#Xander is the King of Nohr

[almoststedytimetravel]

If you respond to an lgbtq headcannon with "Herm but they have a cannon child where did they come from?" I am going to hit you with a car.

[asha-mage]

Playing through Conquest the other day and I had a cascade of realizations.

UPDATED: to explain myself (a little)

[nerdyoatmealart]

It’s been a while since I’ve shown Fire Emblem: Fates some love, so I sketched out my favorite royals! These two have honestly been overdue for some time now!

[emblematicemblazer]

The King of Nohr

[little-devil-art]

[The Lady of Dusk with her Lord of Corruption]👑💙

(‼️My MC Alice‼️)

This drawing was inspired by “La Belle Dame sans Merci“ by Frank Dicksee.

More like a “Royalty AU“ but make it TSL and Fire Emblem. To be fair, this is Alice‘s Consort of the Nohrian King Attire, as well as her Crown so it‘s actually a little Fire Emblem x Obey Me thingy again. Since MC Alice is from the Kingdom of Nohr, I thought it would fit. Or I just wanted to make myself suffer by drawing Lucifer‘s TSL Outfit. It was a fair try tho- DW ALICE DIDN‘T CHEAT ON XANDER SHHHHH-

[emblemxeno]

I know Azura and Corrin get a lot of flack for not having shown the orb to the Nohrian Royal but ... weren't they supposed to conquer Hoshido either way ?

Pretty much.

Hypothetically, showing the orb to the other siblings and successfully getting them to fight against Garon relies a lot on unrealistic occurrences going their way:

1) The siblings believing Corrin and Azura are telling the truth. Elise would probably believe them, but wouldn't have the power to stop things by herself. Camilla could go either way in terms of believing, but ultimately she cares more about not dying. Xander and Leo though? Good fucking luck lol.

2) The siblings believing the orb isn't a trap or a falsehood. Leo only entertains this aspect in BR because he was beaten before Azura gave it to him. The other three literally can't use it, so even if Leo does, if he isn't convinced that the orb isn't a Hoshidan trap, why would the others go along with it?

3) The siblings getting over their fear of Garon to fight back. Even when the truth is on the throne in front of them, the siblings aren't gung-ho to kill their dad. Even after all the things he put them through, it's not easy cuz he was their fucking dad and to expect them to flip the switch is to expect poor writing. It's only when Xander inspires them that they're able to do so, and Xander is the hardest one to convince.

4) Having the power to effectively do anything. Azura comments that half of the Nohrian royal army is loyal to Corrin, Xander and Leo, and the other half is loyal to Garon, Iago and Hans. She says this in chapter 23, 8 chapters after the orb is relevant. Safe to say, there wouldn't be enough manpower to rebel against Garon at that point.

5) Doing something that's effectively believable to the player. When the orb comes up, the war has been underway for a while. The Cheve rebellion has been put down, with Scarlet, Orochi, and Reina dead. The Cyrkensia townsfolk are in danger. Corrin has crossed blades with the Hoshidan army more than once. Realistically, what could Corrin's group do to Garon, that also takes into account the war going on? Joining Hoshido isn't an option (and shouldn't be one cuz that defeats the purpose of joining Nohr in the first fucking place), especially when Ryoma is the way he is and Takumi is already possessed. And you'd have to be an idiot to think that Hoshido will just sit on its hands while Corrin rebels against Garon, as if they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to take all of Nohr out in one fell swoop. There's precedent for this already, with Hinoka, Ryoma, and Takumi willing to use Nohr's negative reputation to their benefit.

Do you guys know the Rhetorical Triangle of persuasive writng? It's ethos (showcase of author authority through citing of sources or taking care to establish a base argument), logos (building up a logical audience), and pathos (appeals to audience emotions). Most storytelling is persuasive. For your story not to be utter dogshit, you need the central theme/argument to be believable, the logic of a story's circumstances and context in order to believe it, and the emotional weight to get the reader to care and invest in it.

The above "solutions" to the orb issue, would sacrifice the ethos (Corrin sticking to their path, the Nohr siblings being consistently written) and logos (not having the power to start a rebellion, Hoshido canonically taking advantage of Nohr's internal troubles) established in Conquest before chapter 15, in order to maybe satisfy the pathos of some of the audience. I say maybe and some because only a fraction of the fandom has this double-think thing going on where they hate that Corrin gets worshipped and followed for "no reason" but also that Corrin should be totally believed and, in fact, followed earlier to topple the king while there's a war going on. Another subsection also hates Corrin for being a "spineless, whiny coward" so those people might also like this alternative better.

