#that they know exists without Crests unlike - apparently - Edelgard | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

butwhatifidothis · 3 years

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Fighting someone in that enlightened edelgard comment and they really pulled the "edelgard's war was necessary because crests bad!!" Bruh

Alright so like... why does Edelgard think Crests bad? What is she willing to propose to society as an alternative to Crests that won't similarly be abused by those with money and power? If Hanneman is able to conduct Crest research and is allowed to build his machines that gets rid of the need for Crests on all routes, even on SS and even if Rhea comes back as archbishop, then why did Edelgard need to start the war if that was her real goal? What problems do Crests specifically and uniquely bring to society?

Because Sylvain, Ingrid, Lorenz, anyone else who feels that they're only good for their Crest or need to marry due to their Crest? They'd literally be in the same position without them, because they're still high-end nobles with pretty titles and nice power that commoners would want a piece of or that their families would marry off to others families for more money and power (or any, in Ingrid's case). Crests change nothing, save for Sylvain getting the nice heir title from this unfair inheritance system over Miklan were it the usual "lol I popped outta Mom first" inheritance system.

Mercedes? Ah yes, because incest would never occur in noble families were it not for Crests, think I read that in my history class before.

Dorothea? Her having a Crest would have actually saved her and her mother (or at least her) from a life of poverty, so oops.

Hanneman's sister? Ah yes, right after the section where my history books told me that incest don't real, it says that women were never ever forced to unhealthily bear multiple children until their husband gets one he wants.

The only ones I can think of that were fucked over specifically and only by specifically and only Crests are Edelgard, Lysithea, and Marianne. The first two are so unbelievably unlikely to happen to anyone in the general Crest-bearing populace as to damn near be laughable - fun as Two Crests AU's are, this shit only happens the twice, once for the setup and once with the refinements from the first. This isn't something most, many, some, a few, or really fuckin' anyone has to deal with, this is something extremely specific to Edelgard and Lysithea. And similarly, Marianne, while facing most of her trauma because of uniquely Crests, only does so because she literally just so happens to be born with the literal one Crest in all of Fodlan that is feared and hated.

Like, Crests could have easily actually been a big deal in Fodlan, but like... damn near anything that could rise from specifically Crests gets taken care of pretty easy lol?? Like, Marianne just needs to beat the shit out of Maurice and she's fine(r). Edelgard and Lysithea's shit is reversible and is able to have its the biggest side effect of having two Crests be erased (for Lysithea, cuz as I've said I don't think Edelgard has any problems with the two Crest shit). Balthus' shit where "Ohhh, people will really fuck over Kupala if they find out it has Chevalier Crest bearers!!" gets solved by the Church itself stepping in and keeping it hush hush for Kupala's safety and that making it to where Balthus' more qualified Crest-less brother gets the inheritance (so much for wanting no one but Crest bearers to rule over Fodlan!). Some bitches literally are completely unaffected by Crests (Hilda, Linhardt, Yuri <- as far as I know, I'm sure there are others).

Hilariously enough, very few people in the cast actually benefit from Crests specifically due to Crests - the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are maybe Lambert (if you wanna count him) and Claude (let him prove his right to inheritance).

Like. Before adopting Marianne, Edmund was able to rise to Margrave through good financial and oratory skills - that's a higher position than Count. Y'know. Like Count Gloucester? Ordelia for all we can surmise has no Crest and bears the same title as Gloucester regardless. Count Rowe in the Kingdom is higher than Baron Dominic - Baron's, like, the lowest fuckin' noble title! Even the Empire, shitty as it is, doesn't have this problem! Bergliez, no Crest, House of Military Affairs for an Empire.

People hear Crests and see them packaged as a unique evil specific to Fodlan by the characters who were born and raised in this society and who have little to no reference to the world outside of Fodlan and so wouldn't know that most of this shit literally happens everywhere and they just, fuckin', forget!! That this shit ain't new!! Crests are just First-Born-Noble Syndrome wrapped in pretty shiny wrapping paper. Petra, a royal from Brigid, literally never mentions Crests, and Claude only does so out of curiosity over them - almost like, as nobility outside of Fodlan, Crests are just weird to them and nothing else! They likely know the same shit would happen to these nobles with or without Crests because they know a world without Crests, unlike those of Fodlan!

Getting rid of Crests seems like it will change a lot of Fodlan... until you remember that they're dying out anyway so Fodlan is already in a transition period where they'd become relics of the past, until you remember that, again, most of the shit wrong that comes with Crests actually comes with nobility in general, until you remember that a majority of the characters either don't care about Crests or are otherwise unaffected by them.

And like, we know that Edelgard doesn't actually give a shit about Crests lmao that is damn sure not a major reason why she started the war, she started the war because she wanted to wear the big girl pants and rule over all of Fodlan and also kill the Nabateans. That's it. No shit about Crests, much as she initially posits as much - notice how that shit falls to the wayside soon as the war's actually in action, it's literally said over and over and over again that Edelgard wants to reunite Fodlan, she wants to conquer the Alliance and Kingdom, she wants to boot the Church, she wants to kill Rhea and the Children of the Goddess; Crests are a footnote in her oh so grand plans. Edelgard didn't start war cuz Crests Bad, she did it because Me Want Be Dictator

#ask #exqueuese me princess #anti edelgard #anti-edelgard #just to be safe #like maybe I'm speculating a bit too much with Claude and Petra but it damn sure is a funny coincidence #that the two royals outside of Fodlan are the ones don't see Crests as this big bad unfair thing enough to mention it #because they already live in a big bad unfair thing called THE CONCEPT OF NOBILITY AND ROYALTY #that they know exists without Crests unlike - apparently - Edelgard #but yeah - Edelgard doesn't care that much about Crests her words in the story don't match what she says initially lmao #(almost like she lied)

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sergeanthopeless · 3 years

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female Byleth S-supports ranked best to worst

(keeping my personal feelings about the pairings themselves to a minimum)

(Gilbert and Alois omitted, since those are platonic S-supports)

(warning: long post)

1. Seteth

This S-support is about as romantic as it can get. This thing just makes my heart flutter every. dang. time. and it’s easily the best S-support in the whole game for female Byleth. There’s a REASON why a lot of people hop aboard the Setleth train after witnessing this masterpiece.

Sure, Seteth lectures his way in and out of the proposal, but let’s be real, if it was any different it would be out of character, and acting the responsible advisor is just part of his charm. Plus, he pledges utter devotion to Byleth for the rest of his existence, and we essentially get wedding vows out of this one. It doesn’t get better than that!

He’s so self-assured during this S-support, and that’s sexy. But he is patient and affectionate with her, and takes the time to make sure there’s no room for confusion. He clarifies that his feelings are not those of duty (which is a problem with some other S-supports), or an interest in perpetuating a Nabatean or Crest-rich bloodline. It’s very clear that he just wants her, and that’s it. But where others put Byleth on a pedestal, this S-support feels like an exchange between equals.

Byleth’s reaction to this one is particularly noteworthy — there’s an unusual amount of emotional expression from Byleth during this S-support, INCLUDING A FRIGGIN BLUSH! Byleth does NOT blush often during these supports. Plus, Byleth asks Seteth to promise that he’ll follow wherever she goes. Unlike some of the other S-supports, it’s very clear that she’s invested in him and wants him.

Favorite quotes:

“I cannot conceive of a world without you in it.”

“I love you, deeply. Will you marry me?”

“From this day forward, I will always be at your side. Through good or ill fortune. Through the greatest of joys and the worst of woes. No matter how daunting the task, I will be there.”

“Courage, my love. Let us go forth and face the world - together.”

2. Hubert

I was genuinely caught off-guard with Hubert, especially since I haven’t played Crimson Flower yet and have gotten all of my impressions of Hubert from the fandom. A pleasant surprise, though, and pleasant enough to snag the #2 best S-support!

He starts with advisor nagging, which is no surprise since that’s his character. However, he doesn’t take too long to get to the point of the conversation, and everything is straightforward yet sweet. It’s very cute how he flustered he gets in the beginning, and his self-consciousness about his suitability as a husband is really sweet. But what really clinched this for me was the privilege of seeing a BLUSHY HUBERT! This surprisingly lovable psychopath gets so dang worked up and excited over Byleth giving him a ring and proposing to him right back.

