#He gave Dimitri flowers :)

[milfmanifesto]

Hubert content in 2025, I've missed him so much.

[multific]

My Venus

Dmitri Kravinoff x Reader

Burlesque!AU 

Summary: He was drawn to you.

From the moment his eyes locked with yours.

He knew he had to have you.

You loved to tease men.

It was what you were paid to do.

You had a show, quite popular, they called you Venus Sherry. 

You worked in a bar as a burlesque performer.

Many people, men and women enjoyed your show to the fullest.

At the beginning of each, you would come out of a beautiful shell. Your routine was specifically designed to entertain all. 

But it seemed like you had caught the eye of a young man more than anyone else's in the bar.

Not much younger than you, he always sat at the VIP table with a glass of whiskey in front of him. 

Or could it be that he caught your eye? 

For the last few months, he has been coming to see your shows. He never missed one. 

"Frank? What's the name of the man at the VIP table?" the bouncer looked at you and shrugged his shoulders.

"Some Russian guy. I forgot his name... It was something with the letter D."

Mr D. You decided to call him.

He never gave you the vibes of other guests. They came to enjoy the show, some turned out to be full creeps but not him. He was mesmerized.

His eyes were filled with passion and admiration.

You liked that.

It wasn't only lust.

It was something new.

Something different.

Something exciting.

And it got more and more exciting as the days passed.

Each show you pretended there was no one else, only him and you.

You danced for him. You teased him.

And you smiled at him. 

You never smiled like that at anyone else.

"Frank?" you asked as your door opened.

"Mr D wants to see you." Frank said as you got up from your chair.

You were fully dressed, ready for your show but you had better things to do now.

Your heart hammered in your chest as you approached his desk, he quickly stood up to greet you.

He was short. 

Not like that mattered, but he was handsome, which did matter.

"Ms Venus Sherry, my name is Dmitri Kravinoff. It is a pleasure to meet you, I have been a huge fan of your... work." You handed your hand to him to shake but he kissed the back of it instead. "Please, take a seat."

And you did.

"So, Dmitri, nice to put a name to the face I have been seeing so often."

"May I know the real name of My Venus?"

You smiled at his request but you ended up telling him your name.

There was just something about him.

You needed to know more.

---

Dmitri Kravinoff is possibly the man of your dreams and desires.

He sent you flowers after all of your shows.

Red roses.

To show his love for you.

And you danced for him. 

You feared he only liked you because of Venus. You feared he believed in your illusion too much.

But he didn't.

His eyes said it all.

His eyes looked beyond the costumes and make up.

And so, it didn't take you long to quit your career as Venus Sherry. 

"I will take care of you. I promise." he whispered and he didn't lie. 

Dimitri asked you to move in with him and quit your job. You could see the jealousy in his eyes. 

He only wanted you for him.

"Others get Venus, but you have me as a woman, as Y/N." you told him.

You weren't sure if it was good to fall in love so quickly. But it was so easy to love him.

Not his name, not his business and not his money. But him, Dmitri.

You could tell he did everything to win you over with his money but in the end, it was he who captured your heart. 

You stood out on his balcony, looking over London with a cup of tea in your hands. It was morning, people were going to work as you watched them.

The arms that wrapped around you made you jump and almost spill your tea. 

"You scared me."

"What are you doing up so early?" he whispered into your neck.

"Couldn't sleep." 

"Didn't I tire you out enough?" you smiled at him as he turned you to face him.

"You did. I just have too many thoughts."

"You and your clever mind, My Love. I told you to let them all go."

"I know. And I will." his hand was placed on your cheek before it moved to your temple, he closed his fist as if collecting your thoughts and threw them away. 

"I love you so much." he said to you with a beautiful smile.

"I love you too Dimi."

Taglist: 

@castellandiangelo @imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl @manduse @jacalineiscomingforyou 

@mandoloriancookie @deliciousfestsalad @lilliumrorum @asgards-princess-of-mischief 

@fallout-girl219 @dracaryxzs @snowtargaryen @mel-vaz

~Masterlist~

ˇAO3ˇ

/YOU DO NOT HAVE PERMISSION TO TRANSLATE, TO STEAL ANY OF MY WORKS/

[sothisblessmysoul]

Can I ask for a bouquet of flowers for the blue lions? That sounds so adorable. 🥰

(I never knew if you wanted all of them or selected few so I did all of them)

༓ʚ A Flower's Meaning ɞ༓

Summary: The Blue Lions react to you catching a bouquet at a friend’s wedding

༓Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd He watched you catch it without blinking or flinching, mainly just confused as the realization slowly took over your face as you finally met Dimitri’s gaze. There was something about how the flowers looked in your hands and the look that you gave him that made Dimitri feel so flustered. So pretty, is his single thought as Dimitri’s made his way to you, feet on autopilot.

༓Dedue Molinaro Dedue’s eyes were completely on you, holding the colorful flowers that all mean a term of love in language as everyone else is looking between you and him. He doesn’t flare up in a blush or appear startled but you can see Dedue is feeling embarrassedly flustered by the awkward stiffness of his movement as the tall man makes his way to you.

༓Felix Hugo Fraldarius Felix does not want to be here with unimportant people, if anything he wants to be comfortably at home with you. But he will admit that the other wedding is pretty. Felix wonders if you’ve ever thought about marriage, but any further thought of the subject changes when you catch the flowers that nearly smacked you in the face. The image of what you would look like holding yours flashed quickly in his thoughts as for once Felix quietly watched you.

༓Ashe Ubert A blush marked his freckled face with a happy smile but a shy expression at the teasing that Ashe knows his friends and siblings will give him as you walked over to him. Subconsciously Ashe reached out his hand for you to take, gently pulling you closer to his side as Ashe studied the flowers. The bouquet was pretty but it wasn’t your favorite, he thought to himself. The following thought is how beautiful you would look, holding your favorite flowers while neither Ashe nor you let go of each other’s hands because it felt like two missing puzzle pieces found a place to fit perfectly together.

༓Sylvain Jose Gautier Immediately starts to sweat nervously as the flowers are perfectly in your hand while his hand subconsciously touches his pocket where the ring is that he’s planning to ask your hand for later. He had been carrying it, not having a day or place in mind until right now. This is a sign, he thinks as you lock eyes with him and smile which he returns.

༓Mercedes von Martritz She was standing right beside you when you had caught the flowers, she leaned over to sniffle the flowers with a smile growing on her face as she looked up at you, pulling away from you but not before kissing your cheek. She giggled quietly at your reaction to the flowers and the kisses. She is going to tease you but this will bring up the thought of marriage and the future with her.

༓Annette Fantine Dominic Instantly a crimson blush blooms on her face as endless giggles of excited bundles of nerves, reaching how to touch one of the flowers’ petals. Annette went quiet, wondering what flowers she would pick for her wedding, she subconsciously looked at you. She isn’t going to say anything immediately today or tomorrow but there will be hints of marriage, hoping that you’ll catch on and talk about it with her.

༓Ingrid Brandl Galatea She never really thought deeply about marriage, it was just something that her father wanted for her. But when Ingrid saw your reaction to catching the bouquet to look for her and finally smiling when you found Ingrid, she wondered for a fleeting thought if you would smile like that at the altar. She can’t explain why it made her face blush although Ingrid didn’t hate that idea at all because without question she knows that Ingrid would say yes if you asked her.

[wayfinderships]

Ok one more Panchi Post for tonight I prommy <3

I was thinking about the fact that D.imitri gives Panchi a dagger during the events of the Pre-Timeskip and Panchi keeps it with them during all of those years, it becomes one of their most treasured possessions.

If the player feels really evil, in the Black Eagles route you can make Panchi be the one to kill Dimitri with the dagger he gave them. You get special dialogue just for making the two fight-akfnsjfd It's so good and angsty but that's a topic for another day

As I was thinking of the dagger, I kept wondering what it would look like and I think I decided on it! It would have a floral design! Specifically the flowers would be Forget-me-nots! (pictured below)

Not only are they blue but they also mean True Love among a few other things so I think it just really suits the dagger and the ship itself 👉👈 Hehe a perfect match methinks!

[randomnameless]

I forgot Saint Cichol's day :(

Fodlan AU :

Back when they were still kids living in Zanado, kid!Rhea gifted Cichol a stick figure drawing for his 1200th birthday, of them holding hands with a book for a bedtime story with some blurr that was supposed to represent Macuil in the background.

Cichol kept that drawing when he left Zanado to "explore" Enbarr, and forgot to remove it from his travel bag.

(let's say it was preserved with magic so the ink and the paper wouldn't fade over time)

After Nemesis' party, the drawing was what he thought to be the only memento he had left of his kid sister.

Returning to Garreg Mach, he put the drawing in his drawer, and once a mortified Rhea asked him what the crap he was doing with that "old stuff".

"It is just an old present."

Rhea believes he's teasing her and she doesn't like it at all, she learnt how to draw since that time! Maybe she can give him a new drawing for his next birthday?

(but then she feels like dirt : she cannot draw them together anymore, between his 1200th birthday and now, she ruined his life, made him a widow, made him lost his powers and is the reason why his daughter is convalescent! Maybe, deep inside, Cichol really hates her?)

