A bit late for the asks, buuuut: if you could change Julia's role and storyline in FE4, what would you do?
Don't worry lol
it's not like i'm replying ten days later lol
Well,
First of all, remove the "surprise amnesia!!!" plot - Julia knows who she is, but she's not telling a thing to anyone because she has trust issues, after all, her brother suddenly tried to kill her! She is reserved and distant, but gradually comes to befriend the members of the Liberation Army but there's always the issue of her being Arvis' child, and the Liberation Army being the children of the traitors who tried to usurp her father's reign and take over Granvalle (at least that's the narrative everyone in Granvalle was fed!).
As for Seliph, she finds him kind and at one point even believes she could tell him the truth, how she is Arvis' child - but then she learns he is Deirdre's firstborn son, making him her older half-brother.
She's afraid he'll become like Julius and kill her - because he is her supposed brother, but also because he wants to kill her Father, after all, isn't Arthur killing everyone from House Freege to get revenge for his mother, even Ishtore who, well, was maybe a kid or something when Tailte was Hilda'd ? Wouldn't Seliph kill her, to get revenge on the man who killed his father?
I guess I'd like Julia to be the character who, by the, convolutions of the plot lol, takes a stance about the blood feud and the entire "genealogy" aspect of the War, mirroring in this way Sigurd - who refused to kill Shanan despite the war between Isaach and Granvalle - more than Seliph whose main motivation, as revealed in Chapter 10, is to kill Arvis to avenge his father.
Regarding Danan, Blume and co, Julia would be surprised : when she lived in isolation with F!Lewyn she didn't bother learning what was happening in the rest of the world (and F!Lewyn didn't give a fig about it, instead having her train her magic to, one day, be able to defeat Loptyr's host!) and if she persuaded Danan ran Isaach to the ground without her Father knowing anything about it, or maybe doing it under Julius' orders, she gradually realises that everything Arvis once told her, as a child, about their Empire bringing happiness to everyone, wasn't true, and if he didn't order child hunts or allowed things to degenerate as far as they do when the Liberation Army, well, Liberates lands, he planted those seeds with his conquest.
If no one recognises her, it's because Arvis and the imperial family's circle later lied about the imperial children, only Prince Julius existed and he had no sister. Julia believes it's a lie Arvis made up to protect her, knowing she was still alive somewhere, and if people knew her identity they would bring her to Julius or she would be killed by rebels.
A turning point would be in Thracia, after meeting Ishtar who recognises her, and especially Saias - who tells her Julius is possessed by Loptyr, and how she is the only one who can free him from possession. He then warns her about Manfroy being Julius' agent, rather, Loptyr's, and if he learns she's still alive he will kill her, then leaves to look for the Book of Naga, and give it to her, for protection and also to let her decide what she wants to do.
Manfroy warps and tries to pull his brainwashing cutscene, but in this rewrite, Julia expecting him (maybe getting her promotion to Light Sage or a special class thanks to the convo with Saias who obviously denies being anything else but Velthomer's court archbishop) fries him, but he rewarps away.
Also let's change his "big mistake!"- he isn't telling anything to Julius/Loptyr afraid he will be punished for having being unable to kill Julia so he believes she's not a danger as long as they keep the Book of Naga secured in Velthomer.
Miletos map changes - Julia hears about the "kill a rebel" game and knows after seeing the LA struggle to fight both Ishtar and Julius how they will all die if she doesn't take her Holy Weapon to purge the evil entity that took control of her brother, but the LA getting closer to Granvalle makes some members, sons and daughters who had their parents slaughtered during Arvis' welcome BBQ, swear revenge for their parents, by taking down the Emperor.
Seliph still has doubts about his role and being made a messianic figurehead, but knows he will avenge his father - when Julia asks him if he won't regret it, because if he kills the Emperor, then Prince Julius, much like Seliph himself, will want revenge for the death of his father. Seliph says it's a consequence he will accept.
Julia tries to go, on her own, to Chalphy castle where Arvis resides - we have the same reunion scene, Arvis apologising for being a shitty father and a pathetic man who has been played like a fiddle, but still wants the best for her so he gives her the circlet and tells her the Book of Naga is in Velthomer, and how he feels like trash to ask her to repair his mistakes. Julia replies with her canonical "kindest man she knows" and agrees to go to Velthomer to recover the Book of Naga, then with this weapon she will be "safe" enough to ask Seliph to halt his advance and they could all think of a way to cure Julius without killing him. And then they could resume being a family, like they were all those years ago, before Manfroy gave the evil tome to Julius.
