#s-supports

20 year olds get married when they think they’ll die soon, that’s how people work.

I find it really confusing and amusing that some people deem romance as high import and significant in validating a character. I’ve read some posts about the lack of S-Supports and romance, the invalidation of a certain main character (Shez) in the casts’ stories and lives because they didn’t achieve anything romantic with anyone, and, of course, the comparison of two main characters (the current and previous one) regarding their access in S-Supports. Does romance really matter that much? Does it have to happen just to evaluate and validate a character’s story and development in the plot? Does it help speak more about the characters’ relationship towards one another? I have thought of these questions after playing almost 200 hours on Three Hopes, and to my growing contentment, it came to me that Three Hopes did a spectacular job as a Fire Emblem game in explicitly showing the earnest relationship that Shez developed and harbored with everyone without any semblance of romance. And if they did, it seemed pretty vague at best; almost an implication and up for interpretation and debate.

Because, really, one of the problems that I see with the Fire Emblem fandom is its fixation and stickler for romance and S-Supports that it undervalued the game and the characters’ underlying issues and stories as a whole. So focused with its romantic notion they completely missed the point. This is, of course, my opinion, because who am I to negate what people enjoyed? Even I love seeing the characters’ blooming relationship and how this relationship becomes something more. I just really don’t mind romance that much.

I just sincerely think Three Hopes did wonderfully despite the lack of romance in Shez’s side. In fact, I think it’s much better that the S-Support option didn’t make it through in the game, notwithstanding the interview of the devs. Shez didn’t need a romantic partner. As much as I can glean from my playthroughs, I did not see them showing any interest in being in a relationship. They see the whole cast as their comrades—friends that they didn’t have before but now they do. They care for their friends and would go to such extremities and lengths just to keep them safe, but they would also not hesitate to keep them in their toes. And this friendship is deep, almost spiritual, bordering much more than the planes of just being plain friends. Almost like Studio-Ghibli friendships/relationships (at least, for me that is). The Merc Whistle and the letter in the finale proved that.

Don’t get me wrong though. I love an S-Support (I did hope prior the released date). I want to see the growing relationship of each character and how they inspire each other in becoming better (the romance is just a bonus for me), but after playing this game for a while, it just came to me that I don’t need an S-Support. The Merc Whistle and the letter in the end is good enough to represent Shez’s sincere and unique friendship with the sender of the letter, and that is more than enough for me. The Merc Whistle feature, in particular, is even unique because it symbolizes a deep bond, a mutual understanding beyond human comprehension, a whistling piece and a part of Shez that they willingly gave to the person they (you, a player) found a friend in, someone they knew they could trust in the depths of this world. When you think about it this way, it could also serve as an S-Support, just not in the instant-romance-kind-of-way. And that's what I love in this game, because it gives us more space and leisure and liberty on how we want to proceed with Shez's relationship with the character we have chosen. It's all on us—on our interpretation whether they remained as steadfast friends or something more—and I say that's a pretty big win. (Although I may be speaking for this in behalf of my demisexuality lol)