#comes from likely having to accept being seen as that in Almyra as a defense mechanism

[butwhatifidothis]

shout out to two-years-ago me for spittin' this bit of Claude meta in the tags of a random post lmao

[kendrixtermina]

It REALLY annoys me when ppl single out Edelgard as the one who ‘needs the MC’.

Edelgard carries through her plan wether Byleth is there or not; She’s just less lonely, can do more stuff like she actually wants to, and may escape without dying in the process, but she was fine with being an unsung hero/dying for her goals & her goals are at least partially  accomplished (slitherers & Rhea removed from positions of power, more competent ruler); If she wanted to escape alive Dimitri & Claude would probably have let her go. But she got what she wanted & went out on her own terms.

 Likewise, Claude can survive everything and even  ‘win’ in both AM and CF. (what he wants is a more stable Fodlan, a ruler interested in peace with Almyra and to get the Alliance out as unscathed as possible, & he mostly gets that. Slightly less so in Silver Snow.) It’s just that in VW he is much more successful, he gets all the answers he wanted & was able to grow a bit less cynical. 

The one who really crashes & burns without Byleth there is Dimitri. He’s not really acting out of values or a plan but just reacting to his emotions & misguided sense of duty & only in Azure Moon does he get to a point where he is doing deliberate action that actually produce the results he wants/truly cares about. 

And don’t get me wrong: That is in part ‘cause the deck is really stacked against him both through the chaos in his country & his personal situation, and like, I get that it’s part of the appeal; AM is supposed to be an underdog story & a lot of the catharsis comes from finally giving the poor guy a break. (and Dedue, too! ...and Gilbert I guess but he’s not typically the one ppl are excited about) 

And i mean, needing/accepting help is only human. 

But like, maybe Edelgard has a few moments where she’s really glad to have someone to tell her doubts to,  and because she’s very self-critical once you get to know her & has kind of been in doubt about her own humanity since the procedures she’ll underestimate what she might’ve done on her own. 

But... have you even SEEN Claude’s support chain? It’s ALL gushing. In Dimitri’s case it’s more in the plot cutscenes, and veeery blushy too (as Dude!Byleth/Dimitri shippers correctly point out all the time) I’d say that Claude’s mindset is actually changed very profoundly. In Edelgard’s case she tries to convince/recruit you the whole time & you need to explicitly choose to join/back her (twice!) to even unlock her route. There isn’t actually a single scene where Edelgard wants to do some drastic thing & Byleth talks her down from it (unlike in Azure Moon which is filled to the brim with such scenes)... instead you get the A support where they’re both mutually jelly at each other’s stronger points. Besides in the dialogue there’s all this emphasis on how she’s finally found someone who measures up to her as an equal, they’re evenly matched in the SS reunion cutscene, she’d designed as an obvious foil/rival with similar powers/background & basic personality as Byleth etc... whereas with Dimitri you stay in the ‘mentor’ role the whole time.Uunless you marry him but then you’re defs the Big Spoon despite the actual sizes. (Claude meanwhile is explicitly the mastermind post timeskip; Byleth works for him & he’s trying to subtly bring them around to his more enlightened way of thinking & tip them off about Rhea)

So why is Edelgard singled out? Could it be... tits... XX chromosomes... nah, these days everyone knows that Gender is actually in your hypothalamus. Or is it just that phenomenon where ppl don’t want to see ppl they think of as enemy carricatures doing normal human things? Imma be charitable and assume it’s that. 

Corollary: Claude gets sort of the reverse treatment with ppl pidgeonholing him as “the always chill one” who “does fine on his own” & downplaying his arc in Verdant Wind. Granted, he’s the one who has living parents that were ostensibly positive influences, but he had a super fucked up life too & it affected him deeply as well. The man probably sleeps with a knife under his pillow, ppl. Like he plays a lot more defensively & opportunistic on the other routes, & laments not cracking the mysteries. He always had that hidden side to him that’s actually idealistic dreamy & even romantic but he doesn’t let that out until he grows to have more faith in VW. 

[emblem-fire]

Black Eagle!Dedue AU

Dedue starts classes in the Blue Lions House, but he isn’t totally loyal to Dimitri like he is in the canon. In this AU, he is bitter about the Murder of Duscur and about Dimitri’s refusal to do anything in terms of reparations.