Maybe a portrait of him and Cethleann would be better, but now that she thinks about it, she saw him talk to Manuela, maybe she can add her? But if she adds Manuela, she must add Hanneman, and Billy too, has a professor, but also, as a member of their family! And yet, she knows Catherine will be upset if she is left out of the portrait, adding Catherine also means adding Shamir, and she can visualise Flayn holding Cyril's hand while Alois would be in the background and...

Billy thus pops up after having waited 180 seconds behind the door of her office, to make their rapport, without hearing anything and spots her writing something? Or not?

Having never drawn anything before, because Jerry's picked lifestyle isn't suitable for children to draw, Billy is fascinated by the simple act of "drawing", and wants Rhea to teach them how to, before realising they didn't have anything planned for Seteth's birthday, isn't it Saint Cichol's day? Maybe he'd like a fishing rod? Or some flowers?

Rushing to meet Flayn, they ask her what he would like, only for Flayn to say that anything Billy will have picked would please him, especially if it's a handmade present. This is why she Mercedes graciously accepted to help her bake biscuits for his birthday (but she frowned when Flayn suggested to use fish stock to flavour them).

A bit lost, Billy wants to give a personalised letter to him with the flowers and fishing rod, and inspired by Rhea, they try to draw, but the result isn't satisfying. Maybe their students would know how to draw?

Supreme Leader brags about the famous "Hresvelg artistic skills" passed down since the dawn of the Empire, but Hubert makes her reconsider using her time displaying her talents to a mere mercenary turned professor.

Dimitri wishes to help, but since his days as a kid, he gave up on drawing anything on paper since he was afraid he would break any quill, but he remembers he played a lot with Felix back then, drawing their favourite knights in the snow (Felix calls him a moron and denies having wasted his time like that).

Claude pretends he doesn't know how to draw - fully aware that maybe his technique would betray his Almyran heritage - but tells Billy that Ignatz might help them... only for Billy to mention how Ignatz's current drawing reminds them of Rhea, and Ignatz being a bit embarassed because he was painting a portrait of Saint Seiros.

When Seteth receives his presents, he got a bottle of alcohol, several new quills, a pair of dices (if the bottle came from Manuela, who gifted him a pair of dices?), some sort of handrest to help him after hours of paperwork, a new lamp, edible biscuits shaped like lions (is Flayn subtly telling him she wants to spend more time with the Faerghan students?), an enormous flower bouquet with a happy birthday letter with what is supposed to be a cat (?), a new fishing rod and a portrait of his colleagues and family, save for Rhea herself.

Thanking everyone - even if he still told Manuela that no, they aren't going to finish her bottle in one night but he'll accept sharing a drink with coworkers - he makes sure to pat Rhea's head, when they're alone, to thank her personally. As expected, it annoys her and she calls him senile.

But isn't she the one who forgot to draw herself? She came a long way from her "stick figures" era, but she forgot the most important : them holding hands.

Rhea promises she'll think about it the next year, but then Flamey rings.

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam 15 (Final)

As long as this has gone on for, I'm actually bummed to finish this one.

NARRATION

Those special chapters were so weird. It's kind of funny how the plot is like, just ignoring all of that and going back to regular programming. It's like in an old kid's show when they got a dog and then the next episode - no dog anymore. Like there's kinda no point to it.

Ok, so Thales talking to yeeted Edelgard. I will never not get over how funny it is that's the path the writers decided.

Yep, we're really just jumping back into the regular plot. That is so funny. The writing in this game is a clusterfuck at times.

Ok, so we're going to the monastery to save Rhea. MUCH better than saving Bernie's dad.

TWSITD causing chaos again. I feel this route targeted them more than the other two. Like they barely existed in GW.

Everyone's worried about Rhea.

Dimitri wants to wreck TWSITD and the Empire. Let's fucking go!

MAP

No side quests again! Guys, I'm sooooo close to beating this game I can taste it. Both SB and AG have very short final chapters.

Only Claude is annoying, which tracks how this game's gone so . . .

So I've gotten all the supports for: Dimitri, Dedue, Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Rodrigue. Mercedes I'm only missing Jeritza. I didn't use Annette or Ashe, so they're missing a few, but I feel I did pretty good. Hopefully I can get Mercie and Jeritza this chapter.

Ugh, so I missed the opportunity to deepen my bond with Byleth :( Maybe next time.

So in another route, Ashe had no idea what he believed in anymore. In this one, he's confident about his sense of justice.

In another route, Yuri didn't tell me his history with Varley, in this one he trusted me with it.

Ingrid is a queen. She said it's the people who suffer in war, our leaders should reach diplomatic resolutions. Too bad only Dimitri believes in those :(

Aww, Byleth refused to kill Shez during their fight because he could tell she wasn't herself. I soooo wish I'd gotten their supports.

Ok, so I ran into Raphael again and agreed that I didn't like how we were fighting (which, imo, isn't true, but I wanted to see the difference). Shez thinks Edelgard is too cruel, Claude is too haphazard, and Dimitri is too cautious. She pretty much nailed it.

No Arval in the tent :(

Linhardt just said Caspar revels in bloodshed. That's fucked up.

My heart just broke and warmed at the same time. A Kingdom general asked a Duscur general how the people from Duscur pray. He wanted to learn because he lost a lot of good soldiers from Duscur in the last battle and wanted to pray for them in the way their religion would. It's details like this that make Hopes worth it.

Haha, Dedue was fairly chill considering I attacked allies and posed a possible threat to Dimitri. He brought it up, but didn't harp on it.

BYLETH & JERALT A

Man, I'm glad I got this unlocked in time.

Byleth gave Jeralt flowers. First time in Byleth's life lol.

He's trying to communicate his feelings, thankfulness to Jeralt for being his captain and father.

Aw, it's a throwback to Byleth giving out flowers at the Academy.

Lamo, Jeralt just said Byleth may have been a student or led seminars, but isn't qualified to be a teacher.

Jeralt's like, I knew you cared, kid. But I still appreciate it.

Byleth picked the flowers out himself. It's the same kind his mother liked :(((

Jeralt used to give these flowers to Sitri.

Byleth is being so sentimental and sweet. I can just imagine a voiced Byleth saying lines like that in Houses' supports and buying more into the character.

I swear, this game made me really get Byleth more and "buy into" the character. Also, I'm going to cry so hard when Jeralt dies. I still don't really care for Jeralt, but I'm going to just feel so sad for Byleth.

DIMITRI & DEDUE A

For anyone wondering, I purposefully saved this one and Felix A. I've had them unlocked for a while.

Dedue is worried because Dimitri keeps sleeping at his desk. He's grateful or else he'd get sore.

Of course, he had bad dreams about the past.

Ohhhh! Not the tragedy, but arriving home after. Cool to learn some tidbits about that part too.

A child cursed Dimitri after the funeral because his dad died in Duscur and was furious with Dimitri for not killing Dedue, but hanging out with him instead.

Dimitri just ignored him.

Then Dimitri talks about his duty to those who died, and asks Dedue what he would do if Dimitri begged for vengeance while he was dying. OFC, Dedue says he'd do it even if he died.

Then Dimitri asks the opposite, what would Dedue do if Dimitri begged him to live for his own happiness? Dedue said he couldn't.

"I cannot know happiness without you by my side." :(((((((

He'd seek revenge, for his own sake, not Dimitri's.

Dimitri's like, nothing I'd say would change your mind?

Dedue just flips the subject, asking if Dimitri can't just live for himself, and ofc Dimitri says no, he can't.

But imagines another life traveling around as a merc with Dedue or living as a farmer. Dedue's like, why not go?

Dimitri says obviously I can't do that.

So Dedue's like get some sleep.

It worries Dedue every time he sees Dimitri asleep like that at his desk bc he's worried Dimitri died. But Dimitri's like, not why you're here. It won't happen.

Dimitri's like, if I died, that wouldn't go well, so I'll listen.

GUYS. DIMITRI'S GOING TO SLEEP. SOMEONE TALKED HIM INTO SLEEPING. THE POWER OF DEDUE.

They're married, your honor.

DIMITRI & FELIX A

Starts with Dimitri apologizing and promising revenge, killing all of TWSITD no matter the cost.

Felix walks in, Dimitri almost calls him Glenn, but corrects, and apologizes again except to Felix for seeing that.

Felix is like "I've seen all there is of you to see." So, uh, what does that mean?

Dimitri explains that he suffers from a "waking dream," saying he sees the dead like they're real.

Then talks about the violent revenge the dead scream at him.

Felix asks when this all started. Dimitri says 6 years, but the voices started 4 years ago during his first battle? Not sure those numbers line up with lore and age, but I don't know how old they are this time. Anyways, started with Duscur, got worse when Rufus tried to have Dimitri killed by sending him to battle.

The man he killed that freaked Felix out was someone from Duscur, and the voices cheered when he killed the guy.

Felix is like, do you really think Glenn and Lambert would torture you like that? Telling Dimitri he's the one doing it, not them.

Dimitri's like, even if that's true, I can't forgive myself.

Felix talks about how if Dimitri loses his path, he's taking everyone down with him (so Houses, sans AM) and says "keep the whole removing their heads thing in check yeah?"

Felix says it'll be their secret.

"are you offering to let me unburden my heart to you when the time calls for it?" - Dimitri to Felix. Guys, I'm dying a little.

Dimitri credits Felix with the reason he hasn't descended into madness, and asks Felix to continue being his right-hand man.

