#but this clip does make me sad for Sylvain

[callmewishful]

This clip from AM is reason 23 why I think Miklan should have lived in AG.

If Sylvain was this remorseful over the worst version of Miklan, imagine how upset he was over what was arguably the best version of Miklan when he died. Imagine the dynamic between them that could have occurred if Miklan had been allowed to keep growing.

[dcggersedge]

“Hey Professor, I heard that you’ll be teaching the Black Eagles from now on. Makes me sad that the Blue Lions are losing their brightest starriest teacher!” The big pout on his face was very obviously fake, quickly vanishing into a cheeky smile. “Guess my move at the cauldron didn’t exactly help!” Sylvain wasn’t the most familiar with Yunaka. He attended her classes as normal, did as he was told (save for lessons here and there that he’d gracefully skip), but never exactly had the chance to get closer to her. She didn’t seem like the type of girl that would hound him, so it wasn’t even that- circumstances just didn’t seem to align.

“But hey, jokes aside.” His expression then changed into something uncommon. Content- in a mostly neutral way. The corners of his lips pulled slightly up in a reasonable and real smile, a peek through the usual varnish Sylvain tended to coat himself with on a daily basis. “Thanks for everything you’ve done for us so far. We never got to talk that much, but I really appreciated your lessons and your carefree attitude. I hope the Black Eagles take good care of you, or I might start putting in complaints!” 

A short laugh. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll be going far away, yeah? So we’ll still get to see each other in the halls. Maybe if I’m a really lucky boy, I’ll even get to have lunch with you one day! Or perhaps even a date if that goes really well?” Sylvain wiggled his eyebrows, allowed a brief pause…before raising one finger. “Just kidding! Just kidding!...Or not? Whatever’s best for you!”

He offered her a small, packaged bundle. Inside it was a handmade hairclip- a star, just like Yunaka’s own, but with eight points and imbued in homebrewed magic. If detached from the clip, it could be used as a compass. There were however no notes nor comments on how it was made, nor where it came from. “Happy holidays, and good luck there Professor! This is totally not me asking you out, by the way!”

After a few of her newly acquired flock had come to visit her, Yunaka had gotten a bit used to students randomly popping in to see her throughout the day. This was important, because the urge to grab her weapon after jumping surprise was a bit easier to control when she was anticipating it.

She was not anticipating to turn and find a lion.

"Sylvain?" Surprise stops her in place, watching him curiously. They hadn't really talked much outside of class, aside from that mess at the cauldron and the continued mess at the trial. She hadn't expected anyone to care that much about her swapping houses, but she definitely hadn't expected him.

(Their last conversation had been her scolding him and running away. She grimaces internally a little, even if she does hope her order to be more cautious with his life did stick.)

Yunaka laughs and waves off his self-deprecating joke. "There's plenty of lions who sparkle and shine way more than I do, you're not losing anything special at all." And aside from...whatever was going on in some student's personal lives, she was a lot less worried about them than the little snippets she'd heard from the Eagles. They'd be fine without her.

"I'm sure the Eagles will be fine, but I can give you little reports on how things are going when we bump into each other." Everyone made it sound like the houses were miles apart and couldn't speak with each other. Didn't those monthly assignments the church put out encourage cross house cooperation or whatever? She was sure she'd see them all again soon enough.

"Wh- you too? Was there a memo I missed or something for all these gifts?" How did everyone and their grandma have one prepared?

The little star is cute. Different from the ones she wears, and just by poking at it she can tell that there's something going on there. It'll clash horribly. She likes it, though. She doesn't have a lot of stars that others have made for her.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. And I-" She chokes on her words half way through what was going to be a heartfelt sentiment. Date!? She's too busy gawking at his stupid expression to respond, and thankfully he throws the offer away as a joke before she has to. Yunaka huffs and scowls at him. "Geez! Don't scare somebody like that!"

"Anyway thank you, Sylvain. I appreciate it, and I'm sorry I didn't get to do much more than lie to you during that candy game, but like you said, we'll both be around. Not for dates!" She quickly points at him before he can make the joke again. "Stop bringing up dates if you don't mean it, gosh!"

She huffs again, turning and walking back towards her office. She's got things to do still. She waves goodbye at him over her shoulder. "Happy holidays, Sylvain! Go and do something nice and safe and that doesn't involve ingesting unknown liquids!"

