#but here we go i think these are my main thoughts on byleth

[fleshing-out-fodlan]

I've talked quit a bit about the misogyny in the world of Three Houses, but today I'd like to instead talk about a country that seemingly does not have these misogynistic standards: Brigid.

Obviously we don't hear too much about Brigid compared to the three main countries in the game, but we do know this: Petra was expected to be the next ruler of Brigid, not her future husband.

Petra pretty confidently asserts that she will be the Queen of Brigid.

There is no uncertainty in her statement, she does not say she "may be" the queen, she says she "will" be the queen" Petra also at no point seems to feel any pressure to get married. She expresses interest in romance, yes, but it is not a necessity for her the way it is for some noble women in Fodlan such as Ingrid or Bernadetta. While Petra was trained to be a good leader, these women were trained to be good wives.

Notice the way Bernadetta's father emphasizes her being a "good wife" or getting a "rich husband." The 'skills' her dad 'taught' her had nothing to do with diplomacy or leadership or other skills that would be important if you were a noble who ran a territory. This is because the expectation was never for Bernadetta to be the one who inherited her territory, instead it was assumed that would eventually go to her husband.

Ingrid's situation is more complicated than Bernadetta's. Her father's mentality is not simply "woman = wife, man = leader." I don't have time to fully dive into the complexities of their relationship here but I do believe that her father's expectations are rooted largely in misogyny and if you're curious about my thoughts on their relationship, you can look at this post I wrote about them. That being said, I will focus on one quote from Ingrid's support with Mercedes.

There are ways to interpret this situation that don't involve misogyny, but I do think it's important to note that Ingrid has had the expectation of being with a man placed on her from day one. While Petra is giving the freedom to just be an individual, Ingrid is told she must be a wife, a role she obviously feels very boxed in by.

I also want to mention a character who is not brought up as often in this discussion, Marianne:

Marianne's story is not as directly tied to marriage as Ingrid and Bernadetta's, but we can see here she still has this pressure placed on her (the 'he' she is referring to is her adoptive father). Marianne was not sent to the Officer's Academy to become a good leader or a good knight, she was sent to find a husband, another example of a noble woman in Fodlan being expected to focus on learning to be a good wife instead of a good leader.

Compare this to how Petra discusses romance and/or marriage, when it is brought up in her supports her desire and emotional connection to the other person is centered.

I could not find an instance of Petra discussing romance through the lens of duty or responsibility the way the other women I mentioned do. She only discusses romance when it is with someone she feels a genuine connection to and doesn't indicate that she feels at all pressured to pursue that path if it is not what she wants.

Petra's freedom to be both a leader and a woman is further reinforced by her endings. Whether she is paired with a man, a woman, or no one, she is the person who inherits the throne (her Byleth ending is an exception but Byleth endings tend to be more focused on player pandering than world building).

[moe-broey]

My "Not a full thought" post about Emblems now being able to exist in Askr and the potential of timeline fuckery is coming back to haunt me.

@iamdarkness BUT I really did wanna reply to this more in-depth esp to have context on the Engage side of things as well! And tbh it could be a really interesting thing to dig into, I just feel a bit out of my depth about it (the FEH autism does not extend far past Askr. If I'm entirely honest 🧍)

Hoping to clear the air on some things! Such as, Elyios (Engage) is separate from Askr/Zenith (FEH)! All the Emblems have their own "domains", in the form of a paralogue/map that's modeled after the respective Emblem's world. For story Emblems, you unlock these as you collect the rings, and for the DLC Emblems, that's how you recruit them. Unsure what this says about Elyios itself, if these maps are like. Pocket dimensions that are replicas of that Emblem's world or what. Given what I vaguely know about Emblem lore I'm gonna say replicas.

This is Askr's!

Which, is interesting that it Is Askr, because it's Emblem Veronica's domain.

But honestly I feel like I'm getting ahead of myself, because even before the DLC came out, I was under the impression that Engage took place after all FEs were said and done, timeline wise. Given the nature of the Emblems, and the set up of the story starting off "1000 years ago" (and that was just to set up the story of Engage! So it has been A While).

One thing (that feels very loose canon-wise) that made me feel Engage is after FEH is because, not only are there Bond Rings of the Askr trio, but their weapons are here too! This was a promotional thing, but. It's There

Something worth noting, is that Bond Rings are different than Emblems. They don't have a spirit in them, that's as animated as the Emblems anyway... they give small stat bonuses, and are of characters that are related to any given Emblem (so, Corrin has a collection of Fates characters for Bond Rings, ect). This Does have an interesting result where there's an overlap between some DLC Emblems and Bond Rings. Cases being, there's Emblem Camilla and a Camilla Bond Ring that's connected to Emblem Corrin -- and, this happened to Edelgard/Dimitri/Claude too! Each of them having Bond Rings connected to Byleth, and also becoming their own Emblems in the Get Along Bracelet LMFAO (all three of them are in there. It goes about as well as you'd expect.)

But I am. Getting a little distracted.

EMBLEM VERONICA

One line that stands out to me is Alear (named Milo here) saying he hasn't heard of Askr before. But like if I think about that too much my head might explode and also Alear was previously comatose for 1000 slutty slutty years. So. Take it or leave it, whatever this is implying

Also, interestingly, she takes the form of her post Book 6 look -- but there's some odd inconsistencies, like her personality being more young Veronica, and also, mentions of Bruno as if he was still missing in action and not. Well. You know. (I'd have to dig further into Bond convos for examples, which tbh may be a worthwhile endeavor! But for now Take My Word For It Please this is already so all over the place 🥲)

But the main reason I wanted to emphasize that dialogue (aside from it being interesting, to say the least), is how Alear doesn't know about Askr as a whole. And, in Alear/Alfonse Forging Bonds:

WHICH.... AGAIN.......... MADE ME FEEL LIKE. With everything going on in Engage, the Bond Rings of Alfonse/Sharena/Anna, their Respective Signature Weapons (feels particularly damning) and Emblem Veronica. It felt like, what happens in Elyios is something that has Yet to Happen. And that, Askr as we know it, has been long gone.

But then...... everything with the Katarina/Kris FBs............ how Kris was only able to be summonable because Katarina and Marth told their story............. and how it's just the Emblems that are specifically mentioned as Not Having Info on, not Alear herself or her friends. My head hurds so bad.

LIKE...... I GUESS???? My initial thoughts on "Oh yeah that makes sense the Emblems don't exist in Askr" was that they Didn't Exist Yet. Aughh but then ...... in-universe, wouldn't the same be true for. Anyone from "the future". Or does it just apply to ghostly jewelry apparitions. Because we KNOW that option isn't true, it's shown/stated that Kiran comes from a modern world like ours, and there's also the Tokyo Mirage Sessions idols. Maybe the Emblem thing WAS just a Kris case, but that feels SO ODD. Like the Emblems are intrinsic to Elyios it seems. Why wouldn't the Askr library, chock full of information about the various worlds and lives of Heroes, Not Have That Info??? Especially with royalty like Lumera (Alear's mom) having close ties with specific Emblems (Sigurd). And also off the top my head that's a REOCCURRING thing, that the royal families in Engage Are entrusted with specific Emblems that are passed down/protected across generations. Celica with Céline/Firene, Lyn with Alcryst/Brodia, to name a few. It just seems SO strange, because it Feels Like it would be basic information about the world of Elyios.

CONCLUSION?????

My head hurds so bad. Net zero information. I'm so sorry. I hope this helped!!!!!!!!! 😇🫡

[butchcraftwrites]

Would I be a bother to ask your thoughts on 4 and 12 as well? Your thoughts on them are A1 and it's overall fun to think of:)

Oh, you are not a bother at all! I love to gush about my leafy green wives 💙

"What do they do for date night?"

It... Is honestly rather mundane. At the end of the day, Rhea in particular is always so tired. Byleth is a pretty tuckered out too, but their work never stops. A perfect date night for them is having the ability to unwind after a long day alone; them not being in their room being the main difference from their usual evening activities.

They do not travel from the monastery, because their entire lives are there, so apart from perhaps perusing the market place (until people stare at them so much Rhea finds it unbearable) they are likely to find a nice secluded spot at Garreg Mach to eat a moonlit picnic at and star watch. They share lingering, gentle touches with one another, talk about their days (you'd be surprised how little they're able to do that at times when their work can be so hectic and even when they retire to their rooms there are just heaps and heaps of paperwork to go through) or share deep memories and feelings with one another.

Rhea, being needy as she is, and Byleth being surprisingly equally as touchy, winds up dragging her loving wife back to their room with a deceptively gentle grasp of her hand or wrist and their date night ends cuddled against one another with damp, disheveled sheets and an absolute mess of green hair.

"What do they do for their anniversary?"

Perhaps the only times they will take trips for leisure are the occasional anniversary. Poor Seteth, who is left in charge while they are gone. Dressing up, dancing where hardly anyone recognizes them; I did write in a fic that they traveled to Brigid during Rhea's birthday, and that is not a trip unlike one they would take for a twenty or fifty year anniversary. But aside from that, trips down to the coast, or perhaps up north on a "diplomatic" trip to Sreng (aka here is an excuse two birds one stone). Rhea is SUCH a workaholic, do NOT expect her to put work down for leisure for TOO long... Byleth does not really feel much of a difference between work and not work, so sure. This is anniversary material.

On most years when they stay at the monastery, they will have a nice small private meal in their room, a glass of wine, and a nice fire going. They will also send flowers to one another during the day when they are hard at work. Awaken the other with a kiss etc...

Rhea is so very, very old, and loved for the best part of a thousand years single and unloved in the way that she craved... Those small and simple gestures, a box of chocolates (of which she is not particularly fond), having her lover walk up behind her, place a kiss on the back of her neck, and then take over brushing her hair... there is hardly a paradise of which she more strongly craves.

(Side note, I used to teach English as a second and foreign language, and A1 is the Most Beginner Level we can assign someone when they are learning to communicate in it, so when I read that I almost busted out laughing 😂 )

[kyogre-blue]

OK, post timeskip GD, go!

Got up to the bridge, which means unifying the Alliance and presumably starting an offensive against the Empire.

I've gotten all the B ranks on my supports, a bunch of A ranks, and all of Byleth's available ones except Lysithea A (which is blocked off) and someone's S. The A ranks really vary a lot in terms of how involved they are, with some being quite nice, but others being pretty whatever.

Unfortunately, some of the basic issues with the support system start to get pretty obvious. You end up doing them in batches, so they get tiring. Additionally, if you watch a few for the same character in a row, there's often overlap in what they discuss, since the characters only have a few traits. Worse, none of the growth in one support can carry over to another or even a paralogue (or to the main story). The supports just become disconnected what-ifs, in a way.

(And this not mentioning the issue that some major character details always end up hidden in the most out there support, which in 3H will require some bizarre recruitment combination.)

In regard to the main story, I don't have too much to say. It's kind of spinning its wheels while we get the new plot on the road, but it's fine. It's just... fine. Hopefully, it'll pick up once we start the real battles.

Notes again:

1185, nearly 5 years since the monastery fell. But it fell several months into 1181, so like... it's 4 years and change.

Kingdom capital has fallen, Leicester alliance is split between supporting the Church and the Empire.

Sothis is here again somehow.

Tomorrow is the Millennium Festival, how convenient. Byleth came floating down a river from Garreg Mach. It is Ethereal Moon, but... Which one is that again...

Ok, I see why AC said the reunion was underwhelming. It's cute but the buildup is non-existent.

Byleth's first concern is Rhea (relatable) but Claude thinks it might be better that she's gone. He doesn't explain why. I am gonna need some time to get used to everyone's adult voices.

Lorenz is quite chill about his father's uh allegiance.

Lorenz: This was inevitable, since our lands are so close to the empire, we have to side with them or lose our necks. Lorenz also: BUT MAYBE IF CLAUDE DIDN'T SUCK

The amount of times you can ask after Rhea is... hum. Rhea is the most personal priority for Byleth. They're definitely not upset or unsettled by her, which is funny.

Seteth thought that maybe Rhea would turn up on the millennium festival.

Claude wanted to use the monastery as a base of operations due to its location.

Why are we talking to this Seiros Knight NPC? Was an unavailable playable meant to be filling this role?

Leonie A1 with Lorenz: she gives back a handkerchief... after 5 years. Leonie's village is called Sauin. It turns out Lorenz's family were the ones who hired Jeralt to help the village all those years ago. Lorenz is still punchable, btw.

Marianne A with Hilda: Their previous two ranks were more abrasive than I expected. The A is... OK? Given their popularity as a pairing, I expected something a bit more.

Cyril A with Hilda: This doesn't feel like it should have been gated to the timeskip. This A is also kinda underwhelming. It's okay, but knowing their relationship can't advance any further is... yeah.

Not really feeling the new monastery and menu music.

They did at least change the skybox to be yellow, which is something. Makes it feel autumn-y, which is... not correct. It would be nice if somewhere aside from the cathedral interior had some visible damage.

Claude A with Byleth: He admits to not being born in Fodlan (presumably because this has nothing on Byleth being potentially not even human) though doesn't name where he's from specifically. In Almyra, people from Fodlan are viewed as cowards, which Claude attributes to ignorance (if they just met and interacted with real people from Fodlan, like his mother, they'd know better). They also looked down on him for being of mixed blood.

He came to Fodlan to try and find "a new perspective" in his goal of breaking down those barriers, but people in Fodlan are even more racist, seeing people from other nations as just beasts. He wants to bring the whole world together and start anew. I know nothing bad happens, but uh. That's, hm... At least he realizes that it was extremely unrealistic... but Claude recognizes Byleth's magic dragon god powers and thinks they can make it happen together.

At first, I was wondering why we can view Ferdinand supports when he didn't turn up, but he IS here? He wasn't in the battle or the scene after...

Ferdinand has lost his territory and is determined to stop Edelgard no matter the cost. Per his B, he always intended to unseat his father. I guess, like Lorenz, he wasn't really onboard with his evil dad from the start.

Marianne and Lorenz A is....... uh. She's not going to smile while telling you about how her family is cursed, dude.

OK, so for weekly Instruct, we're using the Cardinals' room that was sealed before, and instead of the faculty giving staff training, we run advanced drills with the students.

Byleth's open mouthed shock when told Dimitri was killed (supposedly). And then a droopy sad posture.

"Faerghus Dukedom"

Claude approves if you ask him whether he hopes Rhea is dead. He just has things he wants to ask. It's interesting given that Claude presents himself as being in your corner, and Byleth has a big bend toward asking after her, seemingly in concern.

Claude thinks that most people accept the "noble system" because of their belief in the Seiros faith. They also have prejudices against non-believers too. That's... hm. A take, for sure.

So without Rhea, the supposed closed-minded Church doctrine will weaken and there will be more room for free thought, which Claude considers a cure-all.

Claude's ultimate goal here is to have Byleth take over the church and lead Fodlan that way. Then, people could be free to think for themselves. He thinks Edelgard is after something similar. He just doesn't like that she's using so much bloodshed to get there. Not necessarily because he disapproves but because the world "can't get behind" it.

But since Rhea is probably still around, we still have questions, and Byleth ambiguously might care about her (MY A RANK), Claude backpedals into finding her being the next step and quickly hurries you off to bed.

Claude and Cyril B: Claude never knew that there were people in Almyra in Cyril's situation. Which is to say... poor and exploited? Or...?

If no one else is in Rhea's corner, Cyril is. I appreciate that he doesn't just support her because she helped him personally, but because that's the kind of person she has been - trying to help those without any status and nowhere to go. Rhea helps refugees and orphans not just because of the goddess's teachings, but because it's the right thing to do.

Claude: OK, maybe Rhea is fine. Maybe.

GROWTH??

Too bad supports are basically not canon.

Claude and Lorenz A: Claude is fine giving up leadership of the Alliance to Lorenz now that he's gotten to know him. But same is true for Lorenz. Kinda gay. Not bad.

Claude was only recognized as the heir to Reigan thanks to Judith's recommendation. Which is interesting given his background.

Marianne's paralogue: One of the 10 Elites got cursed by his crest and he turned into a monster... that was still sentient and can talk. And he ate people. Unclear if anyone else with the crest was actually affected, or if they just carried that stigma for a thousand years...

Claude and Marianne A has an interesting implication about the timeline. Claude frames it as him running away from home as soon as he was old enough because he was tired of being discriminated against and hoped that Fodlan would be better. It was only after he arrived in Leicester and realized that it's no different that he came up with his idea to break down the boundaries between Fodlan and Almyra.

It makes more sense that his plan would be so weirdly underbaked if he's had it for less than a year and made it when he was despairing over having no place he could belong.

Flayn and Ignatz B: Flayn forgets the Church party line about the Elites being good guys, lmao. Also forgets that Saint Cethleann is generally portrayed as a woman, not a girl.

Ailell, the Valley of Torment, is the required lava stage. It was created when some kind of big heaven light destroyed the forest that used to be there. It's rumored to have been the wrath of the goddess, but that isn't recorded in scripture. (It's actually the Agarthans lol)

Count Rowe was in charge of Arianhodr (spl??) but betrayed the Kingdom to join the Empire. His general, Gwendal, wasn't happy about all this.

Judith accuses Claude of neglecting the Alliance territories for years. He left his territory with a reliable retainer ("Nardel"). Without Byleth's clout, he'd look like a "scoundrel leader." Judith leaves her territory with "Nardel" too, which is... lol.

One of Judith's men saw Rhea be dragged off by the Empire five years ago.

[mannatea]

fe asks: 11, 12, 28, 30, 35, 37, 38 [leans mic closer] go off, my dear

11. A character that deserved better? My girl Rinkah (FE14) was probably one of the characters done most dirty by the entire fucking franchise. So many weird creepy "taming the savage" vibes around this character by the writers of the game and it's all so vile and disrespectful.

12. A game that deserved better? Oooohhh this is tough. My first instinct is to say FE9/10 (a cheating combo answer) because they were released on the Gamecube/Wii and that limited the audience to an extreme that we as a fandom hadn't really experienced before. But then I think about the clumsy race metaphors in the game and I'm like ehhh maybe it's better the audience was limited lol.

I also think FE14 deserved better in general. There were some really great ideas in there but a lot of it was just so clumsily done and cobbled together in a way that let them sell more shit.

28. Because this fandom doesn't see enough discourse [citation needed], post a spicy hot take here🔥🔥 I don't think it's a spicy take but I really fucking hate DLC and think the introduction of DLC to Fire Emblem had a hand in turning me off of the franchise for a good number of years and away from the fandom. I don't think 3H was as bad in this area as FE13/14 but it was very frustrating to me to have to look up maps and dialogues for things just to get little character bits. This was especially bad in FE14 because I really didn't have the funds to even buy the game. If my sister hadn't gifted it to me I would not have played it at all. But to then find out interesting maps and character bits were behind a paywall? Rage.

30. Since horse abuse is currently popular on Tumblr, beat up a dead horse with your take on an oversaturated topic🐴 I am sure this is a dead topic by now, so I just wanna say I don't like avatar characters. I'm not sorry. They're generally poorly designed, bland, or too Special Snowflake to be interesting to me within the main story. Also, I'm fucking old. I don't want to self-insert into a teenager. It makes every romance option weird and gross to me. Mark is the ideal avatar character because he didn't do anything and you could pretty much leave him out of fanfic entirely and nobody batted an eye. Love that for him. I think Byleth had potential but they just didn't reach it.

35. What's something you wish IntSys would just stop doing? Five billion supports. I never thought I'd say it, but I think having fewer supports in general, and even fewer that end in a meaningful relationship, would be a lot more fun. This would end with a lot more truly quality, interesting supports that were satisfying to read...and romances we could actually be invested in.

37. What's a weird theory or headcanon you have? I generally don't develop many headcanons for FE these days and I'm actively ashamed of old fanon I fell into and/or helped create (FE7 friends, I'm deeply sorry for the shy Kent fanon I let everyone down). That said, a few of us oldster KentLyn simps saw their paired ending and we were determined to make Rutger from FE6 work as their son.

38. Freebie! Talk about whatever you want 🐉⚔ I'm pretty sure my active Fire Emblem fandom days are over. It's not necessarily just Fire Emblem, though: I've largely given up writing in my free time due to lack of energy and the fact that writing anything takes literally entire days away from me and I simply don't feel rewarded for bothering anymore (especially now that I can get more comments just recording WoW gameplay and posting it to YouTube—and I'm not even a good player).

It's still really weird to think that I've been around as long as I have, but I don't really have the energy to engage in fandom the way I did when it was 2003. You'd never guess I was so involved in the earlier FE days, writing literally HUNDREDS of fics and running a fic contest and participating in LJ discussions. There's a disconnect there that I can't quite explain. I've been in other fandoms for a long time, but Fire Emblem and many of its fans got me through the roughest years of my life from start to finish, so it's a hard pill to swallow that I'm not sure I can really consider myself a fan in the same capacity I once was.

[luliho]

1, 5, 10, 11, 15

1: favorite main game

This is so hard actually. It was SoV for so long. Not because I ever thought it was the best FE. But it's the one I have the most opinions on. And Tobin is there. But I think FE6 is the whole package for me. It reignited my love for FE in a way. I think it has a good balance of gameplay, characters, and story (for me. I understand those elements are all controversial lol). SoV is close to my heart though.

5: recommendation for someone new to the series

I think about this ALL the time. I don't think there is a perfect answer. Awakening was my first and I would recommend it to most people. But Sacred Stones is my wildcard pick. I think it does a lot of classic and modern FE things very well while being easy enough to play, and if you enjoy it you'd probably enjoy most other FE games.

