#and we know that for a fact thanks to his support with Seteth

[hapigairu]

Some Cyril appreciation featuring his mom:

[curse-d-owl]

I love how Edelgard fans are coping about the fact that Sylvain proved that reforming Fodlan and righting it's wrongs didn't require a senseless war but diplomacy.

His ending alone should debunk it but as expected from this insufferable fanbase they have to resort to mental gymnastics in order to argue that 2+2 isn't 4.

Their main argument is that the changes only happened after Edelgard's war and cause of it the credit belongs to Edelgard regardless of the fact she fails miserably or unfortunately wins.

First of all correlation isn't always causation.

Second of all her war isn't just killing Rhea and dismantling the central church, it's also about conquering Leicester and Faerghus on the false claim that it originally belong to the empire and cause she's under the delusion that all of its leaders are for the crests system and aristocracy.

Focussing on the second part she never voiced her grievances regarding the crests system to anyone and she never outright heard that Claude and Dimitri support it. Not in white clouds and not in her manifesto cause nobody outside of her closest allies knows what her damage is. The one golden opportunity to explain to Dimitri that she wants to be rid of the crests system and nepotism and instead she goes on a vague tirade how she actually ends the cycle of the string conquering the weak without actually explaining how she goes on about it.

And this has to be said for the billionth time but no one gets killed for questioning the Seiros faith. Edelgard condemned the goddess for Miklan's fate and Infront of Gilbert, a high ranking commander and a pious follower of the faith, Claude gave Seteth a disrespectful jab by calling out how the church hides it's dirty truths right after Seth confiscated a book revealing Rhea's draconic form and Hanneman can pester Seteth about his true lineage without any threat of consquences.

So with all of these facts Fodlan changed not thanks to Edelgard and her repulsive war but despite it. The victors implemented these changes of their own accord, not because Edelgard allegedly told them how Fodlan needs to he reformed cause she did not.

And again if her enemies were the crest loving villains she accuses them of being then they would've remained in fodlan, not be removed.

Now with that nonsense out of the way let's focus on how much of an accomplishment it is for Sylvain to rid Fodlan of the crest system with oration alone.

And we start all the way in the past beginning with House Gautier defending Faerghus and Fodlan from Sreng's invasion. Not only has the descendant of the first Gautier received the heroes relics from the church to defend Faerghus and Fodlan but this house has successfully fended of their invasions of over 200 years

Moving onto Almyra's invasion the attack was so brutal that Adrestia aided Leicester in repelling the Almyran invasion and all 3 nations joined time, effort and resources to construct Fodlan's locket.

In addition Rhea created the officers academy in order to create a strong generation of leaders capable of protecting Fodlan in response to Almyra's brutal invasion.

Moving onto the war phase whether you like it or not crests were the deciding factors of the war.

Byleth is the vessel of Sothis with the crest of flames, the sword of tue creator, the ability to manipulate time and cut through powerful dark magic.

Edelgard is a twin crested emperor that is backed up by the Agarthans, the unique heroes relic she received from them and demonic beasts.

And both Leicester and Faerghus possess crests and heroes relics to counter Adrestia's strength in numbers.

Every final boss in Houses has been defeated with the might of a heroes relics.

Edelgard's defeat in 3 out of 4 routes elevated crests, heroes relics and by proxy the church of seiros cause it proved Rhea right as to why these things are important.

History repeated itself in the worst way possible.

Point is Sylvain had a lot of hurdles standing against his reforms yet despite the setbacks he still helped reform Fodlan to do away with the crest system and choose to make amends with foreign nations which in turn helped end their long lasting conflict instead of continuing it.

[randomnameless]

Musings about Yuri’s benefactor and Nabateans in general.

It all starts with the question, who was Aubin?

A nabatean, or a human?

Aubin is the same old guy who gave his blood to Yuri to save him when he was young - the only precedent for this is Rhea’n’Jerry.

Which is why, it’s widely theorised that only Nabateans can pass down their crest through blood transfusions.

So,

Old Man hated his power and blood? Why?

Is it some sort of Aeneid spin-off where the old lizard man resented his blood because it meant he wasn’t “human” and was a monster?

Or, and even sadder, Aubin resented his blood because, hey, his blood and his crest stone are the reasons why people (Nemesis’n’Dudes) want to dissect him, which leads to a very uncomfortable “if only I wasn’t born as X because I don’t want to die but some people really want to erase all X from the surface of the planet”.

And this makes me think, in FE16′s nonsensical SS final boss, Seteth mentions that Rhea is actually the carried of the “Pride of Nabatea”, something he will inherit at her death. Did Aubin resent his condition as a Nabatean, being ashamed of being one or at least hated being a Nabatean, because it paints a giant target on his back?

It might be a reason why Aubin didn’t join Seiros the Warrior back then, if he was too afraid of humans and of being dissected if rains falls and the hair dye vanishes.

Which is even sadder, all things considered because...

Flayn’s hairstyle is dictated by this need to hide the fact she is a Nabatean.

Seteth likes it when it is “not tied up”, aka the current hairstyle she has, but does he like it because he finds it cute, or because it’s the only one that successfully hides her ears?

Being a Nabatean means those people had to die their hair, hide their ears and hide their true nature from humans. And we know Aubin, at least, hated being “a Nabatean”, resenting his blood.

Rhea apparently takes pride in being a Nabatean, but even proud!Rhea cannot do her hair like she wants, and we know still used hairdye 200 years ago.

FFS, even if the crap S-Support, Rhea wonders if people can truly wish for her happiness after learning she’s a Nabatean 

Can you still say such things to me, even after witnessing my...other form?

No matter how pround Rhea is of her heritage, she still thinks humans/people in general cannot wish her any good if they know she’s a Nabatean

(people who aren’t Willy, apparently)

And I know I joke a lot about this game and its writting, but it irks me to no ends that this issue is... never resolved.

(Save for Tru Piss, but we know what kind of “resolution” Tru Piss brings to the Nabateans even if the lolcalisation team tried to pull a 4Kids).

Will Rhea and Flayn and Seteth be able to show their ears in a future Fodlan? Who knows. Will they be terminated because their ears are pointy? idk.

Will Dimitri welcome them all in Faerghus and give reassurance that no matter the shape of their ears, to him they are still people he would like to befriend/thank/drink tea with?

I wasn’t expecting anything about Nabateans from 3Nopes, but the casual “btw Aubin hated his blood” (thus his own race) made me so sad you have no idea. Seteth’s happy at least in his final moments he found peace, but damn :’(

[mommymooze]

Angelic Vision

Claude x Reader

Angelic Vision

“You look like an angel. Have you come to take me to heaven?“ Claude lies on the ground, the back of his hand across his brow.

“No, but when I pull that arrow out of you it’s going to hurt like hell.” You say as you put your knee on his chest and with both hands pull the arrow back out of Claude’s shoulder.

“Yeeowch!” Claude hollers.

You then pour healing magic into his shoulder, feeling the muscles weaving themselves back together. You stand up reaching out your hand for his other hand to help Claude up from the ground.

“Go easy on it. If you reinjure it, go find Marianne because I’m not going to fix it again.” You tell him before running off to the next injured party.

Hilda walks up to stand by the House Leader of the Golden Deer. “Why do the super smart ones always have to be so pissy?”

“Beats me, if they would loosen up or relax a little, they would have a lot more fun.” Claude shrugs.

Mail is delivered and there is a shipment of three boxes for you. Pretty darn heavy boxes. You carry them one at a time from the front gate to your room. Unlocking and opening your door you suddenly find you are not alone. Claude gives a look of shock at the number of books in your room. One entire wall is nothing but books.

“You do know they have a library here.” Claude quips

“It is useless for my research.” You grumble. “The books are old and out of date. They also do not have any ancient texts that may have useful yet forgotten applications.”

Claude is looking at the subjects and titles. “Hey mind if I borrow a few?” You raise an eyebrow at him. “I’ll think about it. “

You’ve been hanging out with Linhardt a lot lately. He’s supposed to be helping with a project you’re working on.

“When I saw them in the library, they were getting pretty cozy.” Hilda snarkily jests.

Claude decides there is a book that he must have right now from the library. He walks in to see you back to back with a very unconscious Linhardt. You’re trying to support him with your back so he doesn’t fall over completely while you are still reading your book. You look trapped?

“Having fun?” Claude grins.

“Yeah. When Lin’s on empty he just crashes. Since Caspar isn’t here, well, I don’t want him to fall and get hurt. I can’t move him.” You groan

Claude helps you get the sleeping cleric to a couch to catch his z’s.

“Thanks. Squishy magic users don’t quite have the strength for these things.”

“I’d be happy to help you out with anything.” Claude smiles. “Call me and I’ll be there!”

You spend the afternoon gathering plants and mushrooms in the nearby woods for your studies. You’ve been working on creating antitoxins and other cures for poisons. You have several bags tied to your waist with different plants in them. Just as you’re about to reach for a particularly ugly and poisonous mushroom you hear a voice calling out your name.

“Hey! Those are really poisonous. You better watch out!”

“Oh Claude, of course I know they are poisonous. How am I supposed to make a potion to neutralize them if I don’t collect them?” You roll your eyes at him.

“Since when have you been interested in poisons?” He raises an eyebrow at you.

“Since Leonie took that poison arrow last battle. We didn’t have anything to counteract it and she had to suffer for over a week until the poison made it through her system.”

“You’re right. He muses. “Maybe we can work together on them sometime?”

An envelope is sealed and addressed to you. It’s the regular update from your father. Sitting down in the dining hall you groan miserably as you read.

Hilda has to know what is troubling you. “Family feud?”

“Just kill me now.” You whine.

She pats you on the shoulder. “Can’t be that bad, can it?”

“My father. I love him dearly but he meddles so much. He agreed that I could come here to further my learning. But…” You hesitate.

She looks at you, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“He told me I have to find myself a husband, preferably a noble while here. I am extremely busy with class work, spell practice, spell development, antidote, and concoction creation. I hardly have time to sleep. Oh, and don’t forget Byleth’s special projects. The guys want someone fun and outgoing like you. You’re cute and entertaining and I’m a dowdy old bookworm.”

“Awww. I am pretty awesome, that’s true.” Hilda grins. “You just need a fake boyfriend while your father is here. I bet I can find someone to help you.”

“Not Sylvain. I will kill myself.” You frown.

“I gotcha fam. Give me the deets and I will set you up.”

“Thanks Hils I owe ya.” You curtsey to her.

“Sky watch for the next month to start, hmmmm…” She ponders.

Later that evening Hilda corners Claude. “One big fat amazing opportunity has just dropped into your lap, loverboy. You better not mess this up!”

“Do tell…” Claude winks.

Tomorrow is the day your father is to arrive. You find Hilda to see if she has anything set for you. Hilda says she’s got everything under control. You’re shaking in your boots, the only thing going through your mind is that your father is going to drag you out of here kicking and screaming because you don’t have a boyfriend.

The day arrives. Standing next to the gatekeeper you watch as the carriage rolls closer and closer to the front gate. Suddenly an arm slides around your back and a familiar voice speaks, “Shouldn’t we go down and greet your father, my deer?” You look up into the sparkling emerald green eyes of Claude. Blushing terribly, you can only nod as you walk down the steps to greet your father.

Your father rushes to you with both arms open to give you a hug and spin you half way around in a circle. “My baby. It’s been so long. In these few short months I daresay you’ve grown in to a fine woman. So beautiful.” Your fathers’ cheeks are rosy and eyes are filled with love for his only daughter. “And who is this young man?” He curiously asks.

“My apologies, father.” You are gasping for breath. “This is Claude von Riegan.

Grandson to-”

Your father finishes your statement. “The Duke of the Leister Alliance!”

“And her beau.” Claude announces proudly, first bowing to your father then taking your hand and intertwines your fingers before placing a gentle kiss onto your knuckles. Your face flushes redder than a summer tomato.

Claude continues to hold your hand as he escorts the both of you to your room. The future Duke and your father are already excitedly discussing Leister business, trade and the safety of trade routes.

“I will leave you to your visit. I’ll be back in time to take you both for a grand lunch in town just across the way.” Claude smiles as he bows to your father and kisses your hand again before he leaves, his cape swishing as he turns.

You open your door to find a small table with a pitcher of ice cold water and lemons as well as two glasses and a small stack of cakes. A beautiful bouquet of daisies and roses accompanies them. Two comfortable and decorative chairs are alongside of the table. You swear you recall those chairs were in Seteth’s office not too long ago.

“Please take a seat, father.” You pour him some of the deliciously refreshing chilled water. “Tell me about your trip.” Trying to keep him focused on what has been going on at home. Every time he tries to ask about your relationship with Claude, you ask about your brothers or your aunt, anything to steer the conversation away from you. An opportune knock on the door disrupts your fathers latest attempt to discuss your relationship with the grandson of Duke Riegan.

“My apologies, we do have a reservation for lunch in town.” Claude bows deeply to the both of you. As you leave your room, Claude swiftly takes your hand. You smile nervously at him. This man is a master of deception.

