#same with manuela and hanneman

[strawberryybird]

i lied about being over my tlt posting have a quick lil post. for the funny.

sooo many locked tomb spoilers in here. dont read this read the books. anyway.

i have put a not-insignificant amount of thought into a locked tomb!au for fire emblem that i would design specifically for meee, but it’s edelgard as harrow, leonie as gideon, dorothea as coronabeth with hubert as ianthe and ferdinand is just my mental image for naberius. byleth for alecto. constance for cytherea. and everything goes down exactly as it does in the books. and it would slap. the character choices are all nominal and aesthetic apart from edelgard for Extremely Obvious Reasons and Leonie bc she fulfils the same narrative loadbearing weight as griddle.

like obviously these books are Saying So Much & it slaps so hard because who out there is doing it like tlt. doing actual legit discussion & analysis makes me stressed beyond comprehension so i dont do it, but i think the idea of class and ulitity is so rife in 3H that it makes for such an interesting point of comparison to tlt in my private little word document that no one may ever read (bc it’s just me warbling about gothic lit crit)

& the reason i think leonie is one of the 3H characters of all time is because of how she is ferdinand’s narrative corollary. even at surface level alone, they both parrot their silly little catchphrases, but where ferdinand’s is about his own sense of self & is about who he is at that moment (psychological reasoning aside), leonie’s repeated phrase is about who she wants to become, who she isn’t yet. neither one of them can have their desired place in society because their predecessor is still around and living it for them. it really does interest me how these characters only see development after their mentor figures die (ace attorney meta double dipping on that one). in fodlan society, they both represent the next generation of their social classes & how a) in FE style this narrative is inherited via dead dad and b) how in both of their default arcs, neither of them uphold this status quo. by ‘default arcs’ i’m taking this as black eagle ferdinand and leonie’s golden deer unmarried endings with refs to various support chains. ferdie reckons with his father’s legacy & edelgard’s reforms & herals a very different world than his father did. also gnc icon very interesting for my crest-gender thoughts. leonie inherits jeralt’s debt and disengages from a lot of the society she won the war for. it’s......... they switch goals. ferdinand wanted the safety of a known place in society and existing in comparison to his friends in an established dynamic. & leonie wanted her own path and economic stability. neither of them got what they wanted.

(nona spoilers from now) circling back into tlt and specifically nona the ninth - this book really just showed that each one of the characters (exept maybe ianthe who stayed winning the entire time) got the exact opposite of what they wanted. they became the inverse of the desires GTN set them up with. like an awful b-side. gideon the cavnecro, god’s own cav, wanting freedom more than anything instead just got to the top of the system & yet! still dead! still controlled! and pal having to borrow and exist via the work of another necro. cam’s fatal wound from a duel. judith the representative of law afflicted by the ‘blue madness’. harrow so desperate to make her own existance worthwhile now completely removed from the book.

also i have a little pet-theory for 3H about crests and gender that interests me specifically & is absolutely just a consequence of me having read gideon the ninth and getting my head blown up like pal my good man pal. but a) fire emblem class theory really does boil down to power vs oppression and b) lorenz and his gnc swag got me in a vice grip. it’s not quite like tlt’s necrocav gender dynamic bc frankly no one else is doing it like the tlt necrocav gender dynamic, and i’m having to reach so far i’m pulling my back out.

there’s just something that sticks in my head about the physicalisation of hamartia in 3H - even if it’s not your own, like sitri & aelfric - that contrasts so well onto the death and undeath of tlt series & being literally powered through the death of others.

also like the edelgard to harrowhark axis. i am looking directly at it & i am making so many jokes about war crimes. and like i said up top, ferdinand is my mental image for babs & i want to see him chomped on.

anyway. my brain is rotten like flotsam. (and im not interested in having actual discussions on tumblr dot edu about any of this because i am saying words recreationally. this is not academic submission work this is me having a little laugh and meme pls n thank.)

wait i forgot the point of this post: i’d go so hard for an au of these but bc the tlt characters are loadbearing pillars to the plot imo it’s really hard to do the indiana jones idol switch with them and not set off the boulder trap of consequences in my head. but the aesthetic veneer of fire emblem characters living out the tlt plot? gimme. gimme. i want to see hubert eat a cavalier. i want to see him eat ferdie so bad it makes me look stupid.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

The way 3H handles Manuela is a mix of sexist/ageist and refreshing at the same time. I hate how the game treats her like an old maid when 36 isn't remotely old in real life (same with early 40s), but it was a funny twist how her dating woes are because she's an alcoholic and messy in her private life, not being "too old".

I wish she had some non-iffy paired endings, I'd rather her marry a guy or even lady her age instead of one of her students grown up or Hanneman. Eh, there's always Seteth.

.

[fantasyinvader]

I was thinking some more and I've come to a conclusion.Dimitri and Claude aren't meant to be good guys without Byleth, but this couldn't really come across due to cultural differences. The big thing is that they aren't benevolent.

Dimitri is seeking to avenge the fallen, will even leave part of his country in the hands of the Empire in order to make a death march towards Edelgard, making it clear that he will use those who are following them. He may slay Imperials who occupy his lands, but he's not rallying the people in resistence. He's just killing people and those around him are just blindly following him. At Gronder, he's willing to kill Alliance soldiers just because they're between him and Edelgard.

Claude, meanwhile, has earned the name Tabletop Demon (in the Japanese) over his attempts to use the Alliance's politics to keep it together. In Snow, he has the Church retake the bridge and suffer heavy casualties so he can then launch a sneak attack on Edelgard. He didn't help the Church out of the goodness of his heart, nor is he standing up to what Edelgard is doing despite being anti-Empire, which in turn undermines his ideals. At Gronder, he says the Alliance will crush anyone who isn't an ally to them because it's a struggle to target the "right" one. But at the same time, when Dimitri tells Claude to move Claude refuses to budge and when Byleth fights Claude he questions why they are fighting if the Empire is the Byleth's enemy yet Claude can be the one to attack the Kingdom forces first.

I think with this in mind, Gronder is a case where none of the lords are meant to be a hero. Edelgard will crush anyone who opposes her. Dimitri those who stand in his way, Claude anyone not an ally. It's only afterwards, thanks to the support of Byleth and the Church, does Dimitri and Claude start to move towards being a hero. Dimitri lets go of his misguided beliefs after Rodrigue dies, Claude gets an example of hatred destroying someone. With Byleth not there, the three countries all exhaust their strength thanks to the flaws of each leader.

But Claude doesn't do anything too villainous otherwise, even reforms in Moon, and it's hard not to see Dimitri in a better light in the face of the oppression Edelgard brings. They don't look like the bad guys when compared to her, and I think that might be where some of the issues of the translation came from. Rather than trying to get across that they weren't heroes before Gronder, they instead tried to make Edelgard appear more heroic at the cost of Byleth and the Church faction, the real good guys of the game.

And since I'm on the subject, comparing Houses to Three Kingdoms, I can't help but feel that the Church faction is meant to address the flaws of each of the Three Kingdoms that led to their downfalls. In the book, Kong Ming calls out those who serve Cao Cao. Despite his talk of meritocracy and handing out positions, those officials look away from the man's immoral nature. In Houses, the Imperial students (alongside Hanneman and Manuela) reject Edelgard when recruited because of the immoral acts performed for her benefit during White Clouds. Part of the reason Shu falls is that it's officers were blindly loyal to their leader even when he was an idiot or lost sight of his duties while seeking revenge. Recruited Lions don't blindly follow Dimitri to their deaths, never mind turning themselves into Crest Beasts. Meanwhile, Wu putting emphasis on lineage ends with a tyrant on the throne after the likes of Sun Ce, whose hatred towards Taoism leads to his death, and the ambitious Sun Quan, who wanted Wu to be an independent nation rather than bowing to the Emperor. Recruited Deer don't follow a leader just because of his lineage putting him in charge of the country, nor do they have reason to let hatred towards the Church stop them from fighting Edelgard or support his ambition. It still makes them being recruited to other Houses a good thing when that leader undergoes development, but it still treats joining Edelgard as a bad thing because she doesn't stop being immoral.

[idk6123]

The White Heron Ball (Dimitri X Male Reader)

“Professor, I beg of you. Please, do not choose me as our house representative. I am utterly serious.” And that’s when the problem started. “What?! Curse you, professor. I will of course accept but know that you have damned us all.”

And so, after the event, an official Blue Lions meeting has been started. Inside of the classroom, the entire original group are all standing around to figure out what to do with the dreading situation.

“I just can’t believe it. I begged to the professor, and yet they choose me. Why?”

“They probably wanted to be humored.” Felix coldly says.

Ingrid looks besides her with a glare. “Not now Felix. This is serious.”

“It’s just a ball.” Felix merely responds. “Just do it and lose. Who cares?”

