#i pretty much only care about flayn now

[adelle-ein]

saw some old stuff i wrote about 3h and man. i really used to love that game huh

[sheikahwarriork]

I am sorry you had a bad day my dude, would some Byleth cheer you up?

I think, we all as society should recognize Byleth!~

Byleth does not fight fair. In a support conversation with Felix, Felix mentions that Byleth will randomly throw out punches and kicks along with sword attacks. Byleth's probably a biter. She is going to Mike Tyson her way through entire military campaigns, and I have no idea what happens when you punch a giant lizard creature, but the campaigns give Byleth the opportunity to find out before the time skip ever happens.

I mean one of the main skills of Enlightened One is brawling.

So yeah. She's a bruiser who punches her way through problems and eats more than anyone else.

And people still say she has no personality...

TY ANON YES!!! YOU SPOKE THE TRUTH

i mean, in a crit's animation byleth throws a punch before slashing the sword:

and as you said, she got brawling as a skill of her unique class.

i think being raised as a mercenary by mercenaries taught byleth to survive by all means. when she fights, there's no such a thing as a "fair fight", there is just "win = survive".

on a side note, i like to think that when she first teached the blue lions, with all the faerghus "knight honour" mentality etc, she was taken aback. when ingrid did her first lance tournament, byleth was screaming "PUNCH HIM IN THE GUTS, INGRID!!" and dimitri politely said "professor, i'm sorry but this is a lance tournament, not a brawling one. she's not allowed to use her bare hands". byleth looked at him with a "error 404 not found" face and then goes, "do you really think an enemy on the battlefield will care if she's using a lance or her hands? they'll try to kill her anyway, so she- no, you all must learn to fight and survive". and this is why byleth doesnt let her students focus on only one weapon and by the end of the war even the mages have proficiency in brawling. byleth is not going to let her babies die! (okay i love this headcanon i HAVE TO write something about this)

omg i love byleth so much im crying ok. i HATE when people say byleth doesnt have a personality!! just a few days ago i was thinking about the animated cutscene at the beginning of the game, the one when you see all the students. that cutscene begins with byleth reading a book, then the clock bells ring, yk? well, i LOVE that little detail of byleth reading. bc think about it: a 20-something yo mercenary is hired as a professor at the great official academy of garreg mach. byleth knows well she is not competent. but its a job, its her job now, so she must do her best. and so she starts reading all kind of books about magic and history and weapons and tactics. she knows shes not a good professor (yet), but she wants to be one!! so she does everything in her power to be one!!!!

or the fact that the first time we can see byleth smiling is when they give food to a cat/dog? its waaaay before the flayn's rescue, which is the canon "first time" the house leaders see byleth smile.

people often complain about byleth being a silent protagonist. in my opinion, OF COURSE BYLETH is not very talkative. they grow up in a mercenary company, they probably never interacted with someone with their age before the academy! (remember byleth doesnt meet leonie when jeralt goes to her village.) they never had a friend. and now byleth is supposed to be a perfect professor?

but byleth tries. byleth gets better with people. in fact, i think byleth actually gets more lines in the second part of the game (i should check but im pretty sure).

byleth also is more expressive post-timeskip. i'll never forget the "... :( " face byleth does when dimitri says its better to go rescue lady rhea before taking fhirdiad (his feral phase, i dont remember the exact moment but its during a war council in the first part of the post-timeskip). or the fact byleth has an angry face when talking to feral-dimitri during the exploration days (i mean the sundays).

also, apparently byleth has a very bad sense of humor. after the fhirdiad map in azure moon, when byleth and dimitri talks, he says "you taught me something very important" and byleth can say "humor?" and dimitri responds something like "you never let up, do you?", which means its not the first time byleth says a silly (but loved!!) comment.

do i think byleth should have got dubbed lines in three houses? of course i do. but even with the little lines they have we can see their personality.

IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE AND RESPECT BYLETH!!!!!!!

thank u anon i love talking about my beloved!!

[misscoolisback123]

The Eagle and the Beast

Chapter 2: Exchanged For a Rose

Two days. It has been two days since Seteth had left for his trip, and yet he hasn't returned. Flayn, Edelgard, and Bernadetta know that Seteth is a strong man, but they couldn't help but worry for him at times. This gave Ferdinand an opportunity to propose to Edelgard because Seteth hated Ferdinand for harassing his sister and daughters.

Ferdinand had the tailor make a fancy suit and had several of the townsfolk set up the wedding outside of her house. Several people gathered for the wedding. "Hey everyone! So it's pretty much time for me to propose to Edelgard." Ferdinand announced. Several people laughed while a few women cried. "Why couldn't he have proposed to me?" A woman wailed. Everyone thought that Ferdinand had already proposed to Edelgard. Bernadetta had been looking out the window ever since she heard the commotion. She saw Ferdinand make his way to the door.

"Oh no! Edelgard! Ferdinand is here!" Bernadetta panicked, and she ran up to her room. Edelgard groaned. She didn't have time for this! She had just prepared a nice cup of tea. She went over to the door and looked through the hole. Ferdinand was standing there with a shit eating grin and smirk. Edelgard grabbed her cup of tea. She opened the door. "Hey there! So I think it's obvious that..." And then hot tea had been splashed all over his face.

Ferdinand screamed in agony. "For the last time, I said no!" Edelgard looked over at the wedding set up. "I apologize for Ferdinand for wasting your time." The townsfolk that set up the wedding grumbled, and the women that were crying cheered. It didn't take long for everyone to clean up the wedding setup. But she decided to keep the cake. "I told you it was a waste of time." Said the vampiric librarian Hubert. "Fuck off Hubert! I'll have her hand, but not today!" Ferdinand scoffed. Not too much later, Flayn, Edelgard, and Bernadetta heard the cry of a familiar horse.

"Big brothers horse! But where's brother?" Flayn panicked. Edelgard and Bernadetta rushed to the horses side. "What happened to Father?" Edelgard demanded. The horse instantly panicked. "I don't think he'll stop anytime soon! One of us will have to go find him!" Bernadetta cried. "I'll do it! He loves us so much!" Edelgard replied, determination got a hold of her. "I'll go get your sword." Flayn rushed back into the house and prepared Edelgard for her journey.

Flayn and Bernadetta wished her good luck, and soon Edelgard was off. "Show me the way Seteth went." The horse started walking down a dark and eerie path. "Why would he go down a path like this?" Her question had been answered the moment they arrived at what seemed to be an abandoned castle. But it looked familiar. The horse panicked again. "Please calm down!" The horse stopped. She spotted her father's cape. Panic filled her instantly. Is he dead? She didn't want to think about it. All around the cape was an abundance of beautiful red roses.

She then heard a scream. "Father!" Edelgard ran inside of the castle and located the scream. She soon found herself in the castle dungeons. Sitting in one of the cells, a beaten and bruised Seteth coughed. His face now beginning to show signs of a fever. Edelgard grabbed a torch. "Father! Edelgard!" As best as he could, Seteth crawled forward to see his daughter. "Why are you here, dear Edelgard? How did you find this place?" Seteth could only muster up the strength that he had left. "What happened to you?" Edelgard grabbed his cape and pushed it through the small opening of the cell. "You have to leave Edelgard! He'll find you and kill you!"I don't care! I won't leave you here!" "What are you doing here?" A voice growled. A hand grabbed the back of her cape and spun her to the other side of the dungeon. For a brief moment, the torch illuminated whoever had grabbed her. Edelgard unsheathed her sword. "Who's there? Who are you?"The master of this castle." Edelgard could see a huge shadow with two beautiful blue eyes shining through. The voice didn't sound human.