But again, that's a fraction of the total. What about the rest? How would they feel about this change in this story? How can you guarantee that they'd care when you've sacrificed two other major persuasive tools to possibly achieve one for a small and annoyingly persistent group of wannabe story writers? It'd look amateurish and erroneous, not to mention the script's prose in the English versions is already scuffed thanks to Treehouse.

The only thing left for them to argue would be "well, they shouldn't have added the orb in the first place, because it just results in these questions being asked" which... okay! Yeah! In the grand scheme, it doesn't serve anything more than getting Corrin, a character known for his trust, to trust Azura's word. But that kind of critique is useless, cuz it boils down to "well this story should've been better", which can apply to every damn story in the world, and has been said about FE stories in the past. Robin's fake Gules plan was the magic orb of Awakening, same with the blood pact in Tellius, same with effectively every villain dialogue in previous FE games (like Ursula in FE7) that betrays what their ultimate goals are, same with the Turnwheel, Divine Pulse, and the Time Crystal in the future FE games, and countless other examples. At some point, you gotta roll with the punches and accept what the game is trying to tell you, rather than deride it constantly, cuz eventually you'll just hate everything in every story.

Hell, why do you think people say FE stories have never been good? Not cuz they're actually bad, it's cuz people refuse to set aside their biases and faulty evaluations/expectations in order to appreciate what the writing is doing in the grand scheme. It's a lame excuse more than it is a meme, IMO.

[randomnameless]

Yeah, the argument that "oh Hoshido is completely pure and good while Nohr is completely corrupt and evil" is complete bs and falls apart once you analyze the information you're given throughout Fates, especially in Birthright and Conquest.

Hoshido takes little to no interest in the issues of neighbouring countries once their usefulness is at an end, to the point of Sumeragi refusing to shelter Shura and other Kohga refugees after Mokushu conquered it, just because he wouldn't benefit from helping a now-destroyed nation; Dehumanizes the fuck out of their opposition, with even the royal family being raised under the assumption that the vast majority of Nohrians are inhumane, cowardly beasts who attack other countries for fun and pleasure instead of out of necessity, as is the truth, with things getting so bad that the general populace starts killing anyone in Hoshido who has even the slightest connection to Nohr, with Haitaka going rogue and forming a small platoon for the sole purpose of kidnapping, torturing and killing Azura (with that plot point being conveniently erased from the localization, with Azura claiming that she was the only one targeted in EN); Is so misogynistic that Mikoto and Hinoka were only allowed to take the throne due to the male heirs being either too young or dead to do so themselves, with multiple of the female playable Hoshidan cast having suffered through sexism in the military in the past; And is hypocritical af when it comes to what makes them any better than Nohr in terms of their behaviour on the battlefield, doing the exact same thing Garon did to Sumeragi by ambushing both him and Corrin while they were minding their own business, only to have the gall to call Zola dishonorable for ambushing them in return.

Nohr has it's issues, like the massive resource disparity caused by the nobles and soldiers getting what little food the country has for themselves while the commoners are left to starve (solved by the end of every route thanks to Leo and/or Xander) and it's history of invading and conquering other nations due to being too proud to ask other nations for help with their resource issues (also solved at the end of every route, with Leo or Xander taking pride in the fact that the two countries will be having much better and more open cooperations between them from then on), and is ultimately more morally at fault than Hoshido when it comes to the war, since they're the agressors, but it's also a genuinely better country than Hoshido in a few ways, most notably it's people being much more open and trusting of foreigners by default, with them happily accepting Shura into their midst despite also gaining nothing from doing so, and most Nohrians having no real preconceptions against Hoshidans and being much more respectful of them than the other way around: women are also, generally, much better treated in Nohr, with few to none of the female playable Nohrians having had any issues relating to gender discrimination in the military and being free to choose what they want to do with their lives without fear of being shunned for breaking away from their expected societal roles.

Thinking that Fates in any way portrays Hoshido as solely good and Nohr as solely bad implies a heavy misunderstanding of it's story and themes imo.

