#fe azure moon spoilers

[a-pale-azure-moon]

I'm a day late on this, but happy 5th anniversary to FE3H, the game that unexpectedly rewired my brain chemistry!

I've been a Fire Emblem fan since I first played Blazing Blade back in 2003 (yes I'm old), so when 3H was announced, I immediately pre-ordered it. I purposely stayed away from rumors, leaks, and most official information about it because I wanted to enjoy it spoiler free. (Much of Fates got spoiled for me and I didn't want a repeat of that.) The most I indulged in was watching the trailers for the individual houses when they came out. And that trailer. You know the one.

So I got the game shortly after launch, once Amazon shipped it to me, and I had no idea which House I was going to pick. I was slightly leaning towards the Golden Deer, largely from Claude's design and how he seemed "different" from previous FE lords, but I was truly undecided when I started. It was really a coin flip between the Lions and Deer right up to the point where the game forces you to choose. What ultimately made me pick the Blue Lions was actually Mercedes; I wasn't aware that recruitment was a thing yet and her Live to Serve skill stood out as particularly useful to me. Healer who can keep herself healed? Yeah, I want that on my team!

If I'm being honest, I didn't find anything about Dimitri particularly special right away. I certainly liked him, mostly because of his amazing voice (thank you Chris), but I recognized him as a Marth clone right from the start, so a lot about his character felt "generic" to me at first. The tone around him was considerably more somber compared to previous lords, and I was curious about why that was so, particularly since the timeskip trailer had spoiled that he goes through a dramatic transformation later in the story. So I was paying close attention to him as the game unfolded, but it wasn't until his breakdown at Remire in chapter 8 that it hit me just how radically different he was compared to previous Marths. That's where I got super invested in his story and started sacrificing sleep to play the game so I could find out what happened next. By the time I finished, my whole brain had been transformed into this:

(I forget where I first saw this image, so my apologies to whomever made it.)

2019 was a difficult year for me; my mom was going through some health issues, and my dad wasn't being particularly helpful in the ways she needed, which left me to pick up the slack (my older sister lives out of state and was/is busy with her three kids). I was also still trying to break out of a festering creative slump that had gone on for way too long, but changing that mindset is hard, especially when you've convinced yourself that everything you write sucks (and that therefore you suck).

So 3H and Azure Moon in particular wound up being a great comfort to me through an emotionally draining year (and then the pandemic hit...). Dimitri's story and character arc resonated with me in all the right ways, and it lit a new creative spark inside of me, the likes of which I hadn't felt in a long, long time. I almost wish I hadn't picked the Lions first, because the other routes wound up being a big disappointment to me when they failed to reach the same emotional high. I think I would've become a Lions stan even if I'd saved their route for last. It left THAT strong of an impression on me. I mean, I became obsessed enough that I wrote a freaking book, lol.

I'll be the first to admit that this game isn't perfect; some of its mechanics are wonky, classes aren't well balanced, there's not enough map diversity, Maddening Mode was definitely not properly play tested, and there are genuine flaws in some of its writing. I won't even get into the trashfire that is 3H discourse (which is somehow still a thing after all this time). I don't even think it's my favorite overall game in the series, but it's in my top 3 with Awakening and Path of Radiance. But the impact the game left on me is difficult to understate. I'm so happy it's a thing that exists and that it helped guide me to my current path.

[nowis-scales]

FE Liveblog Updates

Hey hey! It’s been a little while since I last did any live blogging — and maybe you care, maybe you don’t — but as I have… a lot of potential live-blogging to do, I wanted to give some updates, notices, and minor thoughts. So if you’ve been following along with any of them, here’s where you’ll get your info. Yay!

‣ Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia:

Hmmm… what is there to say about this one? I need to continue it, first of all. It should hopefully be picking up sooner rather than later, finishing off Act 2 in Celica’s path, and then presumably switching back to Alm. I don’t have too much to worry about here, just making sure that I’m getting a healthy dose of support conversations! If I don’t by the end, I may just play again and see what else I can gather. Otherwise… I’m considering a more stack-em-up style to my posting like the other playthroughs, just so it’s less of a spammy feeling. If you have any opinions, please do let me know!

‣ Fire Emblem Engage:

Yep yep, I’ve already got a liveblog of this one set up! As I write this post, I have just beaten Chapter 3, so you will soon be able to find the liveblog under #koto plays engage , and avoid spoilers with #Fire Emblem Engage Spoilers. I’m very excited to share my thoughts so far, so it should be super fun to share! I don’t know when exactly I’ll get that set up, but probably towards the tail end of the next liveblog I’ll be talking about…

‣ Fire Emblem Three Houses: Crimson Flower: I think, with my desire to introduce an Engage liveblog, continue the Echoes one, and someday continue this one… I might get back to this one sooner than I anticipated? I’m still somewhat iffy on this one, just because… well, in the event that you’re new here, let’s just say that CF as a route is just very much not for me. That’s not to say that I look down on or would chide anyone who enjoys it — my rule is, forever and always, as long as you’re kind I don’t mind — but it’s just not the most positive playthrough. So while I’m leaning more towards yes to going back to it, I want to make sure that it’ll be an okay experience for everyone involved.

