Life

This is your opinion. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. Doesn't mean that opinion has to be correct. Ipso facto: You're wrong. Deal with it. You got 5 people telling you that it's possible but your fingers are stuck in your ears and you don't pay attention to a word they say. Dear god, girl. Let your brain start working for a change.

Of course but it comes across as shallow and artificial. Which defeats the whole purpose of telling an engaging story because it isn't engaging. If you want to create a backing for a character (as in the reader supports the character), trying to make them perfect isn't the way to go. You want to create support for them through pathos, logos or ethos but without going overboard. Take Bella from Twilight. Why is she a shallow character? Her personality is completely cardboard. All she thinks about is Edward but she does so in such an obsessive way that you get the impression that she doesn't care about anything else. It's very possible to make Bella a good character with this as a basis but the problem then comes when she gets portrayed as always being right and the audience is forced to back her in everything. Suddenly, a reader sees a psychotic girl who belongs in a mental asylum rather than the heroine of the story. All because of the writing. Twilight to me is a fanfic about the supernatural. It's not written well and it resembles a wet dream on paper more than it does a book. Sadly, most fanfics are the same way (there's a lot here in the writing corner that are the same but I don't feel like searching them out). EDIT: When I talk about supporting a character through pathos, the textbook perfect examples are Baby from "Lullabies for Little Criminals" and Lyle Henderson from "Mercy Among the Children". Read either of the books and you'll see how to properly sympathize with a character (first time I ever cried during reading a book was during "Mercy Among the Children"). It's not just putting the character in bad situations. It's having them try to prevail only to fall way short and attempt to pick up the pieces of their scattered lives. That's where true pathos comes from.

All circumstantial. No hard evidence here and until then, IkexSoren flies. Besides, Soren LOOKS like a girl sometimes. Very possible that he has a vagina.

Umm... when was this? I am calling bullshit on this claim.

More of an Apple fan.

Don't understand why Ike/Soren can't be romantic. Seriously. We homophobe or something?

This is a waste of a good post. But it needs to be done before this thread gets derailed. Look, Ana. This is Serious Discussion. Either you have something to add to the conversation or you get out. Up until now, your posts have been relevant. But the past 4 or so haven't been. I suggest getting back on topic or stop posting here (as in Serious Discussion). Your call.

1. You missed the point by a country mile. 2. Yippie. 3. If you're going to respond to something, respond to what's relevant. Like the REST of my response. No kidding but the point that I'm trying to make is that no character is inherently good or inherently bad. In fact, that happens with all writers. A good writer has flawed characters and only tells the truth. A bad writer has perfect characters. You'll see that a lot in fanfiction. I'm an advocate of the idea that characters drive a story, not the plot. And I've read enough in my lifetime that I feel I can comment on this stuff, along with a BA in Lit.

No, Snowy. This is where you're wrong. It's not "inefficient" which means that there is only one efficient way. It's just less efficient meaning that giving Ike the skills is optimal but not required. It would be great if you blocked up one of your ears since it seems that every lesson on logic that we give you goes in one ear and out the other.

Eh... you know my opinion on your story. Pretty much had you in tears over it. Wondering if you managed to rewrite it in such a way that it doesn't read like shit. Fanfictions? Let me put it this way. Take Game of Thrones. Fantastic book that takes place in the Medieval times. Now why is it fantastic? Because the author isn't trying to drive home a point (AKA a specific pairing). It's completely believable (aside from the slightly magical parts). His characters act like real people with actual moral decisions. Take Eddard Stark. Does he back the new king even though he knows that the kid has no real claim to the throne (and is one of the few to know that) or does he go the treasonous route and advocate the late king's brother? I have never once read a fanfiction where a conflicted character has had to make such a difficult decision. Most of the stuff in fanfictions are "should I wear the blue dress or red skirt" or more specifically, "do I act awkward in front of my perfect man or just tell him I love him because he loves me and we're so perfect for one another and blah blah blah". What I'm trying to get at is that fanfictions have no real depth within the characters. The majority of them are shallow because the author isn't skilled enough at writing to give their character a 3-dimensional personality.