"I've come for my father! Please let him out! He's sick! Edelgard pleaded. "Then he shouldn't have picked a rose from the garden!"Edelgard wanted a red rose, and their not available in our village or the other towns that I traveled to recently!" Seteth coughed. "You can't just keep him in here for something so petty! Is there anything that I can do?"There's nothing you can do, girl. He's my prisoner." Edelgard was starting to lose hope until an idea popped into her head. Edelgard didn't want to do this. "Take me instead." The shadow scoffed. "You!" The shadow thought about it. "You would take his place?"

"Edelgard, no! I won't let you do this!" Seteth cried. "If I take his place, will you set him free?"Yes, but you must promise that you will stay here forever." Edelgard couldn't take it anymore! She needed to see who her capture was. "Please come into the light." The shadow slowly made his way into the light coming through a hole in the ceiling. Edelgard couldn't believe it! Standing before her eyes is a tall, ferocious, demonic, and haggard animal! He had blond fur, horns on his head, animalistic teeth, had no shirt, and wore only tattered pants and a fur cape.

"Please, Edelgard!" But Seteth's words fell deaf. Edelgard stood before the creature with her head held high. "You have my word." "Done!" Shame filled Edelgard. She fell to her knees. "Edelgard, no! You're still young!" Seteth held Edelgard before he had been grabbed by the monster. Edelgard called out to him. Seteth pleaded with the monster. "Please! You have to spare her!" "She's no longer your concern!" Seteth had been thrown into a carriage, and the carriage took him back to the village on its own.

Edelgard watched the scene from a tower in the dungeon and didn't care about the fact that the carriage was moving as though it were sentient. She broke into tears.

[randomnameless]

Some nice positivity: feh proves social awkwardness in nabateans runs in the family 😂 billy trying to learn to people, flayn “how do you do fellow kids,” seteth having the single social braincell but still failing, rhea wanting to share a meal in the cafeteria 😭 i love them all so much, they really are just so cutely unsure of themselves but are friendly and kind

And somehow, the BL gang is still completely oblivious !

During a Friday visit to an orphanage, as usual, orphans run to Rhea to play and ignore Dimitri after staring a few seconds. It makes him very depressed. Dimitri asks Rhea how she manages to be so close to people while being the Archbishop and having her own role to uphold ; he's worried people, and children, are intimidated by his role and presence now that he is king.

But talking to children is easier, so they reveal the "nice lady with a plate on her head" always gives them biscuits, but the other person shines too much and they always have to squint when they look at him. Dimitri immediately gets the message - maybe he should ask Felix and Dedue to stop using "oil" to polish his armor when they're doing knightly things together - and Rhea has her revelation seeing Dimitri remove his armor, at first she thought Willy was just being horny, but this is the real secret to make people less anxious, the key is to undress!

Cichol would obviously disagree, but who cares about him ?

Come the next meal at the cafeteria, and Rhea is less anxious now that she knows what she has to do. Hopefully for everyone, Annette and Gilbert catch her in front of the doors, wondering what she is doing, is she joining everyone to share a meal?

"Well yes, but first, I have to undress."

Annette immediately wonders what the fuck, but Gilbert knows it must have a hidden meaning, the Archbishop couldn't have meant that the way they both understood it, she has a way with words that is not the way of everyone else, he worked for her for years, he knows she is not some kind of pervert, of course she is not.

Thinking as fast as he could, he only came to the logical conclusion that she wanted to remove her heavy robes, fearing an accident if food falls on them or something like this. Seeing them both silent, Rhea tries to make the situation less weird than it is, explaining how it is to make people feel less bothered if she eats with them.

Annette finally caught it, Lady Rhea's afraid how her role and stature as the Archbishop would make people feel too self-conscious to enjoy a proper meal, that's why she wants to look as if she's only someone and not the Archbishop!

Who knew Sylvain's ramblings about paintings could be useful?

"Worry not Lady Rhea, if you want to wear a normal dress, you will be able to eat with us as you and not as the Archbishop!"

After a few tries to find something that'd suit her, she finally goes in the cafeteria, but is stopped at the last moment by Seteth, who gives her the "I'm going to lecture you for the next 20 years" look, what is she doing, she's too old to play dress-up, this dress is not appropriate it shows her arms, she's the Archbishop, cover up for mother's sake !

Rhea refuses, and they argue, Seteth won't back down, he knows how stubborn she is so at least he will give her his jacket, but while Rhea's pushing him he actually rips his shirt, so they both fall in the cafeteria.

Rhea's sure people will stare and stop having a pleasant meal because of Seteth and his idiocies, but instead of saying "oh the archbishop" there are a lot of people running to a shirtless!Seteth, asking him if he can train them, if he needs squires or if they can become his knights, hell, if he needs assistance to "polish his armor".

Flayn wonders what happened to her dad to barge in the cafeteria without his shirt, maybe it's the crisis of the 3500s, her uncle Indech told her once that when Cichol will reach 3500 he will act weirdly. But she's pretty interested in Rhea's new dress, those designs and patterns look so modern!

"What are you talking about? This is the most traditional Faerghian dress, this design is as old as Faerghus !"

Mercie thinks Flayn wanted to find something to comment on, and doesn't think more about it, while Ashe and Ingrid talk about dresses depicted in various knightly novels, the Maiden of Wind's dress in the edition of 950 had a dress that was judged too "Adrestian", so the verses were modified to remove any part that could make a link with Adrestian fashion.

Sylvain wonders even more seriously if the Lady from his step-mom's painting wasn't related to Lady Rhea, because without the giant crown and robes, they really really really look alike, bar the hair color. But it's just a foolish remark, I mean, no one lives to be that old, besides, you can't really change the color of your hair, right? Flayn didn't get the part about "living that old" but tells Sylvain that yes, she tried to use berries a long time ago to change hair color, but it didn't work that well because she couldn't color the ends, but no one noticed it since yellow and green are close colors.

Sylvain stares at Flayn - the lady in the painting has yellow hair, but with green ends - wait just like Seiros he remembers Ingrid tried to put grass in her hair when they were younger when she was pretending she was Saint Seiros - is Flayn messing with him or ???

Ultimately, Rhea asks Catherine if it is alright to eat here, in the cafeteria, with everyone. Aren't people troubled or stressed because she is here? Catherine replies if anyone is bothered they will talk to her fist, but why is she even thinking she is bothering people? Everyone's happy to spend time with her!

"Even if I don't undress?"

Catherine's mind went blank for a second, what the fuck, what is Lady Rhea saying - who's the bastard who told her she had to undress to make people less anxious, Lady Rhea is too naive - but renews her knightly vows.

Meanwhile, Dimitri had to convince Felix and Dedue to let him join the cafeteria without any shirt on "It will create a commotion your Highness, please reconsider" "Stop being a boar and put clothes on!" "But it worked with the children, as soon as I removed a piece of clothing they stopped being afraid!"

"They weren't afraid they were just blinded by the sun reflected on your armor!"