The good news is, I have newly set up some measures to keep all of the critical stuff contained where you want it. Firstly, I have a new tag I’ll be using to tag posts with the super critical stuff (#Fódlan Fault Finding) and of course I still have the tag meant for criticism in relation to EdeIgard’s character writing in the route (#Shut up about Del). I also have a series of emblems I’m going to be using, to mark each section of the post based on how critical it is. So for example, if you only want to read the positive stuff, you’ll look for a flower with both black and white on each petal, like this: ❃ There’s about four total, ranging from positive, neutral, joking criticism, and hard criticism. That way, you can pick what you like, and go from there!

Otherwise, I think I have about 12 posts already (some of them are leftovers I missed before I stopped before) built in a Google Doc just so I had time to organize my thoughts and review them for sharpness. I’m considering posting them twice a week just to get things moving along so I don’t have a gazillion playthroughs ongoing, but let me know if you have any good ideas! I could even intersperse the posts with live blogs of the other games just to keep things cheery, if that’s preferable.

‣ Fire Emblem Three Houses: Azure Moon & Silver Snow:

These ones, I am… stumped on. I’d like to chronicle them as well, I find live-blogging a super fun endeavour (even if I realize the live-blogs mostly entertain me instead of all of you), but again that’s something to run at the same time as all the other liveblogs. I could wait until Echoes concludes, I could just pick Azure Moon up once CF concludes, or I could intersperse playthroughs with CF and AM to balance out negativity like I just mentioned. It’s hard to know exactly what to do, and even in posting AM, I’m wondering if I should just post SS at the same time… I think probably not, as that would get really confusing, but it’s also the nature of just not having so many on the go. So… yeah, I dunno! Just like for the others, thoughts are welcome.

As you can see, at the moment, it’s all just a matter of figuring out where to put what!

[damoselcastel]

I posted 818 times in 2022

That's 62 more posts than 2021!

110 posts created (13%)

708 posts reblogged (87%)

Longest Tag: 79 characters

#even though he's awful in b rank this is the drama i wanna explore between them

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Hey guys, I’m making a Let’s Play for Triangle Strategy! It’s mostly just my own silly commentary and reactions to a blind playthrough, but if you’re interested I’ll have daily updates so please check out my (very new) Youtube channel.

Episode 1 - the very, very start

8 notes - Posted March 3, 2022

#4

I haven’t really said much on the upcoming FE title, other than Colgate Pepsi Lord being uggo, and that’s mostly because of my... unresolved problems with Fire Emblem Heroes. Or rather, that entire “hero summoning” as a concept.

I suppose sometimes in a game, it’s a fun concept to have like... a cameo summon. Twilight Princess’ Wolf Link in Breath of the Wild is a fun easter egg, and as optional dlc, probably non-canonical as far as story goes. It’s something that doesn’t bother me, maybe because I’m having fun with the game enough to shrug weirdness, like wearing Majora’s Mask as a mask, off.

But a game like FEH, where it’s built AROUND the concept of FE series cameos... I really can’t excuse it’s pathetic excuse for stories, while I stare at the pile of familiar characters I care WAY MORE ABOUT than the OCs constantly whumped in plot for little effect. I honestly dislike most FEH OCs, because there’s a lot about both their context and execution that bothers me... and the direction the games writing has good (book 2 was the worst nosedive, but the entire structure is mmwheeh)

So, my thoughts in rant form (brought on by FEH’s book 7 trailer):

I don’t feel attached to Zenith, because I feel like the character could care less about it or its problems with the way the traipse off ALL THE TIME. It’s likely I’ll be just as cranky about a group of silver spoon kiddos summoning great heroes to serve their beck and whim... with at most a “you mean so much to me Marth-sama uwu” being stated. Engage’s tone looks all light and fluffy, and maaaaaaaaan, it’ll all bounce off my salty self. I just hope I’m not bored by it, like I was in the end with Awakening.

10 notes - Posted December 4, 2022

#3

Much belated happy @nagamas, hardkourparcore!

Apologies for this pinch hit being so very late, but hope this “Secrets” CasLin is too your liking (I tried to channel both their respective energies)

12 notes - Posted March 20, 2022

#2

Red Courage - a FE3H Claude/Edelgard fanfic    Game: Fire Emblem Fates    Rating: Teen    Character(s): Claude von Reigan, Edelgard von Hersvelg, Dimitri (background)    Tag(s): no TWSitD AU, politics, marriage, patriarchy    Warning(s): force feeding, involuntary physical restraint, implied age gap/child bride    Word Count: 4,252 Summary: Claude learned of love from his mother, although it doesn't move him until he meets Edelgard. She changes everything. (Claude/Edelgard, no TWSitD AU)

Sorry for being a day late, but merry @nagamas to S3rain on twitter. I chose your Claude/Edelgard prompt and put my own little AU twist on it. Hope you enjoy!

