#boydmist

Ike: …Why would you name them that? It’s horrible.

Boyd: Well it’s better than naming a baby Sike!

FE Twitter has been sharing their Hot Takes regarding all the possible paired endings in Radiant Dawn, so I thought I’d do that, too. I’ll go top to bottom, left to right, and rank each pairing out of 5.

Micaiah/Sothe: 4.5/5

Controversial opinion, but I like this pairing! I know it’s Problematic™️ because of the pseudo-incest, but as far as I’m concerned, this pairing is downright tame according to Fire Emblem standards. Plus I just like their interactions. I like that Sothe is like the only person that Micaiah gets all snarky with. I like that Micaiah gets so irrationally jealous over Sothe interacting with or mentioning anyone who isn’t her. Usually Micaiah is just the picture perfect heroine: virtuous, soft-spoken, self-sacrificial, compassionate. But with Sothe, Micaiah allows herself to be jealous and petty, and I love that.

Ike/Ranulf: 4.5/5

Wonderful pairing! Honestly, I only deducted points because, if you choose to go for the Ike/Ranulf paired ending, it locks the player out of some really cool content in the final chapters. I really wish Ike was allowed to have both paired endings. As much as I love Ike/Soren, I also adore how fun and flirtatious Ike and Ranulf’s interactions can be. Ike is usually such a serious person, but Ranulf helps to bring out Ike’s sense of humor, showing us a side of Ike we don’t see otherwise. The chemistry between the two of them is so good.

Ike/Soren: 5/5

The OTP. Perfection in every way. Some people complain that they’re too co-dependent, but damn, isn’t that the appeal? They’re literally the definition of soulmates. And it’s not one-sided, Ike needs Soren as much as Soren needs Ike. They’re a powerful duo, sharing similar values while also complementing one another. Ike is action-oriented and thinks of the big picture, forever striving towards what he wants to achieve. Soren is detail-oriented, and carefully considers every option. The trust between them is so strong. And even then, their relationship isn’t perfect. The arc they go through together, especially in PoR, is so bittersweet. Grief, past trauma, and new revelations put a strain on their friendship, causing Soren to become distant, and Ike frequently mentions it to anyone who will listen. In fact, if you don’t do all three Ike/Soren support conversations, then that plot thread just seemingly resolves itself off-screen, which I have always found funny. Even the game wants you to pair them together.

Jill/Haar: 0/5

The worst paired ending in Tellius. Haar is like twice her age and also long-time friends with Jill’s dad. Haar probably knew Jill when she was in diapers. Moving on…

Astrid/Makalov: 0.5/5

If their paired ending didn’t explicitly state that Makalov never changed his ways, then this pairing might not be so bad. I can sort of understand the appeal of a couple where one person is hated by everyone and the other is the one person who believes in them, but… as it is, it just serves to paint Astrid as a moron for consistently putting up with Makalov’s crap.

Leanne/Naesala: 4.5/5

Very cute pairing! I love that they were childhood friends, and I love that Naesala has a soft spot for her. I love that Leanne is the only person who can see how much Naesala is suffering. And I love that, for all her sweet and naive nature, Leanne has a weakness for bad boys. It’s not too surprising, once you translate all her dialogue. Leanne can be very sassy! Reyson isn’t the only royal heron with a rebellious streak. Just a great pairing all around.

Mist/Boyd: 5/5

I’ll admit, I am a big fan of this pairing. I just love the three brothers, and their role in the Greil Mercs, and that includes the unique dynamic between Mist and Boyd! It’s established from the first chapter of PoR that Boyd’s love language is dunking on people. He’s the perfect encapsulation of 2000’s teens, just constantly trying to bond with people through sick burns. It’s a good thing that Boyd is surrounded by people who are excellent at throwing shade right back at him. But no one is as good at it as Mist. Mist dunks on Boyd like she’s getting paid to do it. Their constant back-and-forth is so fun. And yet, even with all their bickering, it’s still made clear that Boyd and Mist care a lot about one another. I love them so much.

Elincia/Geoffrey: 3.5/5

I honestly don’t have strong feelings about this pairing, but it is perfectly wholesome and cute. I like that Geoffrey is normally pretty calm and capable, but he becomes a worrywart when it comes to Elincia’s safety. He does have some good malewife potential, ngl. And so yeah, Geoffrey is kinda boring, but he makes Elincia happy, and Elincia deserves to be happy.

Lucia/Bastian: 1.5/5

Now, I do like that their relationship isn’t explicitly romantic. Their paired ending specifically mentions Lucia having a continuous “affair” with Bastian, which suggests a more friends with benefits situation. However, I’m still not a fan, especially with the way their dynamic in-game seems to be Bastian just trying to wear Lucia down like a self-proclaimed nice guy who complains about being friendzoned. I mean, he’s more classy about it, but still. Lucia deserves better.

So yeah! That’s my final ranking on every paired ending in Radiant Dawn. To end this post, I’m just gonna list some ships that I think should have gotten a paired ending:

Tibarn/Reyson

Nailah/Rafiel

Oscar/Kieran

Sigrun/Tanith

Micaiah/Pelleas

Hmm, an interesting prompt.

I think that Boyd is the one who is more likely to get hurt, whereas Mist is more likely to get sick. So I’ll just go through both scenarios.

When Boyd gets hurt, he tends to swear like a sailor, which is Mist’s first clue that she needs to tend to her boyfriend. Then Boyd will try to downplay the pain for the sake of his ego. That never works on Mist, though, and she doesn’t even know why he tries.

Mist is a kind but paradoxically unforgiving healer. Yes, she will fuss over Boyd and dutifully watch over him as he heals, but at the same time, she will let Boyd know just how reckless and stupid she thinks he is. Because make no mistake, 90% of the time Boyd gets hurt, it’s because he wasn’t paying attention, or he tried something risky, etc.

When Mist gets sick, on the other hand, she becomes grumpy and also very, very sad. Think Victorian orphan levels of sad. She just stalks through the house with a blanket wrapped over her shoulders like a cape.

Boyd can practically see the dark cloud looming over Mist’s head.

Mist still insists on doing things, such as cooking and cleaning. However, her heart just isn’t in it, and she winds up quitting halfway through so she can go lay down.

It frustrates Mist that she’s not able to exist at her usual genki girl level of energy.

Meanwhile, Boyd thrills at getting the rare opportunity to be the caretaker for once. After all, he gets injured more often than Mist gets sick, so he delights at their switch in roles.

Yet, while Boyd is determination to be a good boyfriend, caring for his poor, sick girlfriend, he’s actually not that sure in what he’s doing. So, for the most part, he just kind of wings it. He tries to make Mist soup, but burns it. He tries to do her housework for her, but ends up breaking something and making a bigger mess. He even tries giving her a pep talk, but it only serves to annoy Mist, who already has a big headache. And while Boyd loves Mist with all his heart, he’s a bit of a germaphobe, and will freak out if she sneezes in his vicinity.

That being said, Boyd does improve with time. He watches the way that Mist will care for others (mostly Rhys) when they get sick, and tries to replicate her work.