Hahahah, OMG, Felix picked Dimitri up and is physically carrying him to bed. Dimitri is nearly laughing because he's so much taller than Felix his feet are dragging the floor.

Felix calls him a "sack of muscle" lol

Dimitri carried Felix like this when Felix twisted his ankle. And now is calling this a workout. Dimitri's still massively entertained.

They are also married.

Man, so Dedue got Dimitri to fucking sleep, and Felix got him to laugh.

Ok, this game is really Dimilix, the game. I swear a shipper on deck wrote this. It may also be why Felix was one of the few Blue Lions to survive SB. Writers' bias.

My shipping heart is so happy with both supports.

ASHE & FLAYN B

This is their final support.

They're fishing together. She's trying to reel in a big fish, but it's not working. Ashe gives her tips. And she got it!

Though, it seems like it was a bit of a struggle.

Flayn swore she'd not let go no matter what. Ashe says sometimes it's best to not let go, and suddenly understands Seteth. But still compliments her on her determination.

Flayn thinks her mother would be proud of her for catching this, which is part of the reason Flayn loves fishing.

She flirts with Ashe a bit too lol.

And now she's drooling over the fish.

Ashe says Flayn enjoys him of his sister and really had fun.

But then panics thinking of Flayn in the kitchen lol.

ANNETTE & CONSTANCE B

Constance compliments Annette's performance in battle.

Constance is a legendary alumni at the school in Faerghus.

Stories include turning bossy noble kids into horses. And she started using it everywhere.

She argued magical theory with teachers and won.

These make me love Constance, not going to lie.

Annette is nervous being around someone so famous. Constance calls Annette one of the most talented women in the Kingdom.

Constance loves a book Annette work, but it's mostly a cook book, so Annette doesn't make much of it.

Annette wrote a magical cookbook, and Constance is all about it.

Annette tries to give Mercedes credit because she's the cook.

They both want to get to know each other better.

This was really them geeking out over each other, magic, and Mercedes' cooking.

MERCEDES & JERITZA A

It came down to the lack fucking minute, but I got it. Thank you, Shez, for cooking the perfect dinner.

Jeritza finds and old letter from Mercedes' mother. Or, rather, she wrote Jeritza a letter after Mercie told her that they found him.

They both want to live with him after the war, but he says no.

He can't face her because of his past actions. Doesn't seem Mercie holds it against him. And says neither will her mother.

Then Jeritza talks about the Death Knight persona.

Mercie's like, naw, because you're fine right now.

Jeritza still doesn't give in though. He insists he must pay for his crimes, which he thinks he never can. He wants to get judged by the law, which, honestly, respect.

Mercie decides to support his decisions, even though it makes her sad, and that they'll be waiting for him. No matter how long. Even if they're both old ladies.

I really loved that support. Seeing Mercie support Jeritza's decision, seeing Jeritza take responsibility for his actions. All around good support.

ANNETTE & CONSTANCE A

Glad I got this one. I think Seteth/Shez A is the only other support still within reach.

Constance wants Annette's help conducting an experiment outside. Annette knows how Constance's mood changes when she goes outside. Annette's happy to help.

Obviously now Constance is being down on herself.

Annette volunteered before learning the experiment. Thankfully it's just to try and get all the cats from the area.

It fails :( I want a spell like that.

Constance is obviously moping, Annette gives her a pep talk, but it probably useless bc they're outside.

It attracted bugs, and Constance says the cockroach is a better sorceresses than her lamo. Then they attract angry birds lol.

Once back inside, Constance realizes her spell does sort of work, but they just didn't know how to get cats.

Aww, I really liked that support chain.

FINAL BATTLE

How can anyone not tell something is wrong with Edelgard?

It's so weird how they just ignore the special chapters.

Thales is making her fight.

Sylvain said he'll skip the class reunion if this is what they're like.

Ingrid is roaring to go after Thales.

No sign of Claude. Dimitri's trusting him, but I don't know about that. I wonder if he betrays you here too. Though Dimitri makes a good point that if Faerghus falls, Claude's ass is next.

On, cool image! Dimitri giving a speech. It's like a moment in Lord of the Rings before Aragorn and co march on Mordor.

I like this! Dimitri's talking about severing the past and moving on into tomorrow. Good to hear him talking like that.

I only got 40 points too. Guess Claude was the odd one out, getting more points for his battle than the other two.

Kyrona made an appearance.

Felt good to kill Varley for once.

Getting ready to face Thales now. Dimitri about to get his revenge against TWSITD. Feels good.

Shez is reassuring Dimitri that he's not alone. That his friends are here to help. :)

I think I just killed Kyrona for good this time.

Time to kick Thales' ass. Much better than killing Rhea. Again.

We also got to defeat Edelgard. Having a hard time feeling bad about that.

This battle is pure chaos. But in a fun way.

Oh, did I beat Thales? I'm at a cut scene. Shez stopped Edelgard; and Dimitri's marching to kick Thales' ass.

Haha, he just ignored Thales magic like it was nothing. What a fucking badass.

He's not even saying anything, just breathing, and the voice acting is still on point.

Edelgard remembered Dimitri? So he didn't kill her. And outside Rhea, Claude and the Blue Lions are waiting. And sun is about to come up.

This felt WAY more complete than the other two. I was expecting MUCH worse. Maybe if I played the other two first I'd be more surprised, but they set the bar stupid low.

We defeated the Empire, defeated TWSITD - I don't know what would even be left?

I love how hard the narration tries to make it sound like the Empire has a fart's chance in the wind anymore. It's just clean up now.

MVP time. It'll eventually turn into the Dimitri show like SB did Hubert and GW did Lorenz. I suspect it'll take longer though bc I wanted to use the other Blue Lions a lot.

Actually, I lie, it happened like the second I got Dimitri and not just Shez. I think I may just be a stan lol. He's also just so damn strong he killed so much easier and faster than anyone else.

You can tell the chapter Dimitri was missing for since Felix and Ingrid kept trading MVP. Then back to Dimitri.

Hey! Rodrigue got one!

I'm excited for Dimitri's letter. Still wish we got paired endings here though.

Dimitri feels reassured with Shez by his side. He's also the only one who asked Shez to stay in the Kingdom. It's nothing spectacular, but it was sweet.

I'm also a bit sad to see this one end. No more Fodlan unless I replay, but I guess there's still supports I didn't unlock.

Guys, I can't believe I finished. Now I'm finally "free" to play whatever games I want.

Def want to replay Engage and Houses, and some non-FE stuff too. Should I get the Engage DLC?

xxx

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

Eagle under the lion's paw pt 4

The next morning you nearly screamed in pain as you tried to get up. The pain of your injury flaring up again. You stumbled towards your desk where the painkillers were and took them. You then grabbed the water jug and poured yourself water. You drank your water before hearing a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” You asked.

“It's me” you heard Dimitri's voice. Oh no, you couldn't come out in this state. You'd never hear the end of his apology if he saw you in this much pain.

“Hold on a bit, I'm not decent right now,” you told him as you hobbled over to your drawers pulled out some clothes, and hastily tried to put them on without making any pained noises.

Once you were done you made your way to the door and opened it to see Dimitri standing in front of the door with flowers in hand, red carnations with white stripes.

“I'm so sorry for what happened yesterday, I don't know what overcame me,” he told you as he handed you the flowers.

“Dimitri, it's OK… I know it was an accident” you told him.

“I know but I still hurt you and I can't forgive myself for what I did,” he told you as he held his head in his hand.

“I forgive you, stop beating yourself up over it. I know it was an accident ” You told him as you pulled his hand away from his face. You hissed in pain as you did so.

He was grief-struck. He knew that if he'd used any more force, he could have seriously injured or even killed you.

“I promise I'll make it up to you,” he said. There was clearly no way of talking him out of it like this. What more could you tell him?

You walked back into your room to put the carnations in an empty vase and fill it with water.

“did you want to walk into town with me?” You asked him. Of course, you knew that was his plan after his insistence to replace your lance. Perhaps you could get his mind off of what happened yesterday.

He'd taken you immediately to the armory and asked you to pick out a new lance. Instantly a brave lance caught your eye. You'd heard Ferdinand sing constant praise of how great the brave lance was. Strong yet light, great for manoeuvrability but it came at a steep price.

As much as you wanted it you didn't want to burden Dimitri with such a hefty cost.

“Could I please get the steel lance?” You asked Dimitri.

“Of course” he replied with a smile before talking to the shopkeeper. You saw him talk and then hand them a satchel of gold before they took the Brave lance.

“Dimitri I asked for the steel lance” you stuttered as you got closer to him.

“I know you're trying to be considerate but I know this is what you want. After all, I have to make up for yesterday,” he told you before handing the lance to you.

“But it costs so much” you retorted.

“Have you forgotten that I am also royalty? It is not a great deal to me” he responded with amusement.

The rest of the day you two walked around the monastery. You arrived back at your dorm in the afternoon. You sat at your desk to finish a mock test Manuela had given you in preparation for your test to become a paladin.

“Hey (Y/n), you doing ok?” You could hear Dorathea's voice from the other side of the door. You got up from your desk and opened the door to see her with a teapot and cups in hand.

“Hi Dorathea, Manuela gave me some medicine to deal with the pain so I'm alright,” you told her.

“You don't mind if we have some tea, I just thought I'd offer you some,” she said.

“Of course not, come in,” you said before grabbing out the the second chair.