13 notes - Posted January 24, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Dame’s thoughts on FE3H Rufus

FE16, aka FE Three Houses, spoilers below

So... over the years since FE3H came out, I’d developed certain headcanons for some off-screen NPCs. Y’know the ones, mentioned by characters, but didn’t get a name let alone a model/portrait. The most conspicuous one might’ve been Dimitri’s Uncle- Regent Rufus.

In the main game he gets mentioned only a handful of times: by Dimitri for existing, by Felix to be criticized for not handling the rampant Bandit situation post-Tragedy, by the plot for kicking off Azure Moon’s civil war events within Faerghus.

So I’d started thinking “what type of prince is this man?” and went with the idea of ‘party prince’: the sort of secondary heir who grew up with few responsibilities and instead just lives the high life on the country’s dime. I figured, this could be a big reason why as a Regent, Rufus would be inept, cause he plain ignored duties thus has no experience ruling. Along this line of thought, I figured even if Rufus wasn’t actively malicious that he did neglect his freshly orphaned nephew (as its canon post Tragedy both Dimitri and Dedue felt isolated within Fhirdiad’s castle).

So I guess, I built up this picture of an uncle who mostly wanted to have a good time and wasn’t very good at the serious stuff in life, one that Dimitri could have a shallow relationship with that was neutral-borderline-negative. Dimitri himself never seems to express anger towards Rufus, and counts him as family in all ending routes with the possibility of counting on his uncle to keep the Blaiddyd line alive in Crimson Flower. I LIVED FOR the drama of Dimitri being falsely set up for the crime of uncle-murder, and all the gross feelings that must’ve accompanied that.

It was kinda fun speculating on a complicated family relationship that was dysfunctional without being outright villainous-- But now I play through FE Warriors 3H, and seems all my headcanons are to be smashed to pieces, lol. More thoughts to come about that on a later reblog.

19 notes - Posted June 9, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[bigklingy]

Well I guess this could be sorta fun. Also, spoilers here. 1. It was a Fire Emblem game. 2. No, and all of them but the original FE1 and FE2. 3. Chris Hackney got robbed HARD of Best Performance at the 2019 Game Awards. 4. Azure Moon. 5. Verdant Wind. 6. Azure Moon. 7. I made a tier list on my tumblr a while back but I'm too lazy to search for it. 8. Kronya should've been a recurring villain, instead of dying half a chapter after killing Byleth's dad. Imagine if the BLACK KNIGHT went out like that?? 9. Ahem, "Dimitri's motivation is maxed out." A.k.a "Dimitri goes bananas." 10. Swordmaster for being better than its intended promotion somehow. 11. I forget, which kinda says something. 12. Sofibeth Arts did fanart of a memetic NPC from my first playthrough, Blilda! https://sofibeth-arts.tumblr.com/post/188826204925/thank-to-bigklingy-we-have-discovered-three 13. I don't read 3H fics. Too much discourse. 14. I have a silly Dimitri x Edelgard parody fic. 15. Have a hypothetical P5 crossover in my head. 16. Grappler Hanneman, Seteth, Flayn, Cyril, Alois, Catherine, Shamir, Manuela, Normal Hanneman, Rhea, Gilbert. 17. Ferdinand, Hubert, Edelgard, Linhardt, Petra, Caspar, Dorothea, Bernadetta. 18. Dimitri favourite, Dedue least, everyone else tied. BL are all so good it's hard to choose. 19. Hilda, Lysithea, Marianne, Lorenz, Ignaz, Claude, Raphael... lol I forgot Leonie entirely. (Sorry Leonie fans) 20. Manuela. 21. Sylvain, maybe? 22. Rhea. She doesn't strike me as someone interested in romance at all. 23. Well, Blilda (Green unit in AM Chapter 19 replacing Hilda if she's recruited) is a Female War Master... 24. Yuri I guess? 25. I don't feel Byleth's sexuality is conventional, but I don't have a specific label for it. 26. Dimitri, obvious pick is obvious. 27. Off the top of my head, Ignatz? 28. Bernadetta. While I don't agree with Edelgard ideologically, that's different from disliking the character. Bernadetta, I feel the game ends up fetishizing her abusive past to a disturbing degree. I'm aware this is a hot take. 29. Jeralt, Kronya, Claude, Rhea. 30. ANNA. A character with absolutely zero supports in a modern FE game should not exist. Worse, they're DLC. Skipping all design questions, would require me to look through tons of art and I don't have a good sense of design aesthetics anyway. 37. I seem to remember someone had funny dining dialogue but I forget who. 38. Felix liking cats made me lol. 39. Hilda I guess. 40. Dorothea always offers to join without me even trying. I'm not sure why. 41. Claude ships Edelgard/Dimitri and distributes his fanart and fanfiction during the war as propaganda. 42. Azure Moon has the best writing for Edelgard. 43. Sylvain/Mercedes. 44. Edelgard/Dimitri is HILARIOUS and my coping mechanism when discourse bothers me. 45. Sylvain/Mercedes. 46. Unsure. 47. Hilda. It's really the ONLY one I've done, but it was fine. 48. Hilda/Marianne, I'M SORRY. I just don't see it. 49. Dorothea/Hanneman. WHY is this romantic and explicitly mentions them having children, when his endings with all other students are platonic?? 50. FEMALE BYLETH/MERCEDES, easily. Compared to the other female bi options, I feel this is rarely talked about.

