#Boar!Dimitri is a tsundere?

[archer3-13]

oh wow a fire emblem post after a lot of not posting about fire emblem. its been slow and i dont care too much about heroes, sue me.

i've come to the conclusion that people get too hung up on the idea of whether felix was right or wrong about dimitri when it comes to discussions on their character dynamics [it all tends to be very felix focused anyways]. I would say that at the end of the day, the story needs felix to be wrong in order to work as it does and theres no getting around that.

as a result however, dimitris side of that dynamic often gets overlooked i think and its a shame, cause i would say its the most important factor in how that dynamic works. cause well felix hurls all manner of verbal abuse at him, dimitri never disabuses felix of those notions even when he's trying his hardest to pretend everything is fine. he just takes the abuse, and i would argue thats far more important to the dynamic and speaks a lot more to dimitris core characteristics.

what dimitri is, is sad, traumatized, and possessed of an intense self loathing that blends together into a self destructive cocktail. its not just that the dead are haunting him, its that the dead are haunting him by calling him a pussy ass bitch in the most violent way possible, all the while everything falls apart around him. and his response to this is to try and repress that sorrow and trauma as deep as he possibly can, because he has too much to do, not enough time, and everyones counting on him.

what dimitri isn't, is possessed of a hidden darkness that can only be expressed in violent rage and general monsterousness/assholery. certainly he can express those things, but they're always symptoms of whats happening around him and in the story. the inevitable reaction of all that misery hes so deeply repressed exploding in violent reaction to the cruelty of the world around him. And it is importantly cruelty and injustice that he's reacting to, remire village, the holy tomb, the entire god damn war phase etc. its why dimitris story is always importantly intertwined with the idea of having others to support you and your burdens.

anyways, guess what end of the stick felix latches onto during the academy phase!!

its grimly funny in a way, but what felix is essentially playing with dimitri is purity politics. people often overlook that canonically he was a very sweet and gentle child before the tragedy, and that his aloof prickly i studied the blade demenour is just a crude imitation of glenns personality [but yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that hes dealing with glenns death better then rodrigue]. and he practically grew up alongside dimitri, who he only ever knew as a kind and gentle boy as well. then the tragedy happens and uproots everything in his life, so he tries to find that stability again by going with dimitri in their first battle.

and that's where he sees that violent reaction dimitri sorrow can elect. and like a true gamer, felix rejects the idea that his [pure, sweet, gentle] dimitri could ever do or be like that. it must be a monster in a humans skin, a boar prince.

and like the tsundere idiot he is, felix takes it as his own duty [consciously or not] to act as the jailkeeper for that wild animal that's taken his friends place. possibly its executioner even. because felix is too caught up in his own grief to see beyond that rage, a rage he rejects the "true" dimitri of being capable of.

and, wadda ya know. dimitri being caught in a violent spiral of self hatred and anger at the injustices of the world, does nothing to disabuse felix of these notions. because he feels like he deserves to be abused by felix, and also because its easier to brush things off that way and pretend everything is normal.

and i find that a lot more interesting to view the relation between the two in and how it develops over the games story.

[randomnameless]

i know you said hopes had negative character development for the cast, but who do you think is better in hopes than in houses?

Better like in better writing, or better as in I appreciate them more?

Without a doubt, I'd say Felix and Sylvain who are better in Nopes than their FE16 versions, and in a way... Rhea herself, thanks to having more screentime when she isn't PTSD'ing lol

Call it chauvinism, but Sylvain in Nopes was scrubbed out of everything that made him... unlikable/feel flat in Houses.

His sob story about people only wanting to fuck him for his title/crest really felt... straight out ripped from some High School AU, with John McChad acting like an ass because the only girls who want to date him are interested in his situation as a heir of his dad's big company, and not because they love him. Yay. Great. Perfectly what I'm looking for in my medieval fantasy game where you whack people with swords.

Add to that the focus on crusts being the supposedly only reason why people are lusting over him - and not because, hey, you're a member of one of the most important noble houses in the Kingdom - to play in the general "crust bad" orchestra that can lead on the Supreme path, and the fact it's never ever adressed, and we have... this, which completely, to me, hides the other parts of Sylvain's character - like being someone who thinks outside of the box and resolves to lessen the reliance on his relic to defend the border by... creating a situation where they'll be no tension at the border, aka, a peace with Sreng.

Now, Sylvain works so well in Nopes partly because all of his "wah ladies only want my penis because i'm rich :'( " is erased, so we see a character who takes his duties as the heir of Gautier seriously, assists his Lord and friends and bring "new ideas" to help everyone. Sylvain, under his frivolous appearance and behavior, actually thinks and learns and suggests a lot of things that are quite useful, a bit like a "what if Sain wasn't only interested in courtship, but was raised as a future lord and had insight and suggestions on what to do". So sure, it's not as quirky and memorable as John McChad's sophomore year of school, but it fits better, imo, in the FE series.

As for Felix, well, it's more or less the same, his entire "duh boar bad chivalry bad and stupid - but wait no don't die and i'm sorry to have hit you dad i liked you but I was too busy playing the tsundere that I never got to say it to you before you died" schtick felt... old and annoying in FE16.

Sure, Felix can have his own, personal feelings about Dimitri being a hidden boar, but Felix is also the only heir of Rodrigue, and will become the next Duke Fraldarius, aka the second most important person in the Kingdom after the King himself, and the one tasked to protect it. Should Felix completely ignore his feelings and do what is expected of him, or take his role seriously? No, and Nopes has him give some "boar this, boar that", but Felix isn't a petulant 16 years old who wants to be "edgy" anymore, Felix is the next Duke - something he never shied away from, especially in his FE16 paralogue! - and has to start learning the job, thinking about Faerghus in something else than small jabs thrown at Dimitri and how to protect its people and second the King.

Heck, Felix's support in Nopes with Dimitri where Dimitri confesses about the ghosts, where Felix tries to carry him, the more or less cutscene where the general feeling is him saying to Dimitri he can count and rely on them... Given how FE16's Felix was written, even in AM, I can't see it happen before Rodrigue's death... and yet, in AG, Rodrigue is still alive (his optional death doesn't change those scenes), so when FE16's Felix realises there were more important things to do to help both his friend and country and dad but he only noticed it too late because he was too busy... being edgy, Nopes has him drop the edgy act (not completely drop it though, else it wouldn't be Felix anymore!) and act (lel) as his FE16 self, but only, without needing his dad to die first.

As for Rhea...

Having more screentime seriously helps, just like being allowed to talk about non plot relevant things with someone else than Billy or about Billy, I gushed a lot about the Nabatean paralogue, but it depicts her relaxing with her family (pissing on the "u r the only person i can talk to myself not the archbishop" pandering shit from FE16 even if FEH pissed on it first) and making tiny baby steps at apologising and confessing part of her guilt (for something completely stupid like Seiros the Warrior "borrowing" Cichol's shield to gift it to Willy!) to a member of her family.

Would that mean she would have confessed about the rez Sothis plan to Seteth earlier on? I... don't know, don't think so, and we don't have enough interactions between the two.

Compared to FE16 where she is an oyster until Billy turns green and Seteth nags her again and again and again, here she willingly makes the first step to apologise... sure, it's for something silly and not, resurrecting their mother, but it feels like a small progression (tiny baby steps) from FE16 where she has to be reveal stuff due to forced circumstances.

