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What do you suppose people in the FE continents smell like?


Zerxen
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I know that most of the series takes place in a Medieval European world but with elements of fantasy to it. It wouldn't be unreasonable to assume a significant portion of the cast (besides the characters from Fates) must smell like sweat and iron due to their long campaigns across the games, lacking the time to bathe- heck it's canon the Cynthia bathes once a week (read her supports with Nah). Female Robin and Chrom's supports from Awakening mention steam in the bathing tents so Ylisse likely has developed indoor plumbing (magical or not) since Marth's time though so I suppose people would smell just fine during times of peace.

HOWEVER, Clarine apparently shampoos her hair multiple times daily- a product that wasn't introduced in Europe until the 18th century. It's probably a case of anachronism within Elibe.

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15 minutes ago, Zerxen said:

HOWEVER, Clarine apparently shampoos her hair multiple times daily- a product that wasn't introduced in Europe until the 18th century. It's probably a case of anachronism within Elibe.

Well, to be fair, all they'd really need is the right plants and herbs to use their extracts and voila, natural shampoo. Europe not having the right plants or simply just not thinking on doing what India had been doing since ancient times is not really a fair comparison.

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Okay you're not going to believe this but I think about this ALL THE TIME. It always creeps up on my brain, especially when I'm getting closer to a character. Nobles and lords I assume bathe, and the females probably wear perfume, but when they're on the road for a long time?

 

There was a save where I almost married Manuela in Three Houses, but then I imagined what she might of smelled like and I changed my mind. I wish I could stop thinking about what these characters might smell like, but I can't! The fact is they probably all smell like they've been active for like two days + without a proper bath or shower with modern soap. Even if perfume is involved, that can't fix anything and is sometimes to pungent. WHY DO I THINK WITH MY NOSE, AAAAGGGGHHHH

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I never thought about that,but that's interesting! 

I think that Wolfskin really stinks. But I think Kaden would most smell not like a fox is,  because he is taking care of his fur. About Ladies, I think they are smelling like perfume, but before they fought battlefield. After what, I can't imagine what they are smelling like. 

Edited by FireFenrir
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Fates has a hot spring, so the Hoshidan side would probably be okay.  For everything else, there's perfume. . .or generally not noticing the smell after a while.

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I never thought about that,but that's interesting! 

I think that Wolfskin really stinks. But I think Kaden would most smell not like a fox is,  because he is taking care of his fur. About Ladies, I think they are smelling like perfume, but before they fought on battlefield. After that, I can't imagine what they are smelling like. 

Edited by FireFenrir
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2 hours ago, Yexin said:

i don't even want to dare to imagine what Camilla could smell like

Like hot Semen from Corrin's constant banging (sorry)


Of course my waifu would smell like Flowers :)

 

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If we were to go into medieval times right this second, we would probably pass out from the intense stench. I imagine it is much the same in the Fire Emblem world, which is for the most part based on medieval Europe. The characters themselves for the most part would probably just get used to it, though.

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I am going to pretend that since they have magic in FE there are water mages in the army whose jobs are to give everyone hot water and keep things washed.  Anyway I think cav units would smell like leather and horses which combined has always been a comforting smell to me since I have been around horses all my life. 

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Bar soap could be made in medieval times I think? I'd assume when they're on the move they haul in water for bathing tents and bathe, if and when possible/there's a source of water nearby. There would have to be for camp to water the steeds.

I actually covered this a bit in my short fanfic here. Worth reading at least for Felix saying he smells like a demonic beast's butt lol.

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Ancient Sumerians had soap. It has really been around.

Honestly, for FE characters, I think it's not so much a question of "Can they?" and more of asking "Will they?"

Edited by Acacia Sgt
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9 hours ago, Zerxen said:

Female Robin and Chrom's supports from Awakening mention steam in the bathing tents

I always assumed they made a makeshift bath, suspended it over a fire and heated the water that way. It wouldn't take much effort to light a torch and use that to get the necessary fires going for example.

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FE's medievality is largely skin deep, I'm sure everyone smells fine and have all their teeth. Nobody has the aroma of anything worse than excessive sweat, horse manure, and not getting a chance to bathe in the past week.

Since when has FE ever thought bathing opens the pores and that lets in the miasmas that cause illness? Or decided that the proper treatment for sickness, which our armies never get despite it a persistent problem throughout pre-1900s warfare, is a correction of the humoral imbalances best alleviated through bloodletting?

