So I really liked discussing my thoughts on the Forging Bonds event and decided that I was going to do another one. I skipped talking about the last one because a lot of my thoughts were pretty similar to the one I already spoke about since it involved another version of Dimitri and Edelgard so I wanted to wait for one with a completely new set of characters. In this case, we get to see some characters from Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia and I am super excited about this banner. I thought the game was excellent and it was really nice to be able to play a version of a Fire Emblem game that was previously not released to the states. As for the event itself, I thought it was a smart move to make Zeke the focus as he is a very well-liked character and one with a lot of potential to expand on his story a bit as we’ll discuss more very soon.

So the overall event is focused on the characters Luthier, Palla, Tatiana and Zeke. Zeke is basically Camus who lost his memories before appearing in the events of Shadows of Valentia and prior to him adopting the mask and becoming Sirius. The other three characters decide to help Zeke get his memories back even though Palla hides the fact that she knows part of Zeke’s background as Camus.

As for the individual stories I want to mention Luthier first. While it was a fun story to see it also wound up being the least interesting of the four for me. I liked how it involved Luthier talking with Canas and the discussion really involved talking about the effects of being born with talent and having talent through hard work as Luthier works hard for rewards but harbors some jealously for his sister who achieves success with magic so easily because she was born with a talent for it. It’s interesting to see how the discussion shows the values of both methods of success and uses Canas’s background in dark magic to make a point that while being born a certain way can have an affect on who you are it is the individual that ultimately defines what they or anything about them happens to be. Canas uses his dark magic as an example since it’s commonly feared for being dark; however, he learned this style of magic and turned it into something he uses for good. It’s a predictable yet entertaining conversation. My only complaint is that Knoll, another magic user who’s magic was used for evil by Lyon, wasn’t in the conversation. I think his perspective would have been an interesting addition to the conversation.

Tatiana’s story was next on my list because while I enjoyed it the story it was a little forgettable in comparison to the others. This story focuses on how Tatiana works hard to add value to the warriors already summoned to Askr but struggles to do so and gets motivation from several other characters. It’s a fun story and I can’t think of any thing in particular to add to it as it really shows Tatiana’s strive to help others despite her tendency to slip up. It’s a fun story but I feel like it doesn’t add much to Tatiana as a character.

Palla’s story is where I started to really enjoy how they dove into the character’s backstories as she comes across the younger version of herself from a previous banner. The story starts off talking about her not being sure what to do about Zeke’s memories since he was an enemy to her as Camus, but then quickly goes into her acting as an older sister to her younger self. Seeing her younger self want someone to look up to because she has the pressures of being a role model to her two younger sisters, Est and Catria, was really adorable to watch. I also loved how this was essentially a walk down memory lane for Palla as she saw from an outsider’s perspective the bond she had with her two sisters. Having us get a glance at their childhood for the first time and alongside the older version of Palla was a fun experience that really reaffirmed why there is such sentimental value in these three characters. Plus I liked the remakes Palla had about the Easter variants of her and Catria, it’s fun to see them scoff at how out there the alternate costumes can be.

Now my favorite part of this event was Zeke’s story. It starts off with a fun sparring match with the Black Knight who is imposing even to someone as skilled as Zeke which was a fun conversation to watch. The main thing is how Camus and Sirius try to figure out what to do with Zeke as he strives to find his memories. It’s really cool to watch Camus react to knowing that he will become Zeke and for the time being have no memory of his life as Camus while at the same time have Sirius exclusively know the lives of both of these characters and is conflicted on what to do. Should he help Zeke find his memories or should he leave Zeke to forge his own path. What I liked most is how this really solidifies how different all three of these characters are even though they are all the same person. It reminded me of a quote from the 11th Doctor in Doctor Who where he explains we are all different people all through our lives. The Camus line of characters really exemplifies this ideal.

To conclude the story Zeke and everyone else decides to just let Zeke find his memories naturally and try not to force it to happen. It’s a nice story of self discovery and it was really enjoyable to see. While I thought two of these didn’t really expand too much of the characteristics of the characters they were about I thought the stories for Palla and Zeke really offered us a new perspective into these characters that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.