#Is that why Seteth and Rhea are so covered up? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

raxistaicho · 3 months ago

Text

To spork a hatefic

Hey all! A while back I became aware of an anti-CF shortfic that attempts to analyze Edelgard and Hubert's treatment of Byleth in Crimson Flower. The long and short of it is the author (hereafter referred to as "Function", to shorten their AO3 username) interprets Byleth as a Human/Nabatean mixed-race individual, and so takes personally what they perceive to be some anti-Nabatean sentiment espoused by Edelgard and Hubert.

I'm not going to get into that issue during the course of this sporking; I've made a post on this ages back, but I personally interpret Byleth's dichotomy more as a split between mortals and the divine. The game proper focuses more on the Nabateans as a divine family than it does a race.

In any case, it's far more interesting to analyze why Byleth reacts to the things Edelgard and Hubert say, since there's a great deal of groundwork that Function just ignores in favor of detailing why Edelgard and Hubert are awful people. They've kinda forgotten that their shortfic gets into a story that didn't just begin where the shortfic does. That's more what I want to focus on.

Before we continue, do not go looking for this fic to bug the writer, I implore you. I didn't link it, name it, or name the author for a reason.

With that out of the way, let's get started!

*Byleth goes by they/them in this fic

Noted. And honestly it's easier that way, I'm already used to calling Byleth they/them as it is.

*This fic is not favorable towards CF

That's fine, I won't be favorable toward the fic either :)

We open up with,

“I will save this world from those creatures and give humanity its freedom back!” The words strike a discordant cord in Byleth’s chest.

Byleth remembers how Edelgard used to be and how unusual it is for her to speak so openly, capping off with,

Was she always so… comfortable?

No, not until treehouse got hold of her.

A lot, and I mean a lot of the times Edelgard calls the Nabateans "creatures" was an invention of the localization. In the original JP, what she says here is either,

I will bring down the lies of the Goddess, overcome countless sacrifices, then grasp and show everyone the true meaning of a world of man.

or,

I’ll defeat the false goddess, overcome our many sacrifices, and seize a world that’s truly for humanity.

The sources are linked in the quotes.

Now while Edelgard does bring up specifically humanity at the end of both quotes, it's in direct contrast to the falsities of the goddess. It's that human/god contrast I mentioned earlier with regards to Byleth.

To give another common example, the lines that spawned the dialogue Edelgard's haters always point to as an example of her being an evil racist, "Should the one leading the people of the world be someone with humanity or a creature that can merely masquerade as a human at will?" started as,

[Seiros and Nemesis fought to decide] whether those who stand atop humanity should be human, or non-human…

or,

Should the one who rules over humans be a human, or should it be something that is not a human…?

Again, Edelgard's issues are with the church and its false teachings of the goddess. It's more humans v gods here.

Rhea, and Seteth, and Flayn… they have made their stance against those three clear now, but enemies as they may be… creatures? Has Edelgard always been so… willing to speak of them in such a way?

Yes, she has.

(Interestingly, this is one of the few times the localization didn't make up Edelgard calling Rhea a monster! I'll go into the interesting implications a little further down)

You know, right after Rhea declared,

And then transformed into a frankly horrific-looking creature.

Rhea ain't a fluffy divine dragon ala Tiki, she's covered in spikes, she's got claws as long as a man is tall, she's got white pupil-less eyes, and her maw is lined with a jagged "beard" of spikes.

Speaking from experience, it's not easy to disregard things I know but my characters wouldn't when I write, but Function hasn't tried very hard at all to dispense with the Audience Awareness Advantage. They know dragons are generally forces for good in Fire Emblem, especially in modern games, but the characters in Fodlan would only have experience with them in the form of Demonic Beasts, which rampage mindlessly and slaughter people. The word "dragon" doesn't even exist in the game's script, just in UI elements and the name of one weapon.

We see Rhea and think, "oh, divine dragon!" while the people in-universe would think, "she's a white Demonic Beast!"

In any case, it's a definite strike against canon that Byleth would just forget the things Edelgard said previously and what Rhea said, did, and tried to do that prompted Edelgard's harsh description.

If someone viscerally declared their intent to rip out the heart of someone I loved, I'd be pretty liberal with dehumanizing them, too. That's serial killer behavior.

Her words are spoken with such a fervor, a vigor and vitality she would usually reserve for her ambitions and ideals, something dear to her, important to her, close to her heart, and yet… this… This feels different. This feels deeper.

No they weren't and no it doesn't.

Tara Platt didn't even slip into Edelgard's "speech-voice" when giving that line, she speaks it calmly and softly. This is especially bad since you can easily check the voice lines now, this took me about a minute to confirm.

And just to be sure, I checked the original line in JP. Ai Kakuma, Edelgard's jp va, also gives the line calmly.

Now, for contrast,

If you dare walk this path with me, take your first step. It's now or never!

THAT was spoken with vigor and vitality.

Anyways, Byleth gets uneasy,

That resolution, that drive, that heart - it’s so close to sounding right. So close to being something they can believe in. But under the sincerity lies… No. No, they were thinking too much. They look into Edelgard’s eyes and see that same softness they remember her having, and they know that everything is fine. Everything is fine.

Judging by what we'll see later on, the implication is clearly that Byleth is catching on to the notion that they might be included in the list of "creatures" who need to be removed. This is an exceedingly common claim from Edelgard's more outspoken detractors, that she should turn on and kill Byleth once Rhea is out of the way, because she's just that much of a hater of the Nabateans.

This is just straight up mistaking Edelgard for Thales. Her haters' (mis)understanding of her character is that because she's willing to use violence, violence is her only answer when life asks her a question. It also ties into the nonsensical "she never tried diplomacy!" argument. It's also mistaking why Edelgard fights Rhea and her kin to begin with; it's not because of who they are, but what they do and have done to Fodlan. She has no reason at all to fight Byleth, they're on her side. Even the quotes Function uses later in an attempt to bury Edelgard only supports her point!

But to raise another point, why would Byleth be internalizing Edelgard's supposed anti-Nabatean arguments to include them? This isn't Silver Snow, Byleth hasn't learned anything about Sitri. Though they do know via Sothis that Rhea caused them to live a joint life, that doesn't necessarily mean Byleth themself is even part Nabatean. For all they know, they're just a normal human that Rhea tampered with during the mysterious passing of their mother.

Anyways, the scene then cuts to a rendition of Hubert's A support. I've gone into this support in great detail in a recent post and I encourage you to read it to get the context Function is going to deny us. I'll keep things brief(er) here, but tl;dr: what Hubert's about to say is a sign of trust, not distrust.

“It's absurd to preach to others what you cannot practice yourself.” A conversation with Hubert, after reconnecting. Talking of Rhea’s hypocrisy, of the need for Edelgard to rule in her place; ironically, they speak in the cathedral, the unrepaired hole in the roof letting in dim sunlight.

All right, so Function has just completely denied us all context and the fact that Hubert's saying gods have no fight to be hypocrits, great. It's much easier to frame a conversation the way you want it when you remove all context from it, after all.

“Sometimes it’s necessary.” Sometimes the circumstances call for hypocrisy - isn’t that concession something they all had to live with, for Edelgard’s war? How the only way to stop the need for sacrifices in the future is to indulge in the need for sacrifices now? How the true peace they build on this necessary suffering will erase the false peace Rhea had built? It is hypocritical, but… that can’t always be avoided.

No, what Edelgard's doing isn't hypocritical. It'd be hypocritical if she decried violence and killing in all circumstances while using violence and killing to achieve her ends.

You know, that thing Dimitri does constantly!

“That is logical, but I am afraid your logic is informed by your humanity. That is not the case for inhuman creatures with lifespans well beyond our own.” The cord is struck again. They look at Hubert - he is staring them directly in the eye.

Again, Function removed the context behind this; he's contrasting humans against the goddess. Gods and mortals.

And again, Byleth doesn't have a reason to internalize what Hubert's saying.

“We must fight to preserve what makes us human.” They feel the hairs on the back of their neck rise. A chill races up and down their spine. Hubert still has that neutral smile, that calculating stare, that even tone.

No, he's actually rather agitated when he says this, because he's discussing his enemies. Rhea and her kin who've abused their long lives and great powers to force laws upon people that they don't practice themselves.

"What makes us human" is just the fallibility, the excuse to make logical mistakes and hypocrisies. Byleth has already compared what Edelgard's doing to being a hypocrite, and they themself are on her side. This Byleth has chosen their human side; they should be agreeing with him.

“You are the one closest to the enemy. I wonder if you will be able to maintain your humanity to the end.” They don’t swallow. They breathe in, then out, as they always do. They blink. They look at Hubert. “If I’m unable to…” Then Hubert - and Edelgard, and the Black Eagles - they would bring them back, right? They would help them. They would stay by them, just as Byleth has always come back to them. Or Hubert will say not to worry about such an impossibility - that it would never happen, because he knows them, and knows they would never… lose their humanity… even if Byleth didn’t understand what Hubert means they would never let that happen, and he knows that-

Let's not forget what it would mean for Byleth to lose their humanity. Because Function was obsessed with race to the point of being blinded by all else while writing this, they seem to think that Byleth failing to preserve what makes them human would mean Byleth just... becoming more of a Nabatean or something. Living too long, or changing into a dragon.

But, again, Edelgard and Hubert are concerned about what the Nabateans are doing, not what they are. Where Byleth losing their humanity leads, based on how Hubert discusses it, is the path of becoming an eternal despot over the people, abusing powers they can't hope to match or understand and forcing them to live in a manner Byleth themself wouldn't.

Byleth fearfully wonders if the Black Eagles would "bring them back, right?" Function means "bring them back from being a Nabatean," when in reality it means "bring them back from being a tyrant." And how does Fire Emblem handle characters fearing their own power and their ability to wield it wisely?

Well, look to Anankos. When he understood he would become a mad dragon, he didn't bleat, "set me back on the straight and narrow, okay?" he empowered his own would-be killers. Which is precisely what Byleth does in this scene if you choose to take that dialogue option, as a final logical evolution of Hubert's threats to kill them earlier in the support line. "If I become corrupted by my power like Nemesis and Rhea did, stop me. Whatever it takes."

Of course, there's a dialogue option here in which Byleth just asserts they'd never do that, and Hubert admits they make him want to believe them, but that doesn't fit Function's narrative so we're ignoring that.

“Does that mean you know I will do what must be done? You must trust me a great deal.” His smile becomes relaxed. His posture loses tension. His gaze is warmer. As if they passed a test. They want to ask what he means. What must be done - what must be done? What does he plan on doing? If they- if they lose their humanity, if they become too close to the enemy, if they- if they what?

So yeah, Function is not remotely interested in any of the context here. They just want to demonize Hubert for being so very racist :(

Also, I'm to believe this Byleth's been interacting with Hubert for a year and change? This Byleth taught him, understands his mindset? They're acting like they've only just met him.

Hubert’s mouth keeps moving. He- he must mean he would help them, right?

"He'd help me stop being a tyrant, right? :( He'd give me a good tongue-lashing and make me knock it off?"

Function's Byleth comes across like... I don't know what. They just can't follow a conversation to save their life.

He wouldn’t- but why phrase it like that? What does he mean closest to the enemy,

Function, you'd know the answer to that if you knew anything about the support that takes place than the part where Hubert implies he'll kill Byleth!

This would be like me picking a random line in Dimitri's A support and going from there. I could probably make him look weird if I did that, too!

they- they left the Church of Seiros! The one safe haven they’ve ever known! They went right back to Edelgard, stayed by her, fought by her side, fought by everyone in the Black Eagles’ side,

The fact that Byleth immediately goes to them leaving the Church of Seiros as if to lay Hubert's concerns to rest exposes Function's thought process and what they think Hubert's talking about.

For Function, "You are the one closest to the enemy," runs like:

Byleth is half-Nabatean

Nabateans are associated with the Church of Seiros

Hubert thinks Byleth might rejoin the Church of Seiros before the battle is over.

For one, it wouldn't make any sense at all for Byleth to even try to rejoin Rhea, given Rhea's vow to brutally kill them, but even setting that aside, Hubert doesn't just ignore threats if they aren't likely to manifest within the next five minutes. He sees further than most people, and he knows once the war ends it will be his responsibility to help safeguard the world Edelgard is trying to build.

