#tw: fe3h spoilers

[quillfulwriter]

Look, Rhea is a tragic figure. I feel for her. Her trauma at the hands of Nemesis and the Agarthans is vast, and the slaughter in Zanado is completely unforgivable.

But until she's healed from that trauma and doesn't blame all of humanity for that nightmare, there's absolutely no reason she should be in charge of anything. Much less the very people she resents.

The Empire was created when the Church named Wilhelm its emperor, and the Kingdom is literally called the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus because it was founded by the Church as well. It's only by looking at the Alliance where you can see how the commoners especially feel about the Church's practices when they haven't been indoctrinated.

When the priest from The Eastern Church is trying to stress how they're different from the Central Church, he says:

Their church doesn't have an order of knights.

They don't believe in using force to chastise believers.

A noble house keeps order in their territory, and they have forbidden the use of any soldiers, even for self-defense.

You can reverse engineer these to describe how they see the Central Church in Leicester: Militant, violent towards its followers, and deceitful (claiming self-defense as a shield for its violent ways).

This is correct. The Church has a standing army and a school used to train child soldiers. It punishes criminals with execution more often than not. And it actively warps major events to make people see them in a certain light.

Yes, Rhea chose to keep the peace rather than openly hating humanity. That's not exactly a kindness when she 1) makes sure most people are reliant on the church for basic needs 2) restricts access to education based on who she can control (nobles vs. commoners) 3) bans advances in technology like the printing press so she can more easily prohibit the spread of knowledge and 4) creates clones and experiments on babies.

I understand she is traumatized. I understand she is in pain and trying to protect her people from another slaughter. But the simple fact is she's not even doing that well, because she's refused to heal. Everything she does against the Agarthans is basically whack-a-mole, and she only ever punishes who they manipulated.

Hubert found TWSD in 10 years! She's had centuries! I can't even say he's healed from his trauma to make that happen, but at least he directed it to something practical that got results. So no one would suffer like he had.

But Rhea? She's content to punish and oppress humanity for being manipulated by the Agarthans. Meanwhile, TWSD experiments on children too and the Church does nothing. When Lysithea and Edelgard are the sole survivors of murky circumstances, one would think that the Church would get involved. Even for aid. But no. They had their chance to make this right, and they chose to turn a blind eye.

I cannot rightly believe that she really cares about human beings when she treats the people most loyal to her so horribly. Even Seteth! She's telling Catherine to burn down a city with people inside in the Black Eagles route, she's never once tried to get anyone to teach Cyril to read and write (Seteth was the only one interested in doing that for him), and she hid all of her atrocities from Seteth because she knew that what she was doing was wrong.

Her compassion as the archbishop ultimately comes from a place of indoctrination and control. Understandable though it may be because of what she experienced, it's still wrong. And she shouldn't be in charge of anything because of that.

[stolen-wolfbread]

I think the reason I like Astarion so much is because he's a LOT like Yuri Leclerc.

Spoilers for both BG3 and FE3H below the cut!

Obviously, they've both been forced to use their bodies as a means of survival and it's left them truamatized. They feel tainted by it, but try to hide behind a flamboyant and flirtatious façade.

They also are both used and objectified by their adoptive "fathers." Count Rowe and Cazador use their positions of power to manipulate and abuse Yuri and Astarion, respectively.

Luckily, they manage to escape, but they are constantly reminded that their opressors are never far behind. As such, they will do anything to keep from jeopardizing their freedom--even if it means dirtying their hands.

Lastly, they were both rescued while on the brink of death and we given the "gift" of immortality. While they never seem to grapple with this on-screen, the implication is that one day, they'll have to watch all of their friends and loved ones die.

The major difference between them, however, is that Yuri has not abandonned his humanity in the way that Astarion has. Yuri still has solid ties to others--his mother, his gang, and the Ashen Wolves.

Astarion has none of that. The closest he has to loved ones prior to meeting Tav would be his "siblings," and his bond with them is not particularly strong. Their relationship with Astarion is not defined by mutual affection, but by shared suffering.

The differing ways that Yuri and Astarion relate to the world is reflected in their actions. Yuri, for all his various crimes flaws, has a heart of gold. He sings to orphans, he created a refuge for people on the fringes of society, and he spared Bernadetta's life at the potential cost of his own.

