#what Edelgard says throughout the route

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I think something just clicked for me about the three houses lords. They're all ideal lords. Almost genre savy - in a like, Hamlet kind of way. For games that aren't Three Houses and don't *have* three lords, and worlds that haven't been manipulated by an extremely active dragon church for centuries (or longer).

Dimitri is so prepared for betrayal that Edelgard implicating herself is enough for him to snap. He would have charged at Arvis before he had a chance to do half of what he did if he in Sigurd's shoes. Instead, he thrusts into conflict so quickly and avoids like, talking to Edelgard for five minutes to learn the real situation... Not that she's inclined to explain either.

Which brings me to Edelgard herself. She is also genre savy in her own way - she works hard to keep her activities a secret and she *knows* she is surrounded by betrayers with TWSITD (and knows they can replace people too, crucially). She could've caught onto what was going on in Nohr faster and maneuvered around it without others catching in. Instead, her paranoia leads her to fails to communicate with the two people who are, arguably, in the best possible positions to help her - assuming she could find common ground beyond the church. (Which is, quite possibly, the point - Seiros' influence is everywhere in Fodlan, and centralizes in the very place the lords all meet.)

Claude... Would probably get along in Soren's position better than Soren himself. (Though I won't say he's the better tactician, he just seems like he'd get along with them). But he doesn't particularly deal with the problems borne from the church. (Like. The church of Seiros erased medical science progress, the printing press, and other key inventions that could have been huge and improved quality of life throughout Fodlan). Arguably the most relevantly genre savvy - in his own route at least. He is weighed down by circumstance of his smaller, fractured nation though.

Rhea is a good point here, too. In Awakening, she'd basically have been Tiki. (She also might've been able to survive longer than Alear's mom in engage...) But what happened to her mother and family scarred her beyond belief and left her shattered... And she promptly never got therapy for centuries and created a lot of oppressive systems to rewrite the narrative and manipulate the threats to her surviving kin.

Yuri... Yuri is in the correct game. Lay low, bide time, don't rush into any major plans all at once, and side with the professor who seems to have gotten a holy dye job over spring break. 10/10, Ashen Wolves stay winning.

.

[fantasyinvader]

I think a lot of people are wrong about Azure Moon.

I’ve seen before people try to claim it has a broken aesop, that the route argues things aren’t black and white only to have Edelgard turn into a literal monster at the end. But I just have to ask, does it really say that?

The scene people point to is Dimitri learning about what happened in Duscur, where a man who served one of the lords who betrayed Lambert says his lord believed he was the good guy. After all, Lambert was working to remove power from the nobility and hand it to the commoners and therefore was a tyrant who violated his duties under feudalism. But that case is never made, and those who betrayed Lambert did so in secret. They allowed the people of Duscur to take the blame, then profited off of it as they subjugated and persecuted the people there. Meanwhile, they did nothing while Rufus ran the Kingdom into the ground, and sided with Edelgard while again doing nothing as their people suffered.

Is that lord really a good guy, or was he just saying he was the good guy? And this really extends throughout all of the game. Kostas has lines that point to him using poverty for resorting to banditry, acting like it gives him a right to kill. Lonato may make himself out to be the good guy, but he was still forcing his people to fight and crushing villages along his way to Garreg Mach. Miklan can make himself out to be the victim of not having a Crest, but he was kicked out of his family for trying to kill his brother multiple times. Randolf acts like it’s okay for him to invade other countries and subjugate him if he can make a name for himself and his family. The Agarthans justify their acts as being for humanity, just they view anyone that isn’t them as beasts.

And, of course, Edelgard says she’s trying to make a better world.

Human beings can do horrible things and use any excuse to try and justify that. It stands in contrast to Dimitri, who is suicidal because he understands killing is wrong but thinks he has to do it for the sake of the dead. But contrast this, who is accused of ignoring her victims. Hell, paying attention to Edelgard’s words in the parley show her train of thought. She’ll claim to be doing this for the weak, but when pressed that she’s making a world that will only benefit the strong she blames the weak if her reforms don’t benefit them. And if you apply this to Flower, where Edelgard either keeps her allies misinformed or in the dark while fighting alongside TWSITD and the “war assets” they provide her.

It’s only in Azure Moon where the ideals Edelgard is fighting for properly explained and examined.

Azure Moon isn’t a story about how things aren’t black and white. The Oudou/Hadou dichotomy paints it as a better ending between it and Flower after all. Azure Moon is about how human beings can do horrible, horrible things to each other. Not because they’re evil, but because they can make themselves believe they’re in the right while ignoring the things they don’t want to see. That’s the focus here, not gods or the history of the continent.That’s not what’s important here. Humans can be monsters all by themselves. What’s important is how people can turn themselves into monsters and still think they’re the good guy by turning a blind eye, and this is contrasted by the eyepatch-clad Dimitri. Dimitri becomes the savior king because he doesn’t look away, he just needs to learn to live for himself and support the living, whereas Edelgard’s path is meant to lead to tyranny even if you avoid the details that tell you so.

[synergysilhouette]

Remaking "Fire Emblem: 3 Houses"

(Spoilers ahead, obviously)

The time has come for another rewrite! I'm an amateur (re)writer, and I KNOW people are gonna be picky about this rewrite since many consider this entry the Holy Grail of the "Fire Emblem" series, but I hope you'll still be open to my changes, anyway! This is purely subjective and not something that reflects the fandom's opinion or me saying how to make the game objectively "better" (even though the term itself is subjective). I don't remember every single aspect of the game, so if I mention something that I wanted from the game that they actually DID do, be sure to mention it!

General

DON'T RUSH US!--From the get-go, you're on a fixed schedule. Once you become a professor, you've got one day out of the week to explore the grounds, fight battles/do paralogues/xenologues, or another activity. Every Monday, you've gotta do instruction for your student, and the other days literally breeze by until you get to your next story arc. Letting us go at our own leisure would be awesome, particularly since it'd give us more time to get to know our characters via more missions and xenologues. Between school and war, it can get a bit monotonous.

2. Give us impactful dialogue options instead of the illusion of choices--I have the same issue with "Pokemon: Mystery Dungeon." Throughout the game, we're given dialogue options, but most of the time the choices are identical or offer no affect other than a character's approval/disapproval. It felt annoying to have the option to tell the Flame Emperor that you'd join them, only for them to say they could tell you were lying. It's annoying stuff like that that makes it feel like you don't really need dialogue options at all, just cutscenes with Byleth speaking for themselves.

3. Those Who Slither in the Dark being keeping us in the loop--It's wild to me that the people who did the most damage are the most underused in the game. Someone said that making their deeds more pronounced/known would ruin the point, but I disagree. In Crimson Flower, their role in the Tragedy of Duscur is revealed, but Edelgard defeats them offscreen before restoring peace. Dimitri never learns the full truth of this in Azure Moon, and if I recall, the organization does get more attention in Silver Snow (for like 2-3 chapters) and Verdant Wind, but I can't recall for certain. Either way, I feel like each route should feel complete, given that you're playing completely different stories, rather than it feeling like you're missing some information depending on the route you play. Not to mention, Kronya deserves better, even if I'm retconning her actions (more on that in a second)...

4. Don't make us forget about marriage--having to find a ring sucks. After Jeralt dies, you have a certain amount of time in order to find his marriage ring (which I completely forgot about in my first playthrough) that you NEED if you want to reach S-supports with anyone. I'd prefer if Jeralt just gave it to Byleth rather than us having to go to his office and find it.

5. Change the confusing Byleth bloodline--I'm fine with Sitri being either Rhea's daughter or (if you wanna romance Rhea and Sothis without ethical concerns) simply working at the church where she met Jeralt. The family tree above makes things a lot more confusing than what it needs to be.

6. Marriage to (mostly) whoever, whenever--In the game, you have to wait until after the war is over to be married, and out of them, you only have 5 romantic same-sex options for female Byleth--2 of which are route-exclusive--and 3 options for male Byleth--2 of which are either DLC or route-exclusive. I'd rather make it a free-for-all, save for Gilbert and Alois, who are married, and should've never prevented you from a romantic relationship with another character.

7. Keep Jeralt alive--I'm just...I'm just TIRED of the "dead parent/evil parent" storyline that "Awakening," "Fates," and "Engage" have done, along with "3 Houses." I'd enjoy having Jeralt kept alive, in this version. Nevermind, this is probably the longest a protagonist has gotten to keep their parent in one of the recent FE games. Having him stand by Byleth similar to "3 Hopes" would be awesome.

8. Let us have Child units--As someone who got into the series via "Fates" and "Awakening," it disappointed me greatly that child units were removed. While I prefer "Fates" using the Deeprealms, I think an "Awakening" approach fits best here. Perhaps Sothis' time manipulation is more powerful than she knows, having sent the child units from the future to avoid their dark fates. Since it's story-related, perhaps it's Byleth's child who comes from the future first, referencing Chrom's daughter Lucina coming to save him and Emmeryn in "Awakening," only the child comes to save Byleth and Jeralt. Personally I made a lsit of fanmade child units almost a year ago.

9. Recruit Jeritzia outside of Crimson Flower--"3 Hopes" allowed us to do so as long as we had Mercedes in one of our routes, and I'm confused on why that couldn't be done here. Recruiting Mercedes would be the wakeup call Jeritzia needs to join our side, rather than being the opposition.

10. Keep Byleth's hair color--This is a nitpick, but I'd like being able to change Byleth's hair color back to the way it was before becoming one with Sothis. I'm fine with keeping the hair color, though.

11. A 3 Houses United Route--I mentioned in another post about a route where Jeralt survived, TWSITD as the main antagonists. What'd make this route unique (since I'd want the other two changes to be changed in all routes) is that the almost-death of Jeralt would inspire Byleth to leave the church and become a mercenary again, only getting involved years later once they see how the war has affected their students, and they can still recruit others based on their stats, and since they're not tied to a particular "side" in this concflict, they could recruit the house leaders and their aides rather than having to kill them.

12. Fix Dimitri's turnaround (Azure Moon)--It's probably just me, but it felt like Dimitri's vengence and sudden change of heart following Rodrigue's death felt...too quick? I know this is a hot take, but I'd have thought Rodrigue's death would've fueled Dimitri's anger. Plus I didn't feel like Dimitri's redemption (so to speak) was earned. It was just kinda "sorry for being a jerk, guys" even though the whole team seemed to back him. I'd have enjoyed seeing more moments of his sanity and morality kick in amidst the chaos rather than being one-track-minded. I feel like a lot of poorly done villain arcs do this (even if he isn't the villain of this route, per se). Since in my rewrite we learn about TWSITD, it's quite possible that Dimitri's anger is focused elsewhere in any case. Maybe Rodrigue didn't even have to die...

13. Utilize 3 Hopes designs--This may not be a popular opinion, but I think some of the characters looked better halfway in 3 Hopes than in 3 Houses. It would be nice to have the option to switch their costumes to their 3 Hopes looks instead (even though I know they're older in the 3 Houses timeskip than they are in 3 Hopes).