"You are the one closest to the enemy," means that once Rhea and her church is gone, Byleth will be the most powerful individual in Fodlan. Will they use their power wisely, as the Church of Seiros says people should but fails to do itself, or will they become the next Rhea? That's why Hubert isn't going to be just be instantly assuaged by Byleth being on Edelgard's side right now; he has to look further ahead.

Is it cold? Yes, but that's just how Hubert is. The fact he's speaking frankly with Byleth about this and is willing to accept Byleth's assertions that they won't fall prey to their own power demonstrates a lot of growth on Hubert's part.

Also, this Byleth wouldn't think of the Garreg Mach of 1180 as necessarily a safe haven anymore, they'd think it as the domain of the woman who tried to groom them into an obscure ritual that would have done something unknown to them and now wants to brutally murder them for protecting their student.

They went right back to Edelgard, stayed by her, fought by her side, fought by everyone in the Black Eagles’ side, against the pleas and cries of students who once looked to them as a guide, killing those students who refused to see Edelgard’s dream,

We're no further than Derdriu, so none of the students so far have been required kills.

Ignatz and Leonie are optional targets in ch13 even if unrecruited, and when Judith falls Edelgard calls for a cessation of hostilities over the bridge. Judith has to die, but why would Byleth care about Judith? They don't know her, she's just another noble to them.

Lysithea can be spared and recruited even if encountered as an enemy in ch14, and Hilda is both optional and easily avoided in the same.

Look, Function, if you wanna play Crimson Flower like the Genocide Route in Undertale, knock yourself out, but don't turn around and blame Edelgard if named characters start dropping like flies.

They’ve done everything they could to stand by Edelgard. What else could they do? What does he mean? What does he mean?

He means it's time to crack open a book about philosophy and see what absolute power absolutely does, Byleth.

Next is the intro to... Linhardt and Leonie's paralogue.

We all know where this is going, folks.

A lot of this can be skipped, but Byleth mentions that the days have been muggy recently, so I guess Function just forgot this is taking place in the middle of winter. A definite strike against canon.

But. Just before they try to leave to inform Edelgard, Linhardt places a hand on their shoulder. “If we're going now, I do suggest leaving Edelgard and Hubert innocent of our quest.” His words are spoken in that casual, disinterested tone that they’ve long grown to find endearing. But there‘s a look in his eye - oddly serious, oddly grounded, for the man Byleth knew to often visit the land of dreams. “Lake Teutates is a place that concerns the saints of the Church of Seiros. It may become bothersome should the two of them find out…” And Byleth wants to protest that idea - Edelgard and Hubert, they have their deep grievances with the Church of Seiros, yes, but surely… surely not so bad as to need to leave them out? Whatever awaits them in this visit was clearly of no harm to anyone - they’ve received no reports of Lake Teutates being dangerous, no bandits or enemy scouts. They may not even engage in any fighting, so, surely, it would be fine…

He starts to yawn as he gets to "the two of them", which really says everything about why he doesn't want Edelgard to know; he just doesn't want to bother getting approval for a trip to church grounds. He even says Byleth should tell her about the trip once it's over.

Leonie… yes, they nod and agree, because yes, yes, after. Edelgard and Hubert can know of this deviation after it is done. After Linhardt used up all of his motivation to find Saint Indech. After he, the one person who knows the way, would remember the way, will ever want to say it again.

Wait, what? Finding Indech didn't even come up in this scene! The only time Indech is even mentioned is when Linhardt vaguely alludes to a legend about him and that the bow ties into it. Linhardt doesn't even piece together the truth and hypothesize that the Immovable is him until he encounters him in the flesh. This is one of the worst examples of Function applying their knowledge onto the characters in this entire fic, and that's saying something.

Also, "the one person who knows the way"? Lake Teutates is on maps of Fodlan. All you have to do is find the lake, and you'll find the shrine after looking around.

Edelgard won’t get mad at them for investigating this legend about a likely child of the goddess behind her back.

Edelgard does not utter "children of the goddess" often. Just in a battle dialogue in Enbarr and late in Crimson Flower. That's another strike against canon.

Hubert won’t accuse them of growing closer with the enemy and… do what must be done...

Yeah, see? Function thinks Byleth losing humanity means rejoining the Nabateans. I understand they think this is supposed to be all about race and that's why this fanfic is obsessed with race and blood, but that's not what the game itself is worried about. And that's why it's so easy to knock all these points down.

They wouldn’t have regardless, of course, Byleth trusts them to know that they wouldn’t, but… now they can’t. Now, Byleth is… Assured.

Press X to doubt.

Next we jump ahead to chapter 15, the Garreg Mach defense.

“The time is now! As long as we stand here, you shall not pass!” There she is. Flayn.

You know what this means, dear readers!

Sweet, kind Flayn. Small, weak-bodied Flayn. Flayn, fainted and pale from blood loss, kidnapped in her own home. Flayn, bright and shining, holding up the fish Byleth had reeled up to make her feel better. Flayn, shocked and joyous, over having won the White Heron Cup. Flayn, supportive and happy, when they had first come back after merging with Sothis.

Fuck, I think that gave me diabetes. But remember this glowing detail Flayn gets for later on, because the contrast against Byleth's other students will be stark.

Small, weak-bodied Flayn.

Who are you calling frail!?

Flayn, fainted and pale from blood loss, kidnapped in her own home.

You're gonna mention how Edelgard helped you rescue her and willingly gave her up, right, Byleth? No? Okay.

Flayn, bright and shining, holding up the fish Byleth had reeled up to make her feel better.

Pfft, I reeled that fish up for the renown, thank you very much.

Flayn, shocked and joyous, over having won the White Heron Cup.

Oof, Byleth's out a dancer. Poor planning there, Teach. Also of course it was Flayn, can't let Dorothea have anything, heheh.

Flayn, supportive and happy, when they had first come back after merging with Sothis.

Given the implication that Flayn knew about Rhea's inhumane experiments to revive Sothis, this isn't the cute little thing you think it is, Function.

They swallow. Their hands are shaking so hard they can barely hold their sword. They can’t stop blinking. They- they can’t do this. They can’t do this. Flayn, she- they saved her, brought her back to Seteth before he had broken down completely,

Yeah, shame she's choosing to fight on Rhea's side against the future of Fodlan. Maybe get her to knock it off?

helped her gain some closure in killing Solon, and now…

What? Flayn doesn't even come up in regards to Solon's death. But of course Byleth killed him for her, and not for his other victims, past and potentially in the future. Flayn is important.

Now they have to kill her?

No? Do what Edelgard does, try to get her to surrender.

Function, Byleth jumping right to thinking they have to kill her isn't a good look.

End her kind, precious life? Destroy Seteth’s one reason for living, after giving her back to him? It’s- it’s cruel, they’ve bloodied their hands so, so much in this forsaken war, but, they just can’t-

Ah, yeah, who cares about all the people you've killed so far, they weren't main characters! But this is Flayn and Seteth, we mustn't hurt them :(

Function, Byleth only giving a shit when it's people they know personally and they, in the context of this fanfic, share a race with is. Um. It's like. Ah. Terrible.

No seriously, Byleth comes across as kinda racist. "Who cares about all the humans I've killed so far, there's plenty of those and I didn't know them, but this time it's different, they're my people :("

“Come at me, so that I may put you out of your misery!” They. Turn to Edelgard. She’s glaring- no. She’s glowering.

Oh baby.

So in the context of this fanfic, she's saying that to Flayn, but in the game itself she just says it to whichever group of hidden enemies spawns first. One of them, the closer of the two, pointedly doesn't have Flayn mixed among them. Just Function, again twisting things to make Edelgard look worse.

She isn’t seeing the sweet, kind girl that had once been her classmate. She isn’t seeing Flayn holding a fish in her hands with an unbridled happiness. She isn’t seeing Flayn smile brightly at being given the traditional dancer garb.

Yeah, she's seeing an enemy commander leading troops to retake the monastery and kill her soldiers, men and women who she has a responsibility for and for whom she cares about. Unlike Byleth.

She… sees her victim that got away. From the kidnapping she sanctioned.

Oh, never mind.

And yeah, I guess Byleth did forget how Edelgard helped to rescue Flayn in the first place. And also how Edelgard didn't take Flayn captive at the Holy Tomb when she could have.

They rush ahead, sprinting to Flayn, Edelgard tries to keep up but her armor wears her down and Byleth is running, their grip becomes sweaty and loose and they are running, their eyes burn and their sight blurs and they are running- And before they knew it, Flayn was in front of them.

Very dramatic. Where are all Flayn's soldiers, having a smoke break? Did Byleth just mentally blot out killing them because they're not Nabatean and thus mean nothing to them?

Her stare grows more wavering; they could swear her eyes are shining more of what little light shines through the clouds than they should.

That map isn't overcast, Function, Empathic Environment isn't in effect.

Unless it's cloudy from all the smoke the church caused with its fire attack.

They exchange Flayn's battle dialogue, then Byleth beats the shit out of Flayn, holy crap.

They make it quick; Flayn was always better known for her healing than her fighting. The pommel of their sword, the flat end of their blade, fists and kicks - it is violent. It hurts. Try as they might, they still hear the distinctive crack of bone from one strike to her arm, Flayn’s petite body simply too weak to withstand the blow. They see her bite down hard on her lip, the blood trickling to her chin, her eyes squinting past the pain, they hear the muffled whimper, the soft thmp of her staff hitting the ground, her quiet sniffle.

Don't you dare try to blame that one on Edelgard, Function, that was all on Byleth for going full Doom Slayer on Flayn, jesus christ.

Oh and also, I guess Edelgard's also having a smoke break, because she vanished.

She looks at them, and suddenly, her eyes go wide. Understanding seems to dawn on her in that moment, and she takes a step back. “Farewell, Professor. I do not imagine we shall ever meet again.”

Flayn's understand is that Byleth is letting her go, but in the game it's just presented that Flayn and Seteth choose not to fight to the death if they encounter Byleth. All the power is in their hands, it's just a question of whether or not they intend to needlessly throw their lives away for Rhea.

And she retreats. Bruised, bleeding, and battered, but alive. They can only hope Seteth does the same. Those two, they… They don’t deserve this.

Everyone else can fuck off and shut up and fuck off and die, though.

It’s fine. They defeated her, and will defeat Seteth.

I wonder how Function feels about how Byleth doesn't need to be the one to defeat Seteth and Flayn to get them to back off? Yeah, in case you didn't know, having Byleth engage in battle with them once is all it takes. After that, anyone, even Edelgard, can finish them and they'll be just fine. That revelation seriously upset some of the Edelgard antis, given I'm still seeing them trying to argue against it even to this day.

Those two will never be seen again, hiding away from the world Flayn had so desperately wanted to see, and that’s… okay.

Sometimes, in Fodlan, you end up in Abyss. That's the world Rhea made. Flayn shouldn't be special just because she's cute and has a name.

That’s good. It makes it okay to spare them, and Byleth won’t hear anything from Edelgard or Hubert for this.

This is written as if to be defiant, but Byleth won't hear anything from Edelgard or Hubert for this because they don't react negatively to the pair surviving, because killing them is not a goal for the war. Hell, killing Rhea isn't, either. Just removing her from power is all that's needed.

Thank god that's over!

“You, like Rhea, share a bloodline with the so-called goddess. Your mother likely had some connection to the goddess, whose power has always been sleeping within you. Five years ago when your power awakened, I was afraid you would choose to join with Rhea.” They don’t know. They just don’t know.

You've made that abundantly clear, Byleth.

They had never talked with Rhea more than they had to.

Good thing, too, otherwise you'd have to endure her sexual harassment and getting punished for trying to assert boundaries in her A support!

They had always spoken to Edelgard at every opportunity. They had done everything to push Rhea away from them despite her open arms,

This is portraying Rhea as being oh so very kind, but I've see it argued with some credence that her behavior throughout White Clouds is her lovebombing Byleth.

Right from the start, she strongly suspects Byleth of being the child who escaped from her twenty years ago, so she gives them a job to keep them nearby and showers them with compliments and praise. Then, after Byleth demonstrates they can wield the SotC and thus appear even more likely to be Sothis reborn, suddenly her C support opens up, and she offers Byleth weed herbal remedies to give to give to the students, targeting a major point of Byleth's affection.