[mousegard]

for the ask thing

rhea

favorite thing about them

oh god. where do i start. she's so fucked up and she's so hot. she's an absolute mess on every level. my daughter who has every disease. my poor little meow meow. she did everything wrong and i love her for it. she's so bad and it makes me want to clap my hands and rub them together with glee. all of the rest of my answers to this meme are my favorite thing about her

least favorite thing about them

the fandom

aside from that, her lack of relevance in azure moon sucks. i'm glad that at least she got more focus in azure gleam, as much of a cursed route as that was, if only because it just makes it so obvious how incredibly and delightfully toxic rhea has been for fodlan and its people

favorite line

every line rhea gets is just fucking. so good. cherami leigh is perfectly cast in the english dub. her lines are dripping with menace when they need to be, unsettling when they need to be, and vulnerable exactly when they need to be. every fucking line she gets in cf is just so, so good and the voice acting brings it all to life perfectly.

rhea's lines when byleth chooses to protect edelgard in the holy tomb are my favorite. especially the sheer contempt you can hear in "you are just another failure"

chills every time. the truth comes out there. exactly how she sees byleth and exactly how she sees humanity as a whole

brOTP

one of the fascinating things about rhea is that nobody is on an equal footing to her. not seteth or flayn, her fellow nabateans, whom she never answers to for any of the decisions she makes, despite seteth being nominally her advisor. not catherine or jeralt, who were brought under her wing in exchange for their servitude as knights, one of whom was successfully groomed by her and one of whom wasn't and got out while he still had a chance.

honestly cyril is the only human character in the game that rhea doesn't appear to have a purely transactional relationship with, and... he's a child. a child who cleans her room and does chores for her. okay that's pretty transactional now that i think about it.

so, given that rhea doesn't have anyone she can be bros with, my brotp for rhea is...

rhea/catherine. you get the more wholesome ending of a deposed rhea retreating from the world and catherine looking after her, which is quite bittersweet. but you can also be delightfully fucked up with it. imagine if cf ended with the black eagle strike force being routed in fhirdiad and fresh off a decisive church victory over the empire catherine had to live with the thousands of civilians she'd murdered on rhea's orders, with nowhere to go but deeper into rhea's arms. hhhhhhhhhh

OTP

i don't think rhea is capable of having a healthy romantic or sexual relationship with any other playable character in the game (she might have had one with wilhelm, but that was 1000 years ago), but a relationship doesn't have to be healthy to be incredibly fascinating and compelling. that is why my rhea otp is rhea and cf!dimitri. the feedback loop of bloodthirsty revenge they would enforce for each other would be fun to watch... from several miles away.

nOTP

rhea/byleth. like... rhea outright doesn't see byleth as a person (in stark contrast to the other humans in her life, who she at least understands are people and not merely vessels) until the end of ss/vw and tried to erase their entire identity without their foreknowledge or consent. that's not something i can ship. i can fantasize about how fucked up it is i guess but as a ship? nah

also rhea/edelgard is one of those ships which i like mainly for horny reasons but under certain circumstances it goes instantly to squick. and it's a fine line but a line nonetheless.

random headcanon

this isn't so much of a headcanon as it is an interpretation of sothis' characterization through her behavior in 3 hopes, but i believe that sothis felt no affection for the nabateans she created; they were just tools to her, and she cared about them as much as a paperclip maximizer cares about the paperclips it makes. and that makes it extra tragic for rhea, who wastes her entire life after slaying nemesis trying to recapture a maternal love that only really existed in her own head.

gives me real nier automata vibes. isn't that hilarious? doesn't it make you laugh?

unpopular opinion

rhea is the villain everyone accuses edelgard of being. she's a sympathetic and fascinating character, but at the end of the day she's an alien colonizer who spent 1000 years fucking up an entire continent. and she didn't have to be any of those things. you know it. i know it. she knows it

song i associate with them

See these eyes so green I can stare for a thousand years Colder than the moon

It's been so long

Feel my blood enraged It's just the fear of losing you Don't you know my name?

You've been so long

And I've been putting out the fire with gasoline

favorite picture of them

SageOfAnys

frogbians

[crescentluuuna]

How I beat Maddening Mode in the worst way I could come up with - Part 2

Chapter 5 - or: Gilbert is useless Chapter 5 is probably the second most infamous chapter in the entire game. It consists of a big spiral with the boss in the centre, and also the first ambush reinforcements in the game. Essentially, these reinforcements can act the same turn as they appear, which makes them pretty hard to play around and also a very… interesting mechanic for a strategy game. Fortunately, I am joined by the green unit Gilbert, who contributes a lot by dying in the first enemy he faces. This map is usually very annoying, mostly due to the archers that can shoot at me from the inner parts of the spiral, but since I have insane range due to the Viskam, I was able to defeat them without getting into too much danger. In fact, I could even defeat the boss, Miklan, easily by just hitting him with the Viskam, but I decide this would be too annoying since the boss fight has a second phase, and all the enemies I leave alive now would still be there in the second phase. Because of this, I decide to do the long and also very boring way around the tower until I can finally defeat Miklan by attacking him from 9 range with the Viskam. He is then punished for using a relic weapon without bearing a crest by taking 10 damage, but since he has no HP left, the goddess decides he must suffer the even more horiffic penalty of turning into a monster. By using a few battalions and sacrificing a few units to it (remember that I'm still playing Casual Mode lol), I can defeat Miklan and finally retrieve the Lance of Ruin, which Miklan has stolen. In the following cutscene, Rhea asks me to return the Lance to House Gautier, but since I do not care for my relationship with Rhea and have also used my feminine charm to rersuade Sylvain into joining my house, I simply tell her I will not return the Lance, so Sylvain can show up and take it. Chapter 6 - or: Letting Flayn rot in the basement In chapter 6, Flayn has been kidnapped. Because of this, Rhea decides to make Byleth and her class search for her instead of doing their regular mission for this month. The first week of this month forces me to explore the monastery and to do one of, if not the most annoying required mission in the game. I gather many, many hints by talking to people around the monastery, and ultimately figure that the true identity of the kiddnapper has to be the one and only Ferdinand von Aegir. However, the game forces me to investigate Jeritza's room, which I obviously do as soon as possible - or I would do so, if it wouldn't lock me out of an entire month worth of training. Because of this, I decide to ignore Flayn for the time being, and to do some skirmish maps instead - as if nothing happened. At the end of the month, Claude mentions how annoyed he is that we never managed to find Flayn, but fortunately, Ignatz interrupts our conversation as though he was just waiting for us to talk about Flayn. Could he be conspiring with Ferdinand von Aegir? We will probably never know, but as punishment, I decide to bench him for the rest of my playthrough. We then finally investigate Jeritza's room, where we find Manuela who has somehow survived an entire month worth of bleeding and lying on the floor, and also have Hanneman take our house leader away. Uhhhh... yay? However, even without Claude, we investigate the secret passage we just found, and run into Ferdinand von Aegir in his costume. The following map drags on a bit, but with the help of the Viskam and Dark Spikes T, it doesn't pose too much of a problem. After this, I recruit Flayn into my house.

[hecvenwept]

I know this is probably me being desperate for lore bc IntSys hates Nabatean stans but, behold my newest theory about Seteth & Flayn, also tying in with an older headcanon post of mine about how the Nabateans are imho hinted to be the deities/divine aspects of forces of nature of the universe of 3h in general, not just of Fodlan.

Alright so Brigid and Dagda are two countries outside of Fodlan, who are named after two Irish gods, and members of the Tuatha Dé Danann. The Dagda (yes, it seems you put a "the" on the front of the name) is known to be Brigid's father. Much like Cichol is Cethleann's father, the two also being named after Irish mythological figures/deities (although iirc those two belong to the Fomorian Cycle, which I'm not sure is related to the TdD, I'm no expert in Irish mythology and only going off of what I could find on the internet real quick).

