#Xander is the King of Nohr | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

lululeighsworld · 27 days ago

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Inspired by a post on the Heroes subreddit... What would you want from Gunter if he won CYL? (Forging Bonds, outfit concept, loadout, etc).

(Feel free to delete, thought it'd be a fun question if you have the interest though!)

THANK YOU FOR ASKING ANON <3 you've left me with quite the question to puzzle out. hopefully my brainstorming below makes for an interesting read!

(throwing this under a readmore because it became INCREDIBLY long. to anyone intrigued enough to read it all: enjoy the novel.)

so when I look at previous CYL winners, I see the following categories:

inspired by family members/other characters/places

ngl I cannot see FEH going this route unless they want to canonize where exactly in Nohr Gunter is from AS WELL AS what his previous family was like. and tbh I like his past remaining a sandbox so all his fans can create their own headcanons about what his family was like <3 I do think an alt inspired by Corrin would be cute, but tbh I'd rather if this was saved for something like an attuned hero.

inspired by past appearances or promotions

again, if they're gonna make a younger!Gunter alt, I'd rather if that was saved for the banner we get in April. a different class promotion DOES have some potential, so let's pocket this idea until we get through the rest of the options. and I'm not including Vallite King Gunter in the group of different class promotions; save that for the fallen banner, as he deserves!!

inspired by events post-game and/or hypothetical worlds

I'LL ADMIT, THIS HAS GOOD POTENTIAL THAT I CAN GET BEHIND. I'm a little picky when it comes to the kind of post-game/hypothetical world he'd originate from though. since Gunter either "retires quietly in the countryside" OR "disappears and is never seen again" I would want FEH to be careful with how they characterize a potential post-game alt. and when it comes to hypothetical worlds, I feel like you also gotta mind what ice you're stepping on, less you water down his character. let's consider this further below.

inspired by...the heroes base form?

gonna preemptively strike this one off the list, as we already have base Gunter and at this point in time, I'm not sure I can think of anything that I'd want for a brave alt which falls into this category.

inspired by ancestors

notably different than family members/places, which COULD be interesting. Gunter's not a noble and therefore not a direct descendant of the Dusk Dragon, but he has served as a knight for the descendants of the Dusk Dragon. the dusk dragon blood-bonding with humans.......Gunter being forced to accept a blood-bond......I think there's something there. maybe.

so Leigh, is there anything not covered by the above categories that you'd also want considered?

hmmmm......I think maybe the only thing I'd add would be 'inspired by a brand new class entirely' aka one that's not already in Fates, or possibly any of the FE games (though I won't begin to presume if that assumption is correct), and can be entirely unique to him (I think that'd be really special). I guess this sort of follows what they did with the brave alts for the 3H lords, but their classes were already in their base game, while Gunter doesn't have a unique class in Fates.

and so, after all of that, I can finally answer the question...

Gunter: Time-Honoured Knight

Imagine if you will a knight that's been decorated with the highest honour a member of royalty can bestow. I'm by no means an expert on the orders of chivalry so you'll have to excuse my lack of appropriate terminology. ANYWAYS, I'm envisioning more regal looking armour, maybe even inspired by the Dusk Dragon, that really accentuates the facts that 1) he was well-known and respected in the army and 2) he's finally getting commended for all the work he did for Nohr over the decades.

The hypothetical world I can see this alt coming from would be either CQ/RV, wherein King Xander sets out to right various wrongs that King Garon (or rather, Anankos, as he learns post game) committed. It'd be nice to see Gunter receive the recognition he deserves!! This sort of set-up calls to mind this bit from Chapter 7 of Revelation: "After being honored for valor in battle, I was granted an audience with King Garon." What if his Brave Alt was him finally getting to show-off said bravery that he exemplified?

Saying all of this, I still feel like they'd have to tread carefully to avoid watering down his character. I wouldn't want this sort of Brave Alt to negate what he does in Revelation; yes he was a traitor and nearly thwarted all the efforts of Corrin's army, but, and this is my personal interpretation, I don't think that needs to take away from his good efforts in the past, and how he returned to Corrin's ranks after he was freed. Fates is a story that explores the moral greyness of the world, and I think it'd be a brilliant step if a character like Gunter, who is a perfect example of this, got an alt where his past is honoured while his misdeeds are not washed away.

I am so sorry anon I am NOT the person to ask what I'd like for a loadout; I barely pay any attention to the skills FEH is implementing these days. high defense might be a given?? I'm not sure what else should follow with the theme I'm brainstorming. It might be cool to finally let him wield a sword, canonically (since in Fates he's known for his lance and in FEH he's know for his axe). Quite frankly it would be siiiiiiick as hell if he could alternate between weapons, given that he's being honoured for being a valourous example of a knight. Would FEH give someone like him such a meta-breaking kit? Probably not. But this is my hypothetical Brave Gunter alt post so I get to dream as big as I want. If you're still reading this far and have thoughts about his loadout, feel free to chime in, I'd love to hear it~

NOW AS FOR THE FORGING BONDS...Speaking from the angle I'm working with, Legendary Xander almost feels like a given. I always believed Gunter and Xander have an incredibly interesting yet unexplored dynamic given their different orbits around Garon. It would be fun to explore in this setting, especially where Xander is trying to make amends for the atrocities Garon committed. It'd be nice to include a version of Corrin, for that angle of "oh, so this was always who you were meant to be / who I was meant to be has never changed, my liege." And I think it'd be cute if he had a little moment with the other jagens congratulating him ;uu; None of them have yet to be honoured in such a way thus far!! It's a special moment for old guys like them!! They gotta give him some pats on the back!!

And I'm gonna call it there. When I initially started brainstorming my answer to this ask, I didn't imagine it would be so long X'D At the end of the day, when (not if!!) they give Gunter an alt, my two hopes are that they don't water down his character, or throw a wrench into his fans' headcanons. I just love him so much. Give him the respect he is due!!

#gunter #gunter fire emblem #fire emblem heroes #feh #fire emblem fates #finishes writing this as im suffering in bed from a tummy ache #it was a fun question to marinate on!! thank you anon for giving me the opportunity to share <3 #outlining some brave gunter quotes/forging bonds conversation might be a fun lil exercise sometime #leigh plays feh #fe heroes #anonymous #anonymous ask

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toa-secretsanta · 2 months ago

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As The Ice Thaws

Merry Christmas Sam, my dear birthday twin! You mentioned love, healing from trauma, and Leo and Xander and.. well it had to be done, right? I hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Year 🥺

- Love, Cyan

————————————————————————-

It’s a chilly afternoon when Leo decides to visit.

There’s a thin sheet of snow on the ground, though the sheet is ever-thickening with every snowflake that falls. Though he’s wrapped up warm, he’s still cold. It’s a cold from within, an icy chill from the depths of his soul. His steps crunch through the untouched snow, the only sound on this quiet afternoon.

There’s a building off the grounds of the castle, bigger than a mausoleum, that houses the dead kings of Nohr. The closer Leo gets to that building, the lower his body temperature sinks.

