#azure moon

[plotthotrobin]

One of my favorite things I see artists do with Byleth is giving them different designs/outfits for each route in the same vein as Corrin’s Hoshido/Nohr classes in Fates. I honestly think one area FE3H fell short on was showing the differences between each version of Byleth - because you can’t convince me that they are just consistently the same every time despite the drastically different things they are fighting for.

I imagine Crimson Flower!Byleth is likely the most cold and aloof, and has the least amount of tolerance for bullshit. Not to say they are emotionally detatched - I also think they are obviously incredibly loyal and are willing to do nearly anything for those they love. I think this version of Byleth doesn’t shy away from using intimidation to their advantage - and while they still aren’t fond of the moniker “Ashen Demon”, they mind it the least here.

I interpret Azure Moon!Byleth as being the most honor-bound and morally rigid. Not to the degree of the rest of the Blue Lions, mind you, but their students rubbed off on them. They always go by a strict set of personal rules that nobody can quite seem to pinpoint, because they don’t always align with the standards of Faerghus or the Church of Serios. They obviously believe in the idea of redemption and are quick to extend that opportunity when possible. I also think this version of Byleth truly despises being called “Ashen Demon”.

I see Verdant Wind!Byleth as being far more eloquently spoken when they want to be, mostly due to the off-screen interactions with the Round Table. They are constantly questioning almost everything they are told for pretty obvious reasons, albeit usually internally or in the way of personal research. They are far more willing to be underhanded than the other two in the name of the greater good - potentially even more so than Claude himself, at least in certain areas. This Byleth is also the best at expressing/communicating their emotions - not by a large margin or anything, this is still Byleth, but there’s a notable difference.

And I’m sure there’s also changes in Silver Snow!Byleth, but I don’t really care about that route enough to analyze tbh. Maybe something about them having the most passion but the least sense of self?

[curse-d-owl]

Edelgard waged war cause she believes Rhea and the others are villains that are against progress. Her goal is to kill them and conquer Fodlan so she can change it for the better.

Problem is her accusations are false, her war is unjustified and has done nothing to help the people she's trying to save proven by Byleth's paired ending with Rhea, Hanneman's and Linhardt's paired ending with Lysithea, Petra's, Claude's, Dimitri's Seteth's, Lorenz's, Sylvain's, Hanneman's, Lysithea's endings.

The other nations don't fight back to keep the status quo as it is, they fight back to protect their people and end her war. There is no shades of gray regarding her war. At best she is a misguided villain like Walhart.

Plus she's every bit the villain she accuses Rhea of being.

She lies and manipulates the truth herself in white clouds and cf.

She drags Brigid into her war, refuses to free them from the Empire's imperialism and attempts to kill Petra for standing against her. Edelgard's and Hubert's "respect" for Brigid is conditional.

Uses her citizens as meatshields and launches demonic beasts in the capital

Responds with dissent with murder attempts

And refuses to cooperate and end the war she started diplomatically.

Only reason there is still discourse about this game cause her fans can't accept that fact she is the villain and provoke her critics with childish insults and waste their time with disingenuous and bad faith arguments.

You can't claim Edelgard's accusation that Rhea and the other leaders are violently against change is true the same way you can't claim Dimitri's accusation that Edelgard is responsible for the tragedy is true.

You can't deny that Edelgard bled fodlan dry the same way you can't deny Rhea didn't sacrifice defensless citizens in the last chapter of cf.

[iubworks]

Felix Hugo Fraldarius

[wild-moss-art]

this is how I feel when I play azure moon

[int800art]

[captain-maes-art]

🌑🦁

[calamari-inari]

"... you become what you believe."

Dimitri and AM!Ferdinand mini doujin, 7 pages. Read right to left!

Transcript and personal captions under the cut

CW: blood

Comic transcript. Thoughts/monologues are in parentheses. Background dialogue is in brackets.

PAGE 1

D: Ferdinand.

D: I've been wanting to ask you a question...

F: (He looks like a demon..!)