“Who gave you those?” She asked as she pointed to your vase with carnations.

“Oh Dimitri came over this morning to apologize for what happened at the battle of the eagle and lion” you explained.

“Weird flower to apologize with,” she remarked and she placed everything on the coffee table and sat down.

“How so?” You asked as you looked back at the flower.

“Every flower has a different meaning. Typically carnations are associated with motherly love but red carnations with stripes are for longing” she told you.

“You've told him? Right?” She asked.

“No I haven't” you replied.

“Then tell him, you need to draw a line otherwise things could get messy,” she said.

“But what if he doesn't feel that way, then it sounds weird” you replied.

“(Y/n) Trust me, it's better you set your boundaries. That was the mistake I made when I started off at the opera company. Men got too close, I didn't know how to set boundaries and It led to some incidents” she explained.

“Ugh, maybe I'm overthinking everything… it's just I don't want anything happening to you. Dimitri seems far too polite to ever cross a line. Besides flower language isn't as popular nowadays, I only know about it because I was surrounded by people far older than me” she rambled.

“Just try to keep safe and if anyone gives you trouble let me know���

🦅🦅🦅

“Beating those bandits was a piece of cake, wish we got sent on missions like what the blue lions get” you heard Casper talk about yesterday's mission to some of the other classmates. You hadn't attended due to a medical exemption.

“The mission they had was at Remire village. I heard some of the knights say that it got out of hand” Ferdinand spoke. You packed up your books and left to get ready to go to the training ground.

When you did arrive at the training ground you couldn't see Dimitri, even after waiting for quite a substantial amount of time he didn't show up. You left the training ground and looked around the monastery before seeing one of his classmates, Mercedes.

“Good afternoon Mercedes, do you know where Dimitri might be?” You asked her.

“Oh hello. I haven't seen him today. The professor did say that he was feeling unwell so he's probably resting in his dorm” she explained with a warm smile on her face.

“Thank you, I just wondering why he hadn't shown up to training” you thanked her before leaving. You didn't see him that night either.

The next day you hadn't seen him again so you decided to buy him a pastry from the Bakery and head to his dorm. You knocked on his door.

“It's (Y/n), I just wanted to check in since I heard you weren't doing too well. I also brought you something to eat” you explained. Soon the door opened and revealed Dimitri. He looked disheveled, his hair hadn't been combed and he was only dressed in his undergarments. A small but shaky smile took shape on his face.

“(Y/n)... I'm so glad to see you” his voice was but a whisper.

“Dimitri, you look awful. You should be back in bed” you told him.

“I am well aware of that… May I ask you to keep me company?” He asked you.

“Of course” you replied as you followed behind him and closed the door. He pulled out the desk chair for you before sitting on the side of his bed.

You handed him the bag with the pastry in it and he muttered a thank you before you set down.

“Have you seen Manuela about this?” you asked. He shook his head from side to side.

“No, it is no ailment… in truth, it's something I've had to deal with for many years, with recent events I feel it's only getting worse,” he told you.

“Then what is it? You look like you're at death's door” you asked.

“You'll listen to me… won't you?” He asked as he reached out for your hand.

[lakeofflowerss]

just a little idea I've had in mind for a few days now

MOTHER'S DAY

English is not my first language so I apologise in advance for my mistakes.

Before facing the public eye when their relationship left the privacy of their home, Hermione, Fleur and Pansy had to face a monster far greater than the gossip of old witches who thought they had the right to have a say in their lives.

Dimitri was fifteen when his mothers told him they had to talk. He was a charming teenager, very sweet and intelligent, the exact carbon copy of Hermione Granger. Fleur had joined them when he was barely two, in his mind no conception of family without his two mothers. He didn't need or want anything else.

So when the couple mentioned to him that they had met someone who challenged their conception of relationships a thorn stuck. Pansy wasn't someone new in their lives, she was best friends with one of their uncles. Whenever he went to Theo and Daphne's house she was always there. Likewise something in the air told her that they didn't know each other just because of that.

Dimitri didn't like change at all and the full adolescence didn't help at all. So when making their three-way relationship official, he made his stance very clear. "You won't be my mom.”

No one had wanted to imply that this was something they were looking for and before either of their mothers could speak Pansy took the lead and in a firm but sweet voice clarified the situation. "I don't want to take places I don't belong, Dimitri. My affection for you is enormous, I've watched you grow up from afar, but I'm not here to be your mother. I'm here because I love them, because I don't contemplate continuing my life without sharing it with them or with you. You can rest easy because I don't want to impose anything on you, or force you. I'm still just Pansy to you, as always.”

"I hope you make them happy, really happy because Dumstrang doesn't teach me temperance classes and if you hurt them I won't hesitate for a second to raise the world against you.”

"I promise you'll never have to get to that instance with me.”

Four years have passed since that conversation and a lot of water has flown under the bridge. At first Dimitri kept his distance from Pansy. They shared quality time, talked and so on, but during the first months it was a tense atmosphere. He even avoided her presence when he sent greetings through letters during his stay at school, but one day something changed. The letters were addressed to all three of them, differentiating the greetings between their mothers and Pansy, then he wrote only to her when it came to potions, and he even bought her presents for Christmas. Now, having just graduated, he had a surprise planned for his family.

Mother's Day had knocked on her door very early this year. Pansy had prepared delicious meals and beautiful gifts for her girlfriends, she also decorated the living room and cut beautiful flowers from the garden and presented a beautiful centerpiece to decorate the head table. This date is equal parts sad and beautiful to her, she gave up her desire to be a mother because of the war. Her father took it upon himself to curse her in the midst of battle when she changed sides, she would never be able to give birth. But it was also a beautiful celebration because she had two incredible people to entertain. Hermione and Fleur are the best mothers in Pansy's eyes and especially in Dimitri's eyes.

The dinner was fantastic, everything was delicious, the four of them enjoyed the meeting very much; they talked, laughed and made the delivery of some gifts, or rather, Pansy delivered the gifts to their girlfriends. Dimitri did the same and asked to speak.

"I want to propose a toast, thank you for being amazing women. For giving so much love, shelter and for being such wonderful mothers. The years together only evidence how excellent you are. You have given me a more than perfect life and I am grateful." Pansy looked at her girls with tears in her eyes and didn't know when she started crying too. "We were two with my mom, then my mom Fleur joined and a few years ago we expanded this family even more. I know I said some harsh things in the beginning and one of them was a cruel lie. Pansy, you're my mom too. You are." She looked at him like he was going mad. Dimitri smiled at her, the same smile Hermione had, and handed her a box. "Happy first mother's day, I'm so sorry it took so long.”

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 4: AM Alois/Byleth)

Maybe this is cheating. I already chose Dimitri as the best partner for Byleth in AM. And you can't get the Byleth paired ending with Alois at the same time as the paired ending with Dimitri. But hear me out.

Byleth: Actually yes. Alois: Ooh! So, who is it then? Someone I know? It is, isn't it? Captain Jeralt, listen up! I'll ensure that your daughter is matched with none but the worthiest partner!

Since he is a happily married man, Byleth has a completely platonic relationship with him. Even his S-Support at the Goddess Tower does not rule out a romantic tryst with another character later. If you're playing as Female Byleth, he even promises Jeralt that his daughter will be matched with none but the worthiest partner.

(Crimson Flower) When all of the fighting was over, Byleth embarked on another wandering journey as a mercenary. She traveled all over Fódlan, following her father's steps. When she at last drifted into Remire Village, she was reunited with Alois, who had moved there with his family and was now living on a farm. On Alois's advice, she decided to stay a while, and before she knew it, five years had passed. She fell in love with a kind man in the village, and they had a modest wedding. It is said that Alois was so overcome with emotion on that day that his weeping could be heard from anywhere in the village.

And in CF, Byleth marries a kind man in Remire Village, completely ruling out Edelgard and anyone else in the Black Eagles army (lol). If Alois is recruited in CF, he will express doubts about whether he joined the right side. So, it is not surprising.

(Verdant Wind/Silver Snow) After the war, Byleth ascended the throne of the United Kingdom of Fódlan, and Alois retired from the Knights of Seiros to serve the former professor. Alois became the new leader's right hand, and his duties in that respect kept him busily engaged all over Fódlan, giving all he had to support his/her reign. Alois's cheerful character was beloved by his subordinates, who rallied behind him to create the most numerous order of knights in all Fódlan. It is said that Byleth relied on Alois as though he were his/her own father.

In VW/SS, there is no mention of her getting married, which is consistent with SS's lack of a lord and Claude's departure. And given Claude's shady behavior (he couldn't even attend her coronation?) it makes sense that Alois would not be supportive of their marriage.

(Azure Moon) When Byleth took on the role of archbishop in Rhea's place, she reformed the order of the church little by little. Eventually this included the Knights of Seiros, and Alois was named captain and the archbishop's right hand. The captain's duties kept him busily engaged all over Fódlan. His cheerful character inspired those under his command, unifying the Knights of Seiros in a way they had never been before. The archbishop relied on Alois as if he were her father, and Alois in turn treated her like his child. It is said that Alois was so overcome with emotion on the archbishop's wedding day that his weeping could be heard through the applause.

His AM paired ending is actually the only one that implies Byleth got married to another playable character (and the route's lord is the default romantic partner for Byleth). And this ending also tops off Alois's character arc the best, too. He achieves his dream and surpasses Jeralt, while at the same time standing in as a father figure.