Favorite quotes:

“[I’d] rather you be with me rather than some dubious individual.” (Yes, I altered the quote, but let’s be real, he wasn’t talking about Edelgard there.)

“I once thought killing you would be a great challenge, but the real difficulty was declaring my love.”

3. Ignatz

This S-support starts with an angry Ignatz, which had me worried. Ignatz is one of those characters where I expected his apparent youthfulness to cause a problem in his S-support (it definitely causes problems in other S-supports), even though he’s actually 17 at the start of game like Felix, Dimitri, Claude, Raphael, Ferdinand, and Edelgard. So I was pleasantly surprised by the sheer maturity of his proposal!

While he’s definitely self-conscious and doesn’t even expect Byleth to accept his proposal, it says a lot that Ignatz still had the guts to do the proposing. While he expresses surpassing admiration toward Byleth as someone who supported him through troubled times, he’s not dependent or subservient. Yes, there is a prominent fixation on Byleth’s beauty, but he’s an artist, so I think that adds more meaning to what would otherwise be an extremely shallow point to make during an S-support.

Favorite quotes:

“You are my goddess.”

“You soothed my troubled soul.”

“My beloved goddess.”

“I want to love you for all eternity.”

“I love you with all my soul.”

Hoo boy, this boy’s got a serious SILVER TONGUE on him! *fans self*

4. Lorenz

Regardless of how you feel about Lorenz, you’ve gotta admit this is a pretty flawless proposal. He reminisces about and apologizes for the trouble he used to cause as a youth, has a smooth transition into the presentation of the ring, and then his composure falls apart when Byleth reveals she’s been wise to him all along. He’s such a perfectionist, and his determination to propose perfectly is very consistent with his character. But I also appreciate that he made sure of Byleth’s feelings before actually asking her to marry him (ring presentation aside).

This S-support makes it very clear just how much Lorenz admires Byleth, which I feel is extremely important in context of his character. He can be incredibly self-centered to the point of being downright irritating, so the fact that he’s now talking about her and is focused entirely on her shows the sincerity of his feelings and how much Lorenz has grown as a person.

The bit at the end where he gets overexcited and uses his full name is hilarious, but I’m glad the S-support doesn’t end there, which would have taken away from it. Instead, it ends with Lorenz swearing to make Byleth happy and work with her in making the world a better place. Equal partners!

The last thing that really made this S-support for me was the voice acting. The broken voice, trembling, and stammering really added emotional depth to Lorenz’s character in this critical moment, and really brought everything to the next level in terms of overall impact.

Favorite quote: “Pedigree and status are no longer priorities for me. I now know that what matters most is the worth of an individual’s soul.”

5. Felix

The moment I noticed that this S-support was taking place at the training grounds, I knew it was going to be good. And it goes exactly as you would expect with our favorite tsundere, flustered and deflecting and all, but the sheer effort that he ends up putting into it is so endearing. And I adore how Byleth messes with him the whole time.

It starts rough, let’s be real. He just hands the ring to Byleth and tells her to “take this.” Oh, Felix. This poor boy is so. friggin. hopeless. You can practically hear his thought process leading up to this point. “How do I make sure Byleth never leaves?... Ah, marriage — yes, that’ll lock her in!” *facepalm*

But Felix’s body language is what really makes this S-support, starting with the finger point and then ending with the kabedon. Plus, we get a glimpse of something very rare: blushy Felix!

Favorite quotes:

“Fight me for the rest of my life.”

“I want you to be my wife. Please say yes. Let’s get married and stay together until we die. I love you.”

6. Balthus

I really didn’t know what to expect with this one, although to be honest, what expectations I did have were fairly low. Yet despite his faults, Balthus managed to scrape together a rather charming S-support! His nervousness and stuttering is adorable for such a big, tough-talking guy, and I love that we actually get an impatient “Just say it already,” from Byleth.

It was nice to see Byleth’s good influence on Balthus, although I’m not a fan of the woman-redeems-man trope. And considering that Balthus asks for up to 5 years to get his act together…that wasn’t exactly a point in his favor.

What made this S-support for me was all of the classic lines. Balthus isn’t necessarily a smooth talker, but it would be wrong to say that he doesn’t know how to talk to a woman. The proposal itself had me ROLLING: “Marry me, pal!” The voice acting was flawless, particularly when he said, “my love.” Balthus, I’ll say this on Byleth’s behalf: please stop trying so hard. And never say that again.

Favorite quotes:

“It’s time to take the biggest gamble of my life.”

“Comfort be damned! I need you by my side. Always.”

“Let’s get hitched right away! I know a guy.”

“To look after you...and be brave enough to let you look after me. that’s what marriage is all about, right?”

S-support portraits shouldn’t really matter here, but I’m going out on a limb here and saying that Balthus’ portrait is the best one of all Byleth’s S-supports.

7. Dorothea

I have a lot of Dorothea feels, okay? She’s my baby girl. And by this point in the game, she’s so jaded and used to disappointment that it just breaks my heart. So when Byleth proposes to her, you can hear the genuine emotion in her voice. She’s so in love with Byleth, but clearly talked herself out of it long before this moment. “You won the war. You could pick anyone in the world. Why would you…?”

And then she’s so happy. It’s not fancy, but her pure happiness really makes this for me. The hopeless romantic finally getting her happy ending is just really lovely.

Favorite quote: “I starred in so many operas where I captured the heart of my beloved. But I never dreamed that it would feel this wonderful when it actually happened.”

8. Ferdinand

Oh boy, Ferdie. There wasn’t much of a preamble, and the presentation of the ring wasn’t anything special. He’s still full of himself: “You hear noble Ferdinand von Aegir declare his love for you, and all you say is, ‘I understand’?” and this S-support is more focused on him than it is on Byleth, which is exactly the opposite of what happened with Lorenz’s S-support, even though they’re similar characters.

That being said, this S-support has its moments. We get a good reaction out of him (even though it’s over the top), and we get a sign of his personal growth when he reins himself in. The trembling and feeling faint is very cute (10/10), and considering his ambitious nature, him saying that he considers winning Byleth’s heart to be one of his greatest accomplishments is sweet, as is the way he dreams about their future.

In other words, this one starts rough, but ends sweet.

Favorite quote: “I need you as much as I need my next breath — more, even.”

9. Dedue

Can we just appreciate that Dedue chose to leave Dimitri for Byleth? That is so meaningful. Dedue spends the entire game unhealthily attached to Dimitri, and finally he finds something that he chooses for himself. Of course, there is the concern that he will become unhealthily attached to Byleth, but I don’t get that impression from his S-support.

There are so many wonderful little details in this S-support. The tiny, modest ring. The straightforward proposal. Both of them gazing at each other in loving, comfortable silence afterward. Byleth’s blush. And DEDUE’S LAUGH. Just. the laugh. It’s important.

Finally, Dedue invites Byleth to come with him to visit Duscur. TAKE NOTES, CLAUDE!! Anyway…

10. Edelgard

*takes a deep breath and sets aside my feelings about Edelgard’s stance on the Children of the Goddess*

Alright, so this S-support is significant because it’s one of the few where you can tell that there is genuine affection on Byleth’s end. She really takes charge of the proposal, going so far as to use Edelgard’s nickname, “El,” to convey affection and intimacy.

At first I was concerned when I heard Edelgard say, “This ring…thank you, my dearest friend,” and I was like HOLD UP – did Byleth just get friendzoned?? But Edelgard clarifies by expressing that she has romantic feelings too, which saves the scene. But while sweet, the rest of the S-support focuses on Edelgard’s ambitions and generally lacks romance. Fitting for her character? Yes. A satisfying S-support? Not really.

11. Dimitri

It’s clear from the beginning of this S-support that Dimitri and Byleth have become close friends. I appreciate the way they talk about their wounds, and although talking about Dimitri’s nightmares is far darker than I expected from an S-support, it shows just how much Dimitri has improved.

What disappointed me about this S-support is the lack of emotion on both sides. Sure, the “my beloved” pet name is wonderful. And sure, Byleth isn’t very emotional as a rule. But Byleth shows more emotional in other S-supports. And there is not nearly enough of a reaction on Dimitri’s side. Come on, dude. You’ve been aggressively simping over Byleth since Day 1, and you’re just taking this proposal in stride?? You should be unconscious right now.

12. Mercedes

I’m so proud of how far Mercedes has come at this point. She’s determined to live in a way that makes her happy, outside of her Crest or anyone else’s expectations. That being said, a lot of this S-support feels more like it could have been an A+ support.