14. NO IGNORANT BYLETH--Instead of other installments that use the amnesia subplots, Byleth is simply kept in the dark about their parents' pasts, the world, and the church (which is kinda the same thing). I'd alleviate this entirely so we can have a mature and well-learned protagonist rather than a teacher who's just learning how the world works and about the tension in the land.

Hope you're not too upset with my version of the game! Lemme know what you think and if you have any questions. The next FE rewrite I do (whenever I get around to it) will be "Engage," which is the last FE game I've played.

[butwhatifidothis]

It's funny how people once pointed out how Edelgard would say to Byleth that she didn't think that they belonged on the path that put them on her side - that Byleth wasn't meant to be here - to show off why CF was like. Not good. Because even the lord of the route is trying to tell the player that uhhh Byleth doesn't belong here, they're supposed to be on the other routes. Which checks with how the devs said that SS is the route the world-building is based on, and how within the game itself CF directly goes against SS' world-building.

It's like. It's like a pretty clear wink wink nudge nudge that the player Dun Goofed and was on the Bad Route with the Red Emperor who mows down any in her way. And which is further backed up by all the the bad implications in CF endings... and its mural... and throughout the story... and the explore dialogues... and Byleth's (and other characters') visible character regression...

But Edelstans have looked at that clear-as-day red flag through some damn fine rose-tinted glasses, and have completely turned that intent around. Nooo, we've got it all wrong, that wasn't any sort of nudge to the player that they're on the wrong path - that's Byleth defying their fate! That's them challenging what was meant for them to go down, and them forging their own path forward through the choices they made!

...Ignore how, if CF is an available route to go down, that would intrinsically make SS a choice as well. Because it is no longer the default in that scenario; one has to make the active choice to still side with the Church over Edelgard. Meaning, like. There is no fate to defy here.

...And ignore how this makes it sound as though this is the only choice Byleth makes about something in the game at that point. There's, well, AM and VW to consider, but even being a saint and ignoring the biggest flaw in this argument, there's still like. The Sealed Forest. You know, that moment when Byleth, not the player, chose to do something, of their own volition, and even against the wants of Rhea (the stand-in for fate, according to Edelstans)? Real funny how that never seems to ever be a factor in Edelstans' arguments about why Byleth needs Edelgard to learn how to make choices - they can do it just fine.

Just like they, Byleth, and not the player, chooses to side with Rhea and not Edelgard as the "default."

Like they NEVER seem to see that as a possibility! That Byleth CHOSE to side with Rhea! They say that's Byleth *~submitting to the whims of fate~* instead of giving Byleth any agency, because that would mean that Byleth would by default choose to defy Edelgard.

But you know what character does attribute Byleth's choosing Rhea as a result of their willful choices and agency?

I refer to an old screenshot:

The game is the one that is saying that Byleth actively and deliberately chose to go onto SS. Not only does nothing in the game support the idea that choosing Rhea/SS is something outside of Byleth's control/a result of strictly fate and nothing else, it literally says the complete opposite. But Edelstans are so hard-set on believing that Byleth can't be anything without Edelgard that they, ironically enough, force them to be by her side and deny any agency Byleth may have that takes them away from her. It's just... a sight to behold really lmao

[semi-imaginary-place]

Claude is by far the most well adjusted of the lords but he's not flawless. What you are pucking up on is how Claude does his own thing independent of Byleth while Edelgard and Dimitri are both deeply emotionally dependent on Byleth. Claude's a very complicated person and character but because he's always holding his whole self back or obscuring parts of himself and his intentions around other people, he is also doing so from the audience so you have to pay attention. Combine this with his subtler character arc because he's much more emotionally stable than Edelgadd and especially Dimitri and most people don't understand Claude. To understand Claude you have to be able to look past the flashiness of the other lords and the series, and piece together clues from throughout his supports and route, most people don't bother they only ever bother getting to know a shallow caricature of him and I get down voted into hell every time I say this.

Claude and Edelgard respond differently. Edelgard has one giant wall but once you are in you are in. So a colder or harsher exterior but passionate and fairly open about her intensions underneath (minus the agarthans). Claude is like an onion there is always a screen no matter how close you get and they are ever shifting so on the surface he is milder than Edelgard but you never see him completely open and honest no holds bared like with Edelgard. Edelgard has a blunt straightforward personality she wants to get straight to the point. Claude will never take a straight path towards what he wants always deflecting and deflecting and misdirecting. They are at their hearts both idealists who care greatly for the people and the world and who are motivated to build something better. Both are able to put their emotions aside and make the decisions that need to be made. Edelgard is willing to cost the entire continent in her war if it means she gets to build a better society out if the rubble. Claude is interesting as he is more willing to sacrifice in Hopes where as in Houses he tries to have a prosperous nation unaffected by war AND win the war, and trying to have his cake and eat it too is what potentially costs him everything in Houses.

[raxistaicho]

Just on the topic that Sothis might magically reconstitute herself and do a bunch of Goddess stuff, including overthrowing Edelgard like her detractors seem to think she will, Fire Emblem Heroes gives some context on what is actually happening with Byleth, courtesy of Seteth.

Fallen Rhea: I believed that if I could resurrect

my mother... I could regain all that had been lost...

Seteth: Your mother? Lady Rhea, you know

full well that such a thing is

forbidden, and yet...

[Alphonse asks what is happening, Seteth explains Rhea's deepest most secreted desire is to bring Sothis back to life.]

Seteth: Day by day, year by year, that desire must have grown, but...it would be the greatest affront of all.

For it was Sothis herself who forbade any and all attempts to return her to life.

Is this the consequence of Lady Rhea’s attempting to break that stricture?

If so, her words can mean only one thing...

1. Seteth says that it was Sothis herself that told the Nabateans not to bring her back to life.

This means she knows it's possible and DOES NOT want it to happen. (I personally have a theory that Sothis was attempting to tell Rhea to become the next "Goddess" to lead Fodlan onwards as their protector and guide when she speak to her in the Holy Tomb before she meets Wilhelm. This would make sense as Rhea says that the name Seiros was given to her in VW, which seems confusing at first until you remember that her birth name is likely "The Immaculate One" or "The White One," in the same way Sothis' is "The Beginning," and Byleth "The Enlightened One." Seiros being a name that references Sirius/The Blue Sea Star and Sothis herself, along with the entanglement of the Crest of Flames and Seiros being the first and last tarot card numbers to actually appear in Three Houses. But I digress.)

2. Not only were the Nabateans told not to bring Sothis back to life, Seteth readily assumes that Rhea is being PUNISHED for attempting to do so. Obviously he's wrong, but it paints a picture of the person Goddess Sothis was and just how taboo this act is.

3. We learn later in this event that Rhea's degeneration is caused by her despair at not being able to resurrect her mother, which obviously matches the in game reasoning. (It also heavily implies that this is THE only thing keeping Rhea from degeneration. She has no other purpose left, which I feel is why she is so so strangely distant, distracted, and unreachable throughout the game. Sothis even criticises her lack of observation that lead to Solon's presence in Garreg Mach. Detachment is clearly not a trait Goddess Sothis would have tolerated in her children. The Nabateans are often hinted at being warriors or at the very least militant by TWSitD and the Shadow Library records, combined with Seteth's intense nature, Rhea's reactions to opposition, Seiros' actions in battle, and the combat oriented nature of Crests. They're all obviously caring, but in the Greek Pantheon/Old Testament kind of way.)

All of this is to say that it's not Byleth or Sothis' heart that "breaks" at the end of Crimson Flower, it's Rhea's.

She's begging and demanding Byleth give her mother's heart back.

We know Sothis is still around. Her essence is in Byleth's soul ever since they merged.

Sothis also says the Crest Stone is nothing but a decoration in every ending of the game, the thing has been empty ever since that point. The only thing keeping it around was Rhea's magic.

There's some heavy implication there that even IF Rhea had been able to retrieve the Crest Stone from Byleth, there wouldn't be a Sothis within it to revive.

Sothis herself didn't just put herself into Byleth, she very likely, and intentionally, made it impossible to revive her from that point onwards.

Now, obviously Rhea can die in SS, but that's also the route where Byleth chooses divinity, that doesn't mean the Crest Stone is still actually doing something when Byleth absolutely should have the Major Crest of Seiros as Jeralt's child. It's literally the X factor Rhea claims to be the difference in Byleth compared to the other vessels. Byleth herself might be keeping the Stone whole, not intentionally, but subconsciously. The same way we all beat our hearts.

Just some thoughts. Rhea is the only one who wanted Sothis back, including Sothis herself. I mean Byleth also wants that, but they get what they want with soul merged Ghosthis.

Also, if Sothis didn't want Edelgard alive, why the hell would she help Byleth wake up? Or bring the rain in CF, or allow Byleth the ability to run through these cycles at all, which her opening dialogue of "It is almost time to begin" and "Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek..."

Considering the Black Eagles is the only route where greater context and knowledge actually enables you to alter the outcome, these quotes show an awareness of that fact. Especially since AM requires the LEAST knowledge of grander events.

Sothis supporting Edelgard and not wanting to be revived is also supported by how "To the End of a Dream" serves as a reference to Rhea's dream to resurrect Sothis, Sothis' constant sleeping, AND Byleth being "The End/Ending" to Sothis' "Beginning."

Sothis canonically, endorses Edelgard through her opinions, actions, foreknowledge/hindsight, and the meta of the game.

It's no mistake that VW and CF titles make allusions to dawn, waking, change and spring, while SS and AM reference night, dreaming, conservation, and winter. The game and Sothis both have a preference.

(Sorry for the essay, I got carried away. I have a lot of thoughts on all four of these ladies.)

Not at all, that was a really interesting bit of analysis! I especially liked point 3 and the point on Sothis acting against Rhea in CF. I broadly knew most of the details from Heroes, but I didn't quite know all the specifics, so I appreciate you sharing them.

[lapinbunwrites]

Title: Tea That Almost Went Cold

Ratings: Gen

Warnings: None

Fandom: Fire Emblem Three Houses

Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra

Charcters: Ferdinand von Aegir, Hubert von Vestra, Edelgard von Hresvelg

Additional Tags: Angst, Fluff, During War, Crimson Flower | Black Eagles Route

Word Count: 1,193

Ao3 Link

Hubert couldn't remember the last time he saw Ferdinand, he really couldn't. The mission that he and Edelgard planned shouldn't be taking this long, he made sure of it. He knew that Ferdinand would complete with perfection, but Hubert took in his irritating personality into consideration when planning. Even for Hubert, it was very eerie that Hubert was still not back at the church.

With Ferdinand's absence, Hubert felt this void throughout his whole body. He tried his best to get rid of the feeling, but most of the time he was just distracting himself. At first it was drowning himself in his paperwork, then when he didn't have that, it was working in the shadows making sure Edelgard's other plans were working seamlessly. There became a point when that everything was taken care of and there was some down time even he couldn't avoid. The darkness that he felt took over yet again.

