I had shower thoughts about Pelleas being mistaken for a Branded in FE10's canon and how, in a way, it even shows in a doylist sense :
All brandeds are supposed to have special abilities tied to their brands and laguz' blood, Stefan's strength, Miccy's heron luck and high mag + res growths and special skill, Z-man's speed and Soren's mag and skill growths even if tbf let it be me not liking him or not he always ended up as a disappointed unit in my Tellius runs and was benched
Pelleas also has his special and unique ability : dark magic!
Except that it sucks in Tellius : it's heavy as fuck and has shit hit rates!
Then, if you consider every Branded character more or less felt a deep loneliness and closely bonded with someone/some people to create a deep and meaningful bond (yes, even for Z-man, Sephiran mentions his name when he dies!) -
But who was the person Pelleas imprinted on?
Izuka.
And because Pelleas isn't really a branded, unlike all the branded characters mentioned above, this bond isn't a mutual one, Izuka played and deceived Pelleas since day 1.
And Almedha?
Well, sure he was the one in the epilogue who started to tell her he's not her son - because he's not a branded and apologises for having deceived her,even if he appreciated having a mother - but given how Almedha says this after noticing Soren : “Because I have lost the power of my birthright, I thought… Maybe I wouldn’t be able to…That I might not be able to recognize my own child. But when her own true son stands before her, no mother could fail to know. Oh, my son, you’ve lived and grown strong"...
We can even say that this bond he had with his "mother" is as false as the one he had with Izuka,
Tldr : Pelleas is a "false" Branded who has no special skill and no special bond, and was fucked over by the one person he thought he could trust (#izukadidnothingwrong) and believes himself unworthy to be Almedha's son - because he feels like he deceives her - which she somehow acknowledges when she meets her bio kid and calls him her "true" son, and also unworthy to continue leading Daein, despite being as involved as Miccy was in trying to get rid of the blood pact and protect his people.
Thinking about the general hypocrisy of "might/muhrit makes right" characters, I noticed something.
Ashnard brags about his vision to Ike'n'pals and dies to someone who is stronger than him, so in his mind, strength > everything :
Ashnard: I do. Oh, how I do… It’s true. The world may be destroyed by the coming of the dark god. Then again, it may not. I question the way in which our society is designed. No matter what strength a person has, it is the station he is born into that controls his destiny. And you cannot control where you will be born. Do you believe that a person of low birth should simply endure the curse of his station? I think not. If you are stronger than those around you, you should benefit from your strength. This is why I will use my strength to remake this world. Class and rank will not matter. Human and sub-human will not matter. The strong will possess everything. The weak will submit to their will. Is this not the meaning of peace?
But isn't the biggest slap in his face the realisation that the man who was behind him and played him, at least for this war, like a fiddle, was the weakest subhuman ever, a heron, who even lost his magical subhuman powers?
Might makes right and all, but who is the last man standing in this entire mess?
A powerless heron.
In a way, Ashnard himself, unknowingly, submitted to the will of that heron, who was willing to rob everyone of their everything.
Just for shit'n'giggles, I wonder what would Ashnard have to say if he ever realised, or maybe had a FB in FEH, that Sephiran, a powerless heron, had been the one who instigated his war, his "discovery" of the medallion, was one of those weaklings he loathed and wanted to submit.
Typing about the best wildlife scholar made me realise something -
We know Dheginsea's extremist isolationist and non-interventionist policies were motivated by his wish to stop the propagation of wars, or at least, not to create a situation where the entire continent would be engulfed in War, else Ashera would wake up and erase the population.
Which is what he ultimately believes happened - that's why we fight against him in FE10, because the plot is stupid and cannot have Yune tell him "hi! We were woken by Galdr, Ashera mistakingly believes the inverse!" before his ultimate defeat.
But thinking more about it -
The Three Heroes (tfw Lehran's not part of the gang) made a pact with the Goddesses : they had to ensure 1k years of peace else they would stone Humanity. If they wake up in 1k years and the world is in chaos, they would stone it. If not, then kumbaya.
If they wake up before those 1k years due to war, the world is stone. If they are awoken by Galdr, they should, uh, talk to each other to decide what to do.
