Saint Nightroad

Nolan.

I'd like to see this test if you can find it. http://www.katfeete.net/writing/marysue.html

When making Micaiah, Intelligent Systems was probably reading a Mary Sue litmus test... and checking every answer... they even gave her a healing touch, which was specifically listed in some tests.

Aran, plain and simple. He's pretty crucial considering how few tanks the DB has and grows strength and defense like a juggernaut! Nephenee is a risky unit in comparison because of her tendency to be strength-starved (I've had non-boss enemies survive her impale followed by a normal attack... on Easy, for crying out loud!)

Fixed for great justice.

Yeah. Lucius is great (he was better when I thought he was a girl >_<). I'll join.

I kept mine the whole time. XD This was funny, and probably true at the same time. I wouldn't know though. Girls hate me. -_-

~Chapter 3~ +The Summit+ Weeks passed, and the Vallia’s 37th hit their first milestone- the Volfgard Mountains. This land, better known as the Frozen Gauntlet, defined the border between Vallia and Volf, surrounding the latter on all sides. The soldiers looked on in fear and anxiety at what lie before them. These mountains were the reason behind Volf’s continued defense. The masses of snow hid not but ambushes, traps, and natural dangers that could claim the life of a Vallian battalion at any moment. Sam was among the few whose eyes held no such look, though this was less out of courage than out of sheer ignorance. All he could see was the distance between himself and his enemy shrinking. As his gaze shifted away from the mountains, he could see Michael approaching, mostly covered in the thick white cloak that had become part of the standard equipment for all Vallian soldiers sent into Volf. “My liege, the men are uneasy.” “Oh? What for?” “These mountains are treacherous. Even most trainees know of the dangers that await them here.” “This is war, Michael. Danger is a part of the job, is it not? The sooner we set off, the better. We can’t have my brother getting there first, now can we?” “I see… I shall inform the men at once then.” “See to it that you do… oh and one more thing. Send a messenger back to Valland. Our arrival here is their signal to send out the Marshalls.” “Aye, sir, and with great haste….” With this said, Michael walked off. In his mind, he thought “Could this selfish lordling really be the one… No… my master’s decisions are uncontestable. I just hope he doesn’t test my patience much longer.” And so the troops made their first steps onto this icy, desolate summit. A breeze from the mountaintops sent a shiver up their spines, only serving to increase their fears. Even with the protection of their fur cloaks, the knights were very cold. Surely, this alone would be enough to claim the weakest among them. Sam’s gaze shifted to Caelse. She was a thin girl, surely not meant for such terrain. Her usual defiant demeanor seemed to be completely covered up by her obvious discomfort. It occurred to the prince that she would probably die before long if left unaided. After a moment’s hesitation, and a clear look of displeasure, he took off his cloak, which was considerably more decorative than the rest, and covered her with it. This brought back some of her defiant nature initially, but she reluctantly softened a bit. “I thank you… but what reason lies behind your deed? And won’t you be worse off without this?” “What reason? You were freezing. I would hate to bury you. And I’ll be fine. A little cold won’t harm me.” “Are you kidding? You would have to have boiling blood to not suffer this!” Caelse promptly touched his head, quickly bringing her hand back in surprise. “And that may very well be the case for you. That is one Hell of a fever you’re running.” “Nonsense. This is no fever, though I doubt you’re boiling blood remark was far from the mark. I can definitely feel it burning, though I think it natural. It happens every winter.” “I’ve never heard of that happening before? Are you human?” This made Sam laugh. “I would certainly hope so, but if I were not, what would I be? A demon? Not with my family history! Anyway, let us not dwell on such trivialities. Are you alright now?” “Aye… I can hardly feel the cold now. Thank you… but don’t think this makes up for anything.” “Eternally difficult to charm, eh? That’s alright. I’ll tame ye before this campaign ends.” “Don’t get your hopes up, lordling.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in Valland, a young woman on horseback arrives at General Gawayn’s manor. She dismounts and knocks on the door. The loud rapping woke Gawayn, and his annoyance lasted until he opened the door, immediately disappearing in favor of joy. “Kayen, my dear, it’s been years!” “Yes, father,” she replied, embracing him. “How have you been?” “Very well.” “And your archery training?” “I did okay… Here is a message from the academy.” “My daughter… why must you underrate your abilities so? This missive declares you a prodigy… not just in the art of shooting arrows, but also in intellect.” “Maybe I don’t wish to be a genius.” “Such gifts cannot simply be willed away… embrace your talents, for they are a great asset to you.” “Very well, father. Thank you. May I ask where Sam and my brother are? They promised they would await my return.” “I’m afraid that is one promise they were not able to keep. They have been sent off to Volf.” “What!? How long ago was this?” “About a month ago. Chances are, they are nearing the Gauntlet.” “I see… do you think they will be alright?” “I believe that they will return safely. Those two have never been easy to defeat. Why, just before he left, Sam matched my own strength. How he has grown!” “Really? Well, it comes as no surprise to me. He has more potential than he’s willing to admit. I wonder how much he’s changed these 3 years.” “Well, I can’t say anything for what the warring so far has done to him, but before his leaving, he had changed very little since you last saw him.” “I’m glad… He had a unique greatness hidden under his lazy, arrogant visage.” “You think so?” “There is no doubt in my mind.” “Your intelligence shows. As for me, I knew from fighting him. The way a man swings his weapon can tell his opponent so much about him. His swing was true.” Kayen Aeander smiled at her father. He too was the same as she remembered him. Truthfully, she was torn. Her outside seemed joyful, though her heart was full of fear. She dreaded the thought of her older brother and her friend going headfirst into war. The blaring of a trumpet in the distance interrupted her ponderings. A messenger bearing Prince Gareth’s mark rode quickly onto the estate. “Heil!” exclaimed the man. “I bear a message from Prince Gareth.” “Speak then,” replied Gawayn. “He has reached the summit of Volfgard some seven days ago. Now is the time for the Marshalls to be dispatched.” “Very well. My forces will ride for Volf by noon tomorrow. Is this satisfactory?” “Aye, sir. Farewell!” And having said that, the herald left. “Well, well,” said Gawayn to his daughter, “looks like I too will be fighting in Volf.” “Please let me accompany you.” “Surely, you know that the journey holds not but danger and death.” “But at the end of that road are Sam and Travan. I wish to reunite with them.” “There is no stopping you, is there?” “With all due respect, there is none.” “And that is another of your qualities. Very well then. You may ride with us… just don’t get hurt.” “Thank you.” End of chapter 3.

3-13 archer should have been a choice. He owns all of them. Nuff said.

Funny... he's always been the best of the cavaliers for me. Sure, speed isn't his best stat, but it catches up. Great Knights aren't terribly fast anyway.