F: Yes? What is it? Please speak properly...

PAGE 2

D: Why did you leave the Empire?

D: I remember how you were during our time at the Officers Academy.

D: You placed so much pride in your heritage.

F: What is the use of pride if I have nothing left?

F: The former Duke Aegir was dismissed. My title, my land... They are all gone now.

D: ...It's because of that woman.

D: Tell me, what do you seek?

PAGE 3

F: I am not sure I understand.

D: Last night, I entrusted one task to you.

[P-please! I'll tell you what I know!]

F: Yes. I killed the Imperial soldier as you had instructed me.

D: That is what I mean.

D: You are simply following my orders.

D: You did not want to kill him, correct?

F: Dimitri, he had vital information for us and you did not let him finish!

PAGE 4

D: Anyway, similarly, I also lost the throne. I have little care for that, however.

D: Now, I'm fighting with a single mission: avenging the dead. They will not be satisfied until I have her head.

F: *sigh* You had said that, but you should not accept that as true.

D: What rubbish. Anyone that deserves to die will die.

F: Dimitri! That is-

PAGE 5

D: Silence, Ferdinand!

D: This hatred and regret I feel... Nothing I do will ever be enough until that witch is gone.

D: What are you-

PAGE 6

D: ... Hmph. What a pest you are.

D: Why do you insist on staying by my side? As you used to closely affiliate with that woman, I could easily kill you here and now.

F: You do not wish to, do you? Because your heart says otherwise. Learn to forgive yourself.

D: But do I deserve forgiveness? The guilt that weighs down on me is...

PAGE 7

F: Dimitri, while I may have left the Empire behind, my nobility has not dulled.

F: Create the grandest vision for yourself because you become what you believe. Do you understand? It is a noble's duty to support you until the end, no matter how far you may stray.

F: That is why I am here for you.

💙🧡💙🧡💙🧡

I don't really draw comics often, but this was certainly worth the effort!! I've always thought Ferdinand is the greatest support character ever, and with him joining the Blue Lions, his role won't change. Just like in the stories of Pan and Loog, Ferdinand would choose to help Dimitri on his path to become the restoration king of Faerghus without ever taking any credit. It's quite evident in his character based on some of his paired endings. I just think that's one of the things that makes them so great and sweet 🥺 I imagine Ferdinand wouldn't hate Edelgard in AM, but rather, he wants to show her that he's able to support his lord (Dimitri) in a way that she never would have thought of. After all in AM, Edelgard only ever knew his snobby academy version who would always childishly rival her.

Please let me know if you liked it!! I'm definitely creating more fanart of these two (maybe a little more intimate next time because I want to lol 🫶)

[momochanners]

Claude ponders the possible consequences of not reaching out his hand...

Dear Teach: Chapter 3 is updated over at my P@treon!

[themisteriousentity]

"Golden Deer is boring though it's lackluster, the characters aren't as strong as the other paths there's less conflict-"

You fool. You absolute buffon. Golden Deer is perfectly designed. Not only does it feed into the whole "alliance" theme well by having the characters still work together despite their differences and feelings well before hitting those A supports, but it's ALSO the only route that actually puts the focus on YOU the player. Or, rather, Byleth themself

Black Eagle is about whether or not you can agree to Edelgard's ideals of acceptable sacrifice and perspective that there's only 1 way to do things. The branching happens when you decide whether or not you agree, but ultimately it just explores opposing or agreeing with Edelgard. Anything more than that is really just incidental to that main concept, whether it's Crimson Flower or Silver Snow, the entire time you're focused either on helping Edelgard achieve her goals or you're focused on showing her how wrong she is alongside the Black Eagles who think it's their duty to correct Edelgard's wrongs (and I have a whole separate thing in regards to how the cast acts in Crimson Flower verses Silver Snow). It works really well for characters designed around an empire, a domineering form of government where (usually) a singular ruler determines the course and focus