To Dheginsea, the only person who could sing the Galdr of Release, Lehran, lost the power to do so when he lost his abilities as a Laguz : ergo, without any possibility to wake the Goddesses up with Galdr, the only way to avoid Ashera's judgment was to avoid wars for 1000 years, even if it means... well, ignoring people suffering and letting them die at your doorstep.
So, Dheginsea, if he revealed the truth about Lehran, would have started a war against Beorcs (there's no way Laguz who know the truth will accept the status quo that if they live too closely with Beorcs they die), and without Galdr : Ashera wakes up "with war" and stones everyone.
If he intervened like Lehran wanted, and had Goldoa stomp Begnion/Beorcs who enslaves Laguz? Ashera wakes up "with war" and stones everyone, since she can't be waken up with Galdr anymore.
Hell, if Dheginsea terminated Ashnard and Daein as he planned too after losing Rajaion and Almedha (what FE10 tells us... but can we seriously believe this when in FE9 he dgaf about the situation?), again we have the same situation : Ashera wakes up due to war and stones everyone.
The only reason why the cast "won" and Tellius isn't stoned anymore is because unbestknown to Lehran, Dheginsea and well, everyone in Tellius, Lehran's branded descendants (who conveniently weren't all wiped out!) can actually sing the Galdr of Release and release Yune, who can circumvent the "Ashera wakes up with war and stone everyone".
-> When Lehran lost his powers and couldn't act as an alarm anymore, the only way to "wake the goddesses before 1k years happen" is with war and their judgment would be to kill everyone.
So Dheginsea had to grit his teeth and accept every fucked up thing that happened in Tellius because Lehran - due to this world's crappy mechanics - cannot "wake up the Goddesses" earlier and ask them to withold their judgment : if there is a war they will kill everyone - they must endure for 1k years, else Tellius is doomed.
Tl;Dr : TFW "make love not war" backfired in Lehran's case, and completely fucked up the covenant they had with the goddesses and if Miccy chocked on a pretzel, Lehran's love for Altina (aka him losing his powers) would have led to Tellius being wiped out even without his own participation.
How would it be impossible for Nailah, Queen of Hatary and Queen of Wolves, together with Rafiel, the First Prince of Serenes, to enter Gallia without Ike's blessing ??
Why should Rafiel and Nailah give a flying fuck about Ike when they want to see Caineghis and Rafi's sibs in Gallia ?
Ike became Gallia's border checkpoint, or the game, through Sothe wanted to remind us how important Ike is even in a subplot that doesn't concern him at all ?
I know the lolcalisation lolcalised a bit about miccy's sarcasm, but come on, it's hard not to agree with her here, this comment and fanboying was not needed and uncalled for !
That is racist of Dheginsea. Othering the children who aren’t responsible for their parents choices and demonizing them so they have no place to go, and so those children end up with resentment to the Laguz for the way they’re othered and treat. Not to mention it wouldn’t stop Laguz from willingly being with a Beorc despite the consequences, which further leads to both sides hating the other. Of course the narrative of how both sides wrote history to say they alone are descended from the Zunanma rather than admit both are closely related sub species itself furthers the othering as well, as it means there’s no reason to view the other species as deserving to exist when they’re the Goddess chosen people.
I think Dheginsea at least meant well, but he never truly considered the idea that his actions to preserve his species at the cost of a new species(as that’s what the Branded are) caused the same problems he feared for an even smaller minority.
No pbs anon!
That's why I really really really hate the Tellius situation, it's a "divide by 0" equation where no matter what, some people will be screwed at the end.
And that's the issue!
Of course protecting a minority from being persecuted is an obvious step on a path to protect everyone - but it's the ultimate railroad dilemna where you have to choose who is going to be rolled over.
Sadly I've tried to find the chapter from which the Misaha quotes were ripped off on SF but it's not from the endgame?
It's those lines :
"Misaha: All of the apostles have borne this brand. It is our greatest secret. The senators must never know. Because of this brand, I thought that I had been born of some great sin. It plagued me always. Guilt tore at me every day as I hid my mark from my people, deceiving them constantly about my true nature.
Lehran: Oh, child...how can I apologize to you?
Misaha: And yet, now that I’ve met you, I understand. There is no shame in my heritage. None at all. I will not live in hiding. I will reveal to the world that I am one of the Branded. They must see there is no shame in who I am."
Misaha thinks she was born from a "great" sin because of her brand, most likely hearing the stories of Deghinsea about brandeds being "parentless" children and "sins against the goddess".