If you get the Alois/Byleth paired ending, Dimitri's solo ending doesn't contradict him marrying Byleth. So, my headcanon is that both S-Supports and paired endings are true. Alois is Byleth's right hand, and he gave her his blessing to marry Dimitri in AM, and bawled at their wedding.

[fantasyinvader]

@izzythebananaqueen

> I grow… not nice towards Edelgard and her route towards the end (thus why I’m probably going to tag this as “discourse” and not put this in the regular fe tags) Now despite me being a Dimitri enjoyer I was actually pretty neutral on her for years... BUT... I’m sorry y’all her route had the opposite effect on me and it made me like her less :(

I think that's part of the point. I mean, part of the message of Claude's route is about how spending time with someone and getting to know them can clear up any misconceptions that one may have had about them. It carries this weight that it's not just about Almyra and Fodlan thinking the worst about each other until they actually are properly introduced to each other, but considering the route itself Claude had misconceptions about the Church and Rhea that he was able to clear up by siding with Byleth. Claude's power of friendship speech against Nemesis is his character growth coming to a climax,

On the flip side, the devs said that Edelgard and the Empire being villains was meant to be a twist. Therefore, by spending time with Edelgard and clearing up any misconceptions we may have about her, the player should be realizing throughout Flower that Edelgard is not the good guy. For instance it's why Edelgard lies to her army in order to make herself look good throughout the entire route, with her even manipulating TWSITD to her own goals. Her S support in Japanese has her tell the player that's basically ruled through military strength, while the ending to her route makes her out to consolidate power on herself and continue working to make a world where people rely on their own strength.

It makes sense that we'd be more put off by Edelgard the more we get to know her, the more we see the Flame Emperor wasn't her mask. Flame Emperor is her ending title, pointing to Edelgard being the Flame Emperor's mask.

I was like you. I finished Verdant Wind and was overall neutral to Edelgard. The game wanted me to feel sorry for her because she was supposedly like Claude but she was still a bad guy. So I played Crimson Flower next and even before I hit the route split I was saying “she knows more than she's letting on, she's lying to me.” And as a result she just got worse to me as I paid attention to what she was actually doing and saying, noticing the many contradictions between the two. Then I started noticing stuff from the Japanese text that was altered, downplayed or removed in the translation, and then the devs gave an interview that spelled everything out. She's a good character who takes advantage of the player's ignorance, but not a good person.

[edns]

02. Blossom!

Thank you! I may have gone a little too ham with this... But enjoy! I'm a little rusty with writing and also I did this quickly so it might not be my best work but I had fun ^_^ P.S. I Swear I tried to write something cute or funny but I think I am physically incapable of making it weird or sad lol

It wasn’t often that the flower vendor passed by Garreg Mach these days, her good being greatly varied — from lush greens for a garden and potted plants to flower bouquets. As Dimitri took a stroll down the market, he was painfully aware of all the eyes on him… All this time, up until Rodrigue’s death, he had been looking away from them all, when they turned to him for help. Looking around the market, his attention first drifted to the armory. He went to check whether there was anything new there, when a thought passed by his mind.

He probably should have given a gift to the person who cared for him deeply, but got pushed away. Cyrus Lenz, the person who nursed him back to health when Dimitri lost his eye — he made it very hard to tell if he cared or not. Ever since Dimitri reunited with his used-to-be classmates and the Professor, Cyrus had been distant, spending most of his free time training and sparring with other sword fighters. However, Dimitri had seen him fight in the battle at Gronder Field, which made it clear as day that Cyrus still cared, deeply. Putting one’s life on the line was a Faerghan way to say that, after all…

Heaving a sigh, Dimitri perused the armory. The vendor started to fuss as soon as he recognized him.

“We have a new collection of swords and daggers available, Your Highness,” the vendor smiled. “They’re all a valuable find. Surely you would be interested.”

“Are they, now…”

Dimitri rubbed his chin in thought, as his mind wandered… Should he give one of such daggers to Cyrus? At first, this seemed like a great idea, but then he remembered the amount of times everyone made fun of him for giving a dagger as a gift to someone else he cared about… His mind wandered to that person, rage flashing in his eye for a brief moment.

Squeezing his eye shut, Dimitri turned away from the store he was browsing… Only to be met with a pleasant floral aroma. He opened his eye, and saw an abundance of colors. He found himself wandering towards the store. He touched one of the flowers as gently as he could — a rose. Its petals were soft, smooth… It soothed Dimitri. For some reason, it reminded him of Cyrus. The rage on his face was replaced with a soft smile.

“It’s not often I see a warrior such as yourself enjoy flowers,” the flower vendor grinned; she didn’t seem to recognize Dimitri as the Prince yet. Perhaps she was new around here…

“Do I really have an exterior of someone who would not appreciate their beauty?” Dimitri smiled; the lack of formality was also comforting. He picked up the rose flower by its stem, only to feel the sting of a thorn… He pulled his hand away and noticed his thumb bleeding.

“That’s roses for you,” the vendor looked at the rose flowers standing neatly in a vase full of water. “They’re beautiful, but they also sting… And they wilt so quickly.”

Those words etched themselves in Dimitri’s mind. He stood there, his eye jumping between the blossom and the cut in his already scarred hand.

“What is one more wound for me? As you said, I am a man of war. I can take the thorns.” He took the rose again, this time avoiding the thorns, and looked at it up close. With a deep sigh, he touched the soft petals again, an almost pained smile on his face.

“Are you thinking about the rose right now, Dimitri?” The vendor gave him a smirk as the question startled the prince enough to make him look up from the flower. “Or about someone you know?”

Dimitri couldn’t answer, even though his heart desperately wanted to. He stood there, still staring at the rose with a furrowed brow, but it wasn’t rage that was clouding his mind this time.

“If it really reminds you of them, you should give this flower to them. It’s on the house.”

“… No, I can afford to-”

As Dimitri looked up, he found himself standing in a lonely corner of the marketplace, in front of a bush of roses that just happened to bloom there. It wasn’t the first time something of the sort happened to him, causing him to wander off somewhere or speak to people who weren’t truly there, but usually it wasn’t something this… pleasant, so to speak.

After rotating the rose in his hand for a good minute, Dimitri turned around to leave the marketplace with it… Only to see Cyrus before him.

“Your Highness…” Cyrus looked worn out, his voice monotone and quiet, but concern still showed through his seemingly cold expression. Through the thorns…

Dimitri couldn’t bring himself to say anything, and instead just handed Cyrus the rose blossom, his heart aching as he hoped the other man would accept it. Taking the rose, Cyrus, for some reason, didn’t even look shocked… But he did smile.

“I only wish for you to know that I… Appreciate your efforts in battle,” Dimitri blurted after a minute of silence.

“You don’t exactly give people roses for that,” Cyrus sighed, deep sadness returning to his eyes after the brief respite of a smile. “However, I will continue giving my best efforts. Thank you, Your Highness.”

Saying that, Cyrus turned and left the marketplace promptly, leaving Dimitri alone, his palms stinging with pain as he realized that the cuts were plenty, instead of just one.

Perhaps a weapon truly would make a better gift in this case.

[moe-broey]

OKAY. I. FINALLY HAVE DONE IT. IT TOOK A LOT OF TESTING AND TROUBLE SHOOTING AND FIGURING OUT BUT I THINK I HAVE IT

My Askr and Co. team!!!!!!! Sometimes I switch one of them out for story stuff (full immersion lmfao), but!!! It's them it's the OGs 🥺🥺🥺

Alfonse is still pretty much the same, but since the Dragon Flower limit was increased, I feel he no longer needs Fury! Which, removing it does synergize better with Florid Cane anyway, beyond the Canto gimmick (having an Atk/Spd bonus if kept healthy).

Biggest thing I needed to figure out though was who I was giving the special skills to (from an extra Acsended Mareeta and Felix). I WAS tempted to give them to Alfonse (head empty he means everything to me) but I came to the conclusion that Ruptured Sky works too well on him. I even think it's fun from a storytelling standpoint, where he's consistent almost to a fault -- can result in him being reliable, or juuust missing the mark (he's still adaptable as well though!). PLUS! Both are speed based skills, and even With my speedy Alfonse build, AND even with all those Dragon Flowers, Sharena outspeeds him at lower investment.

So it did come down to trying to decide which would work best between Sharena and Anna.

Sharena absolutely needed to be completely revised, since I realized I accidentally doubled up on Null Follow Up on her weapon and B slot (and her C slot was a wimpy Threaten skill lmfao). Ultimately I felt Felix's kit synergized better with Alfred's Arcane I gave to her -- espp Bulwark keeping her healthy! In this way I think I accidentally made her a tank. Especially with all the stat bonuses coming together, on top of a damage reduction special. Really my ONLY bit of grief here is she no longer has her special attack voicelines........... I'm SO sad about that 💔💔💔 (HOWEVER. IT. IS REALLY FUNNY.)

She's just standing there..... Menacingly........... (quite literally with the Menace skill too from the Summer Dimitri manual that's up for grabs. I'm not so sure if it Suits Her storytelling-wise but tbh it's funny. GO GIRL START KILLING‼️‼️‼️)

As for Anna! I actually haven't touched Anna's build in years, she's not a unit I ever use outside of the once a month free orb and sometimes for story... last I left her was with Life or Death 3, Vantage, and a Spur skill. I wanted to keep in line with this initial build though... bc I feel like it suits her.