I also like how it sort of teases (or maybe that's just me lol) Seteth realising that Rhea still misses days long past to an unhealthy degree (tfw too much nostalgia), or just, having to remind her twice that those days are gone. Would he later realise her strange nostalgia hides something more deep, and ultimately her wish to "return" to those days by resurrecting Sothis?

idk, it's fuel for HCs and AUs, but for what it's worth, this paralogue and Nopes in general help flesh out Rhea more than what FE16 does, aka tying 80% of her mentions/appearances to Billy and Sothis.

(hell, in Nopes, she finally has lines with Flayn!)

[mysticdragon3md3]

I always ♥️ any dimiclaude that comes across my timeline, to teach the algorithm to show me more dimiclaude.

But i almost didn't this one because it didn't feel like Dimitri.

This feels like it was inspired by Engage's Dimitri. But FE3H's Dimitri isn't judgemental, critical, or stuck up with superiority, even when confronted with Claude's scheming. He's not a tsundere. He's more like a deredere or yandere. And he may be proper, but he's not like the nobles who let pride in their propriety, separate them as superior. In FE3H, he taught commoner children. In FEW3Hopes (Yuri Support scenes), he went around helping commoners without telling them he was king. Dimitri is not in the habit of creating emotional divides (that's what made his Boar phase so shocking). He even tried reaching out to Edelgard, during their war, in that FE3H secret meeting.

FE3H Dimitri has always been very open and sweet. He had to be written that way to make his turn after the time skip shocking. And he's always been so desperate for emotional connection and close familiarity, that he was always asking at the Academy, to be treated like any other student. Even in Engage, he was still lamenting how even the people closest to him, like Dedue, still felt emotionally distant.

Without that kind of characterization for Dimitri, too many reasons i ship Dimiclaude fall apart.

Claude's over familiarity (by royal propriety standards) no longer make sense as something that draws in Dimitri.

Dimitri becomes a character i almost dislike, a tsundere.

Dimiclaude's interactions are no longer something so sweet that i'd love the ship. Why would i enjoy watching dimiclaude interact, if Dimitri is going to pretend to be emotionally closed from Claude, even if it's "just at the beginning"? And talk down to Claude too? No thank you, I'm not into that traditional Shojo genre "cool leading man paired with leading lady who just endures his harshness until he decides to finally open up" tropes. I like dimiclaude because in my interpretations, they obviously LIKE each other. Why would Dimitri like Claude if Claude repeatedly annoys him? Why would Claude defy his own internal struggles for true emotiinal closeness, to the degree of lovers, if Dimitri was always scowling at him? Why would i enjoy watching any of that?

But i guess i just have different headcanons from other people. And we're all allowed to have our different headcanons. I'm sure people who love the "tsundere bishounen with enduring partner" dynamic or "enemies to lovers", get something valuable out of it. It's just not for me.

[sailforvalinor]

A Treatise on Felix Hugo Fraldarius

Every day. EVERY DAY I’m thinking about the genius move in Azure Moon’s writing to have FELIX be the only one to warn Byleth about Dimitri’s darkside.

It’s genius because of its tragic futility. Felix is the absolute worst person out of the Blue Lions to reveal this knowledge, however, not because we won’t believe him. Except for perhaps about his feelings (textbook tsundere), Felix doesn’t lie—the game establishes straight out of the gate that he is a very blunt person. No, it’s not because we can’t believe him, it’s because both we the player and Byleth the character don’t want to believe him.

We the player are witness to Felix’s interactions with his fellow classmates, and with little insight into his backstory, his early supports paint him as an abrasive, unfeeling jerk who hates his dad and his friends and cares about nothing but fighting and…well, fighting. As most of the barbs and accusations we see him throwing at his friends are for the most part untrue (though he certainly himself believes them, so he’s not lying), we have no reason or desire to believe Felix’s claims about Dimitri.

The same goes for Byleth. The game establishes in White Clouds that she grows more attached to her students than she has to anyone before—in fact, by the end of the game, the implication is that they essentially restore her humanity to her, or even create it in her where it hadn’t existed before. If this is the case, and Byleth is learning from her students how to feel emotions, then why would she want to believe someone who not only tears her students down, but actively represents the philosophy she is trying to escape?

Furthermore, Byleth’s relationship with Dimitri is undoubtedly different from hers with anyone else in the monastery, even from the beginning. While the other students undoubtedly support her, Dimitri is one of the only ones to ask how she is doing as a professor. He’s always offering his assistance and support, canonically is the first to bring out her emotional side, and is the only one of the few to truly empathize with her after Jeralt’s death, even going so far as to offer his assistance in securing her revenge. As he is arguably the person she is closest to in this route, even from the beginning, why would she want to believe he is a soulless monster driven by nothing but bloodlust?

However, here’s the kicker—while Felix is the one she is least likely to believe due to her emotions, he’s the person she’s most likely to believe logically. As I briefly mentioned earlier, out of all the students, Felix most closely resembles the mercenary’s philosophy (no, not you, Leonie). He represents what Byleth used to be (this is kinda the reason I don’t ship Felileth, but that’s another story for another day). Felix even essentially says as much in their supports—much of those supports have a heavy emphasis on establishing their similarities.

Byleth tells Rodrigue mid-White Clouds that she understands Felix. She may not resemble him, or act like him, but she understands him, because she was him, once. She understands his logic, his reasoning—why he comes to the conclusions that he does. Logically, she should know that if Felix is calling Dimitri a boar, it wouldn’t be based on something petty like childish jealousy.

But she doesn’t. She refuses to consider it—she shoves it down and makes excuses. Throughout White Clouds, for the first time in her life, Byleth is caught in a war between her head and her heart—her heart, newly beating, desperately wanting to cling to this strange sense of care and family that she’s never truly felt before, and her head, the voice of the mercenary, the voice of Felix telling her to stop being so blind, to look up and see the evidence around her.

But that’s the tragedy of Felix, the true Cassandra of Three Houses. He knows the truth, but because he’s so bitter and jaded he can’t communicate, he will never be believed—and the one person who should believe him refuses.

[dimensionslip]

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Burden to Bear (Azure Gleam Ch.7 post-battle)

Full JP to EN translation and analysis

Mercedes: My, my, oh Felix... Coarse as always, but... That's only because out of everyone here, he worries the most about you, Dimitri.

Link to full translation + EN localization: https://youtu.be/0_RfteFbQOg

Very long and image-heavy, hence the cut.

First and foremost, I know I keep saying this, but the localization does a really good job of keeping the experience generally similar across languages. The voice acting in both versions is also top-tier and I like them both for different reasons. There are only very few things I would adjust but even then, I don't think the localization suffers for it.

“Nakama”

One of the things I'd like to highlight is the context of the word 「仲間」 "nakama" in 「俺たちは王と臣下である前に仲間だと。」In English, this was translated as "allies." While "allies" in not an incorrect translation, in this context, "friends" is more apt.

"Allies" suggests a little more distance than applicable to Felix's point: which is Dimitri being bull-headed and disregarding his friends' words and insistent on taking everything on his own. In general though, while the words used in the localization are different, Felix's firmness comes across, and I think the choice of words is really nice in English.