10: underrated character

So I am just going to use this as an excuse to talk about Isadora from FE7. She is my favorite from that game! And she didn't even get any Cipher cards. She's a paladin serving under Eliwood's mother, which is already very cool. I love when we get female paladins/cavs. But her story is, in short, that she's a well off noble girl who put off her arranged marriage because she desperately wanted to be a knight. She so badly wants to help people and be kind and just. And then in her supports (with Renault specifically) we can see how the reality of being a knight weighs on her. She had these dreams of being heroic but the reality is that in a war you will be killing people. And that really gets to me!! She was so idealistic and the war really changes her outlook but she's so strong. She could have lived a comfortable life but she's out here fighting a war. Not to mention her fiance went missing for years and his his own set of issues. That they can either work out together or not! Which is so fun. I actually never recruited him bc I wanted Karel 💀 sorry Isadora your man is now presumed dead.

(also Tobin.)

11: a character that deserved better

Erinys!!! My beloved. Her tragic end is kind of the point but it HAUNTS me. She died of an illness after being abandoned by her husband 😭😭 Erinys I wouldn't abandon you. And then her kids stories?! And their parent convos with Lewyn!! They kill me

Narrative-wise I think Celica deserved a lot more than she got in her own game. Alm was very much the focus!!

Also I think Catherine should have been recruitable in Crimson Flower and I should have been able to marry her as fem Byleth but idk if that counts for the question.

15: favorite musical tracks

This is so embarrassing because I don't know like any of the songs. I do not know very much about music. Like if I heard them I'd know. But off the top of my head the only track name I know is Twilight of the Gods. And Don't Say Her Name. That was a song right. But I do enjoy the vocal tracks we've been getting since Fates. Another win for SoV. Heritors of Arcadia makes me cry.

[twow]

okay no one asked but here's my engage thoughts and musings:

i'm split so far. while i'm certainly glad they're bringing back a level of campiness that i thought 3h lacked, i worry that it'll lean too much into the campiness and silliness and we won't get many emotional or serious moments from the supporting cast. so far none of the characters seem to have any depth, altho it's absolutely possible that they're just hiding that in the clips and trailers and it'll be present in the actual game

alear will almost certainly be the 13th ring. when they're good they'll have blue hair and when they're evil they'll have red hair. see the newest serenes forest analysis as to why there's probably a 13th ring + we see all-red hair alear at the end of the last main english trailer. plus marth's hair turns red when he's in the hands of the evil group. it all adds up and makes sense

i worry about the story. i think fire emblem's stories are the best when they involve the politics of the nations and have complex stories. mindlessly evil shadow organization + evil dragon has no appeal to me and it worries me that that's all we've seen of the story so far. since this is (allegedly) an anniversary game they may have relied mostly on fanservice and written a lackluster story. ofc, like i said above, they could just be hiding it

i'm not 100% sold on the art style, but the animation itself looks great. the models are far more expressive than the 3h characters. but yeah i don't love the baby-face anime models in general. overall a huge visual upgrade tho i think it looks great

the character designs are really fun! i'm not a fan of all of them (skunk girl and the xenoblade twins are especially egregious imo) but in general i enjoy them

our first male dancer! yay!!

i hope there's s supports for everyone or no one. i REALLY hated that byleth was the only one who could s support, it felt way too self-inserty. if alear can s support, everyone should be able to

re: s supports, if they are in the game i want explicitly gay s supports for non-alear characters. none of the player-sexual BS. if two characters can s support the same gender version of alear, they should also be able to s support with each other. i think everyone should be able to romance everyone regardless of gender but i know it's not realistic. also ofc this is all contingent on s supports happening at all but man. i just want good lgbt rep in fire emblem

the voice acting is sooo bad so far im sorry. framme, veyre, and hortensia are the worst offenders, like im serious go back and watch the english trailers. all three sound like 6-year-olds which is incredibly creepy (im sure it's loli bait) and it's incredibly grating

the throwbacks are super fun and it'll be really cool to see some old maps, music, and characters brought back. i just hope they don't have a recency bias and give the old games enough love too

i REALLY hope that chrom, robin, seliph, alm, hector, and eliwood make it into the game as DLC bracelets. even if some of them have to share it, they need to be in a game where all the fe lords are present and it would be wrong if they weren't. shez would be cool too but def not necessary considering he'd be the FIFTH 3h rep when all the others have 1-2. i also wouldn't be shocked if you could switch to the other gender of avatar characters so maybe even sixth if you include f!byleth as a separate character. anyway please add the other lords :) i also hope they don't go the fanservice route with the DLC. no camilla ring please

on the subject of DLC i hope that important story content isn't locked behind a paywall. i thought it was terrible when fates did it and i'll hate it if engage does it

also in general i HATE day 1 DLC. imo if you have finished DLC ready day 1 it should be in the base game. that being said i have pre-ordered it 🤡

SUPPORTS FOR THE EMBLEMS PLEASE. idc if it's just with the engage characters or with each other they need SOME support content.

also i hope the emblems get costume changes like the 3h characters can change to their war phase outfits or ike can change between his por and rd outfits. or even just let them have the customizable options that regular units do.

soren reference please

also just references to the emblems' games in general i think they should act like a real person would and TALK about their original worlds and their friends and family and stuff. even giving them unique dialogue with certain bond rings would be soooo epic please fe please do this one thing for me

idc about the gacha system as long as it uses in-game currency that you can't buy with real money

fe4 remake tease. please please please i need that game remade or ported i need to play it on a modern console

i am excited :) new fe games are almost always fun and i'm looking forward to it. i'm cautiously optimistic even tho this post is pretty negative. i'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. unless some earth-shattering news about it comes out it's a day one purchase

[faroreswinds]

Final Thoughts - Three Hopes Golden Wildfire

If you haven’t already read my review of Scarlet Blaze, I would recommend it, because in this review I will be making references to it, as well as building off of what I said previously. As I experience the game, my understanding of the entire story unfolds, and to fully separate the routes as I understand them would not be fair, in my opinion.

Plus, it keeps me from repeating myself.

To be frank, there was a lot I did not cover or only glossed over in my Scarlet Blaze review. Part of that was because I was so overwhelmed with information, and I lost steam by the end of the review to the point I just wanted to get it over with. 

I’m not entirely proud with how I ended my last review as a result, because of just how much I didn’t discuss, and how much I skipped. But I think those points can be brought up here as needed, to fully cover my bases as I move forward. 

As before, I won’t be speaking too much about Houses in general unless I think it’s worth being brought up. I want to make this review to more about how Hopes stacks up on it’s own. However, I will admit that this is harder to do with this route than Scarlet Blaze.

Also. I am splitting this into 2 parts, since it has gotten so big that tumblr has started to delete my work and I lost some of my writing in the process. When part 2 is done, I will publish it then. 

So after another 40+ hours or so, I have finally completed Golden Wildfire.

Golden Wildfire has been compared to Three Houses’ Crimson Flower route pretty early on in the Hopes discourse, and after playing the route for myself, I find myself agreeing with these claims, although there are some differences. 

This is the route that really makes Byleth’s absence from the story really seem like it hurts the most. Not necessarily in the quality of the writing, but rather in how it affects the main lord and the path he chose to go down. Now, I haven’t played Azure Gleam yet, but between Scarlet Blaze and Golden Wildfire, it is no contest.

Scarlet Blaze shows a rather confident Edelgard who finds a lot of success without Byleth as a teacher, especially if you manage to recruit Byleth to your side. The route seemingly has a shorter war, the Slithers and the Church have been ultimately removed, and the Alliance and the Empire end on amicable terms and start marching on the Kingdom to take care of it once and for all. By all accounts, Byleth not being a part of her life really doesn’t affect her much at all. So long as she has a strong ally on her side with the power of a protagonist, she will come out on top. The only thing you can say that maybe she isn’t as well off is how many fires she had to put out during her route, but if she had only a six month war to two year war or so versus a 5 year war, I would say that still puts her Hopes version ahead of her Houses one. Especially since she takes care of the Slithers in Hopes, while in Houses she still has to go into a secret war with them in the epilogues. 

This is not the case in Golden Wildfire, where we get a Claude who went from a curious young lad who always thought before he acted, and investigated wherever his curiosity took him, to a young man who’s ambition is his defining feature, who is shortsighted and uninterested in seeking the truth, and who dresses up his lack of intelligence with pretty words to hide the ridiculous mental gymnastics he goes through.

This is particularly a shame, because Golden Wildfire actually has a really strong start. The first four chapters set up Claude with a lot to do that he didn’t have in Houses. Claude suffered in Houses from having a copy-pasted route, which was a duplicate of Silver Snow instead of something unique to him. So we didn’t really get to explore a unique story with him spear-heading the plot, since we are trapped in the same story with different lead characters. 

Here, however, the route starts with Claude having an Almyran conflict that is uniquely his, as well as issues with his control over the Alliance Roundtable (as he is a newcomer that came out of nowhere), and finally the war with the Empire knocking at his doorstep. This is exciting for Claude. Edelgard’s route, while better than Crimson Flower, still ultimately feels like an extension of her Houses’ route. Rhea is still the final boss. The Slithers are still part of her story. Dimitri is still in her way. Etc. It’s a better story to be sure, but still overall a very familiar one. 

So it was nice to see Claude’s route starting off strong, giving him something new that the other lords can’t possibly have due to not being part Almyran, as well as providing a new frontier to a story set in Foldan previously unexplored. 

Like SB, Golden Wildfire’s first four chapters are at a neck-breaking speed. Again, this is not an issue if you’ve played Houses. The first few chapters are identical, and really only change when you get to chapter 3 and start to slow down a bit. Instead of raiding Enbarr, Claude is fighting back his older brother Shahid and his invading Almyran force. 

The chapter itself is a little baffling, considering that Shahid does not recognize Claude as his younger brother, but overall it sets up for an exciting story. A brilliant young tactician who has to balance the two sides of his lives, as well as potentially two war fronts! Where could this story go from here? 

There is a real sense of urgency from the early chapters of the war, as Claude scrambles to corral stubborn lords, build up his army and secure his defenses to Edelgard’s conquest. And we are presented with a Claude who suffers from a lot of doubt, which is surprising but refreshing. The early part of the route takes the time to show Claude struggling with doing right by the Roundtable and by the Alliance, constantly wondering what he SHOULD be doing. In a way, he feels trapped, because he has obligations to his people and yet, still wants to honor the history of the Alliance. We see this doubt expressed in multiple early supports, such as with Shez and Hilda and Lorenz. We see this doubt in the main story. Again, a nice change of pace from SB, since Edelgard rarely expresses doubt or concerns, and is confident in her decisions and her chosen path. 

There is some real intelligence behind the writing here, noting that the newer commanders of the Alliance are younger and inexperienced, while there are older nobles with more experience, yet perhaps also more stubborn to newer ways that could be beneficial to the nation. It’s not perfect - there is an early implication that the younger blood is the ideal and the older blood is to be cast out, but characters should always be set up to learn and grow as people and so it didn’t bother me at first. 

We also get the sense that the Alliance is quite weak despite its wealth, adding to that urgency in the early chapters that is quite enjoyable. It also builds upon the need for schemes - the Alliance cannot meet the Empire with overwhelming force, so they need to go through crazy battle plans that come down to “and it just might work!”. This makes the battles honestly a lot more exciting, because unlike SB, where it’s just you and an overwhelming force pushing everyone over, it’s you with a weaker, messier force trying to outsmart the bigger opponent. In fact, I would say the early battles are more intense and chaotic than the SB battles ever were. 

I would even put forward that the first half of the route keeps true to the promise of Claude fighting two fronts - one with the Empire, and one with Almyra, and that the route itself is far more interesting than Edelgard’s. While Edelgard’s promised a conqueror route but spent more chapters fixing issues within the Empire rather than conquering, Claude actually gets to defend his territory. First, we defend the Great Bridge of Myrddin from Empire forces. Then, we route the Imperial army from marching into Derdriu, the Alliance’s capital. With the invaders isolated, we finally clear them out of Alliance lands, bringing us into chapter 7 that was a rather fun and exciting ride. 

Not only that, but GW is a bit more creative with its chapter maps overall. SB had the players drive through territories in a nearly straight line, giving the impression that you are forcing your way through enemy territory. But there is little variation from this pattern.

Meanwhile, GW has more variety in the way its side maps are laid out. Sometimes surrounding the main map, or putting it super close to camp, etc.

It really seemed like Golden Wildfire was on a golden path to victory, gearing to become an exciting adventure with a wacky crew and a pretty endearing young leader with a charming smile.

Then the rest of the route happened. 

Well, sort of. The switch isn’t suddenly flipped until after the time skip. No, it just starts to.... dip around this point. 

Chapter 7 is when Claude does something a little strange. He announces that Alliance troops are going to march upon Empire lands and take the Bergliez territory, which is known as the breadbasket of the Empire due to the rich fields ideal for growing crops. Claude’s plan is to not only return the favor of the Empire attacking them, but also to gain agricultural lands for the future of the Alliance. 

Why is this strange? Well, it’s... Claude.

Claude up to this point in the story had always expressed that he wanted to do what was best for the future of the Alliance. So the idea of taking fertile lands by this characterization alone is not entirely bizarre. 

However, Claude had also up to this point continued to express concern about his “choice” to enter this war. I say choice because Claude feels he chose to be part of the war, rather than the fact Empire troops were literally knocking at the door of their capital. Which is... I mean, it’s either get conquered or fight back. And Claude does express that he doesn’t want the Alliance absorbed into the Empire. 

But Claude spends some time in the main story, as well as several supports, worrying about what he should do. He feels so unsure of himself, so lost and stressed by the choices he has been making up to this point. He wants to honor the Alliance’s past and do right for his people. 

There are even points where it’s noted that commoners are blaming Claude for what has happened to their fields and livelihoods, considering that the war has consumed their fields and ruined their crops. And this isn’t even mentioning how often Claude wonders why enemy soldiers continue to insist on fighting when they about to lose, worrying about the deaths that will come with it. 

So when you take all these aspects the story has been focusing on to this point into account, then it makes Claude’s decision to suddenly declare invading the Empire for land on the stranger side. If he cares so much about the lives of his soldiers and of the enemy soldiers, and he stresses about being in the war in the first place, why make that push for enemy land and prolong the fighting? It’s not like Claude is even trying to end the war, he just wants to take the opportunity to take the land in general. 

You could argue that it’s because the Alliance lost farming land to begin with, as noted before, but that point is relegated to a support, not the main story, so it’s easily missable and is not even considered a point as to why Claude invades. He invades purely for “the future of the Alliance”. 

That said, it’s not so bad that I cannot believe it. It’s just a little confusing with how Claude has been presented here so far in this route. The battle itself is fun and I didn’t mind playing it. Byleth and Caspar’s father are the biggest enemies here, where we must defeat both. But as soon as we defeat Caspar’s father, we suddenly find ourselves... in a retreat. 

I take some issue with the retreat. For one, Holst and Caspar’s father are literally at each other’s throats. I mean literally, their blades are against each other’s necks. But at the call of the retreat, they both stop and... let the other go. 

The battle is over, because now Almyra is attacking and they need to get back as fast as they can to prevent the largest Almyran invading force in over a century from getting past Foldan’s Locket. 

It feels a little silly, considering that these two men would just stop killing each other because one side decided to retreat. The reason why we are even allowed to retreat after attempting to take land isn’t so bad at least - we are allowed to escape because pursuing us would mean the chances of razing the Empire’s source of grains to the ground, and that is not a risk the Count can take. 

But the fact we are suddenly retreating anyways is a bit of a mood whiplash. We had the Empire on its knees, but now we must flee to stop another invading force that is quite literally knocking at our door. 

We then reach the route’s last chapter before the time skip, where Shahid attempts his last invasion. This is also where it really starts to sink in that Claude keeps a lot of his plans and ideas close to his chest. 

There had been nods to this part of Claude prior to this chapter, but it’s really noticeable here. When Shahid attacks, it becomes known during and after the battle that Claude had actually reached out to Nader two years ago, after Shahid’s first attempt, in order to get ahead of Shahid’s next attempt should it come again in the future. 

Not only did the characters not know of this save for Holst, who also met with Nader, but there were no hints that this happened to the player either. It’s done completely under our noses, and this is not the first time Claude had done this. 

Claude had done several schemes prior to this chapter where the player and the characters are not privy to his thoughts or actions. Claude had a plan with Lorenz’s father about betraying the Empire to trap them, by making it seem like the Count had joined the enemy side. 

There are a few other miscellaneous “schemes” Claude cooks up in battle to get the upper edge too, like attacking one side to give the credit to Holst to drag out enemy commanders who would itch to take on the big man himself. 

But for all these schemes, there had been hints that there was something going on that we as a player don’t fully know about. Claude apologizing to Lorenz in advanced. Claude actually explaining his plan to one person, only for another person to catch up to the plan a bit later. And so on.

However, the plan with Nader is the first time where there was literally no hints to this at all until the start of the chapter, and this plan had been in the works for nearly 2 years. It really starts to make you wonder what else Claude has going on in his brain that we don’t know about yet. 

The battle ends with Nader turning on Shahid as per the plan, and Claude killing his brother by hitting him with an arrow off a cliff. He had wanted his brother to surrender, but was ultimately not given much choice if he wanted to stop the invasions for good. 

And just like Shahid falls off a cliff to his death, so too does the plot suddenly take a nosedive into a deep abyss of absolute chaos. 

Even with the last two chapters’ minor issues, like Claude’s weird choice to invade the Empire and the whiplash to go stop Almyra, I found Golden Wildfire to be a better route than SB up to this point. It was more interesting, had less tonal issues, and the map designs were better. The goals and actions of the characters were a bit more understandable and easier to root for. The characters were more likable and less bloodthirsty. 

I was really enjoying it. 

And yet, this is where the time skip occurs. And it felt like I got thrown into a different route entirely. 

Part 2 of Golden Wildfire opens up with Claude announcing that the Alliance has been dissolved, and that now he is king of the newly dubbed Federation instead. While the Five Great Lords still technically have a voice, with Claude as king he is able to finally make decisions quickly without needing to consult the roundtable at all. 

This is a little shocking, although not entirely overboard. There had been hints leading up to this possibility throughout part 1 and in the supports. The route keeps reminding the player that the Alliance gets things done slowly due to needing to convene with the Alliance lords, and that it sucks because not every lord is on the same page. Claude’s C support with Shez in particular is about this, and it is Shez who actually suggests to Claude that he just take power so that decisions could be made.

Therefore, Claude proposes to the Five Great Lords that he become king and that they make the Federation out of the Alliance. The Five Lords did agree to it, at least. While it is a power grab, Claude did at least allow the lords put their vote into the proposal. And I understand where Claude is coming from, since the route did a decent job setting up this situation. However, I could not help but feel that it felt like this:

But Golden Wildfire completely loses me literally in the next scene, where Claude and Edelgard finally meet up. 

I will say that at least GW leads to their eventual meeting better than in SB. In SB, it just jumps to them agreeing to ally with each other, giving no support in the writing that this would happen; not a peep from Claude and nothing from Edelgard at all. While in GW, we get a scene where Edelgard concludes that trying to conquer the Alliance through military means is probably going to lead to nowhere, and instead wishes to try something else. 

It made this transition not completely out of left field. Even the start of the conversation was ok. Claude is rightfully angry that Edelgard invaded at all, while Edelgard insists that it was not an unprovoked attack since she was invited in by a traitorous Alliance lord (and Claude points out that this isn’t really an apology, but is willing to allow the Empire to make amends for their actions). 

But eventually, Claude agrees to... ally with Edelgard because he read her letter and agreed with her that the Central Church was a threat to Foldan’s future that needed to go. And since Edelgard promised to provide stability to their shared borders, Claude agrees. 

And then it gets worse. 

Because while I can understand why Claude would ally with Edelgard for the sole reason to reach some stability to the warfront, I cannot follow his logic as he announces this new plan of action to the rest of the crew.

This scene is jammed pack full of nonsense that I would like to take the time to parse through it carefully. Let’s just start at the top:

In a 180 degree twist, we are suddenly against the Central Church and the Kingdom in one fell swoop. 

Declaring war on the church, in my opinion, is no different than declaring war on the teachings. Which I will get back to in a moment:

What is particularly baffling about these lines is that in SB, where the Central Church has been an antagonistic force since chapter 4, Edelgard makes many proclamations about not killing Rhea, but merely capturing her. 

Edelgard wants the Central Church gone, but she also doesn’t see any reason to kill Rhea provided she just steps down from power. She tells Claude as much in their talk in the Side Chapters near the end of the SB route, and declares it even while in battle. Although Edelgard also says that she will make the monastery Rhea and Thales’ tombs, she still ultimately puts forth she would rather capture Rhea alive.

And even in those chapters, Claude seems surprised that Edelgard did not wish to kill Rhea, and basically says that keeping her alive simply isn’t enough. 

His surprise, coupled with Ignatz’s statement that they must kill Rhea (and there was no one who refuted him in return), tells me that Claude and Edelgard did not actually discuss at length what the terms of the Central Church’s disappearance would mean. 

It is odd to me that this route jumps to murder, when the route that actually HAS the Church as a main antagonist for the entire thing merely wants to capture her. 

Not only that, but Shez says that Rhea and Seteth are not all that they appear to be, or so the Empire says.

Judith says it best here. Shez, along with Claude, have basically bought entirely into the Empire’s words. 

Shez does express some confusion prior to this talk about suddenly having the Kingdom and the Church as enemies at least. It seems forgotten here, but Shez does need to get everyone on Claude’s side on these new plans. 

This comes from almost nowhere. Claude has discussed before that he wanted to do right by the Alliance’s history and wanted to improve the Alliance in any way he could. But this goes beyond just improving the new Federation.

As I stated before, Claude's primary character trait in GW is ambition. We got a glimpse of it when he invaded the Empire for new territory when the opportunity presented itself, but this is a much larger scale. He’s now using Edelgard and her army as a means to not only stay independent, but to also expand his nation’s influence more than ever before, which was NOT something that was very much alluded to at all. 

