laguz upfront. Then Micaiah feels as if she's insulted Nailah and is quick to plead to her. Later on, Micaiah is afraid of calling Nailah out on calling Volug a dog. Micaiah's unwillingness to hurt other's feelings, with the exception of her enemies and those she's close to makes her somewhat shy and indirect. It's very cute! 

Spoiler

Nailah (***)

Nailah: So, you’re returning to the desert?
Micaiah: Yes, we must go back.
Rafiel: My dear…
Nailah: Yes, Rafiel, I know. Micaiah, I have a question. How can we help you in this fight?
Micaiah: What? But…
Nailah: I know you probably don’t want to be seen with laguz. But we cannot just sit on our paws, so to speak, while our allies are in danger.
Micaiah: I appreciate that, but…
Nailah: No? Fine. Sorry to bother you.
Micaiah: No, no. It’s not what you think. Please don’t apologize. It’s just that…
Nailah: What is it, Volug?
Volug: …
Nailah: I see. That is a good idea.
Rafiel: Oh, yes. I agree. That’s a wonderful idea.
Micaiah: Yes? Volug? What’s going on?
Nailah: Micaiah, it will not seem so strange if you travel into the desert with this dog at your side, will it?
Micaiah: What?!
Nailah: As you know, we laguz fight only in our shifted forms. However, we can’t remain in that state for very long. It is too exhausting. Volug, however, has halfshifted. When he does this, he can remain in beast form all day long.
Micaiah: Queen Nailah, I appreciate you help–
Nailah: He is not as strong in this transitional form. Even so, he is still more than a match for any beorc.
Micaiah: How could you call Volug a dog?!
Nailah: I know. He’s not as friendly as a dog. And I don’t know if he’s housebroken. But he can fight!
Micaiah: That is not what I meant.
Nailah: Micaiah. We wish you good luck. Volug, guard her well.
Rafiel: Do be careful.
Micaiah: I will. Thank you. Volug, is she always so…blunt?

 

 

Micaiah's sarcasm continues where she uses "great" to describe the Begnion Empire. This enraged Laverton which is to Micaiah's benefit after all as it's easier to dispose of your enemies when they are blinded by rage. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a cunning tactical ploy on her part. 

Spoiler

Micaiah: Making hostages of the helpless. Is that how knights of the great
    Begnion Empire operate?

Laverton: Shut up, shut up, shut up!

 

Like I mentioned once previously, Micaiah can get emotionally sentimental, vividly describing her memories. This also shows her passion for Daein and respect for the military figures of pre-Ashnard Daein. 

Spoiler

Fiona:
“Yes. I am Lanvega’s daughter, Fiona. After my father died, I assumed the governance of Marado.”

Micaiah:
“General Lanvega? From the song? Bryce, Tauroneo, Gawain, and Lanvega… Four Riders of Daein, one country, one king, While they bear our banner, A free Daein shall sing. You’re THAT General Lanvega’s daughter?”

Tauroneo:
“Indeed… Lanvega, of the Four Riders. He was a good friend, and a mighty swordsman as well. And stubborn as a mule. Your father was a powerful warrior of unquestionable integrity. A great man.”

 

Micaiah will not hesitate to show anger when Izuka suggests doing something immoral or does such which is refreshing considering her usual passive gentle demeanor. 

Spoiler

Izuka:
“…Such a trivial concern, and one my profound genius has already addressed! Behold this lake next to the camp that provides fresh water to all there. Into this lake, we shall dump a deadly toxin of my own devising! Then we’ll sit back…as the enemy slowly dies.”

Micaiah:
“What are you saying?! Poison is inexcusably vile! I will agree to no such plan.”

Spoiler

Izuka:
“Pawns need no sense of self! It’s only natural to sacrifice soldiers for victory in war!”

Micaiah:
“You twisted maniac! You are the lowest–“

 

Despite disliking Izuka, she's capable of acting politely with him as well. Which goes to show she's level headed and tries not to speak her mind for the greater good. 

Spoiler

Izuka:
“Ahem! As general staff officer of Daein’s Liberation Army, allow me to outline my latest strategy.”