(Also, yeah, idk wtf the anon was talking about with "oh Birthright is just a more simplistic version of Shadow Dragon's good blue units destroy evil red units and bring peace to the world story"; an entire chapter of that route is dedicated to showing how rough the average Nohrian has it and how they still band together and overcome adversity by living in the underground, Ryoma's character arc is to understand and soften up to Nohr, ultimately deciding to share Hoshido's surplus resources with it once he's crowned king, multiple of the Nohrians Corrin fights are portrayed in a sympathetic light, and Xander and Elise's deaths are meant to be the emotional high points of the story lol)

(Also also, Ryoma himself never knew that Nohrian land was infertile and it's commoners were suffering prior to reaching Nohr and being told as such by Silas, with him vowing to share food with the country as soon as the war was over once he found out; the Nohrian monarchs prior to Garon were too prideful to ask Hoshido for help and tried to solve all their problems by themselves and the Hoshidan monarchs prior to Ryoma didn't give a fuck about what happened outside of their own country, causing Nohr's resource shortage to only get solved by the end of Fates, though it is likely that at least one Nohrian monarch swallowed their pride, asked Hoshido's monarch for help, and got told to fuck off; no real proof of that tho)

Oh thanks!

Yeah, in general both Nohr and Hoshido are flawed, in different ways, but flawed nonetheless!

Hoshido's extreme isolationism leads them to, not understand why Nohr feels obliged to attack them (but then Mikoto makes her special "and they don't want to fight anymore!" magic, so what happens to the Nohrians who are affected by her magic? Are they killed, or do they return to Nohr or... what?).

FE, in general, always tries to have some sort nuance, not the kind that would excuse imperialism or declaring a war, but it often took the time to explain circumstances that led to the war, so the blue lord doesn't repeat the same mistakes as his forefathers.

Imo, that's why in FE1 we learn about Medeus' motivations and why Jugdral's Travant is so well liked. Zephiel even gets a prequel!

It's never as clear cut as "red empire is evil and invades for shit'n'giggles and blue lords saves the world", or at least, it never was.

[nowis-scales]

Ryoma Birthday Headcanons

I definitely did not almost forget to prepare any of these in advance because I forgot that April 31st wasn’t a thing, haha… noooo, who would do that? I’m sorry Ryoma. You’re still my 2nd favourite Fates character, I’m just busy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this year’s round!

‣ Honestly, after the events of Revelation, he’s a little embarrassed that his first act as king (without being directly coronated, of course) was to declare war. For one thing, Hoshido is a country of peace. Very few kings during their reigns opened them by starting a war. For another, the problems with Nohr that drove them to battle were half the fault of a [REDACTED] working behind the scenes to worsen relations, and the other half were his fault for being ignorant. Thankfully for the most part people talk about his efforts to bring food to Nohr and end battles more than they do his tendency to start them, but it does make Ryoma more weary of how he handles conflicts afterwards.

‣ A lot of people believe that Ryoma is just naturally good at everything and never fails or has embarrassing moments. No. The man is actually just really, really good at a poker face, and it tends to convince people. No, that clang you heard was not him knocking his dessert spoon off the table, Prince Xander. You must be imagining things. The fact that his dessert spoon is now gone must surely be a coincidence, and likely evidence of another visit from a cute, pig-tailed prankster named Elise. Ryoma genuinely does fail fairly normal, but he has just learned to roll with the punches and keep going, and he has found that most of the time people will just believe him. Of course, this can only make it more embarrassing when there’s no way he can convince anyone that he didn’t misjudge the doorway’s height and bash his head, because there’s a bruise forming already. He just turns a little pink then.

‣ For someone who wears red a lot and is heavily associated with the colour, his favourite is actually blue. He doesn’t mention it much because he still does like red, but he finds the colour very calming. If given the opportunity to dress himself in casual clothing, it’s usually the colour he will go for the most, and he usually does for a deep, midnight blue tone.

‣ Contrary to popular belief, he and Mikoto did not have a magical mother-son connection. They genuinely liked, loved, and respected each other, but after losing both of his own parents, Ryoma tended to try and keep his parental figures at arms' length after that. Mikoto, loving mother that she was, always tried to connect with him anyway, but they weren’t as close as many people believe. A lot of that comes from the fact that he showed immense support for her at the beginning of her reign, calling her “Mother” and taking her opinions and advice very seriously. He genuinely did grow to think of her as his mother and would sing her praises all day long, but in the end their bond wasn’t similar to that of the ones she had with Sakura or Takumi. They relied on each other a lot politically and socially, but emotional connections could be sporadic. It’s why Yukimura’s choice of words for their connection is “cordial”.