Astarion, on the other hand, does not believe in helping others. While we don't know enough about his pre-vampire backstory to judge whether this is simply his personality or a coping mechanism he has developed, we do know that he only cares about himself. If Tav tries to assist others, Astarion frequently disapproves.

But Astarion can be influenced by Tav to do good. While he's probably never going to sing to orphans, Astarion does have the opportunity to spare all of Cazador's other spawn. He can even encourage them to build their own sanctuary in the Underdark, much like Yuri's Abyss.

Yuri and Astarion are such interesting and well-developed characters, and I think they're a (relatively) good depiction of abuse survivors. I really hate seeing them get misconstrued and slandered.

[mixed-up-metaphors]

happy march, have some more scribbles of these losers (affectionate)

MOST of these are from february but then theres one thats like from. january. but the scribbles stood the test of time so its here i guess

oh and there's actually a somewhat colored drawing. the lighting/shadows/use of colors/literally everything is BUSTED but at least it has some level of color lol

[metaphorthejesterdraws]

hey look its humans metaphor nEvEr drAwS tHoSe !

i've been trying to practice drawing humans so i can...actually draw humans! enjoy some sketch sheets until i get around to more rendered art or whatever i draw next

(still cant draw faces/eyes quite right (getting the shapes and sizes of the eyes right evades me HORRIBLY) (also face proportions as a whole are lost on me lol) but i mean. better than before i suppose??)

my fondness for extreme expressions reeeaaaally shows here. man

[asksylvain]

Taking notes about Miklan's mom to better understand the pieces that led to Sylvain's totally unjustified suffering, don't mind me

[askhubertvonvestra]

That is the Crest of Seiros on something Agarthan-looking that is actually from the Church of Seiros!

I love that the game reminds us with these details that Sothis gave this technology to the Agarthans, which is why they look so alike. But the Agarthans took this innovation way too far. It's one thing for the Nabateans to give their blood to people they deem deserving, and it's another for the Agarthans to steal their bones and the hearts from their chests to make weapons because they don't feel like having to ask the Nabateans for blood.

...That said, it is a little unsettling that the device from the Church of Seiros summons phantom soldiers. Not sure how I feel about that, and I'm sure Hubert would have a much more powerful opinion on the subject.

[onyxedskies]

felix pushing through the crowd of people to see rodrigues body and just standing there for a moment before rushing forward, pushing dimitri out of the way and shaking his father as he starts to cry and just saying “you can’t be dead” over and over getting louder and louder until eventually he’s clutching his dads dead body and sobbing into his shoulder and wishing he had done things differently because now he’s out of time and there were so many things left unsaid and and and

[brightmare-horn]

so... that new banner, huh?

[by-their-side]

hello! 👋 i am working on a fire emblem 3 houses fan-story/fanfiction that will be either a comic or a writing heavily illustrated. this blog is to track my progress and have all extra art in one place! the final story will be put elsewhere.

I will only post my artworks and fe3h related art. If i ever reblog anything it will be tagged reblog, art by op or not mine.

i'm over 18, i don't mind who you are, i am not here to interact badly with anyone and i don't post nsfw content so it should be safe for everyone to follow. it is ok to like/reblog/follow. you don't have to ask me : ) you can ask me stuff related to my work, and fire emblem 3 houses only. not 3 hopes. I have not finished the game and would like to not be spoiled, thank you! any personal questions will be ignored.

navigation help:

tags i use each student/member will be tagged with first name, sometimes full name, but if there is a lot in one picture i will only do first name i also tag houses black eagles: be golden deers: gd blue lions: bli garreg mach member: gm

various art comics speedpaint all art are tagged fanart text for text only post finalized/more polished works use the tag illustration spoiler tag will be added to art that spoils the fan-story as it starts publishing, as for fire emblem 'canon story' please be aware that many part of all routes of the original scenario of the game will be explored and so i will potentially spoil parts of fire emblem 3 houses. I sometimes use designs from 3 hopes, but i do not take this side/view. any similarities would be coincidental.

cw/tw i will flag posts containing nudity and/or blood accordingly with tumblr law, nothing that is beyond what's acceptable on this site will be posted. nudity will be non sxual, blood won't be gre or too graphic.

the story will deal with death/loss, heartache, war and other topics that are also in the original game. if you feel like it might be not good for you, please do protect yourself it is absolutely fine to block me, no hard feelings, you don't have to tell me.

if you want me to tag other things, reach out and i'll see what i can do.