Here's where it gets interesting: Cichol (3h) is an earth dragon, the earth often being associated with life, crops, fertility, agriculture, etc, which also happen to be the Dagda's primary elements. The Dagda is also associated with strength & wisdom, two defining qualities we know for a fact Cichol (3h) possesses in canon, not to mention being seen as a father-figure king. The real Cichol also seemed to be associated with life and death, as is the Dagda, who could control life and death. Life and death is also seen as an aspect of the earth/nature in many cultures, in the sense that it's mother earth that gives us life and takes it away.

Now, Brigid. While things seem to be a little murkier when it comes to her, it is suggested she may be part of a Triple Deity (from what I understood, that means there were three goddesses with the same name, each one representing a different quality. One of the Brigids was associated with healing, which is 3h Cethleann's defining characteristic). 3h Cethleann is also adored and depicted in art (ex. Saint Cethleann's Love Garland, Ignatz's attempts at painting her), which could be linked to the real Brigid's title as a "goddess loved by the poet". The real Brigid was also praised for her wisdom and caring nature, both of which can be found in 3h Cethleann; she seems wise beyond her (apparent) years, and her famed healing abilities are the embodiment of her caring nature.

As a general observation concerning divine figures outside Fodlan, Petra remarks that there are stories of people in Brigid that looked just like Byleth after their fusion with Sothis, and even had extraordinary abilities such as flight, which is, of course, something that dragons do.

No idea how to end this wall of text tbh, it's evolved into a tangent, but I suppose what I mean by all this is that Cichol and Cethleann are connected to Dagda and Brigid, and that the Nabateans are eldritch beings/draconic aspects of nature that don't belong solely to Fodlan, but watch over the entire world of 3H.

Again, as a disclaimer, I am in no way an expert in Irish mythology. If anyone out there is more educated on the subject, or generally has more information or any observations/corrections about any of the above, I'd love to hear it! In the end, I'm pretty sure IntSys just jammed together a bunch of folklore and myths from various European cultures to make their medieval Europe fantasy dating sim, so I'm not expecting this to actually have any merit in canon, but it's something I love to think about, adding more depth to a story that I love, a story that feels incomplete (especially after Hopes...God), and, to me, feels like it has a lot more potential than people give it credit for!

[lyteupthelyfe]

ok. okok.

lyte talk about the contraclass w/o mentioning lysithea challenge 3 2 1 go

WE'RE IN THE FINAL CHAPTER!!!!

and, uh, actually on the final free day of the final chapter. we're gonna do some auxiliary battles, and try to get the rest of the gang (lorenz, ignatz, her, marianne, flayn and balthus) to level 44. in terms of how everyone's going, everyone's in their final classes and mastered them, though flayn doesn't have wrath yet (which is nbd since she either doubles, crits, or doubles and crits everything into oblivion anyway) unit updates below the cut!

claude [dark bishop] is going...fine? he's still putting out tanky magic damage but he isn't doubling or critting as much as he was before. lorenz [war master] on the other hand decides to crit everything. he also has 74 hp. be afraid of lorenz. raphael's best quality is that he's got restore and can dance people. his damage output (except for the brave sword and probably the sword of begalta) is literally negligible/single digit, but at least his avoid is mildly high (high 60s w/ 25 base speed incl. speed+2, an evasion ring, sword avo+20, sword5 and axebreaker)

ignatz is a beast. with the hauteclere he has 59 base might (brought to 70 when you count wyvern lord's axefaire as well as death blow) and 37 base speed. so uh. be afraid of ignatz. marianne is generally unbothered. she has 26 strength, 27 speed, 26 dex and 34 def. so she's actually really good at dodging and critting for a great knight. counting up all the stats her might when using AoUkonvasara is 58 and her prt is 43. so yeah. marianne is unbothered.

hilda is a solid all-round unit; she has roughly equal def and res at 23 and 25 respectively, 29 base magic and roughly 30 dex and speed. holy knight hasn't done anything spectacular to her except pump up her res, but she remains a solid unit who can dish out good magic damage and do funky bolting shenanigans. leonie [dark flier] is, again, a good mage with 28 magic, 42 dex and 43 speed. her short spell list and its limited uses (fire/bolg./rag.; 10/5/3) is a tad annoying, were it not for the fact that she likes doing critical hits when she's low on spell uses for some reason. she's also one of my best bait units along with ignatz thanks to alert+ and that giant speed stat.

seteth [war monk] is doing great. he can delete anything in one round of combat w/ his gauntlets (36 strength), and with a magic stat of 29 and speed and dex at 36 and 35, his spells aren't too bad either (i can't remember if i've said it before on here, but let me say it now--with love and care seteth has the potential to be a BRILLIANT magic unit). flayn only very very recently came into her own as a crit build, but with a base might of 36 (incl. death blow) and a base dex stat of 32, she's got HEFTY crits left right and centre regardless of if she's in swordmaster or warrior, and with a speed stat of 29, her avoid isn't too bad either--especially since she's equipped w/ both lance- and axebreaker.

balthus [bow knight] is doing pretty well for himself--he's got 36 strength and 29 speed, which, while not being enough to double everyone, can pack a punch when he needs to (he's always been able to deal a surprising amount of damage to armoured units)--and his 32 dex helps in getting those crits out when he needs too. byleth, lovingly named caithens in this run, [valkyrie] packs an absolute magic punch (she has taken out enemy units with 50+ hp out in a single hit before--critless, too), and can do it from three spaces away (insane!). her magic stat is 31, and she has a dex stat of 36, and a speed stat of 31. like the others (no, sorry raph), she's always ready to nuke a healthbar.

so that's the gang! i'd say everyone's very prepared to take on nemesis, the elites, and every single enemy on the final map, especially with its recommended level of 42. i'll try to keep y'all updated, and honestly might liveblog it. because i'm sure there will be insanity to come.

..oh? you, uh, you say that i didn't include an overview of everyone? i mean everyone relevant is there, right? hang on lemme check. hmhmhmmmm.

ah! oh, you want to know how she's going--the character that i've prattled on about the most this entire run? xD

ok, ok. since you asked so nicely~

(one-winged angel starts playing)

falcon knight.

49 hp. 27 attack. 38 magic. 44 dexterity. 39 speed. 20 luck. 22 defence. 25 res. 22 charm. with alert stance+ and including all passive bonuses, she gets almost 120 avoid just by waiting and holding an iron lance. she also doubles literally everything with darting blow. she got chilon down to like, a fifth or sixth (if not less) of his health just by doubling with the spear of assal. i made the terrifying choice to give her a brave lance+, and have also resolved to give her a chest key for the final map so that she can pick up the arrow of indra. yes i know that would be broken and yes that's the point. also yes tbf i have enabled this by giving her the immortal corps. but it's also lysithea on a flying horse i don't think its meant to make sense.

anyway yeah the main takeaway is that all of these classes are more or less extremely viable (except for dancer!raphael but the same thing happened to caspar on SS and bernie on CF so he's not special)

so anyway that's more or less the endgame situation atm! it'll probably get slightly better after the three auxiliary battles, and i'll post the usual final-battle unit overview video, so there's that to come! stay tuned!