Figured I'ld copy-paste my most recent Make Your Move set into this thread. Forgive the font errors that resulted because of it... I really don't want to refont this whole thing. And yes, I know this is epic beyond imagination. Dante, the foul-mouthed half-demon demon hunter, joins the Brawl. Here are some fitting musical works for your enjoyment. (Ebla by E.S. Posthumus) (DMC3 battle theme)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-KlzfV8_DI (Devil's Never Cry) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP_7FYwEc1Q (DMC4 battle theme) And here are some videos to help you appreciate the set. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxqkbCFA0no (lucifer) (pandora)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNZim18VFKY (tower dive) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FQoUuzlCms (rocket surfing) Story Dante is the main protagonist of the Devil May Cry series. He is the son of Sparda, a demon swordsman who betrayed Satan and saved humanity from Hell, quite literally. Dante is half human, half demon, though seems to display more demon powers than most full demons. Dante had a brother named Vergil, who, unlike Dante, forsook his humanity in favor of the pursuit of power. Vergil was much stronger than Dante, but in the end, it was the red-clad brother who proved victorious and Vergil went out with a blaze of glory when he attempted to fight Satan while Vergil was still weakened by his fight with Dante. In DMC1, Dante had to save the world from destruction by closing a gate to Hell. I don’t know much about DMC2… but who gives a dam about DMC2. DMC3 was a prequel to the original and featured Dante’s battle against Vergil. In DMC4, Dante was a secondary protagonist, most of the game being in the shadows while Nero fought against raving religious lunatics who sought to become gods. Who knows how this smart-mouthed demon slayer got into Smash, but he is here to kick some Nintendo rear… and have fun doing it. Stats Height ~ Human Dante is of pretty average human height, no taller than Ike. Width ~ Average Width-wise, Dante is comparable to Ike. Weight ~ Average Dante has average weight by all means. Movement Speed ~ Below average For balance purposes, Dante is a little on the slow side while not DT’ing. First Jump ~ Average Dante’s first jump is… pretty normal. Second Jump ~ Great Dante’s second jump is a special ability called Air Hike, which uses his demon powers to lift him higher into the air. Compares to Ness and Lucas’s second jump. Falling Speed ~ Average Despite the extreme tendency of the series to milk falls, Dante falls at a pretty average speed. Crouch ~ Dante can crouch, but it is pretty average. Crawl ~ What? And get dirt on my awesome coat? I think not. Wall Jump ~ Dante has one wall jump. Wall Cling ~ Dante can cling to walls for three seconds. Wall Run ~ Dante can run up and backflip off of walls. Specials Neutral B ~ Ebony & Ivory Dante pulls out his two pistols, Ebony and Ivory, which are black and silver respectively, and fires of rapid shots as many times as you rapidly press B, dealing 2 shots of 1% in the same time it takes one shot of Fox’s blaster to hit (thus doing double the damage) with no flinch. This move has the same lag frames as Fox’s blaster. What is the disadvantage to this over the aforementioned furry’s lazer, you ask? Simple, these guns have to be reloaded once every 20 shots (10 each). Reloading takes 1 second. The guns can also be charged (storeable) by holding B, causing an instant flurry of rounds to be shot in the time of a single shot upon release (2 bullets per second of charging, max 5 seconds). When used in the air, the shots are fired diagonally downwards, much like Ness’s PK fire, and drastically reduce Dante’s falling speed. Side Special ~ Trickster Dante dashes forward roughly 80% of the distance of Falco’s Side Special, leaving a red trail and dealing no damage to anything in his way, but going through any obstacles with ease. By inputting the command multiple times, this can be performed up to three times consecutively, with no lag in between. The starting lag of this move is average and the ending lag is almost non-existent. Up Special ~ Lucifer {Devil Arm} Dante pulls this back-mounted weapon out and wears it much like the FLUDD. While wearing this, Dante’s gains 3 extra (small) jumps. Pressing Up B while Lucifer is equipped creates an energy blade a BF platform’s distance in front of Dante that remains in its spot (whether in ground or air) for ten seconds or until coming into contact with a foe or attack and deals 3% and high hit stun to foes who come into contact with it before disappearing. Dante can have as many of these out as he pleases. Creating an energy blade has medium lag on both ends. {3%} Down Special ~ Devil Trigger Dante has a special Devil Trigger (DT) gauge by his portrait that is represented by rows of small red glowing spheres. One sphere is gained by landing 5 attacks (excluding Ebony and Ivory). Each sphere is worth 1 second of transformation time. You can have a maximum of 10 spheres at any given time. In Devil Form, Dante deals double damage with Devil Arms and regenerates 1% per second. His movement speed increases by half. To conserve DT power, the form can be escaped at the cost of one sphere (one is better than all, right). Transformation is lag less. Attacks made in DT form do not build up DT gauge. Normal Attacks A, A, A, A, A, A ~ Rebellion Combo {Devil Arm} Dante slashes diagonally four times with Rebellion (downwards right, downwards left, upwards right, upwards left) then follows with a downwards slash and finishes with a stronger upwards slash. All slashes, save the last which does enough upwards knockback to kill at 180%, do very low knockback with slight hit stun. The slashes take equal time to perform, the entire combo completing in about 1.2 seconds and having little beginning or ending lag. Good disjointed priority. Can be useful for both combo starting, especially into aerials. {2%, 2%, 2%, 2%, 2%, 4%} [Total of 14%} Dash Attack ~ Stinger {Devil Arm} Dante lunges forward a Battlefield platform’s distance, stabbing forward with Rebellion the entire time. Great reach and speed, as Rebellion is as long as Ike’s sword and the attack takes less than a third of a second to complete with little to no ending lag. Good disjointed priority. Knockback is pathetic, but hit stun is good, making this attack a superb combo starter. {5%} During Stinger, hold A ~ Million Stab {Devil Arm} Dante repeatedly stabs, much like Link’s “infinite” Neutral A for as long as you hold A, doing roughly 3 hits of 1% per second. Easy to escape. Before the foe escapes, release the A button to perform one final stepping thrust, which does 6% and low forwards knockback (killing as low as 250%). {1%x} {6%} Tilts Side Tilt ~ Gilgamesh Combo {Devil Arm} Gilgamesh, a set of metal demon arms and mask appear on Dante instantly and he immediately performs a left hook. Keep pressing the input to follow up with a right hook, a roundhouse, and finally a powerful dropkick. The last hit knocks the foe onto the floor, setting them up for more combo hits. The first three hits of this combo are quick, each taking about a fifth of a second, but the last hit has a little bit of startup lag, so you may want to avoid using it on foes with low damage or foes not stunned by Lucifer. Good disjointed priority. {3%, 3%, 3%, 7%} {Total of 16%} Up Tilt ~ Gilgamesh Kick {Devil Arm} Using Gilgamesh, Dante jumps up to about half his normal jumping height and kicks in front of him downwards with his foot swiftly, causing the foe to be spiked down to the ground (or to their death if they were kicked off the edge). Pretty mediocre reach, but a very quick move with low lag. Good disjointed priority. Use this after connecting with Down Tilt. Dante remains airborne (a short-hop) after the attack finishes. Combos well into ground attacks or an aerial carefully aimed at the now grounded foe. {4%} Down Tilt ~ Gilgamesh Upper {Devil Arm} Dante uses Gilgamesh to perform a swift uppercut that knocks the foe upwards slightly, also dealing them significant hang time (aerial stalled hit stun.] A bit of starting lag and mediocre reach, but no ending lag and an overall fairly quick attack. Good disjointed priority. Combos well into an Up Tilt or into short-hopped aerials. {5%} Smashes *Dante’s smashes are oddball moves which only serve to score KO’s, with the exception of the Up Smash.* Side Smash ~ Yamato {Devil Arm} Dante pulls out Vergil’s sword, the katana Yamato, and unleashes it’s powerful wind-cutting attack. This attack has two hitboxes- one being the direct sword slash with roughly the reach of Marth’s sword and the other being a semi-invisible cut in the air a distance away from Dante. Uncharged, this occurs a BF platform away, but each second of charge adds a BF platform of distance. It can be charged as much as you please, though it stops getting any ‘benefit’ when it reaches the edge of the stage. The sword slash does decent horizontal knockback (killing as low as 150%), but the real power is in the wind cutter, which kills as low as 100%. This attack has above average lag on both ends, ending with an animation of Dante sheathing Yamato fairly slowly. {15% slash} {10% wind cutter} Up Smash ~ Sparda {Devil Arm} Dante pulls out the large demon claymore, Sparda (which has no available pictures) and slashes from the ground upwards, knocking the foe roughly twice Dante’s jump height into the air. Curiously, this is not the true smash, the charging happening after this connects. Upon release, Dante jumps up to the foe and performs a falling slash, much like the last hit of Aether, dragging struck foes to the ground and setting them up for more ground hits. The first slash has medium starting lag but no ending lag and the second attack has low lag all around. Great reach, roughly that of D3’s F-Smash and good disjointed priority. Hit stun on both hits is very good. {6% first , 6…18% second} Down Smash ~ Pandora {Devil Arm} Dante whips out Pandora, the weapon with 666 forms. At no charge this weapon becomes a bladed boomerang with the same arc as Link’s, but 1.5x the damage and knockback. At 1s charge, this weapon becomes a mini-turret, which deals rapid shots that add up to 20% damage and flinch. At 2s charge, this weapon becomes a shoulder-mounted bazooka, which shoots a guided missile (Samus’s Side Special non-smashed), which does the damage of a smashed Samus missile and good upwards knockback (kills at 100%). At 3s charge, this weapon becomes a spherical tank-like weapon with many cannons, which fires 6 of Samus’s non-smashed missiles, all of which hit the foe at the same time (talk about overkill) and deal good (kills at 100%) upwards knockback. The charge is store able, though there will still be a one second starting lag and high ending lag upon release of the attack. {Variable} Aerials Neutral Aerial ~ Agni and Rudra {Devil Arm} Dante pulls out Agni and Rundra, the twin swords of fire and ice, and performs a spinning attack. Foes in front of Dante get hit by Rundra then Agni, being first frozen briefly and struck for 4% damage and then burned for 12%. Foes behind Dante get burned first for 8% and then frozen for 4%, the ice effect in this result lasting out its full duration. While foes in front of Dante get struck for higher damage (which makes even more of a difference with DT on), foes behind Dante are more vulnerable to combos. Above average beginning lag but no ending lag. Great reach. Forward Aerial ~ Coyote-A Dante pulls out a shotgun and fires it forward once. Foes within a BF platform of that direction take 10% and decent forwards knockback (killing as low as 175%). Foes up to 3 BF platform’s distance away take 2% and flinch. This attack can be aimed diagonally upwards or downwards much in the same way as Link’s boomerang. Low lag on both ends. {10% close, 2% far} Back Aerial ~ Backstab {Devil Arm} As the name suggests, Dante stabs behind him with Rebellion, much like Pit’s Bair. Like most Brawl characters, this is one of his best killing moves, having very low lag on both ends, great reach, good disjointed priority, and dealing about 6% and great backwards knockback (killing at as low as 90%). Unlike others, this deals very high hit stun, almost as if the foe were stuck on the blade. Dante also turns around after connecting with this attack. These factors allow him to immediately combo into another attack, the knockback from the second attack over-riding the knockback of Backstab. This move is a superb combo tool for starting, continuing, and ending combos. {6%} Up Aerial ~ Round Trip {Devil Arm} Dante tosses Rebellion upwards like a boomerang. It travels roughly 2 BF platforms upwards before returning to Dante (and it does so quickly). The damage of this is mediocre (4%), but it pulls the struck foe to Dante with some hit stun at the end, allowing Dante to combo the foe. Low lag on both ends. Useful for both combo starting and combo continuing. {4%} Down Aerial ~ Helmet Breaker {Devil Arm} Dante rapidly falls dragging his sword down, much like other stall then falls. Unlike the others, Dante stops descending upon contact with a foe, at which point he smashes them down to the ground with a mighty swing of Rebellion. This slash has medium beginning lag but little ending lag. Great reach. Amazing priority. Good move for disrupting enemy attacks, spiking foes, and/or starting air-to-ground combos. {8%} Grabs/Throws Grab ~ Masochism {Devil Arm} Dante stabs… HIMSELF?! That’s right… Dante brings his sword out arm-length in front of him and thrusts it through his own chest, also impaling foes caught in the reach. This grab deals 10% to the foe and 5% to Dante. It is extremely difficult to escape. Even at lower percentages, Dante can easily get off several pummels and a throw. It’s a fast grab with average reach, just be sure not to whiff it, as Dante gets hurt regardless of whether it hits or misses. {10% foe} {5% self} *Self damage not multiplied by Devil Trigger. Pummel ~ Twist {Devil Arm} Dante twists the sword impaled into him and his foe around one full turn, dealing 6% to the foe and 3% to himself. Average lag and duration for a pummel. {6% foe} {3% self} *Self damage not multiplied by Devil Trigger. Forward Throw ~ Roulette {Devil Arm} Dante pulls Rebellion out of himself and the foe and immediately spins it around like Pit’s Nair, dealing 8% to the foe and dealing them good upwards knockback (killing as low as 110%). Low lag and duration. {8%} Back Throw ~ Tombstone Dante back flips, both him and the foe still being impaled, and does something similar to the wrestling move, Tombstone, slamming the foe’s head into the ground. This deals a mighty 12% to the foe and sends them flying a set upwards distance (about 3 Ganondorf heights). Low lag and duration. {12%} Up Throw ~ Field Goal Dante kicks the foe, the sword still impaled into them, up into the air. They land roughly 3 BF platform’s distance ahead of Dante. He immediately dashes to them and pulls the sword out, dealing the foe an instant 15%. Long duration for a throw but low lag. Combos well into ground attacks. Note that this cannot spike the foe, as Dante will kick them backwards instead if there is not three BF platforms in front of him. {15%} Down Throw ~ Slam {Devil Arm (first hit)} Dante body slams the foe into the ground, both of them taking 6% from Rebellion. Dante then gets up, pulling the sword out of the foe and kicks them away, causing them to slide across the ground a set distance of 1 BF platform. The foe takes another 8% from this. Long duration but low lag. Good combo starter. {14% foe} {6% self} Situationals Rising Attack ~ Prop {Devil Arm} Dante jumps up and unleashes an upwards spin of Rebellion that hits on both sides and above him. Deals 4 hits of 1% over its 1 second duration. Hold the A button to unleash ‘Shredder’, extending the duration of Prop for as long as you hold A. Easy to escape. {1%x} Ledge Attack ~ High Time {Devil Arm} Dante short-hops forward and unleashes an “uppercut slash” with Rebellion, dealing 7% and good upwards knockback (kills as low as 115%) to struck foes. Low lag on both ends. Combos well into aerials. {7%} Final Smash Ultimate Devil Trigger Dante unleashes his ultimate Devil Trigger form, which appeared solely in Devil May Cry 2 when DT was used when near death. This form is far more powerful than Dante’s regular DT, giving him a four times damage buff on Devil Arms, 2% health regeneration per second, double speed, and unlimited flight. Pressing down special during this form unleashes a single burst of fire from the demon’s body, dealing 20% and high upwards knockback to foes within a reach of a BF platform. Curiously, this form burns your DT gauge, though it gets a full 6.66 seconds for every sphere of DT power… in other words, use it when you have a lot of DT units built up. Playstyle Dante is an interesting character to play as, combining two styles into one- traps and comboing. How does he do this, you ask? The answer is simple. Lucifer (Up B), his only trap, can be used to enhance combos, as it deals very high hit stun and freezes foes in place, ending the knockback of any attack that sent them into the trap. This allows Dante to set his traps up just right to match his combos of choice, making completely unique combos possible. He can have as many of these Lucifer blades up as he pleases (or rather, as many as he can maintain considering their 10 second duration and destructibility). Noob Dantes can use the simple strategy of camping with Lucifer traps and Ebony and Ivory (Neutral B) spam, finishing foes off with melee attacks once their damage is high enough. While this strategy can be effective, it can be countered easily by any character with projectiles, which can easily destroy Lucifer blades, or reflectors, which both reflect Dante’s bullets and destroy the blades with the reflected bullet. More professional Dantes will rely on combos. Mastering Dante is all about properly positioning Lucifer blades, picking the appropriate combos to match these blades, and wise use of the Devil Trigger to greatly enhance your combo damage. These are just a few examples of Dantes combos, and they all assume that Lucifer blades are not used: 1) Dash A – Hold A – Release A – A, A, A, A, A, A – Up Tilt – Down Aerial Deals 5% + 1%x + 6% + 14% + 4% + 8%, ending in a spike. *Only works at lower percentages due to the knockback of the last hit of A combo. 2) Down Tilt – Up Tilt – Down Aerial – Forward Smash Deals 5% + 4% + 8% + 15% (hits with blade not wind cutter), a nice short combo that deals good damage with slight killing potential. 3) A, A, A, A, A/F-Tilt, F-Tilt-F-Tilt – Grab – Pummel (x times) – Down Throw – F-Smash (uncharged) Deals 2%(5) + 10% + 6%(x) + 14% + 10% or 3%(3) + 10% + 6%(x) + 14% + 10%, A powerful combo ending in a killing move. Causes 11% + 3%(x) self harm. When mastered, Dante is an absolute beast. He can combo enemies like the demon he is, has some camping ability, and sports a decent recovery with aerial stalls included, but part of Dante’s weakness is that he has so much versatility available to him that many Dante players can become overwhelmed and confused themselves. His combos have huge amounts of freedom, but button mashing will often not suffice for performing effective combos (he’s not Sheik). Dante’s Devil Trigger can make or break Dante. It can either make his combo damage output broken… or it can be an absolute waste and leave Dante with nothing more than meager health regeneration for his hard-earned DT points. How will you play Dante? Taunts Up Taunt ~ Bingo Dante points his gun at the nearest foe and says "Bingo." Side Taunt ~ Rose Dante puts a rose in his mouth, like in my avatar and the Lucifer cutscene posted in the video links. Down Taunt ~ Show Off Dante starts twirling around Rebellion, juggling it, etc. Just being the general show offy clown he is. Poses Up Pose ~ Jackpot Dante points his gun at the camera and says his trademark endgame catchphrase "Jackpot!" and then shoots the camera. Side Pose ~ Rocket Riding The losers shoot missiles at Dante. He immediately matrixes one of them and then jumps on top of it, surfing the missile into the losers and causing them all to Star KO. Down Pose ~ Tower Dive Dante jumps off the victory screen and is then seen running down a several thousand foot tower, shooting blood gargoyles on the way down, just like he did in DMC3. Awesome. Alternate Outfits Devil May Cry 1 Dante Rebellion becomes changed to Alistor, gaining an electric aura. Devil Trigger changes. Gilgamesh becomes Ifrit. Devil May Cry 3 Dante Devil Trigger changes. Gilgamesh becomes Beowulf Gauntlets. *All changes are aesthetic only.* At this point, you may be wondering why there is no DMC2 costume. The answer: because noone gives a **** about DMC2, including myself. It was a mediocre game in which Dante had no personally at all. The only thing from it in my moveset is the Final Smash. Oh and one more thing.