Saias then rewarps and agrees to escort Julia to Velthomer, to recover the Book of Naga (with a small group of units from FE5, like Galzus, Sara'n'Salem, Faerghus, Lifis roped out of nowhere, etc etc). However by the time they finish the mission and return to Chalphy, Seliph already killed Arvis, to Julia's chagrin, who leaves the LA reminding Seliph of his own words, he accepted to face consequences for killing Arvis, and she will not help the man who killed her father.
Julia's reveal and outburst and the talk he has with his ghost!parents makes Seliph realise he must stop the cycle of hate and killing if he wants to become a better man than the Emperor he killed, and if he wants a better world.
He tries to make his opponents see some sense - he wants to put an end to the War and to stop Julius, who is now possessed by the Dark Lord, to kill everyone. He isn't fighting to get revenge for people anymore, he's fighting to try to save Granvalle. I guess we can add a mechanic with the number of children saved during the run and if he managed to talk to the Jungby cousins beforehand : if he did then Scipio rants and pests and groans but he heard about the missing children, and how they apparently were "hidden" in Chalphy so he accepts to pull back his troops to defend Jungby that turns in a green castle.
Burian of Dozel does the same - even without all the optional steps because I always hated how F!Lewyn shat on the Dozels and so this is my personal payback at him lol - and he and his knight squad become green units.
Hilda refuses, Seliph and his family killed her father (in law!), her husband and her son, she cannot, she will not let him live. Then she taunts him, for all of his talk about not wanting to perpetuate blood feuds, she knows the Freeges under his command want her death for what she did to Tailte, and in her dying breath asks Ishtar to avenge her.
Ishtar, well, is Ishtar so she doesn't switch sides, confesses sharing her mother's thoughts and being unable to take the side of the man who will kill Julius, but hopes with her death Freege will finally be free from the cycle of vengeance.
Meanwhile Julia and the Saias squad track and find Manfroy who reveals there's no cure for Julius since the Dark Lord descended in him.
Julia finds her resolve, saying albeit she will never be able to forgive Seliph, she will fight for a better world just like her father before her (or at least what he told her as a child). When Saias asks if she's ready to kill her brother, she replies she will kill the being that already took her brother and threatens their world.
Saias then calls her a "true crusader and heir to the Fire Emblem" (the velthomer crest of justice! She's not a falchion with legs!) and Julia reunites with Seliph's party to one-shot Loptyr. She apologises for her words in Chalphy, not because they were wrong, but because she realises she cannot and will not let people suffer because of her own weakness and sadness at having lost her father, it's not how her parents raised her.
In the epilogue, Seliph will thank Julia for making him realise he needed to change to make sure he wouldn't fall in the same traps as Arvis or his forefathers, and while he knows she will never forgive him, still is proud to have his brave sister by his side.
Then he exiles Burian (and Scipio if alive) from Granvalle after the accept to shoulder the blame for their duchy's participation in the War - Burian leaves his Holy Weapon to his brother and disappears to Isaach to make amends or help with the reconstruction (Scipio will end up in Fiana meeting a so-called Eyvel).
Seliph is remembered as the King of Light (or whatever his title is) while Julias is remembered as the one who brought an end to blood feuds and peace to Jugdral.
How to translate this in gameplay though.... gods I don't know lol
Hey! For the character ask game: 2 and 3 for FE4's Julia and 20 for Rhea?
Julia first!
Favorite canon thing about this character?
That's a hard question lol, because canon!Julia is... well, Kaga put it in words better than anything I could, but to him, she was designed as a Falchion with legs... Make of that what you want :/
Favourite thing would be... the line she has with not!Julius, asking Loptry why the fuck is he ruining her life - sure it's not much, but through this line, we see some anger and backbone for a character who was fridged by the plot, and cannot even have a line about her Father's death when she earlier called him the "kindest man" she ever knew.
Sure, it can feel like "sad uwus" for Oldvis, but in a game where family feuds are at the forefront of the plot, Julia lashing out at Loptyr for ruining her life should, at least, have had a line about her dad's demise.
So yeah, favorite thing from canon is "wow Julia can be angry and emote!".