Claude manages the conversation with entertaining stories of Byleth and the Golden Deer. He makes certain to include some accounts of your healing accomplishments, swearing that none of the deer would be here without your amazing abilities. You spend the entire time blushing or begging Claude to stop praising you, but he keeps going, his smile wider and wider.

At the restaurant, the waitress brings you to the table and Claude attends your chair for you. The waitress comments that it is always lovely to see you two lovebirds in here again. Does Claude have the entire town in on this? Geeez. Claude orders lunch for the both of you, as if he has done this a hundred times.

Lunch is anxious yet enjoyable. You are on the edge of your seat at all times. Claude explains how you met through the Golden Deer. You’re both supportive and loyal to the class. You found common interests in seeking cures for poisons and are very supportive of each other in battle, that you fell for his charm and good looks and that he is incredibly impressed by your intelligence and knowledge. Nothing he says is a lie, except that you two aren’t really together.

The waitress asks about dessert. Your father declines, Claude tells her the usual and your eyes get big. He squeezes your hand that he has clasped in his on the table and gives you a wink.

A small cake with two forks is placed between you. Claude quickly takes a fork and holds a piece of cake in front of your lips. You glance at him and your father. Feeding you? That’s pretty intimate. Claude smiles wider as you open slowly while he feeds you a bit of cake. You look into his eyes and tell him it is wonderful.

He cuts off another bit and takes a bite. “Delicious.” Is that an indirect kiss?

Your father is grinning at you as the cake is finished. You slightly roll your eyes with embarrassment and that fact that you can’t believe Claude is doing this.

The men argue a minute over who will pay the tab, Claude graciously thanking your father for a delightful lunch as your father foots the bill. Your father commenting that this has been the best and most entertaining lunch he has had in a long time makes you blush harder.

The conversation is quieter as everyone his happily full walking back to the monastery. Claude happily swings your hands back and forth together as you walk. Your father asks what things you will be doing soon. Claude advises they have a mission at the end of the month, and also the two of you have a date this Saturday just before sunset.

As you head back to the grounds, your father’s carriage is ready to go. Saying your goodbyes, your father gives you a long hug and whispers “Don’t let this one go, he’s a great catch.” He steps back and gives you one long admiring look.

He shakes Claude’s hand warmly, asking him to watch out for his baby girl.

“I’ll do everything in my power to protect her, sir. You can count on that.” Claude gives him one of his classic winks.

Standing at the gate, holding hands, you both wave as your father’s carriage rolls out of sight.

Claude holds his hands out to you, “A kiss for your boyfriend?” he says as he closes his eyes and puckers his lips. You laugh as you lightly slap his shoulder.

“I cannot believe you pulled this off! I thought for sure I’d be riding back with him, but you actually had him eating out of your hand!”. You laugh as you walk away. “Maybe you should see about getting into acting or the opera. I don’t think Dorothea could have pulled off a performance like that.”

You get back to your room and thankfully Seteth’s chairs are missing. The pitcher of water is still there and the flowers. You didn’t notice before, but there was a card with them.

Every day is heaven with you, my angel ~Claude.

P.S. You keep the date on Saturday at sunset.

[iturbide]

More character meme stuff for you. Since Lyon is back on my mind thanks to the new banner, can I hear your thoughts on him please?

Also Ashe please.

You know, with him as the 4-star focus this was not what I was expecting this morning:

So I am all on board with Lyon

How do I feel about this character?

Lyon gets me right in the heart.  Just...his whole story is tragic, when you really think about it.  This young man who is himself intelligent, talented, and capable, but who feels inadequate next to his dearest friends that he loves with all his heart, who feels the crushing pressure of responsibility for his people and his country in the wake of his father’s death and knowing that disaster will soon strike, who falls specifically because he was trying to find a way to prove his worth and save everyone and ended up being manipulated by an unfathomable power.  His kindness and compassion, both admirable traits in and of themselves, ended up becoming a fatal weakness when they allowed Fomortiis the foothold he needed to take hold of Lyon, and from there every good and kind and noble aspect of him ended up twisted beyond recognition.

There’s something about characters with crippling inferiority complexes that draws me in.  I end up feeling deeply for them, wanting the best for them, hoping they’ll succeed and cheering when they’re able to acknowledge and accept their own personal worth...or mourning when they’re not only unable to overcome their self-doubt, but end up becoming victims when it’s exploited by outside forces.  Takumi hits me in very similar ways, especially for Conquest, but Lyon’s story is really heartbreaking for how we see the monster Fomortiis makes of him specifically through the eyes of his dearest friends.

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

I...don’t know actually.  I’m not super familiar with Sacred Stones on the whole, so I’m not really familiar with who would be possible or reasonable.  I know that Eirika and Ephraim are both popular partners for him, and there’s definitely an appeal to both of those options, but I don’t know if I prefer one or the other, if there might be someone else out there who’d be good for him, or if I even want to ship him at all so much as give him a chance to find his own happiness for himself.

Who is my brOTP for this character?

Eirika and Ephraim, definitely.  Regardless of the romantic side, his friendship with those two is absolutely integral to him and I love the idea of their friendship and how multifaceted it is, fueling both his love for them and his jealousy of them in equal measure.  I’m also really keen on the idea of him being friends with Knoll, since Knoll wants to restore Grado specifically because he wants it to become the nation Lyon truly wanted to make; that says a lot to me personally about the relationship they had, and how much Knoll admired Lyon (especially since he canonically disappears as soon as that work is finished).

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

Are there popular Lyon opinions?  I haven’t played Sacred Stones in years at this point: I vaguely recall borrowing it from a friend and I’m reasonably sure I played it through, but the only record I have of it is in some old unfinished fic bits living on an old computer that are directly related to that playthrough. 

How popular is the opinion that Lyon’s story is pretty much perfect?  Because from everything I’ve seen and read it honestly sounds like they handled his arc perfectly, from his motivations to his downfall.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

This is kind of a tough one because I don’t really know Sacred Stones all that well as a game.  My memories are very fuzzy and mostly involve realizing that Myrrh’s dragonstone had limited durability which meant I couldn’t use her in every battle and I was sad about it because dragon girl.  I guess if there’s anything...from what I understand, Lyon is recruitable in some side dungeon if you manage to beat this outrageous hardmode three times?  And yet he has no supports or dialogue.  Like.  What’s even the point if the party doesn’t get to talk to him?  Either don’t make him recruitable or put in dialogue because after everything that happened it’s a crime not to have him say a word.

And also Ashe because I love him

How do I feel about this character?

Ashe is absolutely one of the stand-out characters in the Blue Lions roster and the game on the whole, in my opinion.  His story is honestly fascinating: from a normal commoner kid with siblings and loving parents to an orphan stealing to ensure that he and his siblings could survive on the streets to the adopted child of a minor Kingdom noble with aspirations to be a knight and then back to an orphan thanks to Rhea who’s forced to fight for the Empire depending on your route.  That’s an absolutely wild ride.

Ashe could have been a really tragic character who leans heavy on the sympathy, but he doesn’t.  While there are undeniably tragic elements to his story, especially in the Academy Phase as we’re forced to fight his adoptive father on Rhea’s orders and steal the only parental figure he has (you find him in the cathedral a lot after that, for understandable reasons -- his crisis of faith must be monumental), he never gives up his aspirations to the kind of knight they write stories about.  This is a kid who has resorted to thievery frequently in the past, and his goal in life is to rise up from that low point in his life and become a shining paragon of chivalry and virtue helping the people.  And he puts his money where his mouth is, too: call him gullible, call him naive, but when he sees someone in a bind -- even a thief, claiming he’s been reduced to that to buy medicine for an ailing child -- he always helps out as best he can.  He doesn’t look down on people for their worst moments: he tries to lift them up so they can reach better ones, the same way he was lifted up by Lonato.  With his kindness and his compassion and his earnest ambition, I think he has an excellent chance of succeeding and becoming a knight of story and song.

Who do I ship this character with romantically?

TRICK QUESTION once again, I do not have any ships for Ashe.  I don’t have ships for most of the Three Houses kids, and while I love Ashe dearly, none of his supports really grabbed me romantically.  If I had to pick anyone, it would probably be Caspar, because their Supports are stellar: despite how rough the C is, the B turns it all around on its head and makes both of them realize that they were both being way too serious about the whole thing, and the A is sheer perfection as they realize they’ve both been spoiling the cat silly.  The idea of them going on endless adventures together, balancing each other and bringing out the best in one another, is so charming to me, and I could easily see them as lifelong partners.

Who is my brOTP for this character?

PETRA.  I love their Support chain so much and the fact that in their paired endcard she literally creates a whole order of knights in Brigid specifically to help him fulfill his lifelong ambition?  Get yourself a friend like that wow.  Also Annette: I love their Support chain and how even though the both of them are so scared of that very unsettling tower, he still goes and braves it a second time for just to find a treasure that she dropped in their initial flight.  That’s just so sweet okay I love how they get along and how close they are as friends and how they’ll pull out all the stops for one another.  Also, I have a major soft spot for his supports with Dedue because Ashe and Dedue cooking together is excellent (and also his supports with Felix are so charming and definitely show Felix in a better light once the B rolls around).

What’s my Unpopular Opinion™ about this character?

Okay so I think I got this one from @anankos but Ashe is really skilled with a knife.  Sure, everybody loves to gush about the precious cinnamon roll, but he can and will cut you if he has to; old habits die hard and he probably has a knife on him at all times just in case he gets in a tight spot, either where he can’t use or doesn’t have his bow.  Ordinarily he would use it for things like hunting and cooking as required, but he’s definitely used it as a cutpurse, and under pressure he will use it to stab someone if it will give him a chance at survival he otherwise wouldn’t have.  Don’t mess with the kid basically.

What’s one thing I wish would have happened with this character in canon?

This is so small and so minor but I wish we could have seen more of his emotional journey after the loss of Lonato.  I know it’s a really early game event, but given that certain supports can be locked until certain narrative points (like Leonie and Byleth’s B, which focuses directly on the aftermath of Jeralt’s death), I think it would have been beneficial to have shown the impact that death made on him, especially in regards to his view on the church.  Having supports with Seteth could have been great, too, especially given some of his views on the Church as a whole.

Give Me a Character  

[kushamisaru]

W-would you tell me more abt your feh crack ships??? Gatekeeper and emmeryn was so interesting

I SURE WILL!

Gonna put this under a read more though because it might get long

The thing is, I started out with maybe 3 ships? But then the manga had the AUDACITY to be like "sorry you can't have romantic relationships fr in heroes :(" and I made a couple more out of spite because like. C'mon. They literally get married in the s support. Anyway I'll start off with the ogs and maybe a few more but know that once I made that choice I couldn't turn that part of my brain off so there are a lot.

I think the first was Loki and Seteth. Which might seem weird but,, hear me out. Seteth is all about order. Loki is a literal trickster goddess. I imagine her like, constantly bugging him and trying to get his skin and she does, but also he gets used to it? And it gets kind of weird when he doesn't see her for a while? There's also the fact that, in her own mischevious way, Loki has a soft spot for kids. Since they're both healers imagine her helping out Flayn and Flayn thinking she's fun and cool then Seteth sees them hanging out and nearly has a heart attack lol. Oh! Spoilers for 3 houses but another big appeal for this ship is that compared to some other characters, Seteth's life span is probably closer to Loki's lol. This one is hard for me to explain but I feel it in my soul

Next up was Helbindi and Eir. So I think what originally happened was me thinking Helbindi questions Eir about how death works since y'know, he should have died, (but also he's low key asking to try and gauge whether his sister could be brought back as well). But somewhere along the line I started thinking. Helbindi's whole thing is trying super hard to seem tough (and he is! to be fair), but deep down he's a softie. I think Eir would end up seeing right through him, not through like some super strong intuition but more of, what's he gonna do, kill her? Lol been there done that. And once he realizes he can't spook her off they just kind of vibe, and then they get to talking about the awful stuff they had to do under their awful ruler's orders. And they bond over not really feeling like they belong. Then suddenly Helbindi realizes he's feeling,, soft? around her? And Eir notices she feels happier? maybe even just happy in general? tbh it probably takes them a while to put the pieces together but that's what it's all about sometimes.

Next we have Laegjarn and Triandra. One day I made the connection that these two both made big sacrifices for their younger sisters and it wouldn't leave me alone. And then I looked at Triandra's lvl 40 conversation where she said more than anything she just wanted someone to understand. And I think Laegjarn would understand very well. But! Not only would she understand, she could give a new perspective. Because in that same convo, Triandra feels like the love she had for her sister wasn't enough, that in the end she was too weak to fully protect her. In Laegjarn's she talks about how her love for her sister was what made her strong and kept her going.I have this very specific image in my mind for this one of like. Laegjarn having a dream and being in that world, by a body of water, and she leans down to drink and she sees Triandra. And since Triandra is a fairy of nightmares of course things start to go wrong. This keeps happening until Laegjarn notices a pattern and confronts her... only to wake up. And that's when Triandra gets summoned. And then things happen from there.