The boy at the start of the route, riddled with worry about joining the war and doing right by his people, is gone, and suddenly seems more interested in power. Even if he had been selected into the position of king, he still ultimately suggested that he consolidate power and dissolve the roundtable first. It’s dressed up as something for the good of the Federation, but again I feel like I go back to:

I have seen arguments online about how this is the real Claude, that people who played Three Houses did not pay attention. That he always wanted power, that he always wanted to be supreme ruler. But this isn’t really true. Claude in Houses was defined by his obsessive need to seek the truth, to get to the bottom of things. It was to the point where he would read other people’s journals, or pry into people’s private affairs even if they didn’t want him to. He hungered for knowledge, he hungered for truth. 

Yes, Claude had ambitions in Houses. He wanted to break down the borders of the lands. He wouldn’t have minded if Rhea died. He didn’t really like the Central Church in general. This is true.

But it was more than that. Claude always seemed to consider his options carefully. That he didn’t just buy into the words of others, and that he needed to get to the bottom of things. 

But here, he’s more ambition and power hungry than his Houses counterpart. Claude had always worried about war because of how it affected the common folk. Even IN Hopes, he expresses concern for the enemy soldiers when they don’t surrender. He doesn’t want war or bloodshed. He made no allusions to wanting to expand his nation’s influences. 

It is like I am meeting a different person. 

Is this the Claude the developers wanted to make in Houses? Probably. In one of their interviews, they admitted that Claude was supposed to be a “bad guy you couldn’t help but love”. However, they “ended up making him a lot nicer” than he was originally conceived to be.

In Houses, Claude was a man who mixed non-lethal poisons (alluding he would use them on his foes). He seemed like the guy that wouldn’t mind play mind games with others to get the upper edge. But he had never used allies to further his causes like he is using Edelgard here. He never declared war on a side that had done nothing to him. He didn’t seem like the type of man that made such rash decisions like that. 

Making a “bad guy you just can’t help but love” is not impossible. But it doesn’t work if you trade sensibility for unfounded ruthless conquest, and instead make the “bad guy” seem ridiculous and almost moronic. Especially at what follows here: 

This was all said by the man who, prior to this, didn’t want there to be bloodshed from his enemies since they should just give up in the face of defeat. 

This was said by a man who, just a few chapters ago, attempted to take land from the Empire since the opportunity presented itself. 

He claims that the Kingdom was at fault first.... because they conquered the Alliance before it was the Alliance over 300 years ago. Something that he also just tried to do himself. 

He has no personal qualms with them, but since the Kingdom had once did some crappy things to them literally centuries ago, that it was ok to throw them back to the wolves. 

Does that not sound insane? To blame a nation of people for the actions of their ancestors, to know that you will be killing them and your justification is “once upon a time, their great-great-great-great grandfathers made us angry?” 

Not to mention that the situation with House Daphnel was an internal issue of the House, and the only thing the Kingdom did was welcome them with open arms when they decided to defect. 

(He also forgets to mention that the Kingdom and Empire and Alliance once banded together to stop Almyran forces a century ago, and helped them build Foldan’s Locket!)

I cannot stress enough how much this comes out of left field for this route. 

In Houses, Claude does say he doesn’t really like or trust the Central Church. If you had played Houses, you would know this, and this speech isn’t too terribly surprising.

But in HOPES, Claude has made absolutely no statements at ALL about the Central Church or that he doesn’t like them. There are TWO scenes were he has something to say about the Central Church and the Kingdom up to this point. 

That’s it, that’s all he really had to say about them up. Making his claims about how the Kingdom fucked them over 300 years ago and his dislike for the Central Church even more baffling.

There had been no discussion about how the Central Church gave Crests legitimacy. Not even Edelgard’s route really went into that- it focused more on bloodlines in general rather than Crests. 

No talk about how they force their beliefs onto others, and that there is no room for others of different backgrounds or faiths. And remember how Holst said they weren’t after the teaching of Seiros, yet here is Claude condemning them for their teachings?

Plus, for those who have played Houses, you would know that the holy book of the Church says to NOT abuse Crests, that those who abused their Crests and the power they brought made the goddess so sad that she left the world!

Not to mention that there are quite a few nobles with no Crests in the Alliance, nor is there very much talk about nobles striving for Crests in their family. Hell, Claude has HOLST in his army, who was made head of his house despite his younger sister having a Crest! 

And while I can somewhat forgive this route for thinking that the Church didn’t allow for different backgrounds or faiths due to lacking people from outside Foldan beside Claude himself in the base roster, I do want to note that people like Petra are recruitable to SB who IS from outside Foldan and OPENLY practices a different faith. 

Oh wait, I forgot about Shamir, who is given to you in GW as a base member of your party, who is from OUTSIDE Foldan, worked FOR the Church, and was never forced to practice the belief at any given point!

This is the first time we get to actually hear what Claude’s goals are, since he had basically played coy this entire time. 

I find there are two... well, three major issues with this moment.

Firstly, it does not match up with his previous actions at all nor his previously established motivations. Claude early on is more concerned with the future of the Alliance, while trying to honor what the Alliance stood for in the past.

The second, it took this long before we got any clue as to what he REALLY wanted more than anything. 

And the third is that it is hypocritical, but just as Edelgard is played straight despite her hypocrisies, so it is here as well. 

As I have said before, after Part 2 it is like playing an entirely different route. The first part was about Claude and the struggle of keeping true to the Alliance while also trying to do what’s best for them without getting conquered by two other nations. The second part has become a declaration of expanding influence and tearing down the old ways in all of Foldan. 

When I started this review, I had commented that this route was a lot like Crimson Flower 2.0, and this is where it starts. Because Claude’s ambitions are nearly identical to Edelgard’s, with the desire to change the entire continent by tearing down the Central Church no matter what or who is in the way. And while the finer details might be different, as Claude doesn’t want to unite Foldan under one banner for instance, it’s too similar to not feel like Claude is just a male Edelgard in this instance. 

Claude had just declared that the Central Church was forcing its own ideals on all of Foldan, and that it was his intentions to blow the door open and change that through force. Is he not, then, forcing his own ideals on all of Foldan? 

At least with Edelgard’s route, I was more convinced why she wanted to take out the Central Church. Although not much time was devoted to them as antagonists and did very little to try to convince me that they are actually as corrupted as they say, SB did at least have them send assassins and have Rhea say some mean things.

SB also devotes time early in the route to both Dimitri and Rhea, although not much, as enemies to fight. Both of them are fought before the time skip. While GW only sees both of them in one cutscene and then doesn’t deal with them until Claude declares them as enemies along with his alliance with Edelgard. 

What does make this route a bit more palpable than Crimson Flower, and maybe even SB, is that Claude’s allies are willing to call out Claude’s actions, and even the narrator himself mentions that Claude’s actions are about to have some consequences. I will circle back to this in a moment. 

Funnily enough, this chapter starts out with a few Federation nobles along the Kingdom border start considering defecting to the Kingdom since they are unhappy with the changes in their homeland. Unfortunately, why this might be the case is relegated to mostly camp dialogue, but essentially the old system allowed even minor nobles to have some say to a degree. Now, in the new system, even their voices are basically not worth listening to. Feeling betrayed and angry, these nobles have started looking towards the Kingdom.

Since the shift from “the Empire is our enemies” to “now the Kingdom and Church are our enemies” is in this chapter, this also changes the focus off these nobles. They are relegated to the side maps instead, where they are defeated unceremoniously for trying to defect. It’s all kinda hush-hush and swept under the rug a bit. 

For what time the route DID give to this issue, it tried to paint it as if the Church was Seiros was preying on these Nobles instead, and that these particular nobles are not the “good ones”. But this is so underdeveloped and more time is spent on the fact that Thunder Catherine is nearby that you would be forgiven for forgetting this little side plot entirely. There were actually some serious consequences to declaring the Alliance a Federation and taking away the republic is once was, and it was just... a little side feature. How terribly disappointing. For a nation’s who’s history is in being a republic with no king, the Alliance was shockingly willingly to jump that ship and be perfectly happy with Claude as king with little issue. It reminds me of SB, where most of the nobles are ok with Edelgard flipping their lives and way of life upside down with little discourse or anger, where our lords have free reign to be tyrannical without the hinderance of examination. 

This chapter’s main battle instead is with the Knights of Seiros, who have been battling Imperial Soldiers and winning. Randolph is here as well, and the mission is to rescue him and his fellow soldiers, and route the Knights. 

Except it’s not, because Claude’s scheme this time is to allow Randolph and his troops to die as bait so that the Federation could encircle Catherine and the Knights. This battle ends with Catherine dying, Randolph dying, and all Imperial and Church soldiers dying. Very few casualties happened to the Federation as a result. 

So to be clear, Claude, who called out Edelgard for using her citizens as meat shields in VW and in Hopes had hoped enemy troops would surrender as to not cause bloodshed (even tried to parlay with Ferdinand), used his newfound allies as bait almost immediately, and did not even allow the Central Church’s forces a chance to surrender or survive the battle at all. 

Claude does make it clear here (to himself) that the Imperial troops aren’t truly allies, since he’s using Edelgard’s army as a means to an end, and he still considers the Imperial troops enemies at the end of the day. However, even his own actions kinda put a bad taste in his mouth - yet, he will continue to move forward. 

I think what makes this so frustrating is that Claude DOES realize his actions are slimy. He even, to a degree, doesn’t like them. 

Edelgard may have been frustrating for never realizing that her actions may be wrong, but that shielded her from Claude’s problem. Claude realizes what he is doing is pretty awful. However, he STILL goes forward with it anyways! He KNOWS better and yet, does not stop! 

Circling back to his allies calling him out, we see a bit of that here. During the battle, Lorenz seems disgusted with the idea of what they had done. Shez and Judith address Claude directly, telling him that he is not instilling loyalty among his allies if they cannot trust him to have their backs. 

This somehow leads to “you need to trust us more” as the primary concern instead of the sacrifices of lives Claude had just done, but it was at least something. It was a bit refreshing to see considering how everyone basically worships Edelgard’s actions nearly all the time in SB. 

Even the narrator says that Claude’s actions will have upcoming consequences, again something Edelgard almost never sees in her own routes, where she is able to sidestep most serious consequences to nearly everything she does and is constantly rewarded instead. 

All that said though... the lesson this chapter wanted to impart was not that “using your ally as bait is probably not a great thing”, but rather that Claude did not tell anyone his plan, nor did he open up to anyone about his plan and so did not take any new ideas in. 

This is at least consistent with what was set up throughout the route - Claude constantly keeping his schemes to his chest and surprising his allies (in a negative way) over and over again. But the lesson learned could not have come at a worst time. Claude should have instead lost allies due to his schemes and their lack of distrust to bring about a lesson of trust and openness. It should not have come from the sacrifice of an ally, and then the sacrifice not be a vital part of a different lesson learned. 

It is absolutely bizarre. 

And then the route immediately forgets about it as no one else talks at length about Claude’s actions. Instead, it goes into how no one in the Federation even cares about the war on the Central Church. And I mean literally no one.

And somehow, this does not signal to anyone that the Church is probably not the power Edelgard or Claude thinks it is.

Let’s pause for a moment to talk about the powers of the different Churches, or at least the Central Church versus the Eastern Church. 

It is made quite clear in Hopes that the Eastern Church is a more passive force. They have no standing army - they are quite literally not allowed to have one by the lord whose territory their base lives on. We meet quite a few NPC priests at the camp from the Eastern Church who have offered their prayers and supports, and convey some tidbits of information. 

You learn that 1) the Eastern Church as little power. And 2) that Claude did not require a blessing from the Church in order to become King, yet the priest insisted just because some people in general may have wanted to see it. 

That’s it. 

If Claude didn’t really need a blessing from the Church, not even the central one, and the Central Church has meddled very little with the Alliance just in general, where is this idea that the Central Church has this iron grip on Foldan even coming from? If anything, the Alliance has neutered any form of the Church in their region to the point that no one even cares about the Central Church at all. 

The characters claim that it was the hard work of the Eastern Church that has allowed the people to not riot over the idea of the Central Church to be dissolved, but is that really what it is? I remain unconvinced. 

Also, Claude has this to say, just after he made a point to kill every soldier in the last battle:

Remember this line. 

---

We have now reached the chapter of this route, chapter 10, where we recruit Byleth or kill Jeralt. Just as in my SB review, Path A will be recruiting Byleth, and Path B will be killing Jeralt moving forward. 

Now one thing I did not touch on in my SB review very much was Byleth or Sothis. I wanted to take the opportunity in this review to rectify that mistake. 

In Hopes, Byleth is a speaking character and not the silent self insert this time, which give Byleth some room to actually express himself without being trapped as being the protagonist. 

I cannot say that it makes Byleth a particularly more interesting character overall, considering his quiet nature and lack of screen time keeps us from really getting a solid sense of who he is as a person. However, we do get to know a few things. 

One is that Byleth is very serious. He clearly lacks social skills, likely due to Jeralt’s upbringing, and so misses sarcasm and jokes, and has a hard time expressing what he really means in a given situation. He gets called a cold person by Leonie for only focusing on the details of a job, rather than making an alternative decision to save the lives of others. 

While he might be hyper-focused on getting whatever job has been given to him to an extreme degree, he is not an unfeeling person as we see when he thinks about the loss of his father and revenge. Byleth expresses that he doesn’t really necessarily seek revenge for Jeralt (if Jeralt dies), although can eventually be convinced by Sothis to follow through with a revenge plot... somewhat. Byleth does care about people, people like his father, and it’s necessarily out to kill for the sake of killing. Even after agreeing with Sothis to get revenge, it is implied throughout the final battle with him that he is fighting Sothis’ control instead of trying to outright destroy Shez, implying that he didn’t really want to follow through with killing him. This is what leads to Shez getting the final blow on Byleth, since Byleth and Sothis were internally fighting for control over the body rather than focusing on the fight. 

Speaking of Sothis, meanwhile, I skipped over this part purposely in my SB review, saving it for this one. Because Sothis is almost a seemingly different character here, while also being a complete wasted opportunity. 

Sothis in Houses is characterized of being a rather harsh, but kind, goddess living inside of Byleth’s head. Since she lacks her memories, she cannot give Byleth a lot of information, and as a result has little to say on the realities of the past or the world at large. She is mean but funny, sharp-tongued but motherly. She handed over her power willingly when the time came, and considered Byleth a separate person from other than herself. 

This Sothis, however, seems to have a bit longer to cook in the oven before she woke up, and thus woke up with either most or all of her memories. And she is ruthless.

She threatens to take over Byleth’s body, calls Byleth a vessel and a glove to be worn. She scorns him, gaslights him into seeking revenge even when Byleth didn’t necessarily want it himself. She knows more than she lets on, but never actually explains anything to Byleth or the player. She even says she is not there to answer questions. 

I know the developers in their interview said they wanted to explore a side of Sothis we didn’t get to see in Houses, but only makes Sothis seem like an uncaring and cruel deity, rather than the snappy mother-figure we had gotten to know and love. Sothis acts in a manner no one would have ever guessed from her portrayal in Houses. 

And it’s even more frustrating is that the devs and the story refuses to engage with her character in any meaningful way, because the devs do not want the players to know about the past, and instead side-step that issue by making Sothis aggressively silent about anything important. 

They even portray Sothis as a bad mother just in general. While in Houses she had the excuse of basically having no memories, here Sothis seemingly has all her memories. She even knows the epithets of the Nabateans in the game (such as the Nabateans who are now Felix’s Shield and Dimitri’s Lance). And yet, she allows Byleth to slay Rhea without so much as a word spoken to them from our perspective. Maybe she did express doubts but... we don’t hear about it. Byleth can just be part of the group that takes Rhea down in both SB and GW, and it seems as if Sothis has condoned these actions on the virtue of being there and saying nothing. 

Sothis is fundamentally wasted potential. The story is so focused on the war at hand that it would rather not engage with revealing more about the Nabateans and their past. I suspect because it would invalidate a lot about what we know about the war, and would therefore give no reason to doubt which side is the “bad side”. 

The Nabateans are basically background characters in both SB and GW, and for a game that is about expanding lore, this is insanely frustrating. 

In fact, there is ultimately a lack of meaningful lore in general. I’ll circle back to this point a bit later. 

I will say, at least, that Sothis is given somewhat of a redeeming moment... if you have recruited Byleth and watch his supports with Shez. In the A support, Byleth will comment that “maybe it was the goddess who said that it was Arval who tried to protect Shez out of love” after the events of the Side Chapters. Of course, the language plays coy, but the line suggests that Sothis was really the one who suggested that Arval had loved Shez (although we do not get to see her say it) and relayed the knowledge to Byleth as an act of kindness. 

It’s not much, but it’s something. 

---

With Byleth and Sothis more or less out of the way, what happens in this route when you decide to recruit Byleth, or to not recruit him? 

Well, like SB, this is meant to be a moment that is harrow for the lords and their companions, as it was their actions that led up to this moment. In SB, it’s Edelgard struggling to keep her vassals in check that led to the death of Randolph. But in GW, it led to the death of Judith. 

While I have harped thoroughly on GW so far, I do have to give some praise to chapter to better a better version of “losing someone” in Path B than SB tried to do. Randolph in SB remains an unexplored and underutilized character who’s most interesting feature is dying in AM as part of Dimitri’s recovery arc. SB did not give him the chance to breath in the narrative, so by the time his death scene rolled around, you find that you really don’t care all that much. It’s sad because the other characters are sad, but as for the player, you never got a chance to get attached.

GW, however, has given Judith time and space to be part of the cast, even if she isn’t playable (which was a missed opportunity to be sure). She’s right there with everyone else, voicing her concerns, laughing, scolding. Everyone loves her, and for good reason - she is charismatic and sort of Claude’s supportive adult-figure. You really do get the feeling that she is a beloved member of the crew, well respected and intelligent, and you yourself get the time to get more attached to her than anything Randolph had to offer. 

Furthermore, the lesson taken from her death in Path B is far more important and meshes better narratively with GW than anything SB tried to drive home. I don’t think there really was a lesson in SB that came with Randolph’s death. It was just one of the many things that happens along the way while trying to put out fires. 

But here, Judith’s death is a direct result of Claude’s foolish and brash actions where he allowed his newfound ally Randolph die in battle just so he could get the upper edge. 

Fleche learns of her brother’s death, and is manipulated by a Slither in disguise (I believe it’s meant to be Myson) into wanting to seek revenge on Claude in return. So she raises a small army of her own and launches an attack on Claude in hopes to assassinate him. She brings along with her Jeralt’s mercenaries, which is how you end up facing Byleth one last time. 

She ends up dying in this battle no matter what your choice ends up being, but if you take Path B, Jeralt also goes down in this battle too, along with Judith. This battle is literally due to Claude’s callous decision to sacrifice Randolph’s life, and this is when a lesson he should have learned back in chapter 9 seems to really pay off. Since Claude should have learned that sacrificing lives as he did was brash, here it comes back full circle and really gives him the chance to realize how badly he fucked up. That he cannot just do such schemes without paying some deep price for it. Frankly, it’s almost accidentally good here. 

But what about Path A? 

Path A unfortunately loses this lesson entirely. In SB, where there wasn’t a lesson to really be had, this difference isn’t as big. But here in GW, it’s a much bigger difference. Since Claude didn’t have to face losing out on the death of someone close to him, the consequences of his actions are significantly neutered.  

In fact, there is almost no reflecting at all, instead the characters are more concerned with Byleth and with Claude not-so-subtly saying how great and wonderful Byleth is and so on and so forth.

Even SB still took some time to reflect on the deaths they at lost regardless.

Regardless of your choice, Judith becomes a non-entity after this in the story anyways. Her only purpose after this moment is to allow for access to Claude’s paralogue. So instead of writing scenes where she continues to exist organically in the story if she lives, she becomes a camp character no different than Randolph.

And I have to dock points off even more for GW not giving Byleth and Jeralt the time they needed in the route. 

When chapter 10 rolls around, Byleth has appeared as an enemy uniquely to GW exactly 2 times. Just two. And in neither case were they has harrowing and terrifying as SB had given him the space to be. 

In SB, Byleth and Jeralt bounce between the Alliance and the Kingdom looking for work until you finally face them in chapter 10. But in GW, they only ever work for the Empire. It does make sense, since the Kingdom had no reason to fight against the Federation  (at least until now), so the Empire hiring them was really the only logical conclusion for this route. 

However, GW actually gets to the skip skip earlier than SB by a chapter, giving Byleth less time in the early part of the war to have a presence at all. So by the time recruiting them came around, you don’t really feel like a proper antagonistic relationship between Shez and Byleth had been set up. 

Frankly, the entire relationship between Byleth and Shez is generally poorly done. 

I remember when I was first playing SB, I wondered what jobs Byleth and Shez had that had them cross paths in the first place. What destiny led them to them crossing blades? What big job was so important that led to their strained relationsh- 

Oh, it was nothing, just a random job from some minor lords in a squabble, that’s it. 

If you were like me, and had watched the trailers and viewed the box art, you probably came away with the conclusion that the rivalry between Shez and Byleth is meant to take center stage. Byleth and Shez face off in the art. They are the biggest characters on the box. They had a whole trailer dedicated to their big fight. 

But it’s ultimately almost entirely meaningless. The big focus is the war- Shez and his beef with Byleth is a side feature that is basically over the moment you recruit him, or comes around for one more big battle with no resolution to who Shez is. The same is true for Sothis and Arval - they actually do not know each other personally, Arval is not a god, and Sothis just thinks Shez is a descendant of the Slithers. 

Oh, and speaking of Shez, do you want to know more about his past and where he might have come from? Did you want to know about his connection with the Slithers more?

I’m afraid you are out of luck here yet again. SB skirted telling the players anything about Shez, teasing it constantly but never revealing anything. It is the same here but even worse - not only do they discuss Shez’s past even less than SB, they even practically throw out the Slithers from the plot except for one chapter. 