[demoniomano]

starter - @absurdjustice​ 

As there were no battles going on with the Black Eagles, Lysithea was there at a nearby cemetery on House Ordelia territory where her siblings were dead by experimentation by ‘Those who Slither in the Dark’  during her childhood. Even if it was merely an imprint or not, she had to pay respects to them as she was the sole survivor from House Ordelia.

Edelgard was there as well, possibly in Lysithea’s side for the meanwhile. 

“I guess i start to understand why you hate the crests, Lysithea.” The leader of the Black Eagles only looked at her solemnly. In fact, she was as well, experimented too. The gremory didn’t look but she understands. “I wished not to be born with it. I can’t even live a longer life because of it.” She did bought several bouquets to leave each one to her siblings. Edelgard paid her respects. “If you wish to return to Adrestia, i’ll be in the other side. Take your time.” The leader left as Lysithea only remained but she felt something familiar around the left side as she looked at him. It’s him, she helped his problems at Spirale months ago.

“How did you get here?” One thing she never realized it was merely one of her random memories caused by the fog but it was very real. She immediately hid her bloodied handkerchief, coming from her deteriorating health due to the crests.

[dragongutsixofficial]

On the topic of Rhea, Byleth, Crimson Flower and abuse

I see a lot of people saying Crimson Flower is a bad route for Byleth, and I'm always a little confused about it, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on the matter. This post isn't at all to invalidate their opinions or how they view the game- this is just offering my perspective on things. Please forgive any possible mistakes, as English isn't my first language. Also, I will be criticizing Rhea's treatment of Byleth, so I'll tag this appropriately of course, but I'm still warning any of her fans beforehand in case you just wanna skip. ^^

For a little bit of context, when i first played the game, Rhea creeped me out THE MOMENT she looked at Byleth from the balcony in the cutscene when they arrive at Garreg Mach monastery. So, I was already wary of her-I dunno, I just had a feeling she wasn't as honest as she was pretending to be.

And I mean, this isn't completely wrong. She desperately wants to be able to relax and be truthful, sure, but she also has a great deal of responsibility in putting in place and maintaining a really unfair theocracy based entirely on lies, because she wants to protect her family, the last of her kind. While her behavior is, of course, understandable given the horrible trauma she went through, it still doesn't sit right with me, but that's not really my point here. The thing is, she has problems with not being in control at all times because of her story. Her despair even pushes her to try and bring back her dead mother by crafting her a vessel- something she fails at several times, including Sitri.

And, then, there's Byleth. Byleth, who disappears for twenty long years, along with all her hopes, and when they reappear Rhea immediately sees the possibility for her to achieve her goal is not totally lost. She was desperate and now that she's found them, she wants to keep them.

That's why she places so much trust in Byleth from the start, but also why she grows cold every time they step out of line- like when they refuse to give her Miklan's spear. She allows them to live their life, but only so long as they do not disappoint her in any way or deviate from her ideas- because for the longest time, she struggles to see them as their own person and puts unreasonable expectations on them.

And that, sadly, is when that becomes psychological abuse on her part. This is really obvious to me when Byleth's hair and eyes turn green after fusing with Sothis, and she sings to them and puts their head in their lap while they're asleep- it just makes me want to run far away in the opposite direction every time, and her giving them the prophet outfit after that makes me so sorry for Byleth because what she's essentially doing here (albeit maybe unvoluntarily) is chipping away at their developing self and bodily autonomy by turning them into literally what she physically wants to see-and that isn't them. She wants them to become what she wants of them.

And then, in the Sacred Mausoleum, Byleth chooses Edelgard. All hell breaks loose because Rhea's hopes are shattered- and she also realizes her affection for Byleth is (partly) unrequited which, to me at least, makes sense- I don't really see how they could care as much for her as they do for their students when they spent every day with them for a year, and their actions seem to be made more out of love for their close ones than anything else. Byleth breaks out of the mold and confronts her directly. They make the clear cut decision to deviate from the path she had laid out for them. From that moment on, Rhea considers that all forms of violence against them is allowed (which, fair, they just declared war on her lol) including taking their heart out by force, which is physical abuse obviously (then again, violence is to be expected in a war but you get the idea). She now hates what she's created and sees it as her duty to destroy it.

Now. Byleth choosing to walk down Edelgard's path does not equate cutting themselves from their divine part, and I think that is a very important point. I see a lot of people make that criticism, especially since Byleth loses Sothis' powers at the end of CF. But to me, it's a totally different phenomena that occurs.