-If FE had these things, we'd think "Wow thats weird and totally wrong", and we'd feel a disconnect, when FE is supposed to be relatable. This is no different FE usually failing to make a good case for the righteousness of nobility- which was venerable throughout Europe into the 1700s.

(Not that every European ruler loved nobles, Frederick William I of Prussia abused his nobility with words, extreme discipline, and sometimes death. Nonetheless, he kept them around, and his son and successor Frederick II cherished them. And needless it be said many European would-be absolutists and pre-absolutists disliked nobles that prevented them from exercising absolute power, but did nothing to abolish the institution if they bent to His Majesty's will.)

And for another unreality of FE- widespread literacy, or so we could assume. And widespread linguistic intelligibility without the need for a designated language of the learned apart from that of the masses. Real medieval Europe? No, I think not a single spoken French tongue from Aquitaine to Normandy, mutually unintelligible accents we'd laypersons would call separate languages would exist instead. If you're one of those people who thought Dragon Quest IV's accents felt like your nails were being pulled out trying to make any sense of "bairn" means, then the reality of medieval language would feel like being drawn and quartered.

 

Though I say again, by removing the historicism, it becomes relatable to us and doesn't require three courses in Medieval European History for us to understand. That isn't a bad thing if FE isn't trying to be historical, and it isn't, it's fun fantasy setting and little else. So who cares if everyone is bad odors-free and Bern Castle isn't an unbroken carpet of dog excrement because Zephiel finds canines infinitely more honorable than Man?

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44 minutes ago, Interdimensional Observer said:

FE's medievality is largely skin deep, I'm sure everyone smells fine and have all their teeth. Nobody has the aroma of anything worse than excessive sweat, horse manure, and not getting a chance to bathe in the past week.

Since when has FE ever thought bathing opens the pores and that lets in the miasmas that cause illness? Or decided that the proper treatment for sickness, which our armies never get despite it a persistent problem throughout pre-1900s warfare, is a correction of the humoral imbalances best alleviated through bloodletting?

-If FE had these things, we'd think "Wow thats weird and totally wrong", and we'd feel a disconnect, when FE is supposed to be relatable. This is no different FE usually failing to make a good case for the righteousness of nobility- which was venerable throughout Europe into the 1700s.

(Not that every European ruler loved nobles, Frederick William I of Prussia abused his nobility with words, extreme discipline, and sometimes death. Nonetheless, he kept them around, and his son and successor Frederick II cherished them. And needless it be said many European would-be absolutists and pre-absolutists disliked nobles that prevented them from exercising absolute power, but did nothing to abolish the institution if they bent to His Majesty's will.)

And for another unreality of FE- widespread literacy, or so we could assume. And widespread linguistic intelligibility without the need for a designated language of the learned apart from that of the masses. Real medieval Europe? No, I think not a single spoken French tongue from Aquitaine to Normandy, mutually unintelligible accents we'd laypersons would call separate languages would exist instead. If you're one of those people who thought Dragon Quest IV's accents felt like your nails were being pulled out trying to make any sense of "bairn" means, then the reality of medieval language would feel like being drawn and quartered.

 

Though I say again, by removing the historicism, it becomes relatable to us and doesn't require three courses in Medieval European History for us to understand. That isn't a bad thing if FE isn't trying to be historical, and it isn't, it's fun fantasy setting and little else. So who cares if everyone is bad odors-free and Bern Castle isn't an unbroken carpet of dog excrement because Zephiel finds canines infinitely more honorable than Man?

And here's me thinking this discussion was just for fun...

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I think they bath more frequently because of magic and what not. So they can develop technology for bathing through spells, especially if water spell is a thing. Probably they don't shower everyday but they are not that stinky or have serious health problems due to lack of hygiene. Not to mention that magic is a better medical system than the Medieval doctors in real life. Cynthia is just sloppy imo

 

On 5/10/2020 at 1:16 AM, Interdimensional Observer said:

Though I say again, by removing the historicism, it becomes relatable to us and doesn't require three courses in Medieval European History for us to understand. That isn't a bad thing if FE isn't trying to be historical, and it isn't, it's fun fantasy setting and little else. So who cares if everyone is bad odors-free and Bern Castle isn't an unbroken carpet of dog excrement because Zephiel finds canines infinitely more honorable than Man?

Well, this is an easy one. They use the dogs excrements as fertilizer. The real problem is the human dirt and horse's dump in the cities. Capitals like Ostia, Ylistol, Enbarr etc... for sure stink. This is the only real Fire Emblem sanitary problem that probably is a thing, that is correlate to irl historical issues.

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