FE 8 and 9 with Clive Owen as Ike. Chuck Norris as Nolan. .... Actually, screw live action... just make it CGI and use voice actors for the characters like in RD's epic cutscenes, but in a full movie. :P

That would PUNISH units for having higher growth rates. It would make more sense if the number of stat points the unit got was equal to their growth total. Although I personally like the random level ups. A stat point system means that having a 320% HP growth rate or a 40% growth rate in everything wouldn't matter. You'd get just as many stat points. I like your idea for the halberds and glaives, although you could combine those classes into one that uses both. They're fairly similar, at least they appear so. Umm, no... a unit with a 60% growth would only spend 4 points because 10 - 6 = 4, while a unit with a 40% growth would spend 6 points because 10 - 4 = 6. Simple misunderstanding. Did I ever say that this would replace random level ups. The key word is optional. It's like fixed mode... but doesn't suck. I had considered this. I figured the differentiated growths would be of benefit though. Polearman- Divided into Pikeman, Halberdman, and Glaiveman. Can use polearms such as the pike, the halberd, and the glaive, but are limited to the weapon of their starting profession. Glaives are a combination of the sword and the lance, being advantaged against swords and disadvantaged against lances. Halberds are a combination of the axe and the lance, being advantaged against lances and disadvantaged against axes. The pike is a lance with the damage of a sword. All of these polearms deal extra damage against calvary. The Polearman has good strength and skill growths. Promotes to Halberdier, Glaivier, or Pike Master depending on the characters first tier. A couple more classes that could be interesting: Maceman/Flailman- A real powerhouse who relies on armor-crushing maces and flails. Maces have a higher mount. Flails have a higher accuracy. These weapons have high damage (1 above that of an axe for flails and 2 above for maces) and do bonus damage against armored units. These units are very strong in terms of hp and offense, having a (promoted) strength cap of 35 (compared to the 30 of a warrior), but are also very slow (comparable to armored units) and have only average stats in other areas. Promotes to Juggernaut, gaining the ability to use the other of the two weapons. Tactician- A highly intelligent unit that belongs to the support family. This unit is able to order other units to perform actions on the enemy phase. Single orders can be given to any one unit on the field, while group orders target all player units. Orders can include "Move Here" or "Attack This Unit" or "Heal Yourself". Wields flags, which have spearheads on top. These weapons deal 1 less damage than swords. On top of this, tacticians have low stats in all areas except for speed and luck, which are remarkably good. Promotes to Warlord, giving them the ability to passively buff the stats of allies within a given range.