But why is Lehran apologising here?
Is he apologising because he participated in that lie, or more twisted- Lehran apologises because if Misaha has a brand and cannot pass as a beorc in Begnion, it's because of "him" for not being a beorc? Is Lehran actually apologising for being born a laguz?? For befriending Altina and getting their first kid?
Granted, when Lehran has his breakdown because of chaotic energies before making the decision to erase both Laguz and Beorcs, it goes like this :
Dheginsea:
“You, who have lost your birthright?”
Misaha:
“And yet, now that I’ve met you, I understand. There is no shame in my heritage. None at all.”
Ashera:
“In deference to you, I will place my faith in your kind one last time.”
Altina:
“You… are the gentlest soul of them all, my sweet Lehran…”
Lehran:
“Why? Why did I lose my power? Why? Why was my tribe stolen? Why, why, why?”
More than 800 years later, Lehran is still "not over with" losing his powers. Lehran who is kind and gentle, but who wants to help - loses his birthright, he cannot fulfill his promise to Ashera anymore - thus cannot help - his descendant is proud to be, well, his descendant - but he cannot help/save her (as if he had the possibility anyways!) because he lost his powers - and Deghinsea who inadvertently (I think Deg had no malicious intent here) reminds him that he is powerless...
Imo, it encapsulates everything - there is nothing wrong about Laguz and Beorc accepting each other, but why the fuck Laguz lose their powers? ?
As for the lie in itself and crossbreeding...
What do you mean by "weren't taught properly"?
That's precisely the point of that lie, the truth, if taught to the world, would be unearable for both Laguz and, to a lesser extent, Beorcs. Like, telling the truth to Laguz? "Don't fuck Beorcs or you will end up losing your abilities forever" ? But for Beorcs it's just "you're free to fuck Laguz, you'll create another being with superpowers and cripple the laguz that way!"
(also, I think it is most likely taught around, there's the joke UST between Elincia and Tibarn, and Bastian cockblocks Tibarn because they remember this tale?)
Yes, each side think they are the ones who descend from the Zunama - instead of learning the truth of how they "both" descend from the Zunama, but if both sides try to return to, idk, Zunama roots and the original "we were both one" myth, well, one side loses all of its powers, while the other get away scot-free.
So, are they that "closely related" as sub-species as they are supposed to be, in one species "dies" when it breeds with the other? We know they are, as they both descend from the same "ancestor/species", but the result of the two breeding says the inverse.
Of course the lie wouldn't stop Laguz and Beorcs who like each other a lot to live together and get kids, but the Branded's sheer existence, regardless of Deghinsea's words and edicts, is something of an anathema to Laguz, as we see with Vika and Miccy's base convo :
Micaiah: You always run away from me… Did I do something to offend you?
Vika: No, I’m so sorry. I can’t explain why this happens. I get so jumpy around you. There’s just… something about you.
Micaiah: Oh…
Vika: Oh, but please don’t be sad! It’s not you. It’s me. I get… confused… sometimes. I really admire you, and then I get a bizarre feeling, and…
Micaiah: It’s all right. Sorry to bother you.
Vika: …No. Wait.
Micaiah: Hm?
Vika: I want to overcome this. I don’t like that I feel I must avoid you for some inexplicable reason.
Why Laguz, in general, feel Branded are people "they must avoid"?
Is it because to Laguz, even subconsciously, a branded's existence means one of them "died"? Or in a more metaphysical sense, because Brandeds herald the end of the Laguz race (because if more brandeds are born, it means more laguz "die" ?)
Misaha didn't only want to end injustices and racism against the Branded, she wanted to stop racism in Begnion against Laguz (thus by proxy, against Brandeds).
In conclusion, Deginshea's lie created discriminations against Brandeds, but I think it's more nuanced than a general "to protect one race he put another under the bus".
When Soren goes :
Hate… That I could understand. This was denial. They made me feel like I wasn’t supposed to exist at all. That my simply being alive was an affront to the world.
It's painful to read, because no one should ever think they shouldn't have been born, or their mere existence is "an affront to the world".
Tibarn puts it this way, talking about "an old song" :
It is said that the goddesses forbid laguz and beorc to procreate. If a couple breaks the taboo, the punishment is dealt to the laguz parent. She or he loses the power of the laguz and becomes something that does not belong to either species.