Having the Slithers removed from the plot isn’t itself a problem - AM from Houses is a stronger story as a result of the Slithers being side-lined for a more character-driven story. But here, they still devote enough time to Slithers that it feels empty with them nearly gone.

Again, I must circle back to the Crimson Flower comparison. CF suffered because the Slithers were a decent threat but were relegated to “well, we will deal with them after the war is over” and as such, are only mentioned in the epilogues as being defeated in a shadow war. 

It is the same here, were characters like Lysithea talk about the Slithers as a threat that must be dealt with, but unlike SB where Thales appears on the last map to die, the Slithers appear in a single map identical to their SB version, where they are just killing civilians.

For... some reason. Yet again. 

In fact, the GW version is much sillier than the SB version, because in this route the opera company comes to help in the fight. This is just a contrived way to give the players a chance to recruit the allied Dorothea, but right before the battle everyone is slobbering over the idea of meeting the famous singers. At least SB was more serious in what the Slithers were doing from start to finish. 

This is likely to set up the Side Chapters, where Shez faces the Slithers and Arval one last time (and ultimately leads to nowhere), but it feels completely out of place. It’s a single chapter devoted to the Slithers where you learn nothing about them at all, and it was forced upon you in a hasty retreat. 

Yes, you read that right. A retreat. Again. Because you see, Claude and co decide to use Almyran ships to invade the Kingdom by sea. 

----

The next two chapters follow Claude and his companions over the sea to invade the Kingdom and force Dimitri to give up the church, as Claude believes this is the course of action that will lead to the end of the war the quickest. 

This, of course, catches Dimitri off guard because the Federation lacked the naval capability to launch such an assault, his lack of Claude’s Almyran back pockets notwithstanding. 

Chapter 11 has us attacking a fortress in Felix’s territory, where Felix and Rodrigue escape thanks to the sacrifice of Sylvain’s father who came to their rescue, and chapter 12 has us attacking the Kingdom capital directly after that. 

I must say that I found these two chapters particularly frustrating for a number of reasons. 

Firstly, we learn that part of Claude’s plan to invade the Kingdom is to get the Kingdom’s long-time border-sharing, aggressive and antagonistic neighbors, Sreng, to attack in order to tie up many of the Kingdom’s troops. This, in turn, would make their smaller attack force have an easier time to force open the doors to Dimitri. 

Claude spends quite a bit of time discussing how the Central Church, and by extension Foldan, does not allow for any relations with foreign nations. He complains about this, that the people of Foldan are xenophobic as a result of the Church preventing communication through doctrine. He wishes for nothing more than to force the borders open, to have the people of many lands learn from each other and converse freely.

Except his usage of the Sreng (whom he also manipulated into attacking) runs antithesis to these ideals. You cannot claim that people hate each other based on nationality alone and that people need to get along, only to turn around and cause a literal race war so that your own army gains favor in the battlefield. You cannot say those bolster your ideals, or be confused as to why people on the borders don’t like each other. How can a country get over their ancient feuds if you only flame the fires for your own ambitions?

It is no wonder the Kingdom doesn’t like the Sreng, when the Sreng can so easily be tricked into attack when they think they have the chance! 

Not to mention that the side maps consists of mostly routing bandits, who see a chance to cause havoc due to your invasions.

And to top it all off, you kill Sylvain’s father, who died for his friends’ safety. 

And what did Claude have to say about this great sacrifice? 

This is followed by Claude criticizing the Kingdom’s code of chivalry, that it was chivalry that led to the Margrave’s death since he refused to give up or run away, and that he intended to create a world where such sacrifices would not be necessary. 

In other words, this man invaded a foreign land, killed one of their leaders, and blamed their culture for it. Then topped it off with a call to change their culture.

Is that not horrific to think about? Not to mention that it ignores the reality that the Margrave died to protect his friends, not for some code of honor. He did it because he loved them and wanted them safe. But this does not occur to Claude. 

(In fact, the Kingdom’s code of chivalry gets racked across the coals in both SB and GW as something disgusting). 

And then, in chapter 12, Claude forces his way into Fhirdiad to “talk to Dimitri” to get the message into his “thick skull”. Claude had not bothered to send a message to Dimitri prior to this. He simply woke up and chose violence first. 

What is also unsettlingly is the entire cast is on board with this plan. Like in SB, the playable cast sees no issue with invading the lands of those who did nothing to them, killing people along the way. 

At least Dimitri evacuated the city prior to Claude’s invasion. But the lives of those soldiers who defended till the last will be on Claude’s hands, and the hands of his friends who were so excited about what they were doing that they would cheer. 

The frustration goes further than that. I have picked out a few lines that I want to briefly go over. 

In other words, Claude’s plan is to force Dimitri to give up the Church to remove the Empire’s moral crutch for the war. He believes that if the Church is gone, then the Empire will be unable to continue on because their reason for fighting in the first place will be eliminated.

Ignoring that House’s blatantly disproves this logic, Hopes allows Shez to mention that this plan might not work. 

In camp dialogue. 

Shez can rightfully point out that the Empire has intended to unite Foldan as well as remove the Church. After all, Edelgard still plans (by her own admission) to conquer the Federation, just no longer through military means! Not only does Claude openly agree with you, he still goes after the Church and will still continue to insist that the war will be over if the Church goes down! 

And it’s not just him, the other characters firmly believe that the Church, and not the Empire, are at fault.

(Lorenz here is talking about the Margrave and how he died after they invaded).

And after all this, after you force Dimitri into submission and have the entirety of the Kingdom’s capital... you are ordered into a hasty retreat due to that single Slither event I mentioned before.

That’s right. You retreat out of nowhere not once, but twice in this route. 

Not only does it feel artificial, that you would just leave after literally having the Kingdom on their knees like that, but it also feels callous. Remember that line from before, where Claude claims to do this war so that the fewest lives will be lost. Well, how can you claim that if you are so easily able to just run away before securing your victory for good?! All those lives, lost for no reason, since now Claude will have to march on the Kingdom once again in order to get the Church to be driven out.

It’s absolutely appalling that this route praises these actions as heroic and clever, rather than insane and cruel. 

-------

The remainder of the review will be continued in a reblog in the near future, please look forward to it. 

[fireemblems24]

Azure Moon - Final

Of all the routes I'm finishing, this one is by far the hardest to say goodbye too. Which is why I saved it for last. Also, Three Hopes and the DLC, so it's not really over yet!

More in-depth reviews and etc coming later. Below is just my thoughts while I played the last two chapters of AM.

Ok, so this is different from the other routes. I had another week AND I picked who I married before any cut scenes.

Also different in that Byleth, here at least, is allowed to say something negative about Edelgard. A breath of fresh air.

I will get to still pick who I marry, right? I didn't miss that. Because by God if I missed that for Dimitri . . .

It's been a while Edelgard.

I still can't believe Dimitri really went and is trying to solve this with diplomacy and understanding. We stan a King, guys.

Holy, shit, yes, Dimitri, preach "there had to be a way to change things in your territory without so many senseless casualties."

Edelgard - War leads to the least amount of casualties, duh. I mean, who wouldn't agree. It's not like war is literally the worst.

Did she seriously just say - ah, yes, the least bloody way to fix the Empire is conquering everyone else and war.

I get that her argument is that the longer she didn't put everyone under her control, the more people would've died, so her war killed less in the long run. Someone doesn't know much about war.

Edelgard really out here playing God, hunh.

Dimitri ain't wrong that Edelgard is a bit too gung-ho about her war. And, of course, she's deaf to the victims. If it's anything like CF, there isn't any acknowledgement of any victims. They might as well not exist except to make Edelgard the main victim of the war.

"You cannot change the cycle of the strong dominating the weak with a method like that."

Preach, Dimitri.

Don't get me wrong, I love a good "conqueror the world for it's own good" character, but damn it's nice to see the hypocrisy pointed out. Those characters are only ever interesting and good if there's a counterpoint and not CF's sanctification of Edelgard.

I think Edelgard really means to destroy the bad systems. I think she honestly believes she's the only one who can make those changes. I also think she's dumb as a box of rocks if she doesn't realize her "boostraps" like mentality isn't just going to increase her divide, and that the world she's creating will have just as many victims and not be conducive to a true post-war recovery.

Holy shit, Edelgard sounds like Fox News. "If after all of this you believe the weak will still be weak, that is only because they are too used to relying on others instead of on themselves."

That really is truly only two steps away from "welfare queens" and the poor are poor because they "don't work hard enough" and the rich are rich because "they just work that much harder."

"But you cannot force that belief onto others." Is really the crux of my issue with Edelgard's plan.

"There are those who cannot live without their faith . . . and those who cannot go one once they have lost their reason for living." - It's too bad he didn't just straight-up say - "What about mental illness, Edelgard? Or physical handicaps? Or people born uber poor? What are they supposed to do in your world?"

I'm betting Edelgard fans hate this conversation lol. It's the only time in the whole game so far that challenges Edelgard's convictions and points out all the problems with it.

"It is the path of the strong and could only benefit the strong." - 100% true.

Honestly, the BEST combination would be Edelgard + Dimitri, where she's busting big bad systems up, and he's there to make sure the new government takes care of its people rather than uses them.

I don't think Edelgard understands the importance of faith to a lot of people. It's not really about "the goddess" answering your problems. Most religions are very specific that they can't treat prayer/meditation/etc as a wish machine. It's more about finding comfort in the idea that there's a system to this universe, that there's someone or something out there dictating what's right and wrong, that there's something after death. It's not really about expecting everything you pray for to be answered the way you want, but about finding some way to accept that "everything happens for a reason" to help you get through rough things. That, if you're suffering, that there's a larger point to it all.

Interesting how she claims she's fighting for the silent and weak too. I don't see how though, since she expects them to magically not be weak anymore.

"The ones who can truly change the way of the world are not the rulers, but the people." - I firmly 100% believe the only stable change is one that's wanted by the majority and is often generational.

"Pushing your own sense of justice and your own ideals onto even one other person is nothing more than self-righteousness." - Again, 100% agree with Dimitri here.

Edelgard's not wrong either that for things to change, someone has to take action. But why THAT action?

It's really too bad there's no ending where these two meld their ideals together. But I'm betting Edelgard isn't willing to work with anyone else (unlike Rhea, Claude, and Dimitri who have all worked together in one route or another).

Why is Edelgard talking about high borns vs the poor??? Dimitri was just talking about people in general. And didn't he live on the run for like 5 years? Edelgard's way more removed from the poor than he is.

Like, why is she still going to fight him? Why not just work WITH him?

Ohhhh is this the dagger?

Yep, guessed it right.

So she's remembering him now.

Aww, baby Dimitri and Edelgard are so cute.

If only Rhea got this treatment in CF that Edelgard's getting in AM. It would've made CF soooooo much better.

Dimitri gonna regret those words he told Edelgard when she decides the future she's cutting through involves killing him lamo.

Edelgard's like WTF, this guy I've been trying to kill since the paralogue is that guy who inspired me to keep going?

Mannnn imagine an alternative storyline where she realizes who he is earlier on. The conflict and character development she missed out on :(

Man, this shit is tragic. I don't know how the same people who wrote this route wrote all the other ones.

I love how Byleth and Hubert just stood there saying nothing lamo.

OH THANK GOD, I get to pick who to marry.

This is the EASIEST choice of them all lol. Dimitri. 100%, Dimitri.

PRE-BATTLE & BATTLE #1

Maaan I'm so worried about how long this will get. Anyone who reads the whole thing, I'm amazed at your thoroughness.

Time to blast Enbarr's door down again lol.

LAMO Hubert again? I love him, but facing him is a meme at this point. How many times have I already toasted his ass?

Ugh, no, they split up my units again :( whyyyyyy Though is any route is suited for this, it's AM because Dimitri can take a whole area by himself.

Oh, I see Petra's back :( Bummed about killing her.

I really gotta question Edelgard here. A combined force of the Kingdom, Alliance, and Church is invading her innermost city area, but she still won't work with Dimitri and would rather keep trying to fight him? Even after she heard him out?

Why did Hubert call Dimitri the Savior King? I love that title though.

God, I love Hubert. He just owns it, you know?

Alright - time to fight.

Ingrid is such a queen - no one can touch her + mages can't hurt her anyways. She's like Dedue, but for mages.

"War is for the wealthy. We don't even have enough to eat." - when the random enemy thief's line about war hits harder than all of CF.

Petra was NOT easy to kill. All the fast ones (Dimitri, Petra, Catherine, pegasus knights, assassins) are the hardest to kill in this game.

Dimitri can one-shot Hubert. And by that I don't mean "single turn" I mean single hit.

Dimitri gave Hubert a chance to surrender :(

Why did Hubert say Dimitri had a "silver tongue?"

Man, Dimitri went into overkill with a crit. Poor Hubert.

Dimitri MVP. Not surprised.

POST BATTLE & BATTLE 2

See it's lines like this "there is to be no needless killing or pillaging, understand?" That made me wonder if one route mentions that sentiment more than another or if there's a different vibe or what not.

See, THIS is what was missing from CF. A place where the whole trope stands around and says their lines, even if they don't contribute much, it just feels so epic, you know?

I just love this group all so much: Dedue (swearing to Dimitri), Annette (being so chiper), Ingrid (being the badass knight she is), Mercie (praying for everyone), Ashe (awww, he's so proud to be a citizens of Faerghus in AM and CF, I think I'm over his stunt in VW and SS now. I love you), Sylvain (encouraging everyone, and I don't think I've mentioned this much but he's so fucking hot),

FELIX 😭 supporting Dimitri 😭😭 He even called him a "boar" but it's not an insult anymore 😭😭😭

Dimitri and the Blue Lions are just so 😭😭😭

Oh, so here's Edelgard - "It's far too late to second guess." Edelgard, I'm 100% sure if you surrendered now, Dimitri would make peace with you. It's actually not too late.

It's that hellbeast from FEH. I have PTSD from that thing. This version is wayyyy uglier. Not surprised. I got so tired of that in FEH.

Man, I love these images in between chapters. They all look so cool.

I'm betting we're not fighting TWSITD in this route either? But I think we accidentally already killed their leader so . . .

This route didn't have that giant bomb go off too. Does anyone know why? Like is it just "because plot" or some actual reason?

Edelgard HAS to know she's going to lose. Is it really just "kill everyone or die?" for her??

More Blue Lions imput 😭😭

Dedue is so loyal. I love him 😭😭😭 Felix being so supportive.

Guys we're so spoiled. Everyone gets two pep talks to say their bit.

Yep, it's that FEH thing.

"There can only be one ruler of the world." LAMO Edelgard. She is a bit of a my way or death kinda person.

That awful dubstep again though, make it go away.

Alright, guys, time for my last chapter in this whole thing. Let's go!

Holy shit! What is that range Edelgard has????

I take it Myson is TWSITD? And WTF is with that spell he has? How come I never got that. Anyways, Stride + Dimitri's a bitch and he's gone.

By "beasts" does he mean humans, Nabeteans, or all of the above?

OMG they all retreated LAMO. That makes things easier. Well, not all of them, but a few, nice. And mostly mages too, that makes my life easier.

Yikes, that first hit blasted poor Mercie hard.

Did Edelgard really just say "Facing you, I grow weak?" To Byleth?? They really went hard core pandering with her, hunh. Anyways, she had a 0, 0, 0 on Byleth so I'm far less intimidated.

Alright guys, Edelgard's going down. First Felix took one of her lives out, then Sylvain, then Byleth, now Dimitri for the final. She's going out in one round, though I think only SS took me longer? Maybe CF, but that's because I had no crutch characters there.

Yo, Dimitri telling Edelgard she deserves no compassion because she would rather turn herself into a demon than compromise. Seems a bit at odds with the rest of what he's said, tbh, but I get the sentiment.

He did a critical and took her out in one blow.

And we're done! Only 11 turns. Lol, Everyone just really loves their criticals in the Blue Lions. I also think those dudes retreating helped.

Dimitri MVP. No surprises there.

POST BATTLE & Wrap-Up

Cut scene, for some reason, I always forget lol.

So Edelgard's back to her legendary unit self.

Dimitri's giving her ANOTHER chance to surrender? He's wayyy more forgiving than I'd ever be.

And . . . she threw her dagger at him. Kinda a dick move there.

Byleth not letting Dimitri look back 😭😭😭 That's kinda sweet.

Alright, let's see the final picture for Dimitri.

Ugh, whhyyy the unification. But Rhea! Lives! Good!

I think I see Byleth and Dedue in that ending mural 😭😭😭

I love that mural. It's so happy after everything.

S-Support time!! Let's see if Dimitri can prove me wrong that the men won't be as lovey dovey as the women.

Two insomniacs in love (seriously, who sleeps a healthy amount in this game??)

He's apologizing for making Byleth work so much 😭😭😭 Did anyone else? I'd have to check.

"Do no worry about me" - a summary of Dimitri.

And yikes, that hit left Dimitri numb? Like permanently? Can't this game cut him ANY slack??

Uh, oh, he just so awkwardly switched to romantic shit lamo.

"How many years has it been since I was kept awake by hopes for the future, rather than by nightmares of the past . . ." Dimitri stop..... 😭😭😭😭

He really has Survivor's Guilt 101 😭😭

Geeze, I can't imagine hearing voices in my head like that.

They're still there 😭😭😭 I guess that's more realistic, and better than Byleth made it go away.

It's actually . . . really cool, I think, that he didn't just get "cured." Like, he's still hearing those voices, but found a way to deal with them, and have hope and happiness anyways. That's pretty inspiring, actually.

"But I wish to change this world in my own way." Yes, we stan a King, guys.

Oh shiiiittt Dimitri let that "My beloved" slip didn't he. LAMO.

Ohhh I like this confidence on him, not getting all blushy. Good for him. He's grown up a bit lol.

Ah, he's giving me his ring too, isn't he. And NOW he's blushing. Good.

"If you do not wish to accept it, please just tell me." Absolutely no way I'd say no lol.

Ahahahah, she popped the ring too. Good for her. Just like Rhea.

It's so fucking cute when they both have rings.

Wow, that is not subtle "I love you, Dimitri. Marry me."

Yeah, ok, maybe just Claude's the most unromantic person in the game, because this shit's romantic.

And he's talking about her hands again 😭😭😭 Guys, I'm a sucker for shit like this. OMG

How did I end up adding Sylvix and Dimileth into my "I legitimately ship it now" in the last few chapters of different routes.

And his picture isn't half bad. Poor Edelgard, though, WTF was that? Rhea, Claude, and Dimitri all looked fine.

OMG it's almost done, now just for the MVP list and paired endings.

Lots of trading around at first, then Dimitri takes over. So far it's been: Dimitri, Ingrid, Sylvain, Felix, Byleth, and Dedue who all got MVP at least a few times. With Dimitri getting it the most by far. Towards the end, it was Felix only once, rest of the time Dimitri.

OK, paired endings, like for the others, not going to say much about ones I've gotten before.

So ones that were basically the same: Anna solo, Cyril solo, Alois solo, Manuela solo, Hanneman solo, Flayn solo, Lorenz Solo,

Shamir solo, she becomes a Robin Hood, I like it lol.

Catherine and Rhea became lesbians together. 😭😭 Good for them. Catherine finally scored.

Bernie Solo - poor girl regressed :(

Caspar Solo - he basically did the same thing, but without Linhardt :(

Linhardt Solo - so he did research for the rest of his life. It suites him.

Gilbert Solo - Dimitri has a baby 😭😭😭 And he managed to stay and serve the realm this time. Good for him.

Ferdinand and Dorothea - They had babies too 😭😭 So cute. And Ferdinand went on to be a good leader, and Dorothea got the power to help the common folk. Not a bad ending.

YES! Raphael and Marrianne - I wanted this one! OK, but that ending was kinda lame though. It's all about Raphael and Marianne just talks to birds in it. Though, at least she seems happy.

Ashe and Annette - That's a cute couple, not gonna lie. But again, it's alllll about the dude, though at least here Annette gets to help the realm and write a book.

Ingrid and Seteth - Aw yeah, she became a knight. Good for her. So they both helped out Fodlan (Faerghus and the Church) and married (I mean, they did) much later on. I'm glad Seteth found someone. And way to go Ingrid for getting equal billing in a paired ending, if not the ending being mostly her story and how Seteth was also there.

Does this mean Felix and Sylvain got together - AGAIN? And Mercedes and Dedue (pleaseohpleaseohplease)?

YESSSSS Mercie and Dedue. They are so cute together. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 OMG That ending. I can't. It's perfect. They open a school together and restore Duscur culture. 😭😭😭😭😭 This might be my favorite one of all of them.

But, shit, I don't want Felix and Sylvain to get together. The last time was HORRIBLE. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't EXTREMELY curious to see how this goes, since Felix's endings have been so depressing so far.

Yep, Felix and Sylvain, lol, 😭😭😭😭😭 That's SOOOOOO much better. OMG. That's fucking hurts after seeing how it went in CF with Sylvain bringing up that they were supposed to die together and then in AM they actually do 😭😭😭😭😭 OK, ok, I 100% get Sylvix now. I'm converted. OMG I'm so happy Felix got a good ending.

So now for Dimitri and Byleth. Dimitri has 524 victories lol. I abused that boy.

Their ending is pretty sweet, not gonna lie. I think it's funny they mentioned the separation of work and marriage life. I can almost see someone in the writer's room going - but people will shit on them for this! - and adding that. That part of them going riding together and being desperately in love. It hurts, guys. 😭😭😭😭

OMG! I'm done! I finally finished 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 I can play Animal Crossing again (I banned myself until I finished this lol) And the DLC!

I don't know when I'll get to the DLC, but I will. I'll probably wait a few weeks, but I know I'm going to want to come back to this game.