I like how 「だのにお前ときたら聞く耳を持たん」 "But why is it that you never listened?" was translated into "Do you lack the ears to hear with?" among others. It's just so… Felix, I have to say. And nice to the ears.

Bearing with a Boar

Still, I feel like while "I can't. Two whole years I've bitten my tongue." gets the point across, it's quite different from what it is in JP, where Felix says that he's basically put up with Dimitri's behavior the past two years.

EN seems to suggest that Felix never talked to Dimitri about this, which is untrue when you take into account previous scenes. For example, in the post-Ch.4 battle scene "Conspiracy and Redemption". 

As early as Ch.4, we see Felix already trying to talk to Dimitri about his tendency to take everything on his own, albeit indirectly (cough, in the most tsundere way possible). He just doesn't push his point the way he does in this scene.

(Link to video: https://twitter.com/slip_fe3h/status/1546861575675424770)

I have my thoughts on this and will do a translation and analysis of that scene someday, as there were some things that come off a little clearer in JP imo, but with regard to this scene, Felix eventually backs down and just says that there's no getting through the boar (sadly).

Another point I'd like to bring attention to–Mercedes does us the favor of translating Felix's tsundere speak, and even says that he's the one that worries the most about Dimitri among everyone present. This comparison was not present in the localization.

(That head turn/gaze averting Felix does in the middle of Mercedes' line is a great yet subtle nod to how tsundere he is. I swear someone animating these cutscenes must really love Felix given the amount of attention they give to him when he's in the background. Link to clip: https://twitter.com/slip_fe3h/status/1546863216373878785)

The Sin of Living

Another nuance that was somewhat lost was the use of the word 「罪」 "sin" when Dedue said that Dimitri doesn't have to take everything on his own. In the localization, this was translated as "This pain is not yours to shoulder alone."

While "pain" gets the point across, I think the nuance of (shared) survivor's guilt wasn't, as well as the implications of the term "sin". The term, to me, implies that Dimitri, Dedue, Felix feel some sort of guilt for living while people they cherished died.

Which I think is interesting to think about, especially when Ingrid follows up right after. A friend told me too that this could be interpreted as "sin of daring to still be alive when all these other people died," so honestly, many things to think about.

Speaking of Dedue, the JP version also more clearly references the mid-battle cutscene where Dedue hands over Areadbhar to Dimitri, versus EN, where the timeline is left vague.

Basically, Felix has the same point as Dedue, and the repetition of it in this scene just drives home how stubborn Dimitri is about taking everything on his own. I imagine they've both had this conversation with Dimitri so many times in the past.

Triple Idiot Combo

Lastly, Felix never calls Dimitri "boar" in this scene. The only thing he calls Dimitri is several variants of "idiot" in true tsundere fashion, even getting creative with his name-calling in the middle (see, "solid-gold fool"). In JP, he gets a triple "idiot" combo in one line!

In any case, I think this was such a personal and emotional scene highlighting how everyone in BL cares for Dimitri (especially Felix and Dedue) and I love it for that. It's my favorite in the entire game as it has a lot of things I love. S-grade Dimilix moments, Felix being a super tsundere even when he's being honest/to the point to name a few. It also symbolizes a turning point for Dimitri, as after this exchange, he starts to rely more on others.

Anyway, that is all, thank you for coming to my TED talk on this scene! I just love it a lot and could talk about it all day.

(Original post on Twitter: https://twitter.com/slip_fe3h/status/1546857956691496961)

[misselko]

As much as I don’t like his attitude towards Dimitri, Felix has his own charms. Awkward tsundere swordsman that is kind and caring in his own way. Will he be sweeter and doting towards pregnant (Y/N)?

Warnings: Fluff!

CLUMSY

Felix had always been calm and rigorous with his training regimen. But when you became pregnant, it was impossible to miss the changes in his attitudes. His sword practices become more less and less regular as the pregnancy went along, especially when both of you found out that you were expecting twins!

He even asked the Boar King Dimitri personally (much to his own distress) to spare him from long missions because he can’t stand it when he had to leave you for so long. Which is so un-Felix like.

His frown become rarely seen nowadays and his steps came quicker, faster strides as he hurried back to your bedroom. “How was your day, (Y/N)? Do they give you much troubles?” he was smiling and bright, radiating pure joy and happiness. Abandoning his coat, Felix changed into his sleepshirt and came into the bed beside you.

“Welcome home, love. They have been pummelling my insides and making it hard to breathe. It’s hard to rest...” you replied as you run your hands over the huge baby bump.

“Be more considerate of your Mother, you two.” He grumbles as he takes your hands in his and coming behind you, his chest pressed to your back. It was hard not to fall in love with you all over again, especially when you bear the heirs of Fraldarius. Now that you were seven months in, he had become more protective than usual.

“At this point, the Boar King will keep us busy. Ingrid had sprained her ankles pretty bad and she need much rest. I hope that stupid Adrestian rebels would cease their skirmishes and just accept defeat!”

“Yes... you have been through a lot missions these past weeks. Do you miss me, Fe?”

“What a foolish question,” he scoffed and turn away from you.

“You are not, then…” Your voice trailed away with a quivering sigh, turning around to face him again. You spared him a glance before you buried your face in his chest, rolling your fingers into the fabric. It took him a second to realize you were crying when he felt wetness on his chest. Felix tensed. A sense of guilt gripped his conscience.

“I never said I didn’t! It’s been two weeks and... you came across my mind, a lot. Sometimes.” He said frantically, caresses your back tenderly. Felix is doing his best to keep the guilt from his voice as he was struggling to deal with your raging pregnancy hormones. “That’s no reason to cry. I missed you too, but I’m... just not too good with words.”

You smiled at his cute awkwardness. Much to your surprise, the grumpy man become quite the sweet husband day by day.

He had his regrets after his father’s death but he tries his best to not dwell on it. Even though he didn’t have the best relationship with Rodrigue and had lost his dad (and brother) in tragic and horrific way, Felix still strives his best to be a good father. He will be, for sure!

“I wouldn’t married you if I didn’t love you, (Y/N).” Flicked your forehead, Felix put his hands on your cheeks and pinch it gently. “Now... just try to go to sleep so we can go for a short walk tomorrow. I want... to spend more time with my wife and the twins.”

“That’s a promise, then. Love you, Fe.” You leaned into him, giving him a sweet, soft kiss which he melted into quickly. “I-I..!! You... you too, (Y/N).” His face slowly glowed a handsome red.

He make a special reminder for himself to send MORE words to Dimitri to keep him off those long form missions for an extended period. Perhaps even longer after that.

[cyokie]

There are a few Blue Lion supports that I never got to see until now because I didn’t do paralogues during my first playthrough. I just watched Felix and Ashe’s B-support for the first time and oh my God??? 

I was NOT expecting Felix to be that gentle and understanding to Ashe. It’s kind of refreshing tbh because we all know that Felix actually cares deeply for his friends, but I feel like we rarely see that side of him without the tsundere part. He was so genuine in this support!

I want to talk about one thing Felix said that really struck me, though:

“...knowing someone well does not mean you know how they feel. Whether family or friend. To know someone's sorrow and turn blindly from it...That is the act of a fool.”