Dedue spends two moons in the blue lions and in that time, he is consistently belittled and degraded by Felix and Ingrid for his heritage. He doesn’t get this treatment from his other classmates but they seldom defend him. This refusal to take action leads to a rift between the Dedue and the rest of his class. For a while, he feels totally alone.

One day, Ingrid gets exceptionally racist in the mess hall and it draws attention. Again, none in the Blue Lions stand up for Dedue but to Dedue’s surprise, quite a few Black Eagles come to his defense immediately. This leads to a spat between the the black eagles, Petra, Dorothea and Ferdinand in particular, and Ingrid and Felix. Seteth breaks up the argument but before they leave, the Black Eagles invite Dedue to their table. Dedue thinks on it a minute before he stands with his food and he goes to join them. He starts sitting with and just generally hanging out with the Eagles from then on, but it doesn’t push him to switch classes.

From then, Dedue builds relationships with most of the Eagles.

Petra becomes friends with him first, and they bond over their mutual feelings of homesickness. They become good friends doing cool friend shit like hunting and fishing together and kicking the shit out of racist monks and students. Idk I just want them to be bros, dude.

Dorothea becomes friends with him by asking him about the arts of Duscur. He’s wary of her initially, but he eventually warms up to her and he even sings the songs he remembers for her.

Ferdinand tries to be a protector to Dedue at first but that annoyed Dedue more than anything. Dedue tries to explain that he doesn’t need a defender and that while he appreciates the thought, he would rather not have Ferdinand stick his neck out like that. Ferdinand obliges, albeit a bit confused as to why someone would refuse a noble’s protection.

 Caspar becomes friends with Dedue because of how built he is. They train together all the time, and though Caspar is a bit too rambunctious for Dedue’s tastes, he indulges him anyways and he develops a friendship with him.

What pushes Dedue to leave the Blue Lions is his paralouge. Dimitri refuses to defend the Duscur rebels. He says that there are more important matters at hand, so he turns his back on the people who just want their homes back. Desperate and enraged, Dedue turns to the eagles and begs them for their aid. Without question, Byleth and Edelgard agree to help him and together, they help the Duscari rebels fend off the battalion of Faerghus soldiers. Afterwards, Edelgard offers the rebels a haven in Enbarr, so that they may live in peace. The rebels accept her offer and they go to Enbarr as temporary refugees, but with plans to take their lands back in one way or another.

Dedue is thoroughly shocked that Edelgard was so ready to aid his people who have been seen as lessers for so long and he’s even more shocked when she offers the people of Duscur her protection and a temporary home in Enbarr. It is here where Edelgard confides in Dedue that when she is Emperor, she wants to create a world of equals in terms of rights and protections. It’s vague but it’s enough for him to turn his back on Dimitri all together and join the Eagles because in this one act of aid, she has done more for Duscur than Dimitri has in his entire life.

Ingrid is predictably vindictive about his choice to leave, but everyone else is amicable about it, ranging from sad to indifferent.

When the war rolls around, Dedue doesn’t think twice about siding with the empire.

Dialogue vs former classmates

Dimitri

Dimitri: Dedue!

Dedue: Your Highness.

Dimitri: I don’t understand, how could you side with her? Can you not see the destruction that she has wrought?

Dedue: With her help, Duscur can reclaim what it has lost. She offers a future for my people, whereas Faerghus sees us as little more than a remnant of the past.

Dimitri: Faithless turncoat! Very well, then. If you fight for her despotic visions, then you’ll die too!

Ingrid

Ingrid: Duscari scum! I will rid you from the world for your treachery!

Dedue: No, Ingrid. You will only die trying.

Felix

Felix: Even if you’ve left the boar, you’re still nothing more than a dog. The only thing that’s changed is your master.

Dedue: I have no words for you.

Felix: Good. Come fight me and die.

Sylvain

Sylvain: So, this new world Edelgard wants to build is one where crests are insignificant?

Dedue: Yes. If you lay down your arms, I can promise you that you’ll have a place in it too.

Sylvain: Tempting, but I’m afraid I’ve already found a cause worth fighting for.

Dedue: Your sense of duty will get you killed.

Sylvain: I have the Lance of Ruin on my side, Dedue. I’ll take my chances.

Annette

Annette: I know I should hate you for siding with her…

Dedue: …

Annette: But, I don’t. I really do understand why you did.

Dedue: We don’t need to fight, Annette. Surrender, and I will see that you are treated with fairness and dignity.