Though the man had long ceased to be Leo’s father, and ceased to be Garon, he still received a burial. There was little left to bury; it was a token affair. Garon was laid to rest by his predecessor, a grandfather that Leo had never met. All the graves are ornately decorated, with a bust of each predecessor on top of the tomb. It’s all a little too much for Leo. He’s quite glad he will never be king.

He approaches the bust of his father. The bust’s eyes are closed, making him look as though he’s sleeping. He’s not - he’s dead.

Leo should feel relief. His father won’t hurt him or his siblings again. They’re all safe from his tyranny, and this should be something to celebrate. He looks at the bust, and he doesn’t see Garon, the man who would kill the Hoshidan king and attempt to raze the nation. No, the artist chose not to depict that man. Instead, they chose a younger version of him, back when his hairline wasn’t so far back, and when his wrinkles weren’t so prominent. Certainly, it’s an attempt to make Garon look better, and Leo is aware of that on a conscious level.

Yet in his mind’s eye, he sees Garon, alive and well. He sees his father, when his hair was still blonde, picking up a young Leo and foisting him on his back. He pretended to hate it at the time, but laughed as his father ran off with him. There was a Garon who would play, who would smile without malice, who had loved his children.

This is the man that Leo chooses to mourn now, though he supposes he’s been mourning that man for many years now.

It’s hard to believe there were happier times, before Corrin, before Sumeragi’s murder. It’s fuzzy around the edges, but Leo remembers it. He remembers Xander as well; he remembers what it was like when Xander wasn’t so weighed down by the world. Leo has never voiced this out loud to anyone but Elise, but he knows these things. They’re private memories, untainted by potential harsh truths. If things are not as Leo remembers, then allow him to pretend that they are. Let him, for once, ignore reality.

There are footsteps echoing behind him. Leo doesn’t turn around; he has a feeling he knows who it is without even looking. He lets out a long-suffering breath.

“I thought I might find you here.”

“And I thought you would be too busy to remember, Brother,” Leo says.

Xander says nothing for a moment. He takes a step closer. Leo tucks his arms behind his back, and he stands just a little straighter. Xander stands beside him, and Leo watches him from the corner of his eye. The bust in front of him doesn’t look too dissimilar to Xander, now that he looks. Xander looks tired, too old for his age.

“And the others?” Xander asks.

“I doubt they wanted to come. I don’t blame them.”

Xander nods solemnly. “I am surprised you chose to visit him.”

“It felt strange not to. I considered not bothering, but…”

But he wants to remember their father - not Garon. He wants to remember the good king and man he had been, not the monster he became. He’s sure Xander must feel the same, though he doesn’t ask. As ever, it feels as though there is an inch-thick glass wall between the brothers. Xander stands close enough that, if Leo dared, he could reach. He doesn’t dare.

“But it has been a year, and you wished to commemorate that. I understand,” Xander says.

As if either of them could forget Garon. As if his death is something to be mourned over. As if he was a man worth their heartache. Leo can’t tell what Xander’s thinking, but he’s never been able to tell. His brother’s face is a mask, hiding everything below the surface. Leo is no different. They understand each other completely, yet not at all. He wonders if they’ll ever bridge that gap between them. It would mean acknowledging there’s a problem at all.

“Is that why you’re here?” Leo asks, always watching his brother’s expression.

Xander’s lips tighten. “Not entirely. A part of me still cannot believe that our father could be such a terrible man, and that I had failed to see it. Even looking at this statue, I think only of the good times, rather than what happened.”

Leo raises an eyebrow. Xander shares his thoughts, then.

“What do you suppose changed him? I wonder if what he went through made him more susceptible to possession,” Leo says.

“Leo.” Xander’s voice is dulled with exhaustion. “I would rather not theorise on the topic.”

Leo wants to press on why, but he decides against it. On this day, Leo would rather not antagonise his brother. Not now. Instead, he opts for another tactic.

“Do you remember when we were children?” Leo asks. “Did he ever play with you when you were young?”

Xander blinks. “He did. That feels like a long time ago now, but he wasn’t always like what he turned into.”

“Yes. He was kind. He was a father.”

How surreal it is to think of that, knowing how Garon turned out. It feels like that man left a lifetime ago. Leo’s hands ball into fists.

“And I distinctly remember you insisting that he should be your mount,” Xander says, with the twinge of a smile.

“Brother,” Leo hisses, cheeks burning.

“You insisted you would one day be a great knight upon a great steed,” Xander says.

Though he’s trying to hide his smile, there’s a light in Xander’s eyes that Leo rarely sees. It’s a light that Leo doesn’t want to lose, but he knows it will disappear again.

“Yes, I did say that,” Leo mutters, “but that was because of you.”

They had talked about it before; there was a time Leo really thought he might best Xander in combat. He couldn’t. He found other ways to be strong, to be useful. He found a way to surpass Xander.

“And your faith in me pushed me to become a better prince and, in turn, a better king,” Xander says.

Leo huffs. “Flattery will get you nowhere.”

“It’s not pointless flattery, it’s true. You are why I am the man that I am today.”

Leo turns his face away. He knows Xander is also why Leo is the man he is today, but he can’t find the words to express that. He’s never been able to find those words.

Leo hums. “Is there a time I will grow out of seeking your approval?”

Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Xander shake his head. “I don’t believe we ever grow out of seeking validation.”

Leo can’t remember when, exactly, he had stopped seeking Garon’s approval and love. He can’t remember when he started seeking Xander’s validation, instead. Xander has always been more than an older brother, more than a role model, and it’s embarrassing that Leo took this long to notice it.

“Well,” he says slowly, carefully, as if moving on the edge of a cliff face, “I believe by the end, you were more of a father to me than him.”

The moment he says it, he wants to take it back. He wants to grab the words from the air and crush them in his hands. He can’t. He can’t stand to look at Xander. He takes a step to leave. Xander’s hand on his shoulder stops him.

“In that case, then it would be fair to say that I am very proud of you,” Xander says.

Something about those words feel like a stab to the heart. It isn’t a painful stab, but it strikes somewhere in him that is so sorely neglected. He shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot. He wants to squirm away, but he wants to stay all the same. He sucks in his breath, and says nothing.

“You’ve grown to be an intelligent young man, and it has been a pleasure to watch you grow,” Xander continues.

“Why are you saying this?”

Xander sighs. “We don’t talk enough, both as a family and as the two of us. I want that to change. I want things to be better between us all. I never wish for things to return as they were.”

Despite its eyes being closed, Leo can feel the bust watching them. He can’t help but ask: would it truly be their father watching, or would it be his wrong self, seething from the darkest pits?

“I know. I never want us to revert to how things ended up becoming.”

Close, yet so far apart. Fractured members of a family desperately clinging to each other, but it was like gripping glass. Leo cannot return to that. He cannot return to feeling ignored and left out. He wants his family back - and he feels like a child for thinking so, but it’s true. He wants to be that little boy again, with his older siblings doting on him, with a new baby sister he adores. He cannot go back.

“Good.” Xander squeezes his shoulder. “Then let us continue to work hard, together, to ensure what happened will never happen again. But, I have one favour to ask of you.”

“What is it?” Leo asks.

