Before around 3 years to this day, I wasn't entirely keen to try Fire Emblem. Reading how it is a strategy game series sounded like brain-frying business, and had me bit anxious on doing well with it.
Then came a day when my little brother got a copy of FE7 from somewhere and played it on a Gameboy Advance we had received from our cousins years ago (with heavily bent up cartridge of Metroid: Zero Mission in it).
Strangely, my bro dropped interest quick, so I picked the game up instead.
As many might expect, the experience was unforgettable, especially for a first timer to the series. I think I never felt so close to a fictional character like that in my life (Lyn) when her story ended. I remember loving Florina to the point that I wanted to have her as my first official waifu (because damn, she's a killer and beyond cutiepie...). I also loved Nino and Lucius a lot, mostly due being such bombastic magic users. And Rebecca + most of the Myrmidon-classes due killing with no sweat. TBH, I loved every one of my well-grown units.
Speaking of units, I remember how I was the "tactician", which sounded a neat intergration of the player to the game, and had me remember what my figurative role was in the game in means of mechanics.
After clearing the whole game, playing Smash-games featuring Fire Emblem felt pretty dissonant and had me in complaints. Why didn't the series take more inspirations or things native to FE more account in Smash? I was most baffled with not much of the classes appearing in Smash in any form, aside from swordsmen. And don't get me started on blind fandom depictions based on mere impressions and foundations through Smash, which again, didn't portray FE the way it truly was.
Around those times, Awakening was gonna approach near to outerstate shores. I tried the demo and was determined to get the game. The character creation seemed the name of the game, but after playing FE7, I wasn't too foreign to the concept. Besides, I loved how balanced and just fitting to my tastes, was the Tactician-class by having both magic and swords to use. I'm usually the type to take both choices and wanted to be a mage if I ever was in a fantasy world. Heck, I loved that critical quote I "had" as MU due being Libra as horoscope.
("Time to tip the
scales!")
Cue the time to wait the release for Europe to April 2013, but it was worth it. Playing the game first time while eating B&J's Karamel Sutra was just dreamy. While so far my first clearthrough was on Casual due wanting to research ins and outs of the game, it felt pretty great- had me tears sometimes. (Namely Lucina's full reveal and Emmeryn's Death)
After discovering it's deeper mechanics though, I came to realization that Awakening felt more like "Fire Emblem: Pokemon Edition" to me.
The game seemed to favour grinding over strategy and most of the time the stages weren't as engaging in architecture, objectives, and structure of clearing as FE7.
No wonder I would drop the game in the middle after abusing the DLC-stuff to make most of my units, including Spotpass, OP as much as I could.
Through EXPonential Growth and Golden Gaffe, no less...
In midst of all this was SSB4 being announced under development. When it came to FE-reps about it, I was under the thought that we'll be getting Chrom as the next representative with no question.
I guess because if last Smash-games were indication, Sakurai and his dev team didn't just seem to care portraying FE in true light. This even had me not take in attention the supporters of Robin/Avatar (and be aware of what he'd be like in Smash - I guess because he was a blank slate based on the players + could be anything as a character.)
Gematsu-leak now becoming more and more of a yet-to-be-disprovable leak basically laid a golden pavement to him to Smash, which had me be pretty much indifferent to any other FE-reps being Smash- in top of already ruining any further speculation. I didn't really complain or been against Chrom though, more on below.
However, I was approached few times with the idea of a mage user, Avatar/MyUnit in particular, being Smash 4 at Tumblr, which I expressed huge interest on. I really would have found it excitable and interesting to use magic from FE in Smash.
At the end, I found it a pipe dream at best - and something I didn't feel much regretful to see. (and even then, I preferred a lord with foundation to being a mage, namely Micaiah.).
So on Chrom. I really liked him because of his compassionate and straight, but dorky man personality. I agreed however that he seemed not clear, unique and even if excitable in means of moveset potential, being probable to oversaturate what made Marth and Ike work so well. On the flipside, I wish people gave him more chance, maybe because out of pity.
Ironically didn't bother reading much of the movesets made for him, haha.
In short, I was merely a silent supporter of Chrom when it came to FE, and just wanted to see how things end to FE's representation without much biased opinions.
So cue the day when Shulk was meant to be revealed from some guy tweeting about him, I stated how Chrom might be shown sometime sooner, and perhaps prove his naysayers he could be unique.
Boy, was I
wrong.
Robin bringing the thunder to just
crush those leaks to oblivion.
Lucina waking her blade.
While I felt indifferent, but happy to those who wanted to see Robin during his reveal, the gameplay had me go full-on squeeing.
Robin got Fire Emblem right. And by use of
magic, to my personal happy surprise.
I always thought he said "Which is why I carry my love in sword". Funny thing, I know.
I wondered what was Chrom's condition gonna be at the end of the trailer. Seeing him lay down there had me quite anxious, anticipating would he be just not given any clear saying on his role. Until he was shown as Final Smash.
I thought he was gonna be a clone or alternate look to Ike, akin to Male Wii Fit Trainer.
It was like a dream come true. Sakurai delivered the wishes to all FE's fanbases.
It felt like a true celebration to be an FE-fan.
Man, weren't I wrong.
After the info came out about the true outcome... started the absolutely unpleasant era of me realizing how truly salty and sociopathic Smash Bros-fandom truly was. And Sakurai while at it.
The jabs to Chrom were relentless on the internet. It was Mewtwo/Daisy in NOT-Smash ****ery all over again. But this was the most biggest of it all. I'm not a fella with good sense of humour regardingt stock sociopathy humor and schadenfreude. My heart's too big for that sort of business.