“This isn’t just about the ball. This is about our pride.” Ashe corrects him.

“He’s right. If he loses, that will look bad on us.” Sylvain agrees.

“My apologies in advance.” Dimitri apologetically says.

“No need to apologize.” Dedue assures. “We’re in the same boat, so we must share the burden.”

“You say that, but we aren’t the ones on the dancefloor.” Annette looks unsure at the retainer.

“Even so, we can offer our support.” Mercedes positively smiles.

 “Mercedes is right.” Dimitri feels a bit more secured thanks to everyone’s support, well, everyone except Felix. “Perhaps with some dedicated training, there is going to be a chance I can win. I just need to learn how to dance.”

There is a silence in the room, as everyone looks awkwardly stiff.

“I’m sorry my lord, but if I knew this would happen, I certainly learn how to dance.” Dedue says.

“I was always more interested to learn how to fight.” Ingrid admits.

“I can try, but I doubt it would be much help.” Mercedes says with a frown.

Dimitri sighs. “I guess nobody knows how to dance.”

“I do.” Everyone eyes lay on Y/N. “My parents always love to throw balls. I basically grew up with them.”

“You do?” Dimitri looks amazed. “Do you think you can teach me?”

“Of course. Know that since we have only less than 2 weeks, you’re technique will be… clunky.”

“I just have to accept that.” Dimitri is quick to scoff that aside. “So? When do you think we can train?”

“How about now?”

-

In the courtyard, Dimitri is awkwardly looking around as Y/N begins his first lessons as a dance teacher.

“You will be leading, which is I usually do, so please excuse me if I get confused.” He walks over to Dimitri, right in front of him, making Dimitri a bit flustered. “With your right hand, you grab mine. While on at the left hand, grab my hip.”

“You’re hip?” Dimitri looks a bit gasp but doesn’t complain. With silence, he merely does what Y/N instructed.

“You need to hold me tightly. Imagine how tightly you grab your lance.”

“A-Alright.” Dimitri mutters. Holding Y/N tighter, they get to basic pose.

“This is the base. As long as you hold me like this, everything else falls into place. First though, we’re doing the basics.” Y/N says. “Now, follow my movement.”

And so, Dimitri carefully follows Y/N’s instructions. His eyes keep looking on the ground. Both because he wants to his movement, and he doesn’t want to see his partner’s eyes. It starts out slowly, with the prince carefully moving. However, as he repeats the moves, he goes a bit faster and faster. After several minutes, the two take a break.

“And? Did I do good?”

“You were good as a beginner.” Y/N complements him. “You were a bit rusty, but we work on that.” From behind Dimitri, Y/N sees the other teachers, as well the students that Dimitri is going to compete with. “Oh no.”

“What is wrong?”

“I didn’t consider your opponents…”

Dimitri turns around and instantly gets what he’s worried about. At the Golden Deer, being led by Hanneman, is Hilda, one of the most charming person in the school. To make things worse is at the Black Eagles, being teach by Manuela herself, is no other than the songstress Dorothea. Both girls definitely have more experience with this, whether it's dancing, or looking mesmerizing.

“I’m going to lose. Aren’t I?”

“Don’t say that yet.” Y/N wants to motivate him, though he knows the chances of him winning is very low.

“I’m competing against an opera songstress and one of the most charming girls in the school.” Dimitri says with a frown.

Y/N sighs. “Fine. Yes, we’re screwed, but we still need to try. Imagine this is a battlefield. You see multiple strong opponents. What would you do?”

“I fight. The least I could do is give it a shot.” Dimitri then looks a bit happier. “I have to say, I still have my doubts, but I shouldn’t give up. Please Y/N, teach me further.”

“That’s the spirit!”

-

Days has passed. Every day, Dimitri takes time to practice his technique with Y/N. First starting with the basics, and later keep adding one thing to refine his movement. That leads them to the White Heron Cup. Every student is in the large hall, all awaiting for their house to participate and win. In one corner, the Blue Lions await anxiously, especially their leader.

“You got this. I just know you’re going to win.”

“Thanks Mercedes. I give it my all, but I feel like I’m outmatch.” Dimitri was pretty confident in his ability until the day actually came. That’s when he began to feel nervous.

“At least you know that. But there is no shame with losing to these gorgeous girls.” Sylvain casually comments.

“I think Sylvain was trying to say, even if you lose, we’re still proud of you.” Ingrid corrects her friend.

“Just remember the technique.” Y/N reminds the blonde lord. “If it helps, imagine you’re dancing with me.”

“That just sound wrong.” Sylvain chuckles. “…Or right depending on his highness.”

“What does that supposed to mean?” Dimitri looks a bit flabbergasted.

Before Sylvain could clarify, their teacher walks up to the group. “It’s time. Good luck, Dimitri.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

As everyone stand at the side, the three participants head to the center. Alongside them are the judges, Alios, Shamir and Manuela. Along the three students, Dimitri looks the most nervous. It doesn’t help that Dorothea merely looks like this is her casual day and Hilda just smirking happily. After the announcement, featuring Alios, the crowd cheers for the three students.

“Very well… BEGIN!”

With elegant music playing in the background, the three students begin gracefully move around. Surprisingly, Dimitri isn’t butchering his technique, which surprises his classmates. He blends in with the two girls pretty well. However, even though he’s doing good, doesn’t mean he outdid the likes of Dorothea and Hilda. Still, they don’t know what the judges think. Though for Dimitri, he doesn’t think about it. He merely thinks of holding Y/N in his arms, as he carefully moves his body around.

Minutes has passed, and the music stops and the bell rings. “TIME! That’s all, folks!” Alios announces. Thus, the three students stand still in front of the judges. All three awaits until they hear the result. Like minutes ago, Dorothea and Hilda still look confident, while Dimitri still looks nervous.

“Splendid! All three of you were fantastic! Now, let’s hear what the judges have to say…”

“Oh my, let’s see. I suppose I have no choice but to vote for… The Black Eagle House. Your performance was… exhilarating. My heart is still beating a mile a minute.”

“C’mon. At least give us one vote.” Annette begs back in the background.

“That vote was just rigged.” Sylvain is quick to conclude. “She’s in her house, AND they worked together.”

“Shh!” Ingrid shushed him. “They’re going to say the next person.”

“I vote for…” The room awaits for Shamir to give her vote. “The Blue Lions House. You were the most original.”

“Yes!” Ashe happily cheers. “At least we got one.”

“Great feedback, both of you! Well then, let’s see… Factoring my own humble opinion… Yes! We have a winner! And I will announce who it is… right now! Without any delay! The winner of this year’s White Heron Cup is…” With the surprise of the entire room, the winner gets announced. “The Blue Lion House.”

As the entire room claps for the winner, Dimitri merely looks confused. “I won? There must be some mistake…”

-

From that day, the students gave Dimitri an odd look, because they keep thinking how the prince only skilled in the battlefield could win in a dance competition. Days has passed since that day, and the prince still can’t believe he managed to win. The ball started, with about everyone at the event. In the middle of the room is the dancefloor, while those who just wanted to do something fun standing at the side.

“I can’t believe every girl rejected me.” Sylvain stands with his childhood friends as he complains about the event. “Am I losing my charm?”

“You didn’t had any in the first place.” Felix is quick to insult him.

“You know, I’m glad they rejected you.” Ingrid says with honesty. “You just toss them at the side when you’re done with them.”

“I take it none of you are going to dance, huh?” Y/N asks.

“Not a chance in the world.” Felix says.

“I wasn’t asked.” Ingrid responds.

“Oh.” Sylvain looks surprised. “I didn’t expect that. If you don’t mind, we can dance.”

Ingrid is quick to glare at him, thinking he’s up with something again. “And here I thought out of all girls, you wouldn’t treat me like-”

“Hey! Hey!” Sylvain quickly calms her down. “I meant as a friend.”

“Oh, yeah? Would you dance with Felix?”

“Sure. Why not?” Sylvain says with issue. He looks back at the frowning swordsman.

“No.”

 Y/N laughs at the interaction. From his side, he sees Dimitri walking to them to join them. “Hello Dimitri. Everything going well?”

“Well, after my victory, girls are quiet interested with dancing with me.” Dimitri answers.

Sylvain looks disappointed. “Damnit. Why didn’t the professor picked me?”

Dimitri merely chuckles. “Anyway, it appears now I have some time alone. Ironically, I wanted to ask Y/N to dance?”

“You do?” Y/N is a bit surprised.

“Of course.” Dimitri gives his hand to Y/N. “It would be an honor to dance with you.”

Y/N smiles at the other smiling man. “I could say the same about you too.”

With that, Dimitri leads his friend to the dancefloor, where the prince leads his dance partner as they move around. In the background, the three childhood friends watch them.

“I didn’t expect Dimitri to ask him.”

Sylvain chuckles. “I do.”