[sabineelectricheart]

The Dull Shine of the Blue Sea Star

Summary: After the Immaculate One dies, Byleth’s Crest Stone heart disappears. Her biological one does not kick up.

Rating: T - Suitable for teens, 13 years and older, with some violence, minor coarse language, and minor suggestive adult themes.

Words: 2300

Notes: This was experimental, I swear. Hopefully a successful one.

Her soft green hair fell back from her shoulders, the wind causing the locks to brush against his cheek. Their hands squeezed together and their fingers stuck in a tight bond. It was a cold, dark evening in Fhirdiad, and everything was silent, as if preparing for the vigils that would inevitably come.

They knew, from monitoring the roads linking the city to the plains inland, that it was not evacuated. If there were no ferries out, which was unlikely due to being only the beginning of Spring and the waters were still too tempestuous, almost all residents were in their homes.

The Emperor stood in front of them, selecting those who would invade the city with her. Sylvain knew the choice was already made, and it was not Edelgard who decided it. This was pure theatre, but he did not mind, or rather, he preferred it so. Such a situation made his girlfriend less of a target for political murder, and he does not feel any particular devotion to his adopted sovereign.

The Black Eagle Strike Force would invade the castle, while him and a few other mages would help evacuating the civilians and fighting any militias that appeared in the narrow, uneven streets. No surprises there.

Ostensively, the redhead was left out of the main attack because he was the one who knew the city best, but he knows the truth. The Emperor does not trust him, and so it would be preferrable if he just kept out of the way while the elites handled the dirty work.

Sylvain had not seen Gautier in over five years. He spent all his time in Adrestia as military police, trying to keep the peace in the home front and order in the army. Faerghus is, effectively as of last night, part of the Empire. Yet, after all this, he is still seen as a foreigner in the Imperial Army, and most importantly, amongst the Black Eagles he risked his life to protect.

Oh, he gets along swimmingly with Dorothea, and has a strange but highly-functioning relationship with Bernadetta, but he absolutely loathes everyone else there. From Ferdinand’s incessant self-aggrandizing to Linhardt’s nonchalant demeanour, he finds his commanders to be absolutely nightmarish.

Though, to be fair, every friend he ever had was now dead and rotting in the Tailtean Plains, so perhaps he was right in following his brain rather than his heart on that one.

He did not follow his brain, did he? He followed his girlfriend. Byleth Eisner was the professor of the Black Eagles, their very beating heart, which was rather ironic, as she did not have a heartbeat of her own. She knew the Church the best, and if she says they are rotten to the core, then he believes it. No questions asked.

Considering Rhea’s behaviour these past few years, the nobleman wagers he was also right on that front.

Byleth’s position amongst the Black Eagles was incontestable. It was clear to see how much the Emperor adored her professor, and most of her former students love her just as much, but this does not translate in her fitting in with them. They were traditionalist nobles, focused on politics and etiquette. They were lovingly dismissive of the simple habits and preferences of a girl that was birthed into bloody militia conflicts.

He gets that, as he did not fit in the ideals of martial grandiose that permeated so thoroughly Faerghus culture. This is why, in fact, they became so attached with one another. Just a pair of misfits banding together. When it came time to transfer classes, he knew he would not feel comfortable amongst the Eagles, either, but he preferred the mercenary over the creepy Crest scholar as an advisor.

The invading strike force was saying their goodbyes to those who would stay behind when the fire broke out. Her heart dropped when she heard an unknown voice speak up.

“Your Majesty!” A soldier alerted them suddenly. “There's smoke coming from every corner of the capital! It seems they've set fire to the city!”

“What?! Damn it, Rhea. There really is no depth you wouldn't sink into.” The Emperor barked. “Everyone, we must commence our attack at once. Are you ready?”

Byleth felt his grip on her hand loosen before completely disappearing. He stood there for a moment, looking down at the girl he was so in love with for the past five years of his short and miserable life.

“I am sorry…” Sylvain whispered. “It is going to be alright. I love you, Byleth.”

Before she could say anything, the nobleman kissed the top of her head before making his way through the crowd. He directed the mounted soldiers to various neighbourhoods, in sights to save as many people as they could. The bugle calls of distress were sounded through the city, as citizens ran towards the invading army as a liberation force.