This is relevant to SO many things in Felix’s life. His relationship with Rodrigue is probably the most obvious (and intentional, in terms of writing) connection. However, I actually thought this piece of dialogue was interesting because I connected it to his relationship with Dimitri. 

Felix explains near the beginning of the game that he and Dimitri used to be best friends. With their former closeness and both their families’ relevance to the Kingdom’s political well-being, of course they know each other well. Indeed, Felix insists that he knows Dimitri “better than almost anyone else.”

But does Felix know how Dimitri feels? He may claim he does, especially pre-time skip. In reality, he doesn’t. He knows that Dimitri is bloodthirsty and miserable, yet he doesn’t truly process the why. He does not understand Dimitri’s mindset--how the grief and trauma morphed into a desire for revenge upheld by twisted morality. Perhaps he does not want to understand it. 

The situation is not complex in Felix’s head. The man who used to be his friend has become “a boar,” and that is all. 

The final segment of the dialogue--the part about “the act of a fool”--becomes very relevant on non-Azure Moon routes, especially Verdant Wind. After Dimitri dies on this route, a recruited Felix will confess that the extent of Dimitri’s pain was eventually extremely apparent to him, yet he turned away because its severity confused and frightened him.

Felix asks remorsefully, “Could I have saved him? Could I have stopped him?” He expresses guilt over what he perceives as the selfish decision to prioritize his comfort over Dimitri’s suffering. In other words...the decision to know Dimitri’s sorrow, yet turn blindly from it. 

I love how the writing in this game transcends the route you choose. 

[fireemblems24]

It's really sad how Felix doesn't shut up about Dimitri on VW or SS. As much as he talks shit, you can see how important Dimitri actually is to him. His character on CF is more subtle but I say he comes off as resigned to what he's done and what he's gonna do in the future. Like a "I made my bed and now I gotta lie on it" thing. Either way Felix really is the most interesting recruit. I wonder why the writers seemed to take extra care with him compared to how the others are written as recruits.

Felix does have more depth as a recruit so far than the others. Sometimes their dialogue will change, but that’s usually to reflect a change in situation and not a real tonal change in the character. 

It’s a bit galling they spent so much time giving these characters nuance and made recruitment so easy and their reasoning for switching sides so empty. It makes more sense for students with less ties to things like Leonie, for example, but then there’s the ability to recruit Ingrid in Crimson Flower and???? 

I agree about Felix though. I think I’m learning more about his relationship with Dimitri outside of Azure Moon than in it lol. I always figured Felix was a tsundere and all his boar this, boar that was an unhealthy way to deal with not being able to deal and, in truth, cared a lot about Dimitri. I mean, he wouldn’t be so distressed and emotional if he didn’t. But seeing him outside of his home house and talk non-stop about Dimitri and the Kingdom really hammers it home. 

The thing is, I don’t even think Felix is emotionally intelligent enough to even be aware it of initially. So Felix as a recruit makes sense. In a spiteful moment of teenage rebellion, he leaves the Blue Lions for a new, cool teacher and sticks with them when things get rough, and now it’s either too late or because he never stayed where his heart really was he never settled. Because Azure Moon Felix seems far more mature (albeit still very “Felix”) compared to the others.

[princekirijo]

I willing to read a whole entire post about why you love Felix if you want to write one 👀💕

He’s my favourite character other than Dimitri tbh.

My favourite sword-wielding tsundere in thigh-highs 😌 /hj

JSHSHHSYSHSHA SWORD-WEILDING TSUNDRE IN THIGH-HIGHS THAT'S LITERALLY HIM!!!!

Well I can't promise an essay but I will do my best! So there's a lot of things I like about him (baring in mind I haven't played Azure Moon 😔) BUT from recruiting him from the other routes I really enjoy his character! Normally the edgy boy type kind of goes over my head (it's not that I don't like it its just I'm more neutral on it) but for some reason I really enjoy how they did Felix. I like his drive to become the strongest (reminds me of a certain boxer and also myself) and I think his sheer determination to constantly improve his skills is admirable. Also his broody personality is done really well and I adore his relationship with the other characters (I like his supports with Sylvain and Dorothea. Bernadetta's was hilarious too). One in particular I liked was actually the one with his father? Like it was really easy to sympathize with him because his dad was a bit of a douche in my opinion at least. Also love how he keeps referring to Dimitri as "the boar" I dunno why I find that funny.

Also his design is just so good? Like I think he had one of the best glow ups post time skip it's really nice. He looks so warm in the outfit and honestly? I kinda want it it looks comfortable and kick ass.

And then his battle capabilities?? So good. Like him and Sylvain were by far the strongest units in my CF squad. They absolutely wrecked house together. Also Felix was the unit to deliver the final blow to the final boss of CF.

[professor-tammi]

sometimes I just want to discuss felix/dimitri at 4 AM

I feel like Felix and Dimitri’s dynamic is quite easy to misunderstand if you’re used to FE games where most relationship development happens in supports, because there’s a lot about them you only learn outside of their supports... so let’s discuss those bits of dialogue! in fact, why don’t we discuss all of it?

- Felix and Dimitri’s ancestors, Kyphon and Loog, were very close friends (to the point that legends were passed down about their friendship), as were their fathers. this is far from the only “destined friendship” FE3H has to offer (a milder example is Linhardt and Caspar, whose fathers are described as being good friends with a similar dynamic to their sons), but it’s almost certainly the most poignant one

- early on in the game, Felix has a monastery conversation where he talks about how he wishes Dimitri would just take up the throne already; at this point their relationship is obviously still very rocky, so it’s more likely that Felix wants Dimitri to do his duty and fix the chaos in Faerghus more than anything, but it’s worth noting nevertheless!

- their first dining hall conversation has Dimitri reaching out to Felix and offering him meat as he remembers he used to like meat when they were children, which Felix is having none of. it sets the tone for their dynamic at the start of the game: Dimitri trying to reconnect, and Felix stubbornly refusing it’s also incredibly easy to make a bad joke about offering meat here but I’ll refrain

- their second dining hall conversation takes place after their B support, where Felix makes it quite clear he doesn’t want Dimitri speaking to him... so, instead, it’s Felix initiating the conversation, mentioning how Dimitri “eats like he hates the food”, with Dimitri apologizing. this one’s a bit curious, but I interpret it as Felix being observant enough to notice that Dimitri has lost his sense of taste, which suggests he worries about him despite what he claims :’)

- I’ve actually yet to see all of their group task dialogues (missing the B rank ones?), but the first one is Felix grumbling about having to work with Dimitri (”you again”) and Dimitri telling him there’s no use complaining. if they get a mediocre result, Felix says to not make him work with the boar again (iirc), but if they get a perfect result, Felix makes some amusingly suggestive comments about how “the boar is useful if you know how to handle him”, and Dimitri seems surprised by the praise, but returns it (aw he’s happy Felix said something nice to him :D)

- near the end of part I when Dimitri is starting to unravel, Felix has a monastery conversation where he comments on how his spearwork is getting sloppy and says to “cage the boar before he gets himself killed”. the crux of the conversation isn’t Felix’s apparent anger at Dimitri, but rather his fear of him dying (but, with Felix being Felix, he cloaks his concern in insults, as always)

