AR becomes easier with time. There are simply a few rules to learn that need to be practiced; most importantly how the AI functions and how to built team comps. I've been hitting T26/27 pretty consistently every week with MRobin (Light) as a tank, and MMorgan (Light) and Lissa (Astra) as Vantage units. But then again, you've never seemed like a competitive person to me, no offense. And high ranks can come with sacrifices such as skipping favourites and summoning for meta units. Just have fun
You are 100% correct I am really not a competitive person but the downside is that the only way to get gated materials like grails is to aim high in the competitive arenas. Personally, I would really like to be able to +10 some of my favorite limited free units (Fallen!Takumi, Young!Azura, Panne, etc.) but it’s hard when the only way to get grails is through Forging Bonds (max 40, not even enough for a single copy of a character you’ve never summoned before) or Aether Raids.
The thing is, I don’t know how the AI functions and I suck at team comps. I have a +10 F!Robin as my Aether main out to handle the ridiculous number of blue and colorless units, but I’m not that savvy with the mechanics and my predictive abilities are therefore pretty shitty, especially when you combine that with the prevalence of flying Beast Units (Tibarn with Reyson and/or Leanne), Legendary!Azura (boosts movement for any infantry/flier), and Legendary!Lucina (can give herself an extra move with Future Vision). I get slaughtered in Aether Raids on a consistent basis, and it’s frustrating because I get no joy from this mode that I’m forced to play for otherwise inaccessible materials. There is nothing fun about this for me. The best I can even hope to do at this point is maintain 20, and that’s a chore at best.
I know people that really enjoy Aether Raids and even count it as their favorite thing about the game (or even the only thing that keeps them playing). Me, I’ll play daily for the sole purpose of getting the participation prizes and then forget about it, because on the whole it pisses me off.
This is why, more than anything, I want cooperative modes in the game. Allegiance Battles are great start, and I would really love to see more things like them, things that make it a benefit to go out and find friends. It’s actually one of the major things I prefer about Dragalia Lost: there isn’t PVP, it’s all co-op, where people work together to take on challenges. It was such a breath of fresh air when I started playing it because even though I am by all accounts as sucky a Dragalia player as I am a Heroes player, I was finding really friendly people who were willing to help and take on hard quests with me. It’s not a constant beat-down the way I’ve increasingly felt Heroes is. But again, this is just me talking: I am not a competitive person, and the heavy emphasis placed on those modes is demoralizing for me.
It isn't a crack ship if works of said ship exist and they do exist now ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Anyway how about a little challenge? Number 22 in the Ylissean Grima universe with the current Robin and the original timeline Robin who's been seperated from Grima bc platonic love is valid and important (ﾉ≧∇≦)ﾉ ﾐ ┸━┸
You know a while ago I would have said that AO3 has no listing for them so I can’t say that it’s not a crack ship but
Now AO3 does have a listing for them because I’ve put these there I hope you’re happy the ship only has one work but it exists
Also 22 seems to be the one of the most popular prompts from this list I’m impressed
Listening to them while they vent.
Much to his surprise, having two Robins within Ylisstol Castle caused very little confusion among the Shepherds and their children from the future. To be fair, though, despite the occasional shock he got from seeing what looked like himself turning a distant corner, the differences were quite striking: he carried himself differently, moved with greater care, and though he smiled often there was a weary weight to them that could not be hidden. The fell dragon’s presence had lent an air of power to his vessel – but with Grima’s soul now back in one piece within the dragon atop the palace, the signs of age had been laid bare for all to see, leaving his shoulders sloped from bearing too great a burden for too many years, and tired lines around his eyes that spoke volumes of the strain he had so long endured.
Robin had no doubt that the man had lived a hard life, even before the fall of the world he and the children hailed from. And he could not help but wonder (guiltily) whether he recalled any of it, or if his memories were as much a void as Robin’s own. He hated the curiosity that sparked such a question, hated the mere thought of asking…
But for all that it made his stomach knot, he could not not help wanting to know.
But he kept that to himself as best he could. The other Robin had been through enough. No need to make it worse. Instead, he turned into the library, hoping that perhaps a book might distract his mind from the queasy guilt and the question humming through his brain–
“Oh. Hello.”
Robin stopped, staring at his doppelganger’s worn smile. Only as the door creaked closed behind him did he think to return the gesture, feeling shy and more than a little awkward as he picked his way over to the shelves the man was browsing. “I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he murmured.
“Not at all,” the other Robin assured him. “I was just looking for something new to read. It’s…rather odd, to be honest – several of these series were complete in my time, and some were several books further along. I’ll need to wait still longer to find out how they end…”
“Do you have any recommendations?” Robin ventured.