Deghinsea created the "taboo" and the decree, but he wasn't the one who created the "punishment".
Heck, the punishment is the reason why the "taboo" was created, to reduce the number of "punished" people, but also, and maybe, to find a reason why those "punishments" are given?
The sitation becomes unbearable : we have people who are shunned hated and at times even killed for "existing", and we have people who "die"/lose their abilities/are "punished" automatically when the first people mentionned start to exist (iirc Almedha lost her powers when she became pregnant).
For what it's worth, per Nasir, both Beorcs and Laguz came to accept the concept of Deginshea's decree :
Nasir: Even so, the taboo was broken several times over the next few decades. Usually no child was conceived, but when there was, it was swiftly covered up. The parents soon learned what it meant to bear a child who possessed both laguz and beorc blood. After they learned of the consequences, none of these parents ever rejected the edict forbidding it.
Of course comes the obvious question of did anyone even thought about asking a Branded their opinion on that decree ? Miccy is part of that conversation too, and reacts when "honor killings" of brandeds are mentionned.
But afaik, we don't have Miccy's pov about that edict - after this conversation - and the game sure as hell doesn't want her to talk to Lehran (all of his convos are reserved for Sanaki!) - whose fault is it that Lehran lost his powers, thus direct line to the goddess, thus will to live? Hers because she was born (or her ancestor's)? His, for loving Altina? Whose fault is it that Brandeds are shunned? Deghinsea, who made that decree, or Laguz in general who can sense what they are and see through them the extinction of their race, or an unfair "punishment" from whoever ?
As always, with complicated questions, Ike is nowhere to be seen, but even without Ike, what would be the best solution?
Of course, stop persecuting and denying the existence of Brandeds would be a good start.
And then?
When Laguz and Beorcs will argue againt about something stupid, reject coexistence because, to Beorcs, Laguz are beings that "stop existing" as soon as they shag? And to Laguz, who will feel cosmically "cheated" because they are the only ones who receive "punishment" from miscegenation, to the point of thinking maybe Beorcs are really the superior race?
It's why Lehran's tale is so sad, he wanted coexistence but was punished for it by his very own world - why did he lose his powers?
What kind of solution can be found in a world that pushes for equality between races, but also reveals when they coexist, only one race is "punished"?
I've seen a post on redshit saying deghinsea was racist and I don't understand how people even came to that conclusion. The fandom isn't ready to Tellius remakes
Are you sure it was on redshit and not here anon? lol
If it's about the branded issue, Deghinsea received a very crappy hand to deal with - and we sure as hell don't see what happens or how the Branded are dealt with in Hatari, save for a meaningless "kumbaya" because the Tellius verse completely falls on its head with this question -
Tellius is all about discriminations and how stupid it is - only to, uh, biologically, tell you one race is "superior" to the other because the other "dies" when both races mix to make a baby.
Ergo, if beorcs and laguz "coexist" peacefully and make tons of babies, the laguz will cease to exist - because each time a branded is born (or even just conceived?) the laguz parent ceases to be a laguz.
In a context of racial tensions (Tellius isn't very clear on the details, but there used to be a war where laguz enslaved beorcs, then beorcs enslave laguz?) revealing this to the public meant ultimately yes, Laguz were going to go extinct unless they got rid of beorcs.
In a way, I find it very different from the manakete - dragon stone - problem, because Manaketes still can access to their power through a device, but they are still manaketes. In the Archanea verse at least (but it's suggested even in Elibe?) the dragon parent doesn't lose their power, even if they have a dragon stone, when they hold hands with a human to make a baby, Nah exists, the Nini siblings exist (and iirc it's implied their mom was a dragon when she went "missing"?) etc etc.
But in Tellius?
Lehran wanted to kill himself because he wasn't a "laguz" anymore, he can't sing, he can't hear the voice of the Goddess, he can't transform - he is not a laguz anymore, but he isn't a beorc either.
In an era where people genuinely thought Claude "killed the CEO of racism" and don't even want to think more than 12 seconds about the Nabateans and what revealing the truth about them may create as a result (it's a egg hunt, but this time, humans are hunting chocolate eggs for easter, they hunt living beings to vivisect them to create more shiny weapons or magic milkshakes to gain a longer life and superpowers), Tellius remakes and the kind of themes and discussion brought by this duology are completely inaudible.