I know, it's not much, but I'm willing to take everything at this point lol
Least favorite canon thing about this character?
Everything!
More seriously, from the amnesia convenient subplot (which is completely stupid because, much like Deedee, Julia isn't killed before Chapter 10, when her unit dies she's "caught" by the big boss of the map and returns to you at the end of the chapter iirc, so if, say, Blume, Danan or even Travant "caught" her, that plot would have been lifted because you can't make me believe those three never knew who she was, especially since she's, looks wise, a carbon copy of Deedee and shares the same name as the imperial princess who went 'missing') to the lack of lines regarding her dad's death - sure it's played as some "she knows what's most important in this current situation, it's to rekt Loptry" but the epilogue??? Nothing???
Seliph even hammering that only Azelle's children have a bond and duty to Velthomer???
Granted, the most egregious thing in canon would be the fact that she can be killed - and the game can still be beaten bcs fuck the narration and the "only the book of naga can defeat loptyr" I guess, Seliph must be able to save the world single handedly, even if it runs contrary to his characterisation that basically amounts to "I feel like fraud".
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For Rhea !
Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn’t matter?
I would say... Surprisingly or not, Manuela!
Not only because Manu is a Nabatean friend (which makes her Supreme Bullshit exclusivity in Nopes completely weird) but because I think Manu's deeply anchored in that "mundane life" Rhea aspires to, but avoids due to her function, let it be eating or just chatting with friends, etc etc.
In a verse where the cat is out of the bag and Manu knows Rhea's ears are pointy, I feel like they could still be able to talk about random things, from children in the monastery to fashion, food and maybe songs - Manuela singing what is basically Sothis' lullaby meant for Rhea is just something Rhea would feel especially emotional about, because it's still sharing a song from her mother, from Nabatea, to a human who in turn, can share it around and make that memory live on!
Manu wouldn't be a "best friend" as in a friend with whom Rhea would have a lot in common, but a "best friend" in the way that, thanks to Manu, Rhea will finally be able to "live" in the Fodlan she's protecting even if it means going out for a drink or sharing soup recipes, and I believe she would value a relationship like that.
Julia is supposed to be the ultimate Mc Guffin, the Falchion meant to bring and end to Loptyr but
She is as relevant as a bag of wet flour. Hell, FE4 can even be finished without her, thanks to the power of sucky gameplay (for real though the fact you don't get a gameover if she dies is one of the game weakest's point when it had stellar gameplay and story segregation).
If you want to laugh, just check this and scroll to the part where she is introduced - of course I commented it but
Maybe this was acceptable in the 1990s, but not today, if Jugdral Echoes has to be released soon.
i actually more or less screencaped my fe4 run from some years ago so if anyone's interested and doesn't gaf about spoilers and dgaf about my stupid comments, then here you go.
To that anon who sent that Julia characterisation ask in FEH - sorry i deleted your post :’(
Fallen!Julia doesn’t really brings anything to the table, but with other 2? Oh naga.
hey i can re-use the screenshots
Regular!Julia first
My brother Julius, once very kind, turned into a twisted devil...
Then by that devil's hands, my mother...and my father... Oh, it's beyond anything!
Friendly reminder that “that devil” might have killed your mom and turned your dad in puppet ruler, but the one who killed Arvis wasn’t Julius-Loptyr :
Julia resents Loptyr for what happened to Deedee and to Julius, but not for what happened to Arvis because, hey, Julius isn’t the brother who killed Arvis :)
My brother Julius and I both inherited a special power through our lineage.
I...gained the ability to use the Book of Naga.
My brother...could take hold of a book of terrible darkness, and it turned him into a devil of a man.
Both of our fates were made merely because of lineage.
And this is what I’m most miffed with.
Here, it’s as if Julia is saying that whatever happened Julius would have been possessed by Loptyr and she would have had to kill him. But that’s forgetting her first lines, where Julius was a regular good boy before being Loptyfied. Does having Major Loptyr blood fates you to become a “devil of a man”? FE4... somehow asserts this. OTOH, it is made very clear in FE4 that Manfroy is the trigger who Loptyfied Julius. Without Manfroy and his evil book of doom, Julius would have remained Julia’s kind bro.
Putting Manfroy’s machinations, desperation and 30 years of dedicated work under the “it was fate!” rug feels wrong. Humans do the shitty stuff in Jugdral, there’s no “sorry, Fate said so!” joke card.