- if you recruit Felix to BE-E, he will say he’s become the exact same monster he once berated Dimitri for being if talked to in the monastery. he will later comment on how he still believes Dimitri is a monster, but more curiously, while he says he’s resolved to go against his friends and country in an earlier conversation (notably saying he’s “prepared to kill a man [he] once called friend” -- ie, Dimitri), he also says his “sword arm feels heavy”... because he’s forcing himself to go against everything and everyone he cares about to justify the murders he’s committed

- Felix is the only member of the Blue Lions whom Dimitri has a unique boss fight conversation for. Dimitri seems shocked Felix would go so far as to kill his own father, but Felix responds he’s ready to cut down even his father and his friends (with a sad portrait... maybe not as resolved as he thinks he is!). Dimitri says that’s all he needed to hear to work up the resolve to kill him, which, well... I’m glad he admits he needed to work up the resolve to kill Felix specifically, but I’m also still crying

- if you recruit Felix to GD instead, then once Dimitri dies, Felix has a monastery conversation where he’s very shaken-up: he talks about how their “relationship started before [they were] born”, a nod to the friendships of their ancestors and parents, and says he once considered Dimitri his best friend (this is notable, as it’s one of several implications Dimitri and Felix had a closer bond with each other than the rest of the Lions childhood friend group). he then goes on to admit he didn’t understand his friend’s anguish, and blames himself for failing to be there for him: “could I have saved him? could I have stopped him?”

- in a latter GD monastery conversation, Felix wants to deal with the Slithers so that Dimitri can rest in peace, and for the first time in this particular route, he actually calls Dimitri by his name (stopping himself before referring to him as a boar again)

- in both BE-E and GD, Felix’s negative character development mirrors Dimitri’s (which I wrote a quick post on), which makes a lot of sense when you consider they’ve been through similar hardships. this ties into Felix relating his way of dealing with the deaths of those close to him to Dimitri’s method of coping in their A support; despite his sharp tongue, he does understand!

- all of Felix’s endings change on the non-BL routes, as Dimitri’s death impacts him very negatively. I wrote a post on this, too! with Felix having been raised to be the king’s right-hand man, this makes a lot of sense: if Dimitri dies, he’s essentially lost his purpose in life and, from his point of view, failed to save his best friend from himself, and so he “copes” by devoting himself to the sword, becoming a death-seeking mercenary

- post time-skip on the BL route, Felix has surprisingly little to say after joining up with Dimitri, but does point out he’s “like a completely different person”. his monastery dialogue is more interesting: he’s in the cathedral for the first time, specifically to watch over Dimitri, and tells Byleth to do something about him, as he can hardly bear to look at “it” (apparently, he’s not even willing to refer to Dimitri as a boar anymore). despite his apparent anger, it’s, as always, a way for him to mask his concern, as he’ll gain support points if Byleth promises to help Dimitri.

- after Rodrigue’s death, Felix is harsh with Dimitri, but (assuming you have them at the appropriate support level) nevertheless promises to help him in his father’s stead and finally calls him by his actual name, implying he acknowledges the Dimitri he considered his friend did not truly die with the Tragedy of Duscur and is no longer just “the boar”

- after reaching A rank, Dimitri’s dining hall dialogue with Felix has him say “you used to whine unless you could do everything with me” (with Felix reacting in an appropriately tsun manner). when paired with Sylvain’s comments about Felix coming to him crying whenever he had a fight with Dimitri, we get a good picture of younger Felix as a bit of a clingy crybaby who couldn’t stand being apart from Dimitri, which is very telling: he probably retains a bit of that clinginess deep down, even if he’d do everything in his power to deny it :D (I also feel it makes it quite clear Felix was closest to Dimitri!)

- their group task dialogue at A rank has Felix still being quite tsundere, but Dimitri seems to be very much unaffected and tells Felix it’s assuring to have him there. if they get a mediocre result, you (iirc) get some rather cute dialogue where Dimitri tells Byleth to praise Felix for having worked so hard, to which Felix goes “stop it, boar. I only worked hard because you made me” (still tsundering, I see!); with a perfect result, Felix comments on how they “work so well together it’s eerie”, to which Dimitri agrees, but also says it makes sense as they were childhood friends

- in a latter monastery dialogue, Felix comments on how his father would be proud if he could see the progress Dimitri’s made, then hastily adds, “don’t you dare tell anyone I said that”. sure, Felix

- before the final battle, if you have Felix and Dimitri at A rank, Felix has this to say: “go and win. be the boar that you are, and don’t you dare look back.” this shows an implied reconciliation that their A rank by itself didn’t really offer, and is also rather sweet as Felix is using “boar” as more of an affectionate nickname than an insult here, acknowledging Dimitri’s two faces. (during the final battle, Felix and Dimitri will also have a short conversation if you defeat Myson, where Felix chides Dimitri for getting distracted!)

- Felix’s solo ending has him become Dimitri’s right-hand man, which is referenced in a majority of his endings on the BL route (so even if you choose not to support them, Felix still ends up dedicating his life to serving Dimitri), and, finally...

- Felix and Dimitri’s paired ending mentions that their friendship rivaled that of Loog and Kyphon’s, mentioned above, but also has this lovely line: “their lifelong bond grew so strong over time that, when Dimitri finally passed, it is said that Felix's grief was more potent even than the queen's.” yes, Dimitri having a queen is brought up... but only so we can learn that Felix cared more for him than his own wife did. a fitting ending! :’)

[agent-cupcake]

may i request a love rivalry headcanon between dimitri and felix? they both love the same person, and so the two get so hostile with eachother, dimitri's dark side slips out. its not like a yan ask but just angsty uwu. love ur writing💓

(The phrasing of this makes me wonder if you meant scenario, but I’m doing this as a headcanon bc I’m lazy and have like four WIP’s sitting around… However, while writing this I realized that I desperately want the scene outlined so maybe one day... Maybe...)

~I totally can imagine Dimitri and Felix being into the same type of person. It’s like, interest wise, they’re mostly similar, and they both need a positive person to sneakily encourage a bit of emotion from their edgy hearts… Which I think is something we all want to do, at least a little.

~Felix avoiding Dimitri like the plague would suit a situation like this, allowing you to form separate relationships with them that wouldn’t cross paths at all. Plus it would be a valid reason for why you wouldn’t want to mention your feelings (platonic or otherwise) to either. 

~So, Dimtiri. Sweet, oblivious boy. He wouldn’t notice that you were getting so close to Felix, always so distracted by a million other things and fooled by the fact that Felix would never let any sort of weakness show around him (weakness, like a growing affection for you). He’s the kind you’d have to seek out, steal away the small moments that he could give to you, so why would you waste that on speaking of other things or people? 

~And Felix... Not as oblivious, but I can see him disliking the fact that he’d catch feelings and overcorrecting by doing his very best to prove that He Doesn’t Care by not paying attention to what you do in your free time. Not to mention how busy he is, you know, handling a sword and all that (does sexual tension sparring go against his no-romance rules?). Obviously Felix would warn you away from Dimitri à la Bethesda NPC, so bringing him up would probably not be a priority for you. 

~How grand it would be... Training.... Dimitri’s monologues... A tsundere worrying about you in the most aggressive of ways... Coming to care incredibly deeply for two men who are on a path for self destruction and ruled by strong negative feelings... 

