EPIC OF THE FALLEN

Indie, selective & private FE multimuse

[epopeyas]

Doubting if i will outright deleted or try to revamp this blog yet again. In case of the latter i will be removing mutuals (that i don't talk to either) i do not see myself interacting with at all

[epopeyas]

Update: I have softblocked mutuals. I would like to try and return to rping slowly but it'll take a bit. Thanks for your patience.

[epopeyas]

Doubting if i will outright deleted or try to revamp this blog yet again. In case of the latter i will be removing mutuals (that i don't talk to either) i do not see myself interacting with at all

[epopeyas]

Engage's prologue, a dream born from jealousy towards one's future self

Copy pasting a meta for Alear i wrote on my personal blog. I'd like to have it here too!

Because i started yet another replay of Engage and i constantly think of the prologue and how unironically it ties so well to the chapter we see their past self in the flesh, why not talk a bit?

On the prologue of Engage we get met by a scene of the royals opening the way for Alear and Marth that leads to the entrance where Sombron is at all by himself. The surroundings are filled with corrupted and soldiers alike but the area is all nice and clean despite the fighting happening. Now, it likely doesn't mean anything in the grand scheme of things but it does convey well that this is just a dream, because it is!

We actually see this exact same background, but destroyed, in the cutscene Alear dreams of their past self and even on the memory in which they defeated Sombron and also fell themselves.

Which it's the exact same context of what happens in those two scenes, Alear is there to defeat Sombron and put an end to this war and his actions. But why the cleaner appearance of the building, the royals and so many people being there and how they already look like their future self? Well, that's simple! Jealousy towards an stranger with their same face—past Alear says so themselves.

"I will admit…I am jealous of you. You have my face, but you say the things you feel…out loud. I am not allowed to show fear. If I say I am afraid, I will be labeled a defect. I follow orders. I don't think. I am like the Corrupted. They are awful." - Past Alear, chapter 24, battle dialogue (Alear vs past Alear).

Their whole life they had to put a front as to not be labeled a defect. They had to act like a lifeless puppet that follows their father's every order and only knows how to hurt others, they can't convey fear, sadness, anger or even the idea of joy! So seeing someone that looks exactly like them and who has all that they don't? They hate it, because that's what they want.

This is even said by themselves in past m!Alear's forging bonds in feh:

"Marth, have you ever hated someone and wanted to kill them?" "A moment ago, I found a Hero with the same face as mine. His hair and eyes had blue in them. He was surrounded by allies, and...he was smiling happily." "I can’t allow myself to show emotion. And yet, that Hero shows so much with a face just like mine..." (Marth: Do you hate him because he looked so happy?) "If I saw him when I first arrived here, I’m sure I would have destroyed him. But I stopped myself."

He can't do any of this, he doesn't have it either (until he mets Lumera), the little he has had of something warm has been seeing Veyle a single time and giving her their dragonstone. The rest of their siblings are gone, their father doesn't love them and they have no friends, it's a really lonely thing.

He only stops himself in feh to the idea of it because it would hurt Marth. They're kind they just never got someone to actually invite them to act as such, which is why Marth on chapter 3 saying "You were kind, as you are now." truly conveys how Marth, even as a figure who couldn't speak, saw them.

But that's enough side tracking even if it is important to the whole image!

"I guess Fell Dragons have to die in the end... But I wanted to be...a good dragon." - Alear, chapter 22, initial cutscene.

Past Alear is jealous of their (unknown to them) future self and they also had the wish to a dragon who did acts of kindness not harm. So the scene of the prologue is a way of conveying their last moments but with a lighter, kinder, end—taking the spot of the person they wanted to be, having the friends they had, having the things they didn't have.

Honestly, this is just my interpretation of this, but Alear's own behavior in this cutscene feels very stiff towards the royals and same for them towards Alear. The dialogue is very "we can win!" but they're all staying behind as Alear steps forward to do this alone, which is exactly what happened in the past because they were alone when they took Sombron down.