“Hm?” Ingrid looks back at her friend. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I think after all those privet lessons Dimitri became interested in Y/N.”

“Romantically you mean?” Ingrid then looks back at the prince. “Huh. We never had two kings before. Still, Y/N is responsible and kind, so if he would be the future king, I wouldn’t mind.”

“And he’s far saner then the boar.” Felix adds.

Sylvain hums. “Well, whoever Dimitri is going to end up with, let’s hope it’s someone like Y/N.”

[flower-of-knighthood]

Bruh, Dimitri is only king because of his Crest, that's literally a case of crests being abused and creating conflict or did you miss Miklan and Sylvain's arcs entirely.

What about Sylvain's misogyny? What about Ingrid's lack of personal autonomy due to being the literal breeding cattle of her family, fed before her siblings.

Yes Hanneman and his story come from Adrestia, but that same shit absolutely happens in Faerghus, we just don't see people like Hanneman or Manuela come from Faerghus because they're fucking idiots with the near sole exception of Annette. Mercedes is Adrestian and a victim of crest abuse, absolutely, but it's not like her current adoptive family isn't sending her to Garreg Mach to find a husband because she has a crest!

Crests inherently create a privilege within their societies, and this happens in EACH country. Just because some of the most privileged people in the entire game don't have a clear cut abuse narrative doesn't mean you're getting the full picture of the actual situation. AND beyond that, crest related discrimination affects the women in the game disproportionately to the men. Which house has exclusively crested women? Which house has LESS women than any other house?

So, and follow me here because I know this is probably pretty difficult, how do you imagine life is for women without crests in Faerghus when we don't get to see them?

Leonie, let's use her. The Alliance has some of the most empowered non-noble people due to their strong merchant class. Who is still crestless and poor as dirt going to the one place in the entire continent that could give her the best education in return for a lifelong debt? Leonie! Woo. Ignatz too is also fascinated with the art and library of Garreg Mach. Why? Because someone banned the printing press to keep the commoners dumb! (That would be Rhea of the Church of Seiros, btw.)

So, rampant sexism, homophobia, a king who even in his best scenario can ONLY marry women who have a crest. Hmmm. Yeah. Look. Idk.

Do you think maybe Adrestia seems worse because the people from Adrestia are actually CRITIQUING their home country? Edelgard, Hubert, Dorothea, and Hanneman are ALL very anti-crest and anti-noble. We hear their stories BECAUSE they are stories of abuse that they wish to prevent from happening. Dorothea extends that same empathy to Bernadetta and Ingrid.

Meanwhile on the flipside, it's pretty much just Sylvain who is like "this shit is fucked and no one is talking about it." Perhaps because they have a culture that doesn't reject is as harshly as the questioning nobility of Adrestia, such as Hanneman who is also attempting to remove the power differential created by crests. Because his sister experienced what was most likely repeated marital rape to produce an heir. Hate to tell you what's in store for Ingrid, Mercedes, and Marianne if basically anything goes wrong. Whoop. There's another one. Marianne. Another candidate for the King to marry and simultaneously another character with a father so determined to get her to marry. Wow! It's almost like the game heavily features the need for women to get married so that can be bred by men purely for the sake of having crest babies and we're literally given an example of what that's like by three major characters in the game. Hanneman, Dorothea, and... Sylvain!

Because guess what Miklan's story is literally still just abuse founded on crests and Edelgard is genuinely sympathetic to what happened to him in game.

Miklan was raised for several years expected to inherit his family's territories then his mother died and his father remarried and this new kid came along and stripped him of all his birth rights specifically due to having a crest. His abilities as a powerful leader meant nothing in the face of his bother's crest. His entire life was stolen from him.

This doesn't justify what he did next, but it does highlight the importance that Faerghus places on crests. Had Miklan been someone like, idk, Dorothea, a first daughter instead of a first son, she probably would have been wed into a powerful crested family to be as Sylvain implies, a cumdump for crest babies. Because let's not forget! Crests are extremely important to the Kingdom (that's canon) and they're becoming rarer. So. How does a Kingdom keep the strong crest lines alive? The corpses of abused and tossed away women of course!

This generation just got lucky with how many of them were crested from the start without much work on behalf of their parents. But it's so dire they swapped crowned princes for it.

Is it really so hard to understand that the Blue Lions only has 3 women in it because the Kingdom is just that sexist? That the most powerful woman in Faerghus is an extremely powerful MAGE who is reliant on sex appeal to maintain her position? Not physical combat, unlike, idk characters like Ladislava or Judith? Catherine barely counts but is still crested and part of the CoS as one of Rhea's pets that she has a life debt over. She literally excels OUTSIDE of the Kingdom.

No the Blue Lions have a mage, a mage, and a woman betraying her family to be there as a knight. And one of the mages isn't an heir, and the other one isn't from the country to begin with. And they're all privileged.

While we're on the subject of classmates, say what you will about Edelgard at least her prisoner from a vassal state isn't codependent. Petra perceives Edelgard as going off the path and is free to side against her. Dedue sees that and decides to jump off the cliff with the insane man who can't do math. And literally desecrate a woman's corpse, but you know. Faerghus probably just ran out of respect women juice during the war due to rations or something.

I mean, then there's the whole disability thing with the "unempathetic" Edelgard.

Okay, so the Black Eagles feature disability with Lindhardt, Bernadetta, Edelgard, Jeritza and Lysithea. Yes, Lysithea counts as she joins of her own volition.

Edelgard creates a new form of employment for researchers who struggle with ADHD and ASD for Lindhardt. She is the literal most effective as helping Bernadetta in overcoming her issues with severe anxiety (something Dimitri goes out of his way to belittle her for having during his paralogue, women, amirite?) Edelgard manages Jeritza's DID as best she can by limiting its impact and trying to structure it productively and also providing pathways to atonement that aren't just punishment. She does what she can to lighten Lysithea's load, but also attempt to ease her loneliness at being the only one affected by her affliction. She manages her own issues with PTSD and likely ASD is you pay literally any attention to how she speaks or makes jokes, which is likely why she's so good at communicating with Byleth. And if we want to go further, and I do. She and Hubert were the first friends that Petra made in Fodlan, and while learning a second language isn't a disability, Edelgard consistently offers her assistance to Petra in her adjustment to Fodlan's way of life and expectations. She approached Caspar with the assumption that he would be disheartened like Miklan about the situation regarding nobility birth order only to find that he was one of those bootstrapping people who didn't care and would just work harder (the kind of person Dimitri criticises Edelgard for assuming everyone is,) which surprises Edelgard because she never thought she would meet someone like that, expecting that everyone needs help and support in order to reach their full potential. Because Edelgard never assumes anyone is born fully capable or strong vs weak.

Which just so happens to be mirrored in Marianne's dialogue regarding Edelgard and how she wishes to be strong like her and change the world.

Jeez, it's almost like the very idea that someone is either born strong or not born with the ability to be strong is literally undone by the failed endings of each character and how they're all supported by Byleth and each individually MADE strong by her ongoing support. Each and every character literally goes through the exact arc Edelgard preaches about when given the correct levels of support and opportunity that she and Byleth provide. Even Dimitri. It's incredible. Fucking hilarious too. That's called a ludonarrative, where the gameplay matches the storyline.

The idea that Edelgard somehow isn't obscenely empathetic when that literally her every interaction with every character she can interact with as a house leader, including those who's perspectives she initially disagrees with (Manuela for example) is just brain-dead.

Here, I'll help. Rhea isn't empathetic. Why? She started a war. Because that's how those two things relate right? No, obviously fucking not.

And the whole Knights of Seiros are helpful actually is just, oh my god. Say Blue Lives Matter. Do it. I dare you.

The Knights of Seiros are useful because they're a standing army within every nation on the continent because Rhea has no respect for the individual sovereignty of ANY of the nations. Not to mention that Faerghus didn't even revolt for their own reasons it was manipulation by the Slithers, so they're hardly staking their country's pride as individuals when the impetus for doing so was corrupt to begin with. Rhea was going to conquer it all when Sothis came back anyway. That's why it's so xenophobic.

Or did we forget that. That Fodlan is xenophobic? That Rhea actively tries to keep cultural influences from other countries out so she can maintain Fodlan as it is, her mother's kingdom.

But yeah, sure. Edelgard who doesn't force those from other countries to fight for her cause, such as Brigid, is so lacking in empathy. So blind to the corruption despite her literal every interaction with her classmates and supports.

"But her actions as the Flame Emperor!"

Oh yeah? Which ones? Because the last thing she did as Flame Emperor was target the casket of Seiros. Everything else was the Slithers going over her head. Not to mention that she was really only enabling the ideas that Lonato and the Western Church already had to conflict the Central Church, she didn't create those for them, they already thought that Rhea was disrespecting the saints, we see that with Christophe. Someone Rhea had killed and then lied about it. Then she massacred the remaining Western Church people, for. Something. I'll be honest, I forget why Seteth went to the coast and killed people practicing their regional sect of their faith?