‣ I imagine one of Ryoma’s first political moves is to change the succession order to being just by age, rather than age and gender. He does this as a way to honour Queen Mikoto’s memory, as she was living proof of the power of an influential female leader. It’s considered quite the controversial move, but we all know our boy can be manipulative when he wants to be — so when people try to question him, he will always asks them if they’re insinuating that Mikoto was anything less than perfect. Do they think they could have done better than her, if they were to walk in her shoes? They tend to shut up quickly after that.

‣ I’ve mentioned that I think Ryoma probably doesn’t believe too much in the “women are inherently inferior to men and need to be soft and delicate” idea on the surface, considering he was raised by and is deeply bonded to four (or five, considering Corrin’s gender) strong women, but I think he definitely still has a problem with understanding that protective paternalism isn’t helpful. He’s very absorbed in his expected gender role as a man, to the point that he doesn’t really even consider how patronizing he comes across. He genuinely thinks he’s helping and doing something good, because his one main job in life has been protector. He’s not thinking about how unfair it is to assume that the women in his life need his back-up or can’t handle things, he just thinks he’s being chivalrous.

‣ Not a morning person, mostly because he's a really bad sleeper. Total grumpy grump. He’ll get up when Saizo or Kagero wakes him, but he’s not happy about it. In fact, for the most part they’re very uninvolved in his morning routines because he wants them to stay out of the way. Just give him the clothes and he’ll fuss with his hair and they’ll all be presentable in a bit. Until he’s had his coffee for the day, don’t talk to him. In fact, unless you’re bringing his coffee for the day, don’t talk to him.

‣ Speaking of Ryoma and his terrible sleep schedule, I like to think he is also a 3 a.m. snacker. And not just like, a small snacker — heavy snacks. The reason he knows how to cook is at least partially because he needs to cook his own 3 a.m. meals. His sleep schedule is so bad and his eating schedule isn’t much better. He gets wrapped up in whatever he’s doing and then suddenly eight hours have passed, and all he’s had is a cup of tea. So he goes out to search for and prep midnight eats. Admittedly, he’s a little embarrassed that he does this — especially because, per Revelation, Xander won’t. stop. catching. him. (“Listen — if you would like a helping of beef curry, just ask instead of skulking around in the dark in such a manner!”)

‣ Kinda prefers not being called by his royal title when he can help it. In the Japanese version of Birthright, he actually tells Scarlet to call him by his first name when his identity is revealed (approximations because I am working from memory here, but… ENG: "You may simply call me Lord Ryoma", JPN: "Ryoma is fine"). For close friends, Ryoma will often just ask people to call him by his first name. The title is fine and everything, he cherishes it because it is representative so much and it is technically a gift from his parents, but there’s a certain ease that comes to talking to people without it. It’s like the equivalent of actually being able to let it go for a little bit when his friends don’t feel the need to call him “lord” and “milord”. Honestly, he’ll even allow cutesy nicknames, too… but they do make him a little embarrassed. He’ll never get used to Camilla calling him by her variation of pet names. Just Ryoma is fine, why does she insist on things like ‘honey bun’? (The answer: she likes that it makes him flustered.)

‣ Of all of the Hoshidan royal siblings, it is the most difficult to make him cry, but let it be known that it is not as difficult to make him cry as you think it might be. Still pretty hard, but certain things can and do get the water works flowing. He just also tries rather viciously to deny the tears, so by the end of it when he finally does start to cry, his face is usually quite pink and he’s really trying to hide behind his hair. He finds crying really embarrassing and tries to avoid doing it in public at all costs, but is more likely to allow it if it’s for happy occasions. Like if one of his siblings was getting married? Then it’s okay to be a little glassy-eyed. They’re worth it.

[honeydots]

For the ask game- Xanlow 30 and 33

OTP ask game

maybe i should just put all of these under a cut at this point

30: Pet names? Yes or no?

laslow 100% yes. i think he's a man who says darling, lover, my dear. perfect. my love. dearest, even. i can imagine him using babe in a modern context too LMAO and goofier ones i think he could use jokingly at xander just for fun. but i think when laslow starts using them it's very notable to xander. the first time he calls him lover.... agh........ ;A; xander.... okay had you asked me this like half a year ago i probably would've said not really but ive been warning up to it lately. "my love" or "my dear" or POTENTIALLY something like "dove" would be cute. i don't think he uses them nearly as often as laslow does, and i think they're usually reserved for more intimate moments (but not necessarily always?). im always iffy w pet names bc sometimes its hard to make them work. but i think there ARE ways to make them work w these two, it just needs to be like. correct? lol. if u have ever seen me use a pet name in a fic know that i most certainly agonized over it LMAOO

33: What is their wedding day like?

