NekoKnight

There are sentou (public baths) and onsen (hot springs) in Japan, but functionally they are practically the same. You soap up, rinse off, and relax in some hot water. Fates uses the word 'onsen' specifically but I don't think it makes a difference.

While I wouldn't describe Fire Emblem as having amazing stories, they're acceptable framework for the gameplay and it's the personal interactions between characters that make the series shine (I can't get into the Fire Emblems without support conversations). The "good" stories are mostly about not having so much "bad" as Radiant Dawn and Fates provides in abundance. So, what do I want? 1. Decisions that matter I want a story where the protagonist makes choices that will affect the course of the plot. It doesn't need to be as extreme as a route split ala SS or Fates but choices that have significant consequences. If you decide to kill certain people, others should try to avenge them/betray you on account of their convictions. If you make a political alliance, you should get special support from that faction. Which brings up another concept I'd like to see; political marriages. People LOVE their waifus and husbandos so why not make it a part of the plot (not for the purpose of a second generation)? I'm surprised that for a series that has so many political intrigues that securing alliances through marriage hasn't come up as a central element. I'd propose a story where the lord (and/or other main characters) need to make alliances but can only do it with marriage. Who the protagonist marries will determine what enemies you'll fight, allies you'll gain and what resources you'll have. Alternatively, certain factions might only ally with you if you make enemies with another faction or betray your already recruited allies. 2. Balancing the Natural and Supernatural I'm convinced that most stories that bank on the supernatural as the primary antagonists are going to be less interesting than ones that focus on human drama. Even Sacred Stones with its backdrop of demons uprising, is still memorable for the relationship between Lyon and the twins. I think Sealed Sword did it right, having a faction of supernatural enemies (the dragons) but them being in league with the human antagonists (Bern). If the supernatural element is the leading player, the villain is inevitably going to want to destroy the world or some kind of nonsense. If there are significant supernatural elements, it should be the theme of the world (think the situation with the undead and the ending of the Age of Fire in Dark souls) rather than "Crazy dragons want to blow shit up, man." 3. Atmosphere and Villains As alluded to in the above two paragraphs, there should be a lot of political intrigue and moral grayness. It shouldn't be immediately discernible who the "bad guys" are, and a character or faction's morality shouldn't be static. Villains (or antagonists, rather) should be nuanced, have legitimate (not for teh evuls) reasons for pursuing their agenda. Some villains should be cruel and ambitious but others should have sympathetic motivations but all the same need to be stopped to prevent bad things from happening. I've often professed my love for GoT, so this won't come as a surprise to people but we need more villains like Tywin Lanister. Brutal and cunning but not "evil". More subtle characters like Petyr Baelish who play the long game would be welcome as well. Just...no more Macbeth's, Ganz' and Validars, mmkay? Like it or not, support conversations are the best you can hope for in terms of minor characters getting development, and they should be celebrated for their opportunity to develop characters and do world-building without being too intrusive or exposition heavy in the main plot. You could make a smaller cast, but to make a cast so small that everyone has significant involvement, it wouldn't really be a Fire Emblem game anymore. Mind you, I do enjoy what they did with Soren but even in PoR, the amount of characters who had a significant role was small.

For practical, day to day bathing purposes, people would (at least in the modern day) have private baths. Going to a public bath is a social outing and/or special place to relax.

As Fates is a game that balances it's weapons on negative effects, I think the first skill would be abused like crazy. Divine Interpretation sounds a bit OP too.

I disagree with a lot of this. For starters, Maids/Butlers have a lot of utility, especially in Nohr where you only get 2 healers until chapter 16 (or until you promote someone) and Felicia/Joker is your only Hidden Weapon user until you get Suzukaze. They can heal, debuff, have higher movement than standard foot soldiers and can even be viable combat units. Hidden weapons are hardly inferior to bows. We're talking about weapons that are accurate, can attack at 1-2 spaces with no penalties, debuff and are usually on characters with a lot of speed. There is a reason ninja are the bane of everyone's existence. And concerning Elite Ninja, swords aren't that useful because 1. They start at a low rank so you can't do much damage. 2. They don't have all the awesome features of Hidden Weapons. 3. Ninja have paper for defense so you don't want to be fighting at melee range if you can help it. Mozume is less appealing for Nohr because of limited experience. In Hoshido you get more bow users but you can grind Mozume until her higher growths speak for themselves.