Outside of this one time (very early on, before I really put a lot of thought into things) I Never use Life or Death (I'm too cautious HAHAH) so I was comfortable giving her a Life or Death 4 I had laying around. BEYOND THAT. IT WAS. SUCH A NIGHTMARE. To figure out What the rest of her kit should be. A Lot of trial and error, testing, troubleshooting, everything. Because the BIGGEST THING is I wanted to keep Nóatún on her. She gets INSANE movement from it, and I felt like if I could Just Get This Right, I could pull off something as gimmicky as my Hit and Run Canto Alfonse. You have to trade SO much power for that movement, and she's already made of glass and paper the way I'm building her (but I am SO committed to this idea bc it's EXACTLY how I conceptualize her character in my mind -- strong starter, hard hitter, high movement = speedy and lots of experience on the battle field!! And SOMETHING in her C and Seal slots to communicate teamwork and commanding.)

EVENTUALLY. WHAT I THINK WORKS. Spurn helps her Not Die As Much/As Quickly (thank you damage reduction), and I think the balance between Oath/Solo skills gets the idea across.

BUT ALSO. THIS. THE MOST FUCKED UP THING I DESPERATELY WANTED TO SHOW OFF IT'S SO FUCKING GOOD!!!!!!!!!

LOOK at this. LOOK at how STUPID this is. How by giving Alfonse Odd Tempest HE IS. SO POWERFUL. HE MAKES A KILLER OPENING (EXACTLY AS HE ALWAYS SAYS HE WILL‼️‼️‼️). Reposition into Canto into look at him fucking go. He's fucking gone. Halfway across the battlefield. AND ANNA HAS FANTASTIC SYNERGY WITH THIS!!!!! Being able to get That One Extra Space thanks to Nóatún!!!!!!!! (Unfortunately this was a terrible matchup and she died instantly, but this is more for demonstration purposes 🫡)

I am a little sad that Sharena gets left on the back lines when this works out but. I think she's still doing her part. Esp since I'm testing out Ardent Sacrifice on her, where I typically exclusively only use Reposition and always have a healer. On top of eating hits, she also covers for her allies as well! Making sure they're okay :)

Finally! Takumi! I. Have no idea how he fits in here tbh I don't even know how Pathfinder works. But I love him so much so dearly and he's here because he's a highly respected veteran member of the Order of Heroes. Also everyone say thank you Alcryst for fucking finally giving him a usable weapon and decent skills (I have gone through SO MANY ideations of base Takumi builds and they have NEVER been on the level of stronger units he was ALWAYS WOEFULLY OUTCLASSED. Which is DEVASTATING bc I really like using base forms sometimes!!!!). I'm SO happy he's finally on par w stronger units now!!!! OH. AND. THE MAJOR THING ABOUT HIM ACTUALLY. Is once he gets the ball rolling he is procing Deadeye every fucking turn. Just like in Fates... 🥺🥺🥺 (killing and maiming and violence complete with a cheeky attitude and bravado!)

[raxistaicho]

Heggiegard needs to cover dem tiddies

With a title like this, you know it's Fantasy Invader.

Who else could it be?

(Also, by Heggiegard I mean Hegemon Husk Edelgard. "Heggie" is a nickname some of us for her.)

Thinking about the Hegemon Husk again today.

Oh no. He was thinking again.

It's a monster-class unit,

Yup, same as the Immaculate One. This'll be important later.

What is it that Dimitri says in Houses when seeing it?

Ah, yes, Dimitri, one of Edelgard's staunchest enemies, the house leader who thinks with his heart and not his head, and the one who thinks ends don't justify the means. Surely he will give a nuanced, balanced assessment of her activities.

“To be changed beyond all recognition... That is what lies at the end of the ideals you served so diligently.”

Yes, that sounds about right for him: a moralizing condemnation of his enemies, and a hypocritical one to boot given he benefits from and doesn't try to stop his own soldiers using Crest Stones to turn into Demonic Beasts to try to gain an advantage at Tailltean.

And yes, I know Dedue gave that order behind his back, Dimitri still had time to countermand the order and save some of his men. He decided instead to just make the most of it, because at the end of the day his true chief concern at Tailltean was revenge.

Cipher also titles the card version of it as Hegemon Edelgard: At the End of the Ideals She Served.

I can't speak for Cipher because I have basically no experience with it, but almost certainly that was just quoting Dimitri. Also, aren't Cipher cards all in Japanese, or are some of them translated?

And I can't help but feel that this is what is hinted at in Safflower,

I wonder if FI thinks calling it Safflower instead of Crimson Flower is a gotcha? I know he thinks the flower symbolism is spoopy, even though Safflowers have positive symbolism.

where Dimitri calls out Byleth and Edelgard on walking the path of the beast in the Japanese text.

Yes, when the man who destroys everything in his path and is out for revenge says you're going to hell, you should believe him.

Through Chrom Translate: Teacher. Why did Edelgard... choose the path of a beast, trampling on people's lives?

Also, he's still using machine translation, but that's basically close enough so eh.

So, Dimitri calls Flower the path of a beast, while fighting alongside Dimitri results in Edelgard transforming herself into a beast unit for greater power.

And fighting against Rhea involved her transforming herself into a "beast" unit for greater power. I thought Edelgard was the racist one, Fantasy Invader? I mean heck, the Immaculate One looks way more wicked than Heggie:

And that's just in her natural form, her Silver Snow - the route FI thinks is truest - form she's glowing red and looks like she's made of thorns.

I don't think the Hegemon is supposed to represent how far Edelgard will go for those ideals, nor is it TWSITD's corruption of her. I think it is meant to be representative of Edelgard's ideals themselves. Notice how Dimitri and Cipher both paint the Hegemon Husk as the end point of what Edelgard wants, it's symbolic of what she's actually trying to accomplish.

No, it absolutely does represent the first of those things. And given Dimitri accuses Edelgard of wanting to be a goddess, I think we can safely discard his assessments of Edelgard's actions.

Take the flavor text for the card."My progress cannot be stopped. The war's end will spell destruction for one of us. There can only be one ruler of the world..." Is that Edelgard out of her mind?

It's certainly her at her most dramatic!

Don't think so, not when Caspar's endings in Flower mention expeditionary warfare, Edelgard is invading other countries following the unification of Fodlan. Arundel also mentions that the world will be under Imperial rule following the war, with Edelgard saying she will do what she can. So ruling the world? That's something Edelgard is going to work towards after she has destroyed all those who oppose her, don't believe in her or support these ideals in Fodlan.

(sigh) No.

And also, now that Houses Datamining's search feature is back up, here's all the times "world" comes up in the 3H script:

Just look at how many times "the world" is used to refer to just Fodlan.

Meanwhile, Claude and Dimitri both have endings that talk about Fodlan improving foreign relations.

Dimitri has one: his own. Dimitri's ending really is just a pile of vague "Dimitri did real good-like" platitudes since his story doesn't really say anything about the kind of ruler he's going to be or what kind of world he wants to create other than, "the weak should be protected from the strong (but never become the strong)".

Likewise, remember her introduction as the Flame Emperor? That she will be the one to reforge the world? We know Edelgard wants to put the world back to what it was, due to the Japanese saying “Let's meet again someday. My name is Flame Emperor... I am the one who will return the world to its original state,”

No. She says return it to the way it should be. This is important, because he's going to try to argue Edelgard wants to return Fodlan to how it was with Nemesis, even though she doesn't in CF. She does not create a ruling class of warrior-elites like he did with his Ten Elites.

Anyways, FI goes on to babble for a little while about how Nemesis's time was really really bad, how Edelgard supposedly sends Caspar on invasions of other countries, and how Edelgard wants to bring Nemesis's days back, and also how,

Then consider that Engage used Nemesis, the guy who killed the Goddess and committed a genocide against the Nabateans to gain his power, for it's final battle...

Nemesis is evil because of his genocidal actions, not because he's a Dark Emblem in Engage. If we followed this logic then Duma, Iduun, and Ashera are the ultimate evils of their settings. And while Duma's pretty fucked up, Iduun's a victim and Ashera has no legitimate agency of her own.

Meanwhile, Dimitri's endings talk about giving the commoners a voice in government

Whatever the hell that means. His defenders like to argue he deadass establishes a House of Commons in his lifetime!

while Claude tells Cyril in their support that he wants to end oppression.

Oh, so incidental dialogue is sufficient evidence for things, then?

All right, there we go: Edelgard improves foreign relations, too.

FI then babbles about Claude for a while, saying he starts like Edelgard before "letting go of his hatred". That's one of his more recent memes: Claude's personality flaw is he hates the Church of Seiros, so I guess he's not ignorant and "animalish" at the start of the story anymore. It has to do with FI needing to twist the game to suit his terrible Buddhist symbolism.

Verdant Wind also uses a lot of the same symbolism that Silver Snow uses to say it's a path of enlightenment rather than one of the beast.

VW uses the same "symbolism" as Silver Snow because it's Silver Snow with a yellow coat of paint slapped over the top.

Dimitri is given the title of Saviour King by the people in his ending which is supposed to represent Oudou, benevolent rule.