Major points to Mercedes to being the one to do the proposing. A lot of people mistake her kind nature for being demure, which is not the case. She is bold, speaks her mind, and knows what she wants. And in this case, that’s Byleth. Her proposal is gentle and respectful, if a bit bland, and her reaction to Byleth’s acceptance is absolutely adorable. She’s so happy yet insecure, and I wish there was more communication from Byleth to reassure her.

13. Hanneman

Hanneman is an academic through and through, and his nature as a scholar comes through strongly in his S-support. He tries to approach things pragmatically, almost ruins things by talking about Byleth’s role in his research, but fortunately realizes that’s the wrong way to do it and takes a new approach with more feeling. It’s very similar to Linhardt’s S-support, but less self-centered and overall better. Hanneman treats Byleth as an equal, and shows enthusiasm in his own way.

Overall, this is an extremely pragmatic S-support, but it’s not without its charms. That being said, it definitely requires an interpretation of Byleth’s character where she has developed a taste for academia.

Favorite quotes:

“I suppose there’s no reason to hold ourselves back any longer.”

“I don’t want the power of your Crest - I want you.”

“I can’t wait to see the results of this undertaking.”

14. Yuri

This S-support is very consistent with Yuri’s character. The scene opens with Yuri trying to repay his “debt” to Byleth, which definitely lacks in romantic vibes, but works in context. It’s nice to see Yuri nervous and out of composure, but I admit I had been expecting…more…from him with how charming he’s supposed to be. Then again, like Sylvain, maybe the fact that he’s dropped the façade is supposed to make it meaningful. At least he blushes! Blushy Yuri is something I didn’t know I needed. The bit at the end where he whispers his true name in her ear is very nice, too.

But yikes…Yuri talks about his death. And considering that in most of the routes, Byleth ends up being most likely essentially immortal, this hits HARD. She is definitely facing the death of her lover in a few decades at most, and that is not something she wants to think about during a proposal.

Favorite quote: “In return for this ring, I ask for you.”

15. Raphael

Raphael is a pretty clueless, non-romantic kind of guy. But the sudden proposal is very cute. Considering how awful he is at expressing himself, it works really well with his character to simply have him jump right in and get it over with.

That being said, I couldn’t help but feel that his reasoning for getting married was just a little loose. He always wants to be with Byleth and expresses that he wants to serve as her knight. Uh, you realize you can do that without marrying her right, bud? Byleth didn’t seem to be very into this proposal either, although she does have a wonderful little smile in the S-support portrait, which makes up for that. I love how the portrait emphasizes Raph’s size and strength by having him lift her up bridal style. It’s an actually flattering portrayal of him, too.

Favorite quote: “And…I’ll love you. Forever and ever. And ever!”

16. Sylvain

Ah yes, Sylvain. Our favorite train wreck. The good news is that he’s finally taking charge of his life, and I like that he’s straightforward in this S-support rather than flirtatious, which means that you know he’s being sincere. It’s cute to see him genuinely happy, and his statement that “I’m going to spend the rest of our lives together trying to make you happy,” is very good.

However, the “If you told me you never wanted me to look at another woman, I’d go blind for you” is going too far. I know it addresses his skirt-chasing character, but I just don’t know if they could have a healthy relationship. I know this is rating the support scene, not the ship itself, but I don’t think that’s a positive indicator for the future.

17. Claude

This S-support gives me so many bad vibes. Yes, he expresses his love for Byleth as well as his utmost confidence in her, but dude, actions matter more than words, and your actions speak VOLUMES. He’s the only one to just run off at the end of the S-support, and while I understand his reasoning — I really do — it’s clear that his own agenda and ambitions will always come before Byleth.

This is what I heard: “Right now, Fodlan is like a newborn... so that’s why I’m leaving, so you have to do all the hard stuff yourself. See ya, sucker!!” Ah yes. Prime husband and father material there. Obviously.

“I’m sorry that I won’t be by your side at such an important event...” Uh huh, yeah right. You’re obviously itching to get out of there.

I’m sorry, Claude stans, but giving Byleth an engagement ring and then running away for who knows how long is LAME.

18. Jeritza

The first thing that struck me about this S-support is the fact that it takes place in the Agarthan HQ, Shambhala. This is super meaningful because it means that Byleth and Jeritza go there together to use their killing prowess to take out Those Who Slither in the Dark post-Crimson Flower. It’s a nice way to tie up the route. The portrait is super dynamic and unique, too. That being said…

He’s still fixated on killing Byleth. If that’s your thing, then hey, I can’t judge. At least we all know that if he hasn’t killed her by now, it’s never going to happen. It’s such an empty threat it’s probably an inside joke by now. But Jeritza’s clearly still figuring out his feelings, which means I’m not sure it really counts as an S-support (it would have made a better A+ support imho). There are also things about this pairing and S-support that have some serious implications for who Byleth has become by this point and what the future is likely to look like. Good storytelling, yes, but as an S-support…not my favorite.

Favorite quotes:

“It is you alone who can slay the demon inside me.”

“To the very depths of hell, I will tumble down with you.”

19. Linhardt

This S-support falls flat for me. It’s like Hanneman’s, but worse because it’s super self-centered. I feel like it’s a really bad summary of Linhardt’s character because so much more could have been done with it. Linhardt has lots of good traits, and this S-support ignores all of them. Instead, we have a one-dimensional S-support that focuses on Linhardt’s laziness and penchant for napping. He’s so self-centered and consumed by his own interests, so saying that he wants to study Byleth for the rest of his life makes her more like an accessory to his life plans rather than a central component. At least when Hanneman says he wants to study Byleth, he makes it very clear that he loves her and wants her as a person.

And the line where he says "I didn’t honestly think you’d reject me” is just…wow. Much disappoint. If I were Byleth I would turn him down on the spot just for saying that.

20. Ashe

Ashe’s S-support comes off to me like he’s pledging himself to her as a vassal more than actually proposing. Yes, he does take initiative and does the proposing, which is consistent with the fact that Ashe is a gutsy little guy. But he’s so stuck on being helpful that the S-support ends up feeling immature. Plus, Byleth doesn’t seem very enthusiastic about the proposal compared to other S-supports, and overall Ashe’s worship of Byleth comes off as more dependent than romantic.

21. Caspar

We’ve reached the bottom four S-supports, starting with this disaster. Caspar is juvenile, reckless, and oblivious. (Don’t get me wrong — I adore his character and see him like a little brother.) Byleth has to take charge of the proposal, which is not a problem in itself, but then Caspar confesses that he hasn’t even thought about marrying Byleth — or anyone at all! asaslkjasdflk FAIL

At least the victory shout is kind of cute…if painfully cheesy.

And they get worse from here…

22. Rhea

I don’t have a lot to say here. I know I said that I would keep my personal feelings about the pairings themselves out of this, but I feel like there are certain things about this particular pairing that need to be addressed along with this S support.

Age gap aside (because frankly with immortals, age doesn’t really matter anymore), Rhea CREATED Byleth’s mother, essentially making herself Byleth’s grandmother. Incest vibes, yo. Plus, she fully intended to sacrifice Byleth’s life in order to bring back Sothis — which, granted, is a sentiment that wears off, and Jeritza is just as bad in terms of original intent to kill Byleth. This makes any kind of romantic revelation on Rhea’s side just…weird.

There are some good quotes in this S-support, and we get a ton of reveals about Rhea’s character development in a short amount of time. She’s self-conscious of her other form as a dragon, she acknowledges the wrongs she did in the past, and she expresses a desire to repent. She acknowledges the pivotal role that Byleth has played through her choices and accomplishments, rather than attributing them to fate and the “flow of time.” But honestly this would be more appropriate as a final scene at the end of the game, not a romantic S-support.

23. Cyril

Oh boy. Where do I start with this one? It’s so bad...

This boy is BABY. 19 years old after the war? Sure. Attractive design? Yes. But still, he. is. BABY. And the S-support portrait makes it so much worse by making him look freaking TEN.

And he’s so, so oblivious. Even worse than Caspar. He barely has a personality as a character outside of being committed to the servant mentality, and he has had no opportunity to discover himself as a freaking person outside of his obsession with Rhea. It should be illegal to even consider this kid for S-support. One thing would be if it was platonic, like Alois or Gilbert, but Byleth gives him the ring, and that means it’s supposed to be romantic.