It's easy to read Rhea's shows of affection as carefully planned and controlled to get Byleth to open up to her to better steer their course.

and everything to stay with Edelgard despite her radical ideals.

Maybe we should improve society somewhat is radical in Fodlan, I guess.

When Edelgard had tried to kill them and the Black Eagles in the Holy Tomb, they didn’t kill her.

Don't mind me, just dropping those.

Function seems to have forgotten that this Byleth is supposed to be a Byleth who experienced the story as it exists, not as they (Function) headcannon it to be.

They barely hurt her. They did everything to simply incapacitate her, to hear her out, to understand why she would do this.

If Byleth experienced every moment they could and would have experienced with Edelgard, Dorothea, Bernadetta, Petra, and many others, they would know why Edelgard would do this. Despite what her antis would have you believe, what you see really is what you get with Edelgard when she's talking about her ideals. She's very open with Byleth.

“You thought I would join her?” And Edelgard will say that of course she did, because she had done something so drastic. She had brought in an army - her army - and gave the order to kill them and the Black Eagles. She had brought in mindless Demonic Beasts, after Miklan, after Remire’s massacre, after the chapel and their father’s murder. She betrayed them, in every sense of the word - of course, that was why she had thought they would have joined Rhea.

What Function is missing here is that breaking away from one's "intended" path is a major theme of Crimson Flower, and this scene is directly pointing that out.

Edelgard was "meant" to be Thales's tool, but with her connection to Byleth and the other students, she escapes this fate.

Byleth was "meant" to be Sothis reborn, but by connecting to the students and the people of Fodlan, they choose to keep their humanity and not become a god.

As Fantasy Invader loves to say, you're "changing the story", and that reflects in breaking away from Edelgard and Byleth's appointed fates, where the other three routes see both embracing them, to Edelgard's death and Byleth's fated loneliness of immortality.

“I did. As you know, my goal is to free our world from the control of Rhea and the other children of the goddess. I seek to obliterate her, as well as those around her who use the church's power to control Fódlan. I swore to free the people from Rhea by striking her down, whether or not it meant making an enemy of you.”

Emphasis mine.

Again, the subject of Hubert's A support with Byleth is not about which race they choose to be, but how they use their power after Rhea is no more. It's all about abuse of power, not having too-pointy ears.

And the world starts spinning. Their chest pangs. Their spine chills. Their gut churns. I will save the world from those creatures That is not the case for inhuman creatures Rhea and the other creatures, she means. To obliterate her and those creatures around her. And she thought they would join Rhea, because they are a creature like Rhea.

The creatures who abuse their power, Byleth, you really need to try paying attention when you talk to people.

But yes, given how Byleth seemed all set up to become an avatar of the goddess's will, it seems natural for Edelgard, sworn enemy to the church, to assume Byleth would choose not to walk at her side.

“And yet...you came to my aid and chose to walk with me on the path against Rhea. I was overjoyed of course, but I was also confused. I thought that perhaps it wasn't the path you were meant to take. But I chose to trust in you, to rely on you and your strength. And now, here we are.” They chose to trust in Edelgard. And they were given this in return.

Love? Trust? The freedom to choose?

A trust Edelgard tentatively gave to this… creature.

Oh, of course, Function is obsessed with race so they think Byleth and Edelgard should be as well, right. Where did Byleth get the idea that Edelgard's trust was tentative in that speech? Hubert's is, based on the choices Byleth makes going forward, but that's not the case with Edelgard.

This creature that should be distrusted, despite everything it's done for her, despite opening its heart to her.

...No? At no point did Edelgard say her initial uncertainty was correct. Just that it was how she felt.

This creature that Hubert will do what must be done should it lose its humanity, damn whatever friendship and love it held before.

If anything, it's because Hubert considers Byleth a friend that he has to do it, now. Who does Hardin trust to set him straight if he loses his path? The Wolfguard, the men he trusts most.

“Thank you for listening, my teacher. I'm glad I finally had the chance to talk to you about it. After Rhea is gone from this world, I don't know what will become of you." They want to laugh. They want to cry. They want to run away screaming. They want to strangle her. All this time. All they’ve done for her. All they’ve given to her. All they’ve lived for her. All they’ve loved her completely. And she doesn’t know what will become of them. Does she doubt what will become of Hubert? No; it wasn’t even a question. Anyone could tell how much she trusts the man. He has proven he will walk off the ends of the earth for her. She has no reason to doubt his dedication to staying by her side.

Function chooses the weirdest times to just forget that they played Crimson Flower.

Edelgard's worry here is meant to foreshadow Byleth collapsing after Rhea falls. She knows Byleth is tied to the goddess through their mother, so she fears what will happen to Byleth should they take the final step in defying Rhea. Fear of loss tied into her future is one of Edelgard's main character traits, Edge of Dawn is all about this. Her instincts tell her something dangerous might happen to Byleth, and it very nearly does.

I know exactly what Function is getting at: Edelgard antis love to rant about how Edelgard should totally kill Byleth the minute Rhea goes down, but she obviously doesn't, because she trusts them in Crimson Flower, and her trust is rewarded.

Edelgard doesn’t know them. And… they didn’t know her.

Yeah that'd be because you're operating off Function's probably 5 years old memories of the route and their poor;y-constructed headcanons.

Didn’t know the depths to her hatred.

Man, if hearing Edelgard say mean things about Rhea is enough to count as hate, just imagine if Byleth heard half the rancid shit Dimitri says!

Didn’t know how lowly she must have thought of them, all this time.

Edelgard wept and hugged Byleth when they returned. She said her heart felt broken to think Byleth had fallen. This whole fucking scene is about how deeply Edelgard cares for and trusts Byleth, but sure, Function.

“But whatever happens, I hope you know that you're very special to me. You are the one person in this world who can share the heavy burden I must carry. Someone without equal who I can always speak my mind to…” And her eyes are so soft, her voice so gentle. Admitting to having been willing to kill them so easily and so casually,

She never said she felt she could easily kill you, you really need to try paying attention, Byleth. She only said she was willing to risk making an enemy of you.

that she hadn’t thought they should be here,

Past-tense, Byleth, as in, directly after you made the choice. She was briefly and understandably confused, but that was five years ago.

All for some blood connection to this woman that they have never done one thing for that hadn’t been forced upon them by obligation - a connection based on an assumption about a mother they’ve never met and never seen…

The cognitive dissonance coming from Function is wild. Yes, it does seem remarkably petty for Edelgard to distrust Byleth based on some familial connection not even they are fully aware of, it's almost like that's not actually how she feels!

But they’re special to her. So, so special. Special for a human? Or special for a creature?

No, you're just special, Byleth, because you're you. Fixating on race is Function reading way too far into Edelgard's motives.

They look out one of the many holes in Garreg Mach’s walls.

(sigh)

This scene doesn't take place at Garreg Mach, Function.

It takes place at Fhirdiad. This is immediately after a scene showing the BESF arriving at Fhirdiad.

Another bonafide strike against canon, and another sign that Function only read the game script and probably doesn't remember the route nearly as well as they think they do.

The clouds are heavy and gray, turning the air a thick orange.

It's not cloudy either! Empathic Environment isn't in effect, Function!

Come the night, there will be nothing but darkness.

Yeah, that's what happens when the sun goes down.

Also, Darkness of the Unknown Goalposts, again.

Walking that darkness with Edelgard, treading the ocean of blood that was her righteous ideals - it had once been as easy as breathing. They loved her. They did everything for her. They had known that path would be easy, as their hand would always be locked with hers. They… can’t. They can’t. Not anymore. It’s too much. The flashes of hatred that switch so quickly to loving gazes, the willingness to kill them, the needling words, the need for secrets, they… they can’t do it. They can’t do it anymore.

So it all became too much once it started personally impacting you, Byleth? Function, it REALLY doesn't look good that you consistently write Byleth as crumpling like a paper tiger the second the war starts to hurt them personally.

Edelgard turns and walks off. She leaves. They stand there. Alone.

I mean if you want to be alone then don't whine when you're alone. Also, Edelgard wouldn't just tromp off, leaving Byleth alone.

The Sword of the Creator as a weapon cannot be sheathed, so they take a blanket and curl it inside.

That's... sheathing it... If the SotC will passively cut through a sheath, it'll cut through a blanket. This reminds me of how in Bleach, Nimaiya had to keep Sayafushi in a jelly-like liquid because its edge is too sharp and its sides too slick to be sheathed, only stupider.

Anyways, we jumped back to Garreg Mach and Byleth is planning to run away from Edelgard.

It was easy enough to find a secluded, unused alleyway that led to an unmanned section of the outer walls. Once, the entirety of Garreg Mach’s outer layer was heavily manned and heavily armed, preparing for any siege that may befall it; now, there is nothing. No one.

What? Is the war already over? Did Edelgard abandon Garreg Mach again for some reason? What's going on!

Edelgard will look for them, they know; they’ve heard of her frantic searchings for them during those five years they slept, how absolutely desperate she was to find them. Before it had moved their heart, knowing of her devotion; now it is a warning, letting them know they will be hunted.

Yeah, duh Edelgard will look for you. You're running off without warning in the middle of the night during a war, that's going to look like enemy assassins kidnapped you, of fucking course Edelgard will be desperate to save you!

Function's so incredibly self-defeating.

She couldn’t find them when they were sleeping, however. As good as it is to know she will be searching, there is nothing she can do against the flow of time itself fighting her.

...What? Is Function/Byleth under the assumption that Byleth will get whisked off to some negative hole in space if they go into another long sleep? That's not how it appears to work. Also this reads like Byleth's happy she'll outlive Edelgard, so that's a lovely image. If I may quote Engage,

Living an immortal life is consistently portrayed as very sad when the only relationships a person can hope to hold is with mortal beings who'll grow old and die, leaving you behind. Rhea herself was tortured by this very loneliness.

If not also… lonely, already, knowing that they'll likely never again experience Caspar’s rambunctious shouts or Dorothea’s lovely singing, Ferdinand’s confident boasts or Bernadetta’s silent gratitude. Petra, talking about her homeland; Linhardt, as they last saw him, napping in places strange and forgotten. They will likely never see Leonie and Alois again, the last living memories of Father. Hubert’s private longings to fly pegasi. Edelgard’s loving and warm gaze. It hurt. It all hurts, leaving everything, every one, behind. But they have to.

Oh, hey, nice of Byleth to finally think about the Black Eagles, I was starting to wonder if she gave a shit about them!

Also, really? Is that how Byleth chooses to remember them?

Caspar fails and falls, but he never gives up, he always gets back up and tries again. That part of him is inspiring. Byleth remembers him for being noisy.

Dorothea's whole support line with Byleth is about how she yearns to be loved for something deeper than her voice or her looks. Byleth doesn't think about her incredible compassion that came from a background of unfettered cruelty and loss, they think of her voice, just like all the other shallow nobles who showered her with gifts.

Ferdinand's boasting hides a deep unease, but he grows past that and comes to embody in spirit and in truth the nobility he once claimed. Byleth remembers him for the shallow bravado.

Bernadetta grows so much over the Crimson Flower route, getting out of her room and exploring the lands in one of her CF-exclusive endings. Byleth remembers her as the quiet, demure little lady Count Varley wanted her to be.

Petra comes to view Fodlan as a second home, and the people she met there, her family. Byleth remembers her only thinking of Brigid.

Linhardt proves himself much more than the sleepy dreamer he first seems, but Byleth only sees him as the forgotten sleeper.

And Leonie and Alois? Byleth doesn't even think of them; they think of Jeralt.

This Byleth doesn't seem to have a genuine relation with any of the Black Eagles at all!

Besides, Edelgard said she wants to be rid of all of the indomitable enemies, these creatures plaguing humanity. What place would they truly have, in her pure human world?

Function is trying to convey Byleth as unjustly prejudiced because of their part-Nabatean background, but all they've done is demonstrate Byleth as very lacking in character and incapable of connecting with humans. Oh how they weep for poor Fwayne while recounting what a bright ray of light she was, but with the Black Eagles? Byleth knew them for much longer than Flayn, but even still they can only think of the most basic character traits as they're about to leave them forever.

They don't care about normal people, just themselves and the Nabateans they have to fight. Hubert's right to distrust them, and not because of their blood, but because of their actions.

So yeah, maybe it's best they go away, they won't have anyone to care about but themselves once Rhea is gone.