Only in Azure Moon, his best route. In Crimson Flower he's given the title of "Tempest King" because he leaves nothing in his wake:

And considering how all the fighting he'd be getting involved in in Crimson Flower is in Faerghus... that doesn't paint a good picture, honestly. Dimitri's such a mindless berserker in CF that he's destroying his own land. See why I argue he's more boar-like in CF than his fans care to admit?

Edelgard represents Hadou, rule through force. Edelgard's ending title is... Flame Emperor, the same thing she called herself at the start of the game, and referred to as a hegemon by Byleth's ending title.

In Crimson Flower, Edelgard reclaims the title of Flame Emperor to mean something better than it used to: the revolutionary who saved Fodlan from divine control without losing her heart. Byleth becomes the hegemon's wings, lifting her out of the dark time in her life.

It's better than a meandering flame, wandering through life without purpose or attachment.

Likewise, her Emperor class also hints towards the Hegemon Husk form. She still has her curved horns

Well done, Fantasy Invader, you've noticed the ironic ram horns in Edelgard's post-skip design.

and clearly visible boobs,

Oh, shit. Don't worry, I can make her SFW! I can fix this!

Okay, we're good now.

she has feathers on her shoulders rather than the wings,

Okay, but the problem here? Hegemon Edelgard's wings sprout from her waist, not her shoulders!

Did FI even double-check the design?

Also, as you can clearly see there's very little in common between her emperor and Heggie designs. Heggie has big pauldrons, an enclosed "skirt", those... red lights, the head-back... thing... while the emperor armor has none of those.

and she's bearing a Crest-stone weapon equipped with the Crest of Maurice

You really are your own breed of dumb, FI. Hegemon Husk Edelgard's power derives from her twin Crests of Flame and Seiros. The game is very explicit about this: it has nothing to do with Aymr or the Crest Stone of the Beast.

tying her to the Devil Arcana

Which is no more inherently evil than any other Major Tarot.

which depicts the goat-horned,

Edelgard wears ram horns. Totally different kind of horns, dude.

They aren't even the same animal!

winged,

The traditional design of the Devil Arcana has back-sprouting, bat-like wings. Edelgard either has black feather decorations on her shoulders, or vaguely wing-shaped protrusions appearing from her waist.

boobs on full display

He's also got a bit of a gut on him. Edelgard, on the other hand, is slim.

demon

Baphomet's actually seen as a deity in some circles.

Baphomet.

He got the name of the figure right, at least.

In Azure Gleam, Edelgard transforms into the Hegemon Husk halfway through the route

For about five seconds, then she yields the position of villain and instigator of events to Thales.

and at the end of Scarlet Blaze, if the extra chapter was done the reward is the aforementioned Crest-stone weapon.

Which you get for sparing the goddess's host. So I guess it's a bad thing that Byleth is alive, now?

So, yeah. I think the grotesque Hegemon Husk is supposed to be a visual metaphor for Edelgard's ideals.

No, it's a metaphor for how far Edelgard will go to see them done without Byleth's positive influence. Just as she's willing to make monsters out of people, she's willing to make a monster out of herself. It's the ultimate irony that she espouses a world for humanity while symbolically and literally giving up her own.

But FI never let facts get in the way of a terrible analysis.

[honey-katsu]

Garden Secrets - ao3

Summary:

After being dragged out of his apartment by Sylvain, Felix wanders to a local garden where he meets Annette for the first time. (Modern AU retelling of their C Support conversation.) Now with a podfic! Right here!

note before we begin: i am chickenKatsu on ao3. I do not give anyone the right to repost my work to another platform unless I’m asked then properly credited. Please support me on ao3 and ko-fi if you like it!

“Hey Felix, which flowers should I get Mercedes?” asked Sylvain, peering at some pink delilahs in the store window of Knightly Flowers.

“Like I’d know,” Felix scoffed. Sylvain didn't stay to hear, rushing inside to ask the employees before Felix could say anything.

Felix sighed and followed him in. He would never admit it to Sylvain, but he knew the answer to his question. Flowers were one of Felix’s favorite things; he even had a small, hidden garden at home. His roommate, Ashe, who thankfully kept his secret, helped Felix tend to the flowers and taught him everything he knew. If Sylvain knew, the torment would never end.

“Excuse me,” Sylvain tittered. “Could I get some help with picking out flowers for my girlfriend?”

The shop owner, Ingrid, rounded the corner. “Welcome to Knightly Flowers,” she said cheerily. Then she spotted the customer and her face dropped. “Again,” she added dully. “Sylvain, this is the fifth time this week.”

“I know, I know.” Sylvain leaned on the counter, resting his chin in his hands. “But she’s too perfect. I just have to give her flowers every day, you know?”

“No, I don’t.” Ingrid said unenthusiastically. She waved over to Felix, who had been meandering around the shop. “Hey, Felix. Did Sylvain drag you in here to listen to him blabber about Mercedes?”

Felix nodded and opened his mouth to say something, but Sylvain cut him off. “Yes, but that’s not the point, Ingrid. What flowers should I give her today? Last time I gave her tulips.”

“Yeah, I remember. Leonie,” Ingrid yelled to the backroom. “Grab some red and pink roses for Lover Boy over here.”

“Sure, but it will be a minute,” called Leonie. “I’m still working on Byleth’s order. I’ve got two more bouquets to go!”

Spotting a familiar name and an opportunity to be annoying, Sylvain asked, “Oh, Professor Byleth from Garegg Mach University? What did he order?”

“Too much,” sighed Ingrid. “Three flower arrangements, five bouquets, and two flower crowns. All to be packaged as a gift.”

Felix snorted, unnoticed by the two up front. Although he was close to the age of his students, Professor Byleth had managed to graduate highschool and college early. Principal Rhea of Garegg Mach University had taken a liking to him, and offered him a job at her school. The class president, Dimitri, had immediately and obviously fallen for their young teacher. And so had Byleth. Felix wasn't surprised that Byleth had bought so many flowers as a gift to Dimitri.

“Anyway, Ingridddd,” Felix heard Sylvain whine. “Let me tell you how perfect Mercedes is. Her hair is so soft and silky like sand sifting through your fingers at the beach. And her puppy eyes…”

Felix shot Ingrid a sorry look before quietly slipping out of the shop before he was forced to listen to more of Sylvain’s lovestruck babbling. He was happy that his best friend was in love, but his constant rambling could get overwhelming and tiresome. Felix didn't know how Mercedes dealt with all of it. However, she must love that part about Sylvain, too. How nice it must be, thought Felix, to be so happy every day just because you love someone. To be so overjoyed by her mere existence and to think of her all the time, never getting bored of her.

Lost in thought, Felix found himself wandering over to the local botanical garden. It was one of his favorite places to go. He didn't visit often because it reminded him of everything he lost. Lately, however, Felix discovered that surrounding himself in flowers and memories wasn’t so bad. If he did that, Glenn wouldn’t be forgotten.

Brushing his hands gingerly over the tops of bushes and across the bark of trees, Felix allowed himself to be engulfed in the past and the plants. He reminisced about when he and Glenn had caught six butterflies in one afternoon. His parents had laughed and praised the both of them for their nimble and gentle touch. 

A far-off song, so contrary to the memories that flooded his mind, snapped Felix out of his little trance.

“ Today's dinner is steak and then cake that's yummy yum… ” sang the voice, gentle as butterflies and as lighthearted as a child. “ Now it's time to fill my tummy tummy tum! ”

Enthralled, Felix followed the voice, weaving through a maze of flower patches and looming exotic trees. He found himself in front of the greenhouse. Peeking around a magnolia tree, Felix spotted the singer. In the midday sunlight, her orange hair gleamed like the warmth of fire, strung up in two little loops. She stood under a blossoming orange tree, watering the flowers beneath. Felix took a step forward. “Excuse me,” he called softly.

“ Oh, this mountain of sweets, and treats I long to eats… ” she continued, swinging her hips in one direction and watering flowers in another. She flitted around primroses like a hummingbird, gentle yet purposeful. “O h, snacks of steaks and cakes and crumbs and yums… ”

She didn't seem to hear him. Her tender voice, warm like sheep's wool and bright as the glowing sun, beckoned Felix. He had to know her name. Before he recognized what he was doing. Felix stepped out, speaking a little harsher, “I hope I'm not interrupting.”

She flinched and spun around, hiding her watering can behind her back. “Ah, um, hi. You weren’t listening, were you?”

Her rosy cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she spoke. Her eyes were as blue as hydrangeas and as wide as the cloudless sky. It took Felix a little too long to register that she was talking to him. “I, uh,” he stuttered, “heard enough to know that you're hungry.”

“No! I mean… Well, yes.” She fidgeted with her watering can. “At least tell me you didn't see the dance?”

“You have nice footwork,” Felix commented matter-of-factly. He saw this mystery girl’s face flush a shade brighter. “Get something to eat,” he continued hurriedly. “I can take over watering the plants.”

She didn't look up at Felix, mumbling, “What’s your name?”

“Uh, Felix. And yours?”

An awkwardly long silence passed between them. Felix could see her brain working and turning. Suddenly, Felix realized what he had said. Great job, Felix, he belatedly chidded himself. You don't even know this girl and you're offering to take over her job. Wait, is that her job? Does she even work here?

She was the first to break the silence. “YOU'RE EVIL, FELIX!”

“And you’re shouting,”  Felix retorted.