[butwhatifidothis]

The slither am takes are hilarious. Cornelia gets killed wasting all the resources Thales used to fortify the city with giant robots. The fact the great bridge is stated by an npc to still be held by the church when Arundel invaded. Implies he came from Shambala least to me. There also more slithers in Enbarr then normal thanks to Myson appearing to take a last stand with Edelgard in this route. But the world is doomed because Dimitri didn’t find one underground city. They usually cite them coming back in VWSS. But they only do that with imperial remants that most likely came from Cornelia as there not mentioned in am at all iirc. There legit helpless without Edelgards army. Plus they ignore Nemesis is stated to be only permanently kill able with Byleth divine power. Which they don’t in cf and the slithers are full size still lol. Also cf had a long war with them. Then they come back years later in every route to be stopped by Balthus and Hapis. Pretty obvious the empires the main threat in the game.

It’s like, they really, really don’t want AM to have taken care of TWS since Dimitri is directly stated to be entirely against Edelgard’s philosophy (which is apparently what they need since Claude also is against like 90% of Edelgard’s stances but ThEy’Re So SiMiLaR I guess) and that means if Dimitri is able to have found out about them on his own through his own research completely devoid of Edelgard’s help and if Dimitri was able to wipe them off the map, that means Edelgard... is wrong. About, like, everything. “She had to start the war because no one would have figured out about TWS and she needed to jumpstart change to fight them off and save Fodlan” except Dimitri was on the path of doing so pre ts without any war whatsoever. He was putting together the dots of Arundel’s strange behavior in the academy and post ts he noted Cornelia’s radically changed mannerisms. He was going to figure them out by himself. 

But that being true means that Edelgard was either 1) far too careless and rash in her decision making (which, given that everything points to her coming to the “let’s do that war thing” conclusion at like 14, isn’t too hard to believe) and she didn’t look into TWS whatsoever before coming to that conclusion seeing as Dimitri found them out through Imperial records, or 2) it isn’t “oh she cared so much about Fodlan but was backed into a corner by this overwhelming force and she couldn’t do anything but help them until she garnered enough power to stop them” it’s more “oh she wanted to put Fodlan back into Adrestia’s sole influence and so used this amoral source of power to help her do so and didn’t want that source to be sniffed out until she herself was done using them” 

Which, given that she continually covers for them and hides them from everyone including allies she knows would not want to work for them, that she always uses their “war assets” (Demonic Beasts) even in her own route, that she full on helps them carry out their crimes like with Flayn, and how she will flat out say to TWS’  faces that she’s using them up until they are no longer needed (that they’re working together “for now,” that there “won’t be any salvation for their kind”) oh gee, I wonder which option fits her actions and behavior better? (I mean both kinda fit lmao but yeah)

And they don’t like that! They seem to really not like anything that could kinda put Edelgard in a bad light. How else do you explain “Yeah, Dimitri got rid of Thales, whoever Cornelia actually was, and even Myson, and Solon is also always dead, all of which seem to be the higher ups of TWS’ power structure, but, uh, that guy who summons Demonic Beasts on VW is still alive!! And Dimitri definitely would just not look into whatever the fuck happened to the real Cornelia or just TWS in general even though he now knows they were involved with that kinda sorta big event of his life called the Tragedy, so they absolutely get away scot free in AM”? Especially with DLC-chan coming in and literally saying point-blank that TWS are always taken care of post war, no matter the route, at least if Hapi is alive, and with Hapi giving even more incentive to Dimitri into finding out more about TWS with her information about their connection to his missing step mother. It’s nonsensical.

[fe-semi-decent-scenarios]

How do the BL students cope with missing their s/o? (like they're on a mission or something and won't be back for a long time) Bonus points for including how they react to seeing them again lol. Congrats on the big 100 btw

[Thank you! This is a little late but I was amazed to see so many people reading these posts.I’m pretty proud of this one.I wrote this as a ‘first time they’re apart’ kind of scenario. Hope it is to your liking! :3]

Dimitri: 

Karma really does bite, and boy does it do so hard

More often than not it is Dimitri leaving you behind for missions. Being the leader of the Lions meant that he was stationed at almost every important battle. Sometimes you’d join, and others the professor would decide to have someone else take up arms. No biggie, you know? He never complained since it guaranteed your safety.  

He didn’t even think of the possibility of a role reversal. One where you’d be sent out while he’s left behind. Up until now he was always by your side, but Manuela knew his limits better than anyone. She insisted he take the month off to rest. 

Once again, no biggie. He’d much rather be productive but with some convincing he easily gave in. Everyone departed for the monthly mission and he decided to invest some of the extra time on his hands into an evening with you 

He was about to search for you, but then memory did it’s job.

“Ah, that’s right. They departed with their battalion this morning...”

Dimitri wasn’t used to the silence of an empty Monestary. Was it always this hollow when the army was deployed? There were some people, yes. However most areas appeared almost lifeless. 

It brought up some unpleasant memories to say the least. Ones of a dusk castle, strangers on every corner, empty dinner tables, and cold nights spent staring up from his balcony. 

The time he spends without Dedue glued to his side is full of reflection. Once he’s trained, eaten, studied up, etc. He’ll stroll around the monastery and think of what his life has become 

How fragile the peace is. How much longer will it last?  

He wanted to talk with someone. The silence was deafening and he wished for a distraction before the voices made their appearance. 

They did.

He wished for you to come home. Despite the voices screaming that he had no right to long for your comfort, the desire still remained.  

 Was it the same for you when he’d depart? This...lonely? 

He hoped not. 

Since when had Dimitri become assimilated to the daily nonsense that was his life? 

Dedue had caught on to his highness’ feelings instantly. Dimitri was more reminiscent than usual, and often his walks would take him to your room. He wouldn’t enter, just look at the door as if expecting it to open. He wasn’t one to talk of the past as it made him uncomfortable, but sometimes Dedue would catch him smiling at nothing. It was a welcome change to have happy memories. 

When you come home it’s as if Dimitri has a new aura. Well, maybe not entirely but he has a more solemn look in his eyes when they meet yours. He spends the first day being caught up on politics with the Professor and Seteth, but for many nights beyond the return he seeks your company 

He wants to hear your voice. The one he craved for when the silence became intolerable 

“I’ve returned my beloved, would you care to tell that story from the other night again? I know it has only been one day but I would love to hear it.” 

Dedue: 

Time alone with you was already a rarity, so your complete absence didn’t dieter him as much as one would think. Dedue’s schedule rarely has a slot for free-time, and so the days pass on like seconds 

As long as there is no specific reason to worry then he refrains from doing so. Dedue genuinely believes in your strength and capabilities so he won’t needlessly fret over nothing. He has his own duties to attend to just as you do. 

However, this doesn’t mean he feels nothing on the matter. Others can gossip about him all they want but his nationality doesn’t define his personality. Not that he cares, since his stone exterior hides signs of weakness 

Let’s get this straight: he does miss you. While not in surplus, your time together is precious to him. He notices how your seat is empty during lessons and meetings. He unconsciously checks the training hall’s door during his regime, impatiently waiting for you to pop in and say your daily ‘hello’. He’s painfully aware of the extra pair of gardening gloves in his tool pail. Dedue knows that you are gone and it has an impact. 

He just ignores it. Dedue knows that when duty calls it must come before personal issues. Even if there is no contact between you two, he would rather no letters than one relaying distress 

If his highness asks about his feelings Dedue’s replies are short and curt. He does not wish for any worry or pity. 