Blue Lions is focused entirely on working on past issues and learning to bring yourself into the present, but it's done almost entirely through the cast more than the player. The Blue Lions themselves all have their own traumas and deep-seated past issues that hinder or help progress. While both Blue Lions and Black Eagles have a lot in common when it comes to traumatized characters and ideology, the ideology is front and center, while in Boue Lions, their interpersonal conflicts are front and center. This shows especially in the final (non romance) scene, where Dimitri decides that his personal attachment to Edelgard and past memories still matter, and he reaches out a hand, despite her immediately trying to kill him. It's fitting for a route designed around a kingdom, which is usually built entirely on interpersonal dealings between the ruling class

Golden Deer, however, is designed very differently. Unlike the other 3 routes, the player, or more specifically Byleth, is put as the driving force instead of the Lord. And this is actually what makes Golden Deer such a good route and one with the best ending of all of them. Claude has ideals, but he isn't a person who wants to force others to follow his path like Edelgard. Claude has lived a life of strife where his past motivates him, but it doesn't chain him the same way it does Dimitri. Instead, he works on understanding everyone around him and working together towards agreed upon goals, while taking on stuff that isn't agreed upon onto himself. But more than that, while all the Lord's value your opinion, Claude is the only one who actually takes what Byleth wants (rather than just what they think about specific matters) into consideration for his plans. Repeatedly you tell Seteth in Silver Snow that you don't want to kill Edelgard, but he pushes that you have no choice. Pretty much the entire first half of Azure Moon is Dimitri ignoring you. And in Crimson Flower, you've all but completely submitted to Edelgard's will with a couple of exceptions (which actually proves my point because it's specifically in regards to the Golden Deer because you can fight the entirety of Crimson Flower while sparing all of them except for Judith). But in Verdant Wind, Claude doesn't hide that he has a problem with the church and wants Rhea gone. In Golden Wildfire, without Byleth, he's more than happy to just get rid of her without a second thought. But when Byleth is the protagonist, he goes out of his way to accommodate your wants into his plans and goals. When you express as the player that you want to reason with Edelgard and ponder if you can't walk the same path, Claude agrees with you and says he'll make it happen if he can, with the other Golden Deer mostly agreeing. When that,can't happen you both lament the fact that Edelgard gave you no choice together. He makes finding Rhea a priority, mostly because as curious as he is in general, he wants to help you find out answers only Rhea can give you. And all of the Golden Deer do this to some extent, with each other but also with you as the player. I think Hilda and Marianne's A supports with Byleth show this best personally, but that's a personal opinion. And it just works so well for a route designed around the idea of an alliance, people coming together and agreeing to work towards a goal bigger than themselves

And that's not to say the other routes aren't as good as Golden Deer, they're all equally well written, but it just makes me sad when I see people giving the Golden Deer route grief just because the characters aren't the same when it does its theme so beautifully

[finnicksghost]

fire emblem: three houses [azure moon] / herakles by euripedes (trans. anne carson)

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

(the bullshit is senseless murder)

rodrigue spoiler bonus:

[curse-d-owl]

Edelgard and possessing self awareness is an oxymoron.

They say this while violently invading Leicester and Faerghus with the intent to kill their leaders and conquer their lands.

She did not offer a single ounce of dialogue before irrationally jumping to war. To make matters worse Claude and Dimitri are the ones who want to have a meaningful dialouge and end the war in peace and cooperation. Mind you they and their people are the victims of her aggressions.

And how does she respond towards mercy from the victims she hurt?

With irrational violence and ungratefulness.

This is the character people have fought 5 years and counting to defend btw

[iubworks]

Dimileth - Family

[cosmosnout]

Winter

[int800art]

5th year anniversary for FE3H!

2024.07.26

[cherrypikkins]

i keep forgetting that the Arianrhod mission (The Silver Maiden, Dimitri's Paralogue) ends with Hubert's defeat and always feel the whiplash of Dimitri informing me that despite the fortress being still full of imperial soldiers no, we will NOT in fact be killing every last one of them -cries in lost XP-