50 Questions of FE3H

The ultimate FE3H ask game - Send me an ask and reblog to play!

What drew you to / made you pick up and play FE3H?

Was FE3H your first Fire Emblem game?  If not, which other games did you play?

Who is your favorite FE3H voice actor?

Which route did you play through first in FE3H?

Which route did you play through last?

Which route is your favorite?

Which side quest / paralogue was your favorite?

What storyline threads should have had more development / been further explored?

What is your favorite scene in the game (can be in the main story or a support convo)?

What’s your favorite combat class?

What’s your go-to weapon or spell in combat?

Post a link / reblog your favorite FE3H fanart (no reposting / credit erasure!!).

Post a link to your favorite FE3H fanfic.

If you’ve posted your own fanart or fanfic, post a link to the piece you are most proud of.

If you are an artist or writer, are you currently working on any new FE3H content (art or fanfic)?  If so, will you share a sneak preview?

Rank the Church of Seiros characters from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Black Eagles from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Blue Lions from your favorite to least favorite.

Rank the Golden Deer from your favorite to least favorite.

What character do you headcanon as bi?

What character do you headcanon as poly?

What character do you headcanon as ace or aro?

What character do you headcanon as trans?

What character do you headcanon as genderfluid?

What character do you headcanon as another sexual orientation or gender identify not listed above?

Who is your overall favorite character?

Which character do you feel “meh” about?

What character do you not like at all / hate?

What character should have gotten more development?

What characters should have more support options and who should have been their support options?

What is your favorite pre-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your favorite post-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your least favorite (or hated) pre-timeskip character design or outfit?

What is your least favorite (or hated) post-timeskip character design or outfit?

Which characters would you like to see switch pre-timeskip designs (for fun)?

Which characters would you like to see switch post-timeskip designs (for fu0?

Who are your favorite dining partners?

Who is your favorite teatime companion?

Who is your favorite / most used combat unit?

What character do you always recruit, no matter which route you are playing and why?

What is a favorite character headcanon (can be one you came up with or one you liked / adopted from someone else)?

Do you have / are you willing to share a possibly controversial opinion or headcanon you have about a character?

Who is your favorite in-game ship (meaning they have supports and a confirmed romantic ending card)?

Who is your favorite headcanon ship (meaning they either have supports but not necessarily a romantic ending or they may have no supports at all)?

Who is your FE3H OTP?

Who is your FE3H poly ship?

Who is your favorite Byleth ship?

What is a popular ship that you don’t care for / don’t like?

What is a general (not necessarily popular) ship that you don’t care for / don’t like?

Which ship do you wish was more popular / had more content available?

[zodiacdragon334]

So because this is something I have on my mind, I felt like sharing the fic ideas that I had that never saw the light of day. Some of these never made it past a small blurb I had jotted down in discord, while others had some sort of outline before they were scrapped. Most are for other fandoms/original-ish stories inspired by other medias, but there's a few MCYT projects there.

Just a fun post, because no I'm definitely not procrastinating on writing. No definitely not, I would never!

Spoiler alert: it's a lot of Fire Emblem.

The earliest one I have was a sequel to a Pokemon Sword and Shield fic I had written wayyyyy back during covid when I first started writing. That original fic has since been orphaned, but I had a whole adventure planned involving a much more ruthless and ambitious Team Rocket, Ultra Wormholes, and Dragon-type Pokemon going insane. And the champion OC that I had as the main character ended up getting transported to an alternate version of Galar through a wormhole, where Leon failed to stop Chairman Rose and the Darkest Day was unleashed.

Second one I can find was a partial rewrite of the Azure Gleam route of Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes. Specifically exploring what happened to two characters that went missing in canon: Ferdinand and Hubert. It used a few plot points from Scarlet Blaze, but it was about those two having to rely on each other to survive as they escape from both the Adrestian army and Those Who Slither In The Dark and figure out how to get Edelgard back from Thales. Complete with much bickering and secrets while they fall in love with each other on the way, because Ferdinand/Hubert is genuinely one of my favourite ships ever. It was meant to be called "Azure Jewels," and this was had an entire plot outline before it was abandoned.