[mommymooze]

Can You See What is Growing Before Your Eyes?

seteth & Flayn, Reader & Flayn, Seteth X Reader

Sitting on the fishing dock as the sunset blazes across the skies, it is quiet and peaceful in the monastery. You can almost imagine there is not a war going on, that the Imperial army isn’t marching towards your location to attack you and your friends who have arrived for the Millennium festival. Your thoughts are peaceful as you observe the rose and orange colored skies reflected in the pond Your bobber floats motionless on the calm waters.

“Are the fish biting?” Flayn calls from the far side of the water.

Just as she speaks your bobber begins to twitch. You hold up a finger with one hand as you grasp your pole more firmly in the other. Watching, waiting, suddenly the red and white float goes under, you jerk the line, hooking the fish. It is a short battle, the bullhead gives up quickly.

“It’s about average.” You answer as you look over your basket. “I have 15 fish, so after a few more I will bring them to the kitchens.”

“How are you able to catch such an abundant amount? My brother and I would be here for half a day or more and still not catch that quantity.” Flayn chides, her hands on her hips.

“If I had any fishing secrets, I would not hesitate to share them with you and Seteth.” You smile.

“Perhaps I shall watch you and learn of your mysterious technique.” Flayn decides, sitting on an empty crate nearby.

Retrieving and rebaiting your hook, you toss it back into the water, causing ripples to spread across the pond. You sit, still as a statue. Out of the corner of your eye you watch Flayn switch the position of her legs, then look around, fix her hair, and otherwise appear bored. You have not moved, except to shoo a bug from getting close to your eye. Even that movement was performed slowly and silently.

The bobber twitches in the water, moves left, stops briefly and heads right. It becomes halfway submerged, only to pop back up again immediately. You do not move. It begins moving away from your position. Just as it submerges you yank the line and are fighting the hooked fish. The fish jumps, trying to get away, however you keep steady with your pull on the line, hauling it closer to the dock.

“A golden fish!” Flayn excitedly laughs.

Hauling your catch close to the dock, you grab the fish by its jaw, remove the hook and secure it in your bucket.

“That one will pay for the accompaniments to an excellent fish stew!” You announce, beginning to pack up your fishing equipment.

“I did not see anything special about your technique. You used a worm and I saw no special powder or magic cast upon it. Strange.” Flayne ponders.

“First, you must learn to be one with the water. If it is still, you must be still. If it moves, you can move. The fish will be disturbed by your wiggling, especially on the dock.” You share your wisdom with the lovely young lady.

“I will have to tell my brother of this discovery, and that we will be having a fine fish stew this evening. Thank you!”

Selling your fish in the market, you take the rest to the kitchens. The cooks are thrilled to be able to provide a hearty and protein filled meal to the masses, there will be enough to go around. More and more people are arriving at the monastery to assist with the war efforts.

After returning your belongings to your quarters you head to the Cathedral to give prayers of thanks. Thanks for the food today, for so many willing to help defend the church, for the return of so many students and for the return of Professor Byleth. Now that they are back, hopefully they can lead the church and Blue Lions to victory. Your mind falters at that, observing the wounded and broken man that Dimitri has become. You watch as the Professor approaches him, trying to speak to him, trying to get him to eat. The conversation is one sided. Dimitri says nothing. Your eyes go wide as he leaps at the Professor and throws them against a stone column, then returns to his place at the crumbled goddess statue.

Without thinking you run to Byleth’s side. You are well within Dimitri’s range, but your focus is Byleth. Their head is bleeding, and they are moaning. Quickly you heal the head wound. It is not deep, however there is a lot of blood. You struggle to drag them further from Dimitri to a safer part of the Cathedral.

“Professor, can you hear me? Please?” You whisper to them, your voice shaking. They’ve just returned from being gone for five years, it would be horrible to lose them again so soon.

The professor shakes their head. “I am okay. He caught me off guard.” They answer as you help them to their feet.

“Can I take you to the infirmary? Do you have pain elsewhere?” You anxiously ask as they lean on you slightly while you hold their arm, walking to the pews.

“I am alright.” They nod. “My head was hit. I may have a bruise or two, nothing that will not be fine by tomorrow.”

“If you are sure. There is no need to suffer with pain if we can help.” You smile.

Professor Byleth heads back to the bridge leaving the Cathedral, refusing your offer to accompany them. You remain, offering further prayers for Byleth’s health and healing for Dimitri.

You return to the infirmary, your home away from home. Manuela is no longer here, she sided with the Empire. Being thrust into the position of one of the main healers, you remain out of battle, dealing with the injured soldiers. Before the war you worked your shifts in the infirmary, Manuela handled the serious cases.

When the war started, everyone fled the monastery. You packed more books on healing and treatments than you did clothes. Seteth encouraged you to lead the healers for the Knights of Seiros. Every place you travel, you consult with other healers in the area, trying to increase your knowledge as well as theirs. You hope you are adequately filling the shoes he sets forth.

At the infirmary desk you pull out the file for Byleth and make a note regarding todays treatment. When the Knights of Seiros returned to the monastery, you were happy to find many of the medical notes still here. Thieves must not have a use for them. All potions, salves, bandages, and lotions were gone. You have been working with several other clerics building up your inventory.

A sudden knocking brings your attention to the door of the infirmary.

“Greetings. I see you have no patients today, I hope everything is well.“ Seteth bows.

You look up at the handsome man in the doorway. “Good afternoon, Seteth. Byleth was injured by Dimitri earlier. If you see them, make certain they are not hiding any injuries I was unable to find.”

Seteth nods, “I understand your concerns. There are many that take care and have themselves treated properly. Then there are others, I understand your concerns.” He smiles, “Flayn said you were fishing earlier.”

“Yes. I am not a hunter, however I do want to do my part to keep the food stores filled. An army marches on its stomach.” You answer as you file papers in the cabinet.

“Flayn advises you are considerably successful at fishing. Perhaps I can join you and observe your techniques.” Seteth smiles, it makes him even more handsome.

“I am no master fisherman. Flayn simply is not patient, she can’t hold still.” You laugh. “I have seen you fishing with Alois. You would be more successful if he was not there, he is rather boisterous.”

“True. I suppose I like to fish because it is relaxing. These are stressful times. I do hope you are taking care of yourself too.” Seteth answers, a bit of authority creeping back into his voice.

“Noted, sir.” You nod, then begin to unpack dressings and filling the cabinets.

“I am asking you to take care of yourself as a friend. We have worked together for these many years. I’ve seen you exhaust yourself taking care of the knights.”

“War is not conducive to sleep. I will sleep when the war is over.” You chuckle. “Besides, when I finally do leave to find rest, I notice there is still candlelight coming through the windows of your office. Perhaps you should lead by example, my friend.”

“Touche!” He chortles. “I will put in further effort.” Seteth nods, returning to his office.

You treat minor cuts and bruises the remainder of the afternoon. Flayn stops by and asks you to join her for dinner. After all, you were the one that provided the ingredients for this evening’s meal. You promise to meet her after restocking the supplies.

In the dining hall you take your bowl of fish soup and look for Flayn. She is sitting next to her brother and waving for you to join them. You take a seat opposite them. She is easily excited.

“I am so happy that you are able to join us.” Flayn smiles.

“It is important to keep your body healthy and nourished.” You nod and smile softly at Seteth. You are happy to see him in the dining hall. He has had too many meals in his office, overworking himself.

“Yes. An army runs on its stomach, and it is important for everyone to eat properly, especially those that support the army.” Seteth tells Flayn, encouraging her to eat.

“Does that mean I can have seconds, brother?” She asks, sucking in her cheeks a bit to appear more undernourished.

“Only after everyone else has had a portion.” He waves his spoon around the room at the other diners.

Flayn pouts.

Observing her sad face, you have an idea. “If you would like, we can fish tomorrow early in the morning and hopefully catch more for a fine fish dinner.” You pat her hand that is resting on the table.

Flayn’s face now wears a huge smile. “Really? I am excited! You can teach me more fishing techniques. Oh brother! Maybe you can join us?” Both of you look at him, a hopeful smile on your faces.

Seteth’s brow furrows. “I will have to check my schedule. I will see if I can make the time.”

The next morning you get up at dawn to head to the woods, digging up earthworms and grubs for bait. The ground is still moist from the rains and the worms are close to the surface. You have plenty for everyone, including Byleth, who you share bait with frequently. They buy bait from the merchants when they are out, and every coin is needed for the war.

The day is slightly windy, causing the water to dance on the pond. The sunlight sparkles on the surface as the sun rises higher in the sky. Flayn joins you. Instructing her on proper baiting of the hook you remind her to sit as still as possible. You sit far enough apart to softly talk, yet not interfere with each other’s quest for fish.

Flayn has been listening attentively, her basket of fish is proof of her improvement. She brings a fish to you that has swallowed the hook and you show her how to use a tool you’ve made that will help loosen it. Instructing how to slide her hand down the fish so she will not be pricked by the fins, then use the tool to release the hook. Suddenly a shadow is blocking the sunlight over your shoulder.

“Good morning, brother. We are having a marvelous time fishing!” Flayne giggles.

“I can see that. You both have a surprisingly large catch. Perhaps there are many secrets you can pass along to us.” He smiles at you. That is a very handsome look on his face.

“I would be happy to help.” You smile as Flayn puts her fish in her basket and baits her hook for the next catch. “I have a nice collection of worms today, help yourself.” You point to the can.

“Hmm.” Seteth frowns. “Would you mind giving me pointers on how to set the bait? My wife usually baited the hooks. I can manage with some things, but worms are tricky.”

“I understand. My father would set my bait when I was little. I was afraid of the wiggly bugs and worms. Though he is gone, I will pass along his techniques. It is a good way of remembering him.” You take a worm and quietly show him how to set the worm on the hook, leaving the end close to the barb of the hook to wiggle.

“I always make sure the barb is just through the end there, touching it but not piercing your finger. There. You’re ready to go.” You smile as you let loose the hook and it dangles and spins in the air.

“Appreciated.” Seteth smiles. The relaxed look on his face is a sight to behold.

You cast your line into the water and wait. Flayn is to your right trying very hard to be still. Seteth is to your left, taking a seat on a crate after casting his line in the water. Flayn’s bobber starts to wiggle. You hear her stifle a noise, trying to remain quiet. Suddenly her bobber goes under, she pulls her pole back.

“I have one. Oh, it feels heavy!” Flayn excitedly giggles as she works to haul the fish to land.

You lean to the edge of the pond, grabbing the fish as soon as she has it out of the water. “That certainly is a large fish. I think that fills your basket this morning!” You laugh.

She puts her fish away and gives you a huge hug. “You have taught me so well. I’m going to take these to the kitchen right away. I feel like a successful fisherwoman!” she grins.

“You are an excellent student. What an amazing haul!” You laugh, watching her struggle with her heavy container of fish.

Seteth now gasps as he hooks a fish. You grab the fish by the side of the mouth when he gets it to shore.

“Oh my, it’s swallowed your hook. That’s the fourth time today. They must be really hungry to gobble them down so quickly.” You mutter, heading to your tackle box to grab your tool to remove the hook.

“You can retrieve the hook? I usually have to cut the line and tie on a new one.” Seteth is happily surprised.

You call him closer as you follow the line into the fish’s mouth. You hand him the tool and instruct him as he uses it to free the hook. He stands much closer to you than he normally does. He smells like myrrh, cinnamon, and ginger.

“That was certainly educational today.” Seteth smiles. “Thank you for your instruction.”

“Any time.” You smile softly. “The company was very enjoyable.”

A week later Seteth invites you for tea in his office. Checking the calendar, you note that next week everyone will leave for battle, so he must want to review final plans. You arrive at his door at the exact appointed time, holding several folders of paperwork that he may find useful to allay his concerns.

Seteth invites you inside and gestures to the table by the windows that is set for tea.

His desk is piled high with folders, stacks of letters to be sealed, parchment and inkwells randomly scattered amongst his work. Mounds of opened letters fill the box on one corner of the desk while multiple completed replies occupy a box on the other side.

“Is that paperwork for me?” He appears to be surprised at the bundle in your hands.

“I thought you may want to discuss the inventories and preparations being made for our upcoming march.” You respond shyly. The last thing you want to do is provide more work for him.

Seteth takes the folders from you and places them on a nearby table. “Actually, I have the greatest trust in you and would only speak to you about it if you need my guidance. Please, take a seat and join me for tea.” He gestures to the table and chairs by the window.

Taking your seat, you pull the cloth napkin to your lap. You feel a bit nervous. He has only asked you to his office to discuss matters of the church or war. This is your first purely social visit.

Seteth pours the tea, handing you tongs to take a sweet treat from the basket.

“Apologies, I do not know your favorite tea. I hope you do not mind Four Spice Blend.” He smiles softly as he takes his seat, making certain his chair is at a proper gentlemanly distance from you.

“I drink Four Spice in the cooler weather, the flavor seems to warm me from within.” You return the smile. This must be the excitement the students feel when Professor Byleth invites them to tea.

“I am glad you enjoy it.” Seteth hums. “I have been having conversations with Felix lately about the importance of friends in our lives. I then realized that I have been negligent myself in not taking time to visit with my friends.”

“I am delighted to call you my friend, of course. We have worked together for these many years, but we have not made proper time to simply chat.”

“I am making an effort to correct that mistake, starting today.” Seteth nods and takes a sip of tea. “Do tell me about yourself, what books you like to read, what are your hobbies?”

You chat back and forth until the tea has grown exceedingly cold, exchanging tidbits of knowledge into who each of you are as a person. You speak of the books you’ve read recently and share impressions you have on your allies.

“This has been simply fascinating. A fantastic break from work. I feel very refreshed,” Seteth smiles. “I have learned quite a bit about you and your many talents.”

“I feel the same! I have learned so much about you as well. Thank you for inviting me to a very lovely tea.” You stand and reach for your paperwork.

“Perhaps we can make it a weekly occurrence, to make certain we have the time to check on each other,” He offers.

“Fantastic. I would enjoy it immensely.” You are beaming with happiness as you head out the door. Your heart skips a beat as you head down the hallway. You don’t mind that there are a few patients impatiently waiting inside the infirmary.

It is a few weeks before you can have another quiet tea together. Travel and battle do not allow for much time to socialize. Your hands are full setting up the infirmary tents, organizing the clerics, making certain the army has well stocked bandages and potions for the fighters.

Flayn is going to be on the field for the battle and you worry over her as she finishes attaching the last pieces of her armor. She comes to speak with you frequently, discussing a few adult matters that she is not confident with confiding in her brother.

“Watch out for arrows, if you are hurt, fly straight to the infirmary. Your brother would never forgive me if I cannot get you back into perfect health as soon as possible.” You kiss her on the forehead and send her off to her wyvern. You have become quite close friends and say a silent prayer for her safety. She reminds you of your younger siblings that you raised when your mother passed away.

Now you are standing at the edge of camp, watching what little you can see of the battle. Seteth and Flayn are flying close together on their wyverns, protecting each other. You send a quick prayer for their safety as you head back into the infirmary tent, injured fighters are already arriving.

Wrapping a bandage to a soldiers arm you’ve completed stitching and healing, you hear a wyvern’s roar outside the tent. Running to the front of the tent, Flayn is guiding her brother’s wyvern to the ground next to hers. Seteth is nearly unconscious as you hurry to lift him from the saddle. You have no idea where your strength comes from as you carry him into the infirmary and place him on an examination table. You’ve carried unconscious soldiers before, but Seteth is very solidly built.

Flayn dashes in behind you, filling you in on what happened. “He was hit by a lightning bolt. His wyvern was hit as well, but it dealt with the hit better than he did. I think it was because of the arrows he had taken prior that had weakened him.”

“Help me get his robes off.” You quickly instruct her.

She helps remove his robes and armor as you strip him to his undershirt and trousers. His pants are ruined by two arrows, you cut them off just above the arrow in his thigh and around the other in his calf. Neither of the projectiles are close to arteries, however the one in his thigh is very deep into the muscle. It seems to take forever to remove the arrowhead from leg. You had to cut tissue and pull his flesh out of the way. Finally, you work faith magic deep into the torn tissues, encouraging the flesh to bind back together.

Flayn works on his shoulder where the burns from the lightning strike entered his body. Luckily it traveled down his arm and exited close to his hand. You heal what you can of the burns for now, they will need further attention later.

Two strong soldiers help lift Seteth onto a stretcher, moving him to his tent. Gently you guide him on to his bed with Flayn’s assistance and she stays to watch over him. Before you leave, you examine her for any injuries, healing even the smaller cuts, knowing her brother would not be pleased to waken and see she was not treated.

Returning to the infirmary you triage the incoming soldiers. The new casualties begin to dwindle and those that are well enough leave for dinner. You make certain those that can eat do so. You then proceed to check on Seteth.

Standing at the entrance on the tent you announce yourself. Flayn beckons you to come in. Flayn is sitting in a chair, knitting a sock as she quietly sits by his side.

“I am so happy that you taught me how to knit. It is keeping my hands and mind busy so I do not hover over him so much. He has been sleeping peacefully since he was brought here.” Flayn updates you.

Leaning over the cot that Seteth is silently sleeping on, you check his vitals then his wounds to make certain he has not bled through the bandages. You’ve noticed his and Flayn’s heartrate are not the same as others. There are a few things you have seen over the years that sets them apart from the others. You keep these things to yourself, honoring their privacy.

Looking over at Flayn you smile reassuringly. “Would you like to go visit with your friends a bit? Promise me you will stay right in the middle of camp. No going off anywhere or your brother will have my head. I’m sure you want to check on them as well. When the sound the night bell, be back here very quickly. “

She gasps with excitement, “Yes! Thank you so much.” She hurriedly packs away her knitting and runs from the tent.

Remaining by Seteth’s side, you heal the electrical burns to his shoulder and hand. Exhausted, you doze lightly in the chair with a blanket over your legs and your hand resting on his chest. If he makes the slightest movement your eyes are wide open and you observe him for any discomfort.

Flayn returns a few hours later, tired and happy that she could visit with everyone. She kisses Seteth on the head and tells you good night just as he wakens.

Opening his eyes, his first sight is her. “Flayn!” He gasps. “You are alright.” His eyes close and he visibly relaxes for a moment.

“She is fine. A few minor scratches. Absolutely nothing compared to your injuries.” You pat your hand on his chest.

Seteth moves, attempting to sit up. He shifts his legs then grimaces with pain. With you pushing him back into his cot, he finally settles back into a prone position.

“You were hit by two arrows and then lightning. How you managed to keep perched on your wyvern is a miracle. Flayn brought you back. The battle is long over, you need to rest.” You answer his questions before he can ask them.

“I am happy to see you are recovering. Good night, brother.” Flayn calls as she heads out into the night air to her tent.

“Please tell me if you have any pain. I will help you sit up to have something to drink after I heal you further. I can get you anything you need, food, water, just name it.”

“I feel extremely fatigued, like every muscle in my body has been worked to exhaustion,” he quietly answers. “I only felt pain when I tried to move my leg. You have done a wonderful job, thank you.”

“You are a good patient. Let me change the bandages on your leg and then sit you up to have a drink. You should sleep and let the healing take full hold.” Taking your basket of fresh bandages and healing salves you move to the other side of his cot and begin unwrapping his wounds. Cleansing and applying further deep healing to his leg, you wrap it with fresh, clean dressings.

Taking a waterskin in hand, you help him sit up enough to drink nearly two cups of water. You take a handkerchief to dab his lips.

“There was a significant amount of blood loss. Drinking plenty of fluids will help you replenish them. I’ll make sure you eat a high amount of protein tomorrow for breakfast.”

“Thank you,” Seteth whispers as he lies back and closes his eyes. You pat his chest and he takes your hand in his. You are relieved that he is too tired to notice a slight blush on your cheeks.

Seteth awakens in the morning to the smell of bacon and eggs. You carefully help him to sit up.

“Flayn is in the infirmary tent, helping with those she can.” You begin. “They are tearing down camp and we will be headed back to the monastery soon. Do you need me to help you get a change of clothes? You will need new pants, I had to cut the others to get to your injuries. I can send someone to assist you if you prefer.”

“Let me see if I can stand, perhaps I can manage on my own.” Seteth slowly sits himself up and swings his legs off the cot. You reach outside the tent, then turn around and hand him a training lance.

“This should help you keep steady on your feet for now.“ You say while hovering over him as he takes a few cautious steps to the chair next to the table. Once he is seated you make certain he has fresh water to go with his food.

Back at the monastery you currently have four patients in the infirmary. Riding in the back of a wagon did not help their conditions much and it takes considerable time to heal and stabilize them until you feel that they are settled and without pain.

Flayn appears in front of your desk as you document the charts. “Are you finished with the patients?” She asks sweetly.

“For now. I will have someone monitoring them throughout the night and wake me if their conditions worsen.” You answer as you finish making an entry.

“Good!” Flayn takes you by the arm and pulls you down the hallway to Seteth’s office. Pulling you inside, you see the table set for three. The smell of the delicious dinner is heavenly, you’ve not eaten for many hours. Seteth is already seated at the table

“Please excuse me for not standing.” Seteth blushes slightly

You laugh. “I would be angry if you did. You’re keeping the leg propped up. Excellent.” You see that his color is good, he is healing well. You give a huge sigh of relief.

Flayn guides you to the seat next to him and she sits across from her brother. While the meal progresses, Flayn tells her point of view of the battle and how the Professor led them all to victory.

“This is quite a happy surprise. An excellent dinner and amazing company. I could not ask for more. Thank you both for having me.” You look greatly pleased.

“It is the least we could do to thank you for your excellent care,” Seteth assures. “You have been working nonstop since the battle. When you are finished, Flayn will escort you to your room and you will sleep. The healers here have been under your watchful eye and will take good care of the wounded. We need you to take time to care for yourself.”

“Yes. I will sleep and you should as well. I���m sending Flayn back to check on you. If she finds you working at the desk, I’ll run up here and bring a stick with me to chase you out.” You laugh.

