#Crown Prince Xander of Nohr

[onyxedskies]

actually thinking so much about the implications of chrom!laslow. because he grew up a prince completely useless, completely unable to protect his citizens from this force that tried to kill them no matter how hard anyone tried. they were completely at grima’s whims and try as he might to protect them, his father was gone and his mother did her best before she inevitably died as well, and he was so young and there’s only so much he’d be able to do, yk? but then fast forward and he’s in his 20’s, maybe 30’s, and he’s under xander who is in such a painfully similar situation, and he’s seeing it from an outsiders eyes. sure, anankos isn’t raising the dead citizens before their eyes to kill what remained of the living, but he was still destroying the people of nohr and by extension hoshido. people lived in fear. there was nothing that could possibly be done for them, not until anankos was killed and garon, by extension, died. but this time, laslow is one of the few people who knows about it, and he cannot speak of it lest he want to disappear forever, which ran the risk of dooming nohr forever because he did have some sway as the retainer to the crown prince of nohr. and he’s older now, it’s true, but he is just as helpless as he was as a child, watching his citizens lose family and friends and themselves in the face of the horrors that surrounded them and being able to do absolutely nothing to stop it.

[thot-farm]

This reminds me of I think it was corrin's birthday audio thing where Laslow hugs Xander after him fighting in the arena.

I can just imagine Laslow and Peri randomly hugging Xander. Soldiers just see their scowling crown prince and then his goofy retainers hugging him like he isn't one of the most intimidating people in Nohr.

[antivanwine14]

So Nohr is based on medieval Europe, so one thing that has been completely underrepresented is tournaments!!!

Xander wouldn’t compete because it is too dangerous for the Crown Prince but Laslow is his retainer and would be expected to compete occasionally. He doesn’t do it too often because it is dangerous and Xander will be damned before he allows his retainer risk himself unnecessarily, but there are exhibition matches that Laslow will step into the ring for. They are far less dangerous than a normal match and are more about the show than actually getting glory in combat. Xander is still annoyed about it but it is tradition. Being Xander’s retainer, Laslow is his Champion and is decked out in Xander’s colors and carries his favor (depending on the tournament, the Royal favors will change to fit the theme).

At first Laslow knows he only gets it because he is his retainer, but he still loves the favors anyway. They are mostly valueless, a bit of ribbon/fabric, a crown of flowers, etc, but Laslow carefully saves them so he will always a reminder of his time competing for Lord Xander. Laslow doesn’t have that much interest in competing for real, he is lover not a fighter!However, there is a part of him that is proud about being Xander’s champion and so he does his best and usually legitimately wins. Over time, he actually does become Xander’s favorite and the little gifts take on new meaning to Laslow, symbols of Xander’s affection for him. He continues to carefully collect them and preserve them to the best of his ability.

As soon as Xander is able too, he pulls Laslow from competing and Laslow is fine with it, especially since Xander continues to give tokens of his affection anyway.

Years in the future, he shows them off to Siegbert and Soleil who gaze at them with awe. Soleil in particular wants to win the favor of all the pretty girls.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

fuck it, have a decently long slowburn excerpt, this was morbidly fun to write.

Xander confronts Gunter on his relationship with Corrin, set right about "Black Flame" in Revelation.

unedited.

Discipline was even more crucial in these knife-edged days when former enemies and bloodied soldiers were spending every waking hour in close quarters; the old knight had no illusions that many of them had fought on the same battlefield on opposite sides, and that the whole camp could erupt into seething tensions over old grudges or quarrels at any day. 

Such matters, he debated, might’ve just become a non-issue with the arrival of the last Nohrian royal.

Crown Prince Xander—young black diamond and star of the Nohrian kingdom—was a powerfully built figure, especially on horseback where he preferred to lead the ever-shifting tides of warfare from. At twenty-nine tender years, he was in his prime and a lion that boasted the reverence of the army and the grudging respect of the mages guild for his matchless prowess in the battlefield. 

Xander was also Garon’s favoured sword to use to bring miscreants into line, an association that the old knight had never forgotten since the days of the Concubine Wars.

The very same blonde princling had been pacing outside the healer’s tent for him, strangely enough, and glanced up with recognition when Gunter strode out. He was thankful that his nose was not bloodied as an embarrassment, small mercies, though the old knight was sure his luck would run out soon.

As if reading his mind, fate obliged. 

"Sir Gunter, a word in private, if you will."

“Of course, your majesty.” 

Trailing respectfully a step behind and to the side in the customary position, the old knight followed the prince further into the twisty dark recesses of the volcanic rocks that made the canyon, beyond earshot of the watchguards who were long since distracted to even care about their conversation. Everyone was either paying attention to the circus amok in the camp or too uneasy by the Bottomless Canyon’s endless gloom to care about two figures slipping away.

Gunter would have to lay into the watchguards for their slip, after this conversation. 