Then I had a original-ish story that was a combination of Fire Emblem Fates and Hollow Knight. It had that whole dark fallen kingdom at war thing going on, and the protagonist was pulled into this world from their normal life and was meant to be the hero to save them all. But they want to go back to their normal life, and it turns out there's some dark magic going on and the kingdom is actually at war with itself and driving itself to its own destruction. This one never made it past the point of being a discord blurb.

Then I had a high fantasy Farmer/Elliott Stardew Valley fic! Lots of mythical creatures, the farmer was a dragon shapeshifter in hiding, and the magical barrier protecting the Valley from everything is fading. Which leads the farmer to find a way to replenish the failing magic with help from Elliott. This one never made it out of an basic outline.

Then my next two abandoned projects were Pride and Prejudice fics. The first one was a fantasy variation of the novel. Still set in regency times, but with magic thrown in, and Darcy and Elizabeth are both shapeshifters in a world where magic is forbidden and is an instant execution if you're found out. After the Netherfield ball, they both have to flee to escape their own deaths and rely on each other to survive. This one was called "Foxhunt" and had a full outline and a few chapters written.

My other Pride and Prejudice project was a massive Fire Emblem Three Houses/Three Hopes crossover, with the P&P characters in the FE universe. It mostly followed the Azure Moon and Azure Gleam routes, but pulled elements from the other routes as well to combine them into something different. This one had a full outline and I had even started writing the first few chapters, but I got a little overwhelmed with it and it was abandoned.

Then my Empires SMP projects. I have two abandoned projects that I'm unlikely to return to, and perhaps unsurprisingly, they're both Fire Emblem crossovers. These were mostly abandoned because realistically, I'm probably the only person that will read those.

The first one was a one shot, unlike everything else here that has been a long multichapter fic. A modern superhero AU featuring Pix, Scott, Ashe, and Yuri. It had Scott and Yuri as supervillains known as Chromia and Mockingbird respectively, and Ashe as a vigilante known as the Wind Knight. Pix was an employee at the museum Scott and Yuri were trying to rob and also secretly a vigilante who was very done with their shit. It had Ashe/Yuri as a pairing (highly underrated ship, I love them so much), and I never decided if I wanted Pix/Scott to be romantic or platonic. But it was a fun museum robbery with a bunch of shenanigans and identity reveals, and the awkward moment of finding out that your boyfriend is actually a supervillain and you've been fighting each other the whole time.

And then the other one was a Fire Emblem crossover like the one I described above for Pride and Prejudice. I never came up with any plot or anything for this one, the furthest I got was coming up with Fire Emblem classes for each of the emperors. Perhaps I'll make a list of that eventually on here, but I'm unlikely to ever actually write this fic.

So the takeaway here: I love Fire Emblem and it still lives rent free in my head and has a big impact on a lot of what I write now. And I have a lot more abandoned projects than I thought I did, and that's not even counting my six Empires SMP projects I am actively writing.

[darthlordcommie]

Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd: Victim, Killer, King

Starting this analysis off is the house leader of the Blue Lions, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Spoiler warning for Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Trigger warning for discussions of mental illnesses and violence. 

So, Dimitri was born as the only son and heir of King Lambert Blaiddyd of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. From a young age, Dimitri was trained to be a warrior, with physical and martial training taking precedence over anything else. Part of this is because he was the prince of a kingdom, and part of it is because of the culture of Faerghus. As a kingdom, Faerghus prizes martial strength, knighthood, and martyrdom. It prizes the idea of dying bravely in battle, and instills that idea in most of its children. However, Dimitri was a naturally kind person, and was not particularly suited to the kingdom he was meant to lead, at least in personality. 

Despite being an only child, Dimitri actually possessed a stepsister, Edelgard von Hresvelg, the heiress to the Adrestian Empire. For a year when they were children, they became good friends, leading him to gift her a dagger when she was forced to return to the Empire. This relationship would come to define more of Dimitri’s life than he would have believed. 

When Dimitri was 13, he, his family, and their guards went on a diplomatic trip to the peninsula of Duscur, allies of Faerghus. However, while traveling in Duscur, they were attacked. Dimitri’s father and one of his close friends died, and his stepmother vanished, presumed dead. Dimitri escaped with his life from the incident that would become known as the Tragedy of Duscur. At this incident, Dimitri saw, for the first time, the figure known as the Flame Emperor. 

In response to this tragedy, Faerghus decimated Duscur, assuming them to be responsible, despite Dimitri’s pleas and claims that they weren’t. Ultimately, Dimitri was able to save Dedue, a boy from Duscur, from being killed in the misguided slaughter. Dedue proceeded to become Dimitri’s retainer, and one of his closest friends. 

However, the Tragedy marked Dimitri in ways he hadn’t realized. Dimitri had psychosis, a mental disorder that showed itself with several symptoms, including entering a psychotic state when he was exposed to triggers from his trauma, and delusions that led him to believe that he was haunted by his fallen loved ones, and that taking revenge for them was the only way they would be able to rest. This was mixed with a trait of Dimitri’s that Dedue noted within the game: Dimitri was too kind to be a king. He cared so deeply about people, even the dead, that he was driven to rage trying to help them. 