The Knights of Seiros help people. It's kind of funny. Because they don't have a country of origin, which means they're taking militant forces to be controlled by an external form of government FROM their countries of origins, but only specifically those who are the best and can afford to be there. Which, diminishes the abilities of the other countries, say, like the Kingdom with the absence of Catherine. Which creates a need to call on the Church to deal with these supposed threats.

Like everything in the game and that is related to the church is a self fulfilling cycle. Nobles are made noble by crests, crests are significant because of the church, other religions would diminish the power of the church, the church backs the nobles, so the Seiros faith is taught to everyone so the church stays in power and all the people know how just the nobility is.

Such ethics. I believe the word is indoctrination.

Oh, and since the Kingdom only exists because the church says it does, they have no choice but to back each and every play the church makes, so despite the fact Edelgard only declares war on the Church, the Kingdom, flexing their autonomy, joins the fight to back their sugar mommy. Based on a decision that wasn't theirs to begin with. Sovereignty is fun.

So yeah. The war was for the people who are being abused and tricked into compliance with the only governing body who is providing them with any help even if that helps just reinforces the oppression. Like Catherine and Shamir's conversation. Or the NPCs in Abyss express. Rhea's little pet foreigners that she can make grateful because she isn't lynching THESE ones. They're the exceptions.

It's for the women like Dorothea who couldn't get into Garreg Mach from Faerghus even if they tried. Seriously, Dorothea and Leonie DO NOT have a counterpart in the Lions. Ashe comes close but he was legitimately adopted and a guy. The other women in the Lions are marriage fodder or literally privileged prodigies. And none of them have severe criticisms for their living situation because defiance of their country is akin to defiance of their goddess blessed king who they need to either lie down and get fucked by if they're crested or die for in battle.

But no, I'm sure liberating the straightest most emotionally repressed, and least disability friendly country from the clutches of the church who removed their ability to practice medicine, develop literacy through the accessibility of books, and use their natural resources of oil, had absolutely nothing to do with Edelgard's plans. Because she says something about uniting Fodlan (which since her plan is to undo the Church that validates Faerghus' existence in the first place means that she would be fucking them over and creating a power vacuum if she didn't install a new system of government), a few times as her party line, and is completely independent from all other facets of her character. Heaven forbid anyone takes into account what the game is saying through her supports and actions instead of the nationalist war leader she is forced to play under the scrutiny of Those Who Slither. Or did you assume they added Kronya to the Black Eagles just for fun and NOT to isolate Edelgard from the people who she was supporting and being supported by in turn?

It's honestly like people are trying to misrepresent her, which makes sense for those who support a nation of sexism, ablism and homophobia. It truly is a wonder why disabled, lesbian women from outside of America love her so much and ship her with FByleth, while all the guys and yaoi fangirls go coocoo for the forbidden romance guy who is so centrist and impotent it hurts. I can't think of a better example of defying the status quo and making a change within a single lifetime to better the situation of those around us, vs someone who is so afraid of conflict that they'd prefer to avoid it at the cost of real human lives and then take all the credit when some woman comes along, gets 95% of the way, dies and has her crusade coopted by that centrist who makes minimal and less impactful changes in the long run but still gets heralded as a hero.

I understand the inability to conceive that someone in Edelgard's position might stand up for a non-selfish reason, but that's what happens to minority groups who are backed against a wall and have no options but to lay themselves on the line and hope they can fix it for everyone else. Believe me. I've experienced it personally and have put my employment and education on the line so I can achieve effective change for people like me who can't risk losing those opportunities to affect things.

But for fucking real, she destroys the Slithers, her lineage and abdicates. She wasn't doing it for fucking power and everyone she removes from power, The Slithers, The Church, and Rhea are removed in every single other route too or under new management. (that idk if you've noticed, but religious institutions that persist as major players in government decision making tend to love restricting human rights, especially those of women! That's just a thing that's true in our world.)

If you enjoy any of the endings that also don't respect sovereignty, Rhea's leadership (which she admits was corrupt), or include the existence of the Slithers, then how in the fuck can anyone say she was wrong? Everyone mimics what she was doing. It's all built off of her war. That PROSPERITY is only happening NOW because she started a WAR and effectively killed everyone she wanted removed from power. She fucking always succeeds and Fodlan is ALWAYS better for it.

The game genuinely says that the ends justified the means, every time. Fodlan is always better for the war. That's why Sothis says it's "time to begin" by the way. That's why it's inevitable. That's why you can't go back and prevent the war in any route. Because the game isn't anti-war.

You are always rewarded through acts of war in Three Houses. It's not diplomacy. It's acts of violence and war. The game has a theme of mercy, but it agrees that conflict is a necessity for progress. It depicts the tragedy that progress requires, but at no point does it say it wasn't inevitable. I mentioned ludonarrative earlier, the idea the game says "war bad" but then rewards you with happiness and glory through acts of war is literally what ludonarrative dissonance is about.

The game is about causes, justice and necessity. And that's why no one can point to an ending where Fodlan's future didn't require the war. Sylvain's success with Sreng and removing the crest/nobility system would never have worked with Rhea in charge.

Crests and church bad. Fodlan's sexism and homophobia and ablism bad.

Stop not listening to what Edelgard says and does. She genuinely cares about helping people. If she wanted power, why does she abdicate? Why empower the people? Why leave the church's faith alive? Why educate the people. Why do everything Rhea doesn't?

If you wish for a actual response to your essay, learn how to structure your arguments properly, and most of all stop randomly jumping from topic to topic. If a topic doesn't fit in the scope of your arguments, put said topic in another essay that is more fitting.

If you continue the way you are with how you structure your essays, no one will bother to actually read them, instead just giving your essay a brief look before giving a funny response making fun of your efforts.

[gascon-en-exil]

Something interesting I noticed about the three lords and their relationship with the avatar, retainer and rival. Dimitri is the only one that explicitly marries Byleth in their paired ending & it goes into detail about their relationship, Edelgard's paired ending is pretty vague on their relationship with Byleth but they tell you that no one knows how they privated enjoyed life together and Claude's ending with Byleth ignores their relationship entirely and only tells you that there was another final battle and Claude returns. With the retainers Claude explictly marries Hilda, Dimitri and Dedue's paired ending is pretty homoerotic but isn't confirmed in how homoerotic it is and Edelgard's ending with Hubert tells you that it was platonic and didn't evolve into a romance especially in Japanese. With the rivals, Edelgard explicitly marries Ferdinand (and he's the only man she explicitily has children with), Dimitri married some no name woman but Felix's anguish at Dimitri's death being greater than the queen's makes it come off as homoerotic and Claude's relationship with Lorenz is pretty platonic and just them setting up a meeting. tldr; In concerns to the paired endings: Dimitri only explicitly marries the avatar, Claude only explicitly marries the retainer and Edelgard only explicitly marries the rival. All other relationships with the avatar, retainers and rivals are homoerotic to vague to completely platonic. I feel like this was on purpose by the devs but to what end, I have no idea. Thoughts?

None of that is terribly surprising, and I don't think there's a greater pattern or anything. Same-sex content is always going to be worded more vaguely, especially with major non-Avatar characters. Even with Avatars, the implementation is so lazy (one or two word swaps, at most) that the effect is practically the same. As for Edelbert, it's probably meant to be a meta joke about how Edelgard won't even look at Hubert twice as long as her teacher is around, even when he's delivering her a continent on a silver platter. The player is simultaneously Byleth, who can reach for Edelgard's hand because they (presumably) paid money for IS's product and are thus the most important person in this universe, and Hubert, the horny incel who can never be with Edelgard because of reality interfering.

Claude is straight, and he's such a mystery even up to his S rank that of course the Claudeleth ending isn't entirely satisfying. Hilda, not being the player, can be filled in offscreen.

Dimitri is bi with numerous marriage options although the narrative of both games favors his relationships with men - including, technically, m!Byleth who only misses out on the S rank conversation.

Edelgard loves the self-insert, but if Byleth doesn't pick her she'll settle for marrying Ferdinand or Caspar or having "an affectionate and fulfilling relationship" with Hanneman or remaining unmarried and close *coughs* with Manuela. All of these further the joke at Hubert's expense.

That's how I've always looked at these.

[adamantineheart]

One thing to mention wrt the false belief that killing Rhea/the Nabateans would remove crests or the need for them, people like to point to one of the endings (I forgot which one) where Hanneman's tech gets rid of crests in humans as a defense. And there's two problems to that, one is crests can still show up in humans regardless of whether their parent had one due to the doings of the Elites, and nobody would know it unless everyone had to do some sort of blood test. The other way is to permanently end a bloodline that has crests, but that's just straight up murdering a family line for having something in their body. Which brings me to point 2, trying to out and target people for having different blood (which is what crests are) sounds kinda prosecution-like doesn't it?