“I would have your thoughts on Princess Corrin.” Xander’s expression was smooth and polished. Too smooth. “I have reports that you have spent considerable time with her as of late.”

The trap was carefully worded, carefully deniable. And yet, Gunter was all too aware of court politics to see the naked dagger ensheathed in the other hand, behind the open hand. It was fitting that this prideful lion would be the one of the royal siblings to come with this particular threat at hand. 

Gunter had known the court would make its opinion on their relations clear, at some point.

“Milady Corrin is a natural leader and well equipped to lead this force.” Gunter replied back with forced neutrality. “She has bridged tensions that will benefit Nohr and its citizens immensely in the coming years.” 

Xander gave a pitying smile. “With all due respect, sir knight, I am referring to more personal time.”

Gunter stayed silent, waiting. The prince was not done, and it would not do to interrupt the inevitable dressing-down that came from the highest ranks. He grimly considered with the darkest humour it was a warped honour that somebody no less than the crown prince would consider the dalliances of such an elderly knight worthy of his time.

"Girls like her are... flighty." The worst part was he could tell by the Prince’s pitying expression he meant the words as a kindness. Xander fiddled with the cuff of his white riding glove, a half smirk playing on his face in an obvious attempt at the unsavoury male bonding that went on behind doors. "You do know silly chits like that. Fancies, whims of fantasy, such adorable little crushes. Wonderful when they're young flowers, simply wonderful to remember such beauties exist." 

Gunter tasted blood intermingled with raw hatred on his tongue as the Nohrian prince continued, oblivious. "In time these girls will bloom, and they too have their own purpose with proper marriages as according to our esteemed tradition. And that one is simply too..." There was a gleam in Xander's eye as the crown prince licked his lips, such a predatory gleam the old knight had to suppress a powerful urge to rip the royal's throat out on the spot with his gauntlets. "Simply too unique, as a true flower among many such blossoms in Nohr to be picked so willy-nilly. Her future will be just so."

To be wasted on someone like you, was the clear threat. A desiccated ghost of a commoner that didn't deserve a single touch of hers.

If you only knew, prince. It was hard to resist the contemptuous sneer. If Xander had been any other Nohrian man, honour stipulated that the old knight would strike him down on the spot. 

You truly are one of Garon's own, crown prince. A fitting legacy for him.

'I'm disappointed in you, Gunter. Nohr will not be kind to the choices made here." It was the only glance that Xander deigned to meet his with. And still, the old knight stood with his gaze burning into the cliff wall slightly to the right, his jaw flexing with cold fury. There was nothing the old knight could fucking act on except take the barbs on the chin with stoicism of a stone statue. Any such open defiance would be the certain death of his lover’s strained little alliance. 

In that moment, It was the only thread of reason that restrained his hand from acts of cold murder, and regicide.

"My lady Corrin will make her own decisions, as she has always done." Gunter replied flatly, an abyss of malice flavouring every syllable. And I will ensure that to my last breath, scion of Nohr and blight upon this world.

Xander looked askance, almost looking boredly disappointed at the reminder.

"So she will."

"Is there anything more, my lord?"

The prince didn't even meet his eyes now, fluttering a hand in clear disdain. "No, I suppose that will be it. Dismissed."

Your delicate little flower has bloomed under my hand, so strong and beautiful that you come running to her feet like a bitch in heat, Gunter ached to hiss in his ear as the old knight stiffly stalked past the crown prince. You, my tender royal, are ensnared in her garden now, in ways you are eternally blind to—that same garden I have tended for decades—and your grave will be buried there, at her feet.

At her feet and mine.

But he stayed silent.

For Corrin, for his love, for her plans, for his plans—Gunter stayed silent, and fervently begged to any god or devil that would listen that his revenge would taste as profoundly sweet as he had fantasised for decades.

[sieglinde-freud]

doing soleil’s paralogue and im at the part where you talk to soleil with laslow to recruit her and laslows like “if i’m in battle and i cant find it in myself to smile, i just start laughing to confuse the enemy” as if thats sane advice. what the fuck man you just start giggling on the battlefield??? mr retainer to the crown prince of nohr?? this is war, laslow. do you guys think that’s how he almost won the match with xander

[cindysnuts]

FATES NOHRIAN ROYALS HEADCANONS IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 2023 BECAUSE I HAVE BRAINWORMS RN OKAY LETS GO:

Nohr:

Xander- Xander handpicked both of his retainers because he thinks they’re beautiful (canon btw. Okay well it is for peri but cmon). He of course could only marry a woman, and one of high standing at that, because of his duties as crown Prince, but he spends a suspicious amount of time with his retainer, taking “dance lessons.” Closeted bisexual. Camilla asked and knows and Leo surmised it. It is a secret to everyone else, including Elise and even Corrin (though only for a matter of time for them), as it is a scandal that could rock the nation.

