When I decided to host the mega again a bit ago, I had no idea what to make it about (of course). So it fell between two topics: a post on the importance of sleep, or a post on just how much I love Fire Emblem: The Sacred Echoes. Well, I felt like the importance of sleep was well-known, and could always wait for the next time I host a mega. I wanted to make sure I hit the Sacred Echoes iron while it's hot, because I've almost finished my play through at this point, and it might genuinely be one of the best games I have ever played.
Sacred Echoes feels so polished, considering it's a fan-made romhack of Sacred Stones, with the goal of bringing the 3DS game, Shadows of Valentia (SoV), to the GBA. Everything about the game aesthetically is very well-done, from the portraits, to the battle sprites, and literally anything else that could be thought of about a game. This includes new character writing, which helps the game in areas where Shadows of Valentia was a little, well, off. That's what I want to go over first, and although I've made a post before, I had only played a little bit of the game. Being at the end, I've noticed more things, and grown to appreciate this game even more than I already did.
Let's start off with the relevant (and interesting) bits: Sacred Echoes actually does a really good job at representing a variety of backgrounds, while also being diverse in a way that doesn't feel like it's simply to have a token character. This game doesn't suffer from the cracker curse, for example. Although most of the characters are white, there is more than one person of color (
) . In terms of LGBTQ+ representation, it's even better. There are many gay/lesbian characters, whose sexuality actually plays a role in the plot and how they interact with others. There's also an aroace character, Lukas, who goes through a whole arc of self-discovery in his support conversations (support Python). It's good stuff, and not things I would normally expect from a Fire Emblem game. I hesitate to bring up the (possibly) only trans character in the game, Jesse. HOLD ON, NO HESITATION AT ALL! I just decided to do more research, and I wasn't just projecting. He is 100% trans, and it's in supports, and it's relevant to his plot and backstory, so it's just like the rest of them, thank goodness, I was worried he was a token. So yeah, support Clive and Jesse. Good stuff, and good luck getting to the end of the game so they can actually meet, one fights for Alm and the other for Celica...
This is Jesse
Here's some dialogue between Clive and Jesse, in the context of a will:
Clive: Only the following will be yours - your mother's wardrobe, her jewelry box, and all corresponding contents.
Jesse: Urgh. Even from halfway in the grave he's trying to tell me what to wear. So yeah, he's still the same tyrant he always was. Hasn't changed a bit.
In terms of character background, it's more diverse than one would think, and it addresses the issue of feudal class. Not all of the characters are nobles, and one of the main characters is a commoner from a random village. The plot regularly deals with the fact that nobles and commoners do not get along. However, it does not try to redeem most nobles. If they aren't proving themselves with their actions, they're probably shitty. Even if they are supposedly "one of the good ones", there's usually some underlying prejudice that comes out when you might not expect it. I love it so much, and I am extremely impressed that the plot doesn't try to redeem nobility as a whole, but rather allows the noble characters within the cast to have character development that feels less like justification and more like re-education.
Pictured is the class traitor Lukas absolutely destroying Fernand
For other details about the story, I'll link my original post. I don't want to drag this on too long, and I mention most of the improvements there. It also includes where to find the patch for the game, and how to play the game for yourself. If you enjoy SRPGs, or are new to the genre, I recommend this game. It has an easy mode for the newbies, and hard mode for those of us who hate ourselves (/s), and a normal mode for everything in-between 
The Echoes cast is amazing, and I love how they interact with each other and the world. Each character stands out, and they feel unique in their relationships with the other characters. Even characters that suffer in SoV, like Faye and the Masked Knight (has a name but it's spoilers), benefit from the Sacred Echoes writing, making them actually enjoyable characters. The villains of the game are also great. I don't want to go too deep, because I don't want to spoil too much, but they aren't just pure evil, and for that I applaud the SoV writers. Berkut is probably the highlight of the game, being the heir to the throne of the empire. I am once again asking you to play the game, because IT IS SO GREAT, and I would not have expected these good of villains to pair with Alm and Celica, as well as their armies.
Pictured is the Masked Knight being a gay little guy. The other guy (Saber) is threatening his life...
Everything about the game design is also amazing. It's GBA Fire Emblem, so the animations are peak and the pixel art is stellar. The maps are improved from the original SoV maps, and they are definetly much better, and much less repetitive. Classes in the game are fun in how they work, each character being able to promote 2-3 times. Mages also work really uniquely and well in this game, with spells costing HP to cast. They learn spells as they level up, rather than by purchasing tomes, which makes for (in my opinion), better gameplay. Sacred Echoes also adds the GBA weapon and magic triangles!
All in all, Sacred Echoes is a great game, and even if you never ending up playing it, you now know of its existence. It stands out as a great romhack, as well as a great Fire Emblem game, AND it has the gay. Can it really get better than that?
If you want my original (and more in-depth) analysis, check out my original post. It's mostly about what Sacred Echoes improves upon the original Shadows of Valentia.
