Fantasy Romance
“I am searching for Hope,” a female voice called out.
I didn’t recognize her accent. And she most certainly wasn’t from the calificars.
She didn’t feel like one of them. She didn’t feel like anything at all.
And that was even more terrifying.
I sent Bryan and David to intercept them.
Perhaps my “brothers” could avoid bloodshed.
Seeing them in their armor with their sword and shield drawn tended to send most away.
I didn’t want to kill, but I wouldn’t go back.
I would not go back.
I would die before I would let them take me.
And I would take as many people with me as I could.
My final payment for all they had done.
I could sense their fear.
They should be afraid.
I knew what they wanted, and I wouldn’t give it to them.
I am not going to belabor the COVID-19 outbreak, nor am I going to minimize it.
My family is struggling. Frankly, eight days cooped up together is a lot. My husband has a cold. Every time he coughs, we jump. But yes, just a cold, thankfully.
I turn on the news only to turn it off again. I am doing what I can with social distancing. There is little more I can do right now.
We have no idea when or even if the kids will go back to school this year.
Grocery shopping is a nightmare.
The fear over if we will have a job in a few weeks also looms large. We live America where there really is no social safety net. We are fortunate that we have some savings to see us through, but the threat of unemployment is very real.
Through all of this, I have been…writing. Yeah. I know.
I’ve basically tuned it to what I need to, then I have buried my head in the sand with my imaginary characters.
I finished one book during this time and am 30k words into a second. Yeah, burying my head.
I don’t know what else to do.
I look forward to a return to some normalcy. To at least knowing what we face rather than just being afraid all the time.
Until then, I pick up my sword and shield, and face the demons of the unknown in the dark.
I mentioned here that romance writers shouldn’t be gamers.
That wasn’t correct.
Really, what I should have said, was romance writers shouldn’t play Fire Emblem games.
I try to mitigate any spoilers ahead, but fair warning, I do talk about some later game stuff.
I struggled with my playthrough of Fire Emblem Fates Birthright when the game killed two of the main characters and I could do nothing to save them. In the Fire Emblem franchise, characters can die. Permanently. However, you can usually avoid this by having an appropriate “rank” with them. Or not getting them killed in battle. This was different.
Then Fire Emblem Fates Conquest killed a different two characters. Both games sit unfinished because I just can’t…I have Revelation, which my husband says I should just play as it’s the “canon” version and no one has to die, but I haven’t yet.
Then I bought Fire Emblem Three Houses that just came out.
A strategy game with a complicated admin system, more lovable crazy characters, and a female House lead?!? YES, please!
As I played through the intro, I discovered you must pick one path, and one of the three paths you can pick is leading knights.
You wanna talk about my catnip!
Sorry Edelgard, there are knights over here.
Except, I should have known better. Remember the other games? Remember the issue with basic writing even in a sandbox world?
I am over half-way through the playthrough, even with all of the min-maxing I have been doing. Why do so many games have a fishing component?!?
But I digress.
At this point, I want to slap the main character I am supposed to be helping.
Dracor help me, but if he doesn’t stop whining, pick himself up, and be the savior king so many people have sacrificed so much for, be the king his people desperately need, the king he promised he’d be…
If I were allowed to go off the gaming rails, my character would first try to help him. I know, novel thought, right? Why isn’t that an option?!? Her charisma is through the roof.
Anyway, if kindness didn’t work, she would slap him. Hard. Her strength is through the roof, too. And she’d make him get a haircut. At least look like a king. Seriously. My character would be kind enough to have a super mutant follower, but she is not going to tolerate abusive and self-harming ways. Kingdom harming ways.
I am not certain the writers can save the knight who is supposed to become king in my eyes. I guess we’ll see, but given previous game writing, I am skeptical. When you have made a character fall so far, become so unlikable, the plot crucible it takes to bring them back is that much greater.
I understand that he is probably suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and crushing depression. I get it. But I still need him to be redeemable instead of a homicidal maniac I wouldn’t put in charge of a boy scout troop much less an entire kingdom.
This game has become a family affair as I have been playing it on the big screen in the living room, and my family will not let me put it down half way.
But I want my happy ending. I want my happily ever after. I want the characters to have earned it.
Yes, I already know this series isn’t known for that. And I figured out character recruiting late…
I want the same cathartic release I get when I finish a book, but on a grander scale as I have put so many more hours into this game.
I should have picked Edelgard.