This is more obvious by the fact Alfred is using Lucina of all possible Emblems. Lucina was Firene's Emblem but that was a thousand years ago and then she got moved away so it's likely that Lucina was with him there by association of something that was a truth so long ago.

"You are the prince of Firene, yes? My ring was held by your nation 1,000 years ago." - Lucina, C bond convo with Alfred

The interaction with the royals feeling more distant and how they come off themselves really feels like their past self trying to build an image based on what they saw in a single battle. Friendship, but showcased by someone who never really experienced it. A hero but represented by someone who never got to play the role of one.

Marth acts overall like the friend that Alear can count on, the person that feels closer, but he ultimately is the Emblem that was at their side in every moment until the end.

That stranger also had Marth at their side, having him there was something natural to Alear, past and present. The Emblems' existence and their invocations were something that Alear knew as naturally as possible so his presence being more prominent in this makes the most sense too.

And besides, Alear does forget everything but it doesn't mean that it doesn't exist as a faint memory deep within them.

Veyle: The "old you" saw us in the past though. Do you think that's...going to cause any problems? Alear: It should be fine. I do forget everything... eventually. - Chapter 24, after battle scene

Yes they forget who they're or what's their past, but they for example don't forget how the corrupted terrifies them. Their first dream of their past self showcases with how much dislike they saw themselves with by being someone who smiled coldly surrounded by fire. That wish of being a good dragon could easily remain even if only as a dream before their awakening, which led to them turning into that very same hero.

Engage's story throws so many details that initially might fly over your head very early on in the story (Lumera summoning an Emblem via prayer or even the miracle) that the dream being a tie in to something that happens almost at the end of the story feels incredibly fitting, like a great closing to a circle.

At the end of the day, what felt like something they'd never achieve became their own life. Alear got to speak how they felt and to fight alongside their friends and the Emblems. They became the hero dressed in white, a very kind and loved dragon.

[epopeyas]

habits + HC for Alfred?

Word + Headcanon

Since habits encompasses many things, i want to go a little general with it rather than focusing on a single thing so let's begin!

First of all, sleeping. We know that not only he goes to sleep and wakes up early as listed in his ally notebook (in English it says rising early but in JP, using translator, it says going to sleep and waking up early) but also how it's seen in his supports with Diamant and Ivy but he also has a really good sleeping posture (as of the manga).

I honestly think he, partly, picked up the habit of being an early bird and far from a night owl due his own efforts in training as that's time he can use to put his body in shape but also because he can make a good use of the morning to spend it with others. Alfred prefers being surrounded by people and night time, where people tend to be asleep, doesn't invite to that whereas morning and afternoon do. Of course with how early he gets up at most he'll find someone who goes to sleep late over anything else, but that's time spent training before he actually spends it with other people (even if he also spends a chunk of it training, because anything can be training).

As for him having a good sleeping posture? Honestly i think that's something a little more natural of "it just happened" but there's also the fact he was more sickly as a kid and thus had more bad days than not so that also invited to resting and getting "into a comfortable position" so to speak.

Other habits is this one he speaks of in FEH "I usually get fresh flowers for my crown when they start to wilt." I honestly enjoy thinking that he probably first focuses on getting some training done (which i picture tends to be running) and then gets ready to prepare for the day once he's all nice and clean, which includes his flowercrown! He probably checks the flowers when he's done with his outfit overall and once he notices they start wilting he goes ahead and replaces them for new ones. It's a little thing but i find it cute how something like a flowercrown gets put so much care into it.

And lastly, eating, i'd like to do a proper meta on his food tastes and the like at some point but i want to point out that he generally likes and is neutral towards A LOT of the dishes which not only shows that he likes eating but also that he's probably more versatile on that end. Although we know he dislikes spicy, he's also not much of a bread, with nothing, and cheese person??? He'll eat his pizza tho.