~Obviously Felix would realize that Dimitri loved you first because he’s not absolutely blind to everything. Probably before you and Dimitri realized that he loved you, too. 

~So... it’s not hard to imagine what Felix would feel. Disgust, jealousy, hurt. Considering his motive for awhile in game is training to best a dead man in combat I think that ‘losing’ in this regard would only make it all that much worse. There’d also be concern about you and the possibility of what Dimitri could potentially do to you (and vice versa, honestly). Of course he wouldn’t want to admit his feelings, either, so it’d get replaced with anger. 

~And Dimitri... So at first I think he’d claim to understand and ‘be the bigger man’ by letting you go (likely without asking your feelings about it because he’s just that unintentionally cruel and clueless). It’s not like he has a future or anything to give you anyway, so why shouldn’t you be with Felix?

~But that wouldn’t be enough for Felix. It would already be awful for him to see the Boar pretend to be human and love, let alone pretend to have that much honor. Also, he’d be just as offended by the idea that he could have a relationship with you because Dimitri allowed it as you would be, so he’d do what he does best and push the issue to max tension. 

~Lashing out is something Felix does very well, and all of this hurt and anger would make him uncomfortably aware of the fact that whoops he actually fell in love with you and that would absolutely rattle him. Him, falling in love... What a joke, right? Of course he’d deny the idea that he could ever feel something for you, or anyone. That he could care. 

~Dimitri could take Felix being cruel to him, but when Felix started in on you, there would be an issue. Bigger man or not, Dimitri wouldn’t be able to stand idly by and watch Felix upset you so much. I’d say that this would be when his darker side would come out.

~You want angst? When this interaction would all fall apart it would be with Felix burning with rage and intensely hurt in the most intimate of ways, you being torn apart because the two people you care so much about are doing this, and Dimitri going from ‘I can accept this pain, I deserve it probably’ to ‘Felix, don’t you dare treat them in such a manner’ with scary eyes and a growly voice. 

~It’d get worse, too, because Dimitri slipping and showing that side of himself would prove all of the things Felix fears and hates about Dimitri. He would get a horrible “I told you so” moment. 

~No resolution. Felix would leave. Dimitri would probably try to apologize, but be unable to because, again, he’s just that clueless and truthfully what could he say at that point? The concept of loving you would rattle him just as deeply as it did Felix, just in a different way.  

~So yeah. At that point you’d lose both of them. But you know what this opens up? A great polyship when they get their heads outta their asses and are able to sort out their trauma

[clare-de-luna]

Felix Hugo Fraldarius

Oh boy, this might be long, but man I love Felix. I love how well written his character is.

You might think oh boy what a tsundere boy when you first meet him, but through his supports is a genuinely interesting character, especially in how he processes grief.

Sylvain, Ingrid, and Dimitri all say in the supports how much Felix has changed since Glenn’s death. First, he became singularly focused on training. Now, from his supports, it is clear that Felix probably genuinely enjoys training and swordplay, but his focus stems from Glenn’s death. With Glenn gone, Felix not only has to step up to fill his older brother’s shoes, but he also wants to make sure that he himself survives.

Ingrid has the same focus as Felix, though, as Felix notes, she is more tied up in the ideas of chivalry. Felix loathes the idea of chivalry, because in his mind, this is what killed Glenn--he sees chivalry as a complete lack of self-preservation. SO this causes him to clash with Ingrid, Dedue, and Ashe. Once each of them show Felix that they value their lives (or Felix’s), he warms to them. But not before Felix taunts Dedue, belittles Ashe’s dreams, and tells Ingrid to “Go get a husband”. Oof. Ingrid should have slapped him for that one, but like Hamlet’s “get thee to a nunnery”, Felix cares about Ingrid and does not want her to die like Glenn. He thinks--irrationally--that Ingrid being off the battlefield will protect her. Oof. Fortunately, Felix realises that Ingrid can look after herself. He learns that Dedue is a caring person, and he learns that Ashe’s optimism buoys the spirits of those around him. (Felix totally sees Ashe as a little brother).

There is, of course, the obvious comparison with Dimitri. Dimitri and Felix both experience the tragedy of Duscur, and both suffer from losses. While it is unfair to compare their grief and their sorrows, Felix, by comparison, has--not perfect--but healthier coping mechanisms than the prince. Dimitri locks away his emotions until he cracks, but Felix lets them out a little over time. Felix acknowledges his demons while Dimitri cannot. That is why when Dimitri shows his anger and despair, Felix sees and understands him.  This is why he is so angry with Dimitri all of the time, why he labels him as the boar prince, because unlike himself, Dimitri does not acknowledge his grief.

[toastie-the-know]

The canon bases of RudeAggro!Felix and Apologetic!Dimitri

(Since I actually spent an entire evening doing this, I’m posting it because I don’t want to feel I “lost” all that time haha! I sort of do this kind of stuff for work sometimes, so this is clearly the sad fate of a person who can’t leave their work at work and brings it into their hobbies 😂 )

I’ve read a lot of Dmlx fic (in English), and have seen a lot of art, and there’s a trend I’ve noticed in the characterisations of both Felix and Dimitri that stands out to me: Rude and aggressive Felix, and Apologetic Dimitri. More specifically, Felix being rude/aggressive to Dimitri, and Dimitri apologising to Felix. The characterisations stand out to me only because my hc characterisations are more like “tsundere” Felix, and polite Dimitri. There’s obviously an overlap between “rude/aggressive” and “tsundere”, as well as “apologising” and “polite”, but they are not the same thing, at least from the part of the world I come from (I played with the JP audio on English text). I wanted to figure out if I was missing something from canon, so decided to take a short dive and check out the source material.

This meta isn’t an attack on people’s preferences. Creators of fan works depict characters in a variety of ways for personal reasons, and it’s no one’s business to pass judgement on that. I’m not trying to legitimise my hc, or delegitimise othere people’s hc. All I want to know is whether there is  strong canon basis for the characterisations, which I might have missed. I’m also not saying that “unless a characterisation is based off canon 100% it’s not legit”.  I don’t believe in that statement. Looking at canon is one way for me to see whether the “RudeAggro Felix”, “Apologetic Dimitri” is more a case of creator extrapolation, or based off something very clearly there in the canon.

So I’m gonna look at three bits of text. 1) The words and expressions used in the support conversations, both JP and EN 2) The tone in the voice acting, both JP and EN in the support conversations, and 3) Dimitri and Felix’s lines in Azure Moon route chapters + in the monastery, but only in the JP (it was easier for me to search the JP text quickly, more effort required for the EN). Of course there’s more you can glean about their characters from other supports etc, but I don’t have that much free time… 

Heads up I’m a bilingual and bicultural Japanese/Aussie (have lived in both countries), so I’m pretty confident in my interpretations of the JP text and audio.

Rude and Aggressive Felix

There’s a lot of canon for this characterisation to be based on. Listing the words and expressions Felix uses when talking to Dimitri is pretty aggressive, and is meant to be demeaning if we take it at face value.

Felix insults/expressions of aggression 

Support C

その気味の悪い笑顔で話しかけるな。/ Go away. (I would add “Don’t talk to me with that creepy/spooky/grotesque smile of yours.”)