Plus, Cyril says that he loves Byleth, but it’s super casual and comes off more like familial or friendship love rather than romantic love. Unless I missed something, I don’t think Byleth ever says that she loves Cyril in their S-support. And the end is just the worst: “Love ya, see ya in the morning.” That’s IT???? There is absolutely no indication of a mature relationship, and that’s just scary and gross.

I just…really hate this S-support. There’s only one S-support that’s worse…

24. Sothis

Forget everything that I said about keeping my feelings about particular pairings out of this ranking. This is a TRULY CURSED S-SUPPORT.

I don’t care that Sothis is technically a goddess whose age is beyond counting or mortal comprehension. All that matters is she looks like a child. She is lolibait. And to top it all off, she doesn’t even have physical form (thank goodness) — she’s just an apparition in Byleth’s head!

And this quote? “I love you deeply! Overwhelmingly! passionately! Ours is a love without an end!” I only have two words: PEAK CRINGE.

It would be one thing if Sothis came back in her adult form. Or better yet, if she had always been in her adult form as portrayed in the fresco in the reception hall. You can do something with that. But that’s not the case, Sothis is portrayed as a pre-pubescent child in both appearance and personality, and that’s just pedophilia vibes, y’all. I can’t believe this is a sincere S-support option.

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randomnameless · 3 years

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I write and write and make comparisons between a swimsuit and themes like tolerance and freedom,

But in this fandom, some people draw more dubious comparisons, especially ones regarding a certain game - and I warned (who?) at the beginning of the FE16 trend that while it wanted to have a Jugdral flair, it obviously failed. You have a sprinkle of Jugdral in FE16, but it’s only a surface image, or even a mirage.

“CrEsT SyStEM”? Holy Blood? No, those comparisons at least were made in good faith and had some merits.

One of the worst comparisons was noted by several friends, a certain someone, wanting to push a certain ship involving a certain character, managed to write :

“Every route makes one villain from Genealogy of the Holy War the hero, Edelgard being Arvis, Dimitri being Eldigan, Claude being Travant and Rhea being Manfroy”

This will not be a post about Manfroy’s hips, you are warned

Who is Eldigan (Eldie)?

A man who is the carrier of Hezul’s holy blood, Hezul being the founder of Augstria, a sovereign state. Everyone loves Eldie, he is good-looking, strong, kind, chivalrous and has the magic blood that makes him able to use his magic sword.

Is he the King of Agustria? No.

The King is a man named Chagall, who has an ugly sprite, doesn’t have Hezul’s magic blood and cannot use the magic sword. He also killed his father, and is really jealous of Eldie.

However, Eldie’s line (House Nodion) has sworn to support the royal line of Augustria (Chagall’s), so even if everyone wants Eldie to ascend to the throne, he will never accept it. Even if Chagall pisses on him, or imprisons him because he felt like it, Eldie will not rebel against his King. Eldie is seen as a Camus, because he will fight and die for Chagall, and his country, when Sigurd is... more or less attacking Chagall (because Sigurd’s forces are occupying Augstria and Sigurd’s orders are to bring peace to the land, Chagall doesn’t want peace and wants to fight to retake his throne). If everything ends well, Eldie will promise Sigurd he will try to talk one last time his king, try to convince him to accept a ceasefire and peace with Granvalle - but Chagall is an ass and beheads Eldie.

Dimitri... isn’t like Eldigan, at all. First of all, Dimitri is supposed to be the crown Prince, instead of being a mere knight sworn to serve the royal family. Secondly, Dimitri doesn’t die because his liege beheads him - Edelgard will never be his liege - he dies either by defending his borders against someone who is bringing war to his lands and wants his head, or he dies because he pursues Edelgard in a three way battle in Gronder.

We do not know what Rufus is like to his nephew, but I am pretty sure he is no Chagall.

The only common points Eldie and Dimitri have is their blond hair, and sometimes, their manner of death. there is also something about bonds with their sisters but we’re not here for that

Who is Travant?

Travant is the King of the Thracian Kingdom, a proto Nohr-like place, where farming is difficult, and the people living there are starving and often turn to banditry or become mercenaries to be able to earn some money.

Thracia’s neighbour, the Manster District (Manster) could export food to Thracia... but they do not, because, well, the people in charge of the Manster District do not like Thracians a lot (and use slurs to talk about them, but Quan is a special character). So Thracians raid the border, with hopes to reunite the peninsula, with the dream that, one day, they will seize the arable lands in the North.

Travant has an infamous line, which more or less went like “I will unite the peninsula for the sake of my people, and if that process dooms me to hell then so be it”.

And to hell he will go, because by Jugdral standards, ambushing Quan and his family in a desert (horses cannot move in sand, another example of gameplay and story integration!) with horseslayers, is despicable, especially since he leaves no one alive, even, apparently, killing Quan’s young daughter Altena.

(Travant ranks pretty high in the douchebag ladder).

With time, Altena grows, unaware that Travant, who adopted her, isn’t her real Father, Quan was. Things happen, Altena discovers the truth, and Travant finally achieves his dream by making a suicidal charge against Seliph’s forces (he doesn’t even bring his magic lance to the fight!), with him dead, finally, the peninsula can be united under one leader.

Claude? Also has a wyvern. And comes from another land than our hero (but which one?). And... that’s all.

If Almyra raids every sunday, it is not because they are starving, but because they are doing it, per Cyril, for funsies. Claude pretends to be a schemer and underhanded, but he never does something on the scale of the Yied Ambush (the moment where Travant pulled out the horseslayers against Quan). Claude never takes a child hostage, and never orders his daughter to punish civilians.

If Claude wants to unite the two countries, it is not because he wants his people to finally leave their life as mercenaries and bandits behind, but because he wants people to understand each other.

Edit because I’m sleeping : Travant will die for his dream. Claude... always survive. Always. I am not saying he doesn’t believe in it, but he is not as desperate as Travant is.

Comparing Claude to Travant is like comparing... Virion to Iago. They are both male with long hair, and pretend to scheme. Bar that? Well... they both have hands...? I guess?

Who is Manfroy?

Manfroy is... both a mastermind and a plothole.

Manfroy was the one in the shadows engineering a war in Jugdral, not because he likes wars, nope, but because he wanted political instability to recreate the Loptyr Empire.

He will help a douchebag to conquer the world, and use him to sire Julius, the only person in Jugdral who can become a host for the dark dragon Loptyr. The last time Loptyr was there... well, apparently it wasn’t roses and sunshines, slavery was rampant and citizens were pitted against each other to make sure the strongest ones would become citizens of the Empire.

Why Manfroy does this? It depends on the sources, but it is heavily implied Manfroy is part of a sect (sect as in group of people practicing a religion, here the Loptyr religion/cult) persecuted by a lot of people in Jugdral - to the point where Agustrians were having witches hunts to chase them. Manfroy and his followers escaped the the Yied desert, touted to be an inhospitable land. His people had no where and no one to turn to, so they prayed to their God Loptyr (who doesn’t give 3 figs about them).

Manfroy is thus the Archbishop of the Loptyr Church. He also killed his son in law, for some reason, and planned to turn his granddaughter in a zombie. Manfroy also supports (and conducts?) the child hunts, basically the plot in the second part of FE4 and FE5 where the Granvalle Empire and the members of the Loptyr Church round up children, take them from their families (sometimes by killing said families) to send them to Granvalle, with the highly suggested goal of sacrificing them one way or another to Loptyr.

On the not-so bright side, Manfroy doesn’t kill Julia - when Loptyr/Julius expressly asking him to do so, because Julia is the only person, story-wise, able to kill him.

What a guy!

Now, Rhea?

There are some comparisons to be made, unlike Claude and Dimitri, but again, it reinforces how they could be seen as foils.

Rhea? Yes, also engineers the birth of a vessel.

However, unlike Manfroy who “forced” Arvis and Deirdre to marry and have a baby, Byleth’s birth, born from the union of Jeralt and Sitri, was completely unexpected. There is no trace in canon of Rhea arranging Jeralt and Sitri’s meeting, and future wedding.

Rhea? Also wants her granddaughter to “die”?

Well, not this one, since Rhea thinks Billy is actually an amnesiac Sothis. Billy would just recover their memories.