Annette: I’m sorry, but I can’t. I will not lose my father again. Prepare yourself, I won’t go easy on you.

Ashe

Ashe: I was hoping we wouldn’t have to fight.

Dedue: As was I. I don’t suppose I can convince you to lay down your bow and surrender?

Ashe: I’m sorry, but no. I have a duty to fulfill. Even if it means I’ll die fulfilling it.

Mercedes

Mercedes: Oh! It really is lovely to see you again. It’s a shame that it’s like this, isn’t it?

Dedue: I don’t want to fight you, Mercedes. Please, stand down.

Mercedes: If only it were so simple, Dedue.

Endings in Crimson Flower route

Solo Ending

After the war finally came to a halt, the people of Duscur were able to reclaim what they had lost and then some. Dedue was widely celebrated as a hero to his people and he became the first leader of Duscur. The people wanted him to rule as a king, but he proposed a more democratic rule. Even so, Dedue was never voted out of office and under his selfless leadership, Duscur was able to bloom into a wealthy nation with rich art and world famous cuisine.

Ending with Ferdinand

After the war had finally came to a halt, the people of Duscur were finally able to reclaim what they lost and then some. Dedue became a hero to his people and together with the aid of Ferdinand von Aegir, Duscur healed from the scars of it’s past and it blossomed into a vibrant nation which was rich in trade and art. Later, after both Dedue and Ferdinand had passed, letters between the two were discovered, the contents of which were described by poets and scholars as the most beautiful and intimate expressions of love and gratitude to ever be written.

Ending with Petra

After the war had come to a close, Petra was finally crowned as the Queen of Brigid. From the very start of her reign, Petra worked hard to establish strong diplomatic relations with not just Fódlan, but with Dagda, Almyra, Morfis and the newly rebuilt Duscur. Dedue, as the new leader of Duscur, would meet with Petra regularly to make sure that their two nations grew strong together, though later, these meetings would become more private affairs. Eventually, Dedue announced that he would not be running for another term and he left Duscur to be with Petra, to whom he was wed almost as soon as he arrived in Brigid. The people were initially skeptical of him but Dedue’s tireless devotion to his new subjects earned him their love and admiration. To this day, Dedue and Petra are revered in both Duscur and Brigid and the two nations enjoy a high degree of camaraderie.

Ending with Dorothea

When the war finally came to a close, Dorothea accompanied her husband, Dedue to Duscur. Together, they got to work rebuilding Duscur, though in two very different ways. Dedue became the first elected leader of Duscur and his policies made sure that the country was built strongly in terms of infrastructure and with its economy. Dorothea, on the other hand, became a patron of the arts and she oversaw the creation of a new Opera company in Duscur which took in talent from all over the world. This diversity of artists effectively revolutionized art itself, and before long, Duscur was known far and wide for it’s wide array of arts. For as busy as the couple was, however, they always made time for one another and it is said that no union was ever as happy and serene as theirs was.

Ending with Caspar

In recognition of his daring deeds during the war, Caspar was offered the position of Minister of Military Affairs, but he declined. Instead, Caspar accompanied Dedue and his people to help rebuild Duscur. Unfortunately, hatred for Duscur persisted in the north of Fódlan. This led to the creation of a military dedicated to the defense of Duscur, helmed jointly by Caspar and Dedue. Thanks to their tireless efforts, Duscur remained safe and in time, the nation was able to heal and bloom into a wondrous country of wealth and formidable military might. To this day, Dedue and Caspar are remembered as the greatest of all of Duscur’s heroes, even being called the sons of the War God by some.

Ending with Bernadetta

After the war had finally come to a close, Bernadetta was granted the Varley territory, but instead of taking over, she chose a more adept successor and relinquished all claims to the territory. From there, she became a traveling artist of great renown. She ventured far and wide, from Brigid to Sreng to Almyra, but eventually, she found herself in Duscur and she fell in love with the culture. Her paintings of Duscur and it’s denizens became beloved by the people to the point were Dedue, the new leader of Duscur, had to beg her to stay. She inevitably stayed and with her help, art museums were established in Duscur. In time, these became among the finest in the world, filled to the brim with the beautiful works of Duscur’s many artists.

This was pretty cool to write haha. If anyone is interested in me writing more endings for this AU or maybe even Dedue’s supports with the Black Eagles and the Golden Deer let me know!