He was constantly kicking himself in the butt about these feelings. Why was he feeling it? Why did he care about Ferdinand so much? Why did he care about how he ended up home alive? Hubert knew the risks when he planned the mission and Ferdinand knew the risks when taking the mission.

"Ugh" Hubert sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Such a long sigh," Edelgard commented, passing by. "I would say that it's unlike you to sigh, but you always do this."

"You Majesty," he said, looking at her. "I apologize for my demeanor. I did not intend to interrupt you on your walk."

"It's alright," she reassured him. "What's the matter this time around."

"It's something trivial," he dismissed. "Nothing you should worry about. You have more pressing matters to attend to."

"Hubert," she said, her voice becoming deeper. "I highly doubt that this is trivial. Please tell me before I have to order you to do so."

"Very well," he sighed again. "It's Ferdinand."

"Oh, wow," she said, mouth agape. "Now this is unlike you. You worrying about someone else, Ferdinand of all people."

What was more unlike Hubert, he furrowed his brow to her.

"Yeesh," Edelgard sighed. "But this is hardly trivial. Caring for a soldier is a natural for someone."

"Your Majesty," Hubert said in a voice he never, ever gave Edelgard.

She took one giant breathe and exhaled.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," he profusely apologized.

"Anyway, it is a little concerning that he still isn't back," she continued. "Though it's nice to hear him constantly boast about himself and how he his better than me."

"It's strange that I miss hearing him bickering about something things," Hubert mused.

Edelgard raised an eyebrow.

He sighed, trying to rethink his words. "I guess I just miss his voice."

"I'm sure he is alright," she reassured him. "He likes taking his time to make sure the mission ended perfectly."

"I hope you're right," he said under his breath as she walked away.

Hubert went about his day, trying to find something to fill the void. He did chores around the monastery, he did some paperwork, he trained, and he talked to the soldiers and his friends. When none of that worked, he laid down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. He never took his eyes off of the ceiling, not even when his eyes stared to burn and it felt like it the ceiling lowered itself to put pressure on his chest. That ended up being a more pleasant feeling than the void he had been feeling the past few weeks.

He woke up the next morning, yawning and stretching, not realizing that he had fallen asleep. It was rare for him to do so, but even rare when he didn't realize it. He couldn't even pinpoint when he did; was it when he was thinking of the million stupid ways Ferdinand died or failed, or was it when he thought of the millions of way to distract himself from this whole situation. He would never fully know.

For the most part, his routine was still the same but there were a few things that wasn't the same. He didn't get the millions of meticulous reports that Ferdinand, him getting an earful of what he had to say. The one thing that stayed the same, was him making both coffee and tea. Hubert just sat by himself to drink his coffee and breakfast while watching the tea he made go cold.

"Is that you Hubert," a distant voice called out. "I smell the coffee you love to drink."

"What," he said softly, his ears picking up. "That voice..."

"Ah, Hubert," Ferdinand smiled. "It is you. Nice to see you are enjoying yourself."

"Ferdinand!" Hubert said surprised, getting out of his chair and knocking it over. "You're alive?!"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" Ferdinand said in disbelief as he walked over to the table. "May I join you?"

"Of course," Hubert insisted. "You've been gone for months, I was getting worried."

"That is unlike you," Ferdinand said, sitting down. "I am sorry for worrying you, though."

"Ferdinand," Hubert sighed in relief.

"Hm?" Ferdinand asked, taking a sip of the cold tea.

"Where have you been?" Hubert asked. "And this time, I give you full permission to not shut up."

Ferdinand chuckled as he placed the cup down. "Why thank you. You are so gracious Marquess Vestra."

Hubert smiled and shook his head. He listened to the ever riveting story about how he completed the mission perfectly, and how afterwards he got lost. He wasn't surprised that Ferdinand got lost and ended up helping a village on the way back, he was still a buffoon to him.

"So, my dear Hubert," Ferdinand said, holding out his fork with food on it. "What have you been doing lately?"

"Picking up your slack," Hubert teased.

"Ah, I bet the extra workload hasn't been too stressful," Ferdinand teased.

"It kept me busy, to say the least," Hubert said, taking the last drink of coffee he had.

"I wish sometimes you would relax," Ferdinand frowned.

"When you have a friend of yours gone, you have to make it up," Hubert reminded him. "Especially one as important as you."

"Awe, thank you Hubert," Ferdinand said, taking Hubert's hand.

"Don't read too much into it," Hubert growled.

"Too late," Ferdinand said, kissing Hubert's gloved hand.

"Whatever," Hubert said, trying to repress his blush.

"Why don't we spend the day together then," Ferdinand smiled. "We can do whatever you want. It can even be paperwork."

"Don't tempt me," Hubert said, taking their plates.

Ferdinand smiled, helping him with the dishes.

Hubert caved in and allowed himself to relax, even if it was with Ferdinand. All they did was clean dishes, go to the market to grab a few things, and do nothing. All in all, it was a nice day for him. With Ferdinand being back, the void and emptiness that he was feeling was gone. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing to be around him at all. After all, Hubert wouldn't mind if he spent the rest of his life alive if Ferdinand was there at every step of the way.

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

This is my revenge fic for @lysterene who drew me my FE 3H OC Amelia for the FE art scuffle that we were in. Got to write these bitter lovers together for the first time in forever, their A supports and end card obliterated me. Hope you enjoy!

[randomkposts]

I've since learned more about eastern values,

but when I first heard Dimitri was Earth, I had a convo with Eclipse I still like to look back to.

So,

Dimitri and Water Symbolism

---

K:-I think the fandom is missing out on a lot of ways Dimitri could have a lot of water symbolism. This is messy, but I saw a post that gave Dimitri earth element and had an equivalent of "he would not say that". 

I think the element of water really suits him

E:-Now please elaborate ur big brain thoughts on this subject 👀🍿

K:-Like, he's called the Tempest king in in some routes, which is a violent wind storm, especially one with rain, hail, or snow. A violent commotion, disturbance or tumult.

Rain, hail, and snow are all forms of water, brought in by the storm. Claude is the lord who has wind magic, and in an Azure moon route, is the one who allies with him

Dimitris magic is lightning, which is not water, but water is a conduit for electricity.

I could speculate in the direction of Caladblog, the sword of Irish legend Fergus mac Ròich, whose name means hard lightning. Or for a spear, Gae Assail (lightning spear), which was kind of like Irish Molinjor, and never missed its mark and returned to user. Though if we want to tie time skip Azure Moon Dimitri into this, we could go with Claimoh Solais (sword of light) "once unsheathed, no enemy could survive it's wrath"

Wait no, sword lore is cool, but the topic is water.

Mentality-wise, where Edelgard takes her tragedies as fuel to burn the world with, and Claude adapts, Dimitri drowns. 

He drowns in his responsibilities, his regrets, his mistakes, and his declining mental health. His wrath and his ghosts.

But just as water is a death symbol, it is also a symbol of life and resurrection. 

Stagnate water is a stillness, a death, a stasis. 

In rushing water is dangerous, deadly, and chaos associated. It destroys, it leave ruin in its wake, not a bringer of life. 

Dimitri in timeskip is the ocean and full of dangers. 

It's when water is running that it is safe. Running water is not staying still to let disease build up, but moving in a flow that benefits the people. It nourishes.

In Azure moon, the blue lions helped  Dimitri out of the water he was letting control him (in part a hand offered in support to be pulled, but also in part by convincing him to leave that body of water), and throughout that route, the flow of water was redirected into flowing water that could help people. 

So the game has three parts.

Academy:- stagnant. Busy holding an illusion around his mental health status. Also, unable to meaningfully enact change within his kingdom. Can also reference his uncle who stopped his father who was enacting change, and kind of just held things as they deteriorated under his care. And let The Moles run loose.

Time skip- the rain has come. The damm, which has held the water stagnant, has burst, and water is rushing through, carving a path of blood into the enemy army. 

Which means in other paths, it is raining and leaking out in bursts. It's too dangerous to do anything about the damm, and also no one has the tools or time to fix it, so they watch with apprehension.

Post game. The rushing water has been redirected into flowing water, that can benefit the community. He rules, he helps his people instead of being directed at the enemy.

Also, to make a bit of a pun, sorta. 

Splash damage-"damage caused by a nearby explosion, affecting creatures within a certain radius"

Except his splash damage is emotional. Oh also check out each-uisge.

Wait, maybe frozen works better as a starting point for academy Dimitri... Hail?

Fearghus land of north, mountains, cold, and sea. And desert with Sreng.

E:-Okay okay am very much loving what you have about stages of water he is. Particularly the one with stagnant water which carries a disease rampant for anyone in it or near. 

K:-To drain the wound?

E:-The water is no longer filthy and the water purifies itself when its removed. The water is no longer dirty or green but now clear water.

 K:-And Maybe in other routes, he becomes hail. Dangerous, destructive, flung at random in differing sizes? 

Hail:-God's wrath. Judgment. Dream wise hail means emotional turmoil with tiresome thoughts.

Just symbolism alone:- rain is healing, renewal, cleansing, transformation, emotional rebirth, and gifts from the heavens. It can also be sadness, despair, loneliness and isolation.

Storms symbolism:- energy, change, disturbances, unpredictability, chaos, madness, and transformation. 

Sometimes big changes must happen in order to experience healing and renewal

The way to renewal is often through the path of destruction.

E:-Rain is calming as it is deadly. Wait till we explain acidic rain.

K:- thank you. Oh, I found a card that should come up in Dimitris Tarot reading. Ten of wands. Probably in reverse.

"The ten of wands is a card of burden. This principle can apply easily to your work life. When upright, the ten suggests that you are feeling overworked. It might be that you have too many projects for you to handle on your own. See if it is possible to delegate or share your load with others. Collaboration and delegation are your greatest aids at this time. Do not be afraid to ask for assistance or speak up about an uneven distribution of work. If your workload is not particularly heavy right now, it might be that you find the tasks at hand uncommonly difficult or draining. It is still okay to ask for a hand if you need one.

Ten of Wands Meaning-

If you would rather not swap to a web page you can read below

The Ten of Wands Tarot Card Description

"A man is shown carrying a heavy burden of wood, in the form of ten bundled wands, approaching a town which is not too far. This image on the ten of wands indicates a person who has already struggled in life and has succeeded, and he is now carrying the harvests to his final destination. Although he is not near the destination, it shows that he has finished the hardest part of life struggle and he just needs a place to relax and revel in his success. "

Upright Ten of Wands Meaning;

"This card shows that you have already completed the circle of struggle. After spending too many resources and lots of energy looking for success, you have finally overcome the obstacles. The sweat off your brow was worth it - your efforts have finally been rewarded. You may find yourself living in a world of abundance where poverty and suffering have no chance to intervene.

Although it sounds marvelous and satisfying, the card depicts a lot of responsibilities on your side. You are now the sole problem solver in your circle of family and friends which could even propel you into another world of challenges. At this point, you are also flooded with responsibilities to maintain your success. The businesses that you have started are flourishing and keeping you on your toes. The main problem is that these issues could overwhelm you if you lose control, which requires you to make sure that you know how to prioritize and solve the relevant ones.