WEDDING DAY SOBS SOBS SOBS okay well.... for one thing i do think laslow is a bit of a wreck. anxious to be in front of all these people, anxious to do well in a culture so unlike his own, anxious for what's to come after marrying a king. i think he'd also have a melancholy about him. his friends aren't all there. even if odin and selena are around, i really think the consequences of staying in nohr will weigh on laslow for like. ever. i don't think he'd be able to shake some of the sadness and loneliness. and on a day like his wedding, i think it'd be on his mind. EVEN STILL!! i think he'd be faced with a lot of joy, too. especially once he's with xander and they're celebrating. laslow probably voiced some of his anxieties leading up to the wedding, so it's not like xander doesn't know that he might have some trouble. and i think he'd do what he can to make him comfortable. xander is probably also very nervous. we know he has a lot more anxiety than he seems to, and a royal wedding isn't going to be without its fair share of stressors. i think his siblings would be trying their damnedest to make sure things run smoothly, and probably have to keep reminding xander that it's *his day* and he doesn't need to be in charge of everything, just this once. he's a little antsy!! i think it goes well, tho. laslow probably does cry and its VERY embarrassing. of course they dance together. i like to think peri helped to make some of the goodies and pastries that're served, too. and afterwards i think that a lot of the stress and sadness melts away, and they're filled with a lot more giddiness and excitement. they're married :) !! and then honeymoon in cyrkensia or something HEHE

[synergysilhouette]

Things I'd want for a "Fire Emblem: Fates" remake

I haven't played a ton of FE games, but I really loved Fates for it's characters and branching storyline. The community gives it WAAAY too much hate. One person told me that it's a minority of people who don't like it, but it's a LOUD minority, making it seem like a majority of people hate it. That said, the discussions I've had (and gatekeeping I've experienced) have inspired me to make some of my own changes to Fates if it ever got remade. I wonder if you'll agree with any. I know some of these are MAJOR changes that results in this feeling more like it's own game, but I hope you still take them into consideration, anyway.

1. Nix the amnesia story--It only existed for gameplay purposes to teach the player how to fight. Story-wise it's not important for Corrin, since they don't remember Nohr and thus it feels as new as Hoshido, so it completely defeats the born with/raised by concept. Just allow us more time to enjoy/interact with Nohrians and Hoshidans each in order to make it a more convincing story with a conflicted protagonist, plus it helps to flesh out the characters. Considering 3H and "Engage" allow you to explore environments a bit more, that should be a given. I feel like the amnesia plot only works in the "Birthright" route since Corrin would be kidnapped more recently and it'd make the royal family the main villains, and less sympathetic.

2. Have more support-contingent branching storylines--In "Fates: Birthright," Kaze dies at some point if you don't have his A-support conversation with Corrin. If you do, he becomes Corrin's retainer. It'd be fun if socializing with the characters (ie Azura, Silas, the royal family) had more weight to it, story-wise. It'd also be cool if you could carry over your save data from the opposite game and if you have A-supports with Ryoma, Elise, Takumi, and/or Xander, you can potentially save them. But that may be pushing it…

3. More same-sex supports (with kids)--Allow for Corrin to reach same-sex S-supports with Silas, Azura, Jakob, Felicia, and Kaze, given that they all join you in every route. Plus and the royals and Flora should also be allowed to be romanced in their respective routes and "Revelations." I feel like that should be a given. And allow us to keep our kids rather than off-screen offspring as mentioned in the epilogue. It feels unfair to remove their kids from the main story.

4. (Possibly Defeats the Purpose) Make it clear that Corrin isn't related the the royals--This is mainly for romantic reasons, but maybe have Mikoto as a woman who became a noble in Hoshido, with Sumeragi treating you like one of his children. It's also revealed that when Corrin was kidnapped, the Nohrian siblings were too young to know they weren't their sibling. Plus the Nohrian siblings being half-siblings does nothing for the plot, especially since they look alike (Leo and Xander have blonde hair, Camilla has purple, and Elise has blonde and purple hair).