One small sign that Dedue is off-put is that he becomes forgetful. It’s something only those who know him well can pick up on. For example: he won’t bring any writing utensils to a meeting. To a stranger this is a common mishap that happens to everyone. Only people who know Dedue well will see that someone as responsible as him wouldn’t forget something so minute 

Another is the short sighs he lets out. Nothing drawn out or dramatic, just quick puffs of air through the nose- kind of like a huff. They’re very difficult to catch and are a habit when he feels impatient or restless 

The day you come home isn’t a large extravaganza. Prince Dimitri accompanies him to greet the returning troops, but it doesn’t take a wise man to see that he mainly came for moral support. You were his friend as well, and he also wanted to see Dedue happy. 

When you come into sight Dedue approaches as if it’s a normal day. Your appearance is a bit too worn-down for his liking, and he says so. He asks if the journey went well, and whether it did or not he gives a minuscule smile 

If you return it he’ll pat your head. A welcome home, if you will 

“Come. Let us speak of the time we were apart. I would like to hear of your travels” 

Felix:

Simple solution. Whenever Felix feels as if he’s missing your presence he’ll go find you. 

Oh wait 

He can’t lmao 

It doesn’t hit him how big your role is in his life until you’re forced to be apart. All it took was a few days for Felix to feel like something was missing

At first he’s in denial. What is he, a child? A grown man doesn’t need someone to lean on, or keep him company, or check on him...or to give him encouragement......make him laugh....listen to his problems............okay. Maybe he does. 

At the beginning he seems put together but gradually as the days go on Felix becomes socially intolerant. The only person he wants to talk with is you, and you’re not there. Anyone else can buzz off or they’re getting snapped at

No one says anything either. Sometimes you can’t when the only solution is so far away 

Felix works extra hard when you’re gone. No one’s there to force much needed breaks onto him. From morning till dusk he’ll train and only stop for meals.

It’s his distraction. Every time that familiar pang shows up the training dummy gets another slice 

What’s happened to him? He was never so dependent on another person. Yeah, he has people that he cares about but their presence was never a necessity in his life 

The pain only intensifies as he thinks of what you’re doing, the dangers you’re facing, other (men/women) making you smile-

Oh....Oh no. Dear god he’s in love que the dummy’s head being sliced off

He’s waiting in your room on the day you get back. You’ll walk in to see him reading at your desk, only for the book to snap shut when you open the door 

A bit roughly he’ll pull you in for a hug. Not too tight, if you wanted to escape it you could

“Look. I’ll only say this once so you better listen...don’t leave for that long ever again. If you have to then I’m going with. No arguments”        

Ashe:

He’s fine. It’s okay. Ten days in and life goes on, you know? Today he played with some of the stray cats in the monastery like he normally would. The only off part was that he forgot to bring fish treats, normally you’d do that. 

Then he ordered some sweet buns for dessert after dinner; it was his usual order on your rare dates. Those days you’d snatch one but this time they were all his

He had them in the garden with some mint tea and watched the sun set. The last time he did that you decided to braid his hair while he told bad puns about his patchy facial hair fiasco. This time he viewed in tranquil silence 

Later in the evening he practiced archery to unwind. Lately Caspar agreed to be his training partner with you gone. He’d collect the arrows shot and help reposition the targets. You would normally do the same and in turn Ashe would wake up extra early to help you in the morning. 

At night he curled up in bed with “Loog and the Maiden of Wind,” picking up from where he left off. It was easy since you had given him a copy with a built-in cloth bookmark for his birthday. He loves it to pieces. 

Please come home When his eyes began to feel heavy he tucked it under his pillow for the day. 

Under the covers he shifted to get comfortable, and just like every night he ended up cuddling one of his pillows 

How much longer 

He closed his eyes 

....

..........

What was taking so long? The professor never mentioned that the journey would take weeks? There haven’t been letters either...

Where are you? What are you doing? Do you miss him? Are you eating properly? Are you sleeping right? He should have asked Seteth to let him accompany you. Are you on your way home? Should he go ask? No, it’s late. Asking now would be a bother-

 He misses you so much. No amount of time spent absorbing himself in different hobbies makes the discomfort in his chest go away. Everything reminds him of you. 

When you come home he’s front and center at the gate. The professor had taken pity on the boy (courtesy of Flayn’s plea) and arranged his schedule to be free all day. He spent it chatting with gatekeeper until troops appeared in the distance 

The moment you’re in sight he’s skipping down the stairs and greets you with the warmest embrace. The second you pull back he’s peppering kisses on your cheeks. 

“You’re back! I’ve missed you so much I can’t even begin to explain. Let’s go eat dinner and you can tell me all about the trip” 

Sylvain:

Is it weird that with you gone Sylvain actually begins to be a productive human being?

He spends the newfound spare time at the stables with the horses, or helping with chores around the monastery. Very rarely is he found goofing off 

Weird. Most would expect him to let loose considering how you have him on a ‘ball and chain,’ as he puts it 

So???? How come he chooses now to be responsible. 

Simple. He only acts rebellious to get a rise out of you

Just kidding lol. Only partially

While he does get a free show out of your nagging, it isn’t the reason he behaves like that. Neither why he’s suddenly ‘turned over a new leaf’

Sylvain highly respects you. Not only do you work hard but you’re also one of the most genuine people he knows. He’ll never say it to your face but before he loved you Sylvain looked to you as a role model. He never could have imagined that someone with such an authentic set of emotions would become his partner 

He also puts you through hell with all the trouble he gets in. Anyone else would have ended the relationship by now with so many FALSE rumors of adultery on his end. Yet you never gave up on him.  

In short, you’ve stood by him through thick and thin. From daily mess ups to the more deeper problems. You’ve been a major pillar that he leans on.

So that’s what he’s going to be for you. While you’re away he’s going to pick up the slack and make sure there’re no messes waiting for you to come home to 

Just him and maybe a few snide jokes. You know, a couple of dramatic whines about all the trouble he went to in making sure your room stayed clean 

Sometimes it gets difficult to turn down the invites from his peers, but he holds strong. The change is so drastic that Byleth even jokes about sending you away more often. 

He takes it with a grain of salt. They’d never exploit their students like that and he knows it 

When you arrive home he’s waiting patiently in your room. In one arm there’s a blanket and in the other a feather duster c’mon he has to make this believable

“Well there’s the (man/woman) of the hour. Do you realize the horrors that I’ve endured these past weeks? I cleaned this room EVERY DAY. You owe me big time!”  

Sylvain demands that for all the worry, strife, and hard labor you put him through; he deserves an afternoon nap with his partner. Will you let him slack off?

Annette: 

Busy, busy, busy!!!

She has so many chores to get done, books to read, people to talk to, and songs to sing 

She hated to say goodbye, but eventually you’ll come home. This isn’t like before. You’re not like him. 

Annette trusts you

She loves you 

While you’re gone she’ll think of all the things you can do together when you get back. What’s a better way to use the time, right? 

She 100% plans to blackmail you into treating her for lunch. How could you leave her behind to watch over everyone by herself? So cruel...

There are mild worries that fill her heart. Thoughts on your health for one. Whether you’re skilled in faith or not it doesn’t matter to her. 

She kind of wishes that the professor scheduled her to fight as well. However, things were better this way.

Annette will make sure you have somewhere wonderful to return to 

She even writes a small ‘welcome home’ jingle! Anything to bring out your smile 

People will occasionally ask how she’s holding up. After all, if Annette doesn’t worry about herself then of course others will do it for her. 

And yeah. Sometimes it does get rough. She’s human and naturally her partner means the world to her. Who the hell would be okay with sending their loved one away? 