Camilla~ Camilla is a lesbian. She ALSO picked out her retainers because she loves them and wants to dominate them. Well. Selena at least. She is a brat in need of taming frfr. Beruka is just a feral cat she’s trying to show love to. Technically Camilla is bisexual but she just loves women so much and only has female partners rn anyway so. Everyone knows though, she hardly makes a secret of it, much to Selena’s embarrassment. Technically an open secret due to Nohrian high society’s general intolerance, but it’s only spoken of in whispers, since no one wants to be on the bad side of the wyvern riding princess.

Leo- oh boy. This guy. The complexes… SO. Leo is very sharp. He’s very private, but very observant, and analytical. Being away from the spotlight of being the crown prince, he was able to privately deduce that he was gay very early on. Right? So like that’s it that’s the answer. So why doesn’t it feel quite right? And why doesn’t he fit his role exactly??? Must be something about being the second prince, yeah that’s it. Right? I mean he’s trying to be the man he has to be. I mean it’s weird being called a prince?? But that’s not right I mean he WANTS to be a royal so. Huh. Weird anyways he NEVER looks at the box in his mind marked “Gender” that’s rattling and SNAPPING at its lock and chain. Leo is the biggest egg this side of the bottomless canyon and everyone around him with even a hint of what trans people are know he’s a girl including all of his loved ones who already accept her for who she is. As soon as she realizes it. Camilla keeps trying to get Leo to wear dresses (while she wears the sharpest suits of all time, of course) but he just gets really weird and sweaty everytime she suggests it and always chickens out. Odin and Niles are NOT helping they’re both too insane to help (affectionate). Elise has the coming out party PLANNED on LOCK it’s in the CHAMBER ready to fire the second she gets the message. They’re all just lovingly waiting for her to crack.

Elise- Elise is ultimately straight. All of her closest, most meaningful relationships throughout her life are with women, but that’s a love that doesn’t run romantic, really. She is the STAUNCHEST ally tho!!! She isn’t really privy to many of the family secrets, not for a while at least, and is a bit oblivious when she’s younger, but she gets it eventually! And she loves her family so much you guys. She wants to throw them ALL huge coming out worries (even if they have to be private) no matter how they may object. Ultimately though, she loves boys! All kinds really. Later in life she even falls in love with a commoner boy, and they have a beautiful life together! The most normal and well adjusted of the Nohrian siblings, funnily enough, since she has the least pressure to succeed and has plenty of examples to lead from.

That’s it for now, I may do Hoshido + Corrin/ Azura or the Nohrian retainers later on, if there’s demand lol.

[randomnameless]

Scrolling through some old posts on a whim and found this, in response to an anon pointing out how stupid it was for Claude to not know about poverty in Almyra:

To be fair, that's also something I ranted about in Birthrout when Ryoma went all "i never knew people in Nohr were starving" because there's no way a crown prince and future heir of a nation doesn't know basic things about his immediate neighbours -

While you went on to point out that it's worse in Three Houses' case because it's a prince not knowing about basic details of his own nation instead of a prince not knowing about basic details of his neighbouring nation, i'd like to add that it's even more justified in Fates' case due to one of the biggest and most consistent issues with Hoshido being it's isolationism and lack of care for the issues of other countries, made even worse by the fact that it's general populace despises Nohrians due to the war:

Azura, in her C-Support with Corrin in Revelation: I suppose the carefree attitude of Hoshido might look like indifference to others. It could give people the impression that Hoshidans are very self-centered. So long as there is peace, the people in Hoshido seem uninterested in the world.

Shura, chapter 19 of Birthright: The day Kohga fell to Mokushu, almost all of my people were slaughtered. I was a child... Chased from my homeland and separated from the other survivors. Even as a refugee, I was denied entry to Hoshido. So I wound up in Nohr. I was exiled and alone. My only choice was to steal or die. You can guess what I chose. I've been here ever since, searching for others like me and trying to stay afloat...

Azura, in a line that was removed during localization and changed into her being the only person to suffer suspicion from the general populace, Chapter 9 of Conquest: But ever since the war started, everyone has changed. After you, a Hoshido princess, defected to Nohr… Anyone who had even a little involvement with the enemy could not be trusted, and a movement to eliminate them began. And the brunt of it… Was directed at me, because I was born in Nohr.

With all that in mind, i actually find it pretty reasonable for Ryoma to not know about Nohr's food shortage; he was born and raised in a country that's, at best, willfully ignorant and uncaring of the issues other countries face and, at worst, actively murderous towards anyone with even the slightest involvement with the enemy nation it's at war with. While his own prejudice against Nohr doesn't go quite that far, it's very consistent throughout Conquest that he doesn't think very highly of it either, calling it's ways treacherous, automatically assuming they tricked Corrin just because she chose to go back to Nohr, and assuming that Corrin was lying to him and trying to trick him to win their duel due to what they were taught while in Nohr (using fateswartable's translations here since Treehouse massively exaggerated Ryoma's grudge against Nohr):

Ryoma, Chapter 6 of Conquest: Like hell I’d give up…! I have to make Kamui come to her senses. Anyway it was you, the Nohr royal family, that seduced her, right!?