During the next 4 years, Dimitri grew up, guided by his father’s old friend Rodrigue Fraraldrius, and grew more and more disgusted by war. In his first battle, Dimitri found a man he killed with a locket containing a portrait of someone. He had a revelation that everyone who fought in wars were people with lives, and over the years, grew to despise war, and view it as the last resort of anything. 

Ultimately, Dimitri entered the Officer’s Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery as leader of the Blue Lion house, in order to seek out his family’s killers and achieve revenge. At this point, he reunited with his stepsister Edelgard, though she failed to remember their time together at this point. During an exercise outside the monastery, he, Edelgard, and the third house leader Claude, were attacked by bandits, and sought help from a band of mercenaries, including Byleth Eisner. 

This is the point when we are introduced to Dimitri, and he starts off by appearing to be a polite, trusting individual, and one who cares deeply about his fellow students. As the game goes on, we see more of Dimitri’s thoughts and views. When we are confronted with the injustices of the Crest system, Dimitri is revealed to believe that the world should function on merit, rather than birth. When Byleth’s father dies, he empathizes, and offers understanding. 

When we are sent to Remire Village, that is the first time we see Dimitri’s psychosis manifest itself in-game. Triggered by the carnage, Dimitri enters a murderous state, where he orders his fellow students to “kill them all.” After the mission, he demonstrates a level of understanding, noting that that sometimes happened to him. It is also at this point that Dimitri admits that he seeks revenge for the Tragedy. 

After the death of Jeralt, Dimitri and Byleth overhear the Flame Emperor speaking with Kronya and Solon. Hearing them move, the Flame Emperor threw a dagger at them, despite missing. After they leave, Dimitri takes the dagger, and is shocked to recognize it.

When the Blue Lions descend into the Holy Tomb with Byleth and Rhea, the group is confronted by the Flame Emperor and Imperial soldiers. In the ensuing battle, the Flame Emperor’s mask is knocked off, revealing it to be Edelgard. At this point, Dimitri demands whether it is a “twisted joke”, and his psychosis manifests again, leading him to fly into a rage, tearing through the Imperial soldiers to try and kill Edelgard, only for her to escape. 

After this, the battle of Garreg Mach happens, and Byleth, Dimitri’s friend and mentor, disappears for five years. In this time, Dimitri’s fortunes take a turn for the worse. The Faerghus royal advisor Cornelia, secretly an agent of Those Who Slither in the Dark, kills Dimitri’s uncle and frames Dimitri for it, sentencing him to death. However, Dedue sacrifices himself to save Dimitri, and Dimitri disappears from the world for the five years. 

During this time, Dimitri wanders Fodlan, hunting and killing Imperial soldiers wherever he finds them. With his only companions being the voices of the dead, Dimitri sinks deeper and deeper into his guilt-fueled rage, until Byleth finally reappears before him. While initially believing Byleth to be another apparition haunting him, Dimitri quickly realizes that Byleth is in fact alive, and soon after, the two are found by Gilbert and the Blue Lions. At this point, Dimitri is solely focused on killing Edelgard, and tears through whatever opposition he has to deal with, including an Imperial general. While still lost in his rage, Dimitri reunites with Rodrigue, but remains resolute in his insistence on killing Edelgard, no matter the cost. 

It is at this point that an event occurs that begins Dimitri’s path away from revenge. In a battle to cross a bridge into Imperial territory, Dimitri is reunited with Dedue, who is revealed to have been saved by men from Duscur, and had spent these past 5 years hiding and recovering. At this point, Dimitri orders Dedue to live, and to never sacrifice himself again. 

Following this, comes the second event. After the Battle at Gronder, the sister of the Imperial general Dimitri had killed attempts to assassinate Dimitri. However, Rodrigue throws himself into the blade’s path, saving Dimitri, and allowing Byleth time to kill the assassin. Full of grief, Dimitri mourns Rodrigue, and claims that Rodrigue should not have had to die for Dimitri’s sins. In his last words, Rodrigue implores Dimitri to live for his ideals, rather than for the dead. This grief is what jars Dimitri away from leading the other Blue Lions down his path. 

Following this, Dimitri attempts to depart in the night, in order to try and kill Edelgard, but is confronted by Byleth. In the following conversation, Byleth helps Dimitri finally begin letting go of his guilt for surviving the Tragedy, and his need for revenge in order to quiet the voices in his head. This final push is the third event that changes Dimitri’s path. 

Afterwards, Dimitri apologizes to the Blue Lions for endangering them, and proceeds to turn towards Fhirdiad, capital of Faerghus, in order to liberate his kingdom from the Empire. However, Dimitri is never without his psychosis, and there are times where he begins to enter a rage when triggered. Despite this, his friends help him stay grounded, and he makes earnest strides towards atonement. 