“I realise this is asking a lot, and I realise I may still be living in delusion. While I will remember the atrocities he committed, this is not how I choose to remember our father. I would like to remember him as the man we knew as children. I would rather that remain his legacy, at least between us.”

Leo is surprised to realise that’s what he wants, too. He doesn’t want to remember Garon as the monster he became; he wants to remember his gentle, brave and strong father. Perhaps he, too, needs to turn a blind eye.

“If that’s what you want,” Leo says.

“Thank you.” Xander nods. “I think I have had enough reminiscing for one day. How about we return to the castle?”

Leo takes one last look at the bust. For a second, he swears it’s smiling, but it still has the same neutral expression.

“Yes. I’m quite tired of looking at him as well,” he says.

The two brothers leave the mausoleum, though Xander’s hand does not leave Leo’s shoulder until they are back out in the Nohrian cold. Leo shoves his hands into his pockets, and walks back with Xander without a word.

He looks up at the sky as they walk. Through the dark clouds, Leo can see just a peek of sunlight. He’s never been one for superstition. Just this one, however, he’ll allow it.

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skeletalscallybones · 3 months ago

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Iago: Out of my way, Prince Xander. Otherwise you too will be branded a traitor and executed for your crime. Xander: So be it. If you wish to kill Corrin, you will have to defeat me first. However, know that I do not intend to go down without a fight. Iago: Wh-what do you mean? Xander: I challenge you to a duel, Iago. I have had enough of you and your cruel manner of doing things. You are a disgrace to the great kingdom of Nohr, but that ends today. If you choose not to repent, the only fate left for you is to die by my blade. As the crown prince of Nohr, I am taking back my kingdom! (Leo joins Xander's side) Leo: Count me in. I've long hoped for the chance to express my discontent with Iago's dirty schemes. If you are going to take him down, allow me to share in the pleasure. Iago: You d-don't intend intend to kill me, do you?! Your king's trusted g-general? That's not very becoming of a N-Nohrian royal, now is it?! Xander: Say what you will, coward. Our father is not here to protect his lapdog. We'll tell him you were murdered by some remaining Hoshidan rebels. How tragic. Iago:

#fire emblem #fire emblem fates #fe iago #shitpost

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kumeko · 5 months ago

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A/N: For the Grandeur @camillafezine! Between the 3 routes and FeH, there are so many what-ifs for Camilla that I had to explore them all. And lots of obligatory Nohr Sibling angst/fluff.

…

In another life, Camilla becomes a queen. A temporary one, perhaps, one that is only a stand-in, but a queen nonetheless. Xander lies ill in his chambers, a terrible wound on his chest incapacitating him. Their father is dead, the war is over, and Nohr is looking for a leader.

Camilla had never wanted to be that leader. Not even at the height of battle between mistresses, the jockeying of children as each of the king’s consorts vied for favour. Yet the duty falls on her nonetheless, as heavy as the robes on her back. She stares at her reflection in the mirror and finds a stranger looking back. The ermine-trimmed cloak, the sleek armour, none of it resembles her usual battle-attire in the least.

“This doesn’t look right,” she mutters under her breath. Long sleeves hide all but her hands, and she feels vulnerable without her trusty axe by her side. It feels even odder to just wait in this side-chamber, away from her family. Camilla’s coronation is in an hour, all the preparation is in place, and her younger siblings are no doubt rushing about, making sure nothing is forgotten.

Or perhaps it is just Leo who is rushing about—Elise and Corrin are no doubt tending to Xander, confident their perfectionist brother has it all under control. She should be out there with them, not hidden away until she’s called.

“What doesn’t?” Selena asks, reminding Camilla once more that she isn’t entirely alone. Resting a hand on her hip, the red-haired retainer scowls. “Did they apply the make-up too heavily? I told you I can do a better job than them.”

Camilla chuckles. At least this feels normal. She turns to where Selena stands, guarding the window. The grumpy pout is absolutely adorable and she feels her tension slip away. “I’ll keep that in mind next time, darling.”

“You better,” Selena huffs. From the corner of her eye, she studies Camilla before reluctantly admitting, “It’s not terrible.”

At the door, Beruka grunts and averts her gaze. “You look good.”

As rare as it is for the assassin to stand openly, it’s even rarer still to hear a compliment. Their shyness is even cuter than their sulking. Camilla wants nothing more than to pull them both into her arms and squeeze them, but it is almost time to go.

“I am glad you both approve,” Camilla replies, smiling brightly at both of them. Leo once told her she had no restraint; if only he could see her now. She cups her cheek and sighs. “If only you both wore dresses too.”

Beruka shudders immediately. Her reply is curt, as sharp as the blade she wields. “Assassins don’t wear dresses.”

There is nothing in that response about Beruka hating the idea. Camilla saves that information for later.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Selena hunches over and moans, “I would have, but I can’t do guard duty like that.” After a moment, as though realizing the implications, she straightens up and adds, “Not that I don’t want this duty.”

“Oh?” Camilla taps her chin, her long nails lightly scratching her skin. Perhaps she should look into battle dresses. They could be made in time for Xander’s coronation.

A shiver runs down her spine, a doubt entering her mind, but Camilla refuses to entertain it. Xander will recover. He will be crowned. He will be fine. If she thinks otherwise, she knows she’ll crumble.

Outside, she can hear nobles entering the grand cathedral, chittering like the crows and harpies they are. Most of them do not want her in this position: Leo is the second favourite after Xander, even more so for the flexibility they perceive in him. Elise is an easily manipulated choice and Corrin doesn’t exist in their eyes. Camilla is known for her blood thirst and beauty, and she has heard enough rumours about the madness they fear from her. No, it is the men the nobles look to.

It’ll be satisfying to see their faces when she steps out.

There’s a knock on the door. Camila swallows inconspicuously. “It’s time.”

Beruka nods and opens the door before slipping through it to secure their exit. Meanwhile, Selena stalks over. “One second.”

Camilla holds still, watching in curiosity as Selena readjusts her cloak and the sash across her chest. Her fingers are meticulous and battle-scarred. Not for the first time, Camilla wonders just what sort of life her retainer has led.

Just what sort of life she’ll return to, if given the chance.

Camilla isn’t certain she’s ready to say goodbye yet. She wasn’t before the war and she definitely isn’t now, in the midst of an uneasy peace. “You’ll tell me when you’ll leave, right?”

“Of course, I promised.” Selena pouts as she brushes imaginary dust from Camilla’s shoulders. “You don’t believe me?”

“I do.” Camilla smiles softly, squeezing Selena’s shoulder with a gloved hand.

“Good.” Selena grins unabashedly, surprisingly honest for once. “Though, I really hope I won’t have to go for a while. I want to see your reign myself.”

“You do?” Camilla stares at her retainer, surprised. “Why?”

“Yeah, I…” Catching herself, Selena flushes a bright red and averts her gaze. “That is…I…you’ll make a good queen.”

And then, she all but runs out of the room.

A good queen. Camilla isn’t sure she has it in her. If she ever had it in the first place. Still, there’s at least one person who thinks otherwise.

Camilla glances at the mirror again. She was not raised for this duty but she will master it all the same. She will keep her family together, her country in one piece.