The memes and Sakurai's actions on "ruining Chrom" had me ranting and pretty down big time, and it was even worse after seeing his fans getting jabbed on too. One of them was my close friend who really, really loved him. In short, being a Chrom-fan sucked. Being Chrom in Smash sucked.
HARD.
Due this, Robin was difficult to approach now as a character: I felt big-time resentment and indignation towards him him. This guy being in Smash made Chrom basically fall down as anything reputable, turning him to a full-on laughing stock dorky loser.
Emphasis on "loser", by the way.
To his naysayers, he was now "brought to the spotlight he belonged", as a bland supporting character to true protagonist of Awakening (Robin), and was merely bandwagoned on.
Yay. Yahoo. I really love you Smash Bros-fandom.
Honestly, even today I'm still wary of these sort of fans.
It was quite difficult times. I needed time to "heal", sort of.
(Seems like I can be really affectionate of fellas being ****ted on, yeah).
After talking myself dry about Smash-fandom's saltiness, and defending fellow Chrom-supporters from rather mean-spirited Robin-fans, especially the "smartasses heeding the sheer irony" on Chrom-supporters (
@
False Sense
), I decided to take a look more on Robin himself into his thread.
To my big suprise, I got to hear how his fans were basically bullied minority as supporters, essentially explaining their behaviour back to Chrom's supporters after the fateful day of July 14th.
Never the less, I still expressed how they should have kept their cool and not act like the Chrom-fans winning back on them (if things went their way), but apologized on their behalf.
It was sad to hear how much of a obscenely mean and rabid bandwagon Chrom had in reality after all. Not all fans, but majority of them.
Even then, Robin still felt pretty foreign to me. He was a guy I wasn't really acquainted with as a character of his own from before: after all,
I was MU in my clearthrough, and wasn't much aware of him around then.
I think it felt like the guy took all who I was in Awakening and molded it up to his own character - you know, having "my" powers, memories of the plot in the game, involvement with it, etc. Strange, really.
I guess it felt like forging a "new friendship" of sorts, so to speak. The guy was such an individual of his own background now.
Luckily, it was easier to gain positive liking to him than I thought. Firstly, all the above meant he was his own character
instead merely "Avatar" : something I really appreciated due definitely not taking it well to have 4 blank slate characters in Smash.
Secondly, seeing how just well he represented FE in creative ways, right in top of being my fave class from Awakening, made me pick the guy up again from the great impressions I remembered about him.
As time went on, I saw just more and more how he made sense as a FE-rep I wanted to see in Smash in PERSONAL wishes: he felt like a nice legacy gift from my times on becoming an FE-fan.
Remembering how MyUnit was a thing in FE12 as well, I was sure other players in Japan would have felt the same.
I also researched about
peoples' own thoughts on him as his own sole character through personality showing in his own game (or through me being MU), which made me become interested to him. Reading enough that stuff, he actually started reminded of a certain Finn friend that hanged out with my lil bros!
He also shared some character strenghts and flaws with me, mainly the calculative and smart mind and humbleness out of low self-confidence.
And while at it, I discovered a new ship through M!Robin x Chrom. Robin X Lucina has me in feels as well.
Some more time went. I guess I still felt downbeat due the outcome on my silently supported FE-rep,
Then came interviews.
After reading Sakurai's reasonings on how Chrom didn't work from the gameplay perspective compared to Robin affecting not-easy-choice to the FE-newcomer, yet seeing him at the same importance and fondness as the lords before him... I had some moment of peace. Decided it was time to bury negativity, ignore the guys ****ting on Chrom and just stick to the now.
As of late, Chrom cameoing also in Robin's victory pose surprised me happily, helping me finally move on from the times I found myself not enjoying SSB4 due it's director and fandom. I finally was able to embrace Robin in full arms.
*Wishes he could do it for real*
I do wonder if to regret the things coming the way they were, me not even taking a single look to Robin and just sticking to Chrom out of fondness to him and avoiding disappointment.
But I have to admit, they wouldn't have gone other way because well, after not getting beloved fellas like Starfy or Toad, I just decided to give up on my personal wishes on the roster and avoid disappointment by apathetic bandwagoning at worst.
Who knows though, if I did check on the threads, I bet I would have sticked on Robin even more than with Chrom due getting jabbed and name-calling on from his dumber fans. Mostly defending him though.
(Well, I personally don't enjoy any jabbing of sort).
But what matters the most is that Robin is definitely, my unrealized FE-rep of dreams come true: a magic
(sword) user, who also brings FE the way it
should be. And even more, he's someone I can identify with as a tactician, player or class and reminisce my times of becoming a true FE-fan.
At the same time, a boy with an enigma and background to explore anew after laying down indignation on him, making him this excitable
acquintance and newcomer to pick-up in this game. But at this point, I've noticed it's becoming a recurring thing to me to happen after Villager and Greninja being these sort of unexpected "acquintances" too (and
to follow,
hopefully).
I hope we get to develop these bonds when the game comes out... so to speak. He still feels like new but absolutely likeable, relatable and respectable friend of sorts.
Also his silver hair pretty boy look has me jealous and grumbling. What a looker. *Holds his cheeks*
So yeah, with all that, 95%. 5 out due Sakurai's actions on Chrom in initial trailer where Robin popped out, and how internet came to be on him after. Rest is just everything I wished him and FE-repping to be in all honesty.