Rhea? Doesn’t start a war to build her Sothis vessel. Hell, the DLC is about her previous experiment to resurrect her mother - it was a failure, but someone supposes she fails because she did not want to bleed dry the Four Apostles. Rhea wishes to resurrect a benevolent Goddess (when Manfroy knows Loptyr is... far from benevolent) but will not kill to do so.

Sitri? Asked her to save Billy, by offering her own life.

The most interesting foil though is... how Rhea and Manfroy both belong to a community that was persecuted by others, the people they are supposed to live with.

Manfroy? Went the “if the world hates me, then I will hate it and burn it down” route.

Rhea? Doesn’t want to kill humans, hell, she and her brother disagreed because she didn’t want to kill children of the people who wronged her! She opens a monastery and offers guidance to anyone who needs it, a shelter for the needy and tries her best to protect peace and the humans living under her care.

They could have followed the same path, but didn’t. Manfroy rounds children to kill them, Rhea offers a new home to children who lost theirs.

They can also be compared with their “welp” points, Rhea gave CF!Billy the means to destroy her, just like Manfroy “forgot” to kill Julia - and yet, again, it is different. Rhea trusted Billy and never wanted to use them as a tool, in the other routes, it is because she trusted Billy with “those means” that Billy is able to save the world. Manfroy? Berserks Julia, wishes to use her as a tool and suffers when she regains some agency and beats her brother. But even without Manfroy, Julia would have recovered the Book of Naga to end Loptyr.

Rhea and Manfroy are definitely not parallels, but foils.

And the best for the end...

Who is Arvis?

Well... to summarise Arvis in a few words...

it’s impossible.

So, Arvis is the descendant of one Jugdral’s God-Crusader, Fjalar. Arvis is very proud of his heritage, but he also bears Loptyr blood, through his Mother. And yet, since the Loptry blood exists thanks to Saint Maira - the brother of the Loptry Host of that time, Emperor Galle, who rebelled and helped the Crusaders - he is also very proud of this heritage and his two brands.

Arvis’s familial history is a mess, his father was a womanizer and his mother abandoned him (which might have fueled his Freudian complex?). When his Father died, he exiled all of his bastard siblings, bar Azelle (his bastard half-brother, sired to his mother’s favorite maid). Arvis apparently wasn’t interested in women before he met Deirdre and fell in love with her...

But he had time to sire a bastard (on his best friend and confidante).

Arvis wants to build a world free of prejudice and oppression, and wants to build it by... associating with Manfroy, who blackmails him about his Loptyr blood (if Arvis is proud of his Loptry blood, sadly the Agustrian witch hunts are still a thing, and it will not be well seen in Granvalle’s nobility); however, he made it clear, to Manfroy himself, that he will never allow another Loptry Empire to be reborn. Arvis thus uses hiw fellow Dukes Reptor and Langobalt to set up a coup against Prince Kurth (the Prince of Granvalle) to kill him. Arvis grows close to Kurth’s father, Azmur and more or lesses takes care of everything in Granvalle, since Kurth has no heir left.

And, by chance, Deirdre, Kurth’s bastard daughter, thus rightful Princess of Granvalle, appears at his door. She bears the mark of Naga (the special blood of the Crusader Heim), so they marry, and if they have a son, their son will rule over Granvalle, Arvis acts as a regent until then.

(women can’t rule shit in Jugdral)

Then what? His plan is set into motion, all Granvalle Dukes die, he and Sigurd (plus his pals) are the only ones left, Sigurd dies after being lured to a welcoming party, and Arvis becomes the last man standing able to rule Granvalle, who became, through his plans and treacheries through the 1st gen, an Empire.

(and then his son becomes a Loptyr host, vaporises his mom and makes his sister disappear, wrestles power from him and he is reduced to a sad state (oldvis). He makes a last stand against Seliph, after delivering him Sigurd’s magic sword, and dies.)

Okay.

So, now, Edel.

Arvis managed to become the ruling... person in Granvalle by eliminating all of his rivals, and securing a nice marriage. Edel becomes Emperor... because Ionius gave her his crown, as her father.

So they do not rise to power the same way.

Edel never talks about her brands, but Arvis is proud to bear them and proud of his ancestors. Judging by how Edel speaks of Wilhelm I as a traitor who sold humanity to creatures, I am not sure she is proud to bear his blood.

Also, while Edelgard is extremely prejudiced against Nabateans, Arvis wishes to create a world... free of prejudice (his actions though...). He does not mind Manfroy preaching his stuff, when Edelgard will not allow anyone to follow the Seiros faith (friends put it better, but in several routes, the people who were followers of the Church of Seiros are missing in Adrestia...).

While both Edel and Arvis think they are making “sacrifices” for the greater good, as pointed out earlier, this greater good is different. They both ally with a death cult, but Arvis is naive enough to think Manfroy will not backstab him - he even wishes for him to preach his nonsense freely. Edelgard has been hell bent since day 1 on getting rid of Thales and friends.

By the time Arvis learns of the child hunts and Julius’s nonsense... he wants to stop it. He is however powerless to do so (or so we think! Apparently he and Ishtar managed to hide every children captured in a castle!) but, at least, he tried to do something.

Crest Beasts... are still used, no matter the path, and even after Edelgard became Emperor.

Now, if Manfroy had to capture children and round them up for execution to make sure Arvis would become Emperor, would Arvis have supported him? I... don’t think so. If children were captured during Arvis’s conquest of the world and it was a “necessary evil”, would Arvis have accepted it? We don’t know. Prideful as he is, I don’t think he would have agreed.

(which is all kinds of wrong, the man can start wars and backstab friends, allies and turn his own brother to ashes, but hunting children is too much? Meh. And yet, Manfroy mentions something about his ways and his pride being an obstacle to the realisation of his dream).

Arvis is... a complicated character. A douchebag through and through, who tries to redeem himself at the end, but ultimately fails. He is rewarded for his actions in the 1st gen by the 2nd gen, where Julius becomes Loptyr and destroys his Empire. He had it coming? Yes. Is it painful to watch? Yes.

Edelgard... does not face any retribution for her actions.

Yes, she can also kill her (step) brother. But either she didn’t remember it, or only cries after it, and ultimately puts the blame on him - so it is not a sacrifice ?

People doubt her words? Well, it doesn’t matter, Linhardt, Yuri and Lysithea are still alive after their... interrogations. Reptor doubted Arvis’s words? Aida was sent as back-up (and... backstabbed him).

Ultimately, Arvis loses Deirdre (whose ghost chills with Sigurd’s), Julia and Julius, whom he loved dearly. Edel loses... Billy, and some randoms.

So, in a way, Edel feels like a discount Arvis, because she misses his ascension to power and his downfall. Arvis doesn’t mow down enemies on the front lines like she is doing, Arvis maneuvers to ensure victory.

Both fight for ideals, but Arvis seems to believe in them when I cannot believe a world for “humanity” involves continuous making of Crest Beasts.

Both betray the main character, but Edelgard is hit with the uwu hammer, thus cannot kill Billy - Thales does it in the non CF-routes.

So... short story, long story, Eldie is not Dimitri, Claude is not Travant, Rhea is a foil to Manfroy and Edelgard is a discount Arvis.

Also, I don’t know what kind of weed the person who wrote this take had, but labeling Eldie as one of FE4′s villain is as dumb as labeling FE7 Karla a villain because she appears as a red unit you have to fight.

where is edel’s bastard son

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authordgaster · 2 years

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Chapter 1.1

“Y’know, I don’t think you ever told us where you’re actually from.” Claude pointed out as the group made their way to Garreg Mach.

“No, Shiro neglected to share the name of the kingdoms of our origin.” Agreed Forrest.

“Oi oi oi! It was still kind of a secret!” Argued Shiro.

“Weeell, now that we know you’re from another world, why don’t you tell us about where you’re from?” Asked Claude.

“Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt. In our world, there are three kingdoms, Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla-.”

“SHIRO!” Cried his friends in alarm as they all looked at him fearfully.

“What are ya guys freaking out for?” Asked Shiro in confusion as he stared at them.

They all stared at him for a moment before Soleil spoke up. “You’re not… disappearing?”

“What the heck are you guys on about?” Asked Shiro.

“The curse, you oaf…” Said Dwyer.

“The cu- oh. OH!” Said Shiro as he finally connected the dots.

“Uh… what curse?” Asked Dimitri in concern.