Those are the ones that are the most in depth but there are lots of others.

Reginn and Kliff. So Kliff likes to learn, and he likes magic, right? Reginn operates a magical metal... horse thing. I think it could be a good conversation starter and after that I can just see them bouncing off each other well

Takumi and Shanna. Yes this is because of that gauntlet. Can you imagine them bumping into each other occasionally, then that gauntlet happens, right. And Shanna reaches out a hand to him from his spot on the ground and she's smiling and she says "Hey, good match!" and the sun behind her forms like a halo behind her and Takumi's like "Oh shit,," and then later on maybe, during that possessed gauntlet, she's there by her side and look. They'd be cute okay? Trust me

Summer Mercedes and Summer Rhys. SPEAKING OF CUTE oh my god this is so soft,,, like they're both such kind people who try their best to help others. And they would not make an exception for each other! You know on those days Rhys is feeling particularly weak under the sun Mercie is there with that drink weapon lmao and he's her biggest cheerleader when it comes to the whole breaking away from that arranged marriage or w/e her adopted dad was trying to get her to do. Mans is like "Go out there and live your dreams!" They both just look after each other and it makes me happy

There are more but I think I've rambled enough for now. I can always do more later if you or anyone else would like though! Thanks so much for this ask it lowkey made my day lol

[indigowallbreaker]

52 for Manuela/Seteth

(ah! a Seteth prompt! we love to see it. had to look up their supports because I realized I’d only see their C) 52: Accidentally Witnessed kiss

Flayn would blame the whole affair on the fact that her father’s office door had been left ajar. It was certainly not Flayn’s fault that she had walked by and caught wind of Manuela’s voice. It was not Flayn’s fault that she had turned right around to crouch by the door, straining to listen. It was not Flayn’s fault the first thing she heard was “About last night...”

Seteth cut Manuela off and said, in sanctimonious tone Flayn was familiar with, “It is alright. You were drunk and not in total control of your own actions. I forgive you.”

“Uh, thanks, but that’s not quite what I was getting at.”

“You were not about to apologize?”

“I- Well, I will admit that I owe you an apology for towing you to that bar in the first place. If I had know an ex of mine was going to be there I would have steered clear.”

“That is why you are sorry? You do not wish to ask forgiveness for kissing me?”

At Seteth’s words, Flayn actually had to pinch her lips shut to keep quiet. A kiss? Last night?! Flayn wanted to chance a glance inside, just to see if saying the word ‘kiss’ was making her father turn beet red. 

“That’s right! I’m not sorry for that at all! In fact, I’m glad my drunk self could be so brave!” Manuela’s tone could be taken as teasing or proud. Flayn pressed her ear closer to the crack in the door.

“’Brave’ and ‘impulsive’ are hardly the same!” Seteth cleared his throat, likely embarrassed at how high his voice had become. “Be that as is may, you were drunk and you made a mistake. I had intended to forget the whole thing and save you the discomfort of this very discussion.”

The sound of a chair scooting inside made Flayn jump. “I don’t want to forget, Seteth. Have you been listening to a word I’ve said? I would kiss you again if you could stop being so prudish! Would you let me?”

“I- That is-”

“I’ll make it easier for you then. Shove me away if you like.”

Then there was silence. It was not Flayn’s fault that her knee opened the door a little more. It was not Flayn’s fault that the action made it easier to peek inside.

And it was certainly, unquestionably, and in no way shape of form Flayn’s fault that Seteth, still in his office chair, was gently holding Manuela by the waist as her lips moved over his. She was cupping his face with both hand, turning his face upward to meet hers. 

After another moment, Flayn gracefully scoot away, stood, and practically skipped down the hall. This would be quite the subject to bring up to her father later.     

(Give me all the kiss prompts, i want them all)

[fe-semi-decent-scenarios]

Ashe Ubert x Reader- [Wishes]

Premise- A special take on the goddess tower event in FE3H. Also a feelz dump because this poor boy deserves to have a moment of peace. 

Warning: Plenty of fluff, feelz, and one soft boi below the cut.

Part : (1/2) {Next} 

Words: 2946 

“(Y/N)! Did you come up here for a rest too?” Ashe spoke when he noticed his classmate sitting on the tower’s ground. She sat hunched over, with her feet dangling off the edge. Soft puffs of air escaped her into the night air, and her was face flush from the cold. It was so silent that he almost missed her, but he knew the back of that head anywhere. After all, he sat behind her during most classes. When he spoke, she swiveled just enough to see him, almost as if she knew that he’d come. How long had she been sitting there alone?

“Partially. Large crowds are not my strong suit as you probably know. Though it was the absence of a certain clumsy archer that brought me here in particular,” She gestured to himself, and patted the space next to her. It surprised him, and his body went ridged. Why would she look for him?

“For me? Oh, I’m so sorry to put you out of your way! I was just kind of worn out from all of the excitement,” he stuttered out, and one of her eyebrows rose. He noticed her lips twitch into a teasing smirk that he knew all too well. It was the same one she’d give him when they’d train together.

“I am enjoying the ball, but it’s a bit much, you know? Everyone else seems used to this kind of thing, but I’ve never been to anything like it before. My friends did teach me a bit about proper manners and how to dance, but I still feel out of place. Stepping on girls’ feet, messing up the pretty floral decorations…HaHa, I’ve been a bit of a disaster,” his gaze trailed to his feet as he twiddled his fingers anxiously, “Sometimes I wonder if it’s even right for someone like me to be in a place like this,” His self-refection was throttled by a harsh tug on his sleeve. When he went to move back out of shock, she pulled him down to sit beside her.

“Let me stop you right there Ashe. You have just as much a right to be here as anyone else…even with your two left feet,” She said with a giggle, and kicked his feet with her own at the end. Ashe could not help but be bashful at their proximity. He could feel the blood rushing to his ears yet could do nothing but pray to the goddess that she would not notice.

“I-I-I’m glad you feel that way. I am in fact a student here at the officer’s academy, so I suppose that you’re right,” He yielded to her teasing, and took the giddy swaying of her feet as a good sign.

“I know I’m right Ashe. Anyone who’d turn down a dance with you is a fool,” She said, tucking into herself. His thoughts then wandered to the ball. It was just another thing that made him feel distant from his classmates, but to hear words of acceptance made his chest feel even more tight. In a good way this time.

“O-oh…thank you. I needed to hear that. Social events like these can be quite frightening, but to have the support of my friends makes it a bit easier,” He admitted, and she leaned back onto her palms to face the sky. He wanted to follow suit but chose not to. Putting some distance would benefit him, and hopefully hide his embarrassment.

“Good, because now you owe me a dance,” Her voice halted him, and he bristled in panic. In fact, he jerked to look at her so quick that he almost leaned too far out from the edge. This time his emotions literally almost did kill him.

“W-what? But you just said yourself that I have two left feet?!” He internally cursed when his voice cracked, and the crinkle of her eyes when she laughed almost sent him over the edge.

“I know, but I also said that anyone who’d turn down a dance with you is a fool. I am no fool sir,” Her tone laced itself with an amused drawl, and her feet kicked his own once again for good measure. Why would she want to dance with him when he stepped on all his other partners’ feet? He was a disaster waiting to happy, so why would she want him? His inner monologue spiraled, but he was not one to deny his friends. Especially if he could make them happy…and even more so if it were her asking.

“Well…if you insist then I would love to! Are you ready to head back to the ball?” He asked and gestured to the stairwell behind them.

“No…I would like to stay up here if you don’t mind. It’s peaceful,” She continued to lean back, letting the wind curl up in her locks of hair. It is a sight he could see pictured in one of his books, but he would never tell her that.  

“Okay then…I’ll stay with you, so that you don’t get lonely,” He settled back into his seat with a light chuckle. A wise decision indeed, as she chose to scoot closer to him. She easily excused it as the chill in the air, but he did not mind one bit. The company was welcome.

“A true prince charming you are, do you know that?” She said teasingly, and he immediately shook his head in denial. A prince? Him? That is a world no one wished to see.

“Ah! Nonono, I could never be a prince. I lack the decorum, and I’m nowhere near as gallant,” He said, voice hoarse while using exaggerated hand gestures.  She then batted his hands in disapproval.

“I beg to differ, but I won’t argue,” Her words followed a tired sigh. He decided to change the topic off him in fear that she would push the fantasy.

“By the way, have you heard stories about the goddess tower? They say that if a man and a woman make a wish together here, the goddess will make it come true,” He gestured to the statues surrounding him, and she mockingly scratched her chin in thought. He should have expected as much.

“Wow…that’s quite a bargain. Do you mean that if I lug a poor sap up here to make a wish with me, then it will come true?” She asked, nose scrunching up as she pretended to think. He could not hold back the laugh bubbling in the back of his throat.

“Y-yes, in a way. They would have to make a wish as well for it to work though,” He said between laughs, and she eagerly joined in.  If it was not for the occasional whisper carried up from below them, he might have forgotten that there were other people in the area. It felt like he was back at home, with his siblings chatting away at his side. Almost as if the events recently transpired had not happened, and that Lanato was still alive. That he still had a home to return to, and his path to become a knight was not as blurred.

“Would you like to be that poor sap and make a wish?” He was tugged from his thoughts by her voice. No longer full of jingly chuckles, but now solemnly sweet. As if she knew where his mind went, her first instinct was to pat his hand in comfort. He pressed his palm into hers and accepted the warmth she offered before.

“It would be my pleasure. Do you have anything you’d like to wish for?” He asked, genuinely wanting to know the answer.

“That dance we talked about would be nice,” She squeezed his hand, and swayed her feet. The music could not be heard from the tower, but he knew there was a symphony playing in her head. However, that did not stop him from chiding her.

“W-what? D-don’t waste your wish on something like that!” He stammered out.

“Why not? It would make me happy, and it’s not a large demand,” She let him go to cross her arms, standing her ground. He could not tell if she was throwing him for a loop or being serious. His toes curled in his shoes as he tried to sway her decision. It is not every day that you can make a wish like this.

“Please, you should wish for something that you truly want. I am always more than willing to give you a dance” At his earnest comment she put her arms down, and his mouth curved into a relieved smile.

“Okay, my wish is…” She trailed off.

“Your wish is?” He repeated.

“For Seteth to stop filtering the library,” She decided, putting her fist into her palm as if she was a detective solving a big case. Yet he was once again not so certain on her choice.

“Really?! That’s your wish?” He asked in disbelief. She appeared hesitant to respond, and her eyes shifted away from his own. He knew the body language of a lie anywhere; he did it many times in his past despite not being proud of it. However, the moment he noticed it she was grinning again.

“Flayn needs this, trust me. What about you Ashe? What’s your wish?” She caught him off guard by changing the subject onto him, and he decided that pursuing the issue held no merit.

“What? M-my wish? W-well um, let me think. All right, I’ve got it. I wish for my brother and sister back at home to be able to live out their lives in peace,” He folded his hands together in prayer, and for the first time that night he looked to the sky in prayer.

“That’s a wonderful wish Ashe. I know the goddess will make it come true,” When he turned back, she was in the same position; gaping at the stars above with her hands gently clutched in prayer. He did not know if she believed in the goddess, but to see her still humor his antics made him happy.

“I hope so…say, w-would you like to go have that dance now?” He extended an arm to her and stared at his open palm. He tugged at his collar as a light sweat coated his back. Maybe for once the goddess would bless him with the ability to not smash his partner’s toes.

“I would be honored, but the party is almost over. I don’t think the music is playing anymore,” She slouched in place, yet still took his offered hand. He gasped at the realization. How could he have forgotten?! Oh, it was so insensitive to hold her up here with his wish when he could have made her happy. The guilt built up to the point where he felt a sharp pain in his chest. After all, she asked him not once but twice.

“O-oh, silly me. I was so caught up with the wish that I forgot. I’m so sorry (Y/n)!” He paled and clutched her hand in apology. What he would not give to go curl up in his room for the rest of the night. His fingers covered in callouses from practice were probably uncomfortable to her, and unlike her hands his were ice cold. At this point he was zapping her warmth away, and to take up all her time was just awful of him.

“Ashe, we can still dance if you’d like,” Once again she pulled him from his internal rambling. As she stood, she clutched his hand even tighter than before and gestured for him to join her. It was now that he was able to take in more of her appearance, as her knee length black skirt brushed against his shoulder. It seemed that she ignored the dress code, and instead decided to wear a plain button-down navy blouse with the formal skirt provided by the monastery.

“Here? But there’s no music! I-I have no sense of rhythm,” He choked out, and she scratched at her cheek with the hand he was not holding.

“Well…It isn’t a fancy as the band, but I can give you music. Don’t expect any encores though,” She tugged at his hand once again, and he rose from his spot.

“W-wait, that’s not necessary! You don’t need to inconvenience yourself like that, I just don’t want to crush your toes and- “

“Ashe,” she placed a hand on his shoulder, “It’s alright, my toes can handle a little squishing,” and with that she forced him into a simple stance. He heard her mumble that there was nothing to worry about, as she rose their conjoined hands and led his free arm to her waist. In doing so she gently grasped his shoulder, gradually leading him to sway with her. The entire time he remained silent in fear of being even more skittish. His hair was slighted from earlier festivities, and he wondered if she noticed despite the lack of lighting.