It's kind of the opposite for Hanneman. He seems to understand that eradicating them is impossible, so his goal is to spread them even further.

However, he never achieves this goal. He does figure out how to remove them in the case of Lysithea only. It's unclear if he could remove any or if he can remove Lysithea's because her circumstances were unusual to begin with.

What Hanneman actually achieves is the same thing Sylvain in Three Hopes is after: introducing other technologies that compete with the superpowers of Crests.

Hanneman, like Manuela, exists to challenge/patch up the holes in Edelgard's unrealistic plans/worldview because as you said... eradicating Crests is an unrealistic proposal. You'd have to keep killing kids born with Crests forever which is, uh, horrifying. But if Relic users in particular are competing against modern weapons, the playing field is more even. We've already even seen it in FE3H: when the Agarthans deploy missiles, even the feared Death Knight is running for his life.

[randoimago]

Hi there! I wanted to request that you do headcanons on Ferdinand, Lorenz, Ashe and Ignatz with an S/O who tries to confess time and time again but gets so flustered and tongue-tied that they can’t even get the words out? Thank you!!

Flustered S/O Unable to Confess

Fandom: Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Characters: Ashe, Ferdinand, Ignatz, Lorenz

Type of Request: Headcanons

Notes: This is such a cute request, I’m happy to write it!!

Ashe

He is so patient with you. Every time you've called his name, he'd patiently wait and just smile as you tried to get the words out.

Ashe would suggest charades or maybe writing down what you want to say if you're having difficulties getting it out, not realizing that you were trying to confess.

It would take some observations for things to click for him and then he feels flustered but also so very happy. You haven't been able to say anything yet, but just knowing makes him pleased.

So he'll keep being patient and wait for you. He can't deny being a tad sad when you just change the subject because you can't confess again, but he's still going to do his best to be patient, a smile and blush on his face as he waits.

Ferdinand

Does his best to be patient with you. It'd be rude of him to cut you off or interrupt, especially if you're just having difficulties asking for help or something. He knows his noble status can be intimidating, after all.

Ferdinand does get concerned with how often you end up stumbling over your words and how flustered you are. Do you have a fever? Are you getting sick and need him to take care of you? That question just makes you more flustered honestly.

It's probably not until Edelgard says something about your obvious feelings that causes Ferdinand to feel like an idiot for not realizing sooner.

Would invite you to tea and suddenly he's realizing how difficult it is to confess his feelings back to you due to being tongue tied too.

Ignatz

Honestly he's the same exact way. You're being flustered and stumbling over confessing and he doesn't realize you're trying to confess but seeing you flustered causes him to feel flustered as his heart starts beating faster.

Has also tries confessing to you, only to end up the exact same way before changing the subject or giving up for the day.

Pretty much all of the other Golden Deer know what's going on because you two are so obvious it's painful. Claude finally tells Ignatz that he'll tell you about the artist's feelings if Iggy doesn't. Little do you know, Hilda makes the same threat to you.

You two eventually just blurt out your feelings to the other and word vomit before your brains process the other's words. It ends up with you both just being so happy and realizing how silly you both were.

Lorenz

The first time it happened, Lorenz ended up interrupting before you could maybe figure out what to say. He acted cocky with, "I know I'm very handsome and it's easy to get tongue tied." and then he went off on some nobility thing and you just gave up for the day.

The next few times he thought maybe someone put a curse on you with magic, making it so you can't talk about a certain subject. He was very worried as he tried to take you to Hanneman or Manuela but you wouldn't.

He ended up mentioning his frustrations and worries to Claude, who sighed at the idiot and wrote some letter and told Lorenz to give it to you.

Lorenz did, even though he was suspicious, and then he noticed you getting extra flustered but looked so relieved as you let out, "I've been trying to confess, but I'm glad you did it first!" and that caused Lorenz to finally feel tongue tied and flustered when he realized what to just said.

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 8: Manuela/Hanneman)

Hanneman: My sister is far from the only victim. Many noblemen have done the same to their own wives, and I despise them for it. So, my quest began. I would unlock the secrets of Crests, make them available to any who desired… If I achieved my goal, the nobility would be rendered obsolete, and my sister could finally rest peacefully.

Hanneman wanted to get married, but he always drove women away due to his life being consumed by his research and never being able to shut up about Crests. Unless you marry him yourself, the only other romantic option for Hanneman is Dorothea.

Manuela: My voice is a gift from the goddess. However, as all things do, it will decline with age. One day, I will lose that gift. And so I decided I needed to learn to survive without it, long before that day came. I needed to prove to myself that I can live on… even after my voice returns to the goddess.

Manuela is a more believable romantic partner. And she was in the same boat as he was because she felt like she'd spend her life alone, too. She felt like damaged goods due to her age and all of the unsavory things she had to do in the past to achieve her dream of performing in the opera. But she was a lot stronger than she seemed.

Hanneman: I see you act so irrationally, and I lose my wits. I care about you a great deal, and wish to see you safe. Will you believe me? Manuela: Yes, of course. I'm the same way, after all. I let my emotions get the best of me.

The writers sort of pushed these two together. Even their paralogue "Oil and Water" is shared with each other. The two always got into arguments and made up again, but it was precisely because of all their funny banter that I liked them together. They acted like they were already a married couple.

Hanneman: If we combine our abilities, housework would be conquered and dinner rendered delicious. There are other ways we could find to support one another, I would imagine. We might make a better pair than you think. You and I, together. Manuela: Huh. You might be on to something.

Hanneman bears the Crest of Indech, represented by Temperance. This arcana symbolizes the blending of opposites and the achieving of synthesis. It's about harmony, peace, and patience. Temperance brings a message of balance and moderation in all things. It is a card of collaboration, of trying to find common ground instead of forcing the will of one onto another.

Hanneman was right. There are even more ways they can support one another than just cooking and cleaning. They'd be able to support each other emotionally because they have a lot in common due to their pasts. Manuela is childfree. She cannot understand people like Alois who have kids, and when she has a baby with Ferdinand, she lives as a career woman and he is the child's primary caretaker. Hanneman is the last man who would ever value her for baby-making potential.

Manuela: Heh, it seems my longtime rival has taken his final bow before me. There is a gaping hole in my heart. Try as I might, I cannot rouse myself. I can almost hear him now: "Why are you so despondent? This is completely out of character for you." How I wish I could say back, "That's none of your business, you doddering old geezer!"

Their relationship is given even more prominence in Hopes where they both get their time to shine playing the hero for each other. When Hanneman comes to her rescue, Manuela even admits that she's into it. And Manuela worries for Hanneman before coming to his rescue. She is particularly grief-stricken if he doesn't survive. It shows how she cared about him much more than she let on.

Hanneman & Manuela After the war, Hanneman and Manuela held a grand wedding ceremony, to which all of their many students were invited. Later, as Garreg Mach came to be restored, the Officers Academy finally reopened, with a renewed focus on accepting students regardless of status. Manuela and Hanneman returned to work as teachers, almost as if nothing had changed, and filled the halls with their banter in the way only married couples can. Their relationship spawned a trend of romances among colleagues at the Officers Academy, but that is an entirely different story.

The two always argued like an old married couple. Might as well just become one. Nothing about their lives even changes when they get together. They maintain their positions at Garreg Mach and it's just business as usual. Hanneman can still continue his vital research to accomplish his dream and Manuela can continue being a surrogate mother to all her students.

[butwhatifidothis]

What don't you like about Manuela's A support with Edelgard?

I don't strictly dislike the support (though there are some parts I do in fact not like about it), but when I "ass-sucking" I meant more that Manuela is sucking Edelgard's ass for a good bit of it lmao. To go a bit into what I think about the support-

This is the only place ever, in the entire game, that Edelgard acknowledges the possibility of the Church having anything good about it, and she says it to a believer. Literally everywhere else - and I do mean, literally everywhere else - she has nothing but negative things to say about the Church. So it doesn't really come off as her actually acknowledging anything good the Church has done, but more her trying to play up to Manuela's beliefs. I doubt that was the intention, but that's just how it ends up coming across to me given how Edelgard acts and talks like regarding the Church in every single other instance. This also isn't exactly helped by the fact that it's through Hanneman and Manuela's paired ending that the Church becomes under Edelgard's domain entirely, which very well could just be a coincidence but certainly doesn't send me good vibes when thinking about exactly what Edelgard thinks the Church is good for, if you catch my drift.

Even being generous and leaving that more speculative feeling about the support behind - Edelgard acknowledges the good of the Church, never once actually proves what she thinks is bad about it, and in the same breath says that she can't overlook the bad she says is there with no proof just because the tangible, visible good is there. She is being blatantly willfully ignorant, refusing to acknowledge what is it she's doing because she has to be right about how horrible the Church is.