The 3rd panel on Belka's left comic is funnier without context.

For some reason I'm getting a FFTactics feeling from this. Make a King class, IS! Aside from a Smash Bros meme of people thinking Chrom is worthless (and even then, he still made a cameo as Robin's Final Smash), I don't think Chrom is that unpopular. He's getting a role a the personawhatever of the main character in that WiiU game and he made another cameo in Fates. What else can he ask for?

Nohr *rimshot* do I, but Phillius wanted to keep as many of the original elements as possible so I thought I'd mention it. I don't think original description of Nohr was completely without merit. The 'core' of the empire might be well defended/orderly but the larger an empire is, the harder it would be to control its outermost territories. I like this option. All the better to tie in existing elements.

I know it's a small retcon compared to Hoshido having a violent past, but the Nohr described in promotional materials is chaotic and high in crime, so the bolded probably doesn't make a lot of sense and would fit Hoshido better. The ability to rise through the ranks is canon though. My, what a complex plan. I'm not exactly sold on the idea for a plot so complex when the goal is relatively simple. Take a look at Littlefinger in Game of Thrones (I am entirely too fond of GoT comparisons). He's definitely playing the long game, positioning different parties against each other, making alliances, making the people in power more reliant on his services and subtlety gaining power. For him, this is a necessary process because "gaining influence and power" is a goal so undefined and without end that there are several ways to go about it and all of them require careful planning. If his goal was something as simple as "kill Ned Stark", one might be confused if such a goal somehow required him to tarnish Ned's reputation, drive him to despair, and conquer Westeros before he can pull it off. That's what this Anankos/Kamui plot feels to me, but it's even more egregious because Anankos is a god-like figure that only limited by his complexity addiction. It seems you won't be swayed on this, however. . Some questions: 1. Is the "long game" just making Kamui sad? Does it really need to be a "long" game? Is conquering Hoshido really required? 2. What is Macbeth and Ganz' stake in all this? Are they aware of Gooron? A suggestions to de-Awakening your plot premise: Instead of Kamui being the chosen one with the most special soul, make him have a kind of soul that is especially useful for restoring Anankos. This is similar to an idea I had for a Fire Embem/Dark Souls crossover but make it so that any dragon-spawn have souls that can be consumed to restore the big bad, but for some reason Anankos can't make any more children. You could even use this to tie Kanna into the plot. (Now I'm having morbid fantasies about Anankos trying to set up Kamui as harem protagonist to make the highest amount of dragon babies to eat. You all wanted an anime you could live in! You brought this upon yourself!) A kingdom could go into decline after a civil war but to have EVERYONE in the kingdom die out would require a greater disaster. Something like "crazy magic in the war ripped the continent apart/made it barren and devoid of vegetation." More thought may be required.

Nobunaga's Kamui's Ambition Why was the kingdom abandoned?

Today's fail of the day is sending Elfie to tank a Sniper hit. Oops, critted at 3% and now she's dead. Time to start the chapter over. Send Elfie to tank that sniper!... Critted again. I'm trying to love you Fire Emblem. Stop making it so hard.

C12 was obnoxious. It was such a hassle getting through all those vases and positioning my units so they don't get killed by ninja bum-rushes that I didn't even bother to fight Ryoma. I just got the two chests and escaped, the first chance I got.

Shouldn't prepping Kamui for consumption/possession be his number one priority? And how exactly would it blow his cover to ensure Kamui is isolated and broken? It's not like anyone can stop him, even if they think it out of character. He's the king after all.

It's more than just her chest. She has sharp eyes, a stern expression and her voice sounds mature and aloof. It's not like her height is even that noticeable in game. As for the matter of her outfit, I don't want to make any assumptions on the sort of views people at IS have (same folks who made Nowi's outfit and Midoriko a marriage candidate) but I suspect there may be a culture difference between Japan and the west on how we view sexuality. I have a feeling that for the Japanese, things that aren't sexual (such as the bodies of children) shouldn't be seen as sexual, therefore it's permissible for them to act or dress in a way that wouldn't be acceptable for sexually mature people. I'll visit friends' houses and their children might be running around half naked (or sometimes completely...) and no one bats an eye, apparently. Granted, I don't see children wearing outfits like Nowi or Nyx on the street though...Or people as old as they are wearing such outfits... maybeiwillmakeafewassumptionsaboutIS If they were going for "Nyx wants to feel like an adult so she dresses like one" they should have made her wear classy clothes instead of strategically placed pads over her chest. But I digress, I've thought too much about this already.