Hope you enjoyed my little nerd-out session, and have a good week everyone! 
DOWNLOAD SACRED ECHOES: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/o9v75blehaid1re2i8qou/ALhV8LN1A59jdFIP6HYRH3c?rlkey=d7fl1m8qh9gl7ztmnim33euu1&e=1&dl=0
PATCH TO AN EXISTING SACRED STONES ROM: https://www.marcrobledo.com/RomPatcher.js/
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What is happening in transgender today folks?
Euphoria, color, actually good outfits, and wondering what the hell my name is 😁. Today's one of the good ones!
Yay!!
Bet you’ll settle on an awesome name. We all do.
on a more serious note, what about Pepper? I was thinking that one would be super cute just the other day
My head is lingering on Liliana a bit, but I'm not sure. I struggle a lot with decisions, and a name is a pretty big decision, especially once legally changed.
I don't know if Pepper would work for me personally. The issue with a lot of names for me is that they don't feel like me.
I need to start saying maybe to these things and stop thinking with absolutes in the moment 😅
You gotta live in the moment, girl. Eight months ago I legitimately believed I was a cis man. Now I have tits, and ass, and I'm out everywhere but work, and that last part is changing soon. Life changes and you gotta just roll with where it goes
Got a nice body lotion to treat myself and got a bargain on something that's normally out of my budget
Trying to be more diligent about my skincare routine
I am going to be soft
Nice! Lotion is too expensive. Especially when you need to apply it multiple times a day just to have almost normalish skin.
In high school, I used to be afraid to use lotion around others, so my skin suffered from it. One time a female friend suggested I use lotion and I was too embarrassed to mention I already did. Now I have like 5 different lotions/ointments just at my work desk (a few I rarely use) and I use them multiple times a day at work (and multiple times at home).
I hate to repeat an ad slogan, but I like how one of them targeting men with skincare stuff was just "men have skin too," it's so silly that having nice skin is considered feminine to some people
I fucking love skincare and have like a 6 step day/night routine.
You are going to be soooo soft!
Teach me your ways, I don't really know what I'm doing and missed the skincare and makeup classes in Femme School
I just wash with a nice soap and use a moisturizer and exfoliate with a slightly coarse washcloth once in awhile
I always feel like a toddler trying to fingerpaint doing makeup too lmao
Forgive me for this being a little chaotic stream of conciousness, please ask questions if you want some clarification/elaboration at any point. I love talking about this stuff so much, but I’m also recovering from a recent surgery and my brain is more soupy than usual!
makeup and skincare!
For makeup, it’s just a lot of trial and error, drawing and erasing, hehe. Finding a primer and foundation that work for you is imperative and one of the only things worth going to an ulta or sephora or whatever your local cosmetics department is for. Depending on your climate, you might use different foundations with the seasons too. For eyeliner specifically, the best advice I have ever gotten was “don’t worry about making both sides perfectly symmetrical, nobody notices.”
For my hooded eyes, I literally found this image in an internet search and just practiced copying it and eventually adapted it to a style that works for me and I can do in a couple of minutes.
Pointed q tips and a gentle makeup remover help with little erases too!
For skincare, just slowly setting a routine and adding each product one by one rather than all at once keeps me from overwhelm in addition to helping figure out whether each product makes you break out or not.
Thank you! I dunno about getting all the products in that skincare chart rn but the order is really helpful and should be useful.
The eye makeup thingy is nice too, I really like second row left and think that might look good with my features
JUST LIKE ME FR FR
wtf, that was literally what I picked up, the two pack of the big bottles were on sale
I have a perfume that I like a lot year round too even though it's a "summer" fragrance, idk if that's a faux pas or not but it smells pretty and I like it
Like I don’t usually need spot treatment, so I skip that step, but just keep to the order, and it helps keep the habit.
Hell yes, just remember to be patient with yourself for eyeliner. You’ll be a pro before you know it. Also, eyeshadow primer helps a lot to keep it in place, especially if you live in a humid climate.
And yessssss
aveeno!
thinkin about girls again
please keep thinking those homosexual thoughts, brave soldier! Thank you for your service.
i ate lunch
Gay lunch
A lot of Trans on the horizon. We're also expecting a large Gender fronts to advance across the whole country. More after these messages.
oh hell yeah
having my weekly date night with my girlfriend. watching longlegs tonight :>
how's recovery going?
Longlegs is such a good spooky movie.
Hope that you and your girlfriend have a rad date night.
Recovery is going well. I am hit with nigh random spells of intense fatigue but am capable of walking for a few hours at a time, as is recommended for recovery per my surgeon’s guidelines. The swelling on my face is crayzee and quite uncomfortable, but will slowly subside over the next few months. I should also be able to eat normally in a few weeks as well!
Want to do more cleaning, need to shave too. Did some animal care and plan to do more :comrade-raccoon:
Yesssss I will need to do so much cleaning once i’m back home. Proud of you, that shit ain’t easy to do.