The man made a thoughtful sound, scanning the spines arranged before them…and finally pulled a thick text down, offering it to his younger self. “Have you tried this one, yet? I can’t recall when I first saw it, but I remember giving it to Sumia because it seemed like something she would like, and two days later having her give it back insisting I read it, too. It’s quite good – the romance builds quite nicely over the first half of the book, and the tension manages to carry on through the next two…though you’ll apparently need to wait on those, since I don’t think they’ve been written yet.”
Robin grinned, taking the book and running his fingers over the cover. “Hidden but Not Lost,” he murmured. Glancing at the man beside him, he drew in a breath…and stopped, biting his lower lip and tucking the tome against his chest instead. He didn’t mean anything by it, he couldn’t–
“Is something on your mind?”
He flinched, lifting a hand to rub the back of his neck. “I-I was…I’ve been wondering. About something.” Glancing up, he saw the man watching him with quiet, earnest attention…and steeled his nerve as best he could. “Do you remember your life? Before Chrom?”
The other Robin blinked, his head canting slightly to one side. “…why do you ask?”
“…I can’t remember it,” he mumbled. “Any of it. It’s…it’s all a blank. Everything from before I woke up outside of Southtown is just…gone. And…and some things that shouldn’t have been there – like Chrom’s death – were with me for so long, instead, but…I don’t know where I came from. I don’t know who I was before. Is the person I am now different than who I should have been? I feel like…like something’s missing, like it’s been missing, and…and I don’t know how to get it back.”
“You don’t want it.”
The words startled Robin enough that he nearly dropped his book. His older self set his own texts on the shelf beside him, running the tips of his fingers lightly over the mark hidden beneath his vambrace. “Sometimes there are things we think we want, or tell ourselves we need, to be fulfilled and feel complete. But…so often we’re wrong about what that is.”
He frowned, watching the slight tremor in the other Robin’s fingers. “I’ve envied you, you know. You had no memories when you met Chrom, aside from the ones you were given, and those were mostly buried. You had all of the tactical prowess, all the latent understanding, and none of the hesitation. You didn’t guard yourself against the Shepherds. You didn’t think twice about becoming their tactician, their ally, comrade, confidante, friend. It took me…it took me so long to let down my own guard to them, and watching you, I…I think you’re the better of us.”
The man’s voice shuddered, and Robin realized with a shock that he was crying. And before he quite knew what he was doing, he moved to embrace his other self, wrapping his arms tight around his doppelganger’s shaking shoulders and feeling the man cling tight to the back of his coat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to stir up bad memories, I’m sorry…”
The older man shook his head against Robin’s shoulder. “It’s nothing to apologize for,” he breathed. “It’s natural to be curious. But you don’t need them. You’re not missing anything – you’ve always been whole.”
He smiled softly, hugging the man just a bit tighter. “I’d still like to hear about what things were like before, sometime,” he murmured. “Even if I don’t need them, there are things that I want to remember – or at least know. …I want to know about my mother. Our mother.”
“She was wonderful,” the other Robin laughed, pulling back slightly and wiping at his eyes. “She was gentle, and kind, but wouldn’t hesitate to pick a fight with a Feroxi thrice her size if she had to – and usually she’d win, too.”
“No!” he gaped. “How!?”
“She was not one to be underestimated,” the man grinned, gathering his books and gesturing toward the comfortable chairs set off to one side. “And she was a small woman in Ferox. They consistently underestimated her.” Settling into one of the seats, Robin leaned eagerly forward as his other self made himself comfortable in the chair across from him – and though the stories did not bring anything rushing back, there was something familiar about them nonetheless, calming the burning desire and leaving him feeling well and truly satisfied.
Hey it's ok <3 The prompts won't run away and we won't either, so don't feel obligated to do them as fast as possible. Take the time you need, and more importantly take care of yourself. Remember that you're an amazing person and that we don't mind waiting a few days for the great content you always provide us with (づ￣ ³￣)づ
you are too sweet okay I promise I’ll try ;v; ~ <3 I really love putting things out there, whether it’s writing or headcanons, and I take a lot of pride in what I make; unfortunately I also tend to struggle with a lot of anxiety and it can be really easy to shake my confidence (directly proportional to how happy I am with it, ironically). It really means a lot that you enjoy the content, though, and I hope it’s worth the wait!