85% healing every turn with Kanna's personal skill + dragon stone.

Indeed. Let's not forget how he betrayed his officer corps (the Death Knights) and TOLD them he betrayed them which caused them all to defect to the enemy side. The less said of WoW's writing, the better. To be honest, this does sound more solid (and like Awakening). Weakening someone's will for easier possession makes more sense to me that weakening them for soul consumption. I think it needs some more details to answer the important 3rd villain question "Why hasn't the villain accomplished his goals?". What you have so far is Kamui making friends with Gunther and crew and him not getting depressed as result. But if Gooron is posing as the king, nothing is stopping him from isolating Kamui and doing as he pleases. Here's an idea. After Anankos goes to sleep, someone spirits away Kamui and hides him in a hidden fortress so that Gooron cannot corrupt him. It would explain why Kamui was never allowed outside and why Kamui is able to make the friends he does. He would only be discovered by the events of the game and that's the point that Gooron starts his "make Kamui cry" campaign. Craaaaawling iiiiinnnnn my skiiiiiiiin You mentioned this concern before, so you might want to be careful about framing the story in such a way. "My sad, sad life: an autobiography by Kamui the Saddest Dragon" sounds a bit...melodramatic.

So, here's something you might want to do. If there are important story details that need clarification and the answer is "because he's evil" "because he's arrogant" or "because he's crazy" , you should probably fix this story detail. I specify, because these are the central flaws of Fates current villains. Everything they do is because "they're evil" or in Hydra's case "because he's crazy and evil". Anankos, our central villain, preys upon Kamui, our main protagonist, because he has the somewhat baseless assumption that he needs Kamui's soul. This is a HUGE, plot driving element of the story, and we already know it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. You call it desperation but as there is little proof of Kamui being necessary, it feels contrived. It's not a plan he even knows could work. Suggestion: Write a reason for why Kamui is definitely needed for the villain's plan to work. I wasn't trying to specifically identify if Light is a sociopath or not, merely that he is a villain who had intelligence and grand plans but did not have all the pieces necessary to complete his goals. If he did, one would assume, he wouldn't be shy about pressing his advantage to achieve all his goals. I don't think Light is much different than the BlazBlue villains you mention. He's smart but his flaws (arrogance and his penchant for killing off his subordinates when they become a liability to him) do eventually lead to his downfall. I'm not a BlazBlue fan but from what you describe, those characters only messed up in their final moments as opposed to having needlessly complex plans that ruin them. Maybe this isn't the psychological definition of a sociopath, but I always assumed that the base trait of them was their inability to empathize with others, as Light was. Whether he is a sociopath or has antisocial personality disorder is besides the point, however. It's just a word. I recognize your intention here but I would express my distaste for such villains. Let's look at Gilgamesh in Fate Stay Night. He's so powerful that he could defeat every other character in the story in a matter of days if he wanted. So how does he lose in EVERY route? He's too arrogant to fight at his full potential (or at all) so the heroes always get the jump on him when otherwise they wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of defeating him. This isn't a compelling character. It's a character who loses because he's too dumb to live, in spite of his godly powers. Is THIS the kind of villain. you want? You say he's after Kamui out of desperation (and he must be in bad shape if he had to hibernate to keep himself alive) but this contradicts Anankos's grand (needlessly complicated) plan. He can't be both desperate and willing to delay his goal to satisfy his ego. That makes him evil and dumb. There's no need to apologize. it wouldn't be much of a discussion if you just agreed with everything I said. As for your question on Touma: I'm choosing not to include it. When creating the villains (aka the driving force of the plot) 3 questions must be considered: 1. What does the villain want? 2. How will they go about getting what they want? 3. Why haven't they already achieved this? The last question is the hardest when considering a hidden 3rd route. With Nohr and Hoshido, both stories cover the same conflict. The only difference is which side you choose with and how that shapes the course of the conflict, With Touma, you have some behind the scenes villain who, for some reason, doesn't act in the first two stories and remains undefeated. It undermines the first two routes and creates all sorts of questions. I want my story to be how the conflict shapes Kamui, not the machinations of an evil dragon (although a talented writer could accomplish writing for all three routes). Are you writing for IK or a story that covers all the routes?