In the real world, this card expresses how people try to burden themselves with responsibilities after they attain initial success. It is like graduating from college, getting a job and then starting to make it in the real world. More challenges keep coming, you may find yourself looking after you parents, starting a family and at the same time look to others, which may make you feel as though you not yet successful. It becomes a burden because at some point you find out nothing is enough to accomplish all these duties. The general lesson of the card is that people should be moderate, prioritize and understand that they cannot solve everything, some things must be let go, given to others, the burden shared.

When the Ten of Wands card is reversed, it indicates that you are truly burdened by circumstances which are not necessary in your life. Look around and see what is bothering you that will not positively impact yourself even if you rectify it. Drop them all and be a free being that can think soberly and do things accurately. Anything that does not add value in your life is not worth your time, so let it go."

Reversed Love Meaning :

"failure to share burdens with partner, finding emotional support from partner

Carrer-relief from work burdens, finding support, delegating tasks, burn out

Finances:-relief from financial burden, finding assistance, deeper economic trouble.

Azure moon timeskip deff has ten of swords though. 

[quietsun5268]

Fire Emblem Three Houses: Which Ending is a Happy (or most Fulfilled) Ending(s) for Bernadetta in Fire Emblem Three Houses? (ALL ENDINGS INCLUDED)

Not all character endings are happy ones. Some don't accomplish their goals, there are those who don't completely heal from trauma, or they're overshadowed by someone they're paired with. However, There are also those who accomplish their goals no matter what (Ex: Ignatz being a painter) or seem content with how things went for them.

I'm mostly not going to discuss supports (meaning compatibility between characters or the most romantic) since that's not what this is about. It's about which endings would be the happiest for a specific character or what makes them more fulfilled (you can choose more than one).

Recap: Dedue

Ingrid

So right now, we are going to discuss Bernadetta. Due to the abuse she suffered from her father in attempts to make her a "perfect wife", she developed a fear of people to the point she'd rather stay in her room all day. Some endings she'll heal from her trauma and grow as a person but in other endings she'll still remain a shut-in.

Before you read the endings, I should bring this up. After Edelgard ascended the Adrestian throne, Bernadetta's father was placed under house arrest and was stripped of his title, remaining in this situation during the Crimson Flower. In the Verdant Wind and Silver Snow routes, Count Varley is released from his arrest after Edelgard's death and resumes control of House Varley, though if Byleth talks to Bernadetta, they are given the option to either restore his house arrest or exile him. So he gets screwed either way.

Bernadetta

Endings

Bernadetta - Eternal Loner

"As soon as Bernadetta inherited House Varley from her father, she withdrew from all political discourse and focused solely on the management of her own territory. Because of this and her penchant for spending long periods of time in "hibernation," she became known throughout the house's history as the "Bear of Varley.""

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: I don't think so. I think "long periods of time in "hibernation"" is another way to say that she's still a shut-in.

Is this a happy ending for Bernadetta, no, or so-so?: On one hand, she doesn't grow in confidence but on the other hand, her father gets no benefits if she remains single.

Bernadetta and Byleth (Crimson Flower)

"Almost as soon as Byleth and Bernadetta were finally wed, the battle against those who slither in the dark began in earnest. Many were concerned that the new leader of House Varley would do little more than hide, but she fell in alongside her husband and followed him everywhere, fighting to bring lasting peace to Fódlan. Forced to throw herself into one terrifying battle after another, Bernadetta developed such a tough character, it is said that absolutely nothing could frighten her."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: Yes.

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Byleth, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both, Bernadetta managed to get past her fear and be more courageous thanks to her accompanying Byleth on his many expeditions to stamp out those who slither in the dark. Byleth gets a partner who fights beside him against Those who Slither in the Dark and might have a place to settle After the war.

Bernadetta and Byleth (Azure Moon)

"After taking on the role of archbishop of the Church of Seiros, Byleth announced his marriage to Bernadetta. Many were concerned that the new leader of House Varley would do little more than hide, but she in fact followed the archbishop wherever he went and provided him with constant counsel. She never did overcome her shyness, however, and it is said that aspiring advisers who frightened her were quickly turned away. Because the ones she liked performed well in their service to the church, Bernadetta was widely believed to have a discerning eye."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ??? (She's still shy but not a total shut-in.)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Byleth, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Maybe Both. Bernadetta might still be shy but she might have room to grow, especially since her father isn't around. Plus she's able to assist Byleth in a way.

Bernadetta and Byleth (Verdant Wind / Silver Snow)

"After ascending the throne as the first leader of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, Byleth announced his marriage to Bernadetta. Many were concerned that the new leader of House Varley would do little more than hide, but she in fact followed the new king wherever he went and provided him with constant counsel. She never did overcome her shyness, however, and it is said that aspiring advisers who frightened her were quickly turned away. Because the ones she liked performed well in their service to the people, Bernadetta was widely believed to have a discerning eye."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ??? (She's still shy but not a total shut-in.)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Byleth, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Maybe Both. Bernadetta might still be shy but she might have room to grow, especially since her father isn't around. Plus she's able to assist Byleth in a way.

Bernadetta and Edelgard

"When Bernadetta inherited House Varley from her father, she tried to withdraw from politics and remain within the bounds of her territory, but Edelgard, the new Adrestian emperor, would not allow it. Instead, she demanded that Bernadetta counsel her in governing Fódlan. It is said that the emperor made this choice to keep herself from being too detached, and that Bernadetta was all too happy to provide a more emotional perspective now and again. The people of Enbarr could always tell when the two were meeting by the sound of Bernadetta’s panicked voice ringing out from the palace."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ??? (It didn't say she grew confident but it also didn't say she's a total shut-in)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Edelgard, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both. While Bernadetta didn't grow confident and tried to remain secluded, Edelgard instead gave Bernadetta a place within her Empire. Thanks to Bernadetta, Edelgard might not fall back to a too ruthless/detached mindset. Also, remember Edelgard placed Bernadetta's father under house arrest and was stripped of his title. So I'd like to think that there's another motive for Edelgard having Bernadetta give her counsel. Not only to keep Edelgard from getting too detached but to protect Bernadetta from her father, if he's still in house arrest.

Bernadetta and Hubert

"The marriage between Hubert, Minister of the Imperial Household, and Bernadetta, leader of House Varley, was so surprising to the public that it was much talked about even outside of political circles in the capital. Bernadetta took the opportunity to survey the far reaches of the new Adrestian Empire, and in her absence, Hubert took well to the management of Varley territory. They proved to be an astonishingly good match, working together to protect Fódlan from the shadows. It is said that they showed their affection for one another by wearing matching embroidered flowers."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: Maybe Yes (While it didn't say she grew confident, it also didn't say she remained shy nor is she a complete shut-in.) (Read the next paragraph for more info)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Hubert, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Both. Again, while it didn't say she grew confident, she didn't remain a shut-in either. It said that "Bernadetta took the opportunity to survey the far reaches of the new Adrestian Empire, and in her absence, Hubert took well to the management of Varley territory." Which means she's able to get out of the house and grow to have some independence (it might imply growth in confidence and as a person.), while Hubert watches over her territory for her (plus, if Bernadetta's father is still in house arrest, Hubert might scare him to the point he leaves Bernadetta alone. Haha.). Also Hubert might've moved on from his feelings for Edelgard.

Bernadetta and Ferdinand (Crimson Flower)

"After the war, Bernadetta renounced her claim to House Varley. She married Ferdinand, the new Duke Aegir, and the two contributed to relief efforts by instituting reforms across their Dukedom. Due to the success of those policies, Ferdinand was offered the position of Prime Minister by the emperor. He accepted, leaving the management of Aegir territory to his wife, while he worked to apply their ideas to the Empire at large. Since Bernadetta did not like to leave home, Ferdinand's life involved a lot of travel to and from the capital, but it is said he always embarked on his return home with a smile on his face."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Ferdinand, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: For Ferdinand, yes. Ferdinand aspires to be the next Imperial Prime Minister as the head of his family is traditionally one. But he also wants to make up for his father being a corrupt one. He succeeds in being a good one here. As for Bernadetta, it depends on the viewpoint. She doesn't like to leave home, which implies that she hasn't healed from her trauma, the only good part in this is that she renounced her claim to House Varley meaning her father doesn't get any benefits from her marriage.

Bernadetta and Ferdinand (Other routes)

"After the war, Bernadetta renounced her claim to House Varley. She married Ferdinand, the new Duke Aegir, and the two contributed to relief efforts by instituting reforms across their Dukedom. Due to the success of those policies, Ferdinand was offered the opportunity to help govern all Fódlan. He accepted, leaving the management of Aegir territory to his wife, while he worked to apply their ideas to the world at large. Since Bernadetta did not like to leave home, Ferdinand's life involved a lot of travel, but it is said he always embarked on his return home with a smile."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No 

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Ferdinand, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: For Ferdinand, yes. Ferdinand's belief is that it's nobles' duty to protect and elevate the commoners they are supposed to be shepherding. While he doesn't get to be the Imperial Prime Minister in this, he gets to be in a position where he can help. As for Bernadetta, it depends on the viewpoint. She doesn't like to leave home, which implies that she hasn't healed from her trauma, the only good part in this is that she renounced her claim to House Varley meaning her father doesn't get any benefits from her marriage.

Bernadetta and Linhardt (Crimson Flower)

"Linhardt and Bernadetta caused quite the stir after the war when they abandoned their inherited titles and eloped to Garreg Mach. Returning to the monastery, where they were always most comfortable, the couple lived peaceful lives away from the hassle of politics. When the Empire's efforts to restore the church were complete, the officers Academy reopened, and two eccentric individuals took up professorships there. One was perpetually asleep, or absorbed in absentminded study; the other refused to show herself at all unless it was time to give a lecture."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Linhardt, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: For Linhardt, yes. One of the things about him is that he loves freedom, another is that he has an interest in researching crests. Without the pressure of being an heir/lord and him being able to have access to special artifacts in Garreg Mach if he's a professor, he might study crests as long as he wants. For Bernadetta, it depends on how you look at it. On one hand she is far away from her father, but on the other hand she still hides away. (I wonder if the future students will learn anything with those two has professors)

Bernadetta and Linhardt (Other routes)

"Linhardt and Bernadetta caused quite the stir after the war when they abandoned their inherited titles and eloped to Garreg Mach. Returning to the monastery, where they were always most comfortable, the couple lived peaceful lives away from the hassle of politics. When the church was fully restored, the officers Academy reopened, and two eccentric individuals took up professorships there. One was perpetually asleep, or absorbed in absentminded study; the other refused to show herself at all unless it was time to give a lecture."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Linhardt, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: (same thing as their Crimson Flower route)

Bernadetta and Caspar

"After some uncertainty about the details, it was decided that Caspar would marry into Bernadetta's family, seeing as she had claim to House Varley. The two had a chaotic reign and a marriage to match. Each time Caspar caused some incident, Bernadetta would demand promises as recompense. Over time, their oaths accumulated to such a great number that it became necessary to compile them, and the resulting document came to be known as the "47 Articles of Bernie." Among these Articles was the provision that, when counting their large quantity of children, Caspar was not to accidentally count his wife among them."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ???