Edelgard then says that she's conflicted about destroying believers like Manuela's emotional and spiritual support. She still very much does not give a shit to the believers who, in her (derogatory) words, "leav[e] everything in the hands of a higher power." She only cares about believers who are strong like Manuela, not like the ones who believe in ways different from Manuela - the """weak""" believers who actually believe the goddess will come help them aren't a blip in her radar.

Those two things I don't dislike too much - it's a good showcasing of Edelgard's flaws imo. Yeah, she's willfully ignorant, and yeah she's pretty uncaring about the weak - this support ties up those two things about her pretty well. What I don't like about it is Manuela's response to that.

She just kinda... doesn't give a shit about the believers who aren't like her either. "The goddess is our silent foundation" and if that foundation is completely uprooted and destroyed because Edelgard destroyed the Church? Nothing. "It takes strength to do what you're doing" oh you mean killing innocent people? And again, destroying people's religion? Well, fuck, sure, I guess (in Claude's words) it does take a certain """resolve""" to pull that kind of shit, but I don't think it's something exactly worthy of praise ffs.

And then Manuela says that because of that strength of Edelgard's, she's an inspiration, she's the ~reason some people get out of bed in the morning~, Edelgard gives Manuela emotional support like the goddess does, and it's. Like. That's what I mean by this support being ass-sucking.

Like, on one hand I do still like this part of the support just because it builds onto the idea of Edelgard setting herself up as a new godly figure for the people of Fodlan to follow, which is an idea that gets cropped up a good few times in 3H. And going back to how Manuela and Hanneman's paired ending has Edelgard be in charge of the Church, the idea that followers are starting to see Edelgard the same way they saw the goddess - a being that pushes them forward and that is to be inspirational in their strength - holds hands very nicely with the idea that Edelgard is making herself a god in her own right. She's not strictly immortal, but she's viewed in the exact same way by her people otherwise, and Manuela propelling that concept forward isn't completely unappreciated.

But, like, fuck dude. It sure is convenient that the one believer Edelgard talks to about religion, that believer happens to be the exact kind of believer that aligns perfectly with Edelgard. Manuela is a good believer who is strong, not like those other believers who ~rely on the goddess.~ I'm conflicted because yes, I like the propelling of ideas Manuela does, but I also would've liked to see how Edelgard would've reacted to Manuela showing more empathy to believers who aren't like herself.

I think it would've been interesting to see what would happen if Manuela had told Edelgard some shit like "you know, it might do you some good to think about why you only care about hurting believers 'like me,' dear. The believers who, oh, what did you say? 'Leave everything in the hands of a higher power'? They're people too. You had better be sure you know what you're doing before you hurt them more than you already have." Like, just a little pushback? Just a smidge? Please?

[these-detestable-hands]

I need to stop staying up so late for this… going to bed shortly, but for now, progress report:

uh jeralt’s dead. I knew it was gonna happen but still… man…

on a lighter note, recruited manuela, hanneman, mercedes, lysithea, and annette. last main two on my list are ingrid and marianne. anyone else is a nice bonus I guess

idk how many of these recruits I’m actually gonna use, as I really enjoy my current set-up, but the more the merrier, y’know? ashe is so far the only recruit I consistently use

Oh yeah Jeralt's death somehow gets more painful everytime. One route makes me wish it didn't happen though cause there's free untapped angst the creators were too scared to touch 🙄🙄

Also if you wanna use recruits, then I'd recommend doing a lot of auxiliary battles to level up everyone to around the same level, then rotate characters in and out of your team based on vibes. Are you on classic or casual mode?

[dazzlerazz]

Three Hopes DLC Wishlist

A masterpost of things I wished for in the past for a Three Hopes DLC

Subject to be edited and is admittedly half finished cuz I realize I left this in the drafts and then forgot and I did not proofread lol

--------------

Gameplay

A bit for myself, but a paralogue betweeen Byleth and Shez where they test their strength against each other, like training, where you switch to playing Byleth halfway through. It eventually comes out to a tie regardless of how well the character played

Alternate training grounds maps. I mentioned it in another post, but Constance as a unit is SPECIFICALLY hindered by the current training yard map, as its always sunny. There's also so many times you can train in the same small rectangular boringly-brown place before you just stop trying to use the training feature. Here is the aforementioned post

Easier S Rank Cycles of Nostalgia Paralogue. Possible other units to play as, potentially other nameless soldiers, like a gremory, a wyvern flier, and an armored unit. It is grueling to run around the entire battlefield as a single unit, I spent lots of time trying to get S rank, something I've complained about in multiple posts

Story

Azure Gleam - Fix Edelgard's role in the story

I went into this in multiple posts, but I don't like how Edelgard was dealt with in Azure Gleam. It felt like the developers intentionally took her out of a villain role and put her into the role of "trapped heroine", a clearly right vs wrong storyline with Thales instead of moral gray between routes like it was in Houses. I know this is something a dlc would not be able to fix, but I'm putting it in here anyway cuz I can

A return to Abyss. Sitri is absent in Hopes, because of course she is. Maybe there would be a paralogue if Byleth and Jeralt survive that bring them back to the monastery to find Sitri. I don't have any ideas for this at the moment

The return of the cut Blackened Embers

Characters

Post timeskip outfits for most church members. Hopes had the option to do this, as it was a complaint in Houses, but it was never done

Playable Hanneman, Gilbert, Anna, Alois, and Cyril, who were all playable in Houses

Hanneman and Manuela both can be recruited outside of Scarlet Blaze, whereas in the game they're both route locked to SB

Caspar and Ashe support chain

Little Things

Change a unit's outfit to their post timeskip Houses outfit

The return of dlc costumes. Make costumes able to be worn by any gender, unchanged to how they look in Houses (ex. suits for the girls and maid outfits for the boys)

More interactions with characters of your choice that feel more personal. We have expeditions, and to four locations at that, it would be nice to have something else just like it. Also the ability to go to a fifth location, tho I'm not sure what. I mentioned this in another post, but possibility the ability to leave off of wyverns instead of horses (inspired by Yuri's being allergic to horses)

Outfit accessories, such as glasses, bows, or other hair accessories, similar to how it is in (base) FE Engage

Alternate Lighter Asura outfit. The original looks bulky, more like a tanky unit, where Shez's original armor looks lightweight and easy to move around it. This is just a me thing, but maybe an alternate Asura outfit. it is possible to use Shez's lighter armor while in the Asura class, but cmon, that's no fun!

MORE SAVE SLOTS

Shez

Alternate hairstyles for Shez. More specifically, a longer hair alt for M!Shez and a shorter alt for F!Shez

Camp

A return of fishing. Please. I really liked the fishing minigame in Houses.

[fireemblemshowdown]

Fire Emblem Three Houses/Three Hopes Round One

Three Houses and Three Hopes share a combined bracket mainly because Three Hopes doesn't add enough characters that I'd warrant giving it its own bracket. To make things simpler, in the poll titles I'll just abbreviate it as Three Houses/Hopes.

There are more NPC characters included in this poll than the Awakening one, although I still didn't include every NPC. If, for whatever reason, I left out a character you feel strongly about, feel free to reply to this post or leave an ask and I'll work them into the polls somehow.

Same as Awakening, this isn't a seeded bracket - I'm just making matchups that I think will be the most interesting. I created round one of Three Houses/Hopes to be a bloodbath. I'm going to be narrowing each of the houses down until one student remains from each house, so get ready to support your favorite students!

Without further ado, here is the list of polls for round one:

M!Byleth vs F!Byleth

Edelgard vs Hubert

Ferdinand vs Bernadetta

Linhardt vs Dorothea

Caspar vs Petra

Dimitri vs Dedue

Annette vs Felix

Ashe vs Ingrid

Mercedes vs Sylvain

Claude vs Hilda

Lorenz vs Leonie

Raphael vs Lysithea

Ignatz vs Marianne

Seteth vs Flayn

Hanneman vs Manuela

Alois vs Cyril

Catherine vs Shamir

Jeritza vs Anna

Aelfric vs Gatekeeper

Yuri vs Balthus

Constance vs Hapi

Sothis vs Arval

Jeralt vs Sitri

Monica vs Kronya

Ladislava vs Judith

Rodrigue vs Gilbert

Flame Emperor vs Death Knight

Thales vs Solon

Cornelia vs Holst

Seiros vs Rhea

M!Shez vs F!Shez

[fantasyinvader]

So, this kinda hit me after last night's post. There might be more to the Claude's relation to Nemesis than just "Claude learns the truth and fights the guy his ancestors backed," or "Claude could have been like the Agarthans and let his hatred towards the Church ruin him, but he didn't and now fights their former champion."