In another lifetime, Camilla’s reflection stands a little straighter, ready for the weight of the crown.

-x-

In another life, Camilla abandons her duty. She takes the crown, as cool as her brother’s corpse, and drops it immediately. It is not a weight she wants to bear. It is not a weight she can bear.

Her body’s already crushed from the grief of losing both Xander and Elise in a single night. No longer does laughter ring in the hallways, no longer does lamp light spill out of the study at late hours. Her family shrinks until it is three, and then two.

The weight of hatred is just as heavy as grief and is no less binding.

The only light she has is Leo—King Leo, now, and Camilla clings to his hand like she’s drowning. The crown looks too big on his head, the robe still needs adjusting, and for a moment, all she can see is a child playing dress up.

“Xander would be proud,” Camilla murmurs, gently brushing his hair out of his face. “You’ve grown so much these past few weeks.”

To his credit, he doesn’t flinch, though a flicker of pain flashes across his face. Leo clenches his jaw. “I would rather he be here than me. This…this wasn’t how I wanted to beat him.”

This isn’t how Camilla wanted to overthrow her father either. If she had stepped in earlier, if she had done something before it got to this point, would things have been different? When would that have been? When Xander faced Corrin? When Elise left to bring Corrin into the castle? Or earlier still, when Corrin abandoned them for Hoshido, when her father ordered Corrin’s punishment, when her father first started to veer into darkness?

It is too late for what-ifs.

She is still full of them.

Her vision grows blurry and Camilla blinks quickly as she tries to keep her composure. She is tired of lying in bed, her days and nights blurring into the colour grey. Even if it is only for today, she wants to be herself again. She wants to be there, in the present.

Leo touches her hand lightly. When she looks at him, he gives her a small smile and taps his collar. “It’s not inside out today.”

She stares at him. To think, he’s consoling her now. Just when had he grown so mature? Camilla forces a smile as she straightens his robe. “I guess you don’t need my help anymore.”

“I do.” Leo clasps her hands immediately. His eyes are serious, even though his ears are red with embarrassment. “I always do. Now, more than ever.”

For a moment, Camilla’s reminded of a conversation they had months ago, when Leo quietly admitted he wished she’d dote on him more.

And now, he will be the only one she’ll ever dote on.

“I’ll be here,” she promises, her smile more genuine now. A bittersweet warmth fills her. Camilla leans forward, pressing a kiss on his cheek. “I’m always here for my darlings.”

Pensively, Leo asks, “What about…Corrin?”

“No.” Camilla immediately rejects the notion, the idea. She steps backward, her hands cold as they fall limply to her side. At one point, that name had meant everything to her. At one point, she couldn’t go an hour without thinking of their younger sister.

Now it’s enough to send her stomach churning, bile rising up her throat.

And Leo, the boy who taunted Corrin, the boy who teased her, is the man now protecting her. “She didn’t intend—”

“I don’t—I can’t…” Words fail Camilla and she covers her lips with a hand. Forcing herself to breath in through her nose and slowly out her mouth, she makes herself calm down. “I just…”

“I shouldn’t have asked.” Gently, Leo embraces her, his hands patting her back. Before, he had never been one for affectionate gestures. Now, she finds herself on the receiving end more than the giving. His hand had clasped hers while she wasted away on her bed, depression eating away at her core.

“No, it’s…” Camilla buries her face in his cloak, the ermine trim tickling her skin. “It was cute how you used to hold grudges over everything.”

“I still do,” Leo replies, his hand still patting her back. He’s taller, his shoulders broader, and she isn’t sure if she just never noticed or if his new duties gave him a growth spurt. “Odin ruined my favourite cloak yesterday, and he’s still making up for it.”

Camilla chuckles wetly. “Try not to be too hard on him. He’s cuter when he makes mistakes.”

“I don’t think he can be cured.” Leo sighs. His voice quiets. “I just don’t want anymore hate. Especially with Corrin. It’s not forgiveness just…I’m tired of fighting.”

It sounds like forgiveness. Camilla wishes she had the strength. Corrin’s eyes were full of heartbreak when she’d apologized for Xander’s and Elise’s deaths. Somewhere in Hoshido, she must be crying too.

Somewhere in Hoshido, her other family is comforting her.

Camilla has never thought of herself as a bitter person, but it fills her all the same now. Leo’s warm in her arms, but all she can think about are the two people missing from this hug, the four arms that should be wrapped around them now.

“Even then,” Camilla murmurs. “I just can’t.”

-x-

In another life, Camilla attends a royal funeral in Hoshido. She watches two sisters mourn over their brothers, their grief shattering the younger one. Corrin mourns too, for the family she never knew, for Hoshido’s late queen caught up in their father’s schemes, for the life that she had lost.

In another life, Camilla watches the tears of strangers with a twinge of sympathy, but no regrets. Her family survives and that is all that matters.

-x-

In another life, Corrin lets go of her Nohrian family. She reaches for her long lost Hoshido brother, never looking back as they sweep her away into parts unknown.

In another life, Camilla’s heart breaks and then hardens. She had long known that Corrin’s place had never been in Nohr, that she was meant for something different, something special. It was easy enough to see with how their father treated her, this lost princess that neither Xander nor her could determine the origins of. Their father called her daughter, and they accepted it as fact.

And now, they are paying the price for their ignorance.

There is rage in her, like fire, like lightning, like the claws and teeth of her wyvern. Camilla has never known what is to hate, truly, until this moment. Not even when her mother pitted her against her siblings, not even when her father requested darker and darker missions of her, had she ever felt a hate like this.

“I want to come too,” Elise says, clutching her staff as she stands in the middle of Camilla’s room. To her credit, she doesn’t let her voice tremble. While she is the youngest of the siblings, she’s an adult nonetheless, one raised and ready for war.

Camilla has never felt a fear like this. It grips her heart with icy claws. Corrin is gone. War leads to death. And for all of Elise’s strength, she is not a fighter. There is no hesitation as she says, “No.”

Elise stiffens, expecting the response. She sets her jaw, her hands gripping her staff tighter. “Why not? I can fight too!”

“It’s too dangerous, dearest,” Camilla replies easily. It is not a lie. It is not the truth. She reaches down and strokes Elise’s soft hair. Her sister’s black ribbons were a birthday present three years ago, her dress last year’s, and Camilla can only see the tiny baby she vowed to protect.

Her sister pouts childishly up, her cheeks still chubby with baby fat. “That’s why I have to be there! I can protect everyone. I can even heal!”

The stubborn streak runs deep in their family. Camilla keeps her smile. “I’m sorry, Elise, but I can’t let you go to the front lines. You understand, I hope?”

There’s a grumpy exhale as Elise averts her gaze. After mulling over it for a moment, she brightens and chirps, “Then what about the medical tent?”

It’s a reasonable suggestion. A good one, even. Camilla discards it all the same. “No, dear. You have to stay here.”

“But why?” Elise grabs her hand tightly, confused. “I can help!”

“I…” Camilla cups Elise’s cheek, brushing her thumb across her baby soft cheeks. There is a hole in her chest, a black void that she doesn’t want to grow any bigger. Corrin escaped her arms, but she refuses to let anyone else do so. And if she has to clip a few wings, then that’s what she’ll do.