I see and support your crack ship good friend. May you enlighten me with possibly existing headcanons if you please it so? >:3c
friend you’re gonna kill me
okay so with the understanding that this is my crackship and you have asked for this
Grima and Emmeryn have a very quiet, somewhat strange relationship. They don’t seem to speak much, but they don’t need to. They communicate instead with touch and gesture: the brush of a hand, the quirk of a brow, a smile that even a raised hand can’t conceal. There’s infinite intimacy in the way Grima tucks her hair back behind her ear, or the way Emmeryn laces their fingers together while they sit side by side, and it’s in that silence that their affection shines through most clearly.
They enjoy getting lost together, to put it simply. Both of them have burdens to shoulder, personal and otherwise, so sometimes the two will wander off (either at Grima’s invitation or Emmeryn’s own request) out into the wilds. Grima has no fear of anything, for sound reason, so they’re in no danger as they stroll through the woods, around lakes, across streams. Often enough they’ll remain out until very late, watching the sun set and the moon rise and watching the stars swirl overhead, finding their peace in one another as much as the beauty around them.
Grima likes giving Emmeryn presents. A lot. Often they’re simple, pretty things: ornaments, trinkets, things to brighten the spaces around her…but sometimes they’re things like dresses or gowns, made with fine materials (fine linen or silk) with sparse, delicate embroidery as the only ornamentation. The feel and weight are most important in Grima’s selection process, and Emmeryn finds them more comfortable than most anything else she has in her wardrobe.
Emmeryn, for her part, reciprocates mostly with small, delicate things like flowers and perfumes. Grima has a powerful fondness for floral scents in general, so a vial of lilac perfume or a bottle of rose water are things Grima gets bright-eyed over. Emmeryn will also make flower crowns for the fell dragon, and sometimes will tuck single blooms behind Grima’s ears or weave them into Grima’s hair.
Grima is so much taller than Emmeryn. Chrom is taller than his sister by a fair margin, but Grima’s taller than Chrom, so there’s at least a head of height difference between Emmeryn and the fell dragon. This means that to hug Grima, Emmeryn needs to stretch up on tiptoe (and even then Grima usually needs to either bend down a little or just pick her up).
I'm here to provide you with your daily dosis of headcanon/AU asks _へ__(‾◡◝ )> Could there be a universe where things went differently and giant six eyed scary-but-not-so-scary dragon sits on the Ylissean castle's roof watching over the exalt and his royal consort? (〃･ω･)ノ
friend i appreciate these au asks so much they delight me to no end
Honestly, there’s a part of me that wishes that the game had gone this way instead of how it ended up. Because as much as I love Awakening, and as much as beautiful as I do find its finale, there’s something distressing about how no one ever decides to reach out to Grima and try to understand them. They judge the dragon to be evil, the same way everyone else has, and decide that death is the only recourse. It would have been lovely if, instead, Chrom or Robin or both had decided that Grima was not a lost cause, for all that Naga might have insisted that the dragon is evil, and insisted on reaching out to them. If, when Grima pulled Robin away, Robin refused to join Grima, instead trying to convince the fell dragon to join them. If they had just given Grima the benefit of the doubt and tried to talk with them and understand, promising that the fell dragon could just come with them when their friends called, and they would listen.
I don’t think anyone’s ever offered to listen to Grima before. It’s always been demands made, prayers offered, insults lobbed. The fell dragon would scoff and even mock the notion – but Robin would persist. They would explain that they were not judged just by their appearance when Chrom found them outside of Southtown, so Robin will see to it that Grima receives the same treatment. They need only come. And some part of the fell dragon would want to believe that’s true. So while they would seem disbelieving, even derisive, they would agree, and come with Robin – and true to their word, Robin would tell the Shepherds to stay their weapons, because Grima wants to speak.
They would be concerned, of course. But when Robin nods, Chrom would sheathe his blade – and the rest would follow suit (though some, like Frederick, would keep their weapons in reach, just in case). And Grima would, indeed speak – but the words they choose, in spite of their best efforts, would betray the pain they’ve suffered, and instead of attacking, Chrom would reach out to Grima, and promise that things can be different. Grima only needs to stop this – end the destruction, and join them. And this would be so confusing to the fell dragon, who has never been treated this way: even Validar only wanted them for their power, taking the role of Plegia’s king because he had “divine backing” and intending to strengthen Grima only to increase the might at his own disposal. But Chrom would reach out to the fell dragon…and Grima would accept, imagining that this will not last, and intending to resume their destructive purpose when it all falls apart.