Also, the bolded part is odd, what fate is Julia talking about? Taking her HW or fighting against her brother? Because for the second part, since FE4 was Seliph’s fest, it is actually possible to end Julius with Seliph without using Julia or the Book of Naga, hell developer’s oversight or not, she can even die in the final map!
FE4 Julia thinks her fate is to fight, and she won’t run away. From her earlier lines during this chapter, she knows Loptyr isn’t her brother anymore, Julius died when Manfroy gave him the book. So, in this chapter at least, there’s no angst with “why must i fight my bro :’(” but determination to get rid of Loptyr.
What if I could succumb to what took hold of my brother—become your worst enemy against my will?
You succumbed to Manfroy who plot-warped to plot-kidnap you when you had the stats to blow him away, and your dad plot-forgot to burn him to a crisp to save you and only gave you a circlet for your protection
Loptyr can’t take hold of you, you’re not the compatible vessel! But apparently, Manfroy can, with the power of a berserk staff or whatever odd magic he used.
L!Julia, the Crusader of Light - wait isn’t she sharing her bro’s epithet??
Ah, I was just admiring the flowers... When we were young, my brother and I would play in the flower beds...
I’m pretty sure this line was added in a mirror to Julius’s line about crushing flowers
In the past, I've resented the crusader blood flowing through my veins... Yet, it gives me the strength to fight fate.
Okay where does this come from because it isn’t in FE4 nor in FE5. Seriously?
Julia lashed out not at her “crusader blood” flowing in her veins, but at Loptyr itself.
Also the “Crusader blood flowing through her veins” is her parent’s blood? It’s a part of their identity (Arvis takes great pride in being Vala’s descendant and Deedee becomes the plot coupon of the game/Princess of Granvalle and her children save the world thanks to her Naga blood).
Now I understand. In order to face the great malice that threatens the world, this strength is necessary.
Hm, this sounds like Lissa in Edel’s FB - with this power (Naga) Julia wants to protect the world. I mean, why not? If only her base game gave her that role afterwards instead of turning her into a potted plant in the epilogue...
So yes, I think Julia’s characterisation falls on the “meh” spectrum in FEH, but I can understand, they only had 15 lines to work with in FE4 since Julia’s such a non-entity and no one gives a crap about her.
Still, the “i hated my crusader blood” and “it was fate i had to fight julius” feels especially wrong, given how Julia made it clear and is the ONLY ONE in the game to call Loptyr out - Julius is dead, the person she’s talking to is not Julius. Maybe I want to cling to a smallest thread of hope in Jugdral (lel) where if Manfroy died chocking in a pretzel, Julius would never have become possessed and lived his life happily as an imperial brat without Loptyr shenanigans.
Julia is the one to debunk the “Julius was fated to become a host of Loptyr” myth, she is the one to explain how the possession happened :
Manfroy gave the book to Julius, Loptyr took control of his host. FE5 tries to bring more nuances like gradual possession or something like that, but as I understand it, FE8′s Lyon’s situation is call-back, even if Lyon was still in the meatsuit, the Demon King was here and was going to become the only driving force in the meatsuit with time.
Still, the Loptyr possession was the endgoal of Manfroy’s many machinations in the First Gen and the karmic retribution awaiting Arvis after his own machinations in the 1st gen.
So blaming it as “Fate ! He had major Loptyr, it was bound to happen :)” feels really wrong.
now i’m not saying L!Julia lines were influenced by 3H, but she was released in late august 2019 so maybe... someone tried to connect two dotes on different astral planes?
Julia using a tome with fire/light magic makes me really happy though - Maybe her dad taught her how to use a fire tome when she was 3, idk.
Still, she doesn’t mention him, but her bros (not saias though, he doesn’t exist)
The Book of Naga was once wielded by Saint Heim, but instead of my brother Julius, or Lord Seliph...
...I was the one who inherited it. But...why? Why me?
Blame genetics Julia, I’m sure Julius didn’t want to inherit Manfroy’s best present, but he did :’(
Blooper though :
For as long as I have known them, Lord Seliph and Lord Leif have been inseparable.
Julia meets Seliph in chapter 6, she meets Leif in chapter 7...
Maybe she didn’t know Seliph when F!Lewyn dumped her in his group or something...