New Classes: No third 3rd tier. I liked the 3 class sytem, but buffed growths would have the same effect ultimately. I couldn't care less about the class swap system and branching class systems. In my opinion, the fixed class systems were far more endearing. Soldier -> Lancemen (rename of the current Halberdier) Halberdman- A first tier class based on the exclusive use of halberds, which would be strong against lances and weak against axes, due to being a combination of axe and lance, and would deal extra damage against calvary. Unit sports high strength and skill. Promotes to Halberdier. Glaiver- A first tier class based on the exclusive use of glaives, which would be strong against swords and weak against lances, due to being a combination of a sword and a lance, and would deal extra damage against calvary. Unit sports high defense and skill. Promotes to Glaivier. Crossbowman- A first tier unit based on the exclusive use of crossbows, which would deal strong damage against armored units. Unit sports lower speed than its archer cousin. Promotes to Marksman. Binder- A caster unit that fights using summonable spirits, which are completely immobile, but provide strong support, such as projectile attacks, healing over a certain area, and stat boosts over a certain area. Can also use staves. Has lower hit points than other caster units. Promotes to Ritualist, granting them the ability to use Thunder magic. Illusionist- A caster unit that specializes in confusing its foes. Such illusions include conditions such as hp drain per turn, sleep, temporary maximum hp reduction, inability to cast spells, disarment, and berserk. Can use staves and can counterattack with staves. All illusions have a range of 2 spaces. Bad hp and defense but great speed and luck. Can promote to Mesmer, granting an additional space range for illusions. New Features: Siege Weapons- The catapult and ballista are now considerably more powerful and can be moved. Unfortunately, it takes a minimum of 2 (maximum 5) to move and operate them, with more effectiveness in reload turns and mobility provided by larger teams. Formations- Units can now enter formations such as line of shields and "turtle" formation, granting all units in the formation stat boosts. Example- Group all of yours archers into a line and each attack performed by an individual in the group becomes a barrage, hitting multiple spaces at once. Optional Stat Point System- Spendable stat points replace random level ups when this is turned on. All characters get ten stat points per level up. Growth percentages represent the point costs of a level up. Ex- 40% growth = 10 (base points) - 4 (one tenth of growth, rounded) = 6 points. FE5 systems- Dismounting and capturing were great ideas, but do NOT put in fatigue. FE4 forts- There only has to be one castle to capture per mission, but the combination of armory/shop and arenas in the main fort were awesome. Support Conversations- Just like in Path of Radiance. Skills- Present, but not broken. Bonus Experience- Yes, please. Story: In general it just has to be good. In my perfect world for FE, I would write the story myself, but that isn't going to happen, so let's just hope for something new. Something around FE4 or FE9/10 in story quality would be just fine with me. Characters: Non-sword wielding central character. You could say Hector, Ephraim, and Micaiah fit the bill, but none is the sole or even primary lord of their game. A main lord that uses an axe in the fashion of Hector could be interesting, but if the new classes I listed above were added, a halberd or glaive lord would be awesome. Then again, we've never had a bow lord. Tomboy- Lethe had a nice personality. Every FE game deserves to have a character with such a fiery, awesome personality that just doesn't fit the bill of a normal girl. Preferably, this would be a main character or atleast have their personality more heavily emphasized. Let us not forget the traditional FE character roles, such as the womanizer or silver tongued man, the knight who takes his job too seriously (Kent), and the noble-hearted myrmidon (Navarre and somewhat arguably Zihark). And while new features such as these are nice, Fire Emblem must keep to its roots, as it has shown time and time again that even old traditions can make an awesome game.

I'ld have to say either FE4's Levin or Lex. Lethe wins my favorite female character. :3