見ているだけで胸糞悪くなる。/ Just looking at your face makes me wanna retch 黙れ。獣は獣らしくしていろ。/ Shut up. And stop walking around on your hind legs. 獣 / beast 猪 / wild boar ならばさっさ���失せろ、邪魔だ。話しかけるな、この化け物が。/ Hurry up and get out of my sight.  I don’t make a habit of talking to beasts.

Support B

猪 / wild boar 貴様 / an aggressive form of addressing “you” in Japanese, although in this sentence it’s not used aggressively 阿呆が。/ Do you take me for a fool?  (I took the Japanese more along the lines of “Are you stupid?”) 腹立たしい……。/Looking at your face is making me angry (No JP equivalent) / Farewell, Your Beastliness.

Support A

獣 / beast (but used in the context of the “the face of a beast vs the face of a man” line) 手が滑って斬りつけないうちに、答えろ。Answer quickly before my hand slips and I cut you in half お前の辛気臭い顔が、癇に障って仕方なかっただけだ / I couldn’t stand the pathetic look on your face.

Stepping out of the Dimitri/Felix support conversations for a bit, we know from Felix’s other interaction he is also rude and aggressive. Calling Dedue “dog” is probably the rudest and most demeaning example we have. Telling Ingrid to go and get married is also pretty rude. So overall we have a lot of evidence that Felix is ok with being abrasive, at best. Intentionally hurtful and malicious at the worst.

So Felix is rude to Dimitri in their support conversations, but the rudeness lessens as the support levels increase.  As you can see from the list above, the number of expressions of aggression go down between conversations C and A. Felix doesn’t call Dimitri “boar” once in the A support conversation. The last line “癇に障って仕方なかっただけだ / I couldn’t stand the pathetic look on your face” is a bit tricky, since I think there’s a bit of a divergence between the JP acting and EN acting. The JP is very clearly a "tsundere" intonation, meaning there’s a vibe of “I care but am too embarrassed to admit it”. The EN was a lot less obviously for me, so if you only got the EN there’s a chance that Felix’s  “I couldn’t stand the pathetic look on your face” comes across at face value - an actual insult.

Outside the support conversations, Felix uses the words “boar/beast” to describe Dimitri specifically quite often. But the intention behind the use seems to change (from an attack on one’s character to a nickname). Looking at the AM route, lines within each chapter + in the monastery phase, we find he uses the words ten times in total. That’s a descent amount, considering the number of lines he probably has overall (I’m not that dedicated to count all his lines… proper methodology would want me to do that though…). The last two times he uses “boar” it seems more of a nickname rather than as a way to attack Dimitri’s person.

A surprise find was that Dimitri uses “beast” five times overall , in the same contexts that I checked for Felix’s use (AM route, lines within each chapter + in the monastery phase in JP). In all cases he is describing either Imperial soldiers, or the baddies at Remier village. Never in reference to himself (which I thought might come up, but didn’t).So 

TLDR; There is canon basis of Felix being rude to Dimitri, but it looks like he mellows out a lot by the end of the game.  The JP flags the “tsundere” vibes a lot more than the English.

Apologetic Dimitri

I’m gonna start with the numbers from the chapters + monastery sections first, because these are the bits that clearly form the canon basis of “apologising Dimitri”. But with some interesting twists!

As a quick and dirty measure, I searched for the characters 謝 (to catch 謝る、謝罪 etc), 悪 (to catch 悪いな、悪かった), and すまない. I didn’t search for ごめん/ごめんなさい (gomen/gomennasai) bc I bet you three cups of coffee that you won’t find Dimitri using this expression.  ごめん/ごめんなさい is more typical of children and women, or super casual. So Edelgard and Claude might use these, but not Dimitri.  

Dimitri apologise a ton in the chapters and monastery sections. For all three words, we have 16 expressions of “sorry” from Dimitri. For comparison, I just checked the first five chapters for Claude. Chapters 1-5 Dimitri apologises 7 times, while Claude apologises once. So yeah, canonically, we find good grounds for Dimitri being a person who apologises often. We’ll see later that in his other supports with Blue Lions characters, he apologies to them also.

Dimitri apologises 6 times after Rodrigue dies in chapter 18. And 4 of these apologies are concerning his behaviour while he was disengaged with the war effort/unwell. These kind of feel a bit different to the “sorry to inconvenience you” type apologies that are more typical of his sorries (see list below)

To Byleth: 4, for being boring (1), for making a weird request (1), for Byleth helping out (2) To Edelgard: 2, once about making Edelgard feel bad bc she thought he was underestimating her, and once about the poor choice of gift he gave her during their childhood. To Lonato: 2, for the general badness of the situation To Claude: 1, (but unclear to me what exactly he’s apologising about) To Dedue: 1, for surprising him To Mercedes: 1 (need to check again To a Kingdom soldier: 1, because the soldier was looking for him To Lonato’s soldier: 1, for the general badness of the situation

Most of these apologies are of the “sorry for being an inconvenience” type. This could be interpreted in a variety of ways ranging from just being polite right through to low self-esteem. Whatever the construal, it does seem objectively that Dimitri says “sorry” a lot more than other male characters who might have as many lines.

Dimitri and apologising to Felix

Dimitri apologising to Felix, we have exactly one example in the chapter conversations. In chapter 18, Dimitri says to Felix “I have no words to apologise adequately” or something along those lines, regarding Rodrigue’s death. (And shortly after, Felix addressed Dimitri by name).

We have zero cases of Dimitri apologising to Felix in the support conversations. For a quick comparison in his other support conversations, Dimitri apologises to Ashe once, Sylvain once, Ingrid once, Annette twice, Mercedes three times (but the expressions he uses are different to the three I mention earlier). Interestingly, Dimitri also doesn’t apologise to Dedue.

These numbers might just be reflecting the fact that Dimitri and Felix’s support conversations aren’t really topics where apologies would be made. Dimitri and Felix’s support conversations aren’t about burdening each other, being a nuisance, or supporting each other. Their support conversations are actually about Felix coming to terms with Dimitri’s dual nature, while Dimitri himself seems seems unbothered by it.  (The only place in canon we really see Dimitri using his words to express remorse and discomfort over his dual nature seems to  be his A+ support with Mercedes).

Dimitri’s responses to Felix’s rudeness in support C are more like indirect affirmations of Felix’s characterisations of him (“A beast craving blood, am I? I assume you’re speaking of the events two years ago”, “I deny nothing, Felix.”, “Perhaps you’re right.”). Maybe a little bit resigned. There are a handful of sad-faces. It actually seems to me that Dimitri is in general agreement with Felix.

In support B, Dimitri is unbothered by Felix’s abrasiveness. When Felix gives him a hard time, Dimitri tends to push back (“As though I would be careless with something so valuable.”, “Come now, that was so long ago!”).  In this entire exchange it’s only Felix who is bothered by something, while Dimitri seems quite oblivious to Felix’s turmoil. The final line in this support is Dimitri saying “What is going on with him…”

Support A Dimitri is quite assertive of himself  (“ Do not waste your breath on questions with such obvious answers / 当たり前のことを聞くな”, “ You are wrong/ ……違う”), still a it resigned (“Always so ominous / お前はいつも物騒だな。”), but unlike supports A and B, showing awareness of Felix’s internal state, and thanks Felix.