Camilla wraps her arms around her younger sister, pulling her in for a tight hug. “Please. Just for today. I’m worried.”

“Sis…” Elise sighs before hugging her back. “Finneee. I’ll stay. But next time, I’m fighting right next to you.” She looks up, determined. “I can protect you too.”

“Next time,” Camilla agrees. Camilla lies. She’ll have to find another excuse. Her gilded cage cannot open again. Part of her wonders if she can get a fine, gold chain made, if she can slip it around Elise’s ankles so she doesn’t sneak into the slums like she’s prone to do.

-x-

In another life, Camilla takes Azura’s hand. As a child, she knows intimately of loneliness, of alienation, of all the feelings one has while watching from afar. No one notices or acknowledges Azura, whether it’s their father, their siblings, or the competing consorts. Maybe they see competition. Maybe they see a weak girl, one easy to disappear.

Camilla sees a friend. She takes Azura’s hand and clasps it tight.

When tragedy strikes, when Hoshido and Nohr take up arms and hostages are kidnapped, Camilla is taken with Azura. Even in danger, Camilla refuses to let go of her people. Though she doesn’t know how to wield her axe yet, she still has her strength and loyalty.

The Hoshidan queen and chief tactician hardly know what to do with not one, but two Nohrian princesses. The whole thing is a mistake, but Nohr will not return Corrin and so Hoshido cannot give up their hostages. The games royalty plays are the same regardless of what side of the border they’re on. Nobles of all stripes only care for how they can use the two girls and how to torment them otherwise.

The children, however, are different, and in them Camilla sees a glimpse of what her family could have been. There is no contest for the throne, no pitting of heirs in a battle of the fittest. Instead, the siblings work together. Instead, despite their loss, Sakura reaches out with shaky hands, Ryoma gives a firm hug, and Hinoka a begrudging smile. Only Takumi glares and ignores them, but Camilla finds that adorable anyways.

In this life, Azura doesn’t know loneliness. Camilla refuses to let her. The walls she keeps up between herself and the Hoshidan royals shatter with a single swing of Camilla’s mighty will. Years pass and memories of Nohr are replaced with green grass, clean air, and sun-like warmth.

Now an adult, Camilla stays still as she watches Azura tug her kimono, trying and failing to cover her ample cleavage. With a soft sigh, Azura reluctantly gives up and steps back. “I am afraid I cannot adjust it any further. It’s not…”

Azura trails off meaningfully and Camilla chuckles. Her bust is not made for an outfit like this. Neither are the rest of her curves and that is why Takumi always looks away, scandalized, or Ryoma offers her his heavy cloak whenever they make formal appearances.

“I like to think of it as a new style,” Camilla says cheerfully, twirling around. Her kimono loosens even more with the movement. Ignoring Azura’s soft groan, she reaches onto their bedroom dresser and picks up a gold earring. “Your dress looks lovely, darling. You just need this to finish it properly.”

Azura shakes her head, mirth filling her voice. “You never tire of dressing me up.”

“Of course not.” Camilla beams brightly. “I love pampering those I love. And you deserve it.”

“So do you.” A familiar shadow crosses Azura’s face and she bites her lip. “You should be in Nohr, with your siblings.” She rubs her wrist anxiously. “Your youngest sister doesn’t even know your face.”

“She does not know yours either,” Camilla replies softly. It is just like Azura to forget herself.

“That’s fine.” Azura shakes her head. “You weren’t even the target of the kidnapping, and they…they didn’t know me regardless.”

They had argued this before. They will argue this in the future. Camilla grabs Azura’s hands, clasping them tightly in her own. “I couldn’t, wouldn’t, let you go alone. I don’t regret it.”

Azura stares at her in disbelief. “Don’t you miss your siblings?”

“Every day. Every minute. And one day, I will return to see them.” Camilla intertwines their fingers. “But I love my new family too.”

Azura gnaws her lip. “But—”

“No buts,” Camilla interrupts, settling the matter once and for all. “I am quite happy with my life. Aren’t you?”

There’s a soft sigh and Azura hangs her head. Quietly, she admits, “Happier than I was there.”

It’s a sad truth. Camilla holds out the earring. “It’s only here I see your smile. So please don’t talk like that, dear.”

In another life, Camilla doesn’t know Corrin. She barely knows Elise. But she does know Sakura, Hinoka, Ryoma, Takumi, and Azura. She knows a mother’s warmth and a kind home and she is all the richer for it.

-x-

In another life, Camilla comforts a grieving, distraught Corrin after Azura’s disappearance. They fought a war together and still Camilla does not think much of the blue-haired girl, not even enough to feel a small pang of what could have been.

In another life, Azura is remembered as a traitor by the Hoshidans, a nobody to the Nohrians, and it is only Corrin who grieves the loss.

-x-

In another life, Camilla and Xander do not hesitate. They are loyal to the bone, their family the most important part of their life. Despite the cruelty their father teaches and their mothers practice, the Nohrian prince and princess are shaped by their love for their siblings. And it is out of that love that they turn their blades on their father, cutting him down before all that’s left of the warm man they once knew are memories of a tyrant.

Elise and Leo are asleep in their rooms, unaware of the treachery underfoot tonight. The guards turn a blind eye, lulled by the promise of a better tomorrow, a better Nohr. Inside the expansive throne room, Camilla sets down her bloody axe with a dull thud. She leans on it, panting.

Nearby, in the very center of the room, lies their father’s broken, cooling body. Xander stands in front of it, staring. There should be tears neither of them are shedding. Perhaps it’s the shock.

“It’s done,” she finally says, breaking the silence.

“So it is,” Xander agrees, not looking at her. His posture is abnormally stiff. Camilla knows who he is, the distance he’s forced onto himself in order to lower their father’s guard. It was a role they needed while waiting for this moment.

Now the moment is gone and there is no longer any need for the ‘cold princeling’. Camilla forces her weary limbs into an awkward shuffle. When she reaches her brother, she pulls him close until their foreheads’ touch. She doesn’t have to see his eyes to know the guilt within. “This was the right thing.”

He’s still looking at their father’s body. His reply is textbook perfect. “That doesn’t mean it was right.”

“That distinction only matters to you,” Camilla replies evenly, weaving her hand through his hair and massaging his scalp. It works; he relaxes at her soothing touch. Smiling, she adds, “And that is why you will make a great king, dear.”

“Father—Garron was one.” Xander trembles, tiny earthquakes revealing the heart of his problem. “Who’s to say I will not end up the same?”

“I do, darling.” Camilla pulls back and squeezes his shoulder. “I’ll keep an eye on you.”

He doesn’t look convinced. “Will that be enough?”

“You doubt my strength?” Camilla raises a brow.

Xander flinches. “No, that wasn’t—”

“Besides, Leo will also be there. He has to chase you adorably, after all. And Elise will keep your heart safe. And Corrin—” Camilla cuts herself off, recalling the newest member of their family.