Wise men say,

Only fools rush in

But I can’t help falling in love with you  

In the softest tone he had ever heard from her, she sang a slow beat for him to follow. Loud enough for him to keep up, but not enough for others to hear. He grew listless in front of her, and he gave into the temptation to let his thoughts wander. They found Lanato, his family, his classmates, and everyone he cared for. Some were gone, never to be seen again. Yet, some remained. He wanted to protect them like the how the knights would in his favorite stories. He wanted to see people happy, and to live a life he could cherish if the goddess would allow him.

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can’t help falling in love with you

Everything has happened so fast, and now he is no longer the person he was when he enrolled at the academy. For some time, it was scary. He would lay there in his bed and stare at the ceiling for hours. In those moments he would allow himself to be pessimistic and think of those he has lost. When Lanato passed on it was as if he lost his parents all over again, and the fear of what would happen to his siblings reappeared. Where would they go? Would he be forced out of Garreg Mach? Why, why, why would someone take advantage of the pain of another person for their own gain? How could people be so heartless? How could he have killed someone so easily? He did not even know the names of the people he had fought, and their swift deaths could just as easily be him in the future.

Like a river flows surly to the sea

Darling so it goes

Somethings are meant to be

Despite all those thoughts, there are times where he remembers why he is here. Moments like this, where he seems the fruits of what fighting for a peaceful future produces. As he reminds himself of them, his gaze falls to his partner. By now he has stepped on her toes many times, yet she still has not complained once. If he did not know any better, he would think Dimitri let her borrow his steel boots, but one glance at her leather flats proved the thought foolish. Her eyes remained closed, even as he gently twirled her. However, when he did so her lips curved into a smile as she sung. Rough hands from vigorous training clutched his own, and as their shoes scuffled on the tile floor he resolved to live in the moment. Here. With his “friend,” celebrating the millennium festival, and hopefully not making a laughingstock out of himself.

Take my hand, take my whole life too

For I can’t help falling in love with you -

 “Hello? Is anyone up there?”  She froze at the new voice and he stumbled into her. He fell into her arms, and hastily she covered his mouth before he could yell out in surprise. It took a moment for the voice to call up again, and another for him to register it as Seteth.

“Yes! We’ll be down in a moment!” She stammered, something he knew did not happen often. Seteth urged them to hurry down, and she grimaced when he chided them for almost missing curfew. When they both could no longer hear his footsteps, she let him go.  

“Well, I guess this is where we stop. I’m sorry for holding you down. It’s battlefield instinct to hide when startled, you know?” She took a step back and tangled her arms behind her back. He shivered at the sudden lack of her warmth but did his best to hide it. Instead, he decided to tug down his down his sleeves.

“O-oh no! I’m sorry that I stumbled. Despite all the practice I still am no good when it comes to things like this,” for once he was glad that he was a naturally flush person from his skin’s light pigmentation. It made the light tinge of pink on his neck and ears less noticeable.

“No worries. I um…thank you, for the dance I mean,” she paused and began to advance towards the stairwell, “This night turned out much better than I expected,” when she descended he hurriedly sped up to follow in suit. It did not take much for him to feel the all too familiar tug on his lips as he followed.

“Is that s-so? Let’s dance again next year then!”

“I’ll hold you to that”

[fire-emblem-drabbles]

Cock block anon... again... an update on that Seteth ask, how about “I want to be more than just friends with you.” Ilysm

Pairing: Seteth x reader

Prompt: “I want to be more than just friends with you.”

Description: Was it wrong to want to spend your life with him? He was the one who gave it back to you, after all. If you wanted to spend it this way, who was to stop you?

Rating: sfw

Word Count: 1177

Notes: Did that thing again where I get something like 90% done and then like… forget about it lmao. So, here’s this!

__________________________________________________

What a strange relationship the two of you had stumbled your way into. You didn’t know rightly how it began, or even how it came to be the way it was, but you could hardly complain. The war started by the empire had cost you much; family, friends, livelihood and more. When you thought you had nothing left, Seteth found you. He gave you a cause, a reason to fight and people you were willing to fight for– not to mention food, water, and shelter. You could honestly say you owed him your life but there was more to it than that. No, you wanted to share your life with him; the very one he had given you, you just couldn’t imagine it without him in it. It was difficult to share these feelings though, as you realized, Seteth had a far greater role in this battle than you did. Your fears were surely justified– to Seteth you were little more than a friend, some lucky person he was able to give a second chance at life to. Oh, how you wanted more than that with him. But it just didn’t seem possible for you.

“Is this a new one?” Gently, you lifted a manuscript, the ink on the page still looking new.

“Ahh, yes…” Seteth seemed a bit flustered as you gingerly read the first page. It seemed a tad different than his usual stories, more on the serious side you noted. “It’s still in progress, in fact, though I’ll admit I’m having problems with figuring out how it ends.”

“Hmm…” You hummed, placing it down right where he left it. Perhaps too hastily, Seteth took it and placed it somewhere out of your reach. “Well, the beginning seems nice. I look forward to reading it when it’s done.” If you noticed his fluster, you spared it no mind, something Seteth was thankful for. “Want to tell me more about it?” You piqued.

“Well…” Seteth couldn’t help but sigh in defeat. He knew it was a bad idea to write about your relationship (or perhaps, lack thereof) but in his longing his pen moved without the guidance of his mind behind it.

Words were written before he even knew what they were. He was glad you lost interest after the first page or the parallels would have kept adding up and meant Seteth’s unfortunate embarrassment. “It’s not my usual writing so perhaps that’s why I’m struggling a little but… It’s about a person, saved from the ravages of war, trying to find their place in the new world that’s left in the wake of the war.” Surprised he could say the words with any stutter, he continued. “It’s well… not necessarily a romance but my lead character has… an interesting relationship with another, and I can’t seem to find a fitting ending for them.” After his spiel, Seteth looked to you as if you had the answer. Of course, you didn’t but it was nice to get that off his chest.

“Oh hm… yeah, I understand how that could be difficult.” You hummed again, glancing down at the book in your lap, then back to Seteth. “So… what do you plan to do, after our war is over, and we find Lady Rhea?” You tapped your feet a little, twirled your hair– anything to distract you a bit from this gnawing anxiety.

Seteth seemed just as surprised at the question– as if you had somehow caught him off guard by it. “I well… I plan to be here to support the Arch Bishop, as always.” He huffed out rather quickly.

“Just… like that? Nothings changed?” You frowned a little as if you were expecting a different answer. Well, not expecting… but wanting one.

“Well… what about you, then?” Seteth turned the question on you, not ready to divulge any more information.

“If I’m honest…” You heaved a sigh, not quite ready to speak the words prepped at your lips but having nothing else but the truth to say. “I can’t really think of a life without you in it. So… I guess what I’m saying it, where you go, I go.” You smiled at him, a shy one where you desperately wanted to pull your gaze from his. Somehow, you broke away as Seteth sputtered, trying to find the right way to reply to that.

“I’m… sorry?” Seteth could swear he was losing his hearing in his old age but he knew very well he heard what you said clear. “I know I know…” you rolled your eyes, a sweet blush dusting over cheeks once you met his surprised gaze. “Sorry for just… throwing that at you. I didn’t even ask you if that was okay, huh?” You laughed softly, eyes slowly falling from his. Seteth couldn’t help the words tumbling out his mouth, nor the way his heartbeat began to pick up.

“I-it’s more than alright!” Seteth even surprised himself with the way his voice raised a little in a heat of the moment. More flustered than ever now, he took a moment to compose himself; after closing his eyes, and clearing his throat, he spoke again. “My apologies. I had simply meant… I would be honored to have you by my side _____ because if I’m being honest I… want to be more than friends with you.” After speaking the line, Seteth realized in the long moment of taking in your shocked features, that was probably one of the most ridiculous ways to tell someone you loved them. It was too vague, left so many things unsaid and it–

“You mean like, you want to, I mean…” It was precious, how you stumbled over your words, looking to the floor as if it would hold the words you wished to speak. “Oh goodness, would you look at me, stumbling over my words like a schoolgirl?” You raised your head once more to smile at him.

“It was… foolish of me to phrase it like that I think.” Seteth had a bit of a laugh himself, shaking his head. “What I meant to say was… _____, I love you. I want you to stay by my side, not only as my dearest friend but as my dearest wife as well.”

“I was really hoping that was what you meant.” You couldn’t help but giggle and at the sound, Seteth joined in. “I love you too, Seteth. So much.” Your hands met in the middle of his desk, clutching one another as a lifeline. “Thank you, now and forever for not only saving my life but giving me a reason to continue living.”

“Look whose being poetic now.” He teased, though Seteth would never admit how much the words made his heart pound. “Would you mind if I used that in my writing, dear?” Though he teased, you couldn’t help the way your heart pounded at the pet name.

“Just… don’t tell anyone it was me who said it, alright?” You were left pouting as Seteth smiled gently, worried what he had in store for your cheesy line.

[nanigma]

Blue Lions Translation Chapter 4

Bringing you the next chapter in my project. Hope you guys enjoy!

As always, my financial situation isn’t the best, so if you feel like throwing some change my way for what I do here, here is the link to my ko-fi page. I really appreciate any amount you can give.

Also shoutout to the @teaveetamer​, who has been putting my translations in tables, for easier reading and comparison to the localization. I’ll do a better job of reblogging those from here on, but feel free to head to her blog to see what’s up. I am incredibly grateful for the help.

My comments in italics

Scene: The Enemy’s Aim

Dimitri: In preparation for the assassination attempt, we have been assigned to the defence of the monastery. That appears to be our mission this month.

Dimitri: The knights will be busy defending Rhea, but that's not where the enemy's true aim lies...

[Choose: What do you mean?]

Dedue: … Your Highness. Would you mind telling me as well?

[Choose: I agree] +Support with Dimitri

Dedue: … May I still ask what this is about?

Dedue sounds a bit snarky in Japanese here. The line delivery is perfectly stoic like always, but basically he goes “Can I still ask what’s going on first, before we continue this conversation?”.

[Continuing]

Dimitri: Lord Lonato went out of his way to carry a secret message with an assassination plot written on it, never thinking to get rid of it.

Dimitri: Doesn't it make you think... That the assassination plot was meant to hold everyone's attention while they are truly after something else?

[If Annette, Felix and Sylvain are alive]

Annette: If we are talking about valuables... That would be the treasure vault! Otherwise, there's the library or Professor Hanneman's room...

Felix: There are bound to be weapons stored at the monastery which might even rival the Heroes' Relics.

Sylvain: Well, no matter what they are after, we can't let any harm come to the girls at the monastery.

English adds a line to Sylvain’s dialogue about how he wouldn’t know what else to do in his free time, making him sound a bit more callous.

Dedue: So what you mean to say is... We should investigate the monastery to find out what the enemy is truly after?

Dimitri: That's right. And to prepare us for when we face the enemy, we need to invest in our training as well.

[Shamir and Cyril enter the scene]

Shamir: You conspiring together, Professor?

Literally she is saying “Are you sticking your faces together to conspire?”, which I find a funny way of phrasing it.

Shamir: Oh, I haven't given you my name yet. I am Shamir.

Dimitri: Shamir is a member of the knights of Seiros. And this boy here is...

Cyril: I am Cyril, an attendant of Lady Rhea and apprentice to Shamir.

[Choose: Attendant?]

Cyril: I take care of Lady Rhea's daily necessities.

This is interesting, because unlike the English version, this specifies Cyril’s role in Rhea’s services. He isn’t just a normal servant, he is her personal attendant, which is a pretty important job and normally wouldn’t involve some of the things we see him doing in his supports (like chopping wood), so I assume those are tasks he himself took on.

[Choose: Apprentice?]

Cyril: I am trained in stuff like swords and bows.

Cyril: I wish to protect Lady Rhea as well... That's why I am Ms. Shamir's apprentice.

Shamir: Cyril adores Rhea, you see. Well, we each gotta do what we can.

In English, Shamir tells Byleth they can ask her anything.

Exploration

Dimitri

[Quest: Learning the Enemy’s Aim]

Dimitri: If the enemy truly has a different aim, then we need to find it out ahead of time.

Dimitri: It really seems there is no other option than to explore the monastery on our own, searching each place individually.

Dimitri: Afterwards we need to gather information from everyone living here. If we manage to come up with something, let’s speak again.

[If talked to again with insufficient information]

Dimitri: There's still some places I'd like more information on. Is there no one else who seems likely to hear us out?

[If talked to again with enough information]

Dimitri: … I see. To the church, there is something they put above all else.

Dimitri: On the day of the ceremony, it will be much easier to enter compared to normally, due to being opened for the public. That would be...

[Choose: The enemy will target the Greenhouse?] and [Choose: The enemy will target the dining hall?]