“The kingdom of Valla has a curse where if you speak of it while not within the kingdom, a curse will erase you from existence. Apparently that curse does not extend to Fodlan.” Explained Forrest.

“Shiro you dummy! Don’t scare us like that!” Midori practically cried as she smacked Shiro’s head from where she sat on his shoulders.

“Sorry, sorry.” Apologized Shiro as he rubbed his head. “Anyways, like I was saying, there are three kingdoms, Hoshido, Nohr, and Valla. Midori, Selkie, and I all come from Hoshido, and Forrest, Dwyer, and Soleil are all from Nohr.”

“Well, my father is from another kingdom called Ylisse, but my mother is Nohrian.” Corrected Soleil. “Ylisse is a different world that my dad and two of his friends came from to help out in Nohr. They actually serve the royal family as retainers! My mom and dad work for King Xander!”

“Wait, there’s another world?” Asked Dimitri. “How many worlds are there?!”

“Theoretically? Infinite.” Replied Forrest. “However, we won't need to worry about discussing any more.”

“So, do any of your parents serve some sort of royalty?” Asked Edelgard.

“Serve them? Haha! Our parents are the royalty!” Laughed Selkie.

“Wait, what?” Asked Claude in surprise.

“That is correct.” Said Forrest. “My father is prince Leo, king Xander’s younger brother. Shiro is king Ryoma’s son. Dwyer is the son of princess Elise, the youngest of my father’s siblings. And Selkie is the daughter of princess Sakura, the youngest of king Ryoma’s siblings.”

“My daddy is also the leader of the Kitsune hamlet!” Bragged Selkie.

“My daddy is one of king Corrin’s retainers, and my mommy is the chief of the Flame Tribe!” Said Midori proudly before pointing to the marks on her cheeks. “We both have these cool marks on our faces as well.”

“Flame Tribe? Is that how you were able to shoot those flaming arrows?” Asked Dimitri.

“Yup! Mommy and I can light our weapons on Fire when we hit the enemy!” Said Midori.

“Interesting, I’ve never heard of a Crest with that type of ability, what is it called?” Asked Dimitri.

There was a pause.

“What’s a Crest?” Asked Midori.

This surprised the Fodlan royals. “You’ve never heard of Crests?” Asked Dimitri.

“I don’t think our world even has them.” Said Shiro.

“A world without Crests? There wasn’t anyone who was blessed by the Goddess then?” Asked Edelgard.

“Goddess? No… the royal families are just descendants of Dragons.” Said Shiro.

“Dragons!?” Exclaimed Dimitri.

“That is correct. The royal family of Nohr are descendants of the Dusk Dragon, and the royal family of Hoshido are descendants of the Dawn Dragon.” Explained Forrest.

“That includes the four of you?” Asked Claude. The royal quartet nodded their heads in confirmation.

“Kana and king Corrin can even turn into Dragons!” Said Midori.

“They can turn into Dragons? How?” Asked Edelgard.

“Because Corrin is the son of Valla’s dragon, the Silent Dragon, and Kana is Corrin’s daughter.” Explained Soleil. “Kana is quite the adorable little girl too! She’s so sweet and hard working, just like her parents.”

“Unlike Caeldori, where if you make her angry, she turns you into a block of ice…” Muttered Dwyer.

“You only had yourself to blame for all your slacking off.” Said Forrest simply.

Selkie laughed. “I remember that! I came back from a mission only to find you sitting in the sun, waiting for your legs to thaw out!” She continued to snicker at the memory.

The trio of lords couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly at the antics of these otherworlders. They thought some of their classmates were off, but these six were in another league.

“Ah, we have arrived.” Said Edelgard as she turned her attention to the large cathedral ahead of them. “There it is. Garreg Mach Monastery.”

In the back of the lords’ minds, they couldn’t help but wonder, could these people aid in their ambitions, or would they prove to be obstacles that would need eliminating?

---

Claude, Edelgard, and Dimitri split from the group to reconvene with their classmates while the others went to the audience chamber.

“It's been years since I've last set eyes on this place. To be forced to see her now…” Said Jeralt.

“Her?” Asked Byleth. Despite asking the same question he had many times in the past, he still awaited his father’s response. Byleth valued the period of time he got with his father, that time which would be cut short by Kronya and her knife.

“You saw her in the courtyard earlier, didn't you? The archbishop...Lady Rhea. As you know, the majority of folks in Fodlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros. The leader of that ridiculously large organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea.” Explained the old mercenary.

Then, like clockwork, Rhea and Seteth entered the chamber.

“Thank you for your patience, Jeralt. My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop.” Introduced Seteth.

“Right. Hello.” Said Jeralt

“It has been a long time, Jeralt. I wonder…was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?” Said Rhea.

Byleth considered tuning them out, after all, he’d heard this all over a dozen times already. But with these new people, he was admittedly curious to see what would happen because of them.

“You must at least show the basic courtesy of telling us your name! Do you not think you are being a bit rude to the archbishop?” Seteth’s annoyed voice pulled Byleth from his daze.

“It is all right, Seteth. My dear, I am called Rhea. I am the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. In truth, I was only being polite. I already know your name. And a fine name it is.” Said Rhea.” From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy.” Ignoring the huff that Jeralt let out, Rhea continued to speak. “Jeralt. You already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?””

Jeralt responded, doing his best to retain some semblance of politeness. “You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don’t you. I won’t say no, but…”

“Your apprehension stings. I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you. I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say.” Said Rhea. She then turned to Shiro and company. “Speaking of those who have something to say, I have heard interesting things about your group. Would you be willing to introduce yourselves?”

“Hiya, name’s Shiro… I’m a prince of Hoshido.” Said Shiro, reluctantly adding his title onto his introduction after a moment’s hesitation.

“I’m Soleil, retainer to prince Siegbert of Nohr, and I’d love to have tea with you if you’re ever free.” Said Soleil, managing to add a little flirting into her introduction, earning a chuckle from Rhea and a frown from Seteth.

“I am Forrest, a prince of the kingdom of Nohr, it is a pleasure to meet you Lady Rhea.” Greeted Forrest with a bow.

“I’m Midori! My mommy is chief of the Flame Tribe and my daddy is a retainer to king Corrin!” Said Midori proudly.

“Name’s Dwyer… I’m also a prince of Nohr…” Said Dwyer tiredly.

“I’m Selkie! I’m a Hoshido princess and my daddy is the leader of the Kitsune!” Said Selkie.

“Hoshido? Nohr? I have never heard of such places.” Said Seteth.

“Because they’re from a different world. We kind of forcibly got pulled into this one and now we can’t go back home. We’re hoping our families will find a way to us.” Explained Shiro. “Your students said you’d be willing to take us in until then.”

“While Garreg Mach is willing to take in those with nowhere else to turn, I refuse to believe such an outlandish story to be true without any semblance of proof.” Said Seteth stubbornly.

Shiro took a quick look around the room, making sure the area was large enough before turning to his cousin. “Proof, huh? Selkie?” He said.

“Right!” Giggled Selkie as she turned into her beast form, shocking Rhea and Seteth.

“What in the world!?” Exclaimed Seteth.

“Oh my…” Gasped Rhea.

“Your students did say this world doesn’t have Kitsune. This prove we’re not from around here?” Asked Shiro with a chuckle.

“I am… convinced.” Said Seteth.

“Are there others like her in your group with this ability?” Asked Rhea.

“Among us? No, but we have friends back home who can turn into giant wolf monsters and dragons.” Explained Forrest.

“Dragons?” Asked Rhea. She wasn’t fully sure how to react to all this information. That there were worlds with people like her and her family that existed. “Well, I believe that it goes without saying that Garreg Mach Monastery is more than willing to grant refuge to you all. In fact, would you be interested in joining the Officers Academy?”

“Rhea…” Said Seteth in a warning tone, but he was ignored. Sometimes the man questioned why he even tried with her.

“The Academy? Well, I’ve never been big on school, but I bet it would be fun to learn how to fight. What do you guys think?” Asked Shiro.

“This sounds like it’d be too much of a hassle…” Said Dwyer.

“C’mon Dwyer, I bet it’d be fun!” Said Selkie. Dwyer sighed, knowing that Selkie would be joining, which meant he was gonna be dragged along for the ride with her.

“Wonderful, I will allow you all to explore the academy and meet your future classmates. Until tomorrow… Farewell.” Said Rhea before departing.