Xander: Bullshit…We did no such thing. Kamui, of her own free will, chose us.

Ryoma: Damn…! I know your way of doing things. You always use dirty tricks to torment the people of Hoshido! Defeat me fair and square in a fight and then you can speak of victory!

Corrin, boss convo in chapter 25 of CQ while Ryoma still wrongly believes that they killed Hinoka: Ryouma- please stop fighting! I want to speak with you! There’s more to what happened to Hinoka, so please listen, brother!

Ryoma: Hou…Are you trying to catch me off guard? By seeing the face of the sister that killed Hinoka? Nohr’s ways are treacherous…but it’s a shame. No matter what you say, my heart shall remain steadfast. I can no longer think of you as my little sister! Draw your sword!!! Kamui!!!!!!

Given his own initial prejudice against Nohr, coupled with the isolationist culture of Hoshido, i find it reasonable for him to only bother learning about important military strongholds in Nohr and not bother investigating what life's like for the peasants there, especially since he doesn't hold the country in high regard at the start of Birthright and only softens up to it and vows to help it with it's resource problem once he finds out that most of the people there are starving, meaning he wouldn't have bothered spending any more time researching Nohr than was helpful for the war effort.

Hahaha,

I hope my 2014 -5 ramblings weren't completely nonsensical, I haven't revisited them in a while lol

I still think Ryoma, who's not a random but the crown Prince, should at least have known a bit, even if his country is marked by extreme prejudice and isolationism, about Nohr - especially since Nohr is the country who has tried to invade them since Garon (or Gooron?) was king, and they're fighting since, well, forever.

But taking his prejudice into account, and Ryoma's own faults (he's very impulsive, not unlike his own son?), it sort of makes sense, even if I still think that's not an optimal situation for the next heir to only have the "bcs they're evil/norhians it's in their nature" answer to the usual question "why are Nohrians attacking us".

Granted, 2014-2015 was part of my Jugdral period, where both games took care to have their Lord be explained why the frick they are fighting - it's mostly important regarding Leif, who gets told by August that if Thracians are bandits and targeted the Mansterian lands, it's because they are starving and cannot import food from the North bcs Leif's forefathers and the Mansterians nobles don't want to share food.

So Leif's journey from "Thracian Hyenas!" to "Gods why are those people starving why aren't we trading food with them" to being the King of the unified peninsula, aka both Thracians and Mansterians, felt a regular, normal journey.

Ryoma being blocked at the "Nohrian hyenas" step felt a bit underwhelming in comparison, especially since, unlike Leif, he supposedly received all the education befitting a heir and hasn't been on the run for 10 years.

But ultimately everything boils down to "different games, different situations", and more over, different characters. Ryoma is biased, arrogant and impulsive - and there's no FE8!Seth, FE5!August, hell, even FE13!Fredo to tell him to stop and start being a King or acting as the leader of a State.

[chorusmusarum]

Reverse Uno time 👀 how much did Camilla and Xander try to hide of the concubine wars from their siblings? Or would they have perhaps warned them in order to learn how to defend themselves?

Leo was there from the start; there was nothing to be hidden.

Elise knows nothing. She was too young to truly remember the in-fighting, and with the tender age at which she lost her mother, there was nobody to turn her against her surviving siblings. Knowing nothing of the bloodshed, Elise could grow up happy and without a worry in the world... A new light for Nohr. Why would anyone ruin that by speaking of those lost to the grave?

Corrin is a similar case, albeit they were in Nohr during the worst of it, just... Absent. Locked away in the Northern Fortress, the only way news of what was taking place in Krakenburg could reach them is if a visitor (or Gunter) informed them, and what was the point? Sure, a concubine may see them as a threat, but they had Gunter to keep them safe and besides, what good was a motherless, "sick" child to the king? There were much higher priority targets to remove from the line of succession. That, and hardly any knew if this child even existed. To most, Corrin was little more than a rumour.

However, having been introduced to them as the crown prince, Xander had acted as their elder brother from the very start. At times, he vaguely mentioned the existence of more siblings, but dodged specifics. Who knew if they'd be alive by his next visit?

Once things calmed down (for lack of a better phrase), the rest of their siblings began their visits, and they became one big happy family... Depending on the route. Regardless, Corrin received a similar treatment to Elise and in Camilla's case, she practically latched onto the idea of a sibling who was ignorant to their bloody past, and never close enough to someone who could poison them against her.

[maligknightsthorns]

Angel on the Wing

Wyvern Rider Drabble

Line up the Nohrian Royals and one sticks out. She is missing the blonde hair of her other three siblings. She's a walking briar patch in her armor, covered in thorns and dragon's teeth. She's in the skies on a revenant wyvern, not on the ground on a horse. Her weapon is brutal, and it was not forged by the Rainbow Sage but by an ordinary Nohrian blacksmith.