Fhirdiad was in the middle of a plain, between Tailtean and Itha, but the castle was located on a steep hill on the far northeast side of the city. The tall watching towers of grey stone were visible everywhere from the estuary harbour to the southern gates leading to Arianrhod and Gaspard.

As such, all the people in the city could see the large, grey dragon howling and the large golems that emerged in the upper neighbourhoods. If the invasion was lost, it was clear for all who wanted to see that the Church of Seiros was a monstruous cabal. The war was won either way.

The investiture towards the dragon was slow and painful. The fire was out by three hours past midnight, but by the time the strike force was able to reach the steps to the castle, the morning sun was peeking timidly from the Ogma Mountains.

Sylvain managed to cross the mostly cleared battlefield with rather ease while mounted on his steed, even if the area still mostly burned. Eyes danced along the scene in front of him, deciding to jump into action. He yanked his lance from the holster, trying to assure the retreating Black Eagles a safe escape.

From a few yards, as he fought desperate Church soldiers ready to die for their cause, he could see Edelgard dealing the final blow to the Immaculate One, who fell spilling rich and sickly green blood on the stone paved floors of the formerly Blaiddyd castle.

Before he could ride ahead, though, Sylvain saw as life left the body of his intended, as a spirit that left her body into the skies, fear and dread rupturing through his chest.

It all felt like time froze right then and there for the redhead. Hubert rushed to grip his arm, no doubt wondering that, now that the professor is dead, Sylvain is a terrorist in potential. The cavalier, however, was much stronger than the sickly-looking warlock, and so managed to slip out, running straight towards his lover.

Gripping Byleth in his arms, he dropped to the ground with her, eyes brimming with pain and sorrow. Tears rolled down his cheeks, dripping into her hair as he shook his head. To his side, Edelgard was also crying unconsolably, hanging on to a piece of lace as if it held the deed to the Empire.

“No, you are not allowed, professor.” He bawled like he had not ever since he was a three-year-old boy. “You are not allowed to leave me here like this. I need you. You are all I have and I cannot just let go like this.”

Each hectic battle around them seemed to disappear as they spent their last few moments together. The Gautier heir cried out in genuine pain, watching as his lover’s eyes fell closed in a permanent slumber. Nobody had ever quite seen the young man that deeply hurt, he was not one to ever show his real emotions. A deep feeling of defeat rushed through him, sobbing into the girl’s chest. He hoped he would hear a breath, but the silence only broke him more.

As Hubert rushes ahead to console his sovereign, Sylvain is left alone in the courtyard. He does not know for how long he is there crying, for a moment or for hours, until a warm hand holds his shoulders.

“Come on, Sylvain.” The voice was clipped and restrained, as if holding in deep sadness, but no less melodious. “You need a bath. The soldiers will carry the body inside, and we will be able to give her the proper rites this afternoon.”

“I can’t, Dorothea. Not right now.” He said between hiccups. “Just leave me here for a while, will you?”

“Very well, but don’t mind if I stay with you.” She conceded, wrapping an arm around his broad shoulders and letting the tears fall from her shiny eyes.

Sylvain looked up, the dark clouds over Fhirdiad fading away. The war was over and the Church was banished forever. He clung to Byleth’s body, rocking her back and forth as soft begs for her to wake up spewed from his chapped lips. He pulled back for a moment, glancing over her motionless frame when his eyes caught sight of something sticking out of her corset. His fingers slipped into the fabric, pulling out a neatly folded piece of paper, stuffing it into his own pocket.

*_*_*_*_*

Weeks and Moons had passed Sylvain by. He returned to Gautier, to claim his territory back, finding little on the way of resistance. His parents fled to Sreng, and it seems they were not going to be back anytime soon.

By decree of the Emperor, the great commander of the Unification Wars would be memorialized on a monument in Enbarr, where she would have her final rest in august adoration of the subjects.

As such, Sylvain moved to the capital and spent as much of his time in the city as he possibly could. He would visit Byleth’s grave every day late in the afternoon, just before the sunset, leaving a single valerian flower at the headstone.

Sylvain still had not opened the paper he had found in his intended’s clothes, but he often would stare at it at night before he went to bed. Something about it all seemed different one very specific night.

It was the 27th of Horsebow Moon, Byleth’s twenty-seventh birthday and the two had plans to celebrate it in the Goddess Tower at midnight with a dance before sneaking down to the lawn to stargaze. His arms rested against the railing that went along the burial monument, clutching the paper in his hands.