…but it wouldn’t. Chrom would be good to his word, because let’s face it: it’s Chrom. Robin would be there to help, no less, and the rest of the Shepherds would follow their lead with more or less enthusiasm. They would bring Grima back with them, and see about making a place for the dragon to call home there (the people of Ylisse would be horrified at first, but Chrom would insist that they’re making peace with Grima and all of Plegia besides, and it would be hard to argue with him when he has a giant six-eyed dragon hanging out above the castle). It would be very strange at first, but everyone would get used to it in time, and even Grima would start to settle in, watching the city and the people, listening to the music and the merchants, taking in everything and being asked little more than whether they need anything. Robin and Chrom would talk to them often, sometimes through the vessel, sometimes to the dragon proper. And Grima would start to wonder if this is what it’s like to have friends (which, the presence at the back of their mind would reply, this is exactly what it’s like).
Eventually, Grima would ask if there might be some way to separate from their vessel. Henry and Miriel would set to work immediately, delving into magics and rituals from both sides of the border, until they find something that seems likely – and when it works, Lucina would get one of her parents back, and the rest of the children would recover a part of their family they’d thought lost forever. Grima would themselves apologize for what became of their world, and the children too would express some of their own guilt for the fact that they thought only to slay the dragon, rather than reach out to them (though Grima wouldn’t exactly be able to blame them for that, considering the circumstances). But from there on, Grima would take it upon themselves to protect these humans who treat them so well, keeping a fond eye on the royal family of the present and the children of the future both.
It would be a better ending – a kinder ending – for everyone, since it would at least offer Grima a chance to redeem themselves, rather than deciding that they are a lost cause without ever trying to reach out to them.
What if the Alm and Celica who adopted little Grima were summoned to Askr? ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ
Now it’s this ‘little Grima’ as in 'giant apocalypse dragon who’s still mentally six’ or ’baby got a dragonstone and demands cuddles’? Because the answer has hilarious caveats depending.
In the case of the former, both would immediately relax when they first see the castle because they would think that Grima just got here before them somehow, and before anyone can manage to correct them they would hurry off to the roof to greet what they would expect is their baby and its in fact an extremely confused adult who mostly remembers them beating him up and then awkwardly apologizing several thousand years later. Once they realize they would be so apologetic because they mistook him for someone else which would be ridiculous since Grima is hard to mistake, and that would lead to the whole explanation that they hail from a world where they took Grima in.
In the case of the latter there would be immediate panic on arrival because oh gods they lost the baby, which would transition to relief (and confusion) when they see the dragon on top of the castle, who would clearly see them coming and choose to ignore them. They would still go up to ask why Grima isn’t using his dragonstone and why he didn’t come down to meet them, since they would be honestly worried they upset the baby and that’s why he’s snubbing them, at which point they would find out that this is not their baby at all and awkward explanations would again ensue.
Regardless of the case, though, Alm and Celica would visit the dragon atop the castle more frequently than any other Hero beyond the Summoner or the dragon babies, to the point that Grima would start getting used to the company and even expecting them. They would know that this is not their Grima: he’s older, more worn, more scarred…but that wouldn’t stop them from reaching out to him in friendship – and given how far he’s come during his time in Askr, Grima would be receptive, rather than trying to scare them off. They’d be weirded out by the whole vessel situation, of course (especially when he sits down at dinner with them and picks up a conversation they’d left off earlier that afternoon despite not looking like Grima at all that would make their heads spin), but they’d be honestly sympathetic once they finally understand the whole history that landed Grima here like this – and it would be shocking and heartbreaking to know that this is what would have happened to their friend if they’d attacked on sight. They would know they can’t change what happened to him…but they would want to be there for him now. And Grima would find that he’s grateful for it.
What can be most difficult for me in ”Choose Your Own Adventure” is when I come to the broken bridge and don't know how to get over it. What happens most of the time is I fall down the edge face first. Those times call for a break with some cappuccino and cake to lessen the suffering haha metaphors feelsgoodman *sips 10th coffee of the day*
Oh, yes, there are definitely times when the solution to the problem seems so close but you just can't quite reach it and end up in the literary mud for your trouble. But sometimes those impossible crossings are telling you something important! Not every option in a Choose Your Own Adventure game leads to a distant heroic end: some of them, in fact, lead to an immediate grisly death (which then points you back to the last choice you made). Some of those broken bridges might not have a way across -- like in the Sibling AU, where removing Validar from the picture doesn't lead to Grima and Emmeryn meeting, it leads to Grima abandoning any claim to the throne and taking Wren and Robin into hiding. The uncrossable gaps tell you just as much as the ones you can find a way over: that this avenue can't work for this story with this intended goal, so go back and try something else.
I seriously hope it's afternoon where you are though because 10 cups of coffee before 12 just sounds like you're using a constant string of caffeine buffs to stave off death