Seteth chuckles. “I do not wish to incur your wrath. I promise to head straight for bed after dinner.”

“Should I change your bandages while I am here?” You ask.

“I did not invite you here to work. Flayn will aid me.” He nods to her.

Flayn suddenly interrupts. “I really should get the dishes back to the kitchens, you know how they can be. Perhaps it would be best that she escorts you to your room and check you this evening. This will probably take me a few trips.” Flayn says as she hurriedly stacks the plates, cups, and cutlery together and heads out the door.

“Do you have salves and bandages in your room? Should I pop by the infirmary for some?” You inquire.

“You had best get them. I know Flayn has some in her room, however I am not certain that I have any myself. I will meet you at the stairs, we can go up together.” He answers as he reaches for a cane to keep himself steady.

You observe Seteth as you follow him up the stairs, he is being especially careful and favoring his leg. He unlocks the door to his room on the third floor. You try not to let the curiosity get the best of you. Briefly glancing about, his quarters are pristine. Comfortable and heavy furniture come into view as he lights a candelabra.

“Would you prefer to change your bandages on the couch or your bed.” You ask.

“The bed I suppose,” he sighs as he leads you to his bedroom.

“Do you have a spare towel in the bathroom? I want to make certain nothing gets onto your bedclothes.”

“Of course, there is a basket by the door.” He gestures to the open door.

Retrieving a towel, you return to his side. Seteth is seated on his bed, his back propped by his pillows. His pants are removed from the wounded leg, the other covered by his blanket.

Raising his leg, you carefully place the towel underneath. You observe his grimace out of the corner of your eye.

“Which wound hurts more, the one in your calf or the one in your thigh?”

“The thigh. That one was quite deep,” Seteth answers, slightly gritting his teeth.

Unwrapping both injuries they appear to be healing well, the scarring is pink, not red at the edges, no signs of infection or bleeding. You slightly lift his lower leg, asking him to move his foot different directions. Turning your attention to the healing injury on his thigh you begin pouring faith magic into the muscles, knitting the torn tissue further together bit by bit. Massaging the muscles around the wound you flex his knee. The healing is progressing quite well.

Briefly you glance to his face, his eyes are closed, he appears relaxed. You are blushing again. His muscles are perfect, his thighs well-toned. Taking a deep breath, you pull your brain back into your professional mindset.

“Any other pain? Any lingering tingling from the lightning in your arm?” You softly ask. “You have walked on that leg too much today. Limping around on a cane will cause pain in your hand and arm as well as throwing off your gait and leading to lower back pain. I’ve done what I can today. I would like to treat your thigh injury one more time tomorrow.” You turn away to gather the soiled bandages and cool the steamy thoughts in your head.

“You are worrying too much. I will be fine.” Seteth answers. He sounds sleepy, which is relieving. You make certain he has a glass of water on his nightstand before you leave.

You make your way back downstairs. Flayn is taking the last of the dishes back to the kitchens. You wish her a good night and tell her to fetch you if you are needed. Once she is out of sight you head to the infirmary to check on the patients. The night cleric is relieved to see you, a soldier woke up and fell trying to get out of bed, undoing quite a bit of the work everyone had put into him. A few hours later you leave the heavily sedated patient, hoping they will retain the use of their arm.

The next day you find yourself being scolded by Flayn when she finds your bowl of oatmeal is still half full on your desk and it is already lunchtime. You are too busy working on the soldier’s reinjured shoulder to eat.

“Stop this at once!” Flayn stamps her foot for good measure. I am hereby relieving you of your duty and sentencing you to complete bedrest until tomorrow.

You turn around to argue with her, however two knights are gently taking you by the arms and leading you from the infirmary to your room. As you close your door behind you, you can hear Flayn giving them orders to stand guard and not let you leave until tomorrow morning.

Your head is pounding as you reach for a glass of water. Being told to take your own medicine is quite the bitter pill to swallow. It is reassuring that the soldier should be fine and rest is the best thing for you now.

The next day Flayn apologizes for her mutiny. Instead of being angry with her, you give her a huge hug and thank her for her bravery. You invite her to bake cookies together later, perhaps some ginger snaps, since her brother may like the flavor.

Meeting Flayn in the kitchens she confesses, “Everyone says I am a bad cook. Before the war I cooked a dish so bad only Dimitri and Raphael would eat it.” She pouts.

“It is not that you are bad at cooking. You simply do not understand the why and because of it all.” You explain as you gather and measure the ingredients for the cookies.

“Butter for example.” You begin, “We’re not using it in this recipe, but many times softened butter is an ingredient in cookies. You can’t use cold butter, it won’t mix well with the sugar. If you melt the butter, it will mix with the sugar, however the consistency will be wrong. If you melt the butter too long, it will brown the butter, giving it a completely different taste. Leaving the butter in a slightly warm place for about 30 minutes should soften the butter enough to mix with the sugar and make a fluffy creamy mixture, perfect for many baked goods.”

“So cooking requires the ingredients to be in the correct state as well as quantity.” Flayn nods in understanding.

“Exactly! And you cannot always substitute items in a recipe. If you want to use a plum instead of a peach, that will not cause problems. However, if you use baking soda instead of baking powder, that may make your cookies or cake refuse to rise.”

“But they both are for baking and making it rise.” Flayn frowns.

“Would you substitute mandrake root for arrow root in a potion?” You ask.

“Goodness no! One has healing properties, the other is a poison!” Flayn shudders.

“Both are roots, both are powdered and about the same color. Always use the correct ingredient.” You nod encouragingly. “It is like brewing potions. The right ingredients in the right quantity will make someone sleep peacefully. Too much and they will be in a coma.”

“I am beginning to understand your instruction. One cannot substitute ingredients willy-nilly. You must have knowledge as to how they work together to understand the effects of changing the composition of the baked item.” Flayn smiles widely.

“Once you get the basics, with experience you will be able to change things in the recipe. Let’s go by the recipe today and experiment another time. So did you measure one cup of sugar or one cup of salt here?” You place the bowl in front of her.

“Um. I am uncertain.” Flayn blushes.

“Taste it.” You push the bowl closer to her.

Flayn takes a pinch between her fingers and puts it on her tongue. “Ew! That would have been horrible!” she gasps as she heads to the larder to obtain a cup of sugar, abandoning the cup of salt on the counter.

Later in the afternoon you join Seteth in his office for Angelica tea. You surprise him with a box of the ginger cookies baked earlier.

“Ginger cookies! I have not had one in quite some time.” Seteth eagerly grasps a couple with the tongs, putting them on his plate.

“Flayn made them this morning.” You smile.

Seteth’s smile falls from his face as his eyebrows furrow slightly. He looks back to see that his door is indeed closed. “You do know what her cooking is like, don’t you?” He whispers.

You laugh. “Really Seteth, I was with her the entire time. We had a very productive cooking session. You may be surprised. Go on, take a bite.”

Seteth brings the cookie to his lips as if he has been requested to bite the head off a viper. He stares down at the cookie for a second and sniffs it. It does not smell as if it is burnt. It smells of ginger and sweetness, which is unusual for a cookie baked by Flayn.

Finally, he opens his mouth and takes a bite, silently praying that his teeth do not break off by doing this. Instead, his teeth sink into the slightly soft, slightly chewy, perfectly baked cookie. The ginger mixed with the molasses and other spices meld together in his mouth in the most delightful and rewarding flavors. His eyes open wide as his lips pull into the sweetest smile.

“You are absolutely certain that Flayn made these? They are delicious!” Seteth gasps.

You nod. You are so proud of her right now. You wish she could see the look on Seteth’s face right now. It’s precious.

“I must thank her later. You are a miracle worker.” He reaches forward and takes your hand in his.

Your face feels as if it is on fire as it heats up with a blush. Taking your teacup you try to hide behind it as you watch Seteth reach for another cookie.

The infirmary tent is outside of Fort Merceus. You can hear the battle raging on the fortress above the wall. You’ve just finished treating the wounds of an armored Knight, closing the lance wound to his shoulder. Suddenly things are quiet. You then hear a strange whistling noise followed by an explosion. Rocks rain down from the skies, causing the large tent to collapse around you. Pain overwhelms you as the world suddenly becomes dark.

You jolt into consciousness. Sitting upright you grab your head as it throbs fiercely between your hands. Your fingers feel wet, they are covered with blood.

“Brother! She is awake!” you hear Flayn’s voice next to you. Bleary eyed you look over to her, it is difficult to focus through the pain.

Seteth kneels at the side of the cot, wrapping his arms gently around you. “I thought that we might lose you.”

You manage to reach your right arm toward, your left arm refuses to cooperate. Taking a few deep breaths, you calm yourself. Your head pounds mercilessly.

“What happened?” Your voice trembling, remembering the last things you saw.

“The Fortress is gone. It is nothing but rubble. Pillars of light came from the skies and caused explosions everywhere. An entire wall crumbled and crushed part of the infirmary. The battle is over, for now.” Seteth’s voice exudes sadness.

You sob uncontrollably into his shoulder. The loss of life must have been great. Slowly the flow of tears subsides.

“Here, you must drink something.” Seteth offers a waterskin.

You drink your fill. Your eyes are more focused now and you notice you are in Seteth’s tent. You open your mouth to speak, his finger covers your lips.

“You need to rest.” Seteth softly says as he holds a potion bottle for you to drink. You smell the bitterness of the sedative. Nodding your head, you drink the contents. He then lays you back on his cot.

You awaken to the sounds of birds chirping and soldiers walking through the camp. This time you are not nearly in as much pain as you were previously. Sitting up, you assess your injuries. Based on the wrappings and pain your left shoulder has been broken. You have multiple contusions on your arms and legs. Feeling your head, your hair has been washed and there are a few spots where cuts are healed.

You watch the tent flap open and Flayn brings two plates of breakfast to set on the table.

“I am glad you are awake. My brother is in the war council meeting. Let me help you walk over here and get something to eat.” Flayn’s smile is soft and encouraging.

As you both eat, she updates you on the status of the camp. The battle was won, then the Fort was attacked. They did lose two clerics and several soldiers when the tent was hit by debris. They repaired the infirmary tent and treatment of the wounded is ongoing. The soldiers are reorganizing, preparing for the march to Enbarr.

“I feel bad for stealing your brother’s bed.” You frown. You are unaccustomed to inconveniencing others, especially your wonderful friends.

“He slept on the floor next to you to make certain you did not wake up and head back to the infirmary.” Flayn giggles.

“He knows me well.” You nod.

“He hovered over you like a mother hen. He was very worried.” Flayn looks at you, her eyes seem to bore into you. “Do you like him?”

“Well, yes, I do. We have been friends for many years.” You answer, deciding that the eggs on your plate are very interesting so you stare at them. They stare back.

“You would make a great couple.” She giggles.

You almost choke on the food you are chewing. Grabbing a drink of water, you take a few gasps of air. “What makes you think that?” Your face is bright red, you can’t look her in the eye.

“I am getting pretty good at noticing these things. When things are difficult, you tend to find someone that you can lean on and support you. Dimitri and Marianne, Felix and Sylvain, Mercedes and Dedue. It is only natural. You and my brother watch out for each other, keep the other from overworking, make sure they eat properly. I think it is inevitable.” She grins and looks quite satisfied with herself.

Your brain goes into overdrive. “I spend a lot of time with you as well. Knitting, cooking, fishing.”

“Yes. However, you do not act romantically toward me, your attitude is more…hmmm,” Flayn puts a finger to her chin. “Motherly.”

“It is true that I am that way toward you. My mother passed not long after giving birth to my youngest brother. Father relied on me to help raise my siblings as I was the oldest. I see so much of my siblings in you. Your naivety, looking at the world through innocent eyes. I feel very protective of you and understand your brother’s concern. I also recognize his attitude of overprotectiveness. You are all he has left.” You pat her hand.

“True. I thank you for your support. He needs to learn and understand that I am no longer a little girl.” Flayn pouts, slightly ruining her ‘I am an adult’ speech.

“Perhaps you should speak with him. Have a heart to heart conversation.” You feel relieved the conversation has shifted to her feelings about her restrictive sibling.

The remainder of your breakfast is quiet. Flayn returns the dishes to the cooks as you slowly make your way to the infirmary tent. Late in the evening you are lying and resting in an empty cot when you hear Seteth’s voice. You sit up as he approaches.

“There is no need to get up.” He apologizes. “I was simply checking on your wellbeing.”

Feeling brave, you reach up to take his hand. “Thank you for helping me. I have been pacing myself and taking frequent breaks. I am very grateful for everything you have done. I am sure you would like to enjoy your privacy and sleep more comfortably.”

Seteth squeezes your hand. “You are not a burden. My door is always open for you. Sleep well.” He smiles as he leaves.

You lie there, overthinking the short exchange. Are you special or simply a good friend? You want to curse Flayn for lighting aflame these thoughts in your head. You eventually drift off to sleep.

Several weeks later you march with the troops back to Garreg Mach. The war is over. Enbarr and the Emperor are defeated. Rhea is rescued and officially appoints Byleth as the new Archbishop. The Knights are busy taking out rogue bands of Imperial troops and bandits, returning to the monastery to be healed and rest up for the next battle.

Seteth is constantly overworking himself along with Byleth as they create the new doctrine for the church. They also communicate with Dimitri by letter, regarding plans for the continent. You find yourself constantly interrupting their meetings, forcing them to break for food or to take a walk to get fresh air.

“I thought we had just stopped for lunch. Is it time for dinner already?” Seteth looks up from the table filled with scattered parchment and books. Byleth doesn’t look up from his writing.

“Yes. Flayn and I have caught some fish and we are having it for dinner. No excuses.” You glare at them sternly. “Join us in the dining hall.” You do not say now, however it is implied and they stop their work quickly.

While eating, Seteth and Byleth attempt to continue their conversation regarding a particular section of doctrine.

“I order both of you to rest. Talk of something not business,” You plead. “I have heard that Dimitri will only work six days a week, taking one day for his mental wellbeing and health. I completely stand behind that mindset. True, there are always some issues that have to be dealt with, however the focus of the day off is to give yourself a break.”

Byleth looks at you as if you have two heads.

“Vessel of the goddess, yeah, yeah.” You frown at them. “You still need to eat, to sleep, and to rest. Keep this up and you’re headed straight for another five year nap. How much work are you going to finish then?” You cross your arms in front of your chest, looking at them smugly.

“She seems quite serious and peremptory. I don’t think we have much of a choice in this.” Seteth acquiesces. “Saucy little woman.” He whispers to his soup.

“What was that?” You snip.

“I said you make a fine spokeswoman.” He quickly shovels more fish into his mouth.

A week later they announce that Sunday shall be a day of rest except for what must absolutely be accomplished. The first week goes quite well. Byleth and Seteth spend much of the day resting in the afternoon sun as they fish in the pond.

They even admit to a renewed spirit as they return to their work the next day, having clearer minds and feeling rested. Things go well until the fourth week.

You are in the infirmary long enough to heal and bandage a burn on Annette’s arm when you cannot help but hear Seteth and Flayn’s very loud and angry voices emitting from his office. Quickly you dismiss Annette, telling her not to utter a single word.

As you approach Seteth’s door, Flayn runs out crying and fleeing to her room upstairs.

Seteth is sitting at his desk, his head in his hands.

“I do not know what has gotten into that child. She simply does not understand that I am trying to protect her.” He groans.

You knock on the door frame. Seteth waves you in and you close the door behind you.

“Apologies. I am sorry you were a witness to our outburst.” He sounds exasperated.

“She has grown to become quite the independent woman.” You disclose. “She has emotionally developed from a child into an adult since I met her all those years ago.”

Seteth groans. “The world is a dangerous place. I only want to keep her safe. Just a few years ago she was kidnapped right under my nose. I cannot let any harm befall her.”

“It hurts. It hurts to let them go. Watching them flee the safe and warm nest you have prepared.” You begin. “Your relationship is like a hand full of sand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze it tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You can hold on to some of it, but most of it spills. A relationship should be like sand held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it will remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively and the relationship slips away and is gone forever.”

“I cannot lose her.” The tears flow from his eyes.

You come around to his side of the desk and hold him to your chest. “There are two times when parenting is most difficult. When the baby first arrives and when the adult first leaves home.”

“You are not fully aware…” He chokes on his words.

“That you are her father? She has slipped too many times in her speech. I know you love her more than anything. You have raised her as your child, regardless. The thought of her leaving breaks your heart. I know.” You assure him. You had felt like you died a little every time one of your brothers and sisters left the nest.

“I want to take her and flee. Hide deep in the mountains where I can protect her.” He gasps through his tears.

“Have you asked her if that is what she wants? If you take her and run, she may escape, putting herself out alone in the wild and into even greater danger. If you let her remain, surround herself with friends who love and protect her, just as you have, could she be safe? If you part from her angry, will she ever come back? These are things you need to ask yourself.”

“If I did that, I would truly lose her.” He looks at you knowingly.

You nod and hold him as he shudders, his sobs filling the room. You pat his back and shoulders reassuringly. After a few minutes he takes a few cleansing breaths.

“My deepest apologies, I did not mean to bring you in to this.” Seteth obtains a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping his tears.

“I am here to help you. To help Flayn too. Both of you can be quite stubborn when you want to be.” You rub circles on his back, continuing to bolster him.

“What should I do now. Where do we go from here?” Seteth looks completely overwhelmed.

“Start with a nice tea together, in a neutral territory. Perhaps on the star terrace? I will check with Byleth and see if that is acceptable. Let her know this is the first of several conversations you will have. It is like any negotiation, discuss the good and the bad. Let her know more details of what you are worrying about. If either of you begin to get upset, step away from the table and calm your mind.”

You pause to let him think for a moment. “Remind her that no matter what, you love her, wanting only the best for her. You want her to understand your concerns. You need to understand her concerns, her dreams, her priorities. Keep communicating. Talk and talk some more.” You hug him tightly then head for the door.

“I cannot thank you enough.” Seteth nods as you smile at him before leaving.

Standing guard at the foot of the stairs to the third floor you sip your tea for a bit then return to knitting. They have been up there talking over tea for over two hours. No doors slamming. No yelling. This is a good sign.

Seteth calls from the top of the stairs, asking you to join them.

Flayn is carrying the tea set into Rhea’s former bedroom. She places it on and end table, then rushes over to give you a hug.

“Thank you.” She quickly whispers before heading down the hall to her chambers.

You walk outside to stand next to Seteth at the balcony. The stars twinkle brightly in the cloudless sky. You look up to him as he stares into the heavens. The air is still and cool now that night has fallen. Patiently you wait for him to gather his thoughts.

“We had a productive conversation.” Seteth begins softly.

You hum in agreement, not wanting to interrupt.

“We spoke of many things. Some good, some bad. All of it necessary. You are correct, she has grown up before my eyes and I could not see it. She is a beautiful young woman.” He speaks slowly, each word tearing apart his heart.

You want to take him in your arms and reassure him, you can see the sadness in his eyes. His precious Flayn must be allowed to be free, and he feels like it is killing him. You settle with leaning against his shoulder with yours.

“She said she worries for me just as much as I for her. She fears that when she leaves, I will shut myself off from the world. I have told her many times that she is my world, that all I do, I do for her. She knows the sacrifices I have made for her sake. She is grateful. But she wants to do things on her own. How to fend for herself. I just—” his voice falters.

Seteth hangs his head low, gripping the balustrade tightly for support. “I am terrified.”

“Let her know you will always be there for her. That you are a place of safety for her, a refuge.” You rub his shoulder as you remain looking skyward.

“Of course, I will take her back, in a heartbeat. There is no doubt. I would bring her where I am without question.” He says with conviction. “The hardest part is to let her go in the first place.”

“She is still here, you have time to mend your hearts. You will always worry for her, she knows this. You have earned that right.” You softly pat his opposite shoulder your arm around his back..

“Thank you for being here.” Seteth turns and hugs you to his chest. You hug him back and stand with him in the cool air, sharing warmth with each other.

Flayn and Seteth have several teatime conversations, adult to adult. One day they decided to take a short holiday together, packing belongings on their wyverns and return several days later.

Seteth works twice as hard to make up for the lost time in his office. You spend time with Flayn as she tells you of her plans. Ignatz and Raphael are going to work as knights for Lorenz who has taken over Gloucester lands from his father. Lorenz is fully employing Ignatz to be ‘a knight that paints’. She will join them in a month’s time. She is in love with Ignatz, however does not want to jump into things too quickly. With her other friends there, she will see how the budding romance goes.

You giggle along with her about her exciting plans, what she wants to do for herself and things she will see. She is quite excited about visiting Derdriu. She’s always loved the ocean and the other coast is just north of the territory.

“What will you be doing now that things are settling down? Do you want to travel or start something new?” Flayn looks at you curiously.

“I’m still recovering from going through the war. I’ve always enjoyed working here. Because Byleth is staying here, friends will come to visit frequently. I am not much of a wanderer, so traveling is out. I don’t want to go north, the snow we have here is plenty.” You think for a moment. “Teaching sounds interesting if they decide to reopen the academy or a regular school. I would like to research some additional healing spells. There are many things to do. Deciding is the hard part.”

“You should think about finding someone special to settle down with.” Flayn smirks.

You nearly spit tea all over yourself. “I..um.” You cough into your napkin and gather your wits. “Unlike some people I know, I do not rush into things.”

“I have watched you pine over him for years.” She laughs.

Looking away from her you wiggle nervously in your chair. “I have no idea what you’re alluding to.”

“You both are so hopeless.” Flayn huffs.

A few days later, Flayn leaves a box outside your door labeled ‘Educational Materials’. You take them in your room then head to the infirmary for work. She has left a box there labeled ‘Medical Supplies’. You open the box and restock the shelves with the gauze and bandages. At the end of the day you return to your room deciding to open the box she has left for you. It is filled with romance novels. How strange. Educational? You think as you open one of the books to peruse through.