5. LET THE PARENTS SURVIVE! Maybe it's because of parent death fatigue in "Engage," but I'd like for Sumeragi and Mikoto to survive, and let us see Ganon as a good king before he is curropted and dies. Plus giving Corrin dreams of Anankos would be awesome.

6. Remove the Awakening connection--It's only mentioned in some support conversations and doesn't fully impact the story. I see why it's a nice nod to the game that brought the franchise back to light, but still. Asugi looks like Gaius and Rhajat looks like Tharja, but apparently they're not the same person, so it can be the same with Laszlo/Inigo, Odin/Owain, and Severa/Selena. Maybe if we had a couple more characters from "Awakening" and it coming into play for the main storyline, it'd be a different story.

7. Give more life/information on Valla--If we're going for this "secret, Atlantis-like Kingdom," make it a trapped, isolated paradise that Anankos governs, giving this Fire Nation-type of nationalism so the inhabitants want to reclaim Nohr and Hoshido for themselves. They've already conquered Nohr, explaining the aggression towards Hoshido following Ganon's corruption. It'd be fun if you could recruit/interact with characters from Valla in "Revelations."

8. Fix up the Deeprealms and it's drama--In the game, they're convenient alternate dimensions/worlds that age the kids up quick at different rates, and most of them are ignorant of their heritage and birthright (no pun intended). In my rewrite, this is simply ONE alternate world that the children are sent to, and they age proportionately; the younger ones were just taken from the Deeprealms earlier. Plus it's something that's seen as "off the radar" and a world Anankos hopes to conquer after the main setting in the game. Along with this, all of the parents visit and involve themselves with their kids, rather than the children feeling like their parents ignored them or kept them in the dark.

9. Open World like in "Engage" and "3 Houses"--It'd really help to explore the culture more and expand the world so that the consequences feel even more severe.

[runicmagitek]

Someone to Lean On: Chapter 1 (Corrin/Silas - Fire Emblem Fates)

(( a bday gift for @glitteraga 🥳 this started as a quick oneshot and then blew up into A Thing, so I'm planning on posting updates weekly until it's done! also very 🔞and be mindful of the tags! ))

The Nohrian banquets were as rare as the snow melting in the north. Silas had the privilege of attending a feast years ago—a commemoration for the recently knighted recruits, which overlapped with a successful conquest for expansion. In hindsight, the latter seemed more worthy of revelry in the late King Garon’s eyes. Soldiers were necessary, but disposable. Such was the way of Nohr.

His second banquet, however, was different. This celebration was in honor of their victory, of a peaceful future. All were welcomed, per King Xander’s request, thus nobles and commoners alike bumped elbows while savoring kartoffelklösse and schweinsbraten. Silas couldn’t blame them; the pork roast was splendid!

And while he prepared for a second helping, something else caught his eye.

Past the sprawling tables of food and the boisterous crowds, Corrin absconded the party and disappeared elsewhere. Silas frowned. Maybe she required fresh air. It was rather stuffy inside. Or maybe she grew weary and retired for the night. For every valid explanation he devised, Silas crafted ten more befitting for a nightmare. She’s fine, he told himself. No sense in hovering over her. Besides, she was smiling and laughing a minute ago! If something was wrong, she’d tell me.

Right...?

[read more on AO3]

[folternis]

"Welcome back, Niles," Leo greets warmly, expression for once unguarded. It's a relief, having one half of his retainers again at his side.

(He need not worry about the archer, yet Leo cannot help but wonder what trouble Niles will land himself in without someone there to break his fall.)

"How is Nohr? Flourishing under Xander's leadership, I presume?" There's no trace of mockery in his tone. Nohr deserves a king who loves her.

"Ah, before I forget--I also heard your wife arrived recently. Should either of you need anything, please let me know."

niles is ever-pleased to see that leo is still here. he dislikes being away from his side ( that place where he belongs, near liege-friend-savior ) but sometimes needs must. niles is more than happy to be the one sent away if it means he can better acquire what he needs in service to the younger of nohr's princes.

"nohr is doing as well as you expect, milord," he says, nodding. for once his easy smile is not present, and in its place is a more sincere expression, one of contentment rather than play-acting at amusement. it's good to finally be able to pass along good news more frequently than bad.

he isn't well-suited to peacetime, but that doesn't mean he's not happy with it.