(and especially since Tellius's main lead doesn't give a fuck about the world or the consequences of his and the general party's actions as he fucks off to another continent with his besties, letting everyone else piece back and rebuild the continent)
What was Deghinsea supposed to do? Reveal to Laguz that yes, coexistence is impossible because they are bound to disappear if they coexist too much with Beorcs? How would the Laguz react? Lash out against Beorcs and exterminate them to make sure the Laguz, as a race, will continue to exist? And how would the Beorc react? Feel even more superior because whatever happens the "punished" parent for branded unions will forever be the Laguz and not the Beorc, and thus will start to call Laguz "subhumans" even more recently than they do in canon?
What was the solution? His lie sure led branded to be shunned and outright despised - but let's be real, if he revealed the truth, wouldn't branded still be despised by Laguz, who would see them as symbols and reasons why "their race" loses to Beorcs ?
I've seen some fics try to dance around the question by saying, more or less, Laguz are seen as giving their powers to the baby and it's a gesture of affection - but still, why should the Laguz be the only to "pass on" something to the baby when the Beorc can just, you know, get said baby without "losing"/"passing on" anything ?
I really don't know what IS was thinking when they made this "rule" - especially coupled with Yune's insane "teehee it was never intended it just happened like that!" that made Stefan weep, at Deghinshea's lie, of course, but in general, at the entire "Branded issue" ; ffs the Goddess (or one half of the goddess) said Laguz and Beorcs cannot coexists, and it wasn't something that was planned, it just happens.
I honestly consider this message "race A is superior to race B because race B ceases to exist if it breeds too much with race A" as bad as Fodlan's "imperialism good akshually" and honestly don't know why IS went through this route.
To add more drama maybe, but damn if this is a stinky message to have in a series about acceptance and coexistence - especially coming after Elibe and the heavily implied (as of FE7) dragon hybrid hero (of FE6).
@dimiclaudeblaigan replied to your post “I apologise in advance if this is going to bring...”:
@randomnameless tbf Naesala was almost definitely made king because he was the strongest in Kilvas, since laguz don't decide rulers by bloodline. Chances are Tibarn is wondering what the story is behind his appointment as king because if he was chosen, there's probably nobody in Kilvas stronger in him, but he's probably also wondering what happened to the previous king (who we never know anything about, and if he died as a result of the Pact or went out some other way).
Thaks to some guy on SF forums I got the line (part 3 chapter 3)
Naesala: That doesn't really narrow it down, Tibarn. Which secrets are you talking about?
Tibarn: How about the secret of how you suddenly became first in line to succeed the throne of Kilvas?
There was a line of succession?
That's one the weird things in Tellius especially with Laguz, because we don't see "family lines" or if they exist, they're special.
Like, in Gallia, the Kings are always (?) Lions, and Skrimir is Cain's nephew. But is Skrimir stronger than Cain's son, or Cain has no son? For now, Giffca is stronger than Skrimir, but Cain is preparing his succession and didn't pick Giffca who is - as of now - stronger than Skrimir.
If a random cat pops up and is stronger than Skrimir, Caineghis's appointed successor, is the cat going to become King, or not?
Ditto with the Goldoa fam, Black Dragons are the strongest Dragons out there, and there's only one family line, so Kurth takes the throne. But if, for some OOC reason, Gareth who is stronger than Kurth is, at least by now, wants to become King, will he sit on Deghinshea's throne or not?
iirc in Kilvas we hear there was a King and he had his own family ? (Lekain mentions he lost his wife and kid) But would Naesala, even if he was the strongest raven, be able to sit on the King's throne, bypassing said King's children or not? I think we are supposed to think so...
But imo, the Laguz Kingdoms aren't developed well enough or they have strange mechanics (Lions and black dragons being the strongests of their tribes) that make the question pointless.
Now, what would happen in Goldoa if Kurth dies, and Ena's son isn't a black dragon but a red dragon? Would Goldoa be ruled by Ena's son, or by another dragon who's stronger than him?
Back to that convo between Naesala and Tibarn, idk if the "line" Tibarn mentions is a hereditary line - that completely blows the earlier "laguz pick their leaders based on strength" line - or if it was a line based on strength, like, idk, a tournament and Naesala was the 5th strongest fighter in Kilvas, but the first four ones died due to the blood pact.