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Casper, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Ehhh… it's a little complicated. For Bernadetta, it makes no mention of her being recluse or growing confident. For Casper, it depends. As a crestless second son, he's often overshadowed by his older brother and a little ignored by the rest of his family but at the same time he is grateful that he is not the one to succeed House Bergliez as he can live a life he desires unbound from the trappings of nobility. Because of the circumstances he decided to make a name for himself through martial ability. In some Crimson Flower routes he becomes Minister of Military Affairs, while in some non-Crimson Flower he travels the world. In here, it makes no mention he does either of them (The Crimson Flower, part you can only assume), but he doesn't seem to mind.

Bernadetta and Felix (Azure Moon)

"After the war, Felix inherited the title of Duke Fraldarius from his late father, Rodrigue. He married Bernadetta, who abandoned claim to House Varley in order to start a life with him. After they had finished restoring Fraldarius territory, Felix traveled across Fódlan as the king's right hand. While he was away, Bernadetta handled local affairs while holed up in her room in the castle. The frigid air of northern Faerghus caused her to hide away even more than usual, but whenever her beloved husband returned, she would rush out to greet him."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ??? (Read the next paragraph)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Felix, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?:  It depends. While this ending doesn't say she grew confident and it says she holed up in her room, it can be excused due to her not being adapted to Faerghus's cold land. Plus, It's says that she always rushes out to greet Felix when he returns home, which can be taken as she's somewhat healed if you want. Bonus points is that even when she married a high ranking noble like her father wanted, he gets no benefits since she cuts ties with him. Felix wants to become the best swordsman, but it often leads him to neglect other things. In this ending, he grew up a bit. There doesn't seem to be a problem for Felix in this ending.

Bernadetta and Felix (Other routes)

"After the war, Felix attempted to set out on his own, but was waylaid by Bernadetta, who begged him not to go. Persuaded to stay, Felix ended up marrying into House Varley, the title of which Bernadetta had inherited. The couple got along smoothly, although it was rumored that in the early years of their marriage, she once had to restrain him physically to prevent him taking a trip to the Oghma Mountains to train. As the years wore on, Bernadetta became more reclusive, and Felix took over many of the day-to-day duties of running the house. Documents from their later years were increasingly signed with the name Felix, Count Varley."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Felix, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: It depends on how you see it. Bernadetta becomes more reclusive in this. But Felix doesn't end up wandering  mercenary, throwing himself in battle with a death wish. He ends up having a place to stay with a new family. Plus, he didn't "vanish from recorded history" meaning he might still have ties with his friends/classmates

Bernadetta and Raphael

"When Bernadetta first inherited control of House Varley, she hid away and would not involve herself in political or administrative affairs. During this time, it was Raphael who came to her aid, encouraging her to work through her fear of people. The training period was difficult-"humiliating," according to the journals Bernadetta left behind—but in the end, it had its desired effect. The leader of House Varley became an outgoing and authoritative individual, taking part in public policy. She even took on a very muscular husband."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: Yes

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Raphael, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Is it a happy ending for Bernadetta? Yes, because thanks to Raphael she didn't become more recluse, got over her fears, and became active as a leader of her house. Plus, her father wants her to marry another noble, so marrying a commoner Is like giving him a middle finger. Is it a happy ending for Raphael? It depends. He wants to become a knight, but this ending makes no mention if he did. However, this ending also didn't mention his life before he arrived in Varley territory, so we can only assume if he became a knight during that time or if he became a knight in service of House Varley instead.

Bernadetta and Seteth

"After the war, Seteth remained at the monastery and dedicated himself to the restoration of the church. He was soon joined by Bernadetta, who abandoned her inheritance to House Varley and took up residence at Garreg Mach to commit to a life as a recluse. As the years wore on, Seteth wrote many fables, first in his spare time, and then later as his main preoccupation. His stories became famous among children throughout Fódlan. As he gained renown, many began to inquire about the wonderful illustrations that accompanied the writing. In response to these questions, Seteth was known to shrug and say, "Ask my wife... if you can find her.""

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: No

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Seteth, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: I think Only Seteth, because while the only positive thing about this for Bernadetta is her cutting ties with her father, she still hides away from everyone. Seteth does seem content write stories and restoring the church, plus he moves on from his first wife.

Bernadetta and Jeritza

"After the war for Fódlan, Jeritza threw himself fully into the struggle against those who slither in the dark. Visage masked by the likeness of death itself, he laid waste to his enemies with a scythe that terrified friend and foe alike. When it was all over, he stole away in secret and vanished. At the same time, a mysterious guest arrived in Varley territory, which Bernadetta had inherited from her father. On that day, the reclusive noble and her guest were seen walking the grounds pleasantly together. A rendition of that scene, said to be painted by Bernadetta herself, remains at the estate to this day."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: ???

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Jeritza, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: Bernadetta's case is ambiguous since it makes no mention whether she's a recluse or grew confident. But she does gain a partner in Jeritza (I say partner because it's unknown if they have a platonic or romantic relationship. I'm also imagining him scaring Bernadetta's father if he's still in house arrest and not in exile). In Jeritza's case, yes it's a happy ending for him because it seems like he manages to control his Death Knight persona and move beyond his blood-soaked past.

Bernadetta and Yuri

"Bernadetta’s struggle with anxiety made it difficult for her to take over as the head of House Varley. She became so overwhelmed that when Yuri chanced to visit her domain, she literally grabbed hold of his arm and refused to let go. Baffling as it was for Yuri at the time, this peculiar state of affairs eventually led to marriage. The commonfolk were initially perplexed, but over the years they became grateful for Count Varley’s surprising husband. His presence kept her calm and allowed her to deal with her people more frequently and easily. As a result, her talent for governance blossomed and her rule was widely celebrated."

Is Bernadetta able to recover from her trauma?: Yes (Read next paragraph)

Is it a happy ending for only Bernadetta, only Yuri, both, neither, or ehhh… (like it's too complicated to decide)?: It's a happy ending for Bernadetta since Yuri also helps her out of her shell in this. Plus, her father wants her to marry another noble, so marrying a commoner Is like giving him a middle finger. As for Yuri it depends, he wants to help the less fortunate and he's a fairly dedicated follower of the Church of Seiros. First Adrestian Empire history, 120 years before the start of the game The Southern Church instigated an insurrection that spread throughout the empire and was subsequently quelled. Following this incident, the Adrestian Emperor exiled the Bishop of the Southern Church and forced the Southern Church itself to shutter. A Ministry of Religious Affairs was established to replace it with command under House Varley; they're primarily tasked with maintaining relations with the Church of Seiros. Take it for what you will, thought I'd bring related info up, it really depends on the route they're on (like if they can keep the Religious Affairs position or not.). Although, some might say it is not good since she basically forced him to stay. But I guess Yuri is able to help the commonfolk in Varley by helping their lord. I'm also imagining him scaring Bernadetta's father if he's still in house arrest and not in exile (The only complaint I have is their A-Support where Yuri mentions that Bernadetta is lucky to have a father that cares enough to save her, which gives an impression that he doesn't know about the abuse she suffered from her father.)

Which of these endings is her most happy endings (you can choose more than one)? What do you rank these endings? You can even discuss Bernadetta's supports as a reason in comment.

Voting is optional - Fire Emblem Three Houses: Which Ending(s) is a Happy Ending (or most Fulfilled Ending) For Bernadetta?: https://strawpoll.com/polls/e6Z285NXwnN

Reddit (you can click here if you want to see what other people think in the comments but know that the polls aren't in Reddit)

[sukimas]

Have you played every single FE game, and if so, what would a tier list of all FE games look like for you?

i have! for better or for worse.

favorite to least favorite (note: this is not objectively best to objectively worst) by all factors combined (i can make separate gameplay, story, etc lists)

1. fe4. it is the fucking video game. does it have flaws? most certainly. does it scratch the itches of BIGNUMBERS, interesting politics, and grounded but neat characters, all while taking place on maps the size of jupiter? most definitely. almost every quirk this game has is something that actively improves it in my personal opinion.

2. fe5. certainly a Rough game to play blind. but in terms of story, gameplay, and the integration of the two, probably the most seamless. fun to snap in two or to play fairly normally. suffers a little bit in my ranking from being a bastard for blind play and lifting most of its large scale story elements straight from fe4.

3. radiant dawn. almost entirely a gameplay choice; the story is not bad but on normal this game is the most fun to fuck around on of any in the series for me, thanks to bexp abuse and the variety of units you can use. i wish mages were better and the part 3 plot is kind of a wet fart, but overall it’s really fun to play. we don’t talk talk about hard mode. or the changes to laguz gauges.

4. surprise! it’s mystery of the fucking emblem. tis an extremely, extremely silly game gameplaywise, but silly in a way that is very enjoyable. the plot is the template for essentially all femblemembles that follow; fe1 is a rough draft but this is the quintessential FE. VERY done, team. has some of the better music in the series despite being very snes

5. path of radiance. honestly, just extremely solidly done all around. not much that makes it UNIQUE beyond superficially (the laguz can be seen in plenty of other factions in various ways) but it puts everything together so well and world builds excellently. unfortunately gameplay is a total snoozefest even if you actively try to make it more difficult for yourself. not bad by any means but just boring to me.

6. three houses. mostly gets this spot thanks to first playthrough gameplay and story alone; on repeats it really falls off hard. but the worldbuilding and characters remain fairly good (though still number 3 in the series, imho) throughout; despite being unfinished, most of the stories are very compelling and the monastery is very fun on a first playthrough. suffers severely from a case of wanting to fuck rhea. like she’s not even a bad character but the way the game goes out of its way to go You Should Fuck Rhea is something special. edelgard is somewhat different because in the routes where you don’t pick her it is essentially onesided. but anyway despite all that good game. love to play it again someday.

7. echoes: shadows of valentia. they have absolutely shot themselves all the way in the foot with the story on this one. gaiden was limited by the nes’s hardware limitations, so that it managed to have a better story is exceedingly significant; fucking power of love stab in the gut. no dracozombies. the game MECHANICS of this one are quite good (in particular i’m very fond of hp-cast magic) but they do not get to shine because of The map design. the presentation however is top notch. mostly gets this low of a spot because of stupid map design and celica route, but is still a very very beloved game to me; the games here and above are essentially my really liked games tier. below here is Good.

8. first Good game: fe8/sacred stones. does not have much unique going for it i will be totally honest. however, it executes pretty much everything it does pretty well, much like PoR; the problem is it simply is not as ambitious as the former, so it doesn’t get points for, say, fantastic worldbuilding. has an engaging plot, good characters, fun classes, and is an enjoyable game to play if you ignore seth.