Once in Venice, the shops start getting a lot better and a lot more expensive. I decide to ditch the Scimitar (Weapon) in return for the Cavalieri Mace (Weapon) because it has +4 Attack, the strongest weapon available. All the Metal options for Armour also exist but they cost a fortune. I spend 3000f on a Knife Belt Upgrade (Pouch) in order to carry 15 Knives since my Throwing Knives are now 2HKOs but very effective against armoured enemies. I manage to snag another Codex Page along with the Cavalieri Mace for 20800f. Prices have really gone up but I'm now getting good money from quests. Since my Weapon and Small Weapons have been upgraded, I'll start my Metal Armour collection next. Cash: 1594f Weapons: Cavalieri Mace (E), Sultan's Knife (E), Double Blade (E), Poison Blade (E), Metal Cestus (E), Common Sword, Maul, Dagger, Knife Armour: Helmschmied Spaulders (E), Leather Chest Guard (E), Leather Vambraces (E), Leather Greaves (E), Leather Spaulders Supplies: Throwing Knives (1/15), Medicine (8/15), Poison (4/5), Smoke Bomb (3/3) Others: Assassin Seal (4/6), Codex Pages (12)

Francesco Salviati is my next target. I start a couple of decoy fights, jump over the wall and open the gate. Salviati comes out and I drop my final smoke bomb and kill him while he's stunned. Hide in some hay right afterwards to go incognito and then take a horse to the city. Once in, I drop 1050f on three more Smoke Bombs and another 10f on a nearby Codex Page. Takes a little running and a Medicine to get away but all is good. Antonio Maffet is up next but rather than pick off the archers around him, I charge his own tower. A quick blade to the stomach and a dive off of the tower and only one man remains. Bernardo Baroncelli is in the market in the southeast part of town. You can get in by distracting the guards on the edges of the market or over the rooftops and dive into some hay. Baroncelli walks around the market a bit so it should be easy to take him by surprise. If not, chase the fat bastard down. After dropping the last hitman, I buy a Large Medicine Pouch (Pouch) for 6000f. Very good upgrade since I now can hold 15 Medicines. Still no weapons or armour that I like. Afterwards, I follow Jacobo de' Pazzi to the Antico Teatro Romano on the west side of San Gimignano. A few cutscenes later, a Smoke Bomb to the ground and Jacobo is no more. Sequence 6 takes place in the mountains and Forli. Before leaving Florence, I buy a Metal Cestus (Fists) for barehand fighting (will need it against Rodrigo Borgia at least). My next weapon goals are the Sultan's Knife (Small Weapon) and Scimitar (Weapon). I would be getting the Flanged Mage (Weapon) instead but the Scimitar is an 800f upgrade for a +2 Deflect lead, not to mention that Damage and Speed are tied. Forli has almost nothing to it in terms of story. However, the city does house an Assassin's Tomb and two Codex Pages, making the place important. I pick up the Sultan's Knife for 4300f and will save the rest for the Scimitar. I grab the Codex Pages and infiltrate the Riocca di Ravaldino for my fourth Assassin's Seal. After that, I grab the ship to Venice. Cash: 9624f Weapons: Maul (E), Sultan's Knife (E), Double Blade (E), Poison Blade (E), Metal Cestus (E), Common Sword, Dagger, Knife Armour: Helmschmied Spaulders (E), Leather Chest Guard (E), Leather Vambraces (E), Leather Greaves (E), Leather Spaulders Supplies: Throwing Knives (1/10), Medicine (9/15), Poison (4/5), Smoke Bomb (1/3) Others: Assassin Seal (4/6), Codex Pages (11)

You truly don't understand what hypothetical test cases are. You go into a battle arena. You have Ike on one side and... let's say Boyd on the other. Ike beats Boyd. Does this mean he'll win every time? No, it doesn't. In 1000 battles, Ike may only win... let's go with 70% of the time. Now let's take this to your example. Ike uses Wrath/Vantage the best. Does this mean he always gets it? No, it doesn't. He'll just get it most of the time but there is also the the possibility of another unit getting those respective skills. Then you see who helps the team most with those skills. Happens to be Ike? So he'll get it... most of the time. Stop throwing a temper tantrum every single time someone points out your shoddy logic.