With shaky fingers, the redhead nobleman unfolded the paper, smiling sadly when he saw her beautiful handwriting. He had become so accustomed to her writing, since she would always write him letters, in place of the speech she felt so impeded with at times.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sylvain began to take in each word neatly etched onto the paper.

28th of the Great Tree Moon, Imperial Year 1186

Sylvain,

I hate that I am writing this, but there is always the instance of a defeat against Rhea. If I am being completely candid, I do not think I will be walking out that castle tomorrow morning. Rhea created me, surely she knows of ways to dispose of me just as swiftly.

That being said, I cannot in good conscience leave you empty-handed if something happened to me, could I? I plan to burn this missive if I somehow live, so I must assume something has happened if you are reading this. I feel ashamed to say that the thought of you getting over me makes me sick to my stomach, but I also would feel absolutely devastated if you are sad forever and I do not want you to spend all of your life mourning me.

Smile because it happened, Sylvain, do not cry that it is over. The time we spent together has meant the absolute world to me and I would not trade a second of them for anything in the universe.

Never forget that I loved you more than life itself and I always will. You, Sylvain, will always be the forever owner of my heart. Do not hold yourself back, do not let your heart grow cold. Find someone and love them the way you loved me for all these years. Do not spare your happiness.

With all the love in the universe,

~B

Hot tears welled in the man’s eyes, picking up a small locket on his coat, the locket that Byleth had gifted Sylvain that first Saint Seiros Day, when he promised to be a better man to deserve her affections.

Opening it, his heart warmed at the small tuft of azure blue hair tied in black lace preserved with care inside. His intended had not sat for any portraits, and the Emperor refused, with Sylvain’s support, refused to memorialize her likeness in the tomb. This small relic is all he has to remember the love of his life. This, and now this letter.

Closing the locket and siding the chain around his neck, Sylvain looked down at the pendant resting on his chest. A soft sigh fell from him as he looked out along the large and empty square by the soft rolling of the rivers draining Enbarr, silence surrounding him as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

The young man stepped back from the railing and wrapped one hand around the pendant, holding it close to his heart.

“Happy birthday, Byleth.” His voice was soft as his amber eyes settled on the brightest star up in the sky.

Whether or not they actually killed the Goddess, he knows not, but he hopes he is able to meet her in the Blue Sea Star someday.

*_*_*_*_*

Fire Emblem Masterlist

Three Houses Masterlist

[ohsweetflips]

okay just gonna be very honest here, mad spoilers for amnesty episode 29 under the cut bc i’m basically gonna be documenting the emotional turmoil me and my best friend just went through

[us, getting breakfast before listening]

me: so, yeah, the description of this episode was something like “one final lunar interlude. our heroes reflect on what got them to this point before their final standoff.”

him: oh my god it’s just going to be a recap

me: i thought it was going to be flashbacks? except, like, from their past before amnesty?

[us, starting the episode]

griffin: so yeah you’re gonna hear some old clips-

my friend: told you! it’s a recap episode!

[the episode beginning]

us: who tf is this man

me: holy shit they’re skipping months

mama doesn’t know where the sylphs are??? amnesty lodge is closed????? it’s months later?????

our current attitude: ?? kinda skeptical but we’ll go with it

[duck’s section]

hey!! sarah drake!!

we lost it laughing at minerva’s “i’m going to eat a pizza and watch the voice”

it sounds like kepler is closed off from the public? like, with the extraterrestial stuff and the mountain collapsing, it sounds like kepler is guarded off like in apocalyptic movies so that no one can get in or leave? and that’s, how do u say, very concerning!!!

like, it seems like A Lot of fbi agents are coming into kepler which, like, makes sense, but still

my friend: listening to this is kinda confusing

me: yeah it’s almost like the same person is playing seven different characters at once

[ad break]

me: ngl i’m kinda nervous but also i think this is how everyone who listened to balance as it was happening felt when stolen century started so... i trust griffin, but i’m nervous

my friend: oh yeah griffin is going to make this all work out

also my friend: also mama is being kept in captivity bc she doesn’t know where the sylphs are but duck does because of the spring-thing

me: holy shit

also it sounds like amnesty lodge is either closed bc a) the sylphs are gone, b) it was raided, or c) it was destroyed by the fucking mountain falling into town

honestly it sounds like kepler in general is in shambles

[mama’s section part 2]

basically the one thing that has been sticking out to me is the light creature stuff. like, even when we first saw them back in the water arc, it always stuck out to me that they all seemed Incredibly At Peace

honestly thank god for this section because i forgot so much about thacker, especially how fucking creepy that scene was with him and aubrey in the basement