Dimitri seems generally unbothered by Felix giving him a hard time, and Dimitri does not apologise for his character. Dimitri seemed ok with his dual nature, while it was Felix who was more bothered by it. But by the end of the game, if support A is reached, Felix also comes around to accept the dual nature. Dimitri and Felix aren’t really in an “apologise to each other” relationship, because it seems from Dimitri’s POV, there is nothing about himself that he needs to apologise to Felix for.

So TLDR

There is good canon basis for rude/aggro Felix. There is good canon basis for apologetic Dimitri. Dimitri apologises a lot in canon, but not really Felix. The one time he apologises is concerning Rodrigue’s death. But given that Dimitri does apologise to people often for inconveniencing them, it’s not hard to imagine how Dimitri would apologise to Felix for inconveniencing him in some way.

So I don’t think I missed anything in canon, but fan creators extrapolate these canon bases into various directions. Which is cool! Because isn’t that the fun of doing fan works!

The end.

Links out: JP Text, EN Text

[ask-felixhugofraldarius]

Misconception: You’re angry and hateful and have no particular love or loyalty to Faerghus, Dimitri, or your House.

...Most of that is true. I don’t care for my house title or the boar. The people of Faerghus is something I hoverver will protect.

//okay so the way the game works is that I the mun am supposed to answer but this seemed directed, directly to Felix so yeah. But he may be pretty cold and tsundere but inside he’s pretty much a soft fluffy one. For the loyalty I feel as if Felix will be loyal to his people because he did say at one point that he would rather protect the people than go into the war. Dimitri... well... he’s pretty resentful of Dima at first but then eventually he shows that he cares... In his Felix-y way. I don’t think he really cares for being affiliated with the BL so yeah.

[theeeveetamer]

With how easily frustrated Dimitri is with his super strength breaking things, and how he went out of his way to learn better from Mercedes in regards to sewing, I think he'd be very invested with learning how to "top safely". And Felix would be like "Ha As if you could break me!". ... Then the first time would end with a broken hip bone and a rather embarrassing visit to Manuela ("These kids are insane."). And Dimitri would obviously want to stop, but I think Felix, in - (1/2)

“his backwards tsundere way, would be insulted that he'd be thought of as too fragile by the boar to touch. Plus it doesn't even feel like real power when he tops, just because it's the "only thing he can handle". So it'd take a lot of prodding and some close calls, but I imagine Dimitri would learn how to control his strength the same way as he did in other areas (just more unconventionally. xD). (2/2)“

Wasn’t sure how to get both parts of your ask into one thing but here we go!

Yes it does seem like Dimitri is able to control his strength (if he tries). I totally agree that he would try, but he also seems like the kind of guy that’s really worried about his partner. Like, if he broke Felix’s hip he’d probably feel so bad about it he wouldn’t even touch him for months (partly because it has to heal, and partly because he’s afraid that he’ll hurt him if he touches him again -- including hand holding, hugging, snuggling, etc.).

Felix would probably have to physically grab him an be like “Listen. We’re fucking now and we’re going to figure this shit out because if we don’t I’m going to end up taking this sexual frustration out on you.”

But to add an original idea! Dimitri’s time-skip cape thingy. While he’s learning to control his strength he doesn’t hug, he just comes up from behind and envelops Felix in his cape. All the warmth of a hug, none of the bone crushing force!

[professor-tammi]

OH BOY anon now you’ve gone and done it...

in no particular order:

Dorothea/Petra: Dorothea’s supports with just about any of the ladies are really charming and blatantly romantic, including Edelgard and Manuela, but my favorite support of hers is actually with Petra, which starts terribly sweet and never stops being sweet (and ends with them talking about doing each others’ hair! aaaaaaaa). I love how kind she is with Petra right from the start, I love how Dorothea loves Petra despite her “not being money”, and I love how quick she is to accept going to Brigid with her :D

Linhardt/Marianne: a surprisingly cute support, which has Linhardt turning around Marianne’s whole “my crest causes bad luck” by declaring that actually, it causes GOOD luck because he’s happy to get to study such a rare crest and therefore it must be good, see! Their unique dining / group task dialogue is quite sweet as well. :) (Linhardt is unexpectedly smooth, hm...)

Dimitri/Dedue: this one hardly needs an introduction by now, but another “hyperloyal vassal and his lord” ship? Sign me up!! The way Dimitri speaks about how Dedue saved him (and not just the other way around), the way Dedue actually blushes about saying Dimitri’s name, the in-depth understanding Dedue shows he has of Dimitri as a person after he rejoins you post-time skip, the increasingly desperate things Dedue does to help Dimitri out in the non-Lions route... it’s all fantastic. 10/10

Dimitri/Felix: this is a weird one, because my initial reaction to them was “how would this ever work as a ship”, but it’s actually mostly stuff outside their supports that convinces me it does? Which includes: “BE THE BOAR THAT YOU ARE, AND DON’T YOU DARE LOOK BACK” (aw, look, they’re friends!), Felix’s reaction to Dimitri dying on GD (he really is quite devastated -- he does not take it well), Felix... basically going on a death seeker quest if Dimitri dies (which affects all his endings), “if my father could see Dimitri now, he’d be glad to have made the sacrifice... DON’T YOU DARE TELL ANYONE I SAID THAT” (ok sure Felix), Dimitri’s “you used to whine unless you could do everything with me” comment, and, of course, the ending. I’m glad you went out of your way to tell us Felix cared more about Dimitri than his own wife did, Koei!

Dimitri/Marianne: I’ll try to keep this one shorter than the above, haha. I think she’s easily Dimitri’s most convincing marriage option because, with them both having lead rather traumatic life, they seem to have a very good understanding of each other. It’s simple, but they fit together well, and it’s very sweet.

Felix/Dorothea: what happens when you put the two most “call everyone out on their bs” characters in the game together? This pair. And it’s surprisingly great! Felix seems to think he’s seen through Dorothea, but she ends being the one to see through him, more like; and she’s not exactly scared to tell him off when needed, which is certainly a plus. The A+ support is adorable, between Dorothea trying desperately to hold a normal conversation with Felix but him just being too awkward and Bad At Talking to respond like a normal person... to Felix constantly looking away from Dorothea as she’s speaking with him because he’s embarrassed and bad with eye contact... to his tsundering in their final support. I love them!

EDIT: I almost forgot these two (shame on me...), but Ashe/Ingrid: the two of them geeking out over books and Ashe whole-heartedly supporting Ingrid’s desires to become a knight is just adorable. Ashe knowing just how much Ingrid would love to read about a real-life female knight is just so very... Ashe.

Sylvain/Ingrid: I don’t normally like bickering couples, which arguably this is, but I adore that Ingrid never lets Sylvain get away with his nonsense, and their history as childhood friends is a big plus for me. More than anything, I can’t help but to like how much of a flustered mess Sylvain turns into when he realizes he actually likes Ingrid. Cute! :D

Catherine/Shamir: absolute power couple, and the A+ support has a marriage proposal!? They couldn’t be more clearly in love, could they? Also thrilled to see so much support for a pair involving two older women -- well, by JRPG standards. :)

I’ve yet to play Golden Deer, but I’ve very much got my eye on Claude/Hilda and Hilda/Marianne! (Ok I already spoiled myself on Hilda/Marianne I definitely ship it but I’ll still wait until my GD playthrough to gush about them)