Byleth watched the group talk amongst themselves about joining the academy. He couldn’t help but smile to himself. Maybe he could finally find the solution to saving everyone…

---

Fire Emblem: Three Fates

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sage-nebula · 5 years

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HOO boy, major Fire Emblem: Three Houses spoilers (at least for the Black Eagles route) ahead. If you haven’t played past chapter eleven of part one, you don’t want to read anything beneath the cut.

But if you have, OH BOY.

So, as is obvious by what I typed above, I’m playing the Black Eagles route. And oh boy. I’d heard rumblings of Edelgard being a “traitor” (and other unfavorable words) around the internet, but I tried to avoid the spoilers as much as I could, especially because I wanted to marry her at the first opportunity and thus did not want to hear a word against my beautiful future wife. Nevertheless, it became apparent to me a decent amount of time before the reveal that Edelgard was the Flame Emperor, and thus was the one who was working with Solon and Kronya (“Monica”) and therefore in league with the ones who murdered my (well, Byleth’s, but still) father. This, even more than Edelgard telling Dorothea that there was nothing resembling romance in her life despite the fact that I spent seven straight months showering her in flowers (WHICH SHE KEPT IN HER ROOM!), taking her on tea dates, and eating almost every meal with her, put a strain on our potential relationship. I was angry with her. To be honest, I’m still kind of angry with her. I was super angry that she offered no emotional support or condolences whatsoever after Jeralt died. I was angry that she never once showed anger toward Monica/Kronya for her actions. I’m still angry that after all is said and done and I’ve chosen to defend her anyway she still hasn’t apologized for the part she played in Jeralt’s death (guilty by association, maybe, but still), because I just feel like that’s really fucking rude and not how a supportive partner should act.

But I suppose I should back up a bit.

As is obvious by both this post and other posts I’ve made, I’ve really been enjoying Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I’m pretty much addicted to it. It’s world’s better than Fates (which isn’t hard to do, but still), and to be honest I think it’s better than Awakening, too, though I haven’t beaten it and so I suppose I should reserve judgment until then. But on top of the fact that it feels like it’ll have far more replayability than Awakening (since I imagine the story will change pretty dramatically depending on which House you choose, not to mention which branches you take within the House paths, provided Blue Lions and Golden Deer have splits like Black Eagles do), but more of the characters have central plot relevance than in Awakening, and the story itself has more depth, I feel. In Awakening, at most you’d get a scene or two with recruitable characters before they faded into the background, just units and nothing more. The same was true in Fates. Sure, there were a handful that were important (if that), but usually not more than that. But in Three Houses, the students in your House (at least the ones that were originally there) show up in all the cutscenes before and after major missions. They’re important. And while you can recruit characters from other Houses that feel more like your standard units, you don’t have to, which means you’re given an opportunity to really grow attached to all the characters in your squad outside of what you make up about them in your head. This is further enhanced by the fact that you don’t only get to talk to them in supports anymore. Supports still exist, but you can also talk to them around the school, have tea parties with them, attend activities with them, have them ask you questions, and so on and so forth. You really have a chance to get to know them, which makes them feel so much more like actual characters versus pawns that you use in battle.

So in this respect Three Houses feels deeper than Awakening or Fates, but I think the plot also feels more intricate. There are so many different threads and intrigues going on to think about, and I remember at one point I was practically going crazy theorizing about what was going on (and I still have some questions, like whether or not Edelgard could also wield the Sword of the Creator since she, too, has the Crest of Flames). So far most of my theories and predictions have turned out to be accurate, though to be fair most of them have been pretty obvious if you’re paying attention. But that’s not a criticism, or a bad thing. It’s not obvious in the sense that “this feels like they wrote the story for preschool students,” it’s obvious in a way that, again, if you pay attention, the writing leads to its natural conclusion. Intelligent Systems didn’t set out to bamboozle the audience with something that came out of nowhere. So far everything has led to its logical conclusion, and I really like that, particularly in today’s storytelling climate. So as a brief rundown of predictions I had that were proven right some time after I made them:

Prediction: Rhea is unhinged / malevolent / evil, the Church of Seiros is corrupt Reasoning: Early on in the story, when it’s revealed that Lord Lonato is raising a rebellion against the Church of Seiros, Rhea sends the Black Eagles (or I suppose whatever the player decides Byleth’s House is) to go take him out. When she’s giving the mission to Byleth, she says something to the effect of, “This will be a good way to show your students what happens to those who decide to raise their blades against the church.” This is a HUGE, MASSIVE, ALARMING RED FLAG, because it demonstrated that Rhea would never, under any circumstances, even consider giving a fair trial to those who seemed to be in opposition to the church, and since the Church of Seiros holds so much power and say over all three political powers in play (and sort of over Brigid, since the Empire has Petra), that’s a huge problem. Rhea continued with this trend, stating again that she hoped the students learned their lesson once the mission was over, and similarly saying that heretics couldn’t be allowed to live when that incident with Sylvain’s brother happened. So when she revealed her true colors in the tomb and wanted Edelgard killed without even thinking to ask Edelgard why she was doing what she was doing, I wasn’t surprised at all. (Plus there’s all that business with her having something to do with Byleth’s birth and lack of a beating heart, and so on. Aside from turning into a giant beast, Rhea is just bad news.)

Prediction: Flayn is Seteth’s daughter, not his sister. Reasoning: When Flayn goes missing, Rhea stumbles over calling Flayn Seteth’s sister. Her line is something like, “We will find your . . . sister.” If Flayn was actually Seteth’s sister, she wouldn’t have hesitated, almost as if about to slip up. Flayn was too young to be his girlfriend (and it’d be weird they’d be claiming to be family anyway, if that were the case), so it became pretty obvious pretty quickly that she was actually his daughter.

Prediction: Sothis was actually the goddess the entire time. Reasoning: The crown that Sothis wears is the exact same one that Rhea, who is the archbishop of the Church of Seiros, wears. Sothis’ hair and eyes are green, which is something only the upper tiers of the Church of Seiros have in common. And lastly, everyone mysteriously avoided ever saying the goddess’ name, which they’d have no reason at all to do if it wasn’t relevant to a particular character. Therefore, when Rhea revealed that the goddess was named Sothis, it was not a surprise at all.

Prediction: Jeralt was going to die. Reasoning: Come on . . . when does the cool dad ever get to survive until the end of the story? That aside, the second he told Byleth that he had ~something important to tell her~ and that “if I die, search every inch of this room,” I knew he was going to kick the bucket. I’m way too genre savvy for that. It was still really sad, though. Sadder than Emmeryn’s death in Awakening, imo, although it didn’t feel as powerful as hers since there was no emotional battle that followed it (and we didn’t get a track for him that was nearly as emotional and beautiful as “Don’t Speak Her Name”). Also, side note, when I first started playing I was calling Rhea “Green Emmeryn,” and continued right up until she gave her “show your students what happens to those who oppose the church” line. At that point I was like, WELP, Emmeryn never would have pulled this nonsense, never mind.

Prediction: “Monica” was evil. Reasoning: A student who was kidnapped a year ago just so happens to be perfectly fine a year later? And she isn’t a playable unit? And she’s always talking secretively to Edelgard, who she’s on personal terms with for some reason without Hubert kicking up a fuss, despite having only just surfaced? Mmhm, okay. Especially since I was already starting to get suspicious of Edelgard by that point, I guessed “Monica’s” true intentions pretty quickly.

Prediction: Edelgard was the Flame Emperor. Reasoning: This one took me a little while, to be fair, but what first tipped me off about it is that when I told Edelgard that the Flame Emperor had wanted Byleth to join them, Edelgard wasn’t bothered at all by this fact. Rather than expressing relief that Byleth had said no, Edelgard instead went on about how it must be hard to trust someone who wears a mask, but that perhaps one day the Flame Emperor would reveal their true identity and Byleth would change her mind then. That made me start thinking about how Edelgard was always conveniently never around when the Flame Emperor showed up, as well as how Hubert was the one to cause a distraction that allowed the Flame Emperor to escape after the proposition. Then there was the fact that Edelgard grew upset if you said that you thought that the Flame Emperor had the same goals as Solon and the rest (EVEN THOUGH SHE ADMITS THAT’S THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION), and that she was so cozy with Monica, not sympathetic about Jeralt’s death (at least in a way that mattered), and so on and so forth. So when the time came for her announcement, unlike the rest of my students, I wasn’t shocked. I been knew. I was just mad.