She likes it that way.

She soars high above her siblings, keeping a careful eye on them. They can be separated from each other, but they're never far from her. She can hit who ever would dare lay a finger on any of them and be back in the skies before their foes had the chance to blink. She can guide her siblings back to each other, and united they are unstoppable.

Her joyful younger sister heals with her staff and her smile. Camilla keeps an eye on her the most, they all do. Elise is someone special, her laugh could make flowers bloom. Camilla won't forgive anyone who cuts her down, striking any foe that dares approach the youngest Nohrian with shocking brutality. Her axe thirsts for their blood.

Her valiant older brother leads them with his commanding presence and superb swordplay. Xander is more than capable of holding his own, but he's the crowned prince and his head is worth more to their foes than his body is. Her wyvern may be small, but her wings are powerful. She blows back the forces that gather to try and overwhelm him before sinking her claws into them and tearing them apart. What ever her wyvern doesn't catch, Camilla catches with her axe.

Her clever younger brother was forced to grow up too young. He switches from the court games to the battlefield with cool calmness that the rest of them cannot meet. He has a plan for the future that will help all of Nohr, Camilla will not let him fall before he has the chance to see that plan to fruition. Leo roots their enemies in place with his divine tome, and Camilla cuts them down with practiced ease as she weaves in and out of the suddenly appearing trees.

Camilla is different from her siblings. Even now at Garreg Mach, where they are free from war, free from Nohr, free to choose what they want, Camilla sticks to the skies to continue to watch over them. She favors the brutality and strength of an axe over the elegance and mobility of a sword.

And so long as she draws breath, she will be their angel in the skies.

[zinexander]

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The “Crown Prince” bundle includes:

⚔️ 1 Physical A5 Zine, 85+ pages of Xander content!

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⚔️ 2 Die-cut stickers

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⭐️OPTIONAL ADD-ON⭐️

💜  Mousepad ($15)

This bundle is eligible for ALL stretch goals.

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[honeydots]

What Lies Beneath Skin🗡 xanlow | completed | 4.8k Summary: Laslow is the new retainer of the crown prince of Nohr—though as a dancer and not a warrior, he feels his skill is going underappreciated. Confronting Xander, he tries to prove his worth, but instead his position goes from bad to worse.

my day 1 piece for Xanlow Week 2023! I chose the meeting prompt~

[etymology-of-the-emblem]

Xander / マークス and Ryoma / リョウマ

Xander is the crown prince of the kingdom of Nohr and wielder of the sword Siegfried in Fire Emblem Fates. The name Xander is a short form of Alexander, a Greek-based name. Considering he is a major character and face of the Conquest route, he is likely named after Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian king and general; he widely expanded his kingdom to one of history's largest empires. Much like Nohr, Greece under Alexander's rule looked eastward, invading through India until halted by the Persian Empire. Considering that Xander's mother Katerina (or Yekaterina in Japanese) is named after Russian Empress Catherine the Great, there may be an intentional throughline of powerful rulers carrying the "Great" epithet. There could also take influence from Catherine's grandson Alexander I of Russia, emperor during the Napoleonic Wars. Ironic in a sense, this would make the prince of the invading nation named after an emperor who was unsuccessfully invaded.

In Japanese, Xander's name is マークス (rōmaji: mākusu), romanized as Marks. The name is most likely a corruption of マルクス (rōmaji: marukusu). While this can be used for the name Marx like early fan translations addressed the character by, it also can be used for the Latin name Marcus (also rendered as マーカス; rōmaji: mākasu). This choice is most associated with Roman political figure Marcus Antonius, better-known thanks to Shakespeare as Mark Antony (マーク・アントニー; rōmaji: māk antonī). Mark Antony was a general serving under Gaius Julius Caesar in the Gallic Wars and, after the conquest and rising tensions among the First Triumvirate, during the Civil War. Before war erupted, he went to the Roman Senate in an attempt to peacefully settle the conflict, but his pleas were largely resisted. After Caesar became dictator of Rome, Antony served as his second in command and, after the formation of his cult, the high priest. Following the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony agreed to be a member of the Second Triumvirate alongside Caesar's heir Octavian and Marcus Lepidus, and divided the Roman Republic amongst them. However, tensions between him and Octavian were high, especially as after his marriage to the young Caesar's sister he maintained an affair with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Eventually, this strain birthed the War of Actium between Rome and Egypt, with Antony declared a traitor. When the couple had their backs against the wall as Rome invaded Egypt, they took their own lives, leaving Octavian as the sole ruler of Rome, which he soon converted into the Roman Empire under his new name Caesar Augustus. Xander seems to take influence from Mark Antony more so as they both were respected military leaders with tense relations to the powers they support - Garon and Julius Caesar - but proudly follow them despite such. Additionally, Shakespeare popularized the image of Mark Antony being a tragic figure in Antony and Cleopatra. Especially in Birthright Xander can be interpreted as a tragic figure, like most following the "Camus-archetype" in the Fire Emblem series. It could also be argued based on some of Xander's lines that his death in Birthright was of his own intention, further relating to Mark Antony.