Flayn has finished packing her belongings. She distributed a few things around the monastery, leaving enough of her belongings in her room so that she will not have to pack anything when she comes to visit Seteth. The wagon from Gloucester territory has arrived and she watches them load her belongings onto the back. Flayn stands outside the carriage saying her goodbyes.

“Byleth, thank you for accepting me in your class. It began my journey to the independence that I celebrate today.” She gives him a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I must thank you for everything you have done for me. You have taught me how to cook, amazing fishing techniques and patience. Thank you for everything.” She takes your hands in hers as she gazes your face with a sincere smile. She kisses you on both cheeks, like the adult women of the court say goodbye.

Flayn jumps up and gives Seteth a tight hug. She buries her face in his chest so she cannot see his face.

“I will miss you most of all, brother. I promise to write. I will be safe, you’ll see.” She pauses so that he can kiss her on the forehead, then she turns and quickly enters into the carriage before anyone can see a tear fall from her eyes. The carriage pulls away and she waves out the window with her hand.

Byleth stares as the carriage leaves. “Do you think she will cry?”

“She is bawling her eyes out right now.” You manage to chuckle, trying to hold back your own tears. A sniffle still escapes.

Seteth has moved inside the building, most likely to hide his own tears. You stand next to Byleth, not sure what to do with yourself. Byleth eventually looks over to you.

“I’ll go to the wyvern rookery to make sure he doesn’t try to follow her. You should go talk to him.” Byleth announces as they head out.

Heading up the stairs to the second floor of the faculty building, the trip seems much longer than usual. You have no idea what to say to him. You pause outside his door, praying the goddess gives you the proper words.

“Seteth. May I come in?” Announcing your presence as you knock.

“This is not a good time for conversation.” He answers, not opening the door.

“We don’t have to speak.” You answer. “Please?”

The silence from the other side of the door is deafening. You wait, not moving.

“Enter.”

You enter, seeing him seated at his desk, looking toward the wall. You silently close the door. Approaching Seteth like you would a terrified animal, extending your hand toward him slowly and gently, you touch his shoulder.

He hangs his head and weeps into his chest. You place your head on his shoulder and arms around his back, letting him mourn his loss. His muscles are all tight as he pulls into himself, his body shakes with emotion.

When he has run out of tears, he pulls himself from your embrace. He tries to hide his face, swollen from crying. You reach for a pitcher and pour water onto a cloth, chill it with magic and place it on his forehead and eyes. You tilt his head back to rest it on the back of his chair. Moving behind him you massage his temples and apply healing magic to relieve the headache from crying.

He looks as if he is resting, or at least trying to relax after having tensed his entire body for so long.

“I am always here for you.” You say softly before leaving his office.

You arrange for dinner to be brought to his door. Disappointment crosses your face when you see the food is untouched hours later.

The next morning your rise early to fish, but the fish have no interest. You glance at the windows of Seteth’s office and there is no light. Heading to the infirmary you walk past it and stand outside of his office door. You knock, there is no answer. You attempt to open the door, it is locked.

While treating a cut on a soldier’s arm, Byleth enters the infirmary.

“Have you seen Seteth? He is late for our meeting this morning.” Byleth says, looking concerned.

“No. Perhaps you should check on him?” You offer. “I believe he skipped dinner last night and the cooks said he was not there for breakfast. He did not touch his food at dinner last night as well.”

Byleth frowns and heads for Seteth’s office door. You hear his knocking from inside the infirmary. Soon the hallway is quiet. A few minutes later you hear the tapping of Byleth’s boots walking down the hallway and going up to the third floor.

Putting away the bandages and salves, you jump when Byleth bursts into the infirmary.

“Come quick!” He orders.

Dashing up the stairs you head to Seteth’s room. Byleth is with him in the bedroom, having placed Seteth on his bed. He had found him lying on the floor of the front room.

You quickly assess Seteth’s condition. He has exhausted himself. His eyes are dark and sunken, black lines hang below his eyes. He has probably not been sleeping and certainly has not been eating. You knew he had not been sleeping well, he looked tired yesterday however, today is much worse.

“I can take over from here. Let the infirmary know I am indisposed for a day or so.” You announce as Byleth helps you pull a comfy chair from the parlor next to the bed. You also set a pitcher and two glasses on the nightstand.

“I’ll send dinner up.” Byleth says as he leaves the room.

You check Seteth frequently. He is sleeping soundly. You eat, leaving the dishes outside. He still has not moved. Grabbing a throw blanket, you curl up in the chair, settling in for the night. You leave your hand on top of his, you need to wake if he stirs.

The moonlight shining through the windows gives a bluish glow to the room, the sun has not yet risen, however it will in an hour or so. Seteth begins to stir. He yawns and instinctively reaches to cover his mouth. Just as he moves, you bolt upright in the chair and look at him. He notices you there, bolting upright as he realizes you are in his room.

“What are you doing here.” Seteth huffs.

“I am watching over my patient. Apparently, someone cannot be trusted to take care of themselves properly.” You fold your arms on your chest and give him a glare that could frighten a demonic beast.

Seteth attempts to hide his shame behind his hand, using it to cover his face. “My deepest apologies. My mind has not been in a good place. I have been overwhelmed with grief since before Flayn had even left. I know she is alive and well, but that does not lessen my concern for her.”

“I should write to her and tell her exactly what you have done to yourself as soon as she left.” You scold. “She put me in charge of you, no matter how many times I assured her that you are a grown man and capable of taking care of yourself. I have misjudged you. I am certain she will not be pleased to know she was right.”

You get up and hand him a glass of water. He takes a few sips, placing it on the nightstand. You hand it back to him again pointing to the center of the glass. He drinks half of the contents and looks at you. You nod and he puts the glass down. A few moments pass as you stare at each other.

“Are you hungry? I can run to get you something. Do you have any pain?” Your face softens.

“I will be fine. I think I will lie here and rest for a little while longer.” Seteth takes your hand in his. “You should get some rest as well. You don’t need to stay here and watch an old man sleep.”

“Apparently, I do.” You softly laugh, squeezing his hand and moving over to sit on the bed next to him. “You do not look like an old man. Sometimes you act like one, however when I saw you fighting during the war you were on the front lines along with those young men and you were running circles around them. I’ve seen you wield your lance, you are a force to be reckoned with.” You smile warmly at him.

“Oh? So you have been watching me?” He raises his eyebrows a bit.

“Yes. Watching you fight and fly on your wyvern is breathtaking.” You pause, “You are breathtaking.”

“I…I don’t know what to say. Thank you?” Seteth blushes.

Giving him a smile, you whisper, “We have much to discuss. But right now, we are both exhausted. Scoot over, I am not sleeping in that chair one more minute.”

“That is not proper. We shou-“ he gasps.

You lay next to him. “Shhh. Scoot. We are consenting adults who need sleep. I am fully clothed. You are under the covers, I am over them. No different than last night, except I will be comfortable and won’t wake with a pain in my neck.” You snuggle next to him, laying your head on his shoulder and arm across his waist. “Good night.”

Seteth lies there stiffly for a while. Then he heaves a sigh and lays his cheek on the top of your head, drifting off to slee

[miraculous-ninjabird]

Some Three Hopes thoughts+theories cause obviously I can’t just say nothing. Starting with thoughts and then moving on to theories:

-Okay so purple-haired Shez is the protag yeah cool I like where this is going

-Theee routes, which means lots of gameplay but my hopes for a golden ‘everyone lives’ route have been mostly dashed. Still a possibility but I think it’s unlikely.

-Holst? Is that you?

-UM CLAUDE RELATIVE? Dad? Brother? I HAVE QUESTIONS

-Dimitri is still a King and I love his new look (along with everyone’s new looks)

-Seems there can be two players here’s to hoping you can plan online

-Hmmm Monica is here…but is she the real Monica?

-So the big thing: Byleth’s the bad guy! I have a feeling we are purposely being misled hear. Obviously something went wrong somewhere, and when the house leaders were supposed to meet Byleth they met Shez instead so there’s that. But! Also I’m thinking Shez met Byleth previously and Byleth tried to kill them. (Likely while Byleth was on a mercenary job. It’s a known fact the ‘Ashen Demon’ was well know as someone who killed will no hesitation and seemingly no remorse) If that were the case, then it makes sense that Shez would be like ‘oh yeah, that guy? They’re terrifying and bad and they tried to kill me once’ and therefore paint Byleth as a bad guy to their allies.

-I would be shocked if Byleth stayed a villain for the entire game. We are missing pieces here.

-The white guy Arval, I’m sorry but if you wanted me to think that person is a good guy, you did the character design wrong. The vibes scream ‘Agarthan’ to me, and I’m reminded of both Lysithia and Edelgard’s designs as well when looking at Arval’s.

-regarding above character: I have a feeling they are similar to Sothis and have some kind of god like powers, but they’re existence is now tied to Shez. I would bet they are also Sothis’s enemy. I’m wondering if perhaps they are the Agarthan’s god? (And maybe that’s what twsitd were trying to achieve with their experiments-reviving Arval?) I’m wondering if this will play a factor.

-Also if Arval and Sothis are enemies, and Arval is aware of the fact that Byleth is Sothis’s host, then perhaps it makes even more sense for Shes to believe Byleth is the enemy…

-Fun fact Shez also had a heroes relic, do with that what you will. I’m taking it as proof of the Arval and Sothis connection.

-Sothis is connected to the flow of time, right? So I wonder if she would be able to sense this massive disturbance of how things have changed. Byleth working to try and right things? Or perhaps there’s actually a common enemy here but nobody knows that because someone else is pulling the strings and pitting By and Shez against each other in order to achieve some other, yet unknown goal.

-whatever happens, I’m interested to see how Byleth’s character changes with the change in life trajectory. Most of their growth happens during the academy phase, so without that, what happens to them? I’m not sure. Still going to be my favorite regardless. I love them to much lol.

There’s a lot going on here, but the main take away for me is that I think this trailer has been purposely spun to be wildly misleading, probably because there are some major developments in the lore and plot spoilers that they are not willing to give away just yet. I think this is purposely meant to leave us wondering.

The other main takeaway is that I definitely need to play this game, and it’s got incredible potential to answer many questions that 3H has left us with. I am so hyped and cannot wait.

[pineconesarecrunchy]

Pillow

Edelgard x F!Bylteh

(Byleth tries to help Edelgard sleep better at night, but things take a turn.)

Note: This is post time skip, minor spoilers for that!

...

Another day goes by means another busy day full of planning. Ever since your return, Edelgard has been excited to catch you up with everything, but being an empress has its own demanding duties. Edelgard has matured so much since your first encounter. Seeing her directing and giving orders makes you feel her power just by standing near her and being in her presence alone. Her stern and serious attitude remains as she keeps up a strong front defending her ideologies and carrying out missions in order to fulfill her end term goal. Her determination is astonishing and the front that she puts up has not changed at all over the five years. Two things haven't changed within those years, her soft spot for you and her persistent nightmares...

Edelgard's nightmares have gotten progressively worse since the last time you had discussed the sensitive topic with her before the five years of your absence. You notice recently that with each passing day that it has begun to take a toll on her. You wonder if proposing to stay by her side as she sleeps will help ease her fears.

It's a dark now, almost around midnight, and there are not many people roaming the monastery at this time except for you. You walk up to Edelgard's room door and give it a soft knock.

"El..." Only silence replies. She usually is awake at this hour, what could she possibly be doing? You slightly push the door open to see the room is...empty? You begin to give yourself to a self guided tour of her room. Her bed is neatly made but sitting atop of the duvet is an armored bear stuffed teddy you gave her when you first began your days at the monastery. She kept it. That thought brings a smile to your face as you walk over to her windowsill aligned with badges and medals. To the right of it is her desk, sitting on it are a stack or various papers. The one on top is a drawing of someone who looks...awfully familiar. It's not something Ignatz could conjure that is for sure, but is certainly a portrait of you. You open the desk drawer to see an uncovered box of hair pins and ribbons that she used to wear back in the day. You take one of the ribbons and bring it to your nose. It smells just like her and feels as if she's in the room.

"Professor?" You drop the ribbon and slam the drawer close almost immediately.

"E-Edelgard! You...startled me." You mumble as you examine the figure standing in the door frame. Edelgard looks disheveled and sweaty. Her white hair is up in a messy bun, but some strands have fallen and cling tightly to her face. Her nightgown clings to her damp chest and you realize how sheer her gown is and look away abruptly. "Sorry for intruding."

"Snooping are we. I never took you for a peeping-Tom, Professor."

"Byleth."

"...Byleth." She takes a step inside. "Is there something you need from me? It's awfully late."

"I just wanted to see how you were."

"Why?" She asks carefully, sounding like she already knows what you are eluding to.

"The past few days you have seemed more distracted and disorientated than usual, and I think your nightmares are the culprit. Your current state right now—"

"I am... I am not in the best appearance right now to be disagreeing with you." She says nervously. "I guess there is no use in hiding it from you. It's like you can almost read my mind." She chuckles.

"Perhaps I can."

"Then what am I thinking right now?" She seems like she genuinely wants you to guess. Her expression is curious, her thin eyebrows raised with a small smirk.

"Edelgard, you are avoiding the topic at hand. Please tell me what is troubling your dreams."

"Okay." She sighs and walks over to her bed and sits on it. she pats the empty space next to her beckoning you to join her. You walk over to her side and once you sit down she rests her hear on your shoulder. She entangles her arm with yours and grasps your hand. Your shoulder begins to feel hot form her extremely warm body. Edelgard's sweat seeps into your shoulder making your arm feel slightly damp, but you do not mind. You are fulfilling your promise you made to her all those years ago.

To be there by her side.

"My nightmares have been getting progressively worse."

"What do you think is the cause of them? Is it the next upcoming battle?"

"Yes. I...My dreams are vivid. The next battle I, I am a bit worried."

"You will be victorious; I am sure."

"That is not of my concern."

"Is it the enemy?"

"That is what I am worried about."

"Do you know who is the main target?"

"I have to fight family."

"Oh..."

"Yes."

"Dimitri?"

"Yes."

"You dream fearing fighting him?"

"I dream of being the cause to his demise. I dream of him being the cause of my demise." She squeezes your hand even harder. "I even have moments where I envision both of us living our final seconds looking into the eyes of someone we had loved and grown up with. I wish I did not have to fight him."

"You will cross that bridge when we get there."

"But, that bridge is soon."

"That battle isn't soon, it's not until about three moons or so away!"

"That is very soon for me. I — I cannot, I know it is business matters and it is inevitable, but I am so scared, Byleth. Being the reason of suffering to the one you care deeply for... It is unfair! It is so unfair!" She turns away to choke in her sobs. "Why did we have to be on opposite sides. If he had come to his senses, I wouldn't have to fight him, why is this so dastardly unfair!" She throws herself into your chest and cries, grasping onto your arms.

Edelgard's breathing is staggered and heavy. She shudders and trembles with every inhale and exhale. You can only imagine this is how she has been for every battle she has fought in the five years without your presence. You rub her back with one hand and pat the back of her head with the other. With every second passing, the clothes around your chest gets wetter with her tears. Suddenly she pushes you away and stands up.

"I should not be doing this." She says sniffling and rubbing the tear crust from her eyes and cheeks. "This, is unprofessional."

"No it is not."

"I, Edelgard von Hresvelg, Emperor, should not be crying over something so trivial as to fighting an enemy—" She sounds like she is getting upset with herself for being vulnerable. She shouldn't be.

"I would be upset too if I was in your place about to fight my brother."

"I am not upset!"

"You are being open about your worries to me, there is nothing trivial about that."

"This is so embarrassing." She groans.

"Being worried is nothing to be embarrassed or humiliated about, it is human nature."

"It is not what an emperor should do. I have to set an example and be fearless and—Why did you even come here?"

"Edelgard, I love you."

"What?"

"I love you and care about you."

"So you come here to listen to my anxieties and then confess your love to me when I am the most vulnerable—"

"I love and care for all of the people here. I simply noticed you were acting different and came to see if I could help in anyway and even stay by your side as you sleep for comfort. But, my intentions are clearly being mistaken and so I will see myself out." You head for the door. "Goodnight, Lady Hresvelg."

"Wait!" You stop midway in the door frame.

"What?" "I will take up your proposition."

"Excuse me?"

"To sleep by my side... It sounds...nice.... Hold on, come here." You turn around to see her pull out a stool from underneath her dresser. "Let me change out of this gown first." You go and sit on the stool. Edelgard goes over to her wardrobe and starts rummaging through.

"Should I turn around?" you inquire.

"Why? We have seen each other in the bathhouse before."

"Have we?" You cannot recall ever seeing Edelgard in the bathhouse before. You tend to go late at night of early in the mornings where there are no occupants. Has Edelgard seen you before, but not approached you? Edelgard...who would've thought you were one to act like that... "What were you doing this late at night?"

"I had woken up after imagining Dimitri's blood staining my gloves and axe handle; so I went for a walk."

"A fast walk I presume? You were sweating quite a lot."

"It was more of a ...run."

"Where to?"

"Just around the monastery, the bridge outside the cathedral looks stunning this time. What were you doing?"

"Looking for you."

"...Oh...What about before then?"

"I was scurrying around doing minor quests for people. Gardening, collecting items for people, returning lost items; the usual stuff."

"How helpful." You hear a final snap of her gown. "You may turn around now." The new night gown she wears is cream colored and reflects her pale skin. It is just as sheer... no even more sheer and see through than her first gown. Her messy bun is redone and her gaze rests upon her bed. She walks over to it and plops down. Propping her left arm up to rest her head upon and look at you.

"Are you going to watch me as you sleep?" You inquire.

"No." She mumbles and turns to lay on her back, starring at her ceiling.

You sit in silence for a bit. "Would you like me to blow out the candles?" You inquire.

"Yes, please." You walk around the room blowing out the candles around the room before returning back to the stool. The moonlight is now the only source of light in the room and it shines brightly through the large windows. A few more minutes past.

Then a few more.

Edelgard's face leaves a blank soft emotionless expression. Her skin looks so soft, if you were to touch it, it would probably be so smooth and smell of fresh carnations, her favorite flower. Edelgard groans.

"Is there something the matter?" You ask.

"Could you..." She pauses. The silence is deafening. "Could you get in with me?"

"Sleep with you?"

"...Yes. If it's not too much trouble." Why would it be too much trouble? That is the main reason you came here.

"But, I'm still in my outing clothes."

"It does not matter, you can borrow one of my night gowns if you so please." You hesitate. Accepting would be completely out of line for the Emperor and you as her aid. If anything it would feel awkward because a few hours ago she was yelling at you for misunderstanding your intentions. You really should not accept.

"Sure." To your reply, Edelgard quickly gets out of bed and rummages through her wardrobe again.

"This would look nice on you." She says holding up a royal blue nightgown. Royal blue is a pricey color of clothing. "Don't think about the color's wealth. Just try it on."

"It's like you're reading my mind, Lady Edelgard."

"Oh how the tables have turned and please, it's El."

"Thank you, El." you say and she smiles. You take the gown out of her hands. The two of you stand awkwardly there.

"I should... I will be waiting in bed."

"Okay."

"You can change here." She gestures to the unfolded room divider next to her wardrobe. You did not even notice its presence the first time. Maybe that's where she had changed when you were looking away.

You stand behind it and change while hearing her rustle the sheets and return to bed. You feel as if her eyes are scanning you through the paper frames in the divider, but how could you tell except for only the feeling of it. She could be watching but she could not...just like at the bathhouse. When you finish Edelgard is laying in bed facing away from you, you clear your throat to let her know you're done. She turns around.

"Byleth, it looks stunning on you."

"Thank you. Um, where should I put my clothes?"

"In the drawer next to the wardrobe, second drawer." You open the second drawer and place your neatly folded outing clothes in the empty space next to Edelgard's. The clothes there are of a deep crimson, each are neatly folded. You see a divider between the clothes and a small rectangular box. Glancing over your shoulder to see Edelgard isn't looking, you peek in the box. Then immediately close it once you see a glimpse of the assortment of lace—

"Is there an empty space there?" she asks groggily.

"Yes! Yes, I, I am coming." You say closing the drawer and joining Edelgard in bed.

You lay on your backside looking at the ceiling while her back is towards you. You were right, she does smell of carnations. She turns to face you and you cannot help but glance at her for a moment before looking away again. You feel her slender arm wrap around your waist and another one of her arms wrap around yours; pulling you closer to her. She places her head on your chest like it's a pillow. You can feel her breathe more slower than before now that she's calm. This feels nice.

What are you thinking? How this moment makes you feel is irrelevant. You are here to support Edelgard and help ease her nightmares. Only that and —She begins to softly snore.

How adorable...

...

The next few days Edelgard has been asking you to join her in her slumber to help ease her nightmares. This time you bring your own nightgown, but she insists you should wear one of hers as a thanks. You never give in though. She let you save the blue nightgown from your first night with her, but you never wear it. You keep it hung up in the front of your wardrobe as it smells of her carnation scent. Edelgard seems that she has returned to her diligent self. Working hard and focussed on the tasks at hand. You have not spoken about if her nightmares have changed. Sometimes she would start to sweat in the middle of the night and her breathing would increase rapidly. You would just hold her and tell her everything is alright and you're here for her until Edelgard ceases and calms down. She never uses the pillows in her room anymore, just your chest is a good enough pillow for her.

You can't help but wonder if the frequency of her nightmares are the same or if she's using that as an excuse to spend time with you...

Each passing day spent with Edelgard is a day closer to the reality of her nightmares...

...

SO I — Accidentally deleted the first half so it may not be as descriptive and well done as the rest because I was re writing it and not writing on the spur of the moment. But AAA my first Edelgard/Byleth fic! May/may not make this into a series lol who knows.