Byleth shakes their head; it's too late to linger on such thoughts. It's too late for anything to matter anymore, in truth, but... they still look to the sky. It barely lets any light through the thick, heavy, gray clouds hiding away the stars and moon, just as they had thought, casting the very air around them in darkness... Except for one, sole ray of light. A small, small gap in the curtain, allowing in a blinding trickle of moonlight. A sword, cutting through the ink that has coated everything, the trees and leaves and grass blessed enough to bask in this splendor bursting alive against all else damned to the shadows. It is fleeting; the clouds threaten the edges, ready to consume the light at a moment's notice. That doesn't matter. It is something more. And Byleth walks, lighter, hopeful, free, having now seen all they need.

Empathic enivronment again! I mean sure, Byleth is leaving Fodlan in the hands of a villain (Function's thoughts, not mine), but they'll be safer separated from her, and that's all that matters, right?

And really, poor Edelgard. Seeing as how she and Hubert acted in accordance with their canonical characterization, I can't help but picture her wracked with worry about what the church assassins did to Byleth, never learning that they just didn't get non-Nabateans and worked themselves up into a fit of paranoia before running out on her.

There's a darkfic in there, frankly.

We're almost done, but not quite. The author's notes are still left.

so yeah as a mixed-race person i fucking hated playing through CF and having to put up with Edelgard and Hubert's open and unashamed racism going uncontested

So yeah, that's really where this all came from. Because of their personal stake in the matter, Function failed to be objective, which is why a story about ideals and the loss of connection to other people became about race and nothing else. This was a very nice example of something I've always believed, that Edelgard antis don't know the story nearly as well as they think they do.

Also, for what it's worth, I spoke to a mixed-race friend of mine whether they agreed with the mixed-race interpretation of Byleth, and she simply replied, "hell no."

so i wrote Byleth

Being a coward who only cares about the Nabateans?

not taking their "you're one of the good ones" shit well mentally until they eventually just fuck off entirely (even if what they're fucking off to isn't, ah. the most optimal situation to fuck off to. to say the least lmao). as best as i could anyway

You didn't do very well. As I said before, all they did was take it personally when Edelgard and Hubert castigated Rhea for her abuse of power, which doesn't reflect well on Byleth.

And we're finally free! It wasn't all that long, but it sure felt long. Hope you at least enjoyed my breakdown of it. Later, everyone!

#fire emblem three houses #edelgard discourse #edelgard positive #edelgard von hresvelg #byleth eisner #hubert von vestra #sporking #Rhea critical #Rhea discourse

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randomnameless · 29 days ago

Note

With most of the Church characters, the commoner / noble starting classes feel like more of an aftertought than anything. Because in addition to Alois, Seteth & Flayn both have the noble class (? why ? they clearly aren't nobles ? Did they feel like they couldn't put "commoner" on the Nabateans ???)

I think the only case of discrepancy that could have a cool / interesting explanation is Petra having the commoner base class : her status as princess is not recognised by Adrestia, as she is a political hostage ?

Mercie too is a commoner, even if she was an Adrestian noble -

But given how she ran away from her dad and her adoptive one is not a noble it'd make sense that she would have been registered as a "commoner".

For Seteth'n'Flayn, maybe it's more or less to explain that they are "special people" in the Archbishop's immediate circle, thus more or less considered and seen as "nobles" rather than commoners, but fwiw, especially in the Church, it doesn't amount to a thing.

In the rest of Fodlan though, maybe due to their perceived link to Rhea, they are treated like nobles?

5 years later, and I still can't fathom how the game(s) completely elude the background of the Nabateans and their paperthin disguise to pretend to be common and totes regular "humans".

They don't have surnames, they don't have any "made-up" backstory like being born and raised in a remote church or whatever, hell Rhea's backstory - as the Archbishop! - isn't developed at all and we had to wait for Nopes to get confirmation that she periodically fakes her death to appoint a new persona as her successor, because her title isn't hereditary...

How did this even manage to work, idk - but then their horrible dyejob was enough to convince humans that the Saints were totally not the people with green hair and pointy ears Nemesis'n'pals butchered a few decades ago.

So it's just a big "idk" and/or another proof that the devs dgaf about Nabateans because even writing this down makes me realise that if you want to get a plausible enough backstory/background/cover story for them, you either need to rework Jeralt's entire story or write Fodlan people to be extremely gullible, but with the conspiracy theories going on in the game it isn't coherent :

Manu believesthe Monastery is set between the three countries for a ReAsOn - but won't comment on Rhea's eternal youth, or how she looks like the other Archbishops, only Hanneman muses on Seteth's age while inquisitive!Sylvain is only puzzled by the resemblance between Rhea and the blonde lady from his stepmom's painting (granted, he is at war so maybe coming up with weird theories isn't on his priority list).

#lumeha #I dont' want to blame earl grey whenever there's a hole in the writing but #maybe they could have come up with some 'the archbishops are blessed with exceedingly long lifespans and it's common knowledge'#or something regarding major crested people blessed with long lives are smthg like very saintly and that's why they gather at Garreg Mach?#because if it's common knowledge that those people are 'not like us' but the world is okay with it then y'know #the 'wah she's a holy beast from the scriptures totes scary let's kill her she's not human' route #would feel even more weird in the game from those character's pov #thus no teabag :(#fodlan nonsense #if the nabateans are considered nobles then why the hell aren't they receiving everyday marriage proposals from noble houses à la Lorenz?#the only letter Rhea receives in the game is from a student #are we supposed to understand that Seteth burns them all as soon as they are delivered to Garreg Mach?#CeNsOrShIp

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yukiwrites · 1 year ago

Text

Debts and Repayment

Thanks for the support as always, @authordgaster!

This is a C-A Support chain between Balthus and Seteth from Three Houses! Such a interesting duo, thanks for the opportunity to let me write about them~

Commission info HEREand HERE!

__________________________

C SUPPORT

Seteth: Balthus. A word?

Balthus: Hey there, pal. That’s three words. Done, right? See ya!

Seteth: Hold it right there.

Balthus: Wow, I wouldn’t have pegged your grip to be this strong, Seteth. Care for a match to settle things instead of whatever it is you wanna say?

Seteth: I will decline the offer, though it is as I suspected; you are aware of why I am here.

Balthus: Well, duh. You’re here to collect money, right? The debt I owe the church ain’t small so it was a matter of time until Lady Rhea sent you to me.

Seteth: You are right and wrong about that. I did not come to play a debt collector role even though I am quite aware of the dent you have made in the church’s coffers since your student days.

Balthus: No? Oh that’s a big relief. I didn’t wanna have to fight you and run away from Abyss after finally settling in for a bit.

Seteth: However, I am here to ask you the reason why you have not chosen to work as a hired hand for the church instead. You have done that in the past so you are aware of the amount you can earn.

Balthus: Sure, if I could earn all of that! You’ll take such a big cut outta the whole I end up with barely a coin to toss. I’d rather try my luck elsewhere to pay that debt, thanks.

Seteth: It would be honest work, regardless of monetary rewards, would it not? Haven’t you lived your life in the shadows enough? Now that you fight alongside law-abiding citizens, perhaps it is time to change your ways…

Balthus: Welp, what you say is true. I have been living as a vagabond for a long time.

Seteth: Excellent. I can have you outfitted—

Balthus: But that doesn’t mean I’ll enroll, pal. There’re many ways the King of Grappling can make a living, and being the church’s dog ain’t one of them. Don’t think too much about the debt, aight? I got it covered.

Seteth: *sighs* Must you behave this way? Will you truly not consider it? As you are now a classmate of my sister’s, I must make it so you do not wrongly influence her in any way.

Balthus: Ahh, so that’s what this was about. I did think it was fishy since you didn’t come at me with a weapon in hand demanding money.

Balthus: I know I’m a hard man to miss — which woman could not look twice when they see these?! Haha! — so I understand your concerns… I’m sure I left my share of heartbreak wherever I went.

Seteth: Wha—?! Flayn would never— How dare you suggest she would ever take a liking to- to you?! Preposterous! And even if she did, I would never approve of it.

Balthus: Whoa there, overprotective much? No wonder the kid looks like such an easy prey; you haven’t let her live her own life!

Seteth: I will have you know I give her plenty of freedom! I care only for her safety and wellbeing.

Balthus: Sure, the freedom of a cage, yeah? I feel kinda sorry for her now. Don’t worry, I promise to play nice if it means you’ll give the kid some space. Are we done here?

Seteth: I—? … I suppose. I did not think you would agree so easily, so I apologize for my earlier outburst.

Balthus: No skin off my back, pal. But better keep your overprotectiveness in check or the kid’s gonna hate you for real.

Seteth: …

B SUPPORT (Unlockable after Seteth and Flayn B Support is attained)

Seteth: Balthus. I remember you said you would ‘play nice’? What part of playing nice means getting drunk at the local tavern at noon?

Balthus: Uh, in my defense, I’ve lived down in Abyss for so long I kinda lost the proper sense of time? It’s always dark down there, so any time’s a good time for a drink!

Seteth: …

Balthus: And there’s the death glare. You know I overhead something interesting a few days ago, should I share?

Seteth: By the way you are looking at me, I suppose I will not like this, will I?

Balthus: Not one bit, I’m sure.

Seteth: *sighs*

Balthus: So, does ‘Kindly keep out of my social business in the future’ ring any bells?

Seteth: !! You— What else did you hear? How long have you been eavesdropping on our conversations?!

Balthus: Whoa, easy there, Big Brother, no need to get aggressive. It’s not my way to go around listening in to people’s family meetings. I just so happened to pass by when I overheard that… Though by your reaction, it seems this runs deeper, don’t it?

Seteth: Humph. I’ll thank you not to meddle in my family’s affairs. I hope this does not happen again, Balthus. If I catch you looming around my sister…

Balthus: See, there’s that, too, pal. What did she just tell you? Aren’t you reflecting even a bit? The kid needs some space and you ain’t giving it.

Seteth: I… do not need to hear this from you. I am reflecting well enough without you telling me. Is it too much to simply wish for her to be safe, happy and content at all times? She is my only sister.

Balthus: It kinda is, yeah. You can’t live a life without getting a bit dirty, you know? And I don’t even mean in that way.

Seteth: … Ahem. I am quite aware that it is foolish to expect to shield her from everything, but if I were to ever lose her…

Balthus: You gotta let her loose, pal. She’s your little sis so she’ll always have a spot at your side, won’t she? But if you keep holding her back like this, she’ll just hate you.

Seteth: …

Balthus: I’m not saying I’m a prime example of an older brother, seeing as I left my little bro to inherit the title and land back home, but overprotection ain’t the way.

Seteth: I do remember you hail from House Albrecht, though I know little else about it. So your younger brother is the reigning Baron?

Balthus: Yep. You kinda look like how his mom was when we were kids, and this ain’t a compliment. Because I was born with a Crest and he wasn’t, she always thought that she had to ‘protect’ him from me, and shielded him from mostly everything else on the way. She would control who he met, what he did, where he went and what the professors would tell him in class. Sound familiar?

Seteth: … I am not so unreasonable.

Balthus: Not yet, you mean. My brother still managed to grow up well despite all that, but I figured me leaving would make her gaze turn to eliminating me instead of focusing on him too much. That worked well, hah! This scar was from the last ‘present’ she sent me a few weeks ago.

Seteth: What?! You were attacked within the Monastery’s walls? That breach in security has to be reported—

Balthus: It happened down in Abyss, don’t worry about it. Your little sis is safe here with all of ya’ll. But you’re missing the point again, pal.

Seteth: … Forgive me. I know you are trying to help, and I thank you for it. I confess I didn’t expect to find such wisdom in you.

Balthus: Harsh! Hah!

Seteth: Heh.

Balthus: Nice, now we’re loosing up. Think about it, eh, pal? If you need more ‘wisdom’, you know where to find me!

Balthus leaves.

Seteth: … Surely I won’t look for wisdom at the pub, but I thank you for the new perspective regardless.

A SUPPORT

Balthus: Hey, pal!

Seteth: Balthus.

Balthus: I noticed your grip on little Flayn’s gotten a bit loose lately, that’s good!

Seteth: … I did not have a ‘grip’ on her, but yes, I have done my share of reflecting, much of it was thanks to you.

