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! 
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I had an ex who went through it this year at GRS Montreal! Straight forward for you as a patient, they do the bottom surgery and then you recover for about a week at a different site. There’s a lot of packing at first and you have a Foley catheter, but it all starts coming off slowly over the week. You can watch videos or read the material for exactly what the surgery entails. They keep in touch for after care when you’re at home, including any revisions if necessary. You have to dilate and no intercourse using your new vagina for a few months.
I went to GRS Montreal for my tracheal shave. They’re very nice, they just do trans healthcare they’re all quite sweet about names and your gender etc. Montreal is a nice city, I liked staying there.
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Was she happy with the results?
probably internalized transphobia
One thing I’m worried about is whether it’ll look ‘normal’. Like somehow the thought of having something that looks unnatural or “fake” is more dysphoria inducing than having a penis
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Yeah! I got to see it throughout the whole thing (before we broke up lol).
It looks like a birth vagina, smelled and tasted like one too fwiw. If you’re on hormones for long enough, your skin flora starts changing. She smelled and tasted like vagina before surgery too lo
l
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I know about the taste and smell, but it’s the looks that I’m worried about. A lot of photos I’ve seen look different, but I don’t know if it’s the angle or something else, and I don’t know what it’s like at grs montreal
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I dunno, from the post op neo vaginas I’ve seen in person up close (not just my one ex) they just look like any other birth vaginas to me. It’s not exactly the same but it doesn’t look bad or “unnatural” and I doubt it’s clockable unless you’ve seen like a LOT of both, and sure there are outcomes like dehiscence or a prolapse or a fistula that can make stuff look bad but that’s what surgery revision is for and it can be corrected (also they’re fairly rare).
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One thing I’ve seen a lot of with pictures of grs montreal work is the labia minora meet above the canal instead of below it and I’m worried about that happening. Do you know if that’s typical or if can be fixed in revision?
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I don’t understand what you mean exactly. The labia minora is supposed to converge above and below the canal (otherwise the canal wouldn’t be open). Do you mean above the urethra? Or neo clitoris? I’m not sure.
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like the bottom ends of the labia minora meet in between the canal and the urethra
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Hmm, it’s not what I’ve seen personally irl. I’m not sure about a revision to move the labia minora to above the urethra, it could be done but you’d need to ask a surgeon (I am not a surgeon).
I’d say if this is your actual only hang up about bottom surgery, I mean, I personally don’t think it looks weird and I’ve seen a few vaginas of both kinds, people who were born with it and kinds made by human hands. It matters how you would feel about it but if you had a potential partner who got turned off cause your labia minor don’t end above your urethra - I’d say dump them lol. I have to insert catheters at work, people fuck it up all the time including my cis coworkers and put it in the canal instead of the urethra, so apparently not even cis women notice lol.
I’d definitely keep asking around, or actually email/phone GRS about your question. They’re usually pretty happy to engage. I talked to them on the phone before I had my tracheal shave.