“You can't just.. spy on people while they're singing without even saying anything!  It’s not right!” she yelled, obviously flustered.

“I actually did call out when I was coming in,” Felix admitted. Still a little irritated at her uncalled-for insult, he added, “It's not my fault you didn't hear.”

“Well.. you need to speak louder, then!” She put her hands on her hips, pulling herself up a little taller and puffing up her cheeks a bit. Immediately, she deflated. “Ugh, this is so embarrassing…” she mumbled to herself. “And of course I was just singing some silly song I made up. Oh, come on, Annette! I should have been singing about… bears! Or swamp beasties!”

Ah, so her name is Annette , mused Felix. Fitting. Wait, what's a swamp beastie? “I didn't realize there were songs about bears and swamp beasties. But that food song seemed really close to your heart. Your stomach isn't far from your heart, after all.”

“Ugh, you are the worst !” Annette sped out of the greenhouse before Felix even had the chance to defend himself.

Huh. What was that about? Felix wondered. He picked up the watering can Annette had dropped . I guess I should give this back to her next time. He studied the colorful assortment of primroses, alstroemerias, and chrysanthemums Annette had been watering. Well, I’d better water these plants. Wouldn’t want them to get thirsty, or they might start singing, too.

[lu-lox]

Prompt 1 (SFW) weird! faerghus! rituals!!!!! there’s probably 347589345 wild pagan pre-church traditions and I think dimitri and felix might need to do one of them together, possibly to make sure the sun rises again in the spring. blood stuff? something needs to be burned? wearing a flower crown? wearing a freshly skinned boar??? survival naked and afraid medieval fodlan gameshow?????? can be silly or horror or everything in between.

tags: boar hunting. a little blood. dimitri gets got but is fine.

Felix had tasked himself with overwatching the overwatchers that would prepare the rites chamber. It was a thankless task that involved much staring, much paying attention, much doing what he knew others would be incapable of. Everything had to be meticulously arranged and he would not let things happen otherwise.

Dimitri, of course, simply put a hand on Felix’s shoulder and guided him out of the room. They, too, had to prepare.

“The least we can do is make sure it works.” Felix didn’t want to partake in the rite at first. It was ancient tradition that benefited no one, much less the meek rebuilding of the Church. He sighed and slumped on the chair; Dimitri pulled him close, Felix’s back to his chest, and nuzzled at the crook of his neck.

“It will be alright, just a pinprick compared to everything we’ve already been through.” Physically, yes. But Felix still hadn’t shaken off the feeling of seeing Dimitri armorless in the war. The permanent bruises, the dried blood, the sickness of it. “And you will know when it is done.”

Felix took Dimitri’s hands, which rested above his stomach, into his own. There was still much to prepare. The clothes, the foods, the weapons. And the wait was the worst; nothing he had read about the rite, nothing that he had heard, would be half as difficult to live through as the wait was proving itself to be.

Dimitri was wrapped in thin, colorful cloths. They parted and shifted, a mosaic of color as he moved, revealing his body ethereal and fuzzy underneath them. He stood on a makeshift staging, holding a ceremonial sword in a hand and carrying a dagger at the hip. Unlike true ceremonial swords, this one had been sharpened. Felix had made sure of it himself, spending two nights working the blade though stone and paper.

Felix’s cloths weren’t as colorful, wearing just the muted Fraldarius teal and one piece of Blayddid blue. He stood vigil by the hunting grounds entrance, waiting for Dimitri to finish his farewells.

The forest, sparse on evergreens, was orange and brown. Wet and moldy leaves in many shades of rotting orange stuck to the ground, incorporating themselves onto the very earth they stepped on. Felix resisted the urge to sneeze and he noticed Dimitri doing the same while inspecting the sword.

“It seems we are alone now,” Dimitri looked at Felix, coy. Dimitri was in stark contrast with everything around him. He took Felix’s hand on his free one, and they began to walk. “I would like to be back before sundown; we haven’t been allotted any tochlights.”

Dimitri whistled as they ventured. They also didn’t have any lures. Despite Dimitri’s placid appearance, Felix could read that he was just as nervous; he had never put himself in harm’s way while lucid. Felix squeezed Dimitri’s hand in what he thought would be a reassuring gesture. Dimitri squeezed back.

The boar seemed to be sleeping. Felix had studied, he knew the temperature hadn’t risen enough for it to be sleeping deeply. It snored. Dimitri gave a light chuckle before letting go of Felix’s hand. The sun was still above the horizon as he shifted into a defensive stance and advanced toward the boar. Felix drew his bow and watched as Dimitri stepped carefully close and raised the sword; he didn’t use any flourish as he drove the blade into the shoulder of the boar, waking it.

Felix had never accompanied his father and the late king on the royal boar hunts, he had been too young. Now, he had to resist the urge to puke at the shriek of the boar.

Dimitri, too, seemed to struggle. Felix kept position but Dimitri slipped backwards, catching himself not a moment too late and stumbling into the boar. Felix’s hands shook as he prepared an arrow, and he could see, clearly, Dimitri struggling to grapple with the boar.

He had managed to impale himself on one of the boar’s tusks.

Dimitri used a hand to hold onto the boar’s other tusk and, having thrown his sword to the ground, another to hold it by the neck. Felix released the arrow. It missed his intended target, hitting the boar’s open mouth; he quickly drew another, more focused, and managed to pierce the throat of the boar. Blood bubbled over, and the boar fell too. Dimitri went down with it, taking care so that the tusk wouldn’t rip more of him than it already had. Felix let his bow drop and ran.

He ended up needing to help Dimitri free himself from the tusk and he averted his eyes as he repaired the worst damage with small healing spells; the rest would be best left for the royal healers, the ones that knew how to make skin look unharmed, not just fixed.

“It’s done now, let’s go back, Felix.” Dimitri could barely speak, overtired and sprawled on bloody grass. His robe was less majestic now, maculated and deep red. They would have to carry the boar back with them.

Days later Felix still marvels at how Dimitri and him had managed to come back with the boar. Dimitri had been limping from pain and the corpse of the animal half carried by each of them in an uncomfortable sharing due to their bodies differences. He stood with Dimitri before the door to the ritual room. The blood tracks from the boar had been cleaned, but the smell, coppery and bitter, sting hung.

Felix pushed the door open. He heard Dimitri shudder as they saw the head of the boar hanging on the wall. Everything but the tusk that had pierced Dimitri had been clean. The blood had oxidized into a deep rotten brown. Dimitri shyly grasped Felix’s hand in his own.

It was already done, there was no need for them to do anything else but for Dimitri to don the boar's skin as a cape and gloves. And to watch, routinely, the room that now housed the tusk. Him and the boar were now one and the same, each a part of the other.

[voltdracoatl]

Thoughts on NG+ AUs?

Basically a story concept where writers take the in game concept of New Game Plus and turn it into a Timeloop story, usually with the player character as the main character (and sometimes they do something a little unique)

I especially like reading NG+ stories for P5 and FE3H

New game plus aus are fun to think about! Especially in a game like say, three houses where you can get multiple routes!

Hmmm, i like to think any remake/remaster is a new game plus, as well as spin offs! So lets say three houses had a bunch of time loops for byleth, azure moon, silver snow, crimson flower, verdant wind, about a hundred times by now. But the one time, it’s different. In this one timeline, they didn’t kill this rando purple haired mercenary in their one of their many mercenary jobs. And what happened? Shez got to the three lords before them, and Byleth never became a teacher. Byleth, completely and utterly confused that such a small thing they didn’t do evolved into something bigger.

Monastery shut down, Slithers were out of Edelgard’s empire, Dimitri became king early, Claude deals with Almyra directly, there was 2 years of peace, and this purple haired person is now starting to make a name for themselves, Byleth keeps their mercenary job and their dad and Sothis around for much longer, its so… weird. And at the end of Shez’s journey, Edelgard and Dimitri are… alive, they don’t die unlike what Byleth went through. And Claude, well he sometimes die, he’s much more involved with Fodlan’s war than before. When Byleth finds out that Dimitri, Edelgard, and Claude CAN in fact, work together, even briefly, it makes them feel a bit… empty.

It like, was Byleth’s involvement the reason why the three lords could never work together? Were they the one holding them back? Would it have been better if they weren’t in the story at all?

And then three hopes happen.

On the other side, i like to think p5r is a new game plus for the og p5! In p5, Sumire died in the car crash instead, hence Maruki never got to see how far his experiment can go, and due to Akechi not being acquainted with the Yoshizawa’s due to Sumire dying instead if Kasumi, he never got THEIR phone number (remember he called the Yoshizawa household in 3rd semester to check on Sumire) and because he never got the phone number, he is reluctant to give out his phone number (or maybe due to thinking that their is no point giving out phone numbers if people are going to die).

So, he NEVER gave Joker his phone number in og p5, and Joker and Akechi’s bond doesn’t grow as strong as it could than p5r. And 3rd semester never happens because there is no reason for Maruki to go into Shujin (because Sumire died, so he can’t check on her).

Basically, p5 story got done, then there is a time loop to go back, and the only thing that changed is Sumire is alive this time. Hence, p5r!

I do think they are interesting but i love to see the butterfly effect in canon when the games can afford a spinoff or remake, because this time we can see what actually happens when something is different from the company. And you can always spin it to a new game plus au when you experience it!