Chapter 2 ~ First Victory ~ "Another ale!" a group of soldiers shouted in unison. The victory celebration was so much different than parties held at the castle. It seemed as though none of the people- soldier, mercenary, and peasant alike- cared about maintaining their civil visage. These people probably only cared about having a good time. The majority of them were quite drunk- those who weren't probably did not care for alcohol. All throughout the village, especially in the tavern, there was dancing and drunken singing. Even Sam couldn't help but enjoy himself in this wild atmosphere. The prince decided to try some ale himself, but he found that the beverage smelled awful and tasted even worse. After pondering how anyone could possibly enjoy drinking that grog, he handed the pitcher over to the man next to him, who was already too drunk to give an interpretable response. Regardless of whether or not he joined the rabble of men and women in their intoxicated merryment, he certainly found their rediculous antics amusing. Of particular entertainment was the man who randomly flirted with everything that moved. "Enjoying yourself?" asked a voice behind Sam. He turned around to find the speaker, a tall blonde man dressed in the garb of a mercenary. "Aye, I suppose. Can't say I really fit in with this crowd though." "I imagine that a lordling like yourself isn't accustomed to such wild merry-making. Can't say I blame you. I was once a knight myself." "And now you're a mercenary?" "Aye. The stressful life of a soldier who rarely witnesses the accomplishments of his actions didn't appeal to me. Now, I lead the greatest mercenary guild in Valia." "Your name is Sir Siegmund, is it not?" "Nay. 'Tis just Siegmund now. My title left along with my knighthood." "Well, Siegmund, would you mind explaining why your mercenaries were dispatched to aid us?" "We were hired by a man named Sir Ardan. He claimed that his cousin was the prince and would pay us handsomely for our services." "Typical Ardan... I had no knowledge of this transaction, but your sellswords will be payed nonetheless. In fact, I would like to hire all of you as permanent warriors in my campaign against Volf." "I don't think my men would much appreciate becoming soldiers." "The pay will be good. I will also allow your group to act somewhat independently. Unless an order is critical to success, you will be allowed to use your own tactics." "Fair enough," Siegmund replied, shaking Sam's hand. "The Valland Mercenaries are at your service." After saying this, he excused himself and returned to his mercenaries to make the announcement. There were few objections to the job, as most simply desired to be payed (and payed well). After a while, the festive party had lost its appeal to Sam. It was a habit of his to seek a quiet place (usually his chambers) so that he could avoid much of life's stress and think, or rather dream, of the more simple life he longed for. Surely, in a place like this, no quiet location was available. His room at the inn would probably be the best he could hope for. As he walked down the hall, Sam heard the beautiful sound of a lute coming from the room next to his own. Whoever the musician was, they were very talented. He found himself desiring to meet this person. He knocks on the door thrice. A female voice, which sounded somewhat familiar, permitted him to enter. He opened the door and found that the lute player was Caelse, the mercenary who saved his life. "Hello." "What do you want?" "My apologies, Caelse. My room is next door and I could not help but hear your music. You're really quite talented." "Oh? Is the nameless soldier a music critic now?" "I guess I never introduced myself. Sorry. My name is Sam. I certainly don't consider myself a critic either, though I've heard many a bard's song. You play more beautifully beautifully than any of them in my opinion." "Thank you. Would you like for me to teach you?" "Aye, I would like that very much," answered Sam with a friendly smile. "Okay," said Caelse as she handed him the instrument, "you start like this..." The two remained there for a couple hours. For a good while, she taught him the basics of instrumentation, including how to string each note. After learning the notes and some basic rhythms, their lesson ended and Sam stayed to hear Caelse play. He enjoyed listening to her, but not as much as he enjoyed watching her. She was a fairly attractive woman, despite being plainer in appearance than the women that pestered him. Her long brown ponytail of hair and elegant, small-breasted figure appealed to him. Perhaps what he found most beautiful was her brown eyes, which seemed to somehow reflect a kind but lonely soul. After some time, all denial was removed from Sam's mind. he found her charming. Despite not knowing much about this girl of fifteen years, she seemed so wildly different than any woman he had ever met. Her somewhat tomboyish appearance, though beautiful to him in a unique way, was but the eye-pleasing cover of an enthralling book. What really caught his attention was that she was the first woman to not lust after his royal status. In fact, she was probably unaware of who he really was. In fact, she didn't seem to be pursuing an immediate relationship at all, but rather seemed to be starting a legitimate friendship with him. Sam wondered if he would be able to conceal his noble identity from her for a while, for he enjoyed their new relationship for what it was. When he shifted his attention away from her body and back to her music, he found that it had a melancholy tune. It is said that a musician's works provide a view into their soul. If this was the case, as Sam had guessed from the look of her eyes, then Caelse was likely a shy and lonely girl who used her music as a way to vent her sorrow. He returned his gaze to her face, which was relaxed and seemed to be lost in thought, and smiled. Caelse's song reached its conclusion with a gradual decrescendo right from the poweful climax before reaching a soft piannisimo and finally fading into nothing. Sam struggled to find the meaning of this. Perhaps, it symbolized the small existence of hope or of its fading. He decided on the latter, as that seemed to match the rest of the song. "What do you think?" asked Caelse. "I think that you are amazing," Sam answered with a reassuring smile. "Thanks. Would you like to hear another?" "I appreciate the offer, but it's getting late, so I must be off. Wouldn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, would you? I'll come back another time, though. Good night, friend." "Good night." Sam did not expect the sudden embrace that she gave him. This was but a friendly gesture, but he couldn't help but feel that she might be smitten with him. He returned the favor, bring her closer to him. They remained like this for several moment, being shocked out of it when the door was thrown open, revealing Ardan and Siegmund. "Has anyone seen... Oh, man! Prince Lionheart shows himself to be quite the lady's man afterall!" exclaimed Ardan. "I promise that it's not like that," replied a startled and nervous Sam, "she's a friend." "I would hope so," stated Siegmund, "or else I'ld have to scold my daughter for fraternizing with a stranger. Anyway, you are needed for a war council." "If I have no choice in the matter, then I'll be there in a moment. My apologies, Caelse. I'll see you later," said Sam with a wave to Caelse as he exited the door. He could not help but notice that she appeared to be angry, but he knew not why. With the war council, he would not have the opportunity to dwell in thought about that. He resolved to fix the problem- if it still existed- when he had another opportunity to talk to her. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The council was held in the town hall, which was closed to all but the most important members of the army- both soldiers and mercenaries- including the 37th's Commander Michael and Captain Ryann, Ardan, Travan, Siegmund, and, of course, Prince Lionheart. The hall was under heavy guard in order to prevent minor soldiers, mercenaries, and townsfolk who might spread the information discussed inside from getting in. Sam took his seat at the head of the long table and was joined by Michael and Ryann to his left and right respectively. Siegmund took the opposite end of the table. As the most prominent soldier present, Michael led the meeting. He rose from his seat and threw a Volfen sword onto the center of the table. "Everyone, take a look at the emblem emblazoned on the sword, for it will tell us who sent these men." "It's a lion engraved over an inversed cross that resembles a sword. Is this a mockery of my own crest?" asked Sam. "Aye. The unit belonged to none other than Sverre Leander, one of Volf's most prominent warlord's." "Why have I not heard of him?" "You know not of the most infamous man in Volf?" He is the only warlord with the audacity to launch raids on our homeland." "His assaults certainly keep us employed," remarked Siegmund. "Right," replied Michael, "but more importantly, he serves as one of the greatest obstacles to our success. While other leaders focus on maintaining Volf's defensive lines, Sverre sets up brutal ambushes and guerilla attacks." "He sounds like a coward to me!" declared Sam. "With all due respect, my liege, we must put aside any romantic ideas of honorable warfare if we wish to win. Sverre is nothing short of a master of war. No tactic is beyond him if it means victory and he employs every strategy with peerless cunning." "And how do we intend to break through his forces?" "Our strategy will be a simple one. Prince Gareth's army will curve around the mountains and strike Volf from the east while we mirror this and attack from the west. This split should result in Sverre's forces being spread too far to provide a strong resistance. Sirs Garthos, Gawayn, and Garrett will then lead their forces directly into Volf, spelling our victory." "So now we know our part in this. Any other business?" "Nay." "Then I declare this meeting over." With that, everyone left the room. Sam left last and headed towards his quarters. It wasn't until now that he realized how tired he had been. Combat puts a strain on the body, which the stresses of being a newly appointed leader only serve to increase. As he approached his door, he heard the faint sound of crying from the next room. Remembering that he had somehow angered Caelse earlier, he knocks on the door and enters. "What do you want, lordling," said Caelse in an upset tone. "My apologies. I certainly don't want to disturb you, but I thought I might have hurt you earlier, though I don't know how." "Oh I wonder, Prince Sam, if that is even your name... When did you plan on revealing your identity?" "I see... I am very sorry, my friend, but you must understand... I have grown bored of people treating me like their superior just because I was born lucky. I fail to see how this pains you so." "Did you know, Sam, that your father, the great "hero" that he is, is responsible for this bloodshed?" "Some say that, but most acknowledge that Volfens assassinated my mother." "Does the unproven assassination of one person warrant the slaughter of a people? Does it justify the murder of fathers and the kidnapping of mothers and sisters?" "Of course not..." "Well, that is what you fight for... the destruction of my people." "Caelse..." "I'm of Volf! Go ahead, have me executed or end my life here with that axe of yours!" "Nay. I have no desire to harm you. Caelse... I've no idea what I fight for... I just want to see my own nation stop this senseless fighting. Just stand by me, okay." Caelse leapt toward him with a dagger and attempted to stab him in the chest, but he caught her hand and disarmed her. "My fate is sealed isn't it," she said. "Nay... I forgive you. Quite frankly, I don't blame you for wanting me dead. I'm sure that my father's war has brought you great harm. Is that destruction you described your story?" "Aye... Siegmund is only my adopted father. His mercenaries were payed to stop the raid of my village." "I am deeply sorry...," Sam replied, taking her hand, "Please understand that I have no choice but to fight in this war. I will not allow the slaughter of Volfen civilians and captured soldiers within my numbers though, if that is of any consolation to you." "Thank you... but I hope you understand that such consolation will not be enough to quell my sorrows, nor will it pacify my anger towards you. Now leave, please." "Very well then... G'night." Sam leaves the room and finds Michael waiting outside. "She'll come around," said the commander. "For my sake, I hope so," replied Sam. "Ardan always feared the wrath of an angry woman, and I would not like to experience the same dread."

That's a rather bland way to introduce action don't you think? A different word instead of the adverb would have added some flavour. "This seemed unfortunate, as his foe was a much larger man than himself" Things would be more exciting if we were not told what was going to happen sentences before it happens. Your making things a little too predictable. Think about this matter of "Telling and Showing". That comma just fells so unnecessary. It just does not sound right when I said it. This whole paragraph is just an infodump. While it is not absolutely terrible because it has some relevance to the scene, the information could have been put across better. Here, you might want to read this. Whoa whoa whoa! Censorship? Yeah... lol. "He soaks his hair and dries it, looking much tamer than it had before." Those brackets are a big no. What is in that quote could be expressed in a much better manner. Whore... Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! Whore! See, nothing bad happened. The last part really did not need to be said since it was pretty obvious. Just a typo, should be "your brother". "Our queen". "I,d" "each" This next part is an infodump as well. Too much exposition is annoying. It is especially bad to do in the middle of an action scene; it just break the mood. A description of their reactions would have been better. That adverb is redundant. Of course things shine brightly. "your" That dialogue tag is redundant. In fact, I'd recommend that you should be more aware of that dialogue tags you are using, or whether you even need one. -------------------- To be honest, this is all I can bothered to do for now. Well... the censorship and typos are easy enough to explain. As for the censorship, I directly copied and pasted it from my posting on another site, which auto-filters out words like ass and whore. I suppose I just didn't think about the lack of censorship here. The typos... well... those should explain themselves. I'll fix those.

http://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=16814&view=findpost&p=591998 Comments on my story (linked above) are much appreciated. As a young (highschool age) writer with dreams of becoming a novelist, anime/game storyliner... whatever... any helpful criticisms or praises I can get are important to me. The Basics: Sam Lionheart is the prince of the nation of Valia, located at the center of the continent of Bravus. Twenty years ago, the nation just won it's freedom from the grasp of a powerful demon lord who planned to use its armies to conquer the continent. King Lionheart, the one who slayed the demon, was known for being a kind king, but he has made a gradual descent into tyranny. Now, he uses the legendary Valian armies to expand the nation's territory. The southern nation of Volf stands in their way. Will Sam's 37th Battallion bring Volf to its knees or will he stand and fight his own nation?

The prologue has been revised according to heavy criticisms on the other site on which the story is posted. It includes more characterization, more scenes, and a less cliche opening.