Micaiah:
“Excuse me, but shouldn’t Prince Pelleas be here?”

Izuka:
“There’s no need to distract the prince with the war’s petty details. He won’t be coming to any more meetings. From now on, consider my words the prince’s own.”

Micaiah:
“I’m not sure that’s–“

 

Micaiah feels sentimental when Sothe is happy to the extent she puts down her guard and ends up revealing her secrets. This goes to show how much she cares of Sothe that she gets so happy just seeing him happy. Isn't it endearing? 

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“That Sothe… He looks happy, for some reason.”

Muarim:
“Because he’s reunited with my little one?”

Micaiah:
“That must be it… Oh, Sothe, ever since he was small, he’s tried to act more grown up than the grown-ups… I’ve taken care of him so long, and still I’ve never seen him smile so easily before.”

Muarim:
“Hm… Watch what you say. Comments like that… They reveal that your appearance belies your true age.”

 

Despite her looks and gentle persona, Micaiah can be pretty stubborn, defiant and argumentative with both Pelleas and Izuka. Her softness makes it easy for people to be fond of her which makes it easy for her to push her agenda. This contrast in personality is fitting for a charismatic leader. 

Spoiler

Micaiah: Can you tell me why you stopped showing up at our meetings?
Pelleas: It was at Izuka’s request.
Micaiah: You are the leader of this army! You cannot simply leave all the decisions to someone else!
Pelleas: …I’m sorry. I’ll ask Izuka before the next meeting. I need his permission to attend.
Micaiah: Why? You’re the prince. Why should you need any man’s permission, much less your own advisor’s?
 

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“Prince Pelleas! We have to do something. We must liberate Nevassa and save the people from this brutal attack!”

Izuka:
“Is there no end to your lunacy?! The apostle’s envoy is nearly here! Why be rash when victory is so close!”

Sothe:
“People are dying, and Nevassa has already suffered more than enough. Do you really expect us not to lift a finger to help?”

Micaiah:
“If you will not help, we will go by ourselves. Again.”

Izuka:
“Wait! Where are you going?! You can’t take the laguz and rush off on some harebrained mission again!”

Micaiah:
“Can’t I?”

 

Micaiah values friendship and is pained at the prospect of losing them. She's a loner so her finally making friends is something she cherishes but then that is taken away from her at the end of part one. It's even more heart breaking in part 3 when even more friends defect and now she has to fight against them. She goes from having few friends, to having many and finally back to having few. 

Spoiler

Kurth: May it serve to protect you. Micaiah, I must leave you now. I am going home to my own country.
Micaiah: What? So suddenly?
Kurth: I’m sorry, Micaiah. Being so close to battle frightens me, to tell the truth. Thank you for rescuing me. And thank you for the short time we spent together. I enjoyed it immensely.
Micaiah: Will I ever see you again?
Kurth: Who knows? Why don’t we… Yes. Let us leave it up to the goddess.
Micaiah: I suppose we must.

Spoiler

Micaiah and Black Knight

Micaiah: Pardon, Sir Knight. I wanted to thank you. Thank you for fighting beside us.
Black Knight: No thanks are needed. I do nothing more than fulfill my duty.
Micaiah: When our fighting is done…will you remain in Daein?
Black Knight: …
Micaiah: Never mind. It’s none of my business. It’s only… If you were here with us, we could take heart in–
Black Knight: I may…take leave of Daein.
Micaiah: Oh! But why?
Black Knight: More than this, I cannot say. Forgive me.

Spoiler

Nailah:
“Once the battle ended, it seemed time to move on. I’m sorry to change our plans, but this is better for all of us.”

Micaiah:
“That’s awful… I can’t believe you’re all leaving us at once.”

Rafiel:
“Micaiah… Fate brought us together, you and I, guided by the same voice. Our paths are fated to cross again someday… I am sure of it.”

Micaiah:
“I’m embarrassed… I didn’t mean…to cry… It’s been so nice meeting you all…”

 

Micaiah also loves to tease Yune by calling her silly. 