9. second Good game: awakening. it may be balanced like shit. its story may be full of holes. it may be full of anime tropes galore. but god fucking dammit it is Fun and this is what matters. got me into the series and i can still toss afternoons into its gaping maw without question. stupid game. it’s great sometimes.

10. third Good game: fe7. there is not much going on here story wise i am not gonna lie. the maps are also fairly poorly put together in much of the game. however the cast dynamics are quite good, and the characters you get are fairly well balanced; it’s a fun game to play even if i don’t think about it often.

11. [deep sigh] fe11 technically counts as a Good game i guess. i deeply enjoy the story of fe1, as it’s not as generic as one might think, and putting the pieces from the manual into the actual game is neat. unfortunately the presentation is shit and the gameplay is less fun than fe3 book 1 in every conceivable way. can someone please make a fun marth game.

12. fates (all routes). irredeemable light novel story. complete garbage. i am also not a huge fan of conquest’s gameplay and map design! i do not like skill memorization; i much prefer interesting weapons and terrible enemy staves to fuck you poison strike. however, this game is quite good at giving you unit customization without the stupidly large ranges of customizability that awakening/3h/marth remakes do. it can be a lot of fun sometimes. but only sometimes.

13. fe6. mystery of the emblem again! but actually, it’s worse in every conceivable way. despite the support system, characters are less compelling; gaiden chapters with no well-telegraphed requirements needed for the true ending, instead of being explicitly told to get the star shards (and getting them being fairly trivial); bland ass protagonist who literally talks to the convoy because he has no other friends; underbaked dragon lore that tries to get you to feel something; overly tanky enemies for no good reason; frankly childishly written antagonists, even compared to the likes of fucking medeus and hardin; and just no fun allowed in general.

14. new mystery of the emblem. have you ever wanted mystery, but with no fun allowed? have i got a video game for you.

15. gaiden. has a better story than echoes. otherwise lol three thousand year animations.

16. fe1. i love the mechanics here! it is unfortunate that they are on a game on the NES from 33 years ago. the story is also pretty good. but generally some weird choices here, good and bad. aged significantly worse than for example famicom wars. RIP. some day, see you again!

[dragonsarecats]

What you say might be true for the Blue Lions but not for the Black Eagles? SS existence show how functionally the Black Eagles aren't loyal, they can all turn against her in a way that goes beyond not exactly following her like some Deers with Claude. But focusing on Edelgard point of view, she certainly doesn't take for granted loyalty, she think most people will go against her once the truth is out ( it's often brought up, be it in dialogue like Dorothea support or her behavior like the deep suprise when you support her in the Holy Tomb, hell there's even way she constantly ask if Byleth is they're sure they want to follow her consistently throughout the route ) and even with her ally she remain cautious ( the most obvious is her behavior towards Shez, but remaining in house you have the moment when she hide what happened in Arainrhod for example ): just like Claude learn to trust in VW, so does Edelgard in CF. "Having a group of people one can rely on" is also a fundamental theme of CF, that's Edelgard arc with the Black Eagles strike force and Byleth.

And it's normal: Claude has trauma around trust, and so does Edelgard. Claude was an outsider and a kid growing in a situation of deep rivalry, his situation was so dire he was under treat of assassination; and he end up in country which he still has a lot to learn about and where people hate his very origin ( very angry at how people dismiss how horrific Claude past is, and how much it affect him by the way ). Edelgard lived through political turmoil where her father was betrayed in a political coup, then she was herself directly betrayed by a person she trusted, her uncle, ending up in a situation no one should ever have to live through. Ever once she's out, she's under the abuse of a shadowy group that have manipulated major event in she shadow and who can litteraly take people face. All while learning the most influential institution of Fodlan is hiding the truth.

( And Ferdinand isn't loyal? On Edelgard point of view he's the son of the man who betrayed and used her father, and a man who deeply support the system. On Ferdinand point of view you have him constantly doubting Edelgard at the beginning of CF, one of his first line after the Flame Emperor reveal being "As the next Duke Aegir, should I follow Edelgard into battle?"... Felix is miserable when you recruit him elsewhere, but Ferdinand not so much? And it makes sense looking at Adrestrian politics and how he isn't Edelgard childhood friend unlike Felix with Dimitri )

Previous answer here

Okay, so once again, I need to reiterate that when I discuss themes and characters in fire emblem three houses, I am always doing so in relation to how the narrative and gameplay framework go together. I've said it as a joke, but Jeralt is a prime example of how this works and how narrative and gameplay roles really affect each character.

So to that end, I really don't think you can say Ferdinand isn't loyal. No one is loyal in this game save for Hubert and Dedue (as various church people are recruitable and thus by metrics we're using, not completely loyal, although Catherine has a similar situation to Hilda, I think). They can't be loyal because they have to be recruitable.

You also have to keep in mind that you recruit people pre-war. They literally just transfer into different homerooms. No one is recruited with the initial intention of not going back to their home territory after they graduate, lol. But the academy phase is all about developing bonds within the class and with the professor and when the war goes down--well, they all weight their bonds and their loyalties and chose the former, save for a few exceptions (Lorenz, Ashe, etc. Characters you recruit and have to "recruit" again after defeating them with Byleth post time-skip).

That is to say, again, Byleth is the fulcrum on which this universe spins, both narratively and in game. Three Hopes proves it.

Characters need to be recruitable, and so everyone's loyalty is suspect.

Which is why I don't think your Silver Snow argument holds much water? I don't mean that disrespectfully, just that I disagree with your interpretation of what this means. Edelgard and Claude are exceedingly similar in several ways, and are often directly compared in both their routes in their ideals and differing methods. They also have similar trust issues, but again, are vastly different.

Edelgard has always had someone her age she can rely on. She has always had the same person, in fact, in Hubert. Claude does not; he does not have an official retainer for a reason. Edelgard desperately wants to trust people--even in Verdant Wind, she's filled with longing towards Byleth when they've comparatively barely interacted. Claude and Edelgard deal with their trust issues in different ways; Edelgard longing quietly to have a hand reached out to her, and Claude longing to reach out a hand that won't be smacked away. It's why his speech when they defeat Nemesis is so important.

I don't think Edelgard takes loyalty for granted at all--sorry if that was unclear. I don't think Dimitri does either. I don't think they can considering their pasts. But they take for granted this respect that's naturally given to them as leaders, that Claude visibly has to fight tooth and nail for. There's a reason people are constantly hounding over Claude's secrets but not Edelgard's when in my mind she's far more suspicious in her respective route. However, I think on the surface, Claude thinks they take these things for granted. They have loyal, unswayable retainers, noble connections formed in childhood, rivals who they dispute with who don't literally seek to take their power, and just a general respectful air granted upon them that he doesn't.

When it comes to Silver Snow, again, I don't really think that can be compared to what happens with Claude. Without Byleth, Claude loses members of the Deer. This is entirely different to Edelgard losing the Eagles because they are loyal to Byleth. Byleth's charisma and ability to earn the trust of people despite her inherent oddness (even to distrusting people like Hubert and Claude, because again I don't think Edelgard is inherently untrusting) is a feature, not a bug. Edelgard feels so betrayed in Silver Snow not just because her house has left her and she trusted them but because her teacher has turned against her and taken the house with her, an echo of what happened to her father.

It's just. They have very different situations going on, lol? Silver Snow is less a commentary on how people leave Edelgard and more an expansion on the recruitment function--people will, when push comes to shove, chose the bond they've cultivated with Byleth over the bond with their Lord. Without this interference, Edelgard doesn't lose any of her people. They're loyal.

And yes, that includes Ferdinand, lmao.

Each house leader deals with dissent in a different way. Edelgard ignores it, Dimitri tries to placate it, and Claude engages with it. Edelgard and Ferdinand's arc is about him learning to stop comparing himself to her because she is his better; not in their current world, but the world she wants to create, a meritocracy. Her abilities surpass his and he grows to respect that. In Verdant Wind, when confronted on the bridge, he mentions how he feels like he's the only one who can properly advise Edelgard (likely in part to how he thinks Hubert isn't critical enough of her and does whatever serves her best).

He might disagree with her, but he believes it's his role to guide her, and frankly, it is, narratively. Edelgard doesn't show distrust of him because of what his father did, but rather, exasperation. She and Ferdinand may not be childhood friends, but they did grow up together, and she's been used to him doing this since they were children, as she mentions. Any doubt Ferdinand has about following Edelgard is less about his personal feelings for her, in my opinion, and more about what he's supposed to do as someone in his role. "Do I support her as the son of the prime minister?" Not Edelgard as Ferdinand, but an Emperor and her future advisor.

[faroreswinds]

Hi, I know you're interested in Tears of the Kingdom right now, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind hearing my take on Hopes and answering a few of my questions. I bought Hopes during the christmas sale, and have now completed all routes 3 times.

First of all, for GW it's a real disaster indeed.

As for AG, it was very good in part 1, but I find it performance decreased in part 2 after completing the basis of the story in part 1.

As for SB, everyone says it fixed all of Edelgard's problems, but I don't see that. Hopes has improved some of her causes of war, but the world-building still contradicts her claims, she is still a contradictory character, and still all characters do not contradict her or question her actions. To be honest, Edelgard in Houses was just a plot device, she is responsible for bandits in prologue, the unrest in part 1, starting a war in part 2, and even in Dimitri's story. Just all her problems lay in not fully revealing her background and having characters question her about the reason for her actions. In Hopes, instead of fixing her problems, they decide to destroy Claude's character and make him a clone of her, throwing Rhea away and turning her into a punching bag. Even Dimitri was at many moments contradictory or OOC for her in AG part 2, in Zahras, and in GW for her clone. In the end I find that Hopes kills off any chance for Fodlan to have a golden route due to confirming that conquest is an essential part of Edelgard's character. If Intsys is considering awarding Fodlan a golden route, they should make Edelgard an OOC.

As for Shez, everyone also says they're better than Byleth and have personality, but Shez just proves that even if they were a full-voiced protagonist, it didn't change that they were poorly written. They cannot be considered to have a personality if their writings have contradictory features, since in their support with Lysithea it contradictory in being frank and direct. Not to mention their revenge story, which made me feel like Shez is just a drama queen, but no, they're just poorly written. I simply feel that Shez is a character who has no role or meaning in a story. Shez was throughout the story just a camera for the player's perspective, they had no foundation in story or lore. Ironically, Byleth excels at these points, where they have a solid foundation, while Shez's sole foundation is to be a foil to Byleth. However, people still say they are way better than Byleth, which makes me wonder how much western fans hate silent protagonist, and then I wouldn't be surprised if Shez became a hated character in Japan because of westerns like Gatekeeper.

Then we have Arval. Even knowing the devs' desire not to reveal too much about Sothis and the Nabateans, did they really have to cram a character like that into lore. Despite Sothis being just a plot device in Houses, Arval is much worse (even Sothis is even worse at Hopes than Houses). Why does he make us sympathize with cartoon villains? Why does no one from Slither recognize him, although we later learn that Thales was knew him, but the only person he knew was a character whose name I don't even remember. We see him during the War of the Heroes where he supposedly fulfilled his burning desire to kill Sothis, yet he still wanted to kill her even before she awakens inside Byleth. Speaking of the rest of the Nabateans, why doesn't he recognize them even though he fought them face to face in the past. Arval's problem is just like Shez, he should be a foil to Sothis because Shez should be a foil to Byleth in every way, since his character is a copy paste of Sothis (I don't know if he speaks in a special way like her is in jp).