It’s just that if she isn’t optimistic than who will be. Who’s going to give you encouragement when you need it most? Isn’t that what being a couple is about? To have faith and believe in each other? 

That’s why she’s okay. She’ll sing those fear demons away and take comfort in knowing you’ll come home with everyone else

And when you do she’s there with a few of your favorite flowers. She’ll congratulate you on a job well done whether the battle was a win or lose, and literally force you into her dorm to talk the hours away.

“Welcome home! I had plenty of time on my hands while you were away so I wrote a small song...i-if it’s okay then can I sing it for you? I promise it’s not about tasty cakes this time haha!” 

Mercedes:

The daily church hymn lifts her spirits. Mercedes’ devout faith is what supports her during moments of weakness 

You’ve probably guessed this, but every day you’re in her prayers. 

Not that you weren’t before, but now she spends a little more time mulling over possibilities of danger. Some extra blessings couldn’t hurt either 

She does find her thoughts trailing over to you often as well. Not anything negative but instead the happier memories. Saying goodbye was a rough blow when realization hit that your return date wasn’t definite 

Alas, the goddess will protect you. Mercedes steels herself to be patient and invest her energy into more productive things 

Mercedes is sort of like the big sister of all her friends. The doting type. Without you around she has all this pent up affection, and the lions get the blunt end of it

They’re an outlet that she uses to distract herself from not having you around. Not that they necessarily mind it (maybe Felix but he’ll get over it)

The time she’d spend with you is used to bake for the monastery children, or help with chores. She uses it wisely and also works on some of her own hobbies. 

You may or may not find some well-stitched embroidery on your socks. She goes all out and even offers to help mend Dimitri’s battle-worn cape. That thing needed a literal miracle to return to it’s former glory 

Life isn’t much different aside from your lack of presence. With each day she finds herself looking forward to your return, and occasionally she’ll inquire with the professor about it. Mercedes is known for her patience, and it truly is a virtue in many cases. Definitely in this one. 

When note of your future return arrives she can’t help but smile. If allowed she’ll ask to read the letter of notification herself and will do so with incredible focus. She’ll clutch one hand to her chest in relief before giving it back and leaving to return to her duties 

and so it goes until your return. She might not be able to come meet you at the gate, but at first sighting she’ll engulf you in an embrace. 

After a once-over for any injuries, she’ll insist that you have tea together. Hell, Mercedes would be happy if you two could just chat together on the nearest bench. There’s so much to talk of and now you two have all the time in the world 

“It’s so nice to see you again! Oh my...it feels like forever since I have seen you smile. I almost forgot how contagious is is haha” 

Ingrid: 

If it was up to Ingrid than she would be positioned right at your side. You two work well as a duo both on and off of the field. The army would benefit from your skills being magnified as a team 

She also wouldn’t have to deal with this ungodly sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Don’t misunderstand- Ingrid isn’t the protective type. She trusts in your capabilities both as a fighter and person. It’s only that being away for so long is a rarity, and she needs time to adjust. 

She’d just have to trust in the other people stationed at your side to do what she can’t  

If she knows any of them personally then Ingrid 100% approaches to ask that they watch your back 

That takes care of any worry, but not of the crack in her daily life 

Ingrid has much on her shoulders. Her family, Fargeus’ future, her friends, what food’s being served in the dining hall, if it tastes good or not, the church, the ‘flame emperor’, and you of course.

She’s also the type of person who likes uniformity: a schedule. You’re a part of that and being so far disrupts it. She’s afraid that her personal emotions will tap into her ability to fulfill her duties  

Everyone else assures her otherwise. Ingrid is known for always giving 110% so a while of just 100% is no big deal. She is allowed to be human 

She’s allowed to miss you. Her friends assure her of it 

She’s allowed to worry. There’s no need to sear shut her fears. After losing Glenn...well, it’s understandable. 

She’s allowed to ask for news updates. The professor has encouraged this. 

She’s allowed to go in your room if she needs alone time. You said so before leaving. 

However, Ingrid doesn’t allow herself those comforts until days after your departure. When you said goodbye it unsettled her stomach in more ways than one. It took some time to sort through her emotions while still maintaining her responsibilities

It took everything for Ingrid to move on from the past, and this experience set in a sense of gratitude for all that she’s been given. It also was an opportunity for her to reminisce over what she has lost, and still has to do. 

Needless to say, when you return Ingrid has gained a newfound confidence and comfort in not having a set schedule for life. Everything has always felt as if it needed to be rushed, but meeting you wasn’t something she had planned nor sped into. Spending some time to focus on her own personal goals aside from the ones preset for her before birth aided in Ingrid coming to terms with that. 

“Hello. It’s been so long that I hardly recognize you! What? It’s a joke!...Yes, I know how to tell jokes- hold on this is supposed to be a heartfelt reunion so don’t ruin it!” 

[indigowallbreaker]

Ooh, what about a combination of prompts 7, 45, and either 58, 59, or 60 for Claude and F Byleth, after the war?

(glad Claude radiates prompt 7 energy lol Great idea combining numbers! This was fun!)

7. “I’ve missed you” kiss; 45. Passionate kiss; 60. Throwing Their Arms Around The Other Person, Holding Them Close While They Kiss

Claude watched Garreg Mach fade into the distance. His wyvern knew the way home, northeast to Almyra, and Claude was free to turn his eyes the other way. To watch his other home disappear. It had been hard enough to decide he had to leave his friends and Fódlan behind for the time being; but now he was leaving his love behind too. Byleth’s face as she took his ring, slipped it on with one of those scarce smiles of hers, and nuzzled into his embrace... it had been the hardest thing to to turn away from that. But they both had work to do before they could be together in--

What in the world was that?

Claude squinted as something came into view. He pulled his wyvern to stop, urging her to hover in place as whateveritwas came closer. It looked like another wyvern. But why would someone be chasing him? No one but Teach should even know that he left yet.

Oh. Oh no.

Claude spurred his wyvern to the field below as he spotted familiar bright green hair on the approaching rider. “What happened?!” He called as he jumped down. Surely only something catastrophic could have happened for Teach to chase after him so soon. Teach slid from her wyvern and ran right to Claude-- rather, she ran into Claude, wrapping battled honed arms around him neck and kissing him with urgency.  

Had it really only been a few hours since he’d last held her like this? Claude wound his arms around her slowly, savoring the feel of her, the taste of her, trying to get her to calm down. Eventually the kiss became less audibly wet and instead slowed to the press of their mouths and stolen breaths released against one another’s lips.

At last, Byleth pulled away to nuzzle once more into the crock of his neck. Claude held her still tighter, heart beating frantically. “I missed you,” he admitted. To anyone else he could feel pathetic saying so-- had it really only been a few hours?-- but this was Teach. His love. How could he say anything else?

She kissed the side of his neck. “You won’t have to anymore. I’m coming with you.”

“The Church--”

“The Church would be better off with someone who knows anything about it. Someone who loves the Goddess as much as I do but can actually remember all the saint’s names without looking at the notes she wrote on her hand.”

Claude thought for a beat and this bowed his head to laugh into her shoulder. “You left Ignatz in charge?! Really?!”

“Just for now.” But Byleth was giggling too. “He has Seteth and Flayn to help him. Once Rhea gets back on her feet she can pick it up again.”

“You sure about this? Almyra’s pretty different from Fódlan.”

Byleth picked her head up and let their lips brush as she said, “It’ll have you. So it’s worth it.”

Claude hummed and kissed her softly. “Careful, or you’ll make me propose again.”