Spoiler

Micaiah:
“…Whew… Yune! What is it? You didn’t need to slip away from the banquet, too. Silly you! You’re kind of a mysterious bird, you know that? How is it you can fly around even at night?”

 

Even after finding out Yune is a goddess, Micaiah isn't afraid to tease her as well as Sothe. 

Spoiler

Sothe:
“Yune?”

Micaiah:
“No, it’s me again. Disappointed?”

Sothe:
“Never. But I do wish she had at least let me thank her.”

Micaiah:
“It just would have embarrassed her. You know, you two are very much alike. You’re both very stubborn.”

Sothe:
“…”

Micaiah:
“I’m just teasing you, Sothe. Anyway, did you hear what the enemy said before the battle?”

 

Summary

In summary, Micaiah has a gentle personality and shows a lot of kindness, respect and politeness most of them time. But underneath all that is stubbornness, passive aggressiveness and irritability. These traits are usually triggered by people she hates such as Begnion, Izuka and Ike or those that she's very close to such as Sothe, Pelleas and Yune. The duality in her personality is fitting as it relates to her morally grey world view (desire to protect Daein VS the desire to be just), clash of values (wanting to isolate herself VS wanting to help others) and being a dark affinity light mage. The fact that her personality fits in quite nicely with her character arc goes to show how well written she is. If you want well-written characters with depth in the future, please vote for her. 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Icelerate

[eclipse]

If the Ike's children thing was added to the English version, just how much else of her personality was altered?  I appreciate the effort, but this is something you'll need to consider, if you want to write this sort of analysis.

[Icelerate]

17 minutes ago, eclipse said:

If the Ike's children thing was added to the English version, just how much else of her personality was altered?  I appreciate the effort, but this is something you'll need to consider, if you want to write this sort of analysis.

I don't know how to read the Japanese script so I can't say. Probably not a lot but I could always ask Kantopia. 

[eclipse]

8 minutes ago, Icelerate said:

I don't know how to read the Japanese script so I can't say. Probably not a lot but I could always ask Kantopia. 

I asked this because I suspect some of Micaiah's snark was added in the localization.

Not that i have a problem with her personality - if anything, had her personality been the focus early-on, I think she would've been more palatable for me.

[SRPG Tryhard]

Made me drop the game during part 1 because of how difficult it is playing along with a manipulative cunt that gets everything handed to her.

I'm sorry to the people that fell for her, but being a "cute sassy girl" isn't enough for this one.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Nickdos

[Etrurian emperor]

I do enjoy the fact that they portrayed Michy as a rose with thorns. She's very gentle, nurturing and kind but isn't afraid to be sassy against people either. It helps set michy apart from her general archetype and adds more variety in her conversation than if she had always acted as a selfless saint. Michy has her biases and her temper and is better for it. It takes some skill write a character that's both incredible kind but also pretty blunt without it coming off as  weird or schizophrenic. 

5 hours ago, eclipse said:

If the Ike's children thing was added to the English version, just how much else of her personality was altered?  I appreciate the effort, but this is something you'll need to consider, if you want to write this sort of analysis.

I wonder how it matters. A lot of Japanese characters are changed quite a bit during the localisation process. I recall a lot of western fans reacting negatively to Goku's characterization in Super because its mostly the same as his Japanese version while the Western Goku in Z was presented as more standardly heroic. I know the wacky personality that defines Hades from Kid Icarus was also largely an invention of the localisation team. You could argue that the localized version is the definitive version of a character, and you can also argue the original is the definitive. Depends on your outlook I suppose. 

[Rose482]

She has some of my favorite battle conversations in part 3 and 4, I feel like a lot of people forget about those while playing through FE10 which makes me sooo sad becasue a good amount of characters get really interesting dialogue through them, I always make sure to read them whenever I play FE10.

 

And nice write-up <3 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Rose482

[Flere210]

I don't see how the line being english only change anything. Iconic lines that were not in the original are the reason Kefka is considered a great villain in the west but not so much in Japan.