[aubrey’s scene]

hey!! the hornets!!!

i love how aubrey and the hornets are working together, tho it seems rather begrudgingly

me and my friend settled on that it seems like they’re... preparing for something? a fight, obviously, but against what, or who?

aubrey is preparing some Big Magic

also the music playing behind aubrey trying to cast A Spell was so fucking good

also thank god for those flashbacks bc a) they fit so well and b) i forgot so much

and i’m so glad they finally came back to the interpreter, i was wondering what was gonna happen w/ her

tho, tbh, me and my best friend had this moment of utter understanding

it was during the flashback when janelle was telling aubrey about sylvain and how she disappeared and no one knows where she went

and i just turned to my friend and said, “i think aubrey is actually sylvain”

and my best friend said, “i was about to say the same fucking thing, aubrey isn’t a sylph because she is literally sylvain”

so that’s the theory we have

also me and my friend: where! is! dani!

bc obvi i will never stop worrying abt dani

[that fucking final scene]

okay

okay

o k a y

throughout this entire episode, i was thinking to myself, “god, i’m kinda nervous for ned’s section. it’s probably going to be a funeral, right? like, it’s gonna be sad, yeah?”

but then, i started thinking to myself, “hey... this episode is only, like, an hour and fifteen minutes... and mama’s already had two sections, and duck had his, and aubrey is having her section, and it’s long, so, like... are they gonna skip ned?”

and then

and then

we hear clint gasping for breath

and the amnesty theme starts

and me and my best friend kinda side eye each other

bc, listen, i love ned so much and would love more of him, but i kinda didn’t want him to come back bc his death was so impactful that it would’ve kinda... ruined the moment?

and then we hear, “aubrey! you did it!”

and then

we hear

“welcome back, thacker”

and we

fucking

lose

our 

minds

we both gasp and throw our hands over my mouth (im still driving tho so one-handed)

and we’re both just speechless

and we’re just staring at my radio as the ending music plays

and i start absolutely fucking losing it, “holy shit! clint is fucking thacker now! holy fucking shit! oh my god!” except like take that x1000

and i’m screaming and me and my best friend are just staring at each other and, finally, he says, “griffin mcelroy is a fucking genius”

and we replay the moment bc we Cannot Fucking Believe That Just Happened

and, oh my god, it was fucking wild, bc we were still driving down by the beaches and absolutely freaking out and my friend is like, “it was so perfectly set up! griffin is a fucking genius! thacker is a character with no established personality or backstory! it’s fucking perfect!”

and i was telling him abt all the theories that had been going around and just

holy shit

it was definitely one of those “you had to be there in my car to truly see what was going on” moments bc me and my best friend were absolutely losing our minds and, ngl, if you can, find a friend to enjoy stuff with! bc i listen to amnesty w/ my best friend and, as someone who already loves amnesty and has a lot of fun listening to it, it makes it so much more fun!!

and, like, we had been saying that entire episode, “something is gonna happen with thacker, something’s gonna happen”

and, well, something happened with thacker

like, okay, we all kinda assumed clint would still be There, but i was thinking it was gonna be ned flashbacks or something

but clint coming back to play thacker??? that is officially one of the best the adventure zone moments ever like that part needs to be cemented in adventure zone history

we are also waiting for when shit goes down with fucking dr. harris bonkers phd bc he was mentioned A Good Amount Of Times

now, we’re just wondering how the next couple episodes are gonna take place

griffin said that, in two weeks, the final arc will begin. does he mean the finale, or does he mean an actual arc before the finale?

anyways, i’m so fucking hyped, and amnesty is so fucking good, and i knew i was right in not paying attention to other people saying “oh amnesty won’t have moments like what balance had” bc i knew that the end arcs of amnesty were going to pack a fucking punch

so, yeah, moral of my ted talk, amnesty is really fucking great!!!!

“griffin said gay rights when he brought thacker back” “gay and trans rights”