Trans megathread for the week of September 30th, 2024 to October 6th, 2024 - Sacred Echoes posting!
Trans megathread for the week of September 30th, 2024 to October 6th, 2024 - Sacred Echoes posting!
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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long ass venting sadpost about mental health, anxiety/depression/dysthymia, bipolar type 2/hypomania stuff, sobriety
I really wish keeping busy and getting shit done left me with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction instead of just irritated about whatever the next task I need to work on is. My depression and dysthymia have been a lot better since I got sober 2-ish months ago, but I feel like my brain doesn't know how to handle not being melancholic and placating itself with booze, so improving on depression stuff just ratchets up my anxiety and the elevated energy level makes me feel compelled to keep myself busy trying to improve all the shit I've been neglecting when I was severely depressed. I'm really irritable and feel like I can't rest or get decent sleep, and the more I read up on it, the more I think I'm hypomanic and have type 2 bipolar even though a psychiatrist ruled that out years ago. I'm a really anxious person overall naturally, and without being seriously depressed and drinking all the time, my anxiety latches on to the relative lack of depression as novel and uncomfortable and I fixate on things that bother me more than I used to.
I'm making a lot of improvements in my self dialogue and getting shit done, but I feel like I just can't win mentally or ever feel "good enough" to not constantly be nitpicking my shortcomings and ruminating about wasted time. I feel like I almost completely wasted my twenties and have nothing to show for it other than a detailed mental list of things I fucked up and how I should have done them better, and now I just feel burned out and like I'm mourning every better future I could have had if circumstances had been different and I was more proactive about making my emotional needs known and met. Feeling like "there's a version of me that I could've been proud to be, but I can't reach them anymore from the road I'm stuck on now" is just... idk even know the word for it. Crushing? Wistful?
I feel like all my attempts at self acceptance and love rely on them being focused on Hypothetically Ideal Alternate Timeline me, and me trying to be kind to That Person instead of who I actually am now. Fuck, I dunno, sorry
Anyway here's a cute kitten in a basket to lighten the mood, thank you nice gay internet comrades for giving me a place online where I feel like I'm actually interacting with like-minded people that seem to actually be on the same wavelength as me a lot of the time, that almost is never the case for me irl
That's a really cute picture of felix c:
spoiler
(this is a bit of a ramble so I apologise in advance)
ruminating about wasted time. I feel like I almost completely wasted my twenties and have nothing to show for it
I can relate a lot to everything you've said, my doctor at one point thought I had bipolar as it seemed like that was showing signs of that, but as time went forward it was just how my brain was and also I have issues with feeling happiness and also processing emotions and feelings. I'm almost always feeling flat or sometimes low because those I can easily feel, depends on my state of mind basically.. but I wouldn't say I'm depressed I don't have a lot of the symptoms. I have also seen and been through a ton so my brain has a ton of coping methods a lot to my detriment now that I've pushed through traumas and such but also feeling like my wiring is screwed up because of it. I have anxieties that don't reveal themselves clearly to me until later when I process it because I'm so used to holding everything in and pushing some down to process later. I couldn't bring up anything in previous relationships either due to them being abusive and I was made to feel my needs didn't matter and it's hard to root out that feeling that I don't matter. Anyhow this is kind of going off on a tangent..
I used to feel this way about wasting time and such, but there's always valid reasons why. At least for me I was dealing with a lot of abuse and in abusive relationships and there's points where I ask "why didn't I leave, why did I put up with that" I have lots of answers.. my spiders debate this stuff when I analyse it the goblin knows all the answers but it still went far too long and lost that time too. I stopped feeling bad about it though, I look forward now, I see what I have accomplished and how happy (I don't feel it all the time but I know I'm happy, if that makes sense) I am now and how much I've made progress to where I was then, how healthier I am mentally than I was then.. I don't want to end things anymore.. I just have lingering things that I am unsure how to fix or if time can heal me.
I can see you've done a lot of work on yourself too, I know how hard it can be especially with doubting oneself. I'm proud of you for sticking at things. I am just a goblin but I relate to a lot it isn't easy.. I also don't have answers though I wish I did, I think keep doing what you've been doing and I'm hoping things get easier. Always try to be nicer to yourself, we are too harsh on ourselves at times.
spoiler
I'm proud of you for sticking at things. I am just a goblin but I relate to a lot it isn't easy.. I also don't have answers though I wish I did, I think keep doing what you've been doing and I'm hoping things get easier. Always try to be nicer to yourself, we are too harsh on ourselves at times.
feeling like my wiring is screwed up because of it. I have anxieties that don't reveal themselves clearly to me until later when I process it because I'm so used to holding everything in and pushing some down to process later.
(swivels rotating chair around dramatically while petting a cat in my lap)
"We're not so different, you and I"
spoiler
I relate to quite a bit of what you've said, I feel it for you too. I hope things improve for you though it does sound like you've been doing good work, I would like better for you too.
Felix sez: be kind to yourself (or else!)
lol wee cutie ^^