[Interdimensional Observer]

I never really quite noticed any thorns to Micaiah outside of the Sothe's children line. Maybe they just weren't pointed enough for me, perhaps I just fail at understanding subtlety. I guess there was her threatening/slightly peering into Naesala's heart, maybe I picked up on that as a pricking?

[eclipse]

7 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said:

I wonder how it matters. A lot of Japanese characters are changed quite a bit during the localisation process. I recall a lot of western fans reacting negatively to Goku's characterization in Super because its mostly the same as his Japanese version while the Western Goku in Z was presented as more standardly heroic. I know the wacky personality that defines Hades from Kid Icarus was also largely an invention of the localisation team. You could argue that the localized version is the definitive version of a character, and you can also argue the original is the definitive. Depends on your outlook I suppose. 

I can't speak for everyone criticizing Micaiah's personality.  Perhaps some of them are drawing off of her Japanese persona.  Pretty sure the vast majority are going off of English, but it's better to get this out of the way now than have three pages of arguments followed by "oh we were arguing apples and oranges the entire time".

[thecrimsonflash]

10 hours ago, Nickdos said:

that gets everything handed to her.

I am curious as to what she gets "Handed to her" exactly, I would say that she is never simply given anything more than any other protagonist is given in order to progress the plot.

[Interdimensional Observer]

12 minutes ago, thecrimsonflash said:

I am curious as to what she gets "Handed to her" exactly, I would say that she is never simply given anything more than any other protagonist is given in order to progress the plot.

Not to mention Part 3 is the opposite of having everything. Her powers might detract during P1&4, but P3 gives her practically nothing to help her, she actually loses her powers and goes through a constant stream of big issues and defeats with only minor victories. She suffers setbacks like practically no other lord that I'm knowledgeable about (which admittedly excludes a whole bunch).

[Nobody]

I personaly think Micaiah is a hypocrite, a terrible person and just an annoying character, who is willing to do anything to support her racist, war-crazed country, is willing to murder innocents and exterminate entires laguz species for her country and can't see the point of view of others.

21 hours ago, Icelerate said:

Micaiah is very empathetic and considerate of other people

You say she's "very empathetic and considerate of other people", but how is she empathetic when she never consider Crimea's side or why Ike fought her country in first place? She never even pretended to care about Crimea or admit that the ONLY reason Daein got in such a bad situation was because their king started a war on the entire world, including innocent Crimea, a very peaceful country whose royal family was keen on avoiding war. How can she be called an empathetic person when she never tries to understand the side of anyone who is not Daeian? The very last thing Micaiah is is empathetic. She just can't sympathize with people who had different backgrounds/experiences as her.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Nobody

[Rose482]

10 hours ago, Nobody said:

You say she's "very empathetic and considerate of other people", but how is she empathetic when she never consider Crimea's side or why Ike fought her country in first place? She never even pretended to care about Crimea or admit that the ONLY reason Daein got in such a bad situation was because their king started a war on the entire world, including innocent Crimea, a very peaceful country whose royal family was keen on avoiding war. How can she be called an empathetic person when she never tries to understand the side of anyone who is not Daeian? The very last thing Micaiah is is empathetic. She just can't sympathize with people who had different backgrounds/experiences as her.

lol this whole post......Oh the pain Micaiah fans have to deal with.

 

I don't believe she ever said Daein was in the right for starting a war? And as for her blaming Ike...well, most of her cold feelings towards him came from him defeating Daein, and not really from freeing Crimea from Daein's rule.

10 hours ago, Nobody said:

I personaly think Micaiah is a hypocrite, a terrible person and just an annoying character, who is willing to do anything to support her racist, war-crazed country, is willing to murder innocents and exterminate entires laguz species for her country and can't see the point of view of others.

On 22‏/1‏/2019 at 7:14 AM, Icelerate said:

lmao....really dude? Maybe you should take a page of your book and look at things from her point of view to understand why she didn't give up on her country, if she hadn't fought innocent people from her country would have died anyway, and she never said that she enjoyed killing laguz or anyone really, but again she didn't have much of a choice.