Not yet but I've really been stingy with money. That being said, the early parts of the game are quite simple. I remember blowing a lot of money on ammo in Venice so we'll see there. So I get charged with the task of killing Francesco de' Pazzi but I figure that a quick stop at the blacksmith will do wonders. I finish off my armour set with Leather Vambraces (Armour) because for 1100f, it upgrades Health +1 and Resistance +2 while the Helmschmied Greaves (Armour) are only +1 and +1 for 5200f. I'll pass. I also restock my throwing knives because I feel I'll need more than 6 for right now. That's another 200f. I climb the tower and burn a Medicine and a couple of Throwing Knives on the way. Francesco runs, I stop him with a Throwing Knife followed by my Hidden Blade and collect 1200f on his death. Time for my favourite part of the game: The Pazzi Conspiracy. Before heading out to Tuscany, I grab the last Codex page plus the Assassin's Seal hidden inside the Santa Maria del Fiore. I also buy me a bigger Medicine pouch (Pouch) on the way. Visiting Leonardo picks up the Poison Blade which is always nice not to mention automatically decrypting the other Codex pages for more HP. I stop a Borgia carrier without changing my path or climbing anything for an extra 1500f which is fantastic. A forced return trip to Monteriggioni gives me a chance to pick up 1000f from the chest since it doesn't kill efficiency. Once in San Gimignano, I grab a Helmschmied Spaulders (Armour) for 6200f. Pretty costly but it's the best item ratiowise for defense currently. That drops me to about 1750f. I open up the viewpoints in San Gimignano and then head for the Assassin's Seal in the Torre Grossa. I started short on Throwing Knives in this dungeon so it took a lot of ingenuity and good Hidden Blade kills to make it through. After unlocking the map, I go after Stefano da Bagnone first. That unlocks Smoke Bombs, an awesome escape tool or a good way to cut down five or so enemies in a fight. Easy kill on the man followed by a little escape. And I'm done for a bit. Cash: 4737f Weapons: Maul (E), Knife (E), Double Blade (E), Poison Blade (E), Common Sword, Dagger Armour: Helmschmied Spaulders (E), Leather Chest Guard (E), Leather Vambraces (E), Leather Greaves (E), Leather Spaulders Supplies: Throwing Knives (10/10), Medicine (10/10), Poison (5/5), Smoke Bomb (1/3) Others: Assassin Seal (3/6), Codex Pages (8)

Houston: Weak division, fantastic defense, Schwab is back, solid receivers and OLine, monsterous RBs... Yeah, I think they're special for a reason. The guy I want for QB got drafted two seasons ago. Dan LeFevour. Screw Andrew Luck, this guy is pure quality.

In other news, my Bills still suck balls. Don't get me wrong. The Jets aren't good. Not by a long shot. The Bills are just that bad. And can we stop this Steelers talk already? We all know that the Texans are winning the AFC so that's done.

Support is not a beginner role. Support is advanced. Beginner supports make the mistake of thinking that they only need to feed the ADC and that's it. That's wrong. The support should have eyes on all the map and suddenly be in mid with the jungler to force a 3v1 gank or something like that. That leads to a dragon or a tower or something else. Furthermore, the support can then ward mid quickly, giving the AP carry less to worry about with regards to ganks. That's just one example at around level 7 or so. Supports are huge in this game and important as shit. I pretty much only play top/support now.

Before heading out to take out Vieri, I decide to visit the blacksmith again. My order of buying stuff is Armour > Weapon > Small Weapon but I can't afford both the Leather Chest Guard and Leather Spaulders together. I opt for the Leather Spaulders (Armour) and leave the rest. The Venetian Falchion and Mercenario War Hammer trade between +3 Speed (Venetian Falchion) and +3 Deflect (Mercenario War Hammer) but both are downgrades in the other department over the Common Sword. The Old Syrian Sword costs 2185f for a +1 upgrade to Deflect. I'll pass. The Knife, on the other hand, costs almost half as much (1235f) and upgrades both Speed and Deflect over the Dagger. I take it and hope for something with damage to pop up in the future. After that, I ride my way over to Tuscany/San Gimignano. Vieri de'Pazzi and his forces go down with me using 3 throwing knives and a lot of sneaking around. I manage to finish him with a Hidden Blade to the face in open combat. The bounty on him is 2400f so I'm not complaining. The few quests afterwards include grabbing the Codex pages in Monteriggioni and unlocking the seals. Before I leave for Florence, I take the Leather Chest Guard (Armour) for 4370f. I would have loved to buy the Maul (Weapon) but that will have to wait. Leonardo hands me the Double Blade and we're in business. I climb the viewpoints in the Santa Maria Novella District and then find La Volpe. This leads me to my first Assassin's Tomb inside the Santa Maria Novella along with three chests for the taking. I pick up the Maul (Weapon) right after that for 3600f but fail to upgrade the size of my Medicine pouch. Cash: 5413f Weapons: Maul (E), Knife (E), Double Blade (E), Common Sword, Dagger Armour: Leather Spaulders (E), Leather Chest Guard (E) Leather Greaves (E) Supplies: Throwing Knives (6/10), Medicine (5/5) Others: Assassin Seal (1/6), Codex Pages (6)

Getting the family out of Florence is easier said than done. Had to blow a bit of cash on hookers which was a mistake (should have thrown some coins instead). However, Mario provides a sword and 3k which is always nice. I buy a Dagger (Small Weapon) and Leather Greaves (Armour) with what he's given me. Doctor hands me 5 Medicines for a grand total of 375f. These will come in handy but I need to ration them well. However, since it's a quest, I gain another 800f from it. I also climb the Villa Auditore for the Monteriggioni map. Cash: 4946f Weapons: Common Sword (E), Dagger (E) Armour: Leather Greaves (E) Supplies: Medicine (5)