Dimitri: … How could that be the case?

Fun fact: When I first read the line, I thought the そうなる was referring to Byleth and he said “Why are you like this?” xD

Dimitri: Yes, I am afraid so.

Dimitri: We still do not know their objective, but the chances of them targeting the Holy Mausoleum are high.

Dedue

Dedue: I thought to help the monks with their duties, but they refused.

Dedue: They said you can never know when someone from Duscur will betray you and that I might be involved with the plot.

English just had them more concisely say that “no one from Duscur can be trusted, especially now”

Dedue: ...Them being nervous about the current situation is to be expected.

Felix

Felix: … An assassin targeting the archbishop, you say? I hope they are worth fighting.

[Choose: I hope so too] +Support with Felix 

Felix: … Hah. It appears we are of the same mind.

[Choose: I want to avoid a battle]

Felix: … That's just what you think.

“That’s just, like, your opinion, man.”

Ashe

Ashe: Ah, Professor... I am sorry. I was just thinking about Lord Lonato...

Ashe: … Sorry for being in such a state at a time like this. It seems I still haven't been able to sort out my feelings.

[Choose: It can't be helped] and [Choose: Pull yourself together] +Support with Ashe for the latter

Ashe: … Thank you. I'll still be taking care of my duties of course.

Ashe: By the way, my younger siblings, who were living at Castle Gaspard, are both well.

Ashe: They are still very young, but it seems they've been taken in by a nearby church...

Ashe: … Even with everything that’s happened, this gives me some peace of mind.

Sylvain

Sylvain: Haah, there's no class on the day of the festivities, so I thought I'd be able to fool around all day..

Sylvain: Hey, Professor. Do you really think they specifically chose the day of the ceremony of rebirth for their assassination plan?

Sylvain: You'd think there’d be times where security would be less severe.

Sylvain: In that case, I wonder if there's a reason it simply had to be that one day?

Mercedes

Mercedes: There are a lot of treasures at the monastery. The enemy is probably after them.

Mercedes: But really, it is such a dreadful thought. To even think someone would steal church property.

Annette

Annette: Ehehe, I came here to buy ingredients for making sweets. Ah, I'm not just messing around or anything.

Annette: I thought it'd be nice to have something on the go for when I get into fights during my patrol.

[Choose: That's a great idea] +Support with Annette

Annette: Ehehe, right? Once I get better at cooking, I'll let you know how to make them, Professor.

[Choose: There's no reason to make sweets...]

Annette: I think eating sweets helps cheer you up... Ah, didn't you say you liked spicy food, Professor?

Ingrid

Ingrid: Professor. Although the investigation is important, you also have to take care not to neglect your training.

Ingrid: In case a battle happens, it wouldn't do to have the tables turned on us.

Ingrid: As we have no idea about the identity of our enemy, we can't be too careful about this.

Scene: The Goddess’ Right of Rebirth

[If you have not completed the quest “Finding the Enemy's Aim”]

Dimitri: At last the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth has begun. … And yet, we have been unable to narrow down what exactly our enemy is after.

Dimitri: The only thing we can do is immediately respond to whatever occurs as we patrol the monastery.

[If Felix and Annette are alive]

Felix: Tch... Being one step behind is hardly gratifying.

Annette: Ah, I baked us some sweets in case we get hungry during our patrol.

Annette: Though I might have messed them up a bit...

Dimitri: Annette... About that explosion in the kitchen last night...

[If you did complete the quest]

Dimitri: At last the Goddess' Rite of Rebirth has begun. We shall move out exactly as we discussed.

Dedue: Yes. Leave it to us. … Professor, you are well prepared as well, right?

[Choose: I am all set.]

Ingrid: Right, we also managed to figure out the enemy's goal after all. Let us do our duty!

[Choose: I don't think so.]

Mercedes: Oh my, the Professor doesn't have faith in this. How disconcerting.

[Choose: I am hungry.]

Annette: Eh? Ah, I'll sneak you some of my sweets after this.

[Continuing]

Dimitri: Professor. We are counting on you. Now then....

[Seteth+Flayn Dialogue. 100% identical between routes.]

Dedue: So it's time.

[If you have not completed the quest]

Dimitri: I managed to narrow down a few places that caught my attention.

Dimitri: Let's check on them one by one. The second floor, the white tower, and after that in the basement... the Holy Mausoleum.

[If you did complete the quest]

Dimitri: Now, let's hide in the agreed spot. We'll stand watch over the entrance to the Holy Mausoleum.

Dimitri: If any suspicious people should enter, we will capture them one and all. All right?

Battle: Aussault at the Godess’ Right of Rebirth

[If you have not completed the quest]

Dimitri: Tch... we were one step behind. It seems the enemy has already infiltrated this place.

[If you have completed the quest]

Dimitri: It is just as we thought. The enemy did actually infiltrate this place.

Mysterious Mage: Those guys from the Central Church already noticed us.... Buy me some time until I lift the seal!

Western Church Soldier: Hahaha!

Dimitri: The enemy is seeking something inside... Saint Seiros coffin. They can't possibly be after her remains, can they?

Dimitri: Although we definitely want to defeat them before they can open Saint Seiros' casket...

Dimitri: Take a close look at the floor. It seems some kind of mechanism was set up here.

Dimitri: Attacking from the best possible position as we proceed, while keeping an eye on the enemies' weapons, seems to me for the best.

Mysterious Mage: Death Knight! You are very strong, yes? Scatter them!

Death Knight: I do not take orders from the likes of you... And facing off against the weak is boring.

Dimitri: … He seems quite experienced. Challenging this knight recklessly would be a foolish idea.

Mercedes VS Death Knight

Mercedes: My my, how scary. Go easy on me, okay?

Death Knight: You are... I see... this chance meeting... was once again fated.

Mercedes: Yeees...? Just what could you be talking about?~

[When the battle ends and the Death Knight retreats]

Dimitri: … He got away. Right now, we'd best give up on any plans of chasing him.

Dimitri: That said... Professor. That sword, that glow... could it be...

Scene: Judgement

[Right after the scene with Rhea]

Dimitri: ….And there you have it. It seems as if the assassination attempt and the attack on the Holy Mausoleum were all orchestrated by the Western Church.

Dimitri: The whereabouts of the masked knight who led the attack are as yet unknown.

Dedue: Still, why would the Western Church do this?

Dimitri: It's because the Church of Seiros is not a unified entity, Dedue.

Dimitri: The church's management is in the hands of the leaders here are Garreg Mach. Even on the Church Council, the Western Church's voice is very weak.

Dimitri: The Western Church must have nursed dissatisfaction with the Central Church for some time.

[Choose: The Western Church...] and [Choose: The Central Church?]

Dimitri: Ah, that's right. Sir Jeralt mentioned that you did not grow up within the church.

Dimitri: The Holy Church of Seiros operates from multiple different branches across Fodlán.

Dimitri: The biggest is the Central Church, whose headquarters are here at Garreg Mach...

Dimitri: The Western Church lies far to the west of Gaspard Castle, where Lord Lonato raised his troops.

Dimitri: Their headquarters are on the other side of the most durable fortress city in the Kingdom, Arianrhod.

Dimitri: It seems the current incident was about the Western Church aiming to throw off the Central Church's authority and eliminate Lady Rhea.

Dimitri: Naturally in this case, the Knights of Seiros make an inquiry concerning their leaders... no, they will ride out to subjugate them.

Dedue: If they do... it will also be our duty to help them, right, Your Highness?

Dimitri: Yeah. However, you really are strange, Professor. To think that someone could be born in Fodlán...

Dimitri: And live their life without any contact with the church, is quite an unbelievable thing.

Dedue: … I wonder why the archbishop would appoint them as Professor.

[If Ashe, Mercedes and Ingrid are alive] 

Ashe: Um... Lady Rhea had all the people from the Western Church killed, right?

Mercedes: It couldn't be helped. Going against the teachings is something that just isn't done...

Ingrid: … Those who do not conform can only be killed. Still, Professor, I....

Seteth: There you are, Professor. It seems the archbishop has something to tell you. Come with me.

[crackimagines]

FE3H - Beer and Romance

Byleth-Sama: Love is War (Part 3)

-----

Part Listings Here!

All AU’s involved listed here!

-----

Having no skills in the art of wooing people, Sara must improvise and find a way to get Byleth with her for the ball.

Even if that means getting help from...Less than desirable people.

-----

The Evening of Part 2...  

[Evening Moments - Trails of Cold Steel]

Sara chugged the last of the ale in her mug and slammed it onto the counter, burping loudly.

(Sara) “Aaaah! Now that hit the spot!”

She laid back against the chair as her mind was barely scrambling together her thoughts.

(Aqua) “You seriously know how to find the good stuff, Instructor!”

(Manuela) “Agreed! Though, what are you doing with us tonight, Sara?”

(Sara) “Hm? Whatcha mean?”

(Manuela) “You’re currently trying to get Byleth as your partner for the dance, right?”

Sara sat back up in her chair and furrowed her brows.

(Sara) “The hell, who told you all that?!”

(Aqua) burp! “Our classes did. Well, technically Sothis did first but ya know!” hic!

(Manuela) “Sothis? Wow, you really ARE out of it. But yes, I heard it from the students. Trying to win that handsome man’s heart isn’t going to be easy with Megumi.”

(Sara) “Hmph.”

(Manuela) “After all, she’s a lot more polite and well liked around the students, doesn’t smell like booze-”

(Sara) “Gee, thanks for your support.”

(Aqua) HIC! “Come on, show some support for our girl! Sara’s got her womanly charms down! She’s SMOKIN! Let’s...ask Kazuma and the other students who’s got your back!”

Sara looked into her mug and nodded.

(Sara) “Not a bad idea from someone so wasted...Let’s do it!”

FWOOOOOOOOOOM!

The entire building shook violently, snapping everyone out of their drinking.

(Manuela) “What in the hell was that?!”

(Sara) “Was...that a guitar?”

(Aqua) “I think it came from the training hall!”

The three looked at each other, shrugged, then went back to drinking. 

Day 3...

[Suburban Town of Trista - Trails of Cold Steel]

Rean sat at the pier fishing when he heard footsteps.

(Sara) “Hey Rean bean!”

(Rean) “Hello, Instructor. Do you need something?”

(Sara) “As a matter of fact, I do! Scooch over will ya?”

Rean shrugged and moved over for Sara to sit down.

(Sara) “Soooo, you have a lot of the girls attention from our class, yes?”

(Rean) “I guess? I don’t know I never got that vibe bef-...Is this about Byleth?”

(Sara) “Right on the money! So, I know I haven’t exactly been the...well...definition of ladylike-”

(Rean) “That’s an understatement-”

(Sara) “H-Hey!”

(Rean) “What? I’m being honest.”

(Sara) “Such words wound my heart! My own student not swooning over his tragically attractive teac-”

(Rean) “It’s Byleth’s attention you’re trying to get right? Class VII is rooting for you all the way, Instructor. Buuuut, I’m not exactly the guy to go to. Why not go to Sharon or any of the girls in House Isekai?”

(Sara) “As if that maid knows anything about being a proper lady!”

(Sharon) “I know more than you do, Miss Sara!”

Sharon smiled as both Rean and Sara jumped.

(Sara) “ACK! Quit doing that! And besides I’m asking you because you seem to help everyone in our class without a hitch. Help your poor teacher too!”

(Rean) “Instructor, you realize I had to do that because you pretty much forced everyone onto me, right?”

(Sharon) “But it’s something you don’t regret doing, Master Rean!”

(Rean) “...Ugh, fair enough. Well I guess if I can recommend anything, what about a better dress? Something you can wear to wow Byleth the day of the ball.”

(Sara) “Hm...That’s a start. Well, thanks Rean!”

(Rean) “Good luck, Instructor.”

Sara walked off to the markets, leaving Rean and Sharon.

(Rean) “...Sharon can you shadow her and Megumi to make sure they don’t end up hurting themselves with this crazy little fight?”

(Sharon) “Already taken care of, Master Rean! I have asked several of our students to keep watch when I am not around!”

(Rean) “Really? Like who?”

...

(Kazuma) “Yo, Sara!”

Sara turned around and saw Kazuma, Megumin, and Edelgard in the market.

(Megumin) “Hi, Instructor!”

(Edelgard) “Good afternoon.”

(Sara) “Hey kids, whatcha need?”

(Kazuma) “We heard you were trying to get an edge over Megunee, and we’re here to help.”

(Megumin) “Yeah, we’ll get you that dance!”

(Edelgard) “You have our word!”

(Sara) “...I can see you two helping me out for none other than pride, but what about you Kazuma?”

(Kazuma) “Meh, it’s just something I believe in.”

“...”

(Kazuma) “...And Sharon paid me.”

(Sara) “There we go, that’s more like it. Anyways, I need some help getting a dress. You lot seem to be more in tune with what’s pretty than me.”

(Megumin) “Uh...All I wear is what you see.”

(Edelgard) “I’m afraid...things like that is beyond my knowledge.”