 

I could get more into this, but I'm NOT going to, becasue it's pretty clear you have your mind set in stone about her character to write all of that lol.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Rose482

[Nobody]

4 hours ago, Rose482 said:

it's pretty clear you have your mind set in stone about her character to write all of that lol.

So do you, don't you? Or are your willing to admit Micaiah's deep flaws as a person?

She puts Daein and Daeians about everyone else and don't care about actual justice, only that people she cares about are doing fine. She's a person with a very "us vs them" mentality, and if you like that, it's fine. She's very emotionally supportive of people she cares about, but empathetic, she's not. That's a thing lots of people mix up; being emotionally supportive of people you care about and empathetic. Micaiah is the former, not the latter. She is very bitter towards people going against her regardless or not of them doing the right thing (the entire part 3 is a proof of this, as is Ike). Ike defeated Daein because it was the only way he had to free his country, if she was an empathetic person, she'd not blame him for it, she'd try to understand his side. I'm not saying she shouldn't have liberated Daein, she was 100% in the right about that and what she did in part 1, my problem with her is part 3 and her personality. Really, try to show me why she's empathetic, because I don't see that at all.

I mean, the game itself protrayed her doing some very morally wrong actions for her country. It's clear she's the sort of person who'd do anything for it, and if you're the kind of person who like patriotic heroes who put their country above everything else, that's fine. I'm not. I think doing something wrong for you country still makes it wrong. Sometimes there are clear wrong sides in a war, and the Begnion senate/Daein side was clearly the wrong one on part 3.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Nobody

[Rose482]

1 hour ago, Nobody said:

So do you, don't you? Or are your willing to admit Micaiah's deep flaws as a person?

She puts Daein and Daeians about everyone else and don't care about actual justice, only that people she cares about are doing fine. She's a person with a very "us vs them" mentality, and if you like that, it's fine. She's very emotionally supportive of people she cares about, but empathetic, she's not. That's a thing lots of people mix up; being emotionally supportive of people you care about and empathetic. Micaiah is the former, not the latter. She is very bitter towards people going against her regardless or not of them doing the right thing (the entire part 3 is a proof of this, as is Ike). Ike defeated Daein because it was the only way he had to free his country, if she was an empathetic person, she'd not blame him for it, she'd try to understand his side. I'm not saying she shouldn't have liberated Daein, she was 100% in the right about that and what she did in part 1, my problem with her is part 3 and her personality. Really, try to show me why she's empathetic, because I don't see that at all.

I mean, the game itself protrayed her doing some very morally wrong actions for her country. It's clear she's the sort of person who'd do anything for it, and if you're the kind of person who like patriotic heroes who put their country above everything else, that's fine. I'm not. I think doing something wrong for you country still makes it wrong. Sometimes there are clear wrong sides in a war, and the Begnion senate/Daein side was clearly the wrong one on part 3.

Fine, you want to get into this, lets do this.

 

First I believe you meant she puts the people of Daein above everyone else? Well, I don't see how that's a bad thing? Again that is her country, so of course she will put them first.

Second, her being "empathetic" is shown in part 1, now you could say it was only towards the people of Daein but...not really? Like for example when  she met Meg, someone who wasn't from Daein, and if you can remember Micaiah treated her with respect right away even though she wasn't from Daein, she didn't care that she was from somewhere else, I really don't want to go too much into this point becasue it will mostly come down to Micaiah for the most part only interacting from people from Daein in the first place, but even when the few times that she got to talk to someone else, we saw her be kind, again like with Meg and Kurth even, another person who also wasn't from Daein.

 

And um, if you read some of the battle conversations with Micaiah VS about anyone in part 3, you will see that she's not "bitter towards people going against her", and again part 3 put her in a spot where it was either her people or the other side people dying, so I really never understand why anyone would blame Micaiah for not going full out on the other side? Like did people really want her to let go of everyone in her country after saving it in part 1? Not only that would had been terrible writing, but it wouldn't had made sense for her character to do something like that.