Think about what we know about Almyra for a second. They like to raid other countries, and call the people of Fodlan cowards because they built a wall to keep Almyra out. They also like to plunder their targets according to Hopes, and according to Cyril they don't look after the orphans of those who die in these raids. These kids are left to fend for themselves before being sent out in future raids. Despite calling the people of Fodlan cowards, they value their own lives to the point that they'll flee to survive rather than fight to the bitter end. They also like to party after the raids.

According to the History of Fodlan, quote:

"Under the tyranny of ruthless disorder, the people endured a long period of suffering. The vile Nemesis, who proclaimed himself the King of Liberation, delighted in war and bloodshed. Rather than rebelling against his persecution, the people of Fódlan fell to his depths in a mad scramble to attain power through murder and theft."

Murder and theft stands out here. Almyra is a kingdom that attacks those in borders, not out of need but simply for kicks. People die in these attacks, and then the Almyrans go on to pillage. Almyra murders and steals from people, yet Claude acts like they have a good name. But think about this, who would they have a good name with? From what we know of the World of Three Houses, Almyra is east of Fodlan and the furthest place away from Dagda in the South-west (though Dagda stretches to the North enough that it has a polar region) according to Shamir's support with Claude. The only other place East of Fodlan we know about is the city of Morfis south of Almyra and possibly on an island.

What other places does Almyra, who go around trying to conquer their neighbors for the thrill of battle, have a good name in? Hilda flat out says that Almyra will "attack without reason," "break treaties" and "tell lies." As @randomnameless pointed out in a post, Claude does all of these things in Hopes. Cut and Paste:Break treaties : plans on breaking his treaty with Supreme Leader if Billy joins him in Supreme Bullshit, or doesn't offer assistance to the Imperial Forces in Golden Shower Attack without reason : borrows Daddy's naval forces to attack Sreng, not because he has something against Sreng, but to create chaoes in the Kingdom Tell lies : all the schitck about Claude being the embodiement of distrust - or how he backstabs Supreme Leader, if Billy joins in, in Supreme Bullshit.

Then we take the context of Claude saying they have a good name, supposed pirates posing as the Almyran navy. Meanwhile, if Claude joins Cyril/Hilda's paralogue, one native to his route, he says nothing about fighting Almyrans.

Adding onto that is how Edelgard says that Claude's ideals aren't that removed from her own. Edelgard, who says she's fighting for humanity while at the same time treating Nemesis as a hero and wants to put the world back to what it was before the Church. Aka, she views the rule of Nemesis as a good thing, in part because of Agarthan manipulation. The Agarthans also left texts for Claude to see in an attempt to turn him against Rhea, texts Seteth took away from him. Edelgard is also meant to represent the moral decline of the Empire, Hadou, and she wants to implement a meritocracy where the strong rise up when they don't have the safety net to supposedly keep them weak.

Goes back to Cyril here, how Almyra doesn't look after it's kids. We know that Edelgard sets up her own Church after Flower due to Hanneman/Manuela and Bernie/Lin endings, but despite that Mercedes doesn't join it like she does the Church in other routes. Azure Gleam made it out that she disagreed with Edelgard's Southern Church, a church that appeals to those who don't like what the Church of Seiros teaches. Mercedes ends up looking after orphans after Flower seemingly going against Edelgard's doctrine.

Also, with the lies thing. Edelgard tells lies so often it's mentioned in the main theme of the game, Edge of Dawn. Nemesis was also said to have rallied support under a "pretense," meaning he kept his real agenda a secret. As pointed out, Claude lies in Hopes to gain support as well and even when Edelgard lies to his face about the attack, he accepts it.

Then we go with the meritocracy. Claude notes that Almyra values strength, much like Edelgard and Nemesis do, hence why he has to play smart (though he would like to get his hands on the Sword of the Creator). The prince that gets the throne is chosen, with Shadid attempting an invasion to prove his worthiness and Claude gets it post-Wind due to his accomplishments in Fodlan. Military seems to be the best way to get promoted, and when you consider Caspar's Flower endings in the Japanese…

English text: In recognition of his achievements during the war, Caspar was given the title of Minister of Military Affairs in the new Adrestian Empire. Though his command developed a reputation for occasional recklessness, he proved an able leader, guiding his troops to overcome countless obstacles. Long after his career had ended, tall tales of the glory and good cheer that he brought to his army endured.

Japanese text through Chrome's translation: Caspar is recognized for his achievements in the war and becomes Minister of War in the new Adrestian Empire. When he was entrusted with full powers of the military, he led many difficult situations to solution, often out of control. As most of his surviving anecdotes are jokes, he was always smiling wherever he went.

His ending with Dorothea mentions expeditions, meaning he's going into other countries. The Empire is invading other countries, it's army "often out of control" and it's treated like a joke while Caspar has given into, as Hopes put it, bloodlust. It's sounding more and more like Almyra in the Japanese version, isn't it?

Fuck, no wonder Cyril likes the Church. Their teachings go against everything Almyra seems to value, all the problematic elements he hated. Not to lie or kill without reason (in the Japanese, English changed this to "unless by the will of the Goddess"), not to abuse their power, and even looks after the poor and weak.

If you put all of this together, Almyra isn't too different from the Empire. It's very similar to a country that's supposed to have suffered moral decline, with it's leader hero-worshipping a tyrant. That's tyrant's name is Nemesis, the same person Claude fought at the end of Verdant Wind. Nemesis is, in reality, a reflection of the Almyran ideal. And that ideal is the antithesis of what the Church of Seiros, the same Church Claude hates and wants it's leader to die initially, teaches. By fighting Nemesis, Claude is rejecting his country's toxic culture just like the Eagles do in Silver Snow.

The other route with Byleth's flag, the game's Fire Emblem and an allusion to Buddhism's Banner of Victory symbolizing not being tempted away from the achieving Nirvana…at the end of what is called the Path of Liberation, in contrast to Nemesis being the supposed King of Liberation. Claude follows the path of Liberation and ends up as king when he puts aside his hatred of the Church to work with them rather than just using them. As a result of this, he begins to recognize his own hypocrisy because how can he make a world where differences are meant to be respected when he's willing to completely wipe out a Church he doesn't like. Link this back to Nemesis, who is said to have persecuted his people, and Edelgard, whose persecution against the Church is the pretense for a continental war. Wind is Claude achieving his own form of Nirvana when he opens himself up to the possibility of gods, and ends with the other Deer helping spread his ideals like a pack of disciples.

Not to say though that this is making one side of Claude's ancestry better than the other. After all, the Alliance only pays lip-service to the Church according to Lorenz, and the nature of it's leadership leads to problems when the nobles are all trying to amass wealth for themselves because wealth = power at the roundtable in the Alliance. They're also willing to screw each other over for this, meanwhile Leonie's village had to shoulder a debt so a noble would endorse her to go to Garreg Mach. It's also the one place we know has slavery. And let's not forget if Claude does turn on Edelgard in Blaze, the Deer will fight and kill him over "betraying" the Alliance while killing their own army, and interviews state that the Alliance idolizes the Empire.

The Alliance…isn't that good overall. It's flawed, just like Almyra. Claude's solution is to give it a king in direct defiance of it's stance on No Kings or Emperors (only men), albeit one with an advisory council. At the same time, Claude has Almyra begins converting Almyra into a trading country much like the Alliance. And even the Church loses power in this due to the false history being revealed. Everyone needs to learn from each other.

Claude is a wyvern lord. He can degrade into a snake if he lets his hatred wash over him, making him more akin to Nemesis and the Agarthans. He can stay a wyvern, as he does in most routes, letting his judgement be clouded but not to the same degree. Or he became a dragon, symbolic of Enlightenment, as he lets go of his hatred and realizes that the person he hated had legit reasons for doing what she did. That she's not too different from himself, while at the same time discovering there's lines he doesn't want to cross.

I feel like with Hopes, Claude makes a lot more sense. He's more linked to the game's symbolism, and his route feels less like "Silver Snow guest starring Claude." But at the same time, it kinda shows how his story is reliant on it's symbolism much like the Black Eagles route. We all thought Claude's problem was his ignorance, not his hatred, and lines like Edelgard calling out his not knowing Fodlan's history only served to create that misunderstanding. His supports also emphasize him realizing he was wrong, and you need to play as girl Byleth and S support him to find him saying Rhea was a positive influence of Fodlan and her work needs to be continued. Much like how you need to pay attention to the details to confirm Edelgard is lying to you, you need the details to fully realize Claude's growth. The fact that some information was only available in Hopes, such as his real freaking name, because the developers forgot to bring it up also adds to the problem. Claude was a character we were missing pieces of, and those missing pieces led us to the wrong conclusion, so I can't really fault Hopes for giving us a more complete picture. We've seen Claude at his best, his worst, and in-between and because of that we can argue more for his route being the best ending. After all, it also reforms a neighbouring country not dissimilar to the Empire, and that nation is shown to have a powerful navy and are the only ones with cannons.