After saving Claude from the Empire, Claude dissolves the Leicester Alliance, and gives the lands to Faerghus, with Dimitri as the king of all of it, despite believing that he is a monster with bloodied hands. 

Before the final battle against Edelgard, Dimitri and Byleth meet with her, in an attempt to sway her from her path. Ultimately, Edelgard refuses to change her course, and Dimitri, filled with revulsion over the war she started, refuses to allow her to have her way. Before parting, he returns her dagger to her, causing her to remember their friendship as children.

After the battle to take the Imperial capital of Enbarr, Dimitri attempts to offer Edelgard one last chance, but she forces him to kill her by attacking him. He then is crowned king of all of Fodlan. 

Ultimately, Dimitri’s story is of a boy falling into darkness, and of eventually rising out of it as a man. He is witness to atrocities that scar him for life. In his five year rampage born of grief, rage, and psychosis, he kills and murders numerous people. When he begins recovering, he becomes a deeply considerate man, offering his enemies chances to surrender, and mourns his stepsister’s death at the end. The lesson Dimitri is forced to learn is a difficult one: You can’t save everyone. 

At heart, Dimitri is a good man, albeit one who commits terrible crimes. His heart was too big for his time, and attempting to save as many people as he could, even the dead, led him down a path of revenge. However, he brings a lasting peace to Fodlan, helps restore Duscur, and acts as a kind king for the rest of his life. Dimitri’s story is one that tells that no matter how dark a place you may be in, you can always reach for the dawn and rise up. 

[travelling-on-the-octopath]

All I'm saying. Is that Sylvain and Ashe bonding over the fact that they got their shittiest family drama aired out for the WHOLE SCHOOL TO SEE is peak fucking content. And for this reason I will be picking it apart extensively in my fic.

At first it's like "Oh, damn, Ashe had to merc his dad :/" then it's "Oh, word?? Sylvain had to thrash his morphed brother??” And people start a bet on which Lion is next up for the drama, yet none of them will ever know that Mercedes' brother was the dude in the mask that yeeted when Flayn got nabbed, or that stoic ginger with a cardboard box for a jaw is Annette's DAD, and oh yeah Dimitri is having a meltdown because his stepsister is somehow connected to the death of this family.

Like imagine being a non-Lions student...watching this shitshow of a house unfold

[a-mastroeni]

I’m guided by time’s flow.

[theblackmuse]

Incorrect quote for the end of Azure Moon, from one of the all time best Christmas movies…

*Dimitri holds his hand out to Edelgard*

Edelgard: “Dimitri… I would love to live with you in your castle forever just like a fairytale…”

*takes out dagger*

“I just couldn’t live with myself… So don’t pretend this is a happy ending.”

[flameperor]

nothing could have possibly mentally prepared me for the genuine pain i felt after seeing what edelgard says to byleth when you send her to attack her...

[sadbisexualhours]

i’m sorry for making this

[princeazurathepathetic]

Fates memes? Anybody? I got some Fates memes????? Idk if anyone still likes these???

[warrenwaskilledbyadeer]

Dimitri: Tell me Edelgard, do you recall the Tragedy of Duscur?

[holydragon2808]

My Personal Opinion on Edelgard (FE Three Houses) SPOILERS FOR THE GD, BL and BE Routes

Fire Emblem Three Houses has pretty much consumed the majority of my free time since its launch. Someone on reddit made a topic regarding their opinion of this controversial character, and I commented on it. I figured I’d copy/paste my response there here too, just for the hell of it (and I’m curious to see what anyone else has to say or think on the matter). There will be spoilers for three of the four routes in this post, so read at your own risk. Final Warning.

Personally, of the three lord characters, Edelgard is my least favorite so far (I've played the GD route and the BL route and now I'm working on the BE route, and eventually going bookends with the Church because its similar to the GD route). Mainly because I feel the whole "tormented by awful memories of the past" thing was done much better and was much more compelling with Dimitri. Yeah, he definitely snaps and loses himself in all other routes not his own, giving into his mental despair and inner hatred (and like Edelgard, dies in every route not his own), but on the Blue Lions route, not only can you pull Dimitri back from the brink, but he ultimately makes the conscious choice to move forward, realize the suffering he's caused and atones for his actions.

He stops with the whole "violent revenge is the only way forward" (in his case) and resolves to fight and live for what he truly believes in (mirroring the exact same speech he once gave you when Jeralt was killed five years ago), and eventually he rises to be the benevolent king he always had the capacity to be, because he chose to put his past behind him (on his route). He chose to actively find another less violent way to end the conflict (we take a huge, but still necessary detour back to the Kingdom of Faergus to save it from the Empire on the Blue Lions path). And the romance between Dimitri and a female Byleth felt very organic to this arc IMO. Huge Dimileth shipper here lol.