 

And for Ike...well, lol, really I remember once putting myself in a spot of someone who lived in Daein and wondered if I would have hated Ike or not, and you know what? I think I would have, even if it was the "wrong" thing to do or not, that will always come down to which side you want to look at that whole thing from,  and again her conversations with Ike in part 3 are very sweet becasue you see her see that Ike wasn't a bad guy after all, which was a growth for her in a way, and okay just what did you want Micaiah to do in part 3? Please tell me, if you think her leaving every person in her country to die was the "right" thing then...lol sure, yes Daein has awful people in it, but it also has nice people, just like every country out there I'm sure, so stop acting like Micaiah was attacking the Laguz alliance just for fun and nothing more, she wasn't doing "something wrong to her country" she was saving the innocent people in her country, heck even Micaiah I'm sure had a dialogue saying how it's ironic she's killing with no mercy to save people from  dying (or at least it was something like that)

 

Anyway to finish this long post off, did Micaiah have empathy? In part 1 it's pretty clear she had, and in part 3....she also did : ) she wasn't enjoying killing the laguz alliance, which to me says enough, to be honest if she flipped on her country and let all of them die, then she would have had looked less empathetic, I know she's not a perfect character and you know what? I'm glad she's not, she's very gray, which makes her very interesting as a FE lord, because we sure don't have a lot of those, but clearly we don't see eye to eye here.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Rose482

[thecrimsonflash]

@Rose482 to add, micaiah was in a position where any choice was morally questionable, either choice leads to people dying and causes suffering, micaiah's story is unique because the desperate nature of the circumstances causes her to need to do what she thinks is right, in the end it was between the innocents in daien or laguz and crimean soldiers who need to die.

I also believe that if the greil mercenaries were on the line Ike would do some morally dubious things as well, micaiah's response was pretty natural all things considered, the war began with micaiah trusting pelleas' judgement and kind (if a little weak willed) nature then escalated after realising that there was no real escape.

[Hanes]

Micaiah:"Hey you are Mr. Civilian murdered bad bad, even though you kill civilians and technically I like to protect my country, I'll just let you loose, could something bad happen?"

*2 seconds later*

Micaiah: "My plot-device!! I sense that letting Mr. civilian murderer bad bad live was a bad idea! Oh no, how could I have guessed!"

Edited January 23, 2019 by Critical Sniper

[Interdimensional Observer]

1 hour ago, Critical Sniper said:

Micaiah:"Hey you are Mr. Civilian murdered bad bad, even though you kill civilians and technically I like to protect my country, I'll just let you loose, could something bad happen?"

*2 seconds later*

Micaiah: "My plot-device!! I sense that letting Mr. civilian murderer bad bad live was a bad idea! Oh no, how could I have guessed!"

Isn't it nice to see the overly generous compassion of a lord punished for once? Some lords could learn a lesson from this. Not saying compassion is bad, but one does not develop if their ideals aren't satisfactorily challenged, blind compassion can be a flaw, as much as it is so idyllic. Micaiah made a mistake and was punished, better than not.

And it also sets a precedent I guess for Part 3, she was tired and her clairvoyance failed her when she needed it- before Jarod attacked her and before she chose to spare him.

[thecrimsonflash]

6 hours ago, Critical Sniper said:

Micaiah:"Hey you are Mr. Civilian murdered bad bad, even though you kill civilians and technically I like to protect my country, I'll just let you loose, could something bad happen?"

*2 seconds later*

Micaiah: "My plot-device!! I sense that letting Mr. civilian murderer bad bad live was a bad idea! Oh no, how could I have guessed!"

jarod was already dead at that point, micaiah wanted to give jarod time to bury his friend (alder, who took a death blow from the black knight) and make peace with what was going to come next (the inspector coming to rip him a new one and his likely execution), the black knight wasn't going to do it (due to alondite not wanting to do it or something) and micaiah had already seen enough bloodshed for awhile, I am curious how many lords personally executed an antagonist who was on his knees already defeated and unwilling to continue fighting, because I have a feeling that if part 1 had ended with that you still would have complained because it would be inconsistent with micaiah's character, as far as the game and plot was concerned it was over and daien was already liberated, no one expected jarod to be salty and start shelling nevasa.