(Kazuma) “Well if it’s just pretty dresses you need, I think I know just the gal...”

[Open for Business! - Fire Emblem: Awakening]

(Anna) “Welcome to the LARP-Shop!”

(Kazuma) “Sara, this is our dealer for...pretty much every supply we got in House Isekai. Anna, this is that alcoholic teacher.”

(Anna) “A pleasure, Miss Sara!”

(Sara) “Same here. now what’s the LARP part of your shop’s name mean?”

(Anna) “Iunno, sounds kinda fancy ya know?”

(Kazuma) snrk!

(Megumin) “Look at all these costumes! They look like my stuff but...a bit...more banged up.”

(Edelgard) “Oh, what about this knight costume? This is sure to get Byleth’s attention!”

(Kazuma) “Uh, we’re here to get a dress, not make Sara look like us.”

(Anna) “Ooooh, you need a dress? Who’s the lucky man?”

(Sara) “Lucky man? What makes you assume it’s for a guy?”

(Anna) “Well, the ball is coming soon, and every lady I know in Garreg Mach is scrambling to get something pretty, though that’s where the bad news comes in...”

(Kazuma) “Ah shit, don’t tell me?”

(Edelgard) “You’re out of dresses, aren’t you?”

(Anna) “Afraid I am...’

(Sara) “Psh, no problem! I don’t need a dress anyway, I’m sure I can look more stunning with whatever special stuff is here! Hey, Megumin, you’re with me! Edelgard and Kazuma, find me some jewelry!”

(Megumin) “Instructor, who’s money are we using?”

(Sara) “The Monastery’s of course! I ain’t payin a thing myself!”

(Kazuma) “...I respect her so much.”

(Edelgard) “For that?!”

...

(Megumin) “Presenting, the Instructor!”

(Anna) “Oh, she’s done!”

(Kazuma) “Well, let’s see what she di-WOAH.”

“So, how’s this?”

(Megumin) “Pretty!”

(Edelgard) “O-Oh...”

(Kazuma) “HOLY SHIT SHE’S HOT.”

(Anna) “Hah, perfect! To hell with dresses and tradition, am I right?”

(Sara) “Damn straight! Now uh...where exactly did you get this type of clothing? This is more akin to my world’s than anything I’ve seen in Fodlan.”

(Kazuma) “Now that you mention it, yeah that looks more like Earth’s clothing. What’s up with that?”

(Anna) “Don’t question my stock, it’s...an answer you don’t wanna know. Now, let’s get that payment done!”

Once they finished paying for Sara’s new clothes for the ball, she turned to the three.

(Sara) “So, dress acquired! How do I be more ladylike?”

“...”

(Sara) “...I’m asking the wrong people, aren’t I?”

(Megumin, Edelgard & Kazuma) “Yup.”

(Sharon) “If I may?”

(Sara) “GAHGEUDNMDAMN IT!”

(Kazuma) “FUCK! God- how do you?!-”

(Sharon) “I have an idea since the other more womanly types appear to be entirely neutral on this fight or with Megumi though...It’s an idea you may oppose at first.”

(Sara) “Well, I ain’t got anything to lose, hit me.”

Seteth’s Office Room...

[Dapper Cadaver - Team Fortress 2]

Seteth quietly sat in his chair reading a book when he heard a knock at the door.

(Seteth) “Come in.”

Sara awkwardly poked her head around the door.

(Sara) “Uh...h-hey there. Got a second?”

(Seteth) “Oh, Valestein. Please,

GO TO HELL.”

(Sara) “Hah uh...r-real funny. Anyways I-”

SLAM!

Seteth slammed the door, hitting her face in the process and squishing her.

(Sara) “A-AGH! N-NONO WAIT! I’M NOT HERE TO SCREW WITH YOU! I-I NEED YOUR HELP!”

Seteth’s eyes went wide, then he rolled, letting her tumble through the door.

(Seteth) “Make it quick.”

(Sara) “Ack...So...well...You see the thing is, I um...want to take Byleth out...during the...ball.”

(Seteth) “You? You’re terrible with boys!”

(Sara) “Wha? Psh, no! You see this?”

Sara pointed at her face, then body, then the rest of her.

(Sara) “Look at all of this! No, I’m GREAT with the boys! It’s the men, the classy ones. The ones that smell good and...can read.”

(Seteth) “If I recall Byleth couldn’t read when he first started tea-”

(Sara) “Bah, besides the point! And seeing as you’re an actual man who married...I need your help in making me into a woman that he could consider taking into the ball.”

(Seteth) “Hm, and why is it that you are unapproachable to men?”

(Sara) “...C-Come on, Seteth. I don’t know.”

(Seteth) “Well,  a mystery that you will take when you return to your world, goodbye!”

(Sara) “Wait wait wait...Ugh, this NEVER leaves this room...You...are better than me. I need your help.”

Seteth sighed but then turned to her.

(Seteth) “Then let’s get to work. We only have a few more days.”

[yukiwrites]

Flayn, Blurting Out

Thanks for the support as always, @xpegasusuniverse! This one was so funny to write I was cackling to my computer >v<)’’’

Summary: Although Seteth and Flayn had allowed some of the Heroes to know of their circumstances (namely those of dragonkin since they found out the truth with a glance), they still exercised caution. However, they couldn’t help but notice how being around some... blue haired royals made them feel as though they had to run away...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

______________________________

Getting used to the life in Askr turned out to be quite a challenge for Seteth.

He had to be doubly on guard because there were denizens from his own world as well as a wide variety of, let's call them 'heroes' for lack of a proper term, heroes concealing dubious backgrounds.

Every day he felt the pangs of an ulcer developing in his body, though he wanted just as fervently for Flayn to enjoy her time in Askr, if only so she could hold onto the good memories once they were thrown back into the chaos of Fódlan.

Nevertheless, apart from never relaxing his watchful gaze around people who would interact with Flayn, Seteth realized he felt somewhat... disconcerted around certain individuals. He couldn't say if it was something passed down in their family or even if he could trust their words at all -- 'Save the future'? 'Bonds give you strength?' -- despite every single Hero he spoke to vouching for their integrity.

If they were such wonderful people, why did he and Flayn -- and he could tell she also felt discomfort around them; nothing would escape his watch! -- feel that way around them? Their, pfft, royal blue mane and eyes were proof of their royalty and humility?

If they made his precious daughter feel bad, they were not good people, period!

... And yet, Seteth and Flayn were to pair up with one of such individuals for today's battle. They were, first and foremost, summoned people who vowed to obey the Summoner's orders, after all, so they couldn't simply deny fighting alongside someone because they didn't like their general vibe.

"Good day to the both of you," the blue haired man let out a friendly smile, approaching for proper introductions, "I'm Chrom, leader of the Shepherds and next Exalt of Ylisse. Nice to meet you."

"Oh, goodness me!" Flayn exclaimed, placing both hands in front of her mouth in surprise. "This exalted individual is, indeed, the next in line to rule a kingdom, Fa- um, Brother!" She whispered close to Seteth's ear, feeling the discomfort increase with each step Chrom gave in their direction.

Chrom tilted his head to the side, a slight frown knitting his brow. "Is something the matter, my good lady? If I've offended you..."

"Oh!" Flayn waved both hands in front of her face in a flustered apology. "Do forgive my lack of manners, good lord! I have, um, a hard time conversing with strangers due to my sheltered upbringing." She bowed respectfully, though Seteth's ever present hand on her waist didn't allow her to bow properly.

"Ah," Chrom scratched the back of his neck, flashing a wide smile. "That's alright; no need to force yourself on my behalf. I can talk from way over," he took two steps back, "here."

Flayn snorted a laugh, quickly slapping her mouth with both hands to hide the following giggles. "Thank you for your consideration, my lord! I would feel bad if you were to continue to do so without knowing the circumstances, so I must confess..."

"Flayn-" Seteth intervened, shooting the young woman with an alarmed glance.

"Oh, but Fa- Brother, he seems to be such an upstanding individual. Perhaps we should simply ask so we can come to the bottom of this!"

"It does get rather difficult to hear what you're saying from way over here..." Chrom commented light-heartedly, earning the end of Seteth's glare. "Pray, good sir, tell me if I've done something to offend you and your sister. I mean you no harm -- on the contrary, I simply want us to have a friendly banter before we carry out our mission."

Sighing, the older man pressed the bridge of his nose in pent up frustration, changing the weight of his body to another foot. "Forgive my open hostility, Lord Chrom. The truth is that Flayn and I feel some sort of discomfort whenever you or the ones from your bloodline are present."

Chrom frowned, crossing his arms in thought. "Discomfort? Bloodline? Are you talking about Lissa and Lucina, perhaps?"

"Oh, now that I think about it, Lady Lissa is a most pleasant company for tea time." Flayn criss crossed her fingers in a lady-like manner, though then tilted her head to the side in confusion. "So it means that Lady Lissa does not exude this... pressure I unfortunately feel around you, good Lord."

"I have ascertained that only those of blue hair that are linked to you make us feel this way. Lord Marth, Lady Lucina... Though not blue-haired, Lord Alm also radiates this pressure."

"Pressure? Me?" Chrom took one hand to his chin in thought, "I could understand if it were Lord Marth, but I'm nothing if not approachable..." He mumbled here and there, trying to make a connection, his eyes falling on the ground. Then, from the corner of his gaze, he saw Falchion. "Oh! I see now!"

Flayn and Seteth both perked up at his sudden shout. He unsheathed his sword, its blue gleam shining on their eyes.

Though the two of them couldn't enjoy the wonder that was that sword for shivers ran up their spines, making Flayn take a step back while Seteth brought her close to his chest.

"Oh, sorry, I'll put it way over here." Noticing the color leaving their faces, Chrom placed Falchion at a nearby wall. "I’m sure that's the reason you two feel that around those people -- Falchion is a blade forged with the fang of a divine dragon and it can cut through any of draconic descent." He explained carefully, approaching them slowly to check if they were alright with it. "I couldn't see your ears so I didn't know you two were makenetes," he glanced at their elaborate hairstyle, trying to find anything pointy under it, though ultimately returned to meeting their eyes. "So you probably just knew by instinct that Falchion was your natural enemy and wanted to be away from it."

Her heart still pounding, Flayn took a tentative step towards Chrom -- and to her delight, there was no more discomfort now that the sword was so far away. "Oh, this is wonderful news!" She hopped on her spot, then took Seteth's hand so they could walk closer to Chrom.

Seteth, however, didn't budge. His frown, instead, deepened. "You said your sword was forged with the remains of a dragon? A divine one, if I recall?"

Flayn widened her eyes at the remark, remembering the unfortunate events that transpired back in her homeland. She looked from her father to the lord, her body swaying back to Seteth's warmth.

However, Chrom immediately gasped, then shook his hands in denial. "Gods, no! The divine dragon herself bestowed Falchion to the first exalt so he could defeat an evil dragon! We would never desecrate a holy dragon's body." He said in a gentle and hurried voice at the same time he felt a presence approaching. Taking a quick glance behind him, he grew out a smile. "In fact, she's actually the fourth member of our group for today's mission: Naga, the divine dragon." Chrom presented the approaching being with pride in his lips, though he still felt rather conflicted to be able to talk so casually and fight alongside with, well, his god.

Seteth and Flayn let out soundless exclamations of surprise once Naga approached, her very existence something that brought back an IMMENSE nostalgia inside the both of them. It was as though her aura... her aura felt almost the same as... the one back then.

Flayn opened and closed her mouth, unsure of what to say next, especially unknowing what to say to a deity. Her eyes, gods damn them, trailed to Falchion, abandoned by a wall, then back to Naga's... well, mouth.

Back and forth did the young girl look, prompting both Seteth and Chrom to follow her gaze and immediately understand where her thoughts were leading her. Chrom pressed his lips into a thin line and scratched the back of his neck while Seteth squeezed Flayn’s stomach with a tad more strength, but that didn’t stop the overflowing words from escaping her lips.

"So, her tooth..." She said under her mouth in awe, almost pointing at Naga's face. 'Almost' because Seteth held her finger down on the last minute.

Naga did not need context to understand and simply closed her eyes, though Chrom could swear he saw a hint of annoyance in her countenance. "It grew back."

[kendrixtermina]

An Alternate Take on The Prologue

It seems to have been almost universally accepted that the events in the prologue were an assassination attempt meant to remove Dimitri and Claude so that the war would go smoother later on. I’d like to present an alternative possibility. 

I have no solid 100% certain proof I’m not even going to pretend that this is anything other than my own interpretation that’s no more valid than the other one. It’s just a possibility. 

Thus it is ultimately an opinion that I wouldn’t base further conclusions on. We don’t know for a fact that her goal wasn’t, in fact, assassination. 

Still I think because there’s quite a lot of interesting stuff going on in that scene that ppl seem to miss, that I want to dissect here regardless of wether you agree with my thesis or not

Significant Clues: 

The Actual Motive

I’m not sure if it was Seteth or a random Monk, but I think more than one character goes on about how the Church’s reputation that they worked for so many years would have been tarnished if anything happened to the heirs.  Especially when you consider there aren’t that many Blaiddyds left and even less Riegans and that both are expected to solve/end the dire chaos in their respective factions.