Balthus: No prob, pal. I’m kinda in the same boat so I get where you’re coming from. Taking care of a little sister in a world filled with trash men sure is hard.

Seteth: Oh? I was not aware you had a sister as well.

Balthus: Well, not my sister, but since she’s my best friend’s sis, she might as well be! You know her — it’s Hilda.

Seteth: Ah. I did hear you and her brother were on good terms. I did not imagine you were so close as to share such a familial bond.

Balthus: Yeah, he asked me to protect her, so that’s what I’m doin’. Any guy who wants to get on with her will have to go through me first!

Seteth: *nod* I understand completely. No unfitting scoundrel will get his hands on my sister on my watch.

Balthus: You know it, pal. But in moderation, yeah? Don’t be a control freak like my step-mom…

Seteth: Ahem. Of course.

Seteth: You mentioned your stepmother, so you are not the official heir to House Albrecht?

Balthus: Nah. Kinda? It’s complicated. You know Kupala? It’s a village up Fódlan’s Throat, so hidden away people think it doesn’t actually exist.

Seteth: I’m afraid I do not recognize the name.

Balthus: Didn’t expect ya to. My mom’s from there, but she left. It didn’t go well and she was rescued by my dad. Bam! Love at first sight and they married. But he’s a noble and she wasn’t, so he had to marry another noble to continue on with the family line. Problem was, my brother wasn’t born with a Crest, so although I wasn’t the ‘official’ son, I’m the one who had the most ‘potential’ to be the heir.

Seteth: I had no idea…

Balthus: So my mom went back to Kupala ‘cause she couldn’t handle all those noble intrigues and what not, you know? I left a while later to give my brother some space and there we have it. I’m planning on going back home to protect my mom once this is over, though. My step-mom’s attacks have stopped since the war, but I’m scared she might be looking for my mom to retaliate.

Seteth: Would she do such a thing?

Balthus: I wouldn’t put it past her, to be honest. Anyway, what did you have in mind to do after the war? I just told you my plan, so be a pal and share yours, too.

Seteth: I will remain at Garreg Mach and help Byleth rebuilt what’s left of the Church and of Fódlan. I could not shirk away from such a duty after helping them play such a pivotal role in the war.

Balthus: Uh-huh. Nice. And after that?

Seteth: After… I’m afraid I don’t know. I want to take Flayn somewhere safe so we live out our lives at peace, for a change. Although she demanded me to stop fretting over her after the war ended, it’s easier said than done.

Balthus: I wanted you to say that. Say, why don’t you go to Kupala with me? It’s a village so out of the way, I don’t think people can find us there unless they try really hard. Besides, I already offered little Lysithea and her folks a spot there, so why not call you and Flyan in, too? The more the merrier, right?

Seteth: That’s… is quite a generous offer. But why would you make such a promise to Lysithea’s family, as well?

Balthus: Ah, I owe them my life. I figured I could repay their kindness the same way they showed it to me, so there you have it. Consider yourself formally invited too, pal!

Seteth, smiling: … Very well. Thank you for the invitation, Balthus. I very well may take you up on that.

Balthus: Nice!

Balthus: Does that mean my debt to the church is pardoned—

Seteth: This and that are completely different matters.

Balthus: Dang. Worth a try, at least. Haha!Seteth: Heh.

#seteth fire emblem #balthus fire emblem #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #my writings #support chains

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dornishsphinx · 2 years ago

Text

I’ve finally played all four routes of Three Houses, and it only took me until like, 2-3 weeks after the next game in the series came out. Epilogues, untouched by the wayseer:

Azure Moon

Byleth+Ashe (I am convinced Ashe/Cyril would have happened otherwise and I am filled with regret as that became a ship of mine)

Dimitri+Flayn

Dedue+Shamir

Sylvain+Ingrid

Annette+Gilbert

Felix+Bernadetta

—

Crimson Flower

Byleth+Sothis (to be honest, out of morbid curiosity due to events, and poor, poor Rhea, she does not care)

Edelgard+Linhardt (from what I remember, surprisingly and interestingly platonic)

Hubert+Ferdinand

Dorothea+Lorenz

Petra+Ashe

Caspar+Shamir

Hanneman+Manuela

Jeritza+Mercedes

—

Silver Snow (Ashen Wolves + Faculty + gdi I missed the deadline to A-Support Rhea again Run)

Byleth+Yuri

Hapi+Linhardt

Balthus+Constance

Seteth+Flayn

Hanneman+Manuela

Alois+Catherine

Shamir+Cyril

Ferdinand+Petra (apparently so into each other they still got together despite not being fielded since White Clouds)

—

Verdant Wind

Byleth+Singledom

Claude+Flayn

Hilda+Cyril

Raphael+Ignatz

Lorenz+Lysithea

Leonie+Shamir

Marianne+Linhardt

In summation, Flayn likes powerful men and Hanneman and Manuela apparently can’t get enough of each other.

Thoughts on routes and best route order below the cut, along with controversial archetype opinions:

Azure Moon - definitely the best one to start on. Has the big cinematic reveal of who Edelgard is right after Dimitri talks about who she is and what she means to him. It has the least to do with the Agarthans or Imperial motivations. Dimitri’s character arc is cool, and it’s a more personal story about Kingdom characters with cameos of others.

Crimson Flower - then, the other side of the conflict. Gives a bit more info about why Edelgard is up to things, introduces the Agarthans, gives the other side of the central Kingdom-Empire conflict (last chapter in Kingdom capital against a desperate dragon, compared to last chapter in Empire capital against a desperate abomination). Does nothing about the Agarthans other than be like “these are our allies we’re wary of”, slotting it neatly between Azure Moon and the last two routes as an intro to the (Slavic for some reason? I got spoiled for other things but not that Shambhala was covered in readable Cyrillic) Molemen Lore.

Silver Snow - Back to the save point, decide to go against Edelgard instead and see what happens. I mean, I didn’t actually do that, since I wanted to make it an Ashen Wolves + faculty playthrough and wanted to avoid giving Edie and Hubert experience that others could get, but one less White Clouds playthrough is good for the soul. Though it could be interesting playing Black Eagles against their classmates, the Church characters are great and deserve some focus, so honestly would highly recommend focusing more on them. You fight Rhea in the end in both Black Eagle routes, and if they’re close together, you can mark the differences in how she’s treated. Also the Edelgard defeat scene makes way more sense here than in Verdant Wind and is more impactful after the reunion fight animation post-timeskip. It should be seen in context here first rather than being confusing in Verdant Wind, plus, does hit harder if you have sided with her already.

Verdant Wind - You’ve done the surface-level major conflict already, that’s now on the sidelines, it’s time for the ones caught up in the middle (and from outside Fódlan) to demand some lore and then open up to the rest of the world, bringing the routes from the insular and lore-light routes to the lore-heavy one involving the most outsiders.

What I did though: Silver Snow | Verdant Wind. It’s more complicated to put these two in any order since they’re basically identical other than characters involved, so ironically, feels like playing them concurrently is actually better than playing them side by side. They’re way too similar, but at least if they’re played together, you can pick up on small differences more than “ugh, again?”, such as skipping Gronder Field and Claude pushing for info from Rhea where Byleth accepts what’s being said, and food for thought on implications (why does Rhea snap in one and not the other, for example? Did Edelgard treat her worse as a prisoner of war when The Professor takes her side?) Still, I’d put the Nemesis fight after Rhea fight. The opening up of Fódlan and Nemesis getting put down is a more uplifting conclusion than Rhea succumbing, and it’s the point I prefer to have it end on.

Also, Edelgard and Dimitri are a take on Alm/Celica.

Prince and princess of opposing lands. Princess, the “one” surviving child of a haggard-looking king’s consort. Knew each other for a short while in childhood before the princess was taken away again. The Agarthans go on about pitting “the children” against each other, Alm and Celica both have the brands. Echoes came out directly before Three Houses, they added a bunch more fight scenes between Alm and Celica for little reason. Alm is “the jasper lion”, Dimitri is a “blue lion”. Edelgard allies with the Agarthans, Celica… it’s not one to one, but she sure did go along with what the Duma Faithful asked of her. Also I’ve heard things that happen to Edelgard in Three Hopes which tie into some things which happened to Celica in Echoes and not in the original Gaiden which makes me even more suspicious lmao.

Okay, it’s not exact one to one, but the main thing that sparked the notion is they were childhood friends and then Edelgard was taken away, while Echoes was really recent. Three Houses is just wider than Echoes because multiple routes and Claude.

#catherine plays #catherine plays fe16 #the game decided to curse me when i complained about a particular ship being my least favourite option by giving it to me twice #fe16 #fe3h #fe16 spoilers #fe3h spoilers

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mysticdragon3md3 · 1 year ago

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🦌💔🩹...

The other day, I was screengrabbing FE3H Claude quotes, and when he talked about his dream to the Golden Deer, he cited that even though Duscur and Brigid had attacked/invaded Faerghus and Adrestia, there were still Duscurians (Dedue) and the Brigid princess (Petra) accepted in the Garreg Mach monastery.

I never noticed this line before. But for all of the praise we give Claude, especially FE3H version Claude, for digging to find the truth (of Fodlan) and questioning the given narrative (which seems to be what the developers wanted us to do with FE3H, especially Crimson Flower), Claude got this part all wrong. Duscur didn't attack Faerghus. That was the propaganda the western Faerghus nobles spread to justify their conquering of Duscur. Did Claude really not dig deeper into the truth of the Tragedy of Duscur? I mean, considering meta reasons, Dimitri was already covering that issue, so maybe Intelligent Systems thought it was ok for Claude to glaze over that truth? But with how much Verdant Wind Claude and his route represents revealing the truth of Fodlan--- even ending the route by defeating Nemesis, who was the "hero" propped up by historical lies and who was created by the unequivocally, cartoonishly clear, true villains, the Agarthans, and revealing that "hero" as a villain---I don't appreciate this oversight. Same with Brigid. Did Brigid invade the Empire??? I could have sworn that Petra was at Garreg Mach as a political prisoner, to assimilate into Fodlan culture, because Brigid had become a vassal state of Adrestia, after Adrestia conquered them in a conflict. Wasn't that what happened? (I try not to spend too much time experiencing Crimson Flower myself, since I don't want hours of vain attempts to get me to sympathize with El, so in regards to my gaps in the story, I usually just trust the reports of others who have played through it---which is how for so long I believed El's lies about the Church/Rhea actively enforcing the Crest system---I wanted to give El the benefit of the doubt out of fairness! But more recently I've been shown that believing the perspectives of El fans is just the blind/me trusting the duped, who don't question Crimson Flower's given narrative.) Isn't that why all the Khalidstans jump down Edelstans' throats, when they ignore Petra was fighting for Brigid to regain its independence from Adrestia? Anyway, it really disappointed me to hear Claude state surface level narratives like facts, when other routes had proven those claims as lies. Verdant Wind/Claude were supposed to be about questioning given narratives and not accepting the surface value of things (narratives, information, people, etc.), so hearing that out of Claude was disappointing.

---even if his route could afford to gloss over those subplots because Verdant Wind had a lot of other things to do. Again, maybe Intelligent Systems thought that having Claude also dig into the truths of the Tragedy of Duscur, AND the Adrestia/Brigid conflict, AND what foundations the Church of Seiros were actually built on/stand for, maybe have been "too much" or would have "cluttered up the story". But if Verdant Wind and Claude are supposed to represent digging for truths, questioning given narratives,…if the focus character Claude is constantly characterized as curious, frequently investigating/researching in the library, expresses suspicions about Seteth censoring the books, talks about conflicting sides (perspectives on Rhea, El's motives) with equal weight but always settling on hearing them out, is repeatedly characterized as open-minded, and thus not willing to simply settle on purely negative appraisals of even El and Rhea… Then how can he simply accept that "Duscur attacked Faerghus" and "Brigid tried to invade the Empire"?

I WOULD LIKE to think that maybe Claude intentionally stated such surface level narratives, casting Duscur/Brigid as aggressors towards Fodlan, to better prove his point about how even people who were in conflict can actually get along if they just get to know each other as people (like as classmates at Garreg Mach). But sounds like a stretching headcanon. I would have felt better if Claude had actually confessed such a simplistic narrative as part of his strategy, to Byleth in private, but he never did. And also! If he did, it's kind of counter to Verdant Wind's theme of revealing truths! Building a following/nation on lies was El's thing. Crimson Flower ends with her building the new government on lies and Huebert carefully managing/constructing/manipulating the information that spreads throughout Fodlan. Even the best faith interpretation of this dialogue from Claude seems to still hit wrong. I wish Intelligent Systems had fixed it.