“Corrin…” Xander’s expression darkens, remembering how Garron had presented her to court after her kidnapping. “She shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

It’s true. Camilla doesn’t like it nonetheless. Something dark, possessive curls up within her. She doesn’t like that either; it’s something Garron would feel. Maybe she’s the one who takes after him, his tendencies waiting within her to spring out.

His blood is cooling on her hands. She doesn’t need to learn another lesson on obsession.

“We’ll send her home,” Xander decides. “An exchange of hostages.”

Briefly, Camilla remembers the blue-haired princess. Asura? Ashura? Another addition to the family either way. If only she could keep both girls in Nohr. “Do you think they’ll agree?”

Xander hesitates before nodding. “I believe it was just Garron who was stalling the peace talks.”

“I see.” Camilla reaches down, picking the blood-splattered crown off the ground. She rubs it with a sleeve, wiping it clean. In the flickering torch light, it gleams red.

“We’ll make things right. Here first, and then abroad.” Xander smiles wanly before ducking his head slightly at her silent request.

The crown slips onto his head too easily. “I know you will, dear.”

If there is anyone who can uphold such a lofty promise, it’s him.

-x-

In another life, Garron lives and Nohr wins the war. Camilla knows only of blood, of pain, and how to inflict it on others. To her regret, it’s a lesson Elise, Leo, and Corrin have now learned too. Villages burn, people die, and whether it is loyalty or fear, none of them are able to turn on their father and stop him.

Camilla tries not to think of how long it’s been since she’s seen anyone smile.

-x-

In another life, there is peace. Nohr and Hoshido do not fight. Garron died by Corrin’s hands; there could not be peace otherwise, their father too far gone to return to the kind man from their memories. Camilla doesn’t mind. She can’t mourn someone who they’d lost long before he’d breathed his last.

Corrin spends her days flitting between her families, between Nohr, Hoshido, and a lost kingdom of her own. A lost power of her own. A family of her own.

Yet, still she comes when they call. Today, that call is at the beach. Xander is holding Elise’s hands as he tries to teach her how to swim, while Leo hides under an umbrella with his book. It won’t protect him for long but it’s cute that he tries.

Camilla stands at a distance, watching them all. Even now, in this time of quiet and serenity, a single fear runs down her back. Something could shatter it. It might even be herself; despite all reassurances that they’re safe, Camilla finds it impossible to let go of her family.

Sometimes, she fears her love is too much, too great. That her parents’ darkness is her own.

“What are you doing here? Is something wrong?” Corrin asks, stepping onto the hot sand next to her. From the corner of her eye, Camilla spots Jakob running over with an umbrella. Sometimes it feels like she shares the same mind with Corrin’s loyal retainer.

“Nothing, dearest.” Camilla smiles as she pats her sister’s hair. “I wish I could have a painting of this. Maybe next time.”

“Then we’d have to stay still for hours. Elise would complain.” Corrin chuckles, dismissing the idea. “We’re supposed to have fun at the beach, not in a painting.”

“That’s true.” Camilla wonders how long they’ll be able to do this, how long it’ll be before Xander’s and Corrin’s duties keep them further and further away. “How long will you stay?”

“I’d like to say as long as I want but…” Corrin grimaces, her expression gaunt. It’s the same expression Elise has when she looks at her studies. “Well, I can’t run away for too long, but hopefully a few days. I don’t want to go back to that fortress, but things were a lot simpler then.”

Sometimes, Camila wishes the same. There was no need to share Corrin, back then. Elise still didn’t know the darkest truths of their kingdom. “If you need help, just let me know.”

“That’s just what Xander and Ryoma told me too.” Corrin laughs as she squeezes Camilla’s hand. “You let me know too, okay? We’re family, after all. You don’t have to shoulder things by yourself anymore, you can share it with us.”

It’s a truth Camilla knows already, but it sounds more real when Corrin says it. “We are family.”

“Of course.” Corrin leans her head against Camilla’s arm. “Always.”

Always. Camilla likes the ring of that.

In another life, Camilla is happy.

#fire emblem fates #camilla #xander #elise #leo #corrin #azura #selena #beruka #fanfic #fe fates #i love this family so much #even if I am constantly putting them through grief #i'm rather proud of this piece #tying in together all of the various heroes skins for camilla #and all the potential ways the world could have gone #Except I just realized I miss the one whre she marries for peace #her and ryoma?#...next time

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emblemxeno · 1 year ago

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I know Azura and Corrin get a lot of flack for not having shown the orb to the Nohrian Royal but ... weren't they supposed to conquer Hoshido either way ?

Pretty much.

Hypothetically, showing the orb to the other siblings and successfully getting them to fight against Garon relies a lot on unrealistic occurrences going their way:

1) The siblings believing Corrin and Azura are telling the truth. Elise would probably believe them, but wouldn't have the power to stop things by herself. Camilla could go either way in terms of believing, but ultimately she cares more about not dying. Xander and Leo though? Good fucking luck lol.

2) The siblings believing the orb isn't a trap or a falsehood. Leo only entertains this aspect in BR because he was beaten before Azura gave it to him. The other three literally can't use it, so even if Leo does, if he isn't convinced that the orb isn't a Hoshidan trap, why would the others go along with it?

3) The siblings getting over their fear of Garon to fight back. Even when the truth is on the throne in front of them, the siblings aren't gung-ho to kill their dad. Even after all the things he put them through, it's not easy cuz he was their fucking dad and to expect them to flip the switch is to expect poor writing. It's only when Xander inspires them that they're able to do so, and Xander is the hardest one to convince.

4) Having the power to effectively do anything. Azura comments that half of the Nohrian royal army is loyal to Corrin, Xander and Leo, and the other half is loyal to Garon, Iago and Hans. She says this in chapter 23, 8 chapters after the orb is relevant. Safe to say, there wouldn't be enough manpower to rebel against Garon at that point.

5) Doing something that's effectively believable to the player. When the orb comes up, the war has been underway for a while. The Cheve rebellion has been put down, with Scarlet, Orochi, and Reina dead. The Cyrkensia townsfolk are in danger. Corrin has crossed blades with the Hoshidan army more than once. Realistically, what could Corrin's group do to Garon, that also takes into account the war going on? Joining Hoshido isn't an option (and shouldn't be one cuz that defeats the purpose of joining Nohr in the first fucking place), especially when Ryoma is the way he is and Takumi is already possessed. And you'd have to be an idiot to think that Hoshido will just sit on its hands while Corrin rebels against Garon, as if they wouldn't take advantage of the opportunity to take all of Nohr out in one fell swoop. There's precedent for this already, with Hinoka, Ryoma, and Takumi willing to use Nohr's negative reputation to their benefit.

Do you guys know the Rhetorical Triangle of persuasive writng? It's ethos (showcase of author authority through citing of sources or taking care to establish a base argument), logos (building up a logical audience), and pathos (appeals to audience emotions). Most storytelling is persuasive. For your story not to be utter dogshit, you need the central theme/argument to be believable, the logic of a story's circumstances and context in order to believe it, and the emotional weight to get the reader to care and invest in it.