I also have a lot to say about devs, so excuse me.

First with Kusakihara and the writers, even though they were the creators of Houses, just made the same mistakes as Neil Druckmann, demolishing what they built thinking they were introducing interesting ideas that fans would like, without sitting back and thinking about how it would affect a previous game.

Then I have Hayashi, this guy with the worst ideas, deciding to replace Byleth because they were the only one who didn't do anything wrong, in a game that wasn't even morally gray, only to end up writing a character who didn't do anything wrong either. Edelgard is bleached, and makes Claude wrong for taking advantage of his imperial allies, but he made no mistake in his invasion of the kingdom and his killing of Rhea. Hell, even Count Gloucester was bleached.

In one of the interviews Eng: "We decided to put Byleth in a third person perspective in order to delve deeper into their character." Delve deeper into marginalized character who only have 2 support. In an interview with Jp: (Convey my thanks to renisfan for translating) "Hopes intended the scenario to be 'what if the house leaders didn't meet Byleth'", but the answer is the route that Byleth didn't choose. "We don't want to nullify the endings of Byleth, so we have to make Yuri give his mother's precious ring just in exchange for a whistle".

They also said in one of the interviews that the development team wanted to complete what they couldn't complete in Houses, but should they have demolished what they built? Couldn't they have thought of a story that takes place between the events of Houses, like Cindered Shadows or Thracia 776? Why did they have to replace the protagonist? Didn't they think fans would hate it and feel the irony? I also don't want Byleth to be the central character of the whole thing, and it's nice to see the characters develop without them, but did they really have to replace them? Because it made me feel that what should have been a sequel to Houses couldn't be considered one because of that difference.

As much as I hated the decision to replace Byleth, I have to admit that there are some positives from it, such as changing your and other people's opinion of them, and realizing that they weren't the cause of all the Houses problems. Or maybe you'd think of them worse if they were still a protagonist in awful Hopes story.

It's clear that the KT devs' goal of Hopes is to make more money, as they admit that they were originally planning a sequel to the first FE Warriors, but changed their minds when seeing the success of Houses. They took the opinion of western fans over japanese fans, because sales were higher in north america. But what I didn't understand, is that if KT sales are only in Japan, while overseas sales are by Nintendo, does KT really depend on what sales Nintendo will have? Or profit sharing? I ask because I have no experience in this field.

Well, sorry for the inconvenience, especially if you were sick of Hopes discourse. I got emotional and my talking got out of control, but Hopes really made my blood run hot. I'm lucky to buy it on sale, otherwise I would have regretted spending my money. Again, I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

It is not an inconvenience, anon. Sometimes you just need a place to vent. Someone to hear you. I totally get it. Don't apologize for the ask.

On your points

First of all, for GW it's a real disaster indeed.

Absolutely. I don't understand how anyone can call it good. Even if you like Claude's character (which you are allowed to like this version), narratively none of it makes any sense when you sit down and think about it for two seconds.

As for AG, it was very good in part 1, but I find it performance decreased in part 2 after completing the basis of the story in part 1.

I can agree. Part 1 is great. Part 2 is better than GW part 2, but taking Edelgard away as the threat did a disservice to both her and Dimitri's stories. Since the war is framed as a righteous and just action by the game, the only way they could effectively make Edelgard come out of Dimitri's route not looking like the villain was to remove her agency and make the Empire literally monsters. I mean, even worse than usual. Burning their own people type of thing. And hearing the characters beat themselves over "invading another nation" over and over again starts to get grating.

As for SB, everyone says it fixed all of Edelgard's problems, but I don't see that.

Well, they kind of do. What they effectively did was take away a lot of the bloat.

Edelgard's character in Houses was a mess. Her justifications and her logical thinking was less like a straight line and more like that conspiracy board you see from Charlie Day.

For instance, explaining why she has such a focus on Crests. She hates them, because she believes they give nobility their status. And she hates nobles because she feels that only those who are best for the role should be chosen for power. She feels this way because she got a second Crest due to nobility greed and manipulation of the Empire royalty. Which led her to hating the Church, etc etc.

It's bloated and confusing. If she hates Crests because they make nobles, then what about Crestless nobles? What about their power? Etc etc.

What Hopes did is effectively streamline this. Edelgard in Hopes focuses more on bloodlines. She still talks about Crests somewhat, but it makes more sense. Crests prove a bloodline, and it is bloodlines she hates.

Furthermore, her chapter 3 plan is honestly pretty good all things considered. Her plans in Houses are convoluted and make no sense. Here, I can understand what she is doing and why. Drive out the Slithers and the corrupted nobles. Boom, easy. Gather her forces, then invade the Church. Easy. Logical.

But this improved writing doesn't make her any more right in her war. If anything, I felt it made her even more wrong than ever. At least in Houses you can justify that maybe, just maybe, she has someone watching her every move or whatever. And that she cannot trust anyone with her plans because she cannot know if they are a Slither.

This is no longer viable in Hopes. She drives out the Slithers. She is firmly in charge. Her war is her own. And her not being able to trust others? Well, she trusted Claude well enough. How does she know if Claude isn't a Slither? Hm? She never even questions it.

And her war is still one of conquest, which is made even more clear. In Houses, it's easier to argue that it's one of liberation (I don't believe it is at all, but with how the writing of the game is it is easy to find ways to make that justification). Hopes removes that as well. It's absolutely one of conquest. No question.

It's just the game frames this conquest as good.

As for Shez, everyone also says they're better than Byleth and have personality, but Shez just proves that even if they were a full-voiced protagonist, it didn't change that they were poorly written.

I've said this before, but Shez is just as bland as Byleth, just with a voice. They are plain, shounen protagonists. Written moment by moment, and not as a real person. In one scene, they will be horrified by bloodshed. In another, they will relish in it and itch for a fight. It's whatever sounds good in the scene, and not about consistency.

And you are right, they basically have no role in the story. They are just there. Their interesting backstory they talk about a lot? Nah, we will never explore that. It's just noise.

Then we have Arval. Even knowing the devs' desire not to reveal too much about Sothis and the Nabateans, did they really have to cram a character like that into lore.

Arval is a mess. He is treated as a foil to Sothis. Like, you are led to believe that he is somehow some ancient god with a feud with the goddess Sothis.

But no. He's just some ancient office worker with a grudge who figured out how to do a soul transfer.

They wanted this large mystery box, but never opened the contents. It's like the more interesting story is in the background but we are forced to do the boring war story instead.

I also have a lot to say about devs, so excuse me.

I won't say too much on this myself, because what else can I say that I haven't already? Honestly, I think they just missed the mark. In so many ways. It's no wonder the game was not well received.

Which is a shame because I did enjoy seeing my favorite characters again, and seeing more character building between them. That is the value I got out of Hopes. Mmmmm, Dimidue content.

But yeah. This was basically a cash grab for a successful FE game, by someone who wanted to make a Three Kingdom's story when honestly Houses was never a successful Three Kingdom's story to begin with. That's why Claude and Dimitri insist they start a war with the Empire, when honestly it was Edelgard that pushed them into a corner. "Surrender or get conquered" is not really much of a choice.

Edelgard forged the hammer but Dimitri and Claude speak as if they were the ones who poured its metal.

[fantasyinvader]

“I feel like a better comparison to Byleth are the Persona protagonists (at least from 3 onwards), with the whole being silent while also being their own character. Plus the way Byleth's supports are written is kinda similar to the social links in those games.”

I once posted a video explaining why silent protagonists are so popular in Asian countries rather than the cooler reception they get in the West, and part of that is how these protagonists can embody Buddhist ideals. Byleth takes it a step further because of the Buddhist themes.

If we look back at the Nintendo Dream interview, the devs believed most players would pick the BE house and that playing SS would be the most difficult path for players due to their attachment to Edelgard. However, they called Flower the conquest route, saying it leads to hadou while Edelgard own S support calls her path hadou, the route is even named Safflower in Japan meaning attraction.

Because Byleth/the player was attracted to Edelgard, they led Fodlan to the tyranny they were supporting throughout the route (likely unwittingly). They put someone unfit to rule in charge, someone who cared less about the people sacrificed for her war so that she can increase her own power as said in Safflower's epilogue. They lost access to Nirvana at the end, Nirvana being the path of liberation. Because they player acted selfishly, due to attraction and attachment to Edelgard, they failed to be the all-loving hero they were supposed to be.

In the end, when Edelgard was revealed as the Flame Emperor and involved with the people you fought throughout White Clouds, the players are expected to accept this knowledge. To accept that Edelgard lied to and tried to manipulate them, and that while you were fighting TWSITD she was working with them. She worked with them during the Lonato incident and their attempted theft of the Sword of the Creator, she worked with them on Flayn's kidnapping and the experiments that followed., she worked with them during the Part 1 paralogues where they were trying to get their hands on any relics they could while manipulating the Western Church, she worked with them hiding Kronya leading to Jeralt's death. She was the one who hired Kostas with orders to kill her classmates, and if you pay attention to her scenes with Thales she contradicts what she tells you during her supports as she knows Thales and TWSITD are the ones behind the experiments while Hubert reveals she knows they turned her father into their puppet.

In the face of the reveal, the player is expected to put aside that attachment and attraction and, you know, actually take in and understand the full extent of what is being revealed. Their understanding of Fodlan should come into questions, as the narrative Edelgard has been feeding you is for her own benefit (much like TWSITD slipping Claude info during GDWC). She was deliberately trying to sway you into supporting her, so everything she said should be taken with a grain of salt, especially when Safflower repeatedly depicts her being a liar. And from there, it wanted you to pick liberation over conquest.

The fact that Byleth does so by default and the options to join her are framed as changing the story shows how OOC it is for them to support her at the end of WC. Byleth accepts the truth and acts accordingly. A lot of players do not.