On the good side, I don't believe in liking something to the point of finding no fault with it. If I can't criticize at least one thing, about something/someone I love, then I have to be suspicious that I might be "blindly following". And that's the same as not really loving something or not really seeing it for what it is. When I was young, I used to pick a mangaka or author I really liked, then just collect all their series. I'd convince myself that I loved all their works, while completely ignoring that there were things I didn't like. But it was easier to just pick a "favorite" and pretend they could "do no wrong". I've grown out of that by now. An AX Staffer friend once asked why I wasn't enduring the line for a CLAMP panel; that's why. (Because despite how much I love CLAMP their repeated use of the romance trope "girl falls in love with guy who annoys her the most" was just something I couldn't deal with anymore, after the Legend of Chun Hyang.) I tried getting myself to read Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" book series and some of her scifi novels, because I loved her "Harperhall of Pern" book series, but after trudging through a couple books, I had to admit that it's possible to like several of an author's books without LOVING ALL their work. I'm tried of trying to convince myself that I love EVERYTHING about something that I like, to the point of blind devotion. If I'm blind to a thing's faults, am I really seeing it? I want to be able to pick out the faults, say that I accept it or that it is a problem marring an otherwise beloved thing, and completely SEE something for what it is, when I say that I like or love it. I want to make an informed, more proactively consensual choice about what I love these days. That makes me feel more solid in my fandom love of a thing.

So if Claude has this flaw, maybe I'll blame the writers' oversight or meta constraints...or maybe I'll just accept this as a flaw among his more numerous good character qualities...and maybe I'll also headcanon scenarios for him to rectify these flaws within fanfics (or plans for daydreamed fanfics). But at least now I feel more aware of the full situation/character and that liking Claude is my informed choice, that I can feel more solid in now. Finding a flaw in a beloved character is proof that I'm thinking about them critically, versus scrambling for any rationalizations to justify that they "did nothing wrong" in their entire lives. If I find at least one thing I disagree with in a character I love, then I feel more like I'm not blindly following. Then I can feel more confident that I actually like a character, rather than simply, blindly, picking something to love just because I "love loving" something. (To paraphrase the old adage "Love loves to love Love".)

#processing thoughts #fe3hfuukasetsugetsu #claudeVRkhalid #screengrabs #quotes #story analysis #personal preferences #personal fandom records #nostalgia #favorites #favorite characters #story themes #elredeaglescrit #i hate when people say an antihero did nothing wrong #character incongruencies #canonical bad writing #almostimmortalking

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nowis-scales · 2 years ago

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CF Leftovers #1

(I decided I would share some of the ones that got missed before to start out! I’ll share the emblem legend below, and remember to filter #Fódlan Fault Finding and #Shut up about Del as needed!

Emblems:

❃ = Positive, not a problem.

❋ = It is entirely neutral.

✾ = It’s a bit negative, but it’s told in a joking way.

✿ = It is negative and critical.)

❋ I mean, why are we relying on one being to govern the world again? I feel like, no matter who this is, this is a bad idea. Then again, I have been raised in democracy, so I don’t think this quite occurs to Hubert. ❋

❃ The mental image of Caspar and Ashe covered and surrounded by cats who are all mewling at them to get dinner is a happy thought, and if I could draw it, I would

Or just the one cat they’re feeding here ❃

❃ I love how Byleth like, isn’t super great socially, but they seem to know romance. I feel like there has to be some shitty romance novels that they’ve read in their time, just to get a sense of the world. ❃

✾ “I will make no excuses… right now. After this moment, I will start to make excuses.”

Jokes aside, I honestly remember quite liking this line. It’s a good showcase of her being sympathetic, but still retaining her backbone. While I do make fun of her a lot, I do feel like saying that she’s very welcome. I just wish the developers weren’t so afraid of making her the strong female character I know she could be. ✾

✾ I like how the NPCs are just straight up being xenophobic. Like there’s not really an explanation for this otherwise. He’s literally saying “I believed in the Church all my life, but if Rhea can turn into a dragon, then she’s probably as bad as EdeIgard says.”

I am so disappointed in you, random Soldier. How would your mother feel if she knew you were being so intolerant? ✾

✾ YES PROTECT YOUR LITTLE SIS SETETH

Lol I love that this playthrough can just best be described as “I’m joining the war on the Nabateans. On the side of the Nabateans.” ✾

#koto plays 3h #3H spoilers

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whatchuwaitinfor · 2 years ago

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Byleth (M) finds out about Claude poisoning himself

Claude von Riegan was drinking the poison in a cabinet of Manuela’s Infirmary. He started coughing and almost puking out blood into the trash can and all over his hand. He ran to the other side of the infirmary and got some water to help him from puking out blood. But then he just coughed more and fell to his knees, holding his chest. “Claude, you almost did it this time…” he said to himself and he coughed more. He took out some papers and started writing about the poison he just consumed. He heard footsteps and he tried to get up and either hide or leave so whoever was coming wouldn’t know he’s out of his room past curfew. But he grabbed the other poisons from the cabinet and he hasn’t recovered from his coughing fit yet so he ended up coughing and holding a wall and collapsing. His vision was blurred and the footsteps stopped then came toward where he was and he said to himself, “I’m doomed.” As he didn’t get up because he couldn’t, hiding the papers and poison behind himself as he sat against a wall in the infirmary. The footsteps were Byleth and he looked up and said, “Oh, hey teach!” He smiled and waved.

“What are you doing in the infirmary past curfew and without Manuela? Also, why the hell are you on the floor?” Byleth asked and Claude shrugged, “I just needed some medication, I was going back to my room when I tripped and fell.” He lied, using the wall to try and help himself up but failing. Byleth took Claude’s hand and helped him up in the best possible way but Claude fell and Byleth held him around his waist to keep him from falling. “Claude, your legs are jelly and you sound high, what are those bottles behind you?” He saw the poison bottles when he helped Claude from falling.

“N-nothing, teach… don’t worry about it—” Claude tried to say but he puked out blood and the poison he drank earlier. It got all over Byleth, who didn’t care about that but about Claude puking, “C-Child!” He panicked, holding Claude up, who’s now unresponsive and he saw what Claude puked was blood and he looked down at the poison bottles then at Claude worriedly, he picked Claude up bridal style and ran out the infirmary to get Manuela or anyone. “MANUELA! HANNEMAN! LADY RHEA! SETEH! ALOIS! FATHER! ANYONE! A CHILD’S HURT! HELP!” He called frantically and all he called for ran out in their night wear.

“What is wrong, professor?” Manuela asked and she saw Claude with blood and vomit on his chin and Byleth being covered in the same and she clasped her hand over her mouth in fear for Claude. Haneman is in shock and Jeralt and Alois follow the shock. Lady Rhea and Seteth stared in confusion and concern and Seteth had Flayn behind him. Seteth went up to Byleth and Claude and pet Claude’s hair back softly, his eyes widened and he said, “Flayn, go back to your room.” Flayn hesitantly listened obediently. Lady Rhea came over and sighed, “Is he alive, Seteth?”

“Yes, his heart is taking the pump of a soft but jagged beat.” Seteth said and he knew Byleth wasn’t going to let go of Claude until he can go to a bed so Seteth just says for all of them to head to the infirmary and save this boy’s life with all they have.

Byleth places Claude on the bed and holds his arm, holding his other hand over Claude’s eyes that are closed. Manuela and Haneman used all their magic or anything to try and remove the poison from Claude’s body. Byleth joined them while staying by Claude’s side.

Luckily, Claude woke up and said, “Why is it dark..?” Byleth removed his hand, placing it on Claude’s cheek and petting it softly with his thumb and he looked down at Claude, who looked at all the teachers that were surrounding him with upset but worried faces. “Ah… shit.” He muttered, glancing at where he left the poison bottles and his research on poisons which was now on the table being looked at by Seteth and Lady Rhea.

Seteth cleared his throat and all the teachers but Byleth moved away from Claude. Seteth took up the papers and said sternly, “Glad you’re alive and awake, now explain this research on poisons.” Claude sighed, “It’s nothing against anyone, Seteth, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“It’s poison, Claude von Riegan. Research on it, it is something to worry about! You almost died and where you were is these papers with poison bottles next to them!” Seteth said angrily and he took a breath and said more sternly than angrily, “Answer the question, Claude.”

“Okay fine! Let’s get everything out in the open shall we?!” Claude said angrily, pushing Byleth off of him and sitting up on the bed, “It’s research on non lethal and lethal poisons alike so I can hopefully gain immunity to assassination by poisoning! As you know, I’m not from Liecester! Nor am I from Fódlan in general. But here and where I was before, I’ve had many assassination attempts from people who wish me dead, and BELIEVE ME that’s a LOT of people, Seteth! Ever since I was BORN! My own brother even tried to kill me millions of times!” He stood up, wiped the blood and vomit off his mouth and chin and stood staring in annoyance at Seteth.

Byleth grabbed Claude’s shoulders and pulled him back, only to get pushed, “UGH! And you!” He turned around and pointed at Byleth, “You had to go and tell all the faculty, didn’t you?! Even Lady Rhea!” He pointed at Lady Rhea and glared at Byleth. “Why is it always me being treated differently from the others?! Huh?! Oh yeah, it’s because I’m Almyran isn’t it?!” He looked at the other teachers, “I’m tired of it! If only that poison killed me this time!”

Lady Rhea and Seteth were about to shut Claude up but Byleth stopped them and went over to Claude and just hugged him, “I was worried that you could’ve died… I’m sorry, Claude…” Claude was shocked and he had tears come to the bottom of his eyes but he did not let himself cry. “…please don’t do it ever again…” Byleth pleaded softly, tears in the corner of his eyes as well but to Jeralt’s surprise. “T-teach… what are you—” Claude asked but he cut himself off and hugged Byleth back, hiding in his chest.

Seteth sighed and looked at Manuela, “Manuela, from now on, make sure all your cabinets are locked and impossible to pick.” He ordered and Manuela nodded and got on with it, “Only you can open them from now on.” He held his hands behind his back, “To all faculty, Claude will not be allowed to come to the infirmary alone from now on and medicine must be given by Manuela, no student can have access to that cabinet without Manuela here.” He glanced at Lady Rhea who nodded in agreement. “Jeralt, Byleth, tell Balma these new rules too.” He placed the papers down and he headed out behind Lady Rhea saying, “Byleth, you’re the head of the Golden Deer house, you decide Claude’s punishment.” The other faculty leave Byleth, Manuela and Claude alone in the infirmary.

Byleth let go of Claude and helped clean Claude’s face off of his blood and vomit. “I don’t need you doing all of this for me, teach, I’m 17 years old.” Claude said and Byleth shook his head, “Don’t care.” Manuela sat down at her desk and waited for Byleth to leave with Claude before she would close the infirmary.

Claude was quiet and pouting in agitation the entire time Byleth was cleaning his face off. Then Byleth started to clean it off his shirt a little bit. “Claude, I will be writing to your grandfather about this incident.” Byleth started with the list of his punishments for what he did and Claude was shocked, “Wait no! Please don’t do that, teach!” He pleaded, with sadness and anger on his face. “You could’ve died, Claude, your grandfather deserves to know what you’ve been doing, it’s dangerous and something you must not do.”

“No! Dammit, teach! Please don’t!” Claude pleaded and those pleads fell on deaf ears. Byleth sighed and said, “Then when what Seteth said gets put in place, Hilda or Lorenz will have to escort you to the infirmary or any of the other Golden Deer that are able to.” He looked over at Claude and said, “These papers, I’m confiscating them until I believe you can have them back.” He added and Claude got mad, “No! Don’t do that! That’s my life’s work to protect me!”

“Claude, I’m doing it no matter what you say or do, grow up and see that is the best choice.” Byleth said sternly. “If you are going to be 18 soon, act like it. You’ll be protected, I’ll make sure of it.”