Now who would benefit from making the Church look bad? Someone who plans to declare war on them maybe? 

They wouldn’t put that sort of dialogue there if we weren’t supposed to conclude something from it.

This might be less obvious if you haven’t played her route (though even then, you still get her speech in all of them don’t you?) but her declaration of war was strictly against the Church and their allies. She hands out papers everywhere, exposing the Church’s wrongdoings and asking all the rulers to choose sides. Petra mentions getting one such letter. 

She knew full well that most of the Kingdom and Alliance would side with the Church (and keep fighting even after Rhea’s taken out) and that there would probably be calvacades of collateral damage,  after all the Church indoctrinates the ruling elites at the Academy and thanks to the phony “crests are divine gifts” story the nobles depend on the Church for legitimacy as rulers - but every lord who doesn’t support the Church is one whose army she doesn’t have to fight. 

When she declares war, she wants as many people as possible to either stand down or join her. Painting the church as incompetent (or, in her mind, “highlighting” their incompetence) to safeguard the precious heirs might have increased that number, if Byleth’s heroic intervention and subsequent appointment as a professor hadn’t overshadowed the whole thing. 

Also note that for this to cause a scandal, Dimitri and Claude don’t need to be dead. 

Essentially ordering a hit on herself is certainly in line with Edelgard’s other... as Claude put it, “gutsy moves” (Such as not evacuating Enbarr in GD knowing full well that Claude was not going to tear through the civilians, effectively restricting his movements) but looking at literally any other action she’s ever taken, she always goes out of her way to give people the option to surrender., consistently, all the time, all throughout her route (and even many of her engage quotes in the other routes - She offers to let Claude and Byleth go at Gronder, for example) 

She even gets this whole rant before you go to fight Claude about how she wishes people would just stand down peacefully instead of starting fights they can’t win. (which is perhaps why she tells Byleth to just go ahead and finish her once she realizes that she’s beaten in the other routes)

She’ll mow you down if you oppose her alright but first she’ll make sure that both you (and her allies all of whom get the chance to opt out) are all there because you want to be/ are actually choosing to oppose her. It’s not like her to just kill people without giving them an explanation or a choice. 

But smears and coverups? That’s another matter. There’s her whole secret identity/secret faustian Bargain thing, that time only Hubert, Byleth and Lysithea knew which fortress they’d be attacking, and how she pinned the Javelins of light on the church. That’s totally something she’d do, (which might’ve backfired on the credibility of her pamphlets; PR and negotiation are simply not her greatest strengths)

Which makes her less truthful than, say, Dimitri (I think the only time he ever remotely lied to an ally was to hide his investigations of Arundel from Dedue), but overall still not as deceptive as Claude or the Church , since these are all “tactical” lies for concrete short-term goals, nothing relating to their goals. 

Everyone on Edelgard’s side knows that she wants to abolish hereditary rule and create an equal society, even if that means making enemies; Claude tells no one what he’s planning until the very end even though the knights might not follow him if he’d told them that he means to diminish the Church’s influence on society, kinda hoping that everyone will come around on their own - He does this even with Byleth to an extent. 

(Though when it comes to the Church we must really differentiate between the Chuch as a whole established by Rhea and Seteth individually, who I’d rate as significantly more truthful than Edelgard since he only lies out of very justified self-protection and loyalty to Rhea (who is his sister, and about whose wrongdoings he only knows the tip of the iceberg), and even urges her to come clean in the end.)

Ferdinand finds it strange that they just so ran into a bunch of mercenaries and wonders if one of the house leaders knew that there were mercenaries. 

As before, that Dialogue is there for a reason. One of them probably did know. 

So who is it? Probably not Dimitri he can’t pokerface worth a damn. 

That leaves Edelgard or Claude. 

Edelgard might’ve know that there were mercenaries nearby and expected them to intervene if things went south. Or it could be Claude, and that’s why he ran off.

We know that he’s got great survival instincts, grew up in a warrior culture of sorts, and makes a habit of carefully observing his surroundings. Perhaps he just spotted a large amount of hoofprints or beaten muddy footpaths, and deduced that there might be help to be had in that direction.  

For now I’ll say that Claude is the most likely option. 

I mean it’s really like him to be a spanner in the works before he even known anything is up - also, he’s the one who ran. It’s because of HIM that the trio went that direction, not because of anything Edelgard did. 

Leave it to Claude to look like he’s bailing when he’s actually looking for help. (but also taking a bit of a risk since he didn’t know for certain that he would find help).  Also he says something like “Ain’t it great the gods of fortune sent us your way?” which is something Claude would only say ironically. 

Kostas didn’t know there would be knights

As far as he knew he was just supposed to “kill some noble pipsqueaks”

But actually, our trio wasn’t supposed to be alone - it was an exercise with Alois and bunch of knights, the elite knights of Seiros, mind you, who are renowed throughout the land. (as Edelgard herself tells you after the fight)

Meaning that Edelgard probably didn’t expect them to be beaten by a bunch of bandits.

Of course beating Claude and Dimitri themselves on their own might be another matter, at least if they’re outnumbered. Still, she must’ve known that Dimitri had seen actual war before and was aware of Claude’s suspicious arrival. 

Since she was with them one could think that she maybe lured them away from the group... except that the situation ultimately depended on at least two unpredictable factors:

- The guy who was supposed to get Byleth’s job bolted. He was supposed to be with the trio and presumably semi-competent. 

I’m surprised that he didn’t show up as an antagonist afterwards or something. We never find out anything about this guy or why he ran though it coulve been simple cowardice. 

Well, unless he too was a plant who meant to run off so Jeritza (who definitely was an imperial plant) could take his job - Didn’t someone say something about expecting Jeritza to get the job Byleth got? I think it was Felix. 

- Claude ran for it, and Dimitri chased after him

Now that’s something that Edelgard really couldn’t have predicted. It’s just Claude being Claude, and Dimitri being Dimitri and hence, heroically charging after him to help him out. 

If Claude hadn’t run off, the trio would have stayed with the knights who could presumably handle a bunch of bandits. If Dimitri hadn’t charged after him to save him, Claude’s plan would have worked without a hitch and he would have returned with allies - he was just one person, he’s the fastest/stealthiest and the least valuable target so he might’ve escaped by himself. 

But Dimitri and Claude running off? Let alone all three? That’s all the most valuable targets on a platter so the thieves went after them. Dimitri, bless his heart,  of course thought that Claude was acting as a decoy and counting on himto come after him.  (consider how he eventually really DOES expect Dimitri to bail him out at the end of Dimitri’s route)

I’d like to stress that Dimitri’s genuine, unpremeditated and unplanned action with no ulterior motive besides helping out proved to be as much of a spanner here as Claude’s clever foresight and chaotic action, and that neither of the other two had been expecting it.  

Dimitri and Claude explicitly tell us that the other two got separated from the group because they chased after Claude. (Again, if she just wanted to kill them, why not just stick with the knights and let them run to their deaths? She’d get a bonus alibi. Indeed she might’ve gone after them because she hadn’t meant for this to end lethally - though it’s fully possible that she just followed without thinking and didn’t intend to get separated)

Something to appreciate here is that while Edelgard is competent and had been planning this for a while, she’s still relatively young and inexperienced and she can only defy or constrain TWSITD so much until she gets the throne.

She has clearly been amassing allies of her own (she marches in with a bunch of relatively young, handpicked generals such as Randolph, Jeritza and Ladislava, and cuts a deal with some from the old regime such as Caspar’s and Linhardt’s dads... though how he goes out in the Church and Alliance routes suggests that Caspar’s dad had some redeeming qualities) , but even with all this and some tentative assent from Arundel and co. she still needed to make an unnanounced surprise visit to actually get her hands on the crown.

She’s not exactly in over her head, but she’s attempting to control a very volatile situation while essentially making a deal with a loose-canon devil she can just barely keep in check. 

A microcosm of what’s to come

The central tragedy of the game is that though the faction leaders were ultimately good people who had the same enemies, they wind up fighting each other before they get at the real bad guys because they’re all acting on information that other other’s don’t have and hence don’t know the other’s situation. 

In a way the introduction scene is kinda like a miniature version of that. 

Each of their individual plans/decisions might have worked, but not all three at once. 

If you think about it the way they would’ve died without Byleth’s intervention foreshadows each of their “bad” endings - Edelgard finds herself surrounded and outnumbered after he plans backfire and goes down fighting as no one else has a clue what she’s really doing, Dimitri rushes head-first into an unwinnable fight because he puts honor before reason,  misjudged someone’s intentions and doesn’t consider his own role, and Claude would’ve either bailed, or gotten himself killed when one of his plans didn’t quite turn out like he wanted. 

Too bad you can only pick one :( 

The other two stay that way. 

[fantasyinvader]

Saw a post about the nature of the Black Eagle’s paralogues and how they make CF feel like it was incomplete. But I kinda think they all say something if you look at them as a whole.

For starters, Dorothea’s paralogue with Ingrid. In this, Ingrid gets a marriage proposal from a merchant who bought a noble title (through blood). This paralogue, when you really think about it, undermines the idea that Crests are everything in Fodlan. We have a man here, without a Crest, able to rise up thanks to a lot of blood on his hands. And then we have Ingrid’s family, how she has a Crest and she is reduced to being nothing more than a tool for this man to legitimatize his position.

Ferdinand’s Paralogue is not available in Crimson Flower. In it, we find out his father has been blamed for the brutal reign of Arundel in the Hymr region. This includes that Edelgard is employing conscription, in addition to how Arundel is executing those who resist. We also learn more about the Insurrection of the Seven, and how it was caused by Edelgard’s father trying to consolidate power. All in all, it undermines Edelgard’s story.

Caspar’s paralogue is about how he wants to take out the Death Knight, and isn’t available in CF. What the Death Knight did in Part 1 is unforgivable to Caspar, who rushes to the opportunity to take him out. Considering that Caspar is the guy who follows what he believes is right, and how this paralogue is his moment to shine, it really points to how off he is fighting for Edelgard. Ditto Ferdinand.

Manuela was also quick to rush out and face the Death Knight in her paralogue, which would make her joining Edelgard all the more unlikely though she will default to this alongside Hanneman in Azure Moon.

Petra and Bernadetta’s. If we play Crimson Flower, they head out after Petra is told that the Church is trying to make Brigid support them. But when Catherine arrives, she says the Church was only asking for Brigid not to support the Empire. But this route changes outside of CF, where Hubert tries to force Brigid to support Edelgard, while Brigid wants to support the Church because fuck the Empire. It’s also worth noting that in the latter scenario, Petra is no longer in the Empire’s possession a political hostage. In short, it makes it look like Petra was lied to in CF.

Linhardt’s plays out mostly the same, except you are told to keep it secret from Edelgard and Hubert. Lin knows the monster is the Saint, and he’s willing to keep this information away from those two, and you if you killed Flayn and Seteth. He pretty much knows Edelgard is seeking dragon genocide, and if you help in this her he thinks worse of you.

Hubert’s confirms that the Empire is still working with TWSITD, who are still turning people into monsters. The fact that you have to save them despite what they’ve done to Byleth and various other characters should unnerve the player. But they’re also shown to be somewhat incompetant, hinting they aren’t the threat they were made out to be.

Finally, Edelgard’s. Almyra invades regardless of whether or not you spared Claude. And I mean really invades, with what we see (outside of CF) in Hilda’s paralogue to be them not being serious. And if you spared Claude, he said he would return the favor. But which favor, because you did invade the neutral country he was in charge of, killed people he was close to (even killing Judith if she tries to retreat), and then acted like everything was good because you spared him? It’s as tone deaf as this paralogue is. Or if you killed him, you don’t expect consequences from killing the prince of a neighboring country?

The BE paralogues all seem to work against CF. Some undermine Edelgard’s narrative, others show that characters should not be part of her army.

[golden-deer-dear]

Love of Mine, Chapter 5/5, a Claude x Byleth Fic

Summary:  They were so looking forward to the birth of the first child, but when complications arise, Byleth and Claude must face the fact that their moment of happiness could turn into a tragedy.

Notes:   Uh yeah, so I needed a break from writing kid Byleth and Claude, and decided to just go ahead and finish this. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me through this. Your support means a lot to me.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4

Read on AO3.

Love of Mine, Chapter 5

Kiana took a deep breath as the gate before her opened and the cheers of the crowd washed over her. As she stepped out into the blazing Almyran sunlight, the cheers reached a fever pitch. They knew what would happen at the end of this fight, and they had already embraced its outcome. Through the care and dedication she had shown her people, they had come to embrace her. 

“I am the King of Almyra, Dowager King of United Fódlan, Hero of the Western Wars, and Blessed of the Green Star! Who are you to challenge me?” 

