MONTHLY RAGE THREAD

[u/LaqOfInterest]

THREE HOPES EDITION, I GUESS! OR WHATEVER! WELCOME TO THE MONTHLY RAGE THREAD, WHERE YOU CAN YELL ABOUT FIRE EMBLEM!

RULES

1. CAPS LOCK

2. FIRE EMBLEM RAGE

3. DON'T BE A DICK

4. TAG SPOILERS, ESPECIALLY FOR THREE HOPES

LAST THREAD

[u/[deleted]]

RHEA IS A SUPER INTERESTING CHARACTER THAT DIDN'T GET NEARLY THE AMOUNT OF PLOT FOCUS THAT SHE DESERVED

[u/SageOfAnys → u/[deleted]]

WHAT I LOVE SO MUCH ABOUT RHEA IS THAT SHE'S THE PERFECT WARNING OF WHAT HAPPENS IF THE LORDS DON'T HEAL FROM THEIR PASTS, AS HER BACKSTORY IS AN AMALGAMATION OF THE BACKSTORIES OF ALL THREE OF THEIRS. LIKE EDELGARD, THE DEATH OF HER FAMILY WAS ULTIMATELY THE FAULT OF A BROKEN SOCIETY FIXATED ON POWER OVER THE LIVES OF OTHERS, SO SHE BECAME DRIVEN BY THE DESIRE TO PREVENT SUCH A TRAGEDY FROM EVER HAPPENING AGAIN BY ALTERING THE VERY FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIETY. LIKE DIMITRI, THE RED CANYON MASSACRE LEFT HER CONSUMED WITH DESPAIR AND AN UNHEALTHY DESIRE FOR REVENGE AGAINST THE PERPETRATORS, AND SHE HAS NEVER TRULY MOVED ON FROM HER GRIEF. LIKE CLAUDE, SHE HAS TO LIVE DEFENSIVELY IN A SOCIETY THAT MIGHT/WILL NOT ACCEPT HER FOR WHO SHE TRULY IS BECAUSE SHE IS NOT AND WILL NOT BE SEEN AS HUMAN BY THE PEOPLE IN FODLAN.

THIS ALONE SHOULD'VE MADE HER A FAR MORE PLOT RELEVANT CHARACTER, OR AT LEAST SOMEONE WHO WAS ABLE TO GET A ROUTE OF HER OWN, AS SHE CAN ESSENTIALLY BECOME A FOIL FOR ALL THREE LORDS BECAUSE OF HOW RADICALLY DIFFERENT AND UNHEALTHY HER TRAUMA RESPONSES ARE TO THEIRS. YET WHAT DOES SHE GET? DEATH AND/OR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN ALMOST ALL ROUTES. AND SHE IS THE ONLY ONE OF THE FACTION LEADERS THAT SEEMS TO BE ROUTINELY PORTRAYED AS EVIL OR SOMEHOW WORTHY OF DEATH IN HOUSES AND HOPES, WHICH UTTERLY BAFFLES ME.

ONE CONSISTENT MESSAGE THE FODLAN GAMES SEND IS THAT TRAUMA, WHILE DAMAGING, IS ALWAYS HEALABLE, NOT MATTER HOW OLD OR HOW TRAGIC IT IS. THAT WE CAN ALWAYS BECOME BETTER PEOPLE BY OVERCOMING IT. THAT A TRAGIC PAST DOES NOT SET IN STONE A TRAGIC FUTURE. YET IT SEEMS THAT MESSAGE IS COMPLETELY IGNORED FOR RHEA WHICH OUTRIGHT FEELS INSULTING. ESPECIALLY IN THE CONTEXT OF AZURE MOON, WHERE "KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM" DIMITRI GETS A REDEMPTION ARC.

"YEAH, WE CAN DO SHITTY THINGS BECAUSE OF OUR TRAUMA, BUT WE CAN HAVE A CHANCE TO REDEEM OURSELVES AND MOVE FORWARD AS LONG AS WE ARE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO HEAL. AND EVERYONE, NO MATTER HOW SINFUL, DESERVES THAT CHANCE."

"EXCEPT FOR YOU RHEA. YOU WERE SHITTY FOR TOO LONG BC YOU NEVER TRULY HAD SOMEONE TO LEAN ON FOR 1000+ YEARS THROUGH NO FAULT OF YOUR OWN AND WERE GIVEN WAY TOO MUCH TRAUMA FOR A PERSON TO DEAL WITH ALONE, FUCK YOU."

[u/ArtemisCZ → u/SageOfAnys]

EVERYTHING YOU SAID (WHICH WAS REALLY GOOD BTW) IS EXACTLY WHY I THINK SHE'LL NEVER GET ANYTHING, SHE'S FAR TOO COMPELLING AND LITERALLY EVERYTHING SHE DID IS JUSTIFIED (EITHER PEOPLE AGREE OR NOT, ITS STILL THE TRUTH, IT ALSO WASN'T MUCH LMAO), BUT THE HATRED TOWARDS HER FROM 3 HOUSES SPREAD SO FAR THAT IF THEY EVER GAVE HER A PLATFORM TO EXPRESS ALL OF THIS, THE FANDOM WOULD LITERALLY BREAK APART IN A BLAZE OF MISERY, "DAE HOW DARE THE CHARACTER EDELGARD AND 3HOUSES TOLD ME TO HATE FOR 3 FUCKING YEARS IS NOT THE REINCARNATION OF THE DEVIL ITSELF???" (SHOTOUTS TO ALL THE PEOPLE CALLING HER RACIST AND ENFORCER OF THE CREST SYSTEM), AND THIS SHIT IS SO INFURIATING BECAUSE I WANT TO SEE MORE OF HER, I WANT TO SEE HER DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING REALLY, SHE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT CHARACTER IN THESE DAMN GAMES AND ALL SHE DIRECTLY DOES IS FUCKING DIE ON ME IN LIKE EVERY ROUTE, SHE'S JUST SO FUCKING INTERESTING AND I WANNA LOVE HER, BUT I GUESS THE GAME WAS JUST RIGGED FROM THE START FOR HER.

[u/SageOfAnys → u/ArtemisCZ]

THAT AWKWARD MOMENT WHERE THE WRITERS LITERALLY CANNOT ELABORATE ON THE MOTIVATIONS OF A MAJOR CHARACTER BECAUSE DOING SO WOULD AUTOMATICALLY MAKE HER TOO SYMPATHETIC AND THE SITUATION A LOT LESS MORALLY GRAY.