[dmclemblems]

Shahid, entirely new character, could've done anything with him: *is a stupid, violent brute*

Nader, a character who had liked battle but was overall just pretty chill: *is a pillaging, violent brute*

Claude, whose entire character relied on diplomacy over violence, looking for the truth whenever possible, and only using violence as a last resort: *is an ignorant, violent brute*

Cyril, the one named Almyran who avoids the above three's characterization: *isn't playable, gets killed with no one on the player side giving a shit*

House Goneril's enslavement of Almyrans: *never once mentioned*

Nader's pillaging: *had to be denounced by a Fodlan character, not an Almyran one*

okay so like um when can we admit that maybe Hopes' writers are Just Racist and that's why Claude got so fucked over since he didn't fit into their obvious opinions about how he (as an Almyran, who are heavily inspired by Middle Eastern/East Asia influences and who are typically written with these exact stereotypes) "should" be. of course not saying that everyone who like Hopes Claude is a racist, but i'm sorry i just can't give that benefit of the doubt to Hopes' writers when their treatment of Almyra is THIS consistently bad throughout the game

Tbh I always try not to get into the racism issue because I know it’s a sensitive topic for a lot of people, but as someone who is part Middle Eastern it’s definitely been jarring to see. I try not to get super irritable about it because it’s a video game made in Japan (and they’re definitely not as open minded as the west is with this stuff and are often ignorant of actual facts, even if they mean no harm by stereotypes because it’s what they know. I know a series that I’ve loved since childhood and still do love as much as FE, but it’s a 90s series with stereotypes all over the place. I don’t believe the creator actually did it as an insult, but that he didn’t know any better (especially since the recent remake did try to improve on some of it). For this game in particular I’m not sure what their mindset was when making it, if they’re just ignorant and/or just didn’t care.

Lots of people were also angry when the leaks came out, and it frustrated me how people kept saying “stay calm, we don’t know if the leaks are true!” because I checked the script that had gone public (literally the entire game script was leaked, so people saying that were either just in denial or didn’t want to accept the fact that it was happening this way). The fact that people looked away when a lot of us were angry at the obviously true script still pisses me off to this day tbh, because so many people were just shoving down anyone’s concerns about what was leaked.

Personally, I did go through a good bit of the script (which I still have somewhere) and I actually stumbled on Claude declaring war on Fodlan from the bad SB route. It made me so angry how people kept trying to deny what was obviously there, and there’s no way anyone was so dedicated to writing that massive of a script to fake a leak. The amount of files was absolutely batshit, and it was also extremely messy and unclear as to who the speakers were, just the way you’d expect a bunch of files like that to look.

What angered me about it wasn’t just that Claude’s character got fucked by a cactus a few double digit times until he was unrecognizable in the second half, but that the only main brown character was the one who is arguably the worst of the three lords. In this game in particular the devs tried to keep Edelgard’s hands clean as much as possible, presumably because of her popularity, and so made Claude the one where players could lay blame on the misfortunes of the game. There’s only so much that Rhea can blamed for in a game where she’s hardly even present, even in the one route where you’re allied with her.

If it was only Claude I might have eventually just figured maybe it was an extremely unfortunate accident, and since we already knew Claude had a lot of problems growing up and that he was basically The Estranged Child, I could’ve passed off Shahid’s behavior. When it got around to Nader’s characterization being butchered and the Almyran NPC saying normally they could pillage and all that but he “guesses the Alliance’s rules are different”, that’s when it was just totally in the territory of not giving a shit about the Almyrans’ writing for me.

When things come from Japan, there’s an amount of tolerance I’ve built up for any unfortunate stereotypes and whatnot, but when it’s very clearly every character from that location, it goes into the territory of believing some places’ people all behave the same way.

It’s sad for me because I love Three Houses’ characters and I want to love Hopes’ new characters, but considering what a dumpster fire everything but AG was, it’s kinda a bitter aftertaste.

[butwhatifidothis]

Do you feel that Claude stays true to his Three Houses character in the Azure Gleam route?

Far more so, yes.

Not to say there isn't still hiccups: despite seeing for himself that foreign diplomacy is happening within Faerghus despite Rhea and the Central Church's presence, and despite seeing for himself Crestless individuals rise in the ranks of the Kingdom army despite Rhea and the Central Church being right there, Claude is still clearly under the belief that the Church and Rhea have to go (or more, that's the so-implied-it-might-as-well-have-been-explicitly-said implication he's given in AG). If he were completely in-line with how he was in 3H, he would have changed his opinion once he saw how evidently he was incorrect.

Hell, literally all he needed was Cyril's word in 3H for him to warm up to the idea of him and Rhea not needing to be enemies, so everything he'd see in AG once he sides with Dimitri and Rhea should've damn near made him a believer in comparison lmaooo. Him not having his curiosity - which is what this ultimately stems from - is a problem throughout all of Hopes, not just GW and SB, and its absence is pretty noticeable.

(or more, its deliberate removal is noticeable - it’d be one thing if there was genuinely nothing to stimulate the curiosity, but that’s not what happens here lol)

But other than that, yes, he's far more true to his character. He doesn't side with the one initiating violence, he doesn't sacrifice his allies (however much one sees Randolph as an "ally" outside of semantics - I don't, but clearly the game wanted me to think of him as one), there's no needless """""""sacrifices""""""" of completely innocent lives, he's willing to set aside his suspicions towards Rhea seeing how it's not her, but Edelgard who is causing the most harm to Fodlan and its people and its future currently, he doesn't do stupid shit that only helps Edelgard nor does he regurgitate her rhetoric (outside of minor Church Bad), he's not blindly believing a liar's words with no proof.

As you might've noticed, it's mostly him not doing a lot of things that makes him far more in character more than it is him actually doing things. GW and SB add in so much shit into Hopes!Claude's character that directly goes against 3H!Claude's character, so taking them out of the equation reveals just how, like, easy it would've been to make an acceptable version of Claude for Hopes. AG!Claude is by far and away the most tolerable version of Hopes!Claude, just because for the most part he... doesn't act like Hopes!Claude.

And also, now, mind, I don't think it's really an accomplishment on AG's part - cynical as I've become of Hopes' writing of Claude, the only likely reason he's so drastically different between AG and the rest of the game is because this is where he never has Edelgard as an actual enemy. He thinks she is, but narratively speaking Edelgard is not the one Claude or Dimitri are fighting for the second half of AG - it's Thales, who's made Edelgard little more than a megaphone to shout orders through. By the time Claude enters AG Edelgard is lobotomized, unlike in the other two routes where he's directly opposed to her and ever so coincidentally ends up basically becoming Edel-lite.

There's no need to make Edelgard look better since she's already been properly set up as a Poor Uwu Victim, so all the shit added to Hopes!Claude is no longer needed and are thus erased entirely. You'll notice how Claude is fuckin' no where near as violent and callous and manipulative on AG as he is on the other two routes, and how in fact he's one of the nicest dudes on fuckin' Earth as he

freely gives his best generals (two of which are Roundtable heirs) as well as multiple generic soldiers

freely gives supplies to the Kingdom

risks his own life with not just no prompting from someone else (unlike with Edelgard) but with his active insistence that he do so, during AG's Aillell

all without ever backstabbing Dimitri/Rhea (unlike Edelgard, in SB) or even asking for anything in return

Since there's no propping up Edelgard required for AG, Claude just goes back to being the "pure good guy" he was in 3H (and was described to be in 3H by his OG creator). Like, when I say that it's obvious obvious that Claude was written in Hopes primarily to service Edelgard, I mean it's, like, omega obvious obvious. He's not a piece of shit made to make Edelgard look better in comparison, he's just... Claude lmao

[iturbide]

oof, you’re in for an unpleasant surprise.

!! WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS for AG !!

at some point after the timeskip, dimitri and edelgard are fighting for control of arianrhod when thales, having been biding his time since he was ousted two years ago, interrupts, pulls out a crest stone, and somehow uses it to forcibly transform her into her hegemon form from AM. she proceeds to wreck mindless havoc on the fort with dimitri and co. barely escaping.

afterwards, it's shown thales retreated with edelgard in tow (having somehow un-transformed her?) and she's… clearly not herself, uncharacteristically silent with a slightly terrified expression in her portrait. a little later we find out that duke aegir's been appointed regent by thales given the emperor's "condition"—much to the complete detestation of the adrestrian countryside (having fallen to ruin from what, at best, seems to be severe neglect). hubert and ferdinand are reportedly MIA and not heard from again for the rest of the story (they never say they’re dead, but given we know hubert, at least, would literally die before letting edelgard come to any harm, it really doesn’t bode well).

the next time we see edelgard on the battlefield, it’s as mouthpiece by duke aegir for morale and her sentences are notably stilted and simple. then she tells us during the bonus chapter where she's temporarily fully cognizant again (don’t ask—its contrived so that the chapter is consistent with the other two routes) that after un-transforming, her body's been more or less on autopilot while her consciousness has been looking on from the inside, unable to do anything.

during the final battle she's being compelled to fight at thales' side and he revives her a couple times throughout the fight to act as a meatshield (though not transforming her for it??? we never actually get to fight hegemon edelgard) afterwards, when he's dead, she's just kneeling there on the ground looking absolutely lost and, having seemingly regressed into the mind of her twelve year old self, refers to dimitri by her old childhood nickname for him in confusion. to which dimitri is shocked before—in perhaps one of the most bafflingly out-of-character moments in the game, which is saying something—turning away and leaving her there without a word to go reconvene with both his army and the church and alliance forces.

the war is then said to still going on (despite the fact that the adrestria is in shambles, just about every prominent figure is either dead, defeated, or otherwise unaccounted for and the emperor who started it is now mentally impaired) and claude is implied to be about to make a move against the central church. the end.

note that this is the better of AG's two endings and, arguably, the best ending of all three routes (based on both the body count and the fact claude is actually in character for almost the entirety of it).

so. yeah. the writers would literally rather have edelgard outwardly reduced to the mindset of a child and inwardly living out her worst nightmare trapped inside of her own body than for the route to end with her in a bad light. which, for me, is more disrespectful to her character than just killing her outright.

okay I am primarily posting it because I need this to be on my blog for reference purposes instead of stashed in my inbox or lost to the ether but just

good gods

I honestly didn’t think that the character assassination could get much worse after what I’d heard about Golden Wildfire but somehow this ramps it up again you’re absolutely right this is utterly disrespectful for Edelgard’s character

And it doesn’t even make the plot contrivance any easier to stomach.  Thales isn’t responsible for Edelgard’s transformation into her Hegemon form in Three Houses: she transforms seemingly of her own volition as a means of trying to achieve enough power to stop Dimitri and turn the tides of this war (and possibly to clue Dimitri in on the fact that the other power at play alongside the Empire likely won’t fall with her -- a silent warning to stay vigilant for Those Who Slither, who are otherwise unaddressed in Azure Moon).  Thales is dead when she takes on her Hegemon form in Three Houses, and she never uses that form in other routes...so if he had that power, why didn’t he use it in Three Houses?  Given that the Twisted were ousted early, the capacity had to have been implanted well before that, meaning it had to have been possible in Three Houses, so including it here but giving Edelgard a ‘happy ending’ in Three Houses when she openly went against the Twisted at Arianrhod.  They could have -- and arguably should have -- let her finish off Rhea and then exerted full control over her.  It makes the whole CF ending reek of lies, knowing they could just do that the whole time.

(And this is coming from me, who thinks that CF’s endcards came up too rosy given the hard road she likely had ahead after conquering her way through two independent nations.  Even I wanted to see Edelgard do something that wasn’t ‘get leashed to Thales will and forced into the same role of puppet Emperor that her father was chained to.’)

I had heard so many interesting things about Azure Gleam being a good route with solid characterizations, but if they’re doing that to Edelgard I’m starting to question my sanity about what makes for a good route.