No, you got it right. Before you fight them, other players' characters have the neutral green color as well.

I believe attitudes about women marrying early are shifting. When the economy in Japan was booming, it may have been desirable for a women to marry early and start a family. Nowadays it isn't practical for many households to live off of one income (many unmarried people live with their families, even into their 20's and 30's), so even if there are some lingering attitudes concerning that whole "Christmas cake" thing (women are undesirable after 25) many women don't marry until their 30's. It should be noted that women are pressured to give up their careers after starting a family so a lot of women don't. Another important note is that Japan's social/societal values =/= the values of otaku/anime fans. Otaku are considered weirdos for a reason. I agree that Fire Emblem's fanbase (the broader fanbase since Awakening and maybe a fair number of older fans) are too shallow to handle either a) half the cast dying or b) them aging. I want to blame IS for their pandering but it's the fault of those shallow fans who won't accept anything logical. The completely non-canon route is the best path to satisfy all parties. The narrative isn't lobotomized (as much, we still have a lot of dodgy relationships) to accommodate children but they still exist for those fans who NEED this feature to enjoy the game.

For starters, the concept behind "willing souls" as a better source of power is a bit dodgy. Why is Kamui's soul that big of a deal? They're blood related but that's not quite the same thing as having the same soul like the case with Robin and Grima. If Kamui is needs to be mentally broken before his soul can be absorbed, is he really "willing" at that point? If he follows orders without question, he's not really strong willed. The second issue is the reason why he makes needlessly convoluted plans. "Ego" is just another word for stupid. There have been villains in the past who's ego's ruined them at key points, but the well written ones aren't ruined by it from the start. Imagine if Light Yagami always knew the names of L and N but he just chose to play around with them...until they figure out how to beat him and he loses. Light wouldn't be described as having a fatal flaw, he'd be called an idiot. In the canon story, he does eventually slip up but it's more him being out-planned rather than his obviously stupid plan failing. That's the problem here. You can dress up Anankos's stupidity in "ego" or you can call it "insanity" as Fates already does but at the end of the day, it's still stupidity. It's not fixing the story to change the motive of the stupid behavior. It feels more like you are trying to bend the story to accommodate "Anakos wants to make Kamui cry" rather than judge whether or not it's a positive element in the story. It requires a lot of extra explanation and mental gymnastics that muddle the story. I'm already confused why Anankos wants to pretty much destroy everyone everywhere BEFORE he gets the cure for his mortality. Simple is best, man. Fate's mistake was trying to explain a nonsensical villain with even more nonsensical exposition (invisible history).

I'd like this implementation, but I also wish they could have just taken out the instant marriages. The narrative problems started with S-rank supports, the children are merely the result of that dumb writing.

I don't know. The reason to make Kamui cry still seems flimsy. Even you acknowledge that there are much easier, more reliable ways of accomplishing his plans but he doesn't do it because of...reasons. "They're insane." "They like being evil" "They have a complexity addiction" all sound like excuses for why a character picked up the "villain ball" and never let go. It's bad enough when villains have isolated incidents of tremendous failures of judgement, but when they were always that dumb, you have a problem. You haven't really fixed Fate's issues with Anankos, just shifted the motivation a bit. A convoluted but necessary plan makes you clever. A convoluted but unnecessary plan makes you dumb. Dumb villains aren't very cōmpelling to me.

There is War Maiden Sakura with Mikoto's outfit. Shinonome also has Ryoma's armor as a True Blade.

What is the direct connection between Anankos breaking Kamui's spirit and him being able to absorb his life-force? The way you describe it doesn't make it sound like a necessary part of his plan. The appropriate level of tragedy will depend on how it's written, as MetalFlash noted. As long as the tragedy and reaction of the character are in proportion, I think it should be fine. The Kamui in my story suffers many tragedies, but she works towards a world where she needn't be sad. Let's give an example of a sad character done right. Spoilers for Dot Hack Sign.

Another way to do it would be to let them transform freely but have their beast/dragon stone give them debuffs that recover over time, like Fates' silver weapons.They could keep their stats while un-transformed but they'd be unable to attack. If they stay in beast form, the stats would recover slowly but if you returned to human form. fhey'd recover quickly.