#i do like m!byleth/hubert and l.inbert but didn't have quite enough to say about them

[patroklides-archive]

ship bias. for el and hubert. <3

SHIP BIAS; accepting

i just realized how long this got so i’m putting it under a cut, whoops...

EDELGARD —

e.deleth.

this one is probably incredibly unsurprising for me, but i went into the game knowing i wanted to 1) do CF and 2) romance edelgard on my first playthrough. there aren't a lot of characters i actually do ship with byleth, but edelgard is one of the few where — to me, at least — it feels organic and not just like player insert wish fulfillment, particularly because edelgard's connection to byleth is a constant on all routes.

also, the trope of byleth's heart beating for the first time at the end of CF while in edelgard's arms? byleth being one of the few people who el is willing to open up to? of byleth and el having gone through equal and opposite traumas, with byleth being created by and used by rhea/the church in the same way that edelgard was created by and used by thales/twsitd?

i also love a tragic romance so the silver snow death scene hits me HARD and i both love and hate it.

e.delthea.

dorothea's crush on edelgard isn't even remotely subtle in their supports, and there's just something really refreshing about seeing a support chain between two characters who are canonically wlw where both characters openly express attraction to each other, particularly given that it never feels like anything about their supports is meant to cater to the male gaze. that just ... isn't something that expected to see in a fire emblem game, tbh.

i can speak to the ship a LOT from dorothea's perspective, but from edelgard's, i think dorothea is good for her in a similar way to byleth, because ultimately el needs someone who can help her relax and have fun, bc those are things she's ... not very good at.

b.erniegard.

this wasn't one that i initially really gave much thought to my first time through the game, but honestly, the two of them are really cute? i like that edelgard is willing to open up and be vulnerable to put bernadetta at ease, and like the first two, i think bernie also has the ability to push el toward more leisure activities like art and gardening.

bernie having endings with all of the most intimidating people in the game is also just. delightful to me.

e.delclaude.

you converted me on this one, but honestly, i really like their chemistry? i'm really picky about m/f ships for edelgard and i just find most of her m/f paired endings underwhelming, but i love her chemistry with claude. the two of them have a lot of similar goals and ambitions, but also have a LOT of secrets they're hiding from each other. they're also both incredibly smart, and i think edelgard is one of the few people who's capable of operating on claude's level. one of the other's being hubert, which. you know me.

HUBERT —

f.erdibert.

narrative foils? sun/moon aesthetic? helping each other become the best version of themselves? literally what don't i love about them, tbh.

honestly though i really love the way ferdinand pushes hubert to be more independent, and that hubert helps encourage ferdinand to be more humble. i love that between the two of them and edelgard, they round out the perfect "golden trio" dynamic in a way that i don't think you quite get with the other lord/retainer/rival trios. i love their goddamn jane austen-inspired dynamic. i love that their A+ is the only time hubert's blushing sprite is used outside his S support with byleth.

i also love that their post B-support meal time conversation is them politely making plans to go bicker somewhere else after lunch because that is a 100% normal thing to do with someone you hate, yes, absolutely.

c.laudebert.

this one is similar, but not identical, to e.delclaude in terms of my reasoning, because i do think hubert is on a very short list of people who are capable of keeping up with claude, and hubert is someone who really appreciates being challenged, whether that be intellectually or in his worldview.

i also really love their mirrored speeches after the other's defeat, bc on CF hubert's monetary dialogue after claude's defeat sounds like in complete awe of his tactical skills, and he comments something to the effect of beneath his compassionate exterior he's quite shrewd and calculating (that's not the exact quote but i don't have it in front of me), and he repeatedly tells byleth not to underestimate claude. i can't think of anyone else, short of edelgard and maybe byleth, that hubert speaks about with that much admiration.

s.ylvbert.

i didn't like s.ylvbert initially but i've really warmed up to them over the past year. sylvain is capable of keeping up with hubert intellectually, even if he doesn't often act like it, and i love putting hubert with people who annoy the shit out of him, which sylvain is singularly gifted at.

i also find it hilarious that sylvain canonically refers to hubert as "edelgard's idiot sidekick" bc i cannot think of another person who would have the guts to do that, even behind hubert's back. (well. maybe linhardt.)

h.ubernie.

so this is more speaking generally than for my specific playthrough, but after the f.erdibert ending, this one is definitely my next favorite canon option for hubert. i really love their supports and how soft their A support is, and i love hubert going out of his way not to frighten her. imo it's one of the best support chains for really getting a feel for hubert as a character, because the way he treats bernadetta is a testament to the fact that in spite of everything he's actually a very caring friend.

one of my friends converted me on this ship after i had already been writing hubert on this blog for a while, and tbh this ship has almost made me reconsider if i wanted to make my hubert portrayal bi because i'm so fond of it.