But, really, those missing pieces should have been in Houses.

Anyway, thanks for listening guys to me talking about my favorite of the three lords. Fear the Deer. Peace

[elegantmadness]

Eternal RP Search

As the title indicates, I'm pretty much always on the lookout for some new RP partners! Please keep reading if you might be interested! c;

Basic Info:

I'm (old af) 33 now, so I'm only looking to write with partners 18+. This is non-negotiable.

I default to third person past tense; I'm happy to switch to present tense if that's your preference, but I won't write in first or second person for RP purposes. In the same vein, I can't write with a partner who uses first or second person. Sorry guys!

Expect there to be some NSFW content; I don't fade to black. That said, I'm happy with smut-focused threads or plot-focused ones with NSFW as more of a side feature. Please let me know your limits so I don't step on any toes! Also expect at least some mention/discussion of kinks.

I'll write over email, in gdocs, or on discord. Please do not ask me to join your server/group RP or to RP here on tumblr.

My post length tends to fluctuate from 4+ paragraphs to novella, though I'll never give you fewer than 4 paragraphs. I cannot tolerate one-liners or super short paragraphs; I absolutely want someone who can give me at least 4 paragraphs per character.

My posting frequency can, admittedly, be a little sporadic, though I won't make you wait more than a few days for a reply. Ideally, I'd like a partner who can offer something similar -- 3-5 posts per week. I don't generally do rapid-fire, and if posts get slower than once per week I start to lose motivation.

I tend to prefer m// and m/f pairs, though in certain circumstances I'd be happy to double with f//. I'm also happy to include trans, nb, and characters that otherwise fall outside of the binary.

I will not exclusively write tops for your bottoms, men for your women, or canon characters for your original characters. I am, however, happy to double/triple/write casts/write poly so we can each write what we like.

Fandoms:

Here I'll list all the fandoms I'd be interested in writing; I'm going to keep the info bare-bones to avoid making this post any longer than it already is, but I'll also add in a gdoc link with more comprehensive info. Characters in red are ones I wish to write; if no one's in red, I'm fine with writing any.

Final Fantasy VII (Crisis Core-focused)

I'm only interested in writing/writing with canon characters. Doubling is absolutely on the table, but please note I have zero interest in writing Clerith, Cloti, or Zerith; otherwise, please don't be offended if I have no interest in a pairing you offer.

I could also be potentially interested in including characters from other Final Fantasy games (Squall, for instance, or Lightning). I'm familiar with 7, 8, 10 + 10-2, 12, and 13 (but not 13's sequels).

AGSZC (Angeal | Genesis | Sephiroth | Zack | Cloud polycule)

AGS (Angeal | Genesis | Sephiroth polycule)

Angeal/Zack

Sephiroth/Angeal

Sephiroth/Genesis

Sephiroth/Zack

Angeal/Genesis

SZC (Sephiroth | Zack | Cloud polycule)

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I'm also familiar with Three Hopes, though, admittedly, I'm not hunting for pairings with Shez or Arval. You're welcome to ask about them if you'd like to double, though! I'm only interested in writing/writing with canon characters.

Characters I'm absolutely not looking to write/write with: Bernadetta, Annette, Marianne, Rhea, Flayn, Hanneman, Constance, Manuela, Petra, Mercedes, Hilda, Ignatz, Raphael, Ingrid, Seteth, Lysithea, Caspar, Hapi, Monica, Leonie, Alois, Cyril

Sylvain/Felix (I'm willing to play Sylvain if you want to play more than one Sylvix thread)

Hubert/Ferdinand (I'm willing to play Hubert if you want to play more than one Ferdibert thread)

Lambert/Rodrigue

Miklan/Glenn

Yuri/Sylvain (I might be inclined to play Sylvain depending on the plot)

Balthus/Yuri

Dimitri/m! or f!Byleth

Claude/m!Byleth

Claude/Linhardt

Star Trek

I'm familiar with TOS, TNG, DS9, VOY, AOS, PIC, and PRO. I'm personally looking to write an original character opposite a canon, and while I'm happy to double up I'm fine if you want a canon/canon pair or canon/oc in return.

Please note that I have no real interest in writing characters from TOS/AOS or PRO. I'm also less-than-enthusiastic about PIC, so I'd really like to stay away from those storylines.

I would, however, thoroughly enjoy a more complete crossover of TNG/DS9/VOY (or any of the two).

Please do not ask me to write Chakotay/Seven of Nine.

Data/f!OC

Julian Bashir/f!OC

Hakuoki

I've played through everyone's routes, though I'll probably want to reacquaint myself with whomever you ask for since it's admittedly been a while.

I'm shamelessly asking for poly here, but please don't be alarmed that I'm asking for 4 -- I don't imagine they'll all be played in the same scene often if at all ^^; I will happily write any of the other LIs in return, however!

f!OC/Sanosuke | Saito | Souji | Hijikata

The Wayhaven Chronicles

What I'm looking for here is a little hard to explain, so please bear with me! While I'm not averse to simple doubling, I'd really enjoy a poly or polycule situation with the male love interests (Adam, Nate, Mason, & Felix).

In the case of a polycule, however, I wouldn't want to focus on the romantic/sexual side of things between the boys, though I like the idea of the intimacy and closeness it potentially lends itself to the RP. In such an instance I would absolutely love to write an MC or OC, but I'll happily discuss it and compromise so we're both content!

Touchstarved

I know it hasn't been released yet -- and won't be for quite some time -- but I love the idea of playing in the world. I absolutely want to include all the LIs, and like above would be happy to indulge in poly, simple doubling, or a polycule (to be completely honest, I'm most interested in the polycule here).

I'd even be happy to focus only on the canon characters and not include OCs at all, but I'm glad to include them too. I just really want the opportunity to explore the boys and the world better.

That's pretty much it for fandoms I'm actively searching for, though you're welcome to check my gdoc for more information and for other fandoms I'd potentially be interested in! (Persona 5's in there, as well as some other IF titles and otome!)

If you're interested or have any questions, please feel free to reach out either here on tumblr (through a DM is preferred, tho asks are okay too) or on discord (Resoan#4408). Hope to hear from some of you soon!

[beantothemax]

I'm gonna ramble a teensy bit sorey

4 years after I first had this thought and I am still angry that there is no Marianne and Seteth support chain. Doesn't even have to have an A support (would be nice though) I JUST NEED THEM TO CANONICALLY INTERACT. Marianne is a very devout (is that a word) believer so you'd think she'd have supports with a member of the church, right?? NO. She should've had a support chain with Seteth bc he's like. The church guy. Flayn is too silly in contrast to Marianne's canon depression, Catherine is also too silly and Cyril is Cyril. He's lovely but no. That only really leaves Seteth. There are no Rhea supports and Manuela and Hanneman do not care much about the church. Not to mention that she DOES have supports with Hanneman, but he's just asking about her crest!!!! I do think Seteth and Marianne could be friends cause Seteth is a very patient and understanding person and that is EXACTLY what Marianne needs. Obviously if they had a paired ending then it would be platonic. Idk what the ending would even be, just not something with "they got married and ran off together" or something stupid. Fe3h has some iffy paired endings in regards to some characters' ages sometimes unfortunately :(

Also just while we're here. EVERYONE is so so so mean to Cyril. In game and irl. He adores Rhea bc of [spoilers] and she takes advantage of that by making him do SO MUCH LABOR. RHEA YOU BASTARD HE IS 15!!! THAT BOY SHOULD BE READING BOOKS AND HAVING FUN!!! AND DRAWING AND PAINTIGN OR SMTH!! Also he CAN'T READ!! I can't believe she didn't even take the time to teach him to read. It'd take like 3 months and she could just get someone else to do it. It could be Seteth since he's such a lovely caring guy. Hey Bean did you know I love Seteth? Anyway back to what I was saying. Also the fandom isn't fond of Cyril. He's often reduced to just some guy that is obsessed with Rhea. The only people that like Cyril are Lysithea fans. He has a super cute support chain with her so people watch that and then they think "oh Cyril is actually pretty cool". This is also why all Cyril fans are also Cyril x Lysithea shippers. It's an objectively very cute ship. Also did you know his VA is called Griffin Burns?? Sick name. Griffin Burns has done a good handful of characters I like but the only one you know is Kai in to your eternity. That's sick.

Marianne doesn’t have any supports with church members? that seems. wrong.

annnnnnd yeah I was kinda expecting that with the paired endings. these are the same people who decided incest was a cool and necessary thing to put in sacred stones.

ALSO WHO IS BEING MEAN TO CYRIL. HE’S QUITE LITERALLY JUST A LITTLE GUY. AND HE DOESNT KNOW HOW TO READ??????? RHEA WHAT DO YOU EVEN DO ALL DAY.