"your brother is a spectacular ruler—i'm happy to report that all is well."

he brightens just a little at the mention of his wife. it's a subtle expression, his visible eye widening just a touch, but it's likely one leo would know him well enough to pick up on. then he blinks and it's gone.

"i'll keep that in mind. but you know, it's not your job to see to anything i need, is it?"

[nerdyoatmealart]

It’s that time of year again of Xander’s birthday art! This year I drew him receiving roses, since the black roses are one of Nohr’s motifs.

[chevaleri]

Over the years, he has contented himself with knowing there are some people he may never see again. Life's path does not always intersect with those he holds most dear; so he continues forward with a smile, enjoying whatever he's doing and whoever's doing it as his side.

He never loses the hope that perhaps a day may come where he will again see a long-lost friend. This Academy has a peculiar way of bringing back those lost faces.

Laslow hides a yawn behind his hand as he enters the professor's lounge. Classes mercifully start later today, and he'd taken full advantage by sleeping in. His jacket hangs off his shoulders; he hadn't yet bothered to properly put it on. The dishevelment adds to his charm!

"Good morning!" He chirps, smiling at the few people milling about the room. A rather imposing figure gives him pause. Their back is to him, but there's something familiar about the hair--

"Milord Xander?"

his voice is enough.

it is enough to send a surge of adrenaline through the king, jolting through his stomach and blossoming into his chest. eyes widen, fixated on the calendar, mouth slightly agape before he seals it once more into a thin line. it has been a long time.

xander is imposing. muscular, strong, a figure that stands on the frontlines and a tone that does not request but demand respect. long has it been since he has raised it in genuine intent ( that is to say - to cut, to slaughter, to pierce a path through that is both clear and safe for his people to walk ), and yet all the same the habits of war had not ebbed from his being. to those who saw his back, they would see nothing but the sturdy and stalwart figure in which he always is.

and which, he always will be. it was laslows departure that came, and left, and the forgiveness he vowed to present him with never had to arrive - it was long since presented in the hypothetical denouement of their relationship. spoken in ' what ifs ? ' in the privacy of campgrounds ( or was it his quarters ? or was it the garden ? it had been some time since , and yet xander recalls the conversation with grand clarity. laslow , who he had chastised for his troubles , he remembers it well. the surroundings did not exactly matter ).

( and yet, he does remember the day in which he departed. the frost of the air and the bite of loss, but the seasons changing and the return to peri. )

( she cried. xander did not. )

( he knew that it would be the last time he saw laslow. and that was okay, so long as he abided by the sacred vow of simply living. )

( ah, laslow kept his vow. . . dutiful retainer, albeit removed. )

slowly does he turn around to meet his gaze, a nod of acknowledgement and a pace towards him.

"so you have continued to draw breath, laslow," and yet, he still speaks to him with the same tone he always did - that of familiarity, that of a friend. not the rigidity he usually is host to, or the forced eloquence of nobility in a nohrian court. "i see you've followed my wishes even in my absence. well done."

but, laslow was no longer his retainer, was he? the lines were no longer neatly arranged and organized as xander always liked.

"but you did not need my forgiveness for your disappearance. i was rested to know you were likely alive," and he assumes there is awkwardness from laslow, one in which he concealed under his fine-tuned smiles and charismatic gestures. "and though nohr misses your company, i am sure fodlan will cherish it in equal amounts."

xander never tried to track him down. he had once vowed, a long time ago, in their earlier conversations - and yet, it had dawned on him in the latter that such was not the wishes of his companion. it was moreso the painful wounds of his formers retainer torn anew, seeping with blood he never wanted to bleed in front of others.

". . . and from your rather relaxed appearance," he sighs, but the faintest of a smile perks on his lips. "you seem to be cherishing fodlan just as much."

usually, he would tell laslow to present himself better. to look the part of a retainer. but for now, he will rest on such a statement, as a grand exception in the scheme of things.

but, it was still strange to see laslow now. "as we stand, you and i are equals," and he wants to ask him if hes still his retainer. there is a mass in his throat that refuses to settle, an instinctive desire to request laslow comes home-- no. back. he does not know if nohr is his home, and yet he hopes laslow found a degree of warmth in her cold from the people he had met. ". . . i . . ."

he doesn't say it. face changes, and he changes the track of what he was going to speak.

"am glad to see you well."