Chapter 1 ~ Realization ~ Night falls and Valia's 37th continues its march south towards the nation of Volf, though they are still well within the borders of Valia, roughly twenty miles from the capital city of Valland, which lie at it's center. The terrain of Valia is mostly wide-open plains, which makes travelling easy. A village was nearby, for the soldiers could already see it on the horizon. It was a fairly average town, consisting of, from what the soldiers could tell, a number of wooden farm homes, an inn and tavern, and a large stone church. Onward, the band travels, the thought of a meal and warm beds at the inn to push their tired bodies and move their aching feet. ............................................................................................... "Halt! Who goes there?" shouted the watchman. "Sir Samson Lionheart, prince of Valia," Sam answered, "My troops need a place to stay. Will you open your gates?" "Aye. Open the gates!" commanded the guard. In response to the order, the gates were pushed open by ten soldiers, all of them bearing the standard white Valian capes, but emblemed with the boar, the symbol of this land's ruling lord. The Valian lands are divided into four provinces, each handled by one of the Four Marshalls. Garthos, brother of the King and Valia's Black Knight, manages the South. Garrett, the Red Knight, lords over the West. Finally, Sam's master, the Green Knight Gawayn, is the keeper of the Eastlands. The final area is the capital itself, it is under the sole rule of the Gold Knight, Valia's King, who also rules over the other three. In addition to this, each region is further divided into a number of smaller ruling lords, all of whom answer to their respective superiors. The boar embossed on the capes of these soldiers was black, therefore Garthos was this regions master lord. Sam's army pours into the town, waking many a villager with the disturbance they caused, however unintentional it may have been. While the sight of hundreds of armed knights alarmed the townsfolk, none of them dared leave their homes. The inn was not large enough to accomodate all of the soldiers. The available rooms were first given to the nobles (Sam, Travan, and Ardan). The white-haired commander, Michael, and his second-in-command, the archer captain Ryann were also given immediate rooms. The remaining chambers were divided among soldiers based on lots. Those who did not get a room in the inn took up residence in the homes of the villagers. Perhaps, the reaction of common people to armed soldiers is the same whether the troops be friend or foe... the peons had no desire to risk their lives on the unknown kindness or cruelty of a knight. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Sam stood watching the capital of Valland on the horizon. As he concentrated, he discovered the smoke rising from his home. The castle was burning! The young man ran toward the city. It seemed as though he arrived in mere moments. Through the destruction and the chaos, he could see the armies of Valia and Volf gathered around the castle. Why weren't they fighting? Suddenly, the large door is broken and bursts into flames. A shadowed figure steps out, carrying a dead body... the body of the King! As Sam watches in horror, the shadows enveloping the killer recede, and his form is revealed. The attacker was a tall, slender man with dark black hair worn short and blood-red eyes that seemed to pierce right into the prince's very soul. Perhaps most horrifying, however, were the large, black-feathered wings that protruded from the entity's back. Could this be the demon written in legends... the one slain by Chris nearly twenty years ago? The demon threw the King's body, which immediately combusted, into the crowd of soldiers. There was no doubt in Sam's mind. This was the son of Satan himself. This was the demon who rose from the ashes of a fierce volcanic eruption and nearly wiped Valia off the map. This was Ashencroft. The armies of Valia and Volf stood fast and bravely charged the monster. It was to no avail, for the power of the demon lord was greater than that of even the most powerful of armies. He pointed his fingers at the charging soldiers. As one, the men burst into flames. As one, they fell into ashes. Again, the demon turns its gaze towards Sam. Those eyes... those piercing red eyes... they marked him as next. Frozen in fear, the Lionheart couldn't even move. The demon's black-steel sword became coated in fire and he approached menacingly. "It's all over!" Sam thought. "I'm going to die here! No... I still have my axe." Sam swung in desperation, but the demon caught the blade in his empty hand. Sam's gaze shifted to the sword that headed for his heart. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- And then, Sam woke up, surrounded in a pool of sweat. "A vision?" Sam asked himself. "No... just a dream. No need to get worked up over a nightmare." After saying this, however, he heard the bells of the church ringing loudly. An emergency? Looking out the window, Sam observed that the village was being attacked. Some of its buildings were already aflame! Sam reaches for the halberd at his bedside. Would he need his armor? There was no time for that! The troops needed their orders as soon as possible. Frantically, he exits the inn and runs into the town plaza. There were no enemies inside the gates. The 37th was already confronting the enemy outside, likely following Michael's orders. The fires must have been caused by burning arrows. It was definitely not common bandits, but rather a larger, more organized foe. The Volfens maybe? Quickly, Sam runs through the gates and rushes into the fight without going back for his armor. Was he being brave or foolish? Perhaps, he wasn't thinking at all. A foe, seeing Sam's unarmored state, charges the prince, ready to swiftly bring down his sword. The prince responds by lifting his halberd and catching the sword in between the blades. He disarms the enemy and then brings down the mighty weapon on the foe's skull in one swift motion, the blade of his axe becoming crimson. Without a moment's hesitation, he charges a cluster of soldiers, and swings Galland in a circle once, the weight of his mighty weapon proving to be more than a match for their strength. The bodies of these opponents fell to the floor, all of them eviscerated. Sam already felt the pride of his achievement. With no foes nearby, Sam stops to practically applaud his own strength. In his arrogance, could he not see the archer who aimed for him? Could he not hear the bowstring being pulled back or the archer's nervous breathing? Regardless of his reasons, be they stupidity, pride, or lack of attention, Sam was completely unaware that his life was at risk until the last moment. He looked up and saw the arrow about to be released and, in one brief moment, thought he was dead, closing his eyes in preperation for the inevitable sting of the metal arrowhead. A few moments later, he opened his eyes to see his foe on the floor, his life bleeding away.... no the man died the instant he was struck. Behind the man stood a young woman, probably a couple of years younger than himself. She bore no armor. No cape did she wear, nor emblem did she bear. The girl was definitely not a member of the 37th. And, as Sam observed, neither were the other warriors who rushed onto the battlefield, routing their mutual enemy. "You have saved my life, my lady," Sam said as he approached her "How may I repay you?" "Your debt has been payed in full," she answered. "We are the Valland mercenaries, the finest soldiers for hire in Valia." "May I have the pleasure of your name then?" Sam asked. "It's Caelse," she answered. "Now, if you'll get out of my way, I have a job to get to." "Oh, right... my apologies," replied Sam, only half-apologetically. "I suppose I should be returning to the battle myself." The battle was swiftly won. The enemies, ready to retreat after being outmatched by the 37th battalion, were likely about to flee before the mercenaries arrived and surrounded them. The foes were completely routed. The once beautiful land surrounding the village was stained red and littered with bodies. This was the true nature of war, Sam realized to himself as he looked down at the pile of troops, both Vallian and Volfen, that was being set aflame. He could not recognize any of them, but the pained expressions of these men, locked in by rigor mortis, struck his heart with sorrow. "So many... so many families will never again see their loved ones," Sam said, his face somewhat anguished by this realization. "Get used to it," Caelse replied in a harsh tone. "If you do not take lives, you will die. That is the reality of war." She was right, Sam thought to himself. As much as he hated the prospect, the freedom he gained from his meaningless royal life meant that he would have to take the lives of others and witness the deaths of those he cared for.