Ryoma (JP: リョウマ; rōmaji: ryouma) is the high prince of the kingdom of Hoshido and wielder of the blade Raijinto. He is named after Sakamoto Ryouma (坂本龍馬), a master swordsman and political activist following the end of Japan's isolationist policy brought about by the forceful arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry. Born to a low-ranking samurai family, Sakamoto dropped out of school at an early age to pursue the blade in Edo, becoming a master kenjutsu instructor come his early twenties. Soon after returning to his home domain of Tosa, he was an early member of the Tosa Loyalist Party, one of many organizations that were dissatisfied with the Tokugawa Shogunate (a military dictatorship) and desired power to lie in the hands of the Imperial Court once more. As the Tosa Loyalists, purely focused on their domain, began plotting the assassination of the local governor - a man largely focused on modernization - Sakamoto, whose interests lay more with the army of Satsuma marching on Edo, left Tosa. The act of leaving one's clan was not acceptable and brought about the death penalty and left one denounced as a rōnin. He traveled back to Edo, where he and a colleague planned to assassinate Katsu Kaishu, a member of the Shogunate and a major influence on Japan's westernization. Upon meeting Katsu, however, Sakamoto was convinced of the need for westernization and the development of Japan's naval force. He became an assistant and mentee of Katsu. When Katsu was dismissed by the shogunate and his naval training center done away with, Sakamoto and other students were taken in by the Satsuma domain. Here he established Kameyama Shachū, a trading and shipping company through which he allied the opposing domains of Satsuma and Chōshū. Together, Satsuma and Chōshū were able to best the Tokugawa Shogunate and brought about the Meiji Restoration. Shortly before the start of the Boshin War, however, Sakamoto Ryouma was assassinated by the Mimawarigumi, a police force established by the shogunate. Fire Emblem's Ryoma obviously takes inspiration from the historical figure as a skilled wielder of katanas, but also in his participation in a revolution, seen in his affiliation with the Chevois Rebellion. A comparison can also be made between Ryoma's sudden disappearance from Hoshido to support the western-based revolt and Sakamoto Ryouma's leaving of Tosa to support the movement against the Tokugawa Shogunate, while growing in understanding of the westernization movement from his superior. Additionally, Sakamoto bringing peace between the feuding Satsuma and Chōshū domains to dismantle the shogunate may have some influence upon Corrin being able to bring peace between Nohr and Hoshido to bring war to Valla.

There are notable parallels between the purported namesakes of Xander and Ryoma. Both Mark Antony and Sakamoto Ryouma were major political figures in times of unrest in their countries during the buildup of a shift from militaristic dictatorships to placing power in the hands of an emperor followed by a period of peace. Both instances feature the subject as a major player in the conflicts leading to an imperial system but dies shortly before such a change is adopted. The endings of both of their lives can be reflected in Xander and Ryoma, who in their respective route opposing Corrin die in battle shortly before peace is found between the warring kingdoms.

[oceanmoon-artblog]

It’s Xander’s birthday today! Give the Crown Prince of Nohr a headpat or two!

Photo reference:

[antivanwine14]

How Laslow finds out who pelted him with a snowball. After Xander and Laslow get together, they are walking together on a snowy day and since only Laslow is around, Xander picks up some snow and throws a snowball into the distance.

Laslow:…what?

Xander: Yeah, it a bad habit.

Laslow:…YOOOOOU!!!!! *outrage*

Xander:…what?

Laslow: *loudly with flailing arms explains that he thought it was some hooligan, some ruffian, who had gotten him while he was dancing but noooooo it was actually the crown Prince of Nohr, his beloved Xander, how could he!?!*

That is how Xander learns he has hit Laslow with a snow ball. Should Xander feel bad about accidentally hitting someone with a snowball? Probably a little. But does he feel bad about hitting Laslow with a snowball? No, he actually does something that shocks Laslow. He laughs.

After a few minutes of seeing Xander laughing hard, Laslow cannot help but to laugh as well especially since he now knows it really was an accident and an unlucky throw.

The only bad thing that comes from this is that every once in a while if Laslow doesn’t know he is there and it has snowed, Xander will greet him with a snowball to the back. Laslow wanted to get mad, but seeing his Prince acting like a naughty child is far too enjoyable for him to put a stop to it.