��What if I don’t want to depend on ANYONE but myself?!” Claude said, angrily. “Then you’re going to be a bad Lord.” Byleth said simply. Claude was shocked and he glared at Byleth and ran outside of the infirmary. Byleth sighed and looked over at Manuela who smiled reassuringly to him, got up, gave him the papers and said, “I like this authoritative side of you~” she flirted and Byleth sighed and left the infirmary with Manuela taking the rear, locking the infirmary.

Byleth tried to catch up with Claude who was halfway to his room and Byleth sighed in relief as he saw him petting a cat and feeding it some fish. Claude looked up at Byleth, rolled his eyes, went into his bedroom and slammed the door. Byleth sighed and left the dorms of the nobility, he went to his classroom and began to write a letter to Oswald von Riegan, Claude’s grandfather. He then signed it off and sent it with a courier. He got up and headed to his bedroom, leaning on the door once he went inside and Sothis was floating near the head of his bed. “What took you so long?” She asked and Byleth shook his head and said, “Claude tried to commit suicide with poison and I kept him from dying with the other faculty members. I scolded him and then wrote a letter to his grandfather about the incident.” He collapsed on his bed face first.

“You almost cried for the first time in your life, didn’t you?” Sothis asked, “I saw your father’s reaction.” She added. Byleth nodded and said, “Yeah… it was strange.”

“You adore that boy, don’t you?” Sothis asked and Byleth nodded again, “I see myself in him a little bit… poor kid…” he said and Sothis nodded. “…I’ll protect that child with my life.” He added and he looked over at Sothis who scoffed and said, “Don’t go dying again, I don’t want to have to step in and keep you from dying another time! It’s such a bore!” Byleth got up and took off his clothes and got into his sleep wear, “I need to clean my turtleneck before the lecture tomorrow…” he said, staring at the vomit and blood stains on it. “That was a terrifying scene…” he looked worriedly at that spot and began to clean it.

“You also need sleep before the lecture tomorrow, it’s late.” So she yawned and said, “If you’re not going to sleep, I will make you.” Byleth laughed a bit, “I’m just hanging up my turtleneck to dry, then I’ll get some sleep, don’t worry Sothis.” Sothis groaned, “Ugh! Who said I was worried about you of all people?” Byleth hung up his turtleneck and went into his bed, “Goodnight Sothis.” He said and Sothis said, “Goodnight, pain in the ass.”

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fodlansbestmom · 9 months ago

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Anonymous asked:

He closed his eyes as he leaned into her touch. People can fish here without issue? That's lovely. He can't wait to- His body stiffens when she asks him that question. Choose? "There was no choice." A slave's only purpose was to entertain people in the arena. Then again. He did choose to continue fighting after he earned his freedom...

Her next question gave him an easy out. "Mhm. Fresh honeycomb is delicious." Straight from the hive! Just make sure not to anger the little bees.

He quietly listened to her, smiling. "Why don't you pick the clothes out this time?" A little treat for her. Besides, he's not really used to Fodlan and its... fashion. "Hmm... We could always put my stuff in its own little pile." It's meant as a joke, but he wouldn't really mind it if that's what she likes.

And the names... He can barely keep up. Byleth, Jeritza and Manuela are teachers. Right. He'll have to remember that. Wait. Manuela will have her eye on him? Oh no, does she already know about him and not like him? But how- "Oh...! Rhea and... Sedit, right?" The archbishop and her advisor. Of course they'd be in charge of the monastery. Makes sense. "I'd love to meet them."

(in my defense this was just supposed to be a shitpost and it went off the rails real fast)

Brows furrowed at the stiffening, and the answer. No choice.. Sothis shook her head. She won’t pry, not entirely. He’s still so.. fascinating, to her. She can’t entirely figure him out. But the ‘profession’ seems like something he would’ve chosen. If there had been a choice. She kissed him softly. “‘M sorry.” What was she apologizing for? Bringing the sore subject up, him not having a choice? All of the above?

”I have not the opportunity to have it fresh from the hive.” Least not in this body. Perhaps before her death? Seems something she would enjoy. Something sweet, something refreshing. “What do you make with it? Or do you simply eat as is?” She inquired. Before stealing a kiss. Or three.

“A pile?” She wrinkled her nose but s smile was on her lips. “There is room in my dresser, and wardrobe. Would you like a desk? I can make room for one.” How generous She’s being, but it’s the least she can do. He’s living with her now.

“Seteth.” So corrected with a chuckle. “They chose those names. As a..cover? Their birth names are Seiros, and Cichol. “I can arrange a meeting! And you can meet Flayn too at some point. She’s simply the sweetest thing.” A nod.

“Oh! As for clothes. When would you like to do that? I can rummage around first, or you could come with me?”

#answered prayers;#Fair enough but ooh boy I’m attached #time bending in progress: ic #the nameless gladiator;

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wardencommanderrodimiss · 2 years ago

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Uh. I was looking at fe crossover drawings, and. Corrin's canon appearance has the white hair/red eyes combo in addition to pointed ears. I wonder what that would do to the thinkers in the school. Assuming, of course, that Corrin doesn't immediately get kicked out for head empty problems.

Lysithea is just squinting at Corrin's hair like "hmmm." Edelgard is torn between the way she interacts with Lysithea, where she's like "I want to take care of you and make sure you don't overexert yourself because I know what happened to you", and her gut impulse when she sees Corrin's ears to be like "what are you" in a way that is not exactly kind. Claude is taking notes. Linhardt is keeping observations in his head but it's a bit too much effort to actually write it down. Hanneman has her tested for a Crest but the machine just goes haywire.

Flayn and Seteth are desperately fishing for information from Corrin and also nudging her to cover her ears but she doesn't get the subtle hints and then when Seteth outright tells her that it could be dangerous for people to know her true nature, she's like "but all my classmates are so nice! They wouldn't hurt me!" while in the background, Edelgard and Hubert are wrestling Kronya-as-Monica away from blowing her cover by stabbing Corrin instantly.

Now there's possibilities for how Corrin gets here and they can all be incredibly funny:

Hoshido and Nohr exist on another continent in this world and Garon sends Corrin abroad to get more information about the next kingdoms he/Anankos intends to conquer.

Now, this would mean that Corrin is "infiltrating" Garreg Mach under the guise of an "ordinary student", and you'd be like "why would Garon send Corrin to do this when Corrin has rocks for brains" and you're right, but Garon is the undead puppet of a mad god, so this is just what Anankos does. Anyway, Seteth and Rhea are immediately tipped off that Corrin is Not From Around Here but also has rocks for brains so Rhea's not exactly worried about her causing any problems and just resolves to keep an eye on her and try to get a little more information about where she's actually from.

Anyway which house would be funniest for Corrin to end up in? I think she would fit best in the Blue Lions, since Faerghus as a cold, isolated land with people clinging desperately to chivalric ideals seems...a bit like Nohr! (I want to put non-Azure Moon Felix and Birthright Xander in the same room and see what happens.)

Corrin would get along great with Annette and Mercedes - they might remind her a bit of her sisters. And Felix reminds her of her little brother, but god forbid she say that. It goes as well as it initially goes when Mercedes mentions such.

But I did say which house would be funniest, not necessarily what fits best, so! Either of the others could be interesting too. But Blue Lions dynamics is just my first thought.

2. Hoshido and Nohr are also kingdoms of Fodlan that are mostly busy going to war with each other while Adrestia, Leicester, and Faerghus ignore them, but people from those kingdoms are allowed to attend Garreg Mach anyway.

This obviously wildly messes with the political dynamics of Fodlan, but I am ignoring that for now to look at character dynamics:

I want to lock Takumi and Felix in a classroom and see what happens. They'll either kill each other or band together to kill someone else. Peri is following Jeritza around like a lost duckling. Sylvain flirts with Camilla once and she's like "If you persist in this, I will break your knees; now, were you also headed towards the dining hall? Shall we go together?"

Silas is in a corner with Ashe, Ingrid, and Raphael like "I'm just trying to be a good knight, what is happening in this place." Lilith is in the fish pond. Bernadetta thinks the monastery is haunted by the ghost of a woman who drowned and now walks the halls singing because whenever she sneaks out at night to get food she hears an ethereal, echoing voice and sees a lot of wet footprints. Azura is in the fish pond.

#fire emblem chatter tag

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collaredattachment · 3 years ago

Text

For You Alone

Character: Rhea Word Count: 3,332 Warnings: Magical injury, descriptions of pain Genre: Hurt/Comfort Rating: T Description: It’s a beautiful spring morning, though a smidge too early. Lady Rhea is receiving visitors, but trouble seems to have snuck in along with them. An unexpected hero rises to fight a plot to assassinate the Archbishop, willing to throw themselves on the line, their own life be damned.

A/N: i have no clue if archbishop is supposed to be capitalized or not so i just said yes and went with it. Lots of fluff at the end because I need Rhea to hold me gently

Foreign visitors again, today.

You hide your yawn behind your palm and take a good look at the people standing in the audience chamber. Guests from Arianrhod aren’t all too common, and while you’re excited to see people from the farther reaches of Fodlan, the timing could’ve been better. Morning shifts were never really your thing.

Two men dressed in white and blue exchange words with Seteth, murmuring under their breaths to make sure their conversation doesn’t reach unwanted ears. Despite their best attempts to hide it, their frustration comes across as obvious, rather than discreet.

The Archbishop is late.

It is well past nine o’ clock and the sun has long since risen, and yet she’s nowhere to be seen. What could be keeping her?

Seteth looks entirely unperturbed by the situation, although to his credit, it is his job to remain calm regardless of the nature of the catastrophe. You take note of the dark circles under his eyes. It can’t be easy work, keeping people, important people, on their best behavior when something goes wrong.

”We’ve travelled a long way, sir,” one of the men, the one with long hair slicked back and an oiled moustache decorating his upper lip, speaks up. His eyes look hard and unforgiving, the morning sun doing nothing to soften them.

”I’m sure you understand why we’re disappointed,” the other one says. He’s equally dressed up, but his hair is shaved, only a short bristle covering his scalp. Seteth sighs.

”Of course, good sirs,” he says, and you can almost hear him grinding his teeth all the way from here. ”I only ask for a bit of patience. The Archbishop has run into unexpected difficulties this morning, but she will be arriving any moment now.”

You frown. Unexpected difficulties? You share a look with the guard standing next to you, your superior officer, a man in his late thirties with a faint, scraggly beard, but he only shrugs.

The men huff impatiently, and make it very clear that they have no interest in being understanding. In the following silence your attention is caught by a stray sunbeam, sneaking into the room through the open window behind you, and you wonder if anyone would notice if you snuck a few inches to the left so it could warm your back instead of the stone floor.

”Ah!” The man with the moustache exclaims and your head shoots up. ”Archbishop, how wonderful!”

He’s right. Lady Rhea is standing in the doorway in all her glory, the gold of her headpiece glinting in the sun like a halo. Half her face is shines with rich, brilliant yellows and oranges. Her eyes, though weighed down by exhaustion, drink up the light, absorbing the life of a brand new day, and you could almost swear she’s glowing.

You can hear several people in the room sigh. You aren’t an exception.

The Archbishop walks up to the visitors and offers Seteth a discreet nod of thanks. He bows his head in acknowledgement and takes a step back to stand beside her. The men take a deep bow.

”I thank you for your patience, my lords,” Lady Rhea says with well practiced ease, her tone a blade, honed sharp solely for the purpose of slashing at the building tension in the room. ”I ask for your forgiveness; Unfortunate difficulties presented themselves prior to my arrival, but the issue has been taken care of.”

”Of course, Archbishop,” the moustached one speaks up. His oily expression makes your skin crawl. ”Might we inquire about the nature of the issue?”

You can’t see it, but you would swear on your life that you can hear Seteth grinding his teeth again.

”A staff problem within the castle,” Lady Rhea says smoothly, without a moment of hesitation. ”Nothing you need to concern yourselves with, I’m sure.”

The men look at each other, thinly veiled excitement on their faces.

”Are you sure you don’t need any assistance?” The short-haired one asks, and though the words themselves could be interpreted as innocent enough, it’s the way he says it; the sarcasm, the slippery suggestion that Lady Rhea can’t be trusted to take care of things, that really makes you want to punch his teeth in.