[Hanes]

2 hours ago, thecrimsonflash said:

(due to alondite not wanting to do it or something)

Wait that seems like a plot device excuse. IT comes out of the blue too it seems.

[Interdimensional Observer]

9 hours ago, Critical Sniper said:

Wait that seems like a plot device excuse. IT comes out of the blue too it seems.

And that is why I don't think that line is the BK being literal. The exact line:

“My sword is not made for killing those who will not raise their weapons.”

If the Alondite had innate powers of mercy, you'd think it'd be brought up elsewhere and not just a one time thing. And then it'd make the Black Knight's threats in PoR: to torturously kill Mist to get the Medallion's location; and to kill Lorazieh- a bedridden man unable to fight, to get Leanne to come with him; hollow, false threats. It also make his execution attempt of Ena, who did not fight back and only had regrets, something he really couldn't have done.

Therefore, the BK is just being poetic here, saying "I will not kill those who will not raise their weapons". "My sword" is synecdoche for himself. 

 

Of course, with the prior instances from PoR, you could say this is part of the inconsistencies between it and its sequel in the BK's character.

Or, you could argue he was going to have Jarod taken captive, since he later questions why Micaiah would just let him go. Captivity is a fine compromise between execution and allowing Jarod to flee. It wasn't like if captive Jarod was going to be let off the hook. In fact Jarod suggests that the Senators would force all the blame on him, so any legal punishment for the Daein Occupation would be pretty severe, possibly death he states, but only coming after proper legal proceedings later. Therefore, the BK wasn't actually going soft on him at all, just following preferred protocol for someone who would have to stand trial.

[Silver-Haired Maiden]

In English he says something about not fighting someone who won't raise their weapon so that might be a translation thing.

Anyway, if you're here for an actual discussion feel free to do more than try to bait people.

[Rose482]

Critical Sniper hasn't even played FE10, so he's just trying to be edgy I think lol V_V 

Edited January 24, 2019 by Rose482

[thecrimsonflash]

4 hours ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

And that is why I don't think that line is the BK being literal. The exact line:

“My sword is not made for killing those who will not raise their weapons.”

If the Alondite had innate powers of mercy, you'd think it'd be brought up elsewhere and not just a one time thing. And then it'd make the Black Knight's threats in PoR: to torturously kill Mist to get the Medallion's location; and to kill Lorazieh- a bedridden man unable to fight, to get Leanne to come with him; hollow, false threats. It also make his execution attempt of Ena, who did not fight back and only had regrets, something he really couldn't have done.

Therefore, the BK is just being poetic here, saying "I will not kill those who will not raise their weapons". "My sword" is synecdoche for himself. 

 

Of course, with the prior instances from PoR, you could say this is part of the inconsistencies between it and its sequel in the BK's character.

Or, you could argue he was going to have Jarod taken captive, since he later questions why Micaiah would just let him go. Captivity is a fine compromise between execution and allowing Jarod to flee. It wasn't like if captive Jarod was going to be let off the hook. In fact Jarod suggests that the Senators would force all the blame on him, so any legal punishment for the Daein Occupation would be pretty severe, possibly death he states, but only coming after proper legal proceedings later. Therefore, the BK wasn't actually going soft on him at all, just following preferred protocol for someone who would have to stand trial.

honestly, I don't think that we could rule out that BK was unaware of alondite's inability to kill those who are unwilling to fight back, he may make threats toward mist or king lalelulelo but this was before he managed to botch ena's execution, ena came out fine and was able to join Ike's group the following chapter, mind you he was perfectly focused at the time (ike only showed up after the attack was over), so we need to assume that ena was able to full force take the hit in her human form (unlikely), BK actually just flubbed it (again unlikely due to his abilities) or he intended for her to live (possible, but I don't see why he or sephrain would need ena alive in the near future, unless getting any galdoan involved was all according to keikaku), also note how ena was the same as jarod in that moment, completely defeated, and accepting of death.