[bakuliwrites]

Day Five- Xander

500 Follower Event, 30 Day Writing Prompts Prompt: Theatre, Burnished, Cinnamon, Xander (FE:Fates) Pairing: Xander x Female Reader Tags: Smut, Fooling around in public, Handjobs, Implied Fingering, made up playwrights, 18+ MINORS DNI Word Count: 821

The theatre is packed, the murmur of hundreds of voices floating through the air. Up in his private box, Xander feels a thrill of exhilaration. The general anticipation, the collective excitement from everyone waiting for a new play to start is always invigorating. Jordan LeFanu’s newest is supposed to be a triumph, complete with a cast of veteran actors/actresses and a twist at the end that no one will see coming. Xander has been waiting for months for the opening night, and he’s more than delighted that he gets to share it with someone as wonderful as you. He flicks his gaze over to where you are seated beside him, beaming with enthusiasm.

“You look lovely, my darling,” he whispers, pecking your cheek, eyes softening when they meet yours. He gives your hand a reassuring squeeze and you can practically feel the electric eagerness surging through Xander’s veins.

“I’ll have to remember LeFanu is a favorite of yours,” you start, dropping to a whisper when the orchestra plays a few warm-up notes.

“Thank you for letting me drag you along with me,” he hushes back, interlacing his fingers with yours, eyes glued to the stage, “This promises to be his best play, yet.”

And with this, the two of you fall silent, watching as the curtain ascends and the play begins.

***

Xander is bored out of his mind. Perhaps the play was overhyped, or maybe it really is just terrible. The energy of the crowd at intermission is abysmal, people slumping zombie-like out into the lobby to retrieve refreshments that they’ll hope will re-invigorate their will to power through this gods-awful travesty. Xander can practically see tomorrow’s reviews: Renowned Playwright, LeFanu, Bores in Newest Play or Snoozefest at the Wyvern Theatre. When he looks your way, he can see the boredom in your eyes, the pleading, “Someone save me from this torturous four-hour mess,” look. He offers to pack up and leave with you before the play is even over.

“No, no!” you whisper back, vision coming back into focus after staring blankly at the stage for a while, “He’s your favorite playwright! We can’t leave yet. Maybe the end will make up for the beginning.”

“And the middle,” Xander returns, rubbing his temples, feeling the onset of a tension headache. He hasn’t been paying attention for a while now, far too engrossed in counting the scales in the burnished gold dragon statues that flank either side of the stage. Luckily, no one can see the disinterested faces of the Crown Prince of Nohr and his beloved from where they are seated in their private box. He wonders if that might be a bad look for him. 

Regardless, he pushes through the next hour of the play with hope that it might improve. But when the last sixty-minutes rolls around, there’s no hope of recovery. For a while, though, Xander has been distracting himself with the feeling of your fingers absentmindedly caressing his thigh. Well, it’s actually been more than distracting, an aching heat building in Xander’s core. He knows you’re not doing it on purpose, but he finds his attention diverted, nonetheless. Between your hands and the way your dress just seems to perfectly hug your curves, Xander finds himself unable to watch the stage a second longer. 

“Ahem,” he gently clears his throat, cheeks flushed a deep crimson when he garners your attention, “Umm, darling- I’m finding it a bit difficult to- Well, I find myself a bit-”

At first you’re not sure what he’s talking about, passing him a perplexed look as he sputters out a few more incoherent, broken phrases. But you feel an impish smirk tugging at the corners of your lips when you notice just how pink his cheeks are. He shifts in his seat, the growing bulge in his trousers no doubt making him uncomfortable. Before you say anything, you furtively peek around, ensuring no one in the theatre can see into the private, royal box. Indeed, you and Xander have plenty of privacy, so long as you can stay quiet.

“Want some help?” you whisper, hand inching further up his thigh. Xander sucks in a breath through his teeth, nodding vehemently when you brush his growing arousal. The drone of the play fades into the background as you lose yourself in Xander’s hushed gasps and tiny whimpers. As you palm his bulge, you feel his hand snake underneath the hem of your dress, lifting it just enough to give him better access to your heat. His lips taste of cinnamon when you press yours against them, kisses desperate and warm. The play is long forgotten, as are any unsavory emotions it might have left in yours and Xander’s thoughts. When you inevitably return to the castle tonight, you’ll tell everyone the play was boring, except for the end. Because for the two of you, the end was most certainly the best part.

A/N: My very first smut fiction I ever wrote was for Xander and, periodically, I have more spicy Xander ideas. He and Camilla were my first Fire Emblem crushes. I really can't resist writing spice for him. He's so uptight and I just want to see him let loose. There's two more fics for him up on my AO3, if you are a fellow Xander fan. Thank you for reading! I don't plan to get too detailed with any of the spicy content in this event, mostly because I end up getting wordy and, as I said before, I'm trying to keep these between 500 and 1,000 words. But I'll have more spicy fics up soon enough! Up next is Sypha from Castlevania!

[thot-farm]

I finally finished birthright. I hated it, but I am a biased Xander dick rider 🤷‍♀️

I spent Elise's birthday getting her killed in birthright instead of making a shit post edit.