So, this is my first real attempt at the art of writing. It is a tale I had imagined about three years ago and have planned out over time. Though far from finished, I wish to develop it into a full story, piece by piece if need be. Though it is not related to Fire Emblem, it is atleast vaguely inspired by the series. I will, of course, be glad to hear your comments- regardless of whether they are of praise or criticism. "It is said that mankind is bound to commit evil. Indeed, an inner demon dwells within us all, but where there is darkness, there can also be light- an inner angel that implores its host to stand fast and resist the control of their viler side. That is what I believe." ~Samson Lee Lionheart Prologue ~ The Lionhearted Prince ~ The axe came down quickly. It aimed directly for Sam's head. The young man's response was swift. In one motion, he brought his own halberd above his head and caught the oncoming blade. From here, it would be a test of strength, as he soon realized. This was seemingly unfortunate, as his foe was a much larger man than himself, both in height and in build. Sam, however possessed an unexplainable strength that far surpassed his lightly-muscled appearance. Even so, his opponent was advantaged in this struggle. Surely, the best solution to this predicament would be to escape it. Sam knew that if he shifted his axe to the side, he would be able to break free and have a chance at retaliation. "What if my enemy foresaw this?" he thought. He finally decided that deception would be necessary. He shifted his weight to the right, causing his foe to predict a rightwards shift of the weapon. Instead, he swings his axe to the left, causing the two weapons to seperate. This was his chance! Sam swings his axe at the head of his quarrel, the blade stopping just an inch short of contact with the enemy's cheek. "Nicely done," said the man as Sam moved the blade of his poleaxe away, "you've become quite adept in combat. Perhaps, you'll even surpass me one day." "Nonsense! There isn't a man alive that is greater than you, master Gawayn." "Your respect is well-founded," stated Gawayn with a chuckle, "but I am but the third of the Four." It was true. Gawayn, the Green Knight, was the third ranked member of Valia's Four Marshalls, the greatest generals in the nation of Valia, and perhaps in the entire continent of Bravus. The other three were Garrett, the Red Knight (ranked at number four), Garthos, the Black Knight (ranked at number two), and Christopher Lionheart, the King and Sam's father, who is often referred to as Valia's Gold Knight. All of these men gained their positions through their efforts in The Demon's War, which ended twenty years ago. "Even so," replied Sam, "none of the Four can match you with an axe." "One day, I believe that you will. You will be a great warrior some day." "But, for now, you are but a spoiled excuse for a prince who would skip his own celebration in favor of swinging around a chunk of sharpened steel," scolded a voice from the shadows. "My apologies, father," replied the prince, in truth much less apologetic than his tone implied. "It was my belief that my presence would go unmissed, disgrace to the throne that I am." "Your half-hearted musings do not amuse me. Now, make yourself presentable and get your royal ass to that party before my sword makes that face of yours match your deplorable attitude." The wrath of his father was not something that Sam wished to invoke. He rushed toward his room, atleast until he was out of sight. Once he was out-of-view, he slowed into a lax pace. He had no intention of hurrying without being forced to do so. he enters the bath chamber of his room. After washing his face, which had heavily perspired during his training with Gawayn, Sam peers into the water left in the sink. Judging by his reflection, he would not need to shave. His beard was short and rugged, just the way he liked to wear it, and his mustache had still not grown back. His curly brown hair was an absolute mess, as it often was after an axe lesson. "Why bother brushing it?" he asked himself. "It will just mess up again within an hour." He soaks his hair and dries it, it looking much tamer than it had before. Upon returning to his chamber, Sam pulls out some rather fancy clothes from the closet. The set of garments included long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, boots, and a vest jacket, all of which were white and trimmed with gold thread. After deciding that his look needed a personal touch, he pulls out a long green cape that is insigned with the symbol of the royal family, a golden male lion head roaring on the background of a white cross. Dressed in these royal clothes, Sam, whose rather average build and lazy appearance made him somewhat unattractive, looked quite lordly. In order to protect himself against any possible attempt at assassination, he equipped a short sword, strapping it to his waist. This served to give him an even more regal appearance. --------------------------------------------------------------- The party was what one might expect of a royal ball. It was a lively function, filled with not only the prominent nobles of Valland, the capital city, but from every corner of the country. Sam hoped that he would be able to sneak into the multitude of people unnoticed, but such was not the case, for he was quickly spotted by a lady and asked (more like forced) to dance. "What a nuisance," he thought. He had hoped to avoid the company of the noblewomen for once. The "lady" hung onto Sam as if to seduce him despite the fact that they had only just met. He didn't even know her name- not that he cared enough to find out. To him, this woman's motive was already obvious, for it was the motive of all so-called ladies. She sought to marry into the wealth and power of the throne. This is why he hated noblewomen... they were not but glorified harlots! Fortunately, Sam's torture at the hands of the ladies was short-lived this time. The king summoned him to the balcony. The prince may not have known the reasons for his summoning, but he cared not. Any chance to escape this whore was fine with him. He gave her an outwardly sorrowful farewell, while in his heart he praised his maker for their parting. Sam entered the balcony to an unusual sight. His father and his twin brother Gareth (who was younger by a mere few minutes) awaited him, surrounded by knights. Normally, only the Four were allowed audience with the king. The leader of this troop was not of the Four. In fact, Sam had never before met this young commander who was tall, slender, and had long, prematurely-white hair. King Lionheart stood up from his seat, bearing an even more royal visage than the prince, and beckoned his son to approach. "Finally, the heir to the throne arrives," the king said, almost scoffing as he says the word heir, as if to show his disappointment. "We have business to attend to." "Oh?" Sam asked, raising his left brow, "and what business warrants the presence of so many armed men, if you don't mind my asking?" "Your appointment," the king replied." "You are to lead these men to victory in Volf." "Lead them? Is it really appropriate to place their lives in the hands of an inexperienced tactician such as I?" "Aye. These men, the soldiers of Valia's 37th Battalion, are some of the nation's finest knights. Should you fail to conquer Volf, or if your deeds in this war cannot match those of your brother, who has thus far shown himself to be more competent, he shall ascend to the throne instead of you." "Am I right to assume that I will be Durandal's wielder in this conflict?" "You are not worthy of our holy sword. As such, your brother shall wield it." "And I? Surely you don't intend to leave your eldest without a weapon befitting of a lord." "You need not worry," said Gawayn as he entered the room. "This halberd has been forged by the best blacksmith in Valland." Gawayn hands Sam a large poleaxe. It was very heavy due to having a tremendously large blade, but to one of Sam's strength, holding it felt natural. The entire weapon, shaft included, was made of steel, adorned with spiraling and entwining vines of pure gold. A white flag was attached to the pole, it bearing the Lionheart family symbol which also adorned Sam's cape. Sam planted the base of the pole on the ground and was surprised to find that the weapon stood taller than himself. "Does it have a name?" asked Sam. "It is the duty of a weapon's bearer to name it," Gawayn answered. King Lionheart approaches the edge of the balcony and addresses the crowd. "Good evening, citizens of Valia. Tonight, we have come to celbrate the seventeenth year of the lives of my sons. There is more to this night than that, however, for tonight, we witness the knighting of our princes. This is a momentous day for our nation. This day shall begin our march to victory against the vile Volfens. They started this conflict by murdering our queen. It is only fitting that her sons will be the ones to avenge her and bring glory to Valia!" Chris pulls out a ceremonial rapier and orders both of his sons to kneel, as is custom for a knighting. After both recite the oath of allegiance, the king taps the rapier on each of their shoulders and then declares them royal knights of Valia. Sir Samson was given control of Valia's 37th Battalion, while his brother became the commander of the 63rd. The audience cheered as the new knights rose to their feet and prepared to speak to the crowd. Prepared may not have been the correct word. It was more like they had to decide which of them would speak first. "You shall go first. You are the older one," stated Gareth. "Nay. You are the favored heir. My few minutes of being your elder can't compare to that advantage. Now, go ahead." "I swear... I will never understand your motives brother. Very well, I will go first." Gareth clears his throat and directs the crowd to be silent. "People of Valia," said he, "it is time that we ended this war. Through a coordinated effort, I believe, my brother and I can strike down the defenses that they have maintained for so many years. The holy Durandal now enters the conflict, with myself as its wielder. It shall spell our victory now as it did twenty years ago when my father used it to smite the demon that enslaved our people. To victory!" That was just like him, Sam thought. Gareth was always focused on business. This is what made him the better heir. Sam had no problem with being overshadowed, for he possessed no desire to take the throne. It was Sam's turn to speak. "My people," he said without half of his brother's grace, "I care not for the strategy we use, but I am sure that the tactics that my brother has in mind will bring us victory. I know not his reasons for fighting, but I care only for the welfare of those people I rule, be they prince or pauper. We have warred for to long, Valia, and I will see to it that our warring ends by any means necessary. With my axe... with Galland, I shall end this war!" announced Sam, raising his axe at the end. With the knighting ceremony complete, Sam knew he had but two options: he could return to that deplorable party or he might be able to escape. He decided to opt for the latter, though if this backfired on him, it could cause him more shame. Sam snuck back into the party room only for a hand to immediately grab his shoulder. He nearly jumped in surprise and quickly turned around. The culprit was thankfully not a lady, but rather it was Sam's cousin, Ardan Cress. "Hey cousin! Great party, right?!" exclaimed Ardan, in his usual ecstatic mood. 'Horrid as always. I'ld really like to escape this torment." "That's a shame, but this could work in both our favors." "Hmm?" "I wish to charm every lady in this room and you desire to avoid them. Shall we switch places?" "What are we waiting for?" replied Sam with a smirk. The swap was rather simple to perform. Sam and Ardan, though not identical, were similar enough in appearance that one could pass as the other except when dealing with immediate family members. The two were close in build, both being rather short, and sported the same beard. Their hair was different however, Ardan's being much straighter and more well-managed, but this was easily fixed by simply messing up the hair. Though far from perfect, their finished disguises were sure to fool the ladies, who were as easy to trick as they were to attract. "Well, you definitely aren't handsome enough to fill the part," mocked Ardan. "I'ld say it's an improvement, actually." Ignoring the remark, Ardan declared "It will get you out the door atleast." "Alright, I'll be off then. I'm in your debt." "Don't worry about that. I'm pretty sure that some lucky lady will be glad to pay that," Ardan said with a suggestive tone. Ardan may be the biggest womanizer in Valia, but the young prince could not have wished for a better- or more useful- cousin. Ardan was an asset at every party. If a particularly assertive lady threatened Sam's status as a bachelor, Ardan would always appear to "steal" her from him. As the son of General Garthos, he was also one of the most competent sparring partners available to the prince. Sam's disguise worked like a charm, and looking back, he could see that Ardan already had a beautiful blonde clinging to him. It suddenly occured to the prince that he might develop a reputation as a womanizer himself due to this. As Sam left through the door, he found that his master waited just outside. Gawayn instantly spotted his pupil, despite the disguise, and called him over. Sam feared punishment, but reluctantly obliged. "How did you know?" Sam asked Gawayn. "Do you really think I would not recognize my own student? Besides, it is not like Ardan to leave a party without a woman on each arm!" "I am such a fool," replied Sam as he shamefully brought his palm to his face- a "facepalm" as most called it. "I suppose you intend to send me back into that Hell." "Why would I do that? I'ld much rather have one last duel with my pupil. This also gives me an opportunity to test the strength of your Galland." "Do you honestly think I could sneak out with Galland?" It is still under guard in there." "Are you sure this isn't it?" Gawayn asked as he tossed the weapon hidden behind his back to Sam. "How did you get that?" "I snuck it away from your soldiers. I jest. Actually, I just asked for it. Being their superior officer has its advantages, does it not?" "You never cease to amaze!" Sam exclaimed jokingly. --------------------------------------------------------------- Their training grounds were situationed on Gawayn's property. As such, it was no surprise that Travan, Gawayn's son and Sam's best friend, also participated in the sparring. His weapon of choice was the glaive. Due to its similarities to other pole weapons such as the halberd, Gawayn taught them both. The first duel would be between Travan and Sam. The former made the first move, feigning a high attack with the armed end of the glaive while instead attempting to trip his foe with the opposite end of the pole. This would be a brilliant assault, were it not for the fact that it had previously been overused in their fights. Sam countered the attack by ducking down and blocking the pole with the blade of his halberd and retaliating with a strong upwards thrust of his weapon's unarmed end, which struck Travan in the chin, ending the match. "Ouch! Did you have to be so forceful with that attack!?" "Would you have preffered me to have used the other end?" remarked Sam. "A brilliant counter!" praised Gawayn. "That duel was expertly fought." "That was nothing more than a warm-up," said Sam. "What does that make our record now, friend, seventy to fifty-three, my favor." "You're jeering pains me more than your weapon did," replied Travan." "Not my fault that you don't take these brawls seriously." "Oh?" replied Travan who quickly dealt Sam a punch to the face. "Is that serious enough?" The fist only managed to land a grazing blow, which was likely intentional on Travan's part. The two often competeted with and mocked each other, but the mood was always a joking one. In truth, Travan Aeander proved himself to be reliable time and time again. He often helped the young Lionheart to escape the castle for a duel. "Ready to challenge the master?" asked Gawayn. "Aye, but the real question is: are you prepared to face my axe?" the prince replied with a grin. "You strike first then." This was not what Sam hoped for. The first offender can often be brought into a point of vunerability when against a skilled opponent. The previous match against Travan was a good example of that. If the Lionheart wanted to win this fight, he would have to make his first strike unpunishable. Sam charged towards Gawayn and unleashed a quick and basic horizontal swing. The attack was effortlessly blocked, but it allowed him to parry the retaliatory blow with equal ease. He let loose an upwards swing, followed by a fast downwards slash, but both attacks were repelled just as easily as his first. In fact, every attack thrown at Gawayn was blocked as though Sam were a novice. The general was simply to defensively competent to falter to his student's current strategy. Sam pondered any advantages he could have over Gawayn. The middle-aged man had at least twenty more years of experience than he did. Surely the young knight did not possess superior speed, otherwise Gawayn's defense would not be so difficult to overcome. Sam's younger age could provide him with more stamina. If he could force Gawayn to go on the offensive, perhaps the master axeman would wear himself out. Sam feigned an opening which Gawayn quickly attempted to exploit. From this point, the combatants exchanged roles. Gawayn would attack and Sam would defend. The teacher soon figured out his student's plan, however, and decided to make this battle a contest of strength. He performed a downwards swing, which Sam blocked. They were now in the exact situation that their last battle ended with. Sam cursed his lack of foresight. He would not be able to escape the challenge this time. If he were to attempt the trick that brought him victory last time, his opponent would thwart him immediately. His only choice was to exceed his foe's strength or endurance. He put his full might into his weapon. Suddenly, Gawayn's axe shattered. Whether by superior strength, a superior weapon, or sheer luck, Sam won! Though it was Gawayn's axe that broke, Sam was the one who was more shocked by the outcome. It was not rare for strong warriors to leave sizeable chips and cracks in each other's weapons, but for a steel axe to be split into no less than five shards... that was almost completely unheard of! After a few moments, Gawayn broke the silence. "Well, it seems as though I've lost. That is an amazing weapon you wield." "Does a victory by weapon destruction even count?" "Aye. You proved your own worth by keeping up with a general in armed combat. Galland must have desired to match its master." Sam looked down at his weapon. It was completely unscathed- not so much as a scratch to prove that it had ever been used. Its blade brightly shone in the moonlight. This weapon's crafter must have put his very soul into its construction. "Does this mean that I have mastered the Gawayn style?" "Aye, that it does." --------------------------------------------------------------- Sir Samson Lionheart and his army began their march on noon the next day- several hours after Gareth's troops moved out. Upon reaching the gates of Valland, they found that Travan and Ardan awaited them, each bearing armaments befitting of a captain. "You are dressed reather oddly for just seeing me off," said Sam. "We'll be joining your troop," replied Travan. "Do you really think I'ld allow you to have all the glory?" "You decision doesn't surprise me much, but what of Ardan. Wouldn't he prefer to be charming every lady in fair Valia?" "Already done," replied Ardan with a smirk. "I figure that there may be many a lovely woman in Volf as well." "Well, then... shall we be going or will those women be kept waiting?" "We're off!" exclaimed Ardan. The conversation had left Sam in a cheerful mood. The prince truly expected this to be fun. Thoughts of freedom and adventure filled his mind. He couldn't be more eager to march on if he tried.