That said, I do still have a couple predictions that I haven’t received answers on:

Prediction: Flayn is Saint Cethleann, and Seteth is Saint Cichol, and thus they’re both actually super, super old. Reasoning: To be honest I’m pretty positive on this one, but since it hasn’t been confirmed I can’t put it in the confirmed category yet. If you read the statue descriptions for these saints in the chapel, they sound very, very much like Flayn and Seteth, right down to being father and daughter. Flayn has Saint Cethleann’s Crest, her blood was needed for what Solon was doing, they both have a special connection to Rhea and a deep loyalty to the church, Flayn has a very archaic way of speaking, refuses to divulge her age, gets cagey whenever Cethleann is brought up, and insists that she’s older than she looks. It’s far more obvious with Flayn than it is with Seteth, but I think it’s all pretty clear. They’re the Saints, and given what Rhea’s true identity is, they might not even be human.

Prediction: Byleth is Rhea’s niece (or nephew if you’re playing as the boy Byleth---Boyleth). Reasoning: This one I’m shakier on, because I think my original prediction (that Byleth was a reincarnation of Seiros, or maybe Nemesis, but probably Serios) has been debunked by now. But every time Rhea starts to talk about Byleth’s mother’s relation to her, or Byleth’s relation to her, she’s interrupted. “Your mother was my . . .” is pretty suspicious. The fact that, after fusing with Sothis, Byleth’s hair and eyes turned green is suspicious. (But in that case, why were they blue in the first place? Jeralt’s hair and eyes certainly weren’t blue. Ah well, anime genetics.) Of course, there’s Rhea’s whole speech about how Byleth was “just another failure” and how she was going to tear out Byleth’s heart after Byleth sided with Edelgard (if the player chose that), buuuuuut I’m still going with the theory that Byleth’s mother was Rhea’s sister for the time being.

In any case, as you can see there’s a lot going on, and I think still so much more plot to go, since I haven’t even hit the timeskip yet. I’m really excited to see where the plot goes, but I think that I should explain my reasoning for why I chose to side with Edelgard first, particularly given that my feelings on the whole issue are actually rather complicated, and much more so than the game would make it seem. (Though make no mistake, I have a duplicate save file created so that when I want to play the other path I don’t have to play through all of Black Eagles up to that point again. I was smart about it lol. Also I did look up a tiny spoiler for the split and, upon learning Flayn would leave, hastily shoved as many gifts at Mercedes as possible to recruit her so that I can still have two healers lmao. GOTTA PLAN AHEAD. That said, I recruited Mercedes, my sweet sunshine son Ashe, and Sylvain all in the last month, and they were all Blue Lions, so djkslfdsfsd sorry for poaching three members of your House, Dimitri. But it had to be done, because I needed a healer, I REFUSE to let Ashe die, and Sylvain was free because I’m a woman and he reminds me of Zelos so why not. But still, sorry Dimitri, lmao.)

ANYWAY, to get back on topic . . . I was honestly pretty torn right up until the second choice came. The first choice, where Edelgard asks you to accompany her to the Empire and the game tells you that a drastic change will take place depending on your choice---that was the reason I saw that tiny spoiler about Flayn leaving, because I looked up why choosing to go on a small journey with Edelgard was so goddamn important. But even though I chose to go with her to keep the option open (because if you don’t choose to go with her then, you’re locked into siding with the church), I was still somewhat torn. I was still pretty upset that she offered no words of comfort or understanding after Jeralt’s death, that she never once apologized for trusting Monica so implicitly and always going off with her. Even if she didn’t want to reveal she knew the truth, she could have lied about that and apologized for not seeing the truth sooner. Even a sweet lie would have been better than the zero amount of warmth I received in my time of grief. Aside from that, because Edelgard was the Flame Emperor and was friends with Monica, she indirectly played a part in Jeralt’s death. All the other things that came about as a result of those machinations---Lonato’s death and how that affected Ashe, what happened to Sylvain’s brother, et cetera---that I could get past if I thought it was for a good cause, but such a personal betrayal by one I held such feelings for? I was still so very, very upset. (Also, Solon almost locked Byleth in a void forever, which led to Sothis kind of sacrificing herself, and since Sothis DID offer compassion to Byleth when Edelgard didn’t . . . hhhhh, that also made me feel frosty toward Edelgard.)

But then the moment came. The instant that the Imperial army stormed in and Edelgard ordered them to take the Crest stones (and also said to kill anyone who opposed her, like? You’re really okay with killing all of us, Edelgard? REALLY?), Rhea’s switch flipped and she started barking orders and essentially calling for Edelgard’s head on a stick. And then the battle ended, and she DID call for Edelgard’s head on the end of Byleth’s sword, talking about how she would never stand for the Empire to oppose the chuch, and so on. And in the end, that was what made me make my choice.

Because the truth is, no matter how angry I was with Edelgard, obviously I still care for her. In-game, we spent eleven months together. Yes, the past couple were a bit tense and strained, but that doesn’t change the fact that I spent eleven months---nearly a full year!---bonding with Edelgard, fighting alongside her, finding companionship with her. Byleth’s actual heart might not beat, but unlike SOME people, she still has a metaphorical one that does (or at least, I do, lmao). Maybe Edelgard didn’t have compassion for me, but that doesn’t mean I have none for her. It doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to hear an explanation, from her, for why she did all these things. It also doesn’t mean that it would be easy for me to just cut down someone who I grew so close to and cared so much about, simply because I was given an order. Like, honestly, what the fuck. Who could do that? How could Rhea ever expect me to do that?

But even setting that aside, I was opposed to Rhea’s methods from day one. I’m a big fan of due process. In Rhea’s world, anyone who opposes her should be cut down. (Apparently Edelgard also feels this way, even toward her own friends, but I feel like I can probably more easily reason with her than Rhea, and in any case, the remaining Black Eagles slaughtered her army, so whatever.) She didn’t give Edelgard a chance to explain, she wasn’t calling for an arrest, there wouldn’t be a trial. She just wanted Edelgard murdered, on the spot. And I can’t stand for that. I’m don’t really like organized religion anyway, but I’m definitely not going to stand for one that ruthlessly murders any who even breathe a word of opposition to it while also holding the most political power in the world. All the Church of Seiros is is religious fascism. That’s it. Her facade of being caring and compassionate is just that---a facade. She turned on Byleth immediately when I had Byleth side with Edelgard, saying that Byleth was “just another failure” (which raises even more questions all its own) and so on and so forth. She’s a tyrant, and I’m not going to follow the orders of a tyrant and kill someone without giving them a chance to defend themselves, and this goes doubly if they’re someone I care about.

That said, I do wish there was an option to give some more nuance, because if I had my way I would have made it clear that while I was going to oppose the church, that doesn’t mean I’m siding with Edelgard, either. Rather, I just want to hear what Edelgard has to say for herself, and all that she’s done. But of course that’s not an option, and anyway at this point she’s won me over again and I’m once again considering marrying her (and if not her then I’m marrying Dorothea, but we’ll see), though I still wish she’d apologize for Jeralt’s death and her callous behavior from before. I wish we’d get an on-screen explanation.

In any event, right now I’m at the part before we storm the monastary to take it down (and therefore right at the end of part one, I think). Obviously, I don’t regret my choice at all given that Edelgard has won me over again, and to be honest I’m not entirely surprised she has given that in many ways she reminds me of Lotor (before he had his character assassinated, ofc). It’s very cool to have a female character like her. I only hope her character continues to be done justice through to the end.

(And if the rumors are true and her S-Rank is No Homo’d I’m going to burn everything to the ground istfg.)

TL;DR: I’m still kind of mad at Edelgard, but I can let it go for now, especially since my ire with Edelgard in no way means I’m going to side with that unhinged monster running that wretched church, dear god.

#fire emblem: three houses #also the fact that shamir - who i also recruited btw - isn't a wlw is a goddamn crime #a fucking crime #why can't i make her my wife #it's an injustice only dwarfed by the injustice that is there are dozens of dogs and cats all over the place in this game #and we can pet *none* of them #what the *actual fuck* is #why would you do this #biggest game design flaw 0 stars #anyway #fire emblem spoilers #fire emblem three houses spoilers #fire emblem: three houses spoilers #fe3h spoilers #fe15 spoilers

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