Her father’s voice cut across the noise of the crowd, declaring the traditional battle cry that came before a coronation, and they waited with bated breath for her answer, despite knowing full well who she was. “I am Queen of a United Fódlan, Archbishop of its faith, Princess to the lands of Almyra, She Who Blessed the West with Water, and Bulwark of a Nation!” 

At her words the crowd shouted again, and she had to wait for them to calm before she could speak once more. “I have come to claim the throne of Almyra! Through birthright I challenge you, and by my strength shall I prove worthy!”

Kiana came on hard and fast, dodging to the side when she felt her father’s axe disturbed the air near her. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest, adrenaline fueling every spell and punch. This fight was her destiny, and she would not fail.

/

“Tear him apart, Kiana!” 

“Uh, Tessa, that is your father down there.”

Tessa rolled her eyes and waved a hand at her in law. “Oh, she knows I don’t mean literally, Hanneman. Besides, that’s your wife!”

“And I’m very proud of her,” Hanneman said, as calmly as they ever did. Cyril and Lysithea’s child, named for the man who had given Lysithea back the years of her life before he passed on, stood at Byleth’s side, watching over the children that played at the former archbishop’s feet.

Tessa’s mother, the revered Byleth, queen of two nations and leader of a religion for many years, seemed so much happier with her burdens removed. Despite the laughter lines around her eyes, and the grey streaking her once rare green hair, she seemed younger sitting there holding Kiana and Hanneman’s third child. The older two, only six and four, had been entertaining each other until their mother appeared. Now they stood with eager faces pressed against the railing of the royal box as they watched their mother and grandfather fight.

Tessa clicked her tongue in distaste and turned, her skirts swirling out around her and transforming her every movement into a dramatic effect. She had long ago learned to wield fashion as effectively as any other weapon available to her. She sank onto a lounge next to her fiance, leaning into the other woman’s side. It wasn’t that she disliked her in law, she just never really saw eye to eye with them. Hanneman was much too business comes first for her taste, but it did make them a good ruler. And her sister loved them, so tolerating their presence was the least she could do.

“Lucina, love, how are you doing? Is there anything I can get you?” Tessa asked as she hooked her arms around one of her fiance’s own. She caught the flash of her mother’s smile out of the corner of her eye, and it warmed her own soul. 

“No.” Lucina shook her head with a smile on her lips. “I’m fine. I’m just reminded of Ferox right now.”

The adventurer in Tessa jumped for joy at the mention of the other kingdom. “You’ll have to take me there when we go back to Ylisse. Father will be fascinated.” The fact that her parents had agreed to go to Ylisse with her when Tessa went back for her marriage only made her more eager to leave. And Byleth seemed very interested in the alternate version of Lucina that had come back in time to fight in a war beside her parents. It was a fascinating topic, but Tessa preferred her version of Lucina. 

It was not that she did not enjoy being in Almyra that made Tessa want to leave, but she knew it would always be there for her to come home to. It was what made Tessa serve so well as her sister’s ambassador. Kiana touched the hearts of their people at home, and Tessa reached out to those beyond their borders. 

“It’s almost over,” Byleth said softly, drawing everyone’s attention back to the fight.

Claude had once been the most feared warrior in Almyra, challenged only by his queen. But his movements had started to slow with age, his grey hair proof of the toll time had exacted upon him. Kiana threw fire from her fists, reading the changes in the air to determine where her father moved. Tessa had to admire Kiana’s fighting style every time she saw it. It was something unique to her sister. Kiana had mastered preparing spells while throwing punches and kicks, releasing their potency right beneath her enemy’s nose. 

Kiana landed a particularly vicious hit across Claude’s jaw, lightning sparking at his flesh as she hit. The King of Almyra hit the floor hard, rising to his feet a minute later with the help of his daughter, all without his crown. No, that belonged to Kiana now. 

Tessa’s beloved older sister was now queen of two countries. 

She leapt up, cheering her sister’s name louder than anyone else in the crowd. Even Hanneman let loose a cry of triumph for their wife. 

And through it all, Byleth smiled, soft and serene, surrounded by the people she loved most in the world. The burdens of leadership were removed from her shoulders, and the joy Tessa saw in those mint green eyes, eyes she had inherited, made her own fill with tears. 

Her mother had sacrificed so much over the years. She deserved to spend the rest of her life proud of her children, spoiling her grandchildren rotten, and spending time with the man she had come back for time and time again.

/

“You’re missing a party.”

Byleth leaned back into Claude’s strong arms as he joined her on the balcony, wrapping her in his warm embrace. Even after all these years, she could still marvel at how wonderful she felt when he held her close. “It is a party for the young, the generation we have passed the world to. Right here, on this balcony with you, is the only place I need to be right now.”

Claude hummed against her hair, his lips kissing the top of her head before he laid his cheek against her. “How did Seteth take the news?”

“He knew. He knew long ago when the first grey hair appeared.” Byleth sighed heavily, a sudden chill going through her. It was the one regret she had about choosing to give up the long life the crest stone in her heart would offer her. She did not want to cause Seteth and Flayn another hurt, but her place was with Claude. “He said he wasn’t sure how I had done it, especially with his blood and Rhea’s in my veins, but didn’t seem surprised.”

“I’d like to know how you did it,” Claude pointed out. “An eternity with you doesn’t sound so bad.”

Byleth smiled and shook her head, turning in her husband’s embrace. Her hand lingered on the bruise across his jaw, softly caressing the marred skin. “We have our own eternity right here. Look.” She took his hand and led him to the center of the balcony where the night sky sparkled up at them as moonlight played on precious gemstones embedded in black stone. They shone brightly, the static sky on the night Claude had purposed, matching the moving stars above. “They’re in the same positions,” Byleth pointed out, lifting her head to look at the heavens.

“Huh. They really are. I lost track of where everything was with Kiana’s coronation.” He swept Byleth back into his arms, swaying gently to a simple melody he began to hum. 

Byleth let him lead the dance, harmonizing with her own tune. She smiled up at him, Claude’s face, no less handsome for the years that weighed upon it, was illuminated by starlight. She knew she would want for nothing else the rest of her years. However many were left, they would all be spent side by side with the man she loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I FINISHED A FIC! Guys, you have no idea how hard it is for me to finish a multi chapter fic! I am really happy right now!

[ncfan-1]

Things I want to write for Three Houses (and may not actually wind up writing), a (most likely) incomplete list:

- Pre-canon fic with Petra, Edelgard, and Hubert. Gen.

- Fic for my headcanon of Edelgard’s stepmother, the Empress Berengaria. We know that this Empress must have existed, for Edelgard references her father having already married for political purposes by the time he met Patricia, but we know nothing about her. My headcanon of her is that she is by birth a member of House Nuvelle, that she was a supporter of Ionius’s attempts to consolidate his power, possessed a minor Crest of Cethleann, and that neither of her two children by Ionius numbered among the few (only three, in my headcanon) royal children who possessed any Crest at all. The fact that Edelgard was one of only three royal children with a Crest made her much more dynastically relevant than she otherwise would have been, and when Patricia was exiled, Berengaria took one look at baby/toddler Edelgard, said something to the effect of “It’s free real estate”, and snatched that kid right up before one of the consorts could get to her. Berengaria pushed hard for Edelgard’s candidacy as the next Emperor; she knew she’d never get anywhere promoting her own children (kid with a Crest wins over a kid without any day of the week), and installing a child she’d raised as the next Emperor was the best chance she had of ensuring that her and her own children’s would be preserved during the reign of the next emperor. She did care for Edelgard—and Edelgard definitely thinks of Berengaria before she thinks of Patricia when she thinks of ‘Mother’—though it’s less clear whether she loved Edelgard. Berengaria locked horns with Lord Arundel often over Edelgard’s custody. Just before the Insurrection of the Seven, Berengaria was assassinated via poison, and most assume it was Lord Arundel who killed her. The fic will be gen, obviously.

- I want to finish In This Valley of Dying Stars. Fic’s Dimileth, though it’s pre-ship, given its space in the timeline and the fact that neither Dimitri nor Melusine are in a good place mentally while it takes place.

- Want to write the sequel to In This Valley of Dying Stars, aka “Melusine finds out exactly what’s up about her and she takes it really poorly.” Dimileth, takes place just post the S-support, though the ship isn’t really the main focus of the fic. Melusine’s existential crisis kicking into overdrive is the main focus of the fic.

- A couple of oneshots set in the same ‘verse as In This Valley of Dying Stars and the as of yet untitled sequel. One of them focuses on Melusine, Flayn, Seteth, and Manuela, after Melusine overexerts herself using Divine Pulse and is unconscious for roughly a day and a half as a result. The second is the search for Rhea in Enbarr after the final battle. Enbarr’s the biggest city on the continent, and without Hubert’s letter, finding her… Yeah, that takes a while, and it’s taking even longer considering that there’s still fighting throughout the city even after Edelgard’s death and Dimitri is in no state to fight after taking a dagger to the shoulder. Both are gen; the first is entirely gen, and the second one mostly gen (In that there’s Dimileth simmering in the background, but it’s not the main focus of the fic).

- A fic set during the timeskip of Azure Moon, in which the explanation for why Mercedes is wearing a cap and veil post timeskip that looks a lot like the headgear worn by the nuns around Garreg Mach is that she took religious orders during the timeskip. Partly because she wants to become a nun, and partly because, while nuns don’t have to take vows of chastity in this universe, anyone who takes religious vows, even if they’re remaining a part of the secular world, is protected by law from being forced into marriage against their will. Even if the Empire has taken over Fhirdiad, where Mercedes lives, the prevailing culture is still very pro-Church, and thus, the men her adoptive father brings around the house take one look at her headdress, only have to hear her say, “No, I’m afraid I don’t particularly want to marry you :)” and are out the door, usually shooting dirty looks at her adoptive father in the process. Said adoptive father is too chickenshit to make her take off the headdress—especially considering she had four separate copies made up of the official document commemorating her taking religious orders, and three of them have been sent off to people who would not be at all inclined to give them to him to burn.

- Timeskip fic of Marianne’s evolving relationship with Margrave Edmund.

- A multi-chapter AU where Dimitri turns into a Demonic Beast during the timeskip, and the only way for him to turn back into a man is for him to let go of his rage and hatred of Edelgard enough that it isn’t consuming him anymore. This one’s… Yeah, it’s gonna be rough. And at least somewhat gruesome (Maybe more than somewhat). Main characters are: Dimitri, Melusine, Felix, Marianne, and when they show up, Rodrigue and Dedue. Gen. The only ship is Marianne x Linhardt, it’s mostly in the background, and it’s here primarily because it’s thematically appropriate and I love them. The violence and themes might be enough to make it M-rated. I’ve been mulling this one over for a while: here’s a snippet. The tag for this one will be ‘Demonic Beast AU.’

- Ingrid and Leonie get a support chain. Basically, it’s Leonie wondering “why is this noble girl asking me to show her how to make candles out of leftover cooking grease?” and finding out exactly why. Gen.

- Seteth comes to the monastery and deals with people reacting to the unvetted, unqualified stranger being promoted to a position of high authority over them. Gen, here’s the post I made speculating about it.

- Rhea and Seteth in the monastery, just being siblings at each other. Gen.

- Silver Snow Seteth having a reckoning over the damage wrought by the Crest System, and over everything he’s been complicit in since coming to live and work in the monastery. Basically a “That moment when you realize that the system you’ve been complicit in upholding has fucked over everyone you care about whose names aren’t Rhea and Flayn, and now everyone you care about may well die thanks to the secrets you and Rhea have been keeping,” to bridge the gap between what we see of him in the game and what we hear of him in his unpaired ending. Gen.

- Ingrid’s relationship with her mother, which I imagine as being at least somewhat fraught. Gen.

- The Sacred and Profane (titled such because I am so very original), centered around Rhea’s first couple of attempts at making a vessel for Sothis out of the children she created from her blood. Gen. The only fic idea I haven’t written yet that actually has a title.

- A fic centering around Lysithea and Ferdinand’s relationship if the game had fleshed it out more. Because I love their interactions in their paralogue, and I would have liked for them to have a support chain. Will probably be set in Azure Moon or Silver Snow. Could be gen, could be fucked-up shippiness. Anything is possible.

- An AU where Rhea learns to see Melusine’s mother as a person in her own right rather than simply a failed vessel, and thus treats Melusine like a person as well. So she handles things a bit differently after Melusine is born, and thus, Jeralt never leaves the monastery with her. And yet, things manage to go almost as poorly as they do in canon. Gen. Will be tagged ‘Grandmother AU.’

- An AU where after Edelgard resurfaces after having been experimented on and successfully implanted with the Crest of Flames, Rhea snatches her up and declares her a ward of the Church because those kids were descendants of someone she gave her blood to, dammit. Things… do not go well. Gen.

- Post-canon in Crimson Flower, Edelgard and Lysithea have a tense conversation just before Lysithea undergoes a procedure to have her Crests removed. Gen.

- Shapeshifter Marianne AU. Not sure if it will be gen or have ships in it.

- A fairy tale AU where Melusine is a lot more like her namesake. Probably Dimileth, and probably the least likely thing on this list to actually get written.