[little-devil-art]

[Café Sesam] 👑⚔️☕️

(‼️OC x Canon‼️)

A continuation of my Modern AU where Xander is a Barista. While I don’t know what to make of Alice, I thought maybe she could be a journalist who researches about the past (And finds out that Xander is a descendant of the late King of Nohr) or an Art Historian, who analyzes the old Nohrian/Hoshidan Paintings!

Sesam is my headcanon Name for Xander’s Cabbit. There’s no meaning behind it, the name seemed cute and it’s been kept since 2017.

[elder-sister]

Okay so!

Hoshido is very peaceful, and prosperous. But also isolationist and racist

Nohr is a land in eternal night, and with few resources, forcing them to Conquer other lands, starting a war with Hoshido who refuses to trade with them. It doesn't help that an unknown (until you play the third route then you find out) killed Nohr's good king and slowly turned him into a brutal, bloodthirst tyrant.

While many of the Nohr characters who aren't recruited are obviously evil, I do think things are a bit more gray.

And also, Nohr's worldbuilding is interesting

Plants grow via moonlight, most cities are underground, the castle is in a hole. The place is militeristic, the history of the royal family is VERY interesting, the flora is bioluminescent, it's just cool

Nohr survives by conquering nearby lands such as the Ice Tribe, Notre Saggesse, and Cheve

Even then, those places are small. And have a tendency to rebel

Also, Conquest is more difficult. Units level up slower, you need to buy DLC for grinding, and it's harder and more expensive to get items. The map designs are also some of the most difficult yet fair in the series. Birthright is very Easy

Also, Nohr's music is pretty Celtic, with instruments such as bagpipes.

Hoshido is heavily Japanese inspired

And oh boy. The royal family of Nohr...

I feel bad for them. So very bad for them. They are the reason I can't play Birthright because I don't wanna hurt them ;-;

Yeah the Hoshido siblings lost their dad and Corrin but oh boy that's NOTHING compared to Nohr.

And also the Hoshidan royals, specifically Takumi and Hinoka, are racist

Nohr had a Queen, Katerina. She had a son with King Garon. Xander. And then she died. Now at this time, Garon was a loving father. Then, the concubines wanted power. They used their children for this. Hundreds of them forced to kill each other, or play the roles of political pawns. This lasted years. During this time, Garon remarried a woman named Arete, a foreigner with a daughter named Azura. However, throughout what would be called the Concubine wars, with so many of his children dying, he grew cold and callous. And eventually the whole mysterious guy killing and secretly puppetyring him thing happened.

Only 5 kids remained.

Xander, Camilla, Azura, Leo, and Elise

All very traumatized.

Xander constantly facing assassinations, Camilla made into a weapon for her mother, Azura being picked on relentlessly and the guards turning a blind eye, Leo forced to be a pawn and outright stating in a support that his mother didn't love him, and Elise was too young to remember, but she was never around for good guy Garon.

Then came Corrin's kidnapping and Azura's kidnapping.

And when they met Corrin, their new sibling, they became EXTREMELY close. They only had each other.

But they are effected. Xander hides his feelings for the greater good, Camilla is so violently protective and attached to people if she leaves she freaks out, Azura honestly got the best out of this because the Hoshidans saw her as "one of the good ones" Corrin was isolated and longed for the outside world, Leo has a massive inferiority complex, feeling his not good enough, not worthy, and strives to make his siblings proud even when they already are, and Elise takes it upon herself to make sure everyone is happy.

Even their retainers aren't as close to them as they are to the siblings. Niles broke in with a group of thieves and when they abandoned him and Leo confronted Niles, he begged for death, intriguing Leo enough to spare and hire him. Beruka was hired to kill Camilla, so Camilla hired her for more money to be a retainer. Laslow, Selena, and Odin are actually Inigo Severa and Owain from Awakening and are thus incredibly secretive. And Peri loves killing. Elise has the best retainers with her best friend and a Justice loving man.

ALL OF THIS BEFORE THE GAME EVEN STARTS!!!!!!!!!

Every trauma thing stays the same except Corrin. I mean her first experience outside the Northern Fortress is being a commander in a war so...

Also, headcanon ages (during the game)

Elise is 16 (Japanese Version has her as a child and she's written like one but she is called an adult once in the English version so I'm going with 16 as a comprise), Leo is 18, Corrin is 20, Azura is 20, Camilla is 22 and Xander is 25. But the ages are just headcanon

Oof that was... uh. Something? /pos