The above "solutions" to the orb issue, would sacrifice the ethos (Corrin sticking to their path, the Nohr siblings being consistently written) and logos (not having the power to start a rebellion, Hoshido canonically taking advantage of Nohr's internal troubles) established in Conquest before chapter 15, in order to maybe satisfy the pathos of some of the audience. I say maybe and some because only a fraction of the fandom has this double-think thing going on where they hate that Corrin gets worshipped and followed for "no reason" but also that Corrin should be totally believed and, in fact, followed earlier to topple the king while there's a war going on. Another subsection also hates Corrin for being a "spineless, whiny coward" so those people might also like this alternative better.

But again, that's a fraction of the total. What about the rest? How would they feel about this change in this story? How can you guarantee that they'd care when you've sacrificed two other major persuasive tools to possibly achieve one for a small and annoyingly persistent group of wannabe story writers? It'd look amateurish and erroneous, not to mention the script's prose in the English versions is already scuffed thanks to Treehouse.

The only thing left for them to argue would be "well, they shouldn't have added the orb in the first place, because it just results in these questions being asked" which... okay! Yeah! In the grand scheme, it doesn't serve anything more than getting Corrin, a character known for his trust, to trust Azura's word. But that kind of critique is useless, cuz it boils down to "well this story should've been better", which can apply to every damn story in the world, and has been said about FE stories in the past. Robin's fake Gules plan was the magic orb of Awakening, same with the blood pact in Tellius, same with effectively every villain dialogue in previous FE games (like Ursula in FE7) that betrays what their ultimate goals are, same with the Turnwheel, Divine Pulse, and the Time Crystal in the future FE games, and countless other examples. At some point, you gotta roll with the punches and accept what the game is trying to tell you, rather than deride it constantly, cuz eventually you'll just hate everything in every story.

Hell, why do you think people say FE stories have never been good? Not cuz they're actually bad, it's cuz people refuse to set aside their biases and faulty evaluations/expectations in order to appreciate what the writing is doing in the grand scheme. It's a lame excuse more than it is a meme, IMO.

#fire emblem fates #fire emblem discourse #long post #sorry i didn't expect this to be a big response #but i just kept writing lol

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lumeha · 2 months ago

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🌹🌹🌹 !!!

... I don't know where to cut it so you're getting a full section of a WIP I have that features Takumi and Xander, in a post-Birthright route story

Castle Krakenburg is haunted. Takumi supposes it is to be expected. Its history is stained with the blood of the innocent and guilty alike. In every corner, in every shadow, the memory of a life cut too short whispers, angry and bitter. But none of these ghosts are quite as lively as the one who seems to follow King Leo’s steps. Hands laying on top of his shoulders ; a whisper at his ear ; and, more often than not, a regret that Takumi can taste in the air, a will to lighten the weight of the crown resting on the King’s skull. So, maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. Maybe it shouldn’t make him shiver. And yet. When the pale, ethereal face of the deceased Crown Prince of Nohr appears before him, Takumi can’t help but shiver. There is no anger. Only regrets. A sadness that cannot be properly expressed with words. The ghost looks at him, for less than a second, before disappearing into the darkness of the night. Takumi goes back to his room.

(I Love Them And It's Tragic)

#barks.txt #fire emblem #my writings #fire emblem fates #thanks !!

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randomnameless · 7 months ago

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Yeah, the argument that "oh Hoshido is completely pure and good while Nohr is completely corrupt and evil" is complete bs and falls apart once you analyze the information you're given throughout Fates, especially in Birthright and Conquest.

Hoshido takes little to no interest in the issues of neighbouring countries once their usefulness is at an end, to the point of Sumeragi refusing to shelter Shura and other Kohga refugees after Mokushu conquered it, just because he wouldn't benefit from helping a now-destroyed nation; Dehumanizes the fuck out of their opposition, with even the royal family being raised under the assumption that the vast majority of Nohrians are inhumane, cowardly beasts who attack other countries for fun and pleasure instead of out of necessity, as is the truth, with things getting so bad that the general populace starts killing anyone in Hoshido who has even the slightest connection to Nohr, with Haitaka going rogue and forming a small platoon for the sole purpose of kidnapping, torturing and killing Azura (with that plot point being conveniently erased from the localization, with Azura claiming that she was the only one targeted in EN); Is so misogynistic that Mikoto and Hinoka were only allowed to take the throne due to the male heirs being either too young or dead to do so themselves, with multiple of the female playable Hoshidan cast having suffered through sexism in the military in the past; And is hypocritical af when it comes to what makes them any better than Nohr in terms of their behaviour on the battlefield, doing the exact same thing Garon did to Sumeragi by ambushing both him and Corrin while they were minding their own business, only to have the gall to call Zola dishonorable for ambushing them in return.

Nohr has it's issues, like the massive resource disparity caused by the nobles and soldiers getting what little food the country has for themselves while the commoners are left to starve (solved by the end of every route thanks to Leo and/or Xander) and it's history of invading and conquering other nations due to being too proud to ask other nations for help with their resource issues (also solved at the end of every route, with Leo or Xander taking pride in the fact that the two countries will be having much better and more open cooperations between them from then on), and is ultimately more morally at fault than Hoshido when it comes to the war, since they're the agressors, but it's also a genuinely better country than Hoshido in a few ways, most notably it's people being much more open and trusting of foreigners by default, with them happily accepting Shura into their midst despite also gaining nothing from doing so, and most Nohrians having no real preconceptions against Hoshidans and being much more respectful of them than the other way around: women are also, generally, much better treated in Nohr, with few to none of the female playable Nohrians having had any issues relating to gender discrimination in the military and being free to choose what they want to do with their lives without fear of being shunned for breaking away from their expected societal roles.

Thinking that Fates in any way portrays Hoshido as solely good and Nohr as solely bad implies a heavy misunderstanding of it's story and themes imo.

(Also, yeah, idk wtf the anon was talking about with "oh Birthright is just a more simplistic version of Shadow Dragon's good blue units destroy evil red units and bring peace to the world story"; an entire chapter of that route is dedicated to showing how rough the average Nohrian has it and how they still band together and overcome adversity by living in the underground, Ryoma's character arc is to understand and soften up to Nohr, ultimately deciding to share Hoshido's surplus resources with it once he's crowned king, multiple of the Nohrians Corrin fights are portrayed in a sympathetic light, and Xander and Elise's deaths are meant to be the emotional high points of the story lol)

(Also also, Ryoma himself never knew that Nohrian land was infertile and it's commoners were suffering prior to reaching Nohr and being told as such by Silas, with him vowing to share food with the country as soon as the war was over once he found out; the Nohrian monarchs prior to Garon were too prideful to ask Hoshido for help and tried to solve all their problems by themselves and the Hoshidan monarchs prior to Ryoma didn't give a fuck about what happened outside of their own country, causing Nohr's resource shortage to only get solved by the end of Fates, though it is likely that at least one Nohrian monarch swallowed their pride, asked Hoshido's monarch for help, and got told to fuck off; no real proof of that tho)

Oh thanks!

Yeah, in general both Nohr and Hoshido are flawed, in different ways, but flawed nonetheless!

Hoshido's extreme isolationism leads them to, not understand why Nohr feels obliged to attack them (but then Mikoto makes her special "and they don't want to fight anymore!" magic, so what happens to the Nohrians who are affected by her magic? Are they killed, or do they return to Nohr or... what?).

