I'm starting another series here, but this one should be brief--probably 4-5 parts altogether. Part 2 is already in progress, and I'm finished with grading for a little while, so I'm hoping that this will MOVE. Just a quick, fairly straightforward giantess story with a little bit of everything--growth, destruction, and probably some gentle stuff as well. There's just a hint of it here since I'm mostly setting up the pins to get knocked down; Part 2 is where the growth happens.

Except--oh my god could it be that this is set in the world of Fire Emblem Fates how can he do that. The story seed was just drawn by , who did an awesome job with a very tough character to draw and whom you should be following/admiring immediately.

It's true--this is a Fire Emblem: Fates story, taking place roughly after Chapter 21 in the Birthright path. If that seems late, keep in mind that I'm trying to keep the story as spoiler-lite as possible. Most of the significant story events referenced happen in the first few chapters (Corrin's decision to join Hoshido happens in Chapter 6), and everything else is mostly perfunctory. I don't think it's spoiling much to say that you'll be fighting Leo and Camilla and making inroads into Nohr when that's the whole point of the game anyway, and I don't think I've actually spoiled any big surprises unless you consider "the premise of the game that's been advertised all over the place" a surprise.

I'm hoping that even people who haven't played Birthright, however, will enjoy the story--I'm trying to provide enough background on the characters to give that idea. Luckily, the broad story is pretty simple. Corrin, the central character, was raised as a princess in Nohr and discovers a connection to Hoshido, a nearby kingdom that Nohr is invading. Corrin's choice--whether to side with Hoshido or Nohr--is the reason why there are two Fates games: Birthright follows the Hoshido choice, while Conquest follows the Nohr choice. The characters are painted in pretty broad strokes--Camilla loves Corrin but is furious at Hoshido for taking them from her, Xander is stoic and professional and not to be fucked with, Garon is a cartoon supervillain rage monster, Rhajat is a spell-dabbling weirdo, etc.--so you should be able to figure out what happens just by reading. Good rule of thumb here: if I touch on it but don't go into much detail, it's probably not important to the story. If I talk about it a lot, it probably matters a lot.

I guess the extra-dimensional castle might be confusing for those who haven't played. Quick explanation: Fates has a "My Castle" feature that's basically your hub, menus, shops, etc. all rolled into one. There's a lot you can do with it (like invade other people's castles/defend yours), but the important point is that it's a big castle in another dimension where the characters go between battles to unwind. Since it's suggested that only the central characters (and other players "invading") can get there, I sort of had to work around it to get Camilla there. If you're a Fates fan going "wait, it doesn't make sense that Camilla can get there," then I'll hear you out as soon as you explain how the marriage/birth mechanic in Fates totally makes sense and isn't tacked on at all.

I welcome comments, feedback, criticism, etc. as always. If you have questions about the characters/the world, let me know as well, and I'll do my best to explain!