In every route, post-timeskip Byleth embraces their divine side. They use the Creator's sword and they go back in time as they wish to protect and further their and their lords' vision for the future of Fodlan. Heck, their main class is literally "Prophet". But something strange and, I think, beautiful happens in Crimson Flower that always made me feel disappointed in the other routes' plots: Byleth has a chance to stand up to their abuser and cut ties with them explicitely and directly. To fight back against them with all they've got.

Now, don't get me wrong. Rhea apologizing for her wrongdoings and bad treatment of Byleth is good, sure, but it just… doesn't seem like enough to me. Sure, that's a nice thought… but it's not like anything can be done about it now: they're stuck with body modifications and a position as an Archbishop reforming the system she helped put in place that they never really asked for in the first place. But what makes it ok is that they embrace those fully and voluntarily, and that's beautiful on its own- however, that resolution leaves me a bit disappointed and honestly feeling like they let Rhea walk all over them.

The thing is, when you get out of an abusive and toxic relationship, you are left changed from the experience. You lose a lot of things, but you also get some things. It's like you're left with a random object your abuser gave to you once. You can either keep it and give it a new story of its own, or discard it if keeping it just doesn't feel right. But in the end, it is your responsibility, your thing, and you're not a bad person for not using it. The metaphor is broken, I know, but I hope you get my idea. You're not a bad person for moving on for that thing- You don't resent the thing, you can thank it and appreciate it for what it brought you while you used it, you don't hate it, hell you might have even learnt from it.

In the other routes, Byleth chooses to keep everything and use it equally. In Crimson Flower, Byleth "regaining their humanity" doesn't in any way, shape or form mean they reject all that Sothis brought to them or their enlightenement. It's just them choosing that they'd rather not use that from now on, or not engage with it to the same degree. They might go back to it later, might help rebuild the church, I don't know-just not in the same way. On new terms that make them more at ease with who they became following that route.

They're still the same loving and caring person who would do anything for their students. They still go to the ends of the Earth to give someone a random thing they lost. They still spend hundreds of coins on their loved ones' favorite teas. But… they do not have to forgive Rhea. They do not have to accept everything that happened to them because of her actions, even if some of it was good. They've made their peace with it and they've let it go of their own volition.

They do not become a lesser version of themselves because they chose to deal with the abuse they went through in a different way than in the other routes.

And I think a lot of people underestimate how powerful CF!Byleth's narrative can be.

[bastart13]

Hubert voice: "Count Varley was assassinated? Oh no how could such a thing have happened?"

Fun fact: when I was thinking of putting Grégoire into some ridiculous regalia that would get him killed, I remembered F!Byleth's Englightened One outfit exists

[hauntedwastelandart]

just thinkin about them

[villtura]

[hyakunana]

Field of Revenge

[askhubertvonvestra]

(I’m not a big fan of Edelgard but I like her better than Rhea because who experiments on an unborn baby just because they want to meet a parent that’s long gone. I’m planning on sparing Seteth and Flayn because I believe that they had nothing to do with those who slither in the dark.)

[I also prefer Edelgard to Rhea, mostly because Rhea had a lot more choices than Edelgard did and she still chose to perpetuate her trauma, creating more victims instead of solutions. That's a hard no from me.

But really, the point of FE3H to me is that no one is blameless. 

Edelgard did have other options, however risky and few they were, but Fodlan as it was didn’t inspire enough confidence for her to overcome her trauma and take those risks. Rhea had enough baggage to fill a train car, more than most humans could ever imagine, but then she built a society that perpetuated that for others. Also, experimenting on babies is very horrible and we hate it.

Dimitri became so focused on how other people sacrificed themselves for him, diminishing his own worth to be in the negative, until he couldn’t see anything else but his self-hatred and need to avenge their deaths. For it all to be worth it. Claude could have been more open with his dream or decisive in his actions, depending on who he was talking to, and it might’ve changed the course of events that took place. (Claude is probably the least to blame, but not exactly blameless either.)

The game has one thing right for sure: there are no “right” sides in war. There are good causes, sure, but it’s not as cut and dry as right and wrong. It’s another important life lesson I’ve gleaned from Fire Emblem games, tbh.

But Seteth and Flayn absolutely deserve to be spared! Just remember to fight them with Byleth. Don’t be like me and forget, then cry your heart out.]