FE, in general, always tries to have some sort nuance, not the kind that would excuse imperialism or declaring a war, but it often took the time to explain circumstances that led to the war, so the blue lord doesn't repeat the same mistakes as his forefathers.

Imo, that's why in FE1 we learn about Medeus' motivations and why Jugdral's Travant is so well liked. Zephiel even gets a prequel!

It's never as clear cut as "red empire is evil and invades for shit'n'giggles and blue lords saves the world", or at least, it never was.

#sealofreconciliation #replies #FE14 #Fodlan thew nuance by the window #but we have a nonsensical yellow unit now invading for funsies

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nowis-scales · 10 months ago

Text

Ryoma Birthday Headcanons

I definitely did not almost forget to prepare any of these in advance because I forgot that April 31st wasn’t a thing, haha… noooo, who would do that? I’m sorry Ryoma. You’re still my 2nd favourite Fates character, I’m just busy. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this year’s round!

‣ Honestly, after the events of Revelation, he’s a little embarrassed that his first act as king (without being directly coronated, of course) was to declare war. For one thing, Hoshido is a country of peace. Very few kings during their reigns opened them by starting a war. For another, the problems with Nohr that drove them to battle were half the fault of a [REDACTED] working behind the scenes to worsen relations, and the other half were his fault for being ignorant. Thankfully for the most part people talk about his efforts to bring food to Nohr and end battles more than they do his tendency to start them, but it does make Ryoma more weary of how he handles conflicts afterwards.

‣ A lot of people believe that Ryoma is just naturally good at everything and never fails or has embarrassing moments. No. The man is actually just really, really good at a poker face, and it tends to convince people. No, that clang you heard was not him knocking his dessert spoon off the table, Prince Xander. You must be imagining things. The fact that his dessert spoon is now gone must surely be a coincidence, and likely evidence of another visit from a cute, pig-tailed prankster named Elise. Ryoma genuinely does fail fairly normal, but he has just learned to roll with the punches and keep going, and he has found that most of the time people will just believe him. Of course, this can only make it more embarrassing when there’s no way he can convince anyone that he didn’t misjudge the doorway’s height and bash his head, because there’s a bruise forming already. He just turns a little pink then.

‣ For someone who wears red a lot and is heavily associated with the colour, his favourite is actually blue. He doesn’t mention it much because he still does like red, but he finds the colour very calming. If given the opportunity to dress himself in casual clothing, it’s usually the colour he will go for the most, and he usually does for a deep, midnight blue tone.

‣ Contrary to popular belief, he and Mikoto did not have a magical mother-son connection. They genuinely liked, loved, and respected each other, but after losing both of his own parents, Ryoma tended to try and keep his parental figures at arms' length after that. Mikoto, loving mother that she was, always tried to connect with him anyway, but they weren’t as close as many people believe. A lot of that comes from the fact that he showed immense support for her at the beginning of her reign, calling her “Mother” and taking her opinions and advice very seriously. He genuinely did grow to think of her as his mother and would sing her praises all day long, but in the end their bond wasn’t similar to that of the ones she had with Sakura or Takumi. They relied on each other a lot politically and socially, but emotional connections could be sporadic. It’s why Yukimura’s choice of words for their connection is “cordial”.

‣ I imagine one of Ryoma’s first political moves is to change the succession order to being just by age, rather than age and gender. He does this as a way to honour Queen Mikoto’s memory, as she was living proof of the power of an influential female leader. It’s considered quite the controversial move, but we all know our boy can be manipulative when he wants to be — so when people try to question him, he will always asks them if they’re insinuating that Mikoto was anything less than perfect. Do they think they could have done better than her, if they were to walk in her shoes? They tend to shut up quickly after that.

‣ I’ve mentioned that I think Ryoma probably doesn’t believe too much in the “women are inherently inferior to men and need to be soft and delicate” idea on the surface, considering he was raised by and is deeply bonded to four (or five, considering Corrin’s gender) strong women, but I think he definitely still has a problem with understanding that protective paternalism isn’t helpful. He’s very absorbed in his expected gender role as a man, to the point that he doesn’t really even consider how patronizing he comes across. He genuinely thinks he’s helping and doing something good, because his one main job in life has been protector. He’s not thinking about how unfair it is to assume that the women in his life need his back-up or can’t handle things, he just thinks he’s being chivalrous.

‣ Not a morning person, mostly because he's a really bad sleeper. Total grumpy grump. He’ll get up when Saizo or Kagero wakes him, but he’s not happy about it. In fact, for the most part they’re very uninvolved in his morning routines because he wants them to stay out of the way. Just give him the clothes and he’ll fuss with his hair and they’ll all be presentable in a bit. Until he’s had his coffee for the day, don’t talk to him. In fact, unless you’re bringing his coffee for the day, don’t talk to him.

‣ Speaking of Ryoma and his terrible sleep schedule, I like to think he is also a 3 a.m. snacker. And not just like, a small snacker — heavy snacks. The reason he knows how to cook is at least partially because he needs to cook his own 3 a.m. meals. His sleep schedule is so bad and his eating schedule isn’t much better. He gets wrapped up in whatever he’s doing and then suddenly eight hours have passed, and all he’s had is a cup of tea. So he goes out to search for and prep midnight eats. Admittedly, he’s a little embarrassed that he does this — especially because, per Revelation, Xander won’t. stop. catching. him. (“Listen — if you would like a helping of beef curry, just ask instead of skulking around in the dark in such a manner!”)

‣ Kinda prefers not being called by his royal title when he can help it. In the Japanese version of Birthright, he actually tells Scarlet to call him by his first name when his identity is revealed (approximations because I am working from memory here, but… ENG: "You may simply call me Lord Ryoma", JPN: "Ryoma is fine"). For close friends, Ryoma will often just ask people to call him by his first name. The title is fine and everything, he cherishes it because it is representative so much and it is technically a gift from his parents, but there’s a certain ease that comes to talking to people without it. It’s like the equivalent of actually being able to let it go for a little bit when his friends don’t feel the need to call him “lord” and “milord”. Honestly, he’ll even allow cutesy nicknames, too… but they do make him a little embarrassed. He’ll never get used to Camilla calling him by her variation of pet names. Just Ryoma is fine, why does she insist on things like ‘honey bun’? (The answer: she likes that it makes him flustered.)

‣ Of all of the Hoshidan royal siblings, it is the most difficult to make him cry, but let it be known that it is not as difficult to make him cry as you think it might be. Still pretty hard, but certain things can and do get the water works flowing. He just also tries rather viciously to deny the tears, so by the end of it when he finally does start to cry, his face is usually quite pink and he’s really trying to hide behind his hair. He finds crying really embarrassing and tries to avoid doing it in public at all costs, but is more likely to allow it if it’s for happy occasions. Like if one of his siblings was getting married? Then it’s okay to be a little glassy-eyed. They’re worth it.

#fire emblem fates #fire emblem #fire emblem Ryoma #fe Ryoma #fe14 #fire emblem fates spoilers #FE headcanons

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