Edelgard, on the other hand, had already made up her mind that violence is really the only answer, and thus, doomed herself to a lonely grave in every route not her own. And, even in her own route, all you're really doing is helping her be less cold. We're still committing massive war atrocities, and far too much sacrificing/murdering for my liking personally, especially having played Claude and Dimitri’s routes beforehand.

With Claude, he actually has very similar ideals to Edelgard, and similar views about crests and a very similar desire to create a more equal world, but he takes it a step further to include tearing down ALL the barriers across the world, not just Fodlan. The major difference between the two of them (and why Claude can potentially survive all four routes and Edelgard dies in every route not her own) is that he's willing to compromise and work with others, admit his faults, and adjust his methods. He's also willing to admit when others might be better suited to change the world than him (i.e., not picking his route.). I’ve actually seen people claim that Claude is a “gary stu” character because he’s the only lord who can survive all four routes. Uh....no, just no. 

AND unlike Edelgard, he's 100% opposed to sacrificing/killing his friends for the greater good. If anything, his constant (and admittedly sometimes questionable) scheming is all in the interest of his closest friends and family surviving (and he's willing to do other things aside from war and slaughter that might still be morally wrong if it means saving his friends, which I found to be very interesting and why he's one of my favorite FE characters. I'm a sucker for the lovable rogue type, and I did a romance with Claude and loved it too).

I find it extremely ironic that Edelgard says that Claude isn't the best qualified ruler because he doesn't know much about Fodlan's history, when it truth, the GD route easily has some of the most world building and truth discovering. Another thing is that Claude is willing to take the time and do some research and learn/seek out the truth rather than just assuming he knows everything already. He doesn't have the same level of hatred towards the Church of Seiros that Edelgard has, so he's more willing to look beyond what others have established or what he's merely heard, and one could argue that Claude's mixed Fodlan/Almyran heritage and his lack of bias actually makes him more qualified to attempt this sort of dynamic change in the world, as well as Dimitri actively making the conscious choice to not let his past, his hatred and his anger rule his every action, becoming a well loved and benevolent king on his route to be frank.

Edelgard never once questioned if the Empire itself might have distorted history. She’s actually the one who's the most misinformed about Fodlan's history, the true conflict between Seiros and Nemesis (it was WAY more than just a "minor dispute or misunderstanding", and the ancestors of Those Who Slither in the Dark were clearly the aggressors in the conflict between Seiros and Nemesis (and it started with what the ancestors of TWSITD did to Sothis and the rest of Seiros' brethren and the TRUE nature of what the hero's relics are. Oh yeah Edelgard, they were "man made" alright....), not the other way around, and actually a more potentially dangerous enemy than the Church, but that's another discussion altogether).

Edelgard is so caught up in her "my way or the high way" mentality that she just flat out won’t work with anyone who doesn't share in her views completely and utterly. She's so convinced that she’s the only one capable of changing the world, and that it has to be her and only her, that she literally runs herself into the ground in every other route (she dies). Again, I'm aware of her trauma, but we all have a choice in how we live our lives going forward, and Edelgard chose war so....).

She's not wrong in her views that the Church of Seiros was stagnating the world and hiding a lot of dark secrets, particularly "Rhea", but she was (and is since this is my current route) completely wrong in being so arrogant to believe that she was/is the only one qualified to exact change, when not only are Claude and Dimitri perfectly capable of doing the same, but they do so with far less bloodshed than Edelgard does (well, once Dimitri comes around on his own route. That was the second one I played. I'm working on the BE route at the moment, then I'll go back and do the Church of Seiros. So far, it's readily apparent to me what Edelgard's flaws are and why her own hubris is typically her downfall in all other routes outside her own, even if some of it has to do with trauma).

Again, Edelgard's route is my least favorite so far because of how arrogant she is really (and I really didn't appreciate her rather rude and arrogant worded speech to me only mere days after Jeralt was killed either compared to the other two lords. Had it taken place at the end of the month, it would have worked better, but just a few days after was her overstepping, future Emperor or no). I get where she's coming from for the most part, but I find her far too narrow minded and far too ready to sacrifice everyone and everything around her for her ideals for my liking....just all my opinion though. I actually found her more compelling on both the Golden Deer and Blue Lions route (the latter in particular), but that's another discussion altogether. I'm glad the BE route is the shortest. Probably not gonna play it ever again personally. Despite how all this sounds, I don't "hate" Edelgard, so much as I just find the other two lords far more compelling.

[beyblaiddyd]

Hegemon Edelgard’s design was disappointing to me and many other ppl I know so I took a stab at a redesign. 

[knuckle]

Rodrigue: I said something really horrible to Felix when Glenn died and he's never forgiven me for it

Me: King of growth? A regretful parent who both acknowledges what he did wrong and sees his child's resentment as a natural reaction? for a transgression that was an overall difficult situation to begin with and wasn't really abuse or anything?? Hello sir I have Gilbert on the other line can he jump in front of that dagger instead