I was tagged by amy-elliott-dunne: Once you’ve been tagged you are supposed to write a note with 92 Truths about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person that tagged you.
►What was your:
-Last drink: Water
-Last phone call: My boyfriend
-Last text by message: Asking my mom to get me a drink on her way home
►Have you ever:
-Dated someone twice: no
-Been cheated on: no
-Kissed someone and regretted it: no
-Lost someone special: yes
-Been depressed: yes
-Been drunk and thrown up: no
►List three favourite colours: grey, dark blue, mint green
►In the last year have you:
-Made a new friend: yes
-Fallen out of love: no
-Laughed until you cried: yes
-Met someone who changed you: no
- Found out someone was talking about you: hahahaha yes
-Kissed someone on your FB list: yes (my boyfriend so…)
►General:
-How many people of your FB friends do you know in real life: I’d say like 95%
-Do you own any pets: 2 dogs, Sirius and Luna (yes, they are Harry Potter references)
-What did you do for your last birthday: Went to dinner with my parents and my boyfriend
-What time did you wake up today: 10:00
-What were you doing last night at midnight: Playing the Sims… don’t judge
-Thing you CANNOT wait for: TOMORROW I MOVE INTO MY DORM
-Last time you saw your mom: Last night
-What’s one thing you wish you could change about your life: Finances
-What are you listening to right now: Nothing
-Have you ever talked to a person called Tom: yes
-What’s getting on your nerves right now: idk
-Blood type: no idea, A+ maybe? A-?
-Nickname: Not really a nickname, but many people think my name is Julie so I answer to it now
-Relationship status: been with my boyfriend for almost 3 years
-Zodiac Sign: cancer
-Pronouns: she/her
-Favourite TV show: Sense8, Face Off, Big Brother, ANTM, insert more crappy reality television
- High school: SMNW 2015
-College: University of Kansas
-Hair colour: GINGER PRIDE
-Long or short: short
-Height: 5'4″
-What do you like about yourself: …
-Tattoos: Not yet but I’m planning my first one
-First surgery: none
-First best friend: Eliza, we went to daycare together in Tennessee
-First sport you joined: ballet (dance is a sport, shut up)
-First vacation: To the town where I live now from Tennessee so we could check out if we wanted to live here (we did, obviously)
►Right now:
-Eating: nothing
-Drinking: nothing
-About to do:
- Listening: nothing
► Wanting:
-Kids: probably not, but I don’t know what I’ll want in the future
-To get married: probably?
-Career: music therapist by day, pit violinist (hopefully on Broadway) in the evenings
►Which one is better:
-Lips or eyes: eyes
-Hugs or kisses: Hugs
-Shorter/taller: taller
-Older or younger: older
- Romantic or spontaneous: spontaneous
-Nose, stomach or nice arms: arms
-Hookup or relationship: relationship
-Trouble maker or hesitant: trouble maker
► Have you ever:
-Kissed a stranger: no
-Drank a hard liquor: like a sip…
-Lost glasses/contacts: I don’t wear glasses or contacts
-Sex on first date: no
- Broke someone’s heart: don’t think so
-Been arrested: no
-Turned someone on: how would I know?
- Cried when someone died: yes
►Do you believe:
-In yourself: i think so
-Miracles: no
-Love at first sight: don’t think so
-Heaven: no
-Santa Claus: duh
Nickname: okay so this isn’t a nickname, but many people actually believe my name is Julie instead of Julia, so I’ve gotten used to answering to that too
Birthday: July 11
Star sign: Cancer
Gender: Female
Height: 5′4
Favorite Color: Mint green, dark blue, black
Current time: 4:21 pm
Average hours of sleep: 6 or 7?
Lucky number: 52
Last thing I googled: Julie Andrews
Words that come to mind: Apple, banana (I have no idea what I’m supposed to think of here)
Happy place: the pit
Favorite books: Harry Potter, In Cold Blood, Perks of Being a Wallflower
Favorite bands/artists: (I’m going to skip classical, because I have way too many classical favorites) Anything by Alan Menken, Charlene Kaye, Darren Criss, Muse, SHOWTUNES BECAUSE I’M A DORK
Last movie you watched: Inside Out
Dream trip: If I could pick any place in the world, it would be either Scotland or Iceland.
Dream job: clinical music therapist/music psychology researcher by day, broadway pit orchestra violinist in the evenings