I just don't get how Ryoma stood still so many times. Like I get it, honorable samurai and all, fair fight between Xander and Corrin, but the strongest Nohrian soldier is beating his sister/brother with an ancient magic sword that is as tall as F!Corrin, and Ryoma is standing there staring while he let it happen. (Image creds u/MSGold)

Like, what?! If he, the fast samurai with a lightning katana, just jumped in and blocked the "final" blow from Xander that probably would have killed or at least greatly injured Corrin, 1) Elise would have lived and been able to do Elise things, 2) HE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN A JACKASS STANDING THERE WHILE HIS SIBLING WAS ABOUT TO DIE! I don't hate Ryoma in every other route, but holy fuck I hate Birthright Ryoma. In the cutscene for the fight against Garon, bro tried to negotiate with Garon, of all people, to let Azura go, then he gets hit by a fucking fireball. Like for fuck sake dude get it together!

Maybe this is all steaming from them making Xander seem unstoppably strong and then the Reddit propaganda that Ryoma is on the same level or stronger. I don't believe that anymore after playing Birthright. Ryoma sucked and sassy birthright Corrin sucks too. Azura slayed, literally, she was the last unit left alive on the final battle for me, she fucked up that overgrown salamander.

And why in the route about justice prevailing and peace did Corrin not just make the Nohrian siblings come with her? Puppy eyes for Camilla on her first appearance and she would probably come with. Elise did come with. Corrin could have just dragged Leo with her or dangled Camilla in front of him and he would have come, or Camilla would have forcibly dragged him. If Xander was pitted against all his loved ones trying to bring peace to the lands or picking King Garon, he would probably pick his siblings, even if it would take a battle of him "knocking" sense into his siblings, looking at his siblings beaten down yet not giving up the fight for peace, and not giving up on hope for him even against his blade would probably let the "real" Xander's feelings out instead of them being stifled by the loyal crown prince of Nohr.

But that didn't happen, instead, Corrin lives with the guilt of Elise dying in her place the blood of Xander's glorified suicide on her hands, and a worse elder brother imo. But at least Ryoma is hotter, right? (Screenshots taken from Hawlo's video.)

Also, I get that Xander would have dismissed Azura's crystal ball probably like he dismissed soothsaying. (Screenshots from Xander/Nyx supports justonegamer)

But in his death quote he admitted King Garon had changed, he knew, and everyone else knew and was telling him so. So maybe that crystal could have given him the final push he needed to break free of his shackles to King Garon. (Screenshots from pheonixmaster1 chapter 26.)

Why oh why of all people did they show it to Leo and not Xander? Leo quite literally just disappeared, killed Lago, then disappeared again then came back and now he was king of Nohr. All could have been avoided if Leo told Xander to stop huffing copium. (ETA om the crystal at the end.)

Xander's death hit me harder than any other death in the game, I knew it was coming so I was tearing up the chapters leading up to it and through his death speech. Ryoma's I teared up a bit. Takumi I didn't realize died so it never set it. Elise I didn't cry, I was frustrated. Azura's death in Birthright was sad, but I was still recovering from Xander's death, and all of Ryoma's yapping afterward just made me angry. Who else dies? A bunch of side characters and enemies? Characters I couldn't give less of a shit about since I don't remember?

I don't know why, but I feel like the salamander form and the goo form should have been swapped for the route but I don't know how they would do that story-wise. I found birthrights last battle much harder than I did Conquest, but I did totally over level all the royals on Conquest, but I still had a level 30 defense boon Corrin with a strength/defense backpack get fucking obliterated on Birthright along with all my other units, which included my over-leveled Xander and Siegbert. The only survivors at my 2nd to last turn were my over-leveled dark flier Leo from my conquest run and my dark flier Azura with 8 hp left, but they beat down that ugly salamander anyway! But I was playing very aggressively in endgame (I sent all my units in different directions and expected it to be an easy sweep like conquest endgame was for me.) (Edit: I played endgame right and it was an easy sweep, I don't know what I did the first time to make it so hard, it may have been the grief of Xander's death clouding my brain's capabilities.)

If they ever remake fates for the switch, they should make it so we as the player get more impactful choices, similar to 3 houses, but I feel like there are so many instances where the player could make a choice that gives you a different avenue to the end or multiple endings instead of the only decision beings what side you pick, and if you pick conquest kill shura for boots or let Azura's kidnapper join you, hooray.

And if they remake the game for the switch they should show Xander with his cheeks out in the hot springs 🤭

(ETA: I was playing Conquest and Azura says to access the power of the crystal at will they need a 'powerful mage like Leo' or a person with 'potent dragon blood like Corrin', so they did give an actual reason as to why the crystal was given to Leo in birthright but you only get that explanation in conquest (I don't believe Azura explains jackshit in birthright but I could be wrong). But this does not explain if Corrin or Leo were to use the crystal, would have Xander been able to see it in some way? All of this just makes me wish there was like a Telltale version of Fates, it would fit the whole 'what if' theme so well and I would eat it up, even more than I ate up warriors 1.)