”It is very kind of you to ask,” Lady Rhea replies, though a well trained ear can easily pick up the tightness in her tone. She rubs her temple briefly, before returning her hand to rest in her lap. ”But the issue is under control. There is no need to worry.” She clears her expression and smiles at the men, her withering patience brushed under the carpet as easily as a dust bunny. ”Now, what kind of business brings you to Garreg Mach?”

You zone out the second their discussion begins. Your attention is instead drawn to a bird outside on the windowsill, hopping from one edge to the other. It’s a bird of summer, you note with delight, probably returning home after a long winter spent somewhere warm. It gives the window a few pecks, before suddenly taking flight and disappearing out of your view, leaving behind only clear blue sky. There’s not a cloud in sight, only the rising sun that beckons the rest of Garreg Mach to come admire its glory.

It’s going to be a beautiful day.

A round of laughter pulls you back into the audience chamber. You turn your gaze forwards, blankly staring ahead at the balustrade on the upper floor, when movement catches your eye.

A guard, nervously fiddling with a satchel.

You frown. There’s no bag included in your uniform. Trying to get a better look at his face you squint, but from this distance it’s impossible to tell who it is.

A heavy, uncomfortable weight settles over your shoulders. You nudge your superior and when he glares at you, mouth open and ready to offer you a reprimand, you gesture at the man on the second floor. With a roll of his eyes he turns to look at the stranger, and you pray to Sothis that he’ll just sigh and tell you to get back to work.

No such thing happens, though.

He watches the stranger with knitted brows and slowly, very, very slowly places his hand over the pommel of his sword.

”I take it he’s no new recruit?” you ask him in a whisper, and he grimly shakes his head.

”Never seen this guy in my life,” he murmurs. You take a shaky breath.

”What should we do?”

”Not alert him for starters,” he hisses at you, and you snap your mouth shut. He lifts two fingers to his brow and whips them to the direction of the suspicious man, while holding eye contact with the other guard positioned on the second floor. You can barely see her nod her head.

The stranger finishes fiddling with the bag, and pulls out a tome in plain sight, clearly visible to anyone who happens to chance a glance in his direction.

”This guy is a terrible assassin,” you whisper to your superior, and though he looks at you disapprovingly, there is a slight twist to the corner of his mouth. He nods at the guard posted on the upper floor, and she slowly starts to sidle towards the suspicious stranger, who is having an awful lot of trouble opening the book.

”Better be safe than sorry,” your superior says, before pretending to sneeze. You frown at him in confusion, but realize quickly that he’s got the full, undivided attention of Seteth, who is currently watching you from across the room, strategically standing so he can face you directly. Your superior nods twice, and Seteth turns towards Lady Rhea.

”Archbishop,” he says, ”perhaps we ought to continue this in the advisory chamber?”

Lady Rhea doesn’t falter for a second. ”Of course.”

The guests, on the other hand, open their mouths to disagree, but Seteth manages to get a word in before they can start to argue.

”I’m sure your feet could use a moment of respite after such a long and arduous travel all the way from Arianrhod. Please, let us get more comfortable before proceeding.” He quiets them quickly and effectively, earning a few amicable mutters in return.

The group begins to move away at a steady pace, not too slow, but not fast enough to earn suspicion. You take a peek at the upper floor again and, to your relief, see the threat has been neutralized. Two guards have surrounded the stranger without much fuss, and the tome has been confiscated. You almost allow yourself a sigh of relief. The eyes of the entire guard in the room are glued to the silent removal of the intruder, yours included. He doesn’t seem to be making much of a fuss, though.

Your brows knit together as you watch him. There’s no real reason for him to stay quiet, especially now that he’s been caught, so what-

Oh.

Your head whips to the direction of the advisory chamber, and the second you spot movement, your vision makes a beeline towards the stained-glass window.

A shadow moves on the other side.

You don’t even stop to think. You run.

”Lady Rhea!” you shout, pure instinct taking over. You know that any warning you might give is already too late, two steps behind a simple distraction that anyone should have seen coming. Your feet thunder against the floor in slow-motion, gaze frozen in horror as the window shatters, revealing a second mage with black, oozing dark energy dripping from her hands. Seteth is turning, hand reaching for a dagger but he’s too slow, Sothis, there’s no way he’ll make it. With a flick of her fingers, the assassin sends the dark spike flying towards Lady Rhea, and you pray for speed as you leap, feet taking off the ground. Your outstretched arms find purchase on Lady Rhea’s shoulders and with all your strength you push, sending her crashing to the ground along with you. The dark mass of energy pierces your shoulder, sinking into flesh like a knife into butter, and sends a wave of pulsing – no, ��crawling – agony through your body. Your mouth is open in a silent scream as you land on your side, incapable of moving. The dark energy tears into you like an invisible beast, fangs sinking into muscle and bone like they’re paper.

Someone’s bent over you, but your vision is going purple, a burning haze eating into your very ability to see as the magic steals its way into your brain. You breathe in gasps; terrified, high pitched whines for help that’s not coming. A voice, severe and commanding speaks, but the words sound muddled, as if spoken from the other side of a wall. You feel stretched thin, tearing apart at the seams as holes rip into your self, your very being, and for a moment, you wonder if you’ll just turn into smoke, disintegrate into thin air without the chance to say goodbye. The world outside feels freezing cold, but inside there’s a warmth, sweet and enticing that asks you to follow it into the dark. With every heartbeat you feel like you’re being turned inside out, like your organs have been spread for show, like you’ve been thrown to the wolves and they’re fighting for the pieces of meat that still, somehow, are connected to your body.

You beg for sweet release and let yourself fade.

A light dances somewhere beyond your vision. It’s pale: a mix of light yellows and greens, with a core of hot, unbearably bright white. The heat that you expect to be searing is only a comforting warmth, soft and gentle. For a moment you feel like you’re floating, every inch of your skin tingling slightly as the light pulses inside you, silky and smooth, like holding the hand of someone you dearly love. Something knits together, and you open your eyes.

You gasp, an inhale so deep it sends you into a coughing fit harsh enough to leave you gasping for breath. Whoever is standing by your side takes a step back, and once your breathing is even again, you take a better look at your surroundings.

Beds, dressed in white linens, cupboards brimming with herbs and potions, and shelves lining the walls, all full of medical equipment.

The infirmary.

”Welcome back.”

The voice shakes you out of your reverie and you snap your head towards it, only to immediately regret it when white-hot pain flashes behind your eyes.

”Careful.” Hands are placed on your temples, and the pain ebbs away, leaving behind only a dull echo, foggy and distant. You open your eyes again, slower this time, and thank Sothis for the dim lighting. Someone places a cup of water in your hands and you crane your neck to offer a word of thanks, only to pause, mouth open in shock.

”Archbishop!” Your voice is hoarse, creaky like an old and forgotten door. You stare at Lady Rhea, wide eyed and confused. She laughs softly.

”Good morning,” she says, and feels your forehead. ”You seem to be recovering well.”

”I– ” you start, but Lady Rhea lifts the cup in your hands to your lips before you can continue.

”Drink.” She follows her command with a stern look that you don’t dare defy. The water feels heavenly as it goes down your throat, and you heave a satisfied sigh when you’re done.

”Thank you,” you say. ”But - with all due respect - my lady, what are doing here?”

Lady Rhea sets the cup on the nightstand and places her hands over your shoulder, hovering only inches above your skin. She radiates warmth, like a fire in the hearth after a long, rainy day.

”You saved my life.” Her hands begin to glow with the same light you felt before, and the ache settled in your shoulder abates, fading into a mere memory. ”I felt it only fitting that I do the same for you.”

”Oh,” you say, color pooling in your cheeks. Lady Rhea shines the light over your bicep, your elbow, your forearm, and finally the back of your hand. You think back to the events of the morning, the fake intruder, the assassin, and-

”Wait!”

Lady Rhea immediately withdraws her hands and examines you, eyes flitting from one place to the next with dizzying speed. ”Did I hurt you?”

Your blush deepens, and you clear your throat. ”I– I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I just– What happened to the attacker?”

”Ah,” Lady Rhea says, her shoulders relaxing, and resumes her ministrations. ”After you interrupted her plan, she was swiftly caught and taken in. She’s currently in the dungeons.” She takes your hand in hers and checks that your fingers work properly, bending each knuckle one by one. ”You’re perfectly safe now.”

You let yourself sit back and observe as she feels your palm, making sure there’s no damage on the inside either. Her hands are so soft, like the wings of a dove. You wish she didn’t have to stop.

Your whole face takes on the color of a beet. Lady Rhea glances at you, curious, but keeps working.

”You seem flustered by my presence,” Lady Rhea says, keeping her eyes focused on your fingers. You briefly wonder what it would feel like if she kissed one of them.

You clear your throat, hoping it will clear your head as well. ”I think anybody would be, my lady. It’s not everyday the Archbishop herself spends an afternoon by your bedside.”

Lady Rhea chuckles. You can see little crow’s feet in the corners of her eyes when she smiles, small reminders of all the laughter in her life. You find yourself wishing there could be more of it. If only you could just pluck joy from the heavens and offer it to her, the world would be a better place.

”I suppose not,” she says. Her hands stop moving, and she looks at you suddenly, brow furrowed in concern. ”You’re not uncomfortable, are you?”

”With you being here?” you ask. You can’t quite meet her eyes. ”It’s not that, my lady. I’m just nervous. You’re the Archbishop, after all.”

You expect Lady Rhea to relax, for some of the tension to leave her face, but instead she almost seems to deflate. She absentmindedly rubs her thumb over your knuckles, lost in thought, somewhere far away. ”I see.” Rhea sits there for a good moment before she shakes her head gently and lets go of your hand. ”I’m sorry. I did not mean to overwhelm you.”

”It’s alright,” you say, and resist the impulse to touch her, to rest your palm on her shoulder, to softly brush your fingers against hers. Instead, you nervously thumb at the sheets with your uninjured hand, and lean towards her, trying to get her attention without startling her. ”It must get lonely, being someone like you.”

You see her mask slip for a second, just one second, but it’s one too many. The faint shadow of a grimace crosses her face, and compared to her usual calm restraint, it’s like she’s been slapped across the face. The difference is so jarring you fear you might’ve overstepped, but as soon as it appeared, it’s gone, like shifting sand. The gentle smile is back, if a little somber.

”It is,” she admits quietly, with a vulnerable tremor in her voice. You don’t dare even breathe. ”But that’s my burden to bear. It’s a small price to pay for all I do.”

Lady Rhea falls silent, and after a moment, finishes treating your arm. She touches the tips of your fingers with hers, and then presses her palm against yours. The light grows brighter and then fades, until it disappears.

”Alright, try moving your arm.”

You do as you’re told and give your shoulder a roll. You lift your arm and curl your fingers into a fist, and then open them as wide as you can. Your mouth falls open in awe. Potent dark magic punched right through you at close range, Sothis knows you should at least need a sling for a few weeks, and yet you seem to have gotten off with a headache.

”It’s– It’s good as new, your ladyship,” you say, and move your awestruck gaze from your arm to look Lady Rhea directly in the eye. ”Thank you.” You search her face for a moment, looking for a trace of that deep sadness from before. You clear your throat, and continue: ”I mean it. It means a lot to me that you would take time out of your day to tend to my injury. I…” you trail off, and rub the back of your neck, nervous fingers searching for something to fidget with. ”I’m very happy that you’re here.”

Lady Rhea’s eyes widen briefly, until her expression flowers into a smile that glows with such rich brilliance that it takes your breath away.

”You are most welcome,” she says, and carefully lays her hand on your cheek. ”But I believe I should be thanking you.”

Heat crawls all the way to the tips of your ears and your mouth goes dry as you can only helplessly stare at Lady Rhea, so close and so impossibly kind. You return her smile and bow your head, knowing you can’t speak if she keeps looking at you like that. ”I wouldn’t have had it any other way, my lady.”

Lady Rhea chuckles. The sound sends your heart racing like a comet rushing to meet the ground. She lets go of your cheek and stands up, straightening her robes and brushing off imaginary dust. She turns to the door, her hand placed over the handle, but she pauses.

”I hope we will meet again,” she says, ”my hero.”

The door closes behind her with a thud. You stare after her, sitting in silence as the seconds tick by.

Sothis, how beautiful she is.

#Rhea x reader #Lady Rhea x Reader #Fire Emblem x Reader #Three Houses #Rhea #Lady Rhea #Fire Emblem Imagine #hurt/comfort

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