[howmanyfandomsistoomany]

Golden wildfire overall thoughts

Spoilers below cut obviously

I had trouble summarizing my thoughts here as for my first time playing a warriors game didn’t have much to say game play wise. I’ve heard that we got semi-competent AI’s this time around although some elements remain lacking, as I’ve seen people have trouble escprting Claude in the chapter you can recuit Byleth and Jeralt 

I was nervous going in as anything that isn’t turn based and relies on real-time imput I struggle with as I have delayed reaction, have trouble remembering button inputs and the like, and while I did have issues at the start it was easy enough for even a noob like me to grasp with enough practice. Enjoyable experience I don’t even mind playing the same stage over and over to get S ranks

Ignoring the actual plot for now, I’ll touch on the added elements that were expanded upon compared to the base game of three houses. Holst! I’ll try to leave it be that I liked his inclusion, despite feeling although he’s taking the spot of retainer from Hilda (I get why he does as he’s a brand spankin’ new character and cant just be quitely shoved into a corner especially with the hype behind him. I cared more about his inclusion than I did Judith and I really wanted her to be playable this time around) 

and although he kind of plays role of Claude’s right hand man in some cases, at least Hilda keeps her retainer postion in others routes from what I saw so it’s not a big point of contention for me

Count Glocester: this game is an odd one in that it feels like it really tries to get you to like the dads for some reason lmao. Both him and Bernie’s dad I fully expected to hate (I still feel a strong dislike for Bernie’s dad as I won’t forget/forgive him for what he did don’t @ me about it!) but Gloucester was a gray area for me. I didn’t hate him in OG as he did sensible things, joining the empire should they have the power shift and favor them isn’t unwise. Keeping with the alliance should you play VW. His loyalty shifted but we never saw his view on the matter as he didn’t make an appearance and he didn’t disappoint here

Shahid: my greatest fear realized. I to this day think that Golden Wildfire should’ve just been disconnected from plot. People will always complain that he’s either too uninvolved in plot (which I disagree with but opinions so I won’t argue about this point) in Verdant Wind, or too involved (as in, him being in war changes nothing another point I hate, but we’ll just leave it as that and go) there is just no pleasing the entire fanbase as some like his inclusion or just look for ways to hate on him and downplay his role in the story. So why not do whatever the hell you want and have his route completely in Almyra? His route was advertised as dealing with Almyra so why not capitalize on it and just have him in Almyra? (crazy concept I know) 

Shahid didn’t really add to Golden wildfire in any meaningful way asides from being apart of Claude’s past and confirming his name is Khalid, something you’d know already if you read interviews. He was just a side quest compared to the main mission and was a nuisance more than a threat which is a shame. They finally shown someone from Almyra who stand by their countries view of ‘Fodlan cowards and Almyra better’ mindset and his hatred of Khalid for being half of both could’ve been something. I didn’t want him to be main conflict from what we got from demo, but I was hoping for something :/ 

Plot: Oh boy. where to start. I’ll start with what I wanted done differently to get it out of the way

There is too many factions working against each other. Empire, kingdom you know what to expect, it’s very clear cut on where they stand in this war. Empire wants down with the church and to make Adrestia the base of Fodlan and restore it to it’s former glory. Faegust is close with church and is at odds with the empire to put lightly. Alliance is the middleground. Caught between both nations as the main crossing between the two lie with the great bridge. In OG they were very neutral if you didn’t play Golden deer, just doing their own thing and trying to keep itself together. Here not so much

In golden wildfire there’s just to much that it feels very ��this and onto the next thing’ as stuff comes flying at you from every side

Factions: Empire (start), Kingdom (after alliance with Empire), church (endgame) and throughout the entire story is small factions still; Jeralt Mercenaries + Byleth, Flech after Randolphs death, TWSITD, bandits etc., (was it bandits that caused stir in Ordealia? Or was it TWSITD?? Can’t remember, but I feel it was just bandits, which I thought would’ve been TWSITD. I was hyped since I thought Nemesis came back early as Ordealia was where Nemesis first struck on his trek to Garrag mach if I’m remembering correctly) 

The story starts off much like it starts in VW, in that you fight at the bridge: capture essential lands to either A) negotiate with Empire who before made no effort to do so or B) just fight against the empire. And then you just sorta join the empire

I know Claude isn’t pro-church and the game was showing a different side of Claude, but if they were planning on catching his scheming-side I think they failed miserably

the quickest way to end the war while maintaining independence (the stated reason why we joined up with Empire) would’ve been to just take out Edelgard. Hate to say it, but since half of Fodlan sides with the church. Kingdom, the people of Leicester while not devout, rely on the the goddess, VW Claude states many of the roundtable are believers and Marianne, Leonie and Ignatz of GD believe in the goddess, so while split in their support/opposed stance half of Leicester seem to not denounce the practice of Serios. Even if Claude had hidden agenda to take out Rhea, as a strategist you’d think he’d put his personal feelings aside and focus on his dream of unification via peace not war as surpression via force won’t boad well for his dream in the longrun as it’s likely to cause agression than acceptance 

It’s why he didn’t join Edelgard in VW, while he doesn’t state he himself personally doesn’t disagree with Edelgards methods, he doesn’t agree with them either as quote ‘it’s not something the world can get behind’. It works short-term and Claude has always been a long-term sort of guy as he wants to bring about a new dawn to Fodlan

Many Edelgard fans would’ve been mad had Claude just chose to fight as Edelgard/Hubert were outnumbered from Claude, Holst and Shez and Claude isn’t honorable enough to declare war and give the empire time to prepare. But the best course of action would’ve been to just end it then and there

But okay, we going to take down church, while not my favorite thing as Claude’s subtle character arc of begrudingly siding with Rhea (I don’t doubt Claude might’ve wanted Rhea dead in OG game, but by the end of VW he does nothing to follow through since he gets questions and answers, when Rhea answers all questions I doubt he still wants her gone) and that’s where the game differs because Claude doesn’t ask questions he doesn’t get answers and remains ignorant of Fodlan’s true history and therefor sticks to killing Rhea

I have no issue with Rhea being final boss. It still in a way makes sense and it contrasts nicely with Claude’s duality of Nabateans V Agarthans

Claude has fought against two major species (?) races (?) that control Fodlan in their own way. Nemesis was heiled as a king of liberation for the Agarthans/humans alike against the goddesses, and while Nemesis was human, becomes something of a deity from taking the blood of Sothis (its why he can use SoTC at all, and Rhea when she expo-dumps at end confirms he did)

Rhea, the main head of the church that monopolizes Fodlan. And the last child of the progenator god

For as many gripes as I have with this route as a whole. There’s no denying the amazing feat of this as nobody else faces off against both legends and come out on top, Edelgard sides with Agarthans, Kingdom unknowingly side with Nabatean (unknowingly since Dimitri doesn’t learn of Nabateans and what the heroes relics are made of) Claude could sway either way 

(yes, I know in this game Empire fights against TWSITD, but this ain’t about them and what they do. And I mean, Edelgard doesn’t face off against Nemesis so my point still stands) 

[fizztapp]

My final Smash Pass DLC predictions are Bandana Dee and Dixie Kong (with a vague prediction of a Mario Character if Dee doesn't make it) and if you would allow me to be insane for a second I will explain to you why

Before we start there is a rumor that would be relevant to some of these points. The rumor is that Steve was supposed to be the final fighter of pass 1 but got shuffled to pass 2 because he needed more time in the oven. If that's true, then when compared to pass 1, pass 2 has been very dialed back so far. Being solely Nintendo IPs, & Sephiroth who's a 3rd party w/ a series in smash already. 

/

/

Here we go!

____________________

1: It is Our Turn

Waddle Dee and Dixie would be as disappointing of an announcement to JRPG fans as Byleth and Pyra were to mascot platformer fans. A bit arbitrary but it lines up! For some reason this point is what really opened my mind to the possibility that these two have a chance LOL.

____________________

2: Advertisement 

It's reasonable to assume we will get a new mainline Kirby game in the next year or so (maybe even at this E3) due to Star Allies being 3 years old at this point. And we know for certain a new DK game is coming, likely to show up at this E3 or in a later direct down the line (it mostly depends on if they want to make BOTW 2 their main showcase/holiday release or not).

Even if these two aren't at E3, they would still be filling the same "advertisement character" role that people accused Min Min/Byleth/Pyra to be.

____________________

3: Anniversary

Nintendo never cares much about anniversaries when it comes to stuff like this, BUT... Imagine we get a Mario character, as a delayed-due-to-covid Mario 35th slot. And THEN Dixie as the Donkey Kong 40th celebration. I know people wince at the thought of another Mario character as DLC, but you know how Nintendo is. Telling Sakurai to add one last Mario character during the year where they promoted/celebrated the hell out of Mario would track.

IF THAT WAS THE CASE THOUGH, I imagine they would have shuffled characters around to at least let this new Mario character take Pyra/Mythra’s spot, so it would still be released during the “Mario 35th” time period. 

(also Bandana Dee wouldn’t get added in this scenario)

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4: Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Epiphany

Nintendo has been going crazy about Donkey Kong and have a LOT planned for the series coming up, as K. Rool winning the ballot really opened up their eyes to how much fans love the DKC RARE games. So while I don't think we NEED Dixie (We already got K. Rool and Banjo, which is insane), I could see Nintendo, or even Miyamoto, giving Sakurai a lil nudge. (Also Miyamoto’s favorite Kong is Cranky... so maybe we’ll get a Cranky drop tomorrow? LOL)

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5: Japan Loves Waddle Dee

Waddle Dee is HUGELY popular in Japan. Hal markets Waddle dee almost as much as Kirby!! And people love it!!! and I get it!!!! I don’t think westerners realize this.

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6: Smash Ballot

Dee and Dixie are both characters which we can assume did well in the character ballot, & are two big Nintendo characters that really feel missing from the roster.

In a big character poll that people always reference to, all of the top 10 characters have gotten in besides THE TWO KIRBY CHARACTERS: Bandana Dee & Magolor. Which I feel indicates that Nintendo would look at Kirby when thinking about new Nintendo characters to add to a 2nd Pass. Again, NO OTHER SERIES had 2 characters in the top 10 besides Kirby. 

Hell, the only other series that have multiple characters on this chart are DONKEY KONG and arguably Mario. And while I mention Dixie, I will point out that out that if we exclude all of the old smash characters from the poll, Dixie is 11th most wanted. Still pretty popular! Nothing to sneeze at (is that the saying?).

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7: Final Characters

Smash character announcements always end on a whimper rather than a roar, and while Dixie/Waddle Dee would be a roar for me personally, I'm aware that people want to see big 3rd parties like Crash and Doom, not Nintendo side characters.

Like I said, it would be another Byleth or Inciniroar to cap off the reveals.

BUT, if the rumor stated at the top of this post is true, and Steve was the final character of Pass 1, that would have been a HUGE final character. But in the end, Nintendo and Smash still have a history of putting underwhelming reveals near the end.

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9: GIRL

Dixie being a girl character might give her a better chance. This is a more speculative point (well, all of these are speculative LOL), but this pass has been giving us more girls to help even the roster more, so who knows! They might be looking for girls since the base roster and the first pass are largely male dominated. 

Min Min, Alex, Pyra/Myth. Girl Byleth if you count Byleth in pass 2.

Also this gives Toad/Captain Toad a foothold too? Toadette alt!

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In conclusion they are funny and I like them

[lananiscorner]

FE3H route review and thoughts - Silver Snow

Ah, Silver Snow... this is the last route I played. By that point, I had already been in the FE3H fandom for months and had heard quite a few things about this route, especially in comparison to Crimson Flower and Verdant Wind, so I was more biased going into this one than I was with the other 3. Ultimately, I'd say I enjoyed this one just about as much as Verdant Wind, which is to say it was okay, but it didn't grip me nearly as much as Azure Moon did. Rest beneath the cut, because it got long:

Things I really liked about this route, in no particular order:

I finally got to S support Rhea.

Thanks to Gronder being skipped in this route, you can headcanon that all unrecruited students survived, if that's what you like (seriously, none of your unrecruited characters nor Claude appear in this route at any point—maybe they died at Gronder, maybe they are at home sipping tea).

Like Verdant Wind, the last two maps were really neat.

Edelgard going all "I wanted to walk with you, my teacher... uwu" actually makes sense in this route, since she was your student for almost a year.

If you don't have the DLC, this route is the only place where you'll actually learn exactly what happened to baby Byleth (I... uh... played Cindered Shadow even before my first main route, AM, so, um... no surprise for me).

Instead of simply dumping rulership in your lap like Claude, Seteth actually goes "you would make a great ruler, please take some time to think about it and ask your comrades for guidance" first. I appreciate that.

Flayn gets some nice motivational lines instead of just... fading into the background in part 2 even though she is forced into your class in every route in part 1.

Gilbert/Dimitri actually asked for our help at Gronder? That's great! Sadly, it also leads us into:

Things I didn’t like/would have changed:

The final boss fight makes no sense. As much as I like that map for gameplay reasons, why exactly is Rhea suddenly going berserk? Okay, so dragons going berserk is a staple of FE (this is my first FE game)? Okay, but then why didn't she do the same in VW? This just feels like lazy writing.

This route does not have a "lord" per se, because this route is Byleth's route. Unfortunately, Byleth is just enough of a self-insert to be a very flat and uninteresting character, while having juuuuuust enough personality for them to fail as a self-insert. E.g. every time you get ready to fight Edelgard in Enbarr, your two dialogue choices are "I don't want to kill Edelgard." and "Maybe we can walk the same path as Edelgard." Where is the "dope, let's go" option? If I'm supposed to self-insert into Byleth... well, Edelgard's the woman who worked with the bastards responsible for Flayn's kidnapping, Remire and my dad's death, lied to me for a full year, and then ordered her men to kill me and my students if we stand in her way. Fuck her. Let's go. But no, you don't get that option. Self-insert my ass.

This route and Verdant Wind are waaaaaayyy too similar. It's essentially Verdant Wind minus Gronder with a different final map. And I get it—this route was written first, as per the developers—so it's technically VW that is a copy of SS, but honestly, the similarities do neither route any favors, especially if you're trying to 100% complete the support log, so you're playing what is roughly the same route 4 times.

The Gronder skip made me want to tear my hair our and this plays into "Byleth is neither fish nor fowl" argument: Not enough troops? Seteth, we could have enough troops, if you weren't such a coward. Judith supports us and she's buddies with Claude, so we can ally with the Alliance and use their forces. Dimitri is ASKING to ally with us. We could have an alliance between church, Kingdom and Alliance here and end the war right then and there, but of course we don't get the option. I was so fucking pissed at that scene, so the rest of this section will be my suggestion how you could have rewritten Silver Snow to be less copy-pastey while retaining most of its maps, and make its final map make sense:

This route should not have skipped Gronder. We should instead have teamed up with the Alliance and Kingdom forces to outmaneuver the Empire. The goal of the map would be to reach Edelgard before Dimitri and Claude, because if they reach her first, she escapes and they die. Dimitri, Dedue, Claude and unrecruited students will appear on this map as allies which will rush at the imperial forces. How many of them survive depends on whether you spare forces to support them. In any case, Byleth kills Edelgard at Gronder, Hubert is captured. Instead of having the “Byleth kills Edelgard in the throne room scene in both Verdant Wind (where the two barely have a connection/bond) and Silver Snow, have an SS exclusive scene that takes place in Gronder instead.

After Edelgard's death, half her forces surrender, the other half hole up in Merceus. Javelin's of light happen. Hubert reveals that they were Slithers weapons and says Byleth owes it to Edelgard to let him use this unique chance to track their magic. Messengers are sent to Claude & Dimitri to let them know that Solon's people are still at large.

Enbarr is taken without a fight (skip that map), but the Slithers are waiting in the palace. The goal of the map is to route the enemy within X turns or else the Slithers find Rhea and kill her. After her rescue, there's a debate about what will become of the Empire now. Since Dimitri & Claude are still alive and have, in fact, returned to their homes for now to restore order in their territories, it is suggested that Byleth becomes the ruler of Adrestia (and if you wanna feel sentimental about Edelgard here: she always did say the only one she liked taking orders from was Byleth, so Emperor Byleth tracks).

At Shambala, Rhea joins as a one time playable, stacked unit. Dimitri, Dedue, Claude, and Hilda (if not recruited) join as green units (Dimitri still wants Thales's head for his involvment with Duscur, Dedue wants to protect Dimitri, Claude wants to learn the truth about the Slithers, and Hilda is worried because Shambala is so close to her home). Loss condition for this map is Byleth, Rhea or any of your allies die. After Thales's room is opened, he orders Nemesis to be released to slay Rhea and Byleth. He spawns as an enemy commander with some Slithers reinforcements. Rhea is injured by Nemesis and then further injured by Thales's nukes.

Back at the monastery, Rhea is literally on her death bed (rather than in a random courtyard for some reason) when she tells Byleth about her mother and how she saved Jeralt with her own blood. Byleth decides to try and save Rhea the same way, using her own blood (which carries the crest of flames). This unfortunately backfires (we have plenty of examples in the story of crest blood infusions ending badly) and this + all the damage Rhea suffered causes her transformation.

In the end, Byleth becomes the new Emperor, Dimitri the new king of Faerghus and Claude leader of the Alliance (that's right—no unification here—if we're supposed to move into the future instead of clinging to the past, let's not bring back the unified Fodlan of old, ok?) Though neither feels fully ready for the task at first and struggles through the first years of rulership, all three territories eventually prosper in peace through each other's support.

This way, Silver Snow would truly be the "silver" route of the game—I firmly believe that the choice not to have a "golden" route where everyone survives, was a good one, but in this new, less repetitive-feeling Silver Snow, the only certain casualties would be Edelgard, Nemesis, the Slithers, and the poor folks as Merceus.

[somepinkthing]

Tbh until I played azure moon, I thought I totally agreed with edelgard's meritocracy, if not her methods of achieving it. But then azure moon dropped the whole parley scene along with the line, "It is the path of the strong, and so, it could only benefit the strong." And then claude said if people don't band together to find a solution, any change will only be temporary. And then I married yuri in my verdant wind playthrough and the ending plate said yuri worked hard to establish supports and education for the impoverished instead of just expecting them to rise themselves. And it just... got me thinking about it all

On the broad strokes, I still see where edelgard is coming from and her system is still better than what's currently in place. But, now that I'm revisiting crimson flower, I find that I do see the holes I didn't before. Namely, that the merit-system edelgard speaks of accounts for equality.... but not equity. She would open the doors to allow everyone the same opportunity but fails to account for those without the strength to take it. It's all well and good that now people like ferdinand or constance with their education and connections can contribute to society and rise by their own ability, but what about the poor farmer in a now-wartorn land? What can he contribute at this time? Can a society really be complete if it doesn't give their most vulnerable populations a chance? And I think that's where dimitri comes in. The story repeated in azure moon is that sometimes, people are gonna need help. Dimitri's focus as a leader is still rooted in protecting and serving his people. While less of a visionary than edelgard, he is more of a public servant for his people—both are important aspects of leadership. Azure moon also isn't a perfect ending. Something something the inherent eroticism of changing the structure of your government to mirror social change. You can't just do one and not the other. It's no good if you only give everyone an equal chance but put an unyielding focus on every man for themselves and fail to serve the needs of the vulnerable. But setting up social supports for those populations without giving them an opening to rise and take power for later generations will only work so long as the leader remains benevolent

Claude's methods don't clash as directly with the other two, but it does come with its own set of problems. Claude's main focuses are promoting freedom and dismantling ignorance. He believes in freedom of information, open borders, the right to live without unfair judgement, and a community focused way of living. He wants to dismantle ignorance in order to challenge social practices and norms. That means opening borders, promoting trade, educating the public... and leaving what that life looks like to the people to choose. The problem? This plan puts almost all the power in the hands of the public. There is, of course, nothing wrong with letting people decide their own future,,, but there is something to be said about the benefits of having guiding principles and rules to refer back to even while attempting to promote open-mindedness. His plans ultimately do account for both social and political change, the issue here boils down to the rewards vs the classic pitfalls of freedom and idealism within society. Educating people and promoting choices for all within society is what I'd consider the most sustainable plan BUT having a society that can't unite under anything is how the alliance became what it is. As good of a concept as it is, even claude knows slamming people with information and freedom without some guidance is asking for chaos

To their credit, all of the lords are able to acknowledge the fallacies in their way of thinking. Edelgard addresses it the least, but even she admits that she's always been aware that her path will crush people who need the current system for support—that people like manuela or catherine may end up crushed in the world she creates. Dimitri is much of the same, expressing contempt for the kingdom's politics and strict class culture. He is well aware that it cannot stay as is forever. Claude openly admits to needing people like byleth and lorenz to pave the road and guide the people in the beginning so that change doesn't become chaos and to ensure that greed doesn't ruin everything. His A-support with balthus confirms that the possibility that he'll lose control of the aftermath weighs on him and his C-support with cyril opens his eyes to a situation where a leader should have stepped in and taken control.

Basically, no matter what route you play through, the ending could be seen as just the beginning phases of social change and are not a perfect result. Hell, it's not even the finished product any of them imagined yet. And who's to say one is better than the other? Whose to say even the tightest authoritarian control could stem the chaos that follows drastic change? How can you be sure that releasing information will really encourage people to correct the crest system? Will correcting the crest system do anything to help a millenia of racism or will war just drive people inward? What if too much aid does make one class totally dependent on the other? What if failing to support the vulnerable just perpetuates the environment of the strong ruling over the weak but now under the guise of equality? How do you make people more open minded without forcing their hand? How are you sure that's the direction it'll go in? How do you account for the sudden lack of an organized religion which previously was the one thing tying three very different countries together? Especially when the only thing connecting them now is war? So, essentially, there is no golden route. It's a feel good game so we can generally infer that these issues all get addressed eventually no matter what route you pick, but you can't really say for sure that any one choice is all encompassing. We'll all have that one route we think did more right than the other two, but there are holes in each one