Not takes out... makes optional. It has an optional random option.

One of the very few things that I actually don't like about the Fire Emblem series is the random growths that can easily make or break many characters based on a factor the player has no control over (outside of RNG abuse). The random growths are made even more inconvenient now that Wifi has been introduced with Shadow Dragon, as, to be fit for competition, one must RNG abuse their units excessively. Anyway, while thinking about how the series might be able to become even greater, I came up with this system of stat gains that gives the player much more freedom while still having the restrictions of something similar to growth rates. I'm going to use Oguma as my example character in this, as he has well-rounded growths. Anyway, upon each level up, a character could receive 10 attribute points that can be spent on any stat. Sounds simple, right. Well there's a bit more to it than that. 1 attribute point would not = 1 stat level up. Actually, stat ups would be based on a variable similar to growth rates. Ogma's growths are 90% Hp, 40% Str, 0% Magic, 40% Skill, 30% Spd, 40% Lck, and 20% Def. Now if a player were to make strength his first priority, he/she would spend attribute points on strength. The formula for this cost would be 10 - 1/10x, with x being the growth rate. This would cost Ogma 6 attribute points for a level up in strength, leaving him with 4 attribute points for that level up. Given Ogma's growths, this could only be spent on up to four level ups in HP or saved up until more attribute points have been accumulated. A 20/20 Ogma would have 360 Attribute Points (Ogma can level up 36 times, as he starts at level 4), assuming he waited until level 20 to promote (and this is also assuming that the promotion bonuses are exactly the same as in current FEs, though the promotion could easily be made to just give attribute points as well). An example of an Ogma under this system would be: Ogma Class- Hero Level- 20 Hp- 22 (base) + 6 (promotion) + 32 (costs 32 attribute points) = 60 Capped Str- 6 (base) + 2 (promotion) + 17 (costs 102 attribute points) = 25 Capped Mag- 0 (base) + 1 (promotion) Skl- 11 (base) + 2 (promotion) Spd- 12 (base) + 2 (promotion) + 12 (costs 84 attribute points) = 26 Capped Lck- 3 (base) + 0 (promotion) Def- 6 (base) + 2 (promotion) + 17 (costs 136 attribute points) = 25 Capped Res- 0 (base) + 3 (promotion) This would allow Ogma to max the four most important stats in the game, but neglect other stats. 360 - (32+102+84+136) = 354 points. Obviously, this only leaves 6 points left, which the player might want to spend on a rank in luck or skill, equalling 360 points exactly. On top of the direct stat up features, the system could also sport more options, such as Auto-Assign, which would randomly auto-assign the attribute points when enabled, making the system play out very similarly to what is already in Fire Emblem games, Random Assign, a one-time use random level up, and Unassign, which should be pretty self-explanatory. All of these features except for Unassign would be available during the chapter, Unassign only being available before missions and during Battle Preparations for balance purposes. Other advantages of this system, other than reliability, would be the absolute versatility of it. One chapter, for example, the above Ogma could have high magic instead of high strength and be a Levin Sword user. The next chapter, he could be a tank with strength that is purposely made too low to kill things in order to help in the leveling of other characters. This system would allow for a great level of customization and depth, eliminate the mandatoryness of random growths, while still allowing random growths to be an option. It does all this while still allowing character's to maintain their unique differences in stats by turning their growth rates into attribute costs. With the introduction of Wifi in Shadow Dragon, it would be great if future Fire Emblem wifi could be made truly competitive by eliminating the need for RNG abuse just for the sake of obtaining the "perfect units."

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Now, whether their opinion is right is debateable.

I voted for Tauro. I never have any use for Gatrie at all after he leaves the party, except in the boat level where I just have him stand at the capture space the entire time. Gatrie uses up experience that could be used on someone who is more useful than him, which is most of the early cast. Ike, Soren, Boyd, Oscar, Kieran, Nephenee, Astrid, Zihark, and maybe Jill.... there is no experience for Gatrie at all. I usually put Tauroneo in my party once you get him just incase I need a spare tank, but I rarely have a need for him anyway. All of the generals are pretty much obsolete after the first half (and their job can usually be done by a Palidan just as well.... or better.)