“It’s my turn, actually.” Byleth pulled back one hand to hold up a silver ring inset with violet jewels. Claude’s eyebrows went up. “This ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for five years. I wouldn’t mind passing it along.” She dropped it into her pocket. “But that’s for another time. I think I’d rather kiss you more.”

“I’d rather get a move on before anyone else tries to catch up to us. But...” He kissed the corner of her mouth as it creased into another one of those smiles, “I think I could be talked out of it.”

Byleth answered by pressed forward and initiating another kiss. This one was the opposite of before; it started slowly, lovingly, then sank into tongue and teeth and Claude became very aware of their wyverns watching them. 

But it was hard to care with Byleth so close once again. And in time, his love got his full attention.  

(Give me all the kiss prompts, i want them all)

[dreamsmp-au-ideas]

Fire Emblem AU

Dream’s route is called Fern Lake, so let’s talk about it

You only get in this route when you side with Dream against DreamXd after Dream reveals himself as The Green Demon

Resulting in The Green Gators and who Eve else you recruited running from the monastery to a fort to prepare for battle

Dream is insistent on keeping his friends around specifically so that they can keep him in check. So he form The Green Gators Batallion, one of the most elite armies in The SMP

Dream keeps his attachments so that he doesn’t lose himself

Cue battle at The Monastery. Karl falls off cliff and gets in a coma for five years

Cue post timeskip stuff!

Pretty much everyone in The Blue Anteaters has a high chance of dying

Wilbur and Tommy definitely die

Their first objective is to eliminate The Badlands and then go after L’Manberg and The Church

Because L’Manberg and The Church have been working together

So first they go through L’Manberg’s army at The Prime Wall, being led by Ant

You can kill Ant here if you need to

SMP conquers Prime Wall and moves on to the capital of The Badlands, Pandora an extremely well defended city

Listen the Wiki says Pandora’s Vault is in The Badlands and I am not letting that name go to waste

Sam is here and if you recruited him pre timeskip he can join your side here. If he isn’t recruited you can’t bring him to your side

He can still die though

Skeppy and Bad are definitely here and Skeppy is one of those enemies who you don’t want to kill

But he’s pretty hard to avoid, so he’s one of those units you have to actively avoid not killing

Bad has a sad quote if Skeppy dies that will make you feel bad

Either way you win and get to choose if you with kill or spare Bad

With Bad asking Dream to spare his kingdom any more bloodshed and that he’s already arranged for The Badlands to work with SMP

Canonically you spare him and he has to go to Errata

After that’s done they go back to The Monastery to regroup

Leaving out the chapter where The Monastery is attacked because I don’t have anyone to fill in for Seteth and Flayn and the main purpose of the fight is to take care of them

In order to get to L’Manberg’s capital they first have to go through The White City

This is where Blue Anteater casualties start coming in

Any of The Blue Anteaters besides Wilbur and Tommy could be recruited so keep that in mind

Should also start sending in recurieted Blue Anteaters for that special dialogue

Eret and Jack are leading the armies here if you didn’t recureit them and you have to kill them

So Green Gators Battalion takes The White City and heads to the capital of L’Manberg, Party Island

Called an “Island” because it’s surround by water

I’m trying to make these names work bear with me

There are very few place on The SMP wiki that don’t sound ridiculous

Before that can happen Wilbur and DreamXd make a plan

Wilbur’s forces will intercept Dream’s forces at The Field of Fame

Wilbur agrees that he won’t kill Karl because DreamXd wants to do it

And Wilbur really want to kill Dream

So The Battle of Fame begins

Wilbur and Tommy definitely die in this battle, no way around it

Tubbo has absolutely dreaded this. Clingy Duo angst ahoy!

Whichever unit kills Tommy Wilbur immediately goes after them

Same if Wilbur is killed first for Tommy

The others are horrified when they fight demonic beasts on the battlefield and realize that Wilbur’s forces have turned themselves into these things

And especially horrified when Tommy is defeated and he transforms himself into a beast right in front of them using a crest stone

Tubbo begs Karl to put down Tommy because dying would be better than being stuck like that

Ultimately it would most likely end with Tommy being killd first

And then Wilbur being killed by Dream in a cutscene

Where Wilbur is cursing Dream and Dream is legitimately regretful about having to kill him

Because he knows that Wilbur could’ve been an honorable ruler but their ideals just didn’t line up

This results in DreamXd, now is his Twitch form, retreating to Party Island

So SMP army makes a mad dash towards Party Island for the final fight

Twitch has basically completely snapped by this point, completely obsessed with having his revenge on Karl

Resulting in Twitch taking his dragon form and setting fire to Party Island

With Niki and Fundy both there as commanders who don’t care what happens anymore

They just want The SMP to stop taking everything they care about and they don’t care what they have to do to make them stop

So final battle is in the fire of Party Island and taking down the dragon Twitch

And Dream proving that the world doesn’t need to depend on gods anymore

Basically the route is very anti-hero esque

With the most potential bloodshed

It’s also shorter because The SMP had already pushed the rest of Carmine into a stalemate

In the other route Karl helps the underdog nations rise up and win the war

However here Karl just makes The SMP even stronger in order to decimate everyone

The Eggpire is kinda talked about as a thing they’ll take care of after the war

The Blue Anteaters who are recurieted stick together because they understand the pain of their nation falling apart

Dream is focused on getting it done as fast as possible because he is very aware that he doesn’t have a lot of time left

Everyone knows about Dream’s two crest situation by know

So yeah very morally ambiguous route

But it’s fun for people who like The Green Gators or playing the other side of most fire emblem games. That is to say The Empire who starts a war

OH man. This route is anti-hero esque and has a lot of angst behind it. Oh man this hurts. This hurts a lot and man, this sucks. It makes sense with the goal but man, there is so much bloodshed here. God.

[candlelight27]

Chapter 6: This Mask That I've Become

Summary: Sylvain has been ignoring you since you met him. You had been in love with him since you met him. College is about to offer you a fresh start. New academic year, new life. You were ready to forget him. But fate seems to have other plans… (COLLEGE AU)

Series: Seeking Your Warmth If Only For A Day

Warnings: kissing in a church lol, tresspassing and etc... don't do that, kids

Pairings: Sylvain Jose Gautier x Female Reader

Word Count: 7065

AO3: This Mask That I’ve Become

A/N:  Thanks to @galamixx again for being my beta! It's hard, I know lol so I appreciate it a lot!!!

I hope you like this chapter! It was a bit hard cause I'm going into unknown territory, but I hope you enjoy it either way. Comments, likes, whatever is really really appreciated! Thanks for sticking around with this!

My dearest Byleth,

Your letters brighten my days, otherwise dulled by duties. I must ask for your forgiveness again, since I couldn’t answer any text message yet. Seteth is trying to help me, but he’s not well versed in technology either. The world is moving way too quickly for us to catch up…

Please, keep updating me with the news of our dear students. I’m truly happy to see them thrive and prosper in the continuation of their studies. All those stories you tell me remind me of good times, already gone… Times I wish to never forget. It’s a gift of the Goddess to be able to see them again, even though I must stay in the shadows of this lonely cathedral.

I know we mustn’t be seen together, but I long to see you. Please, visit us soon. Seteth wants to have tea with you, too. He’s much more cheerful now that he’s sure Flayn is safe and sound whatever she wishes to do.

The real reason for this letter is to inform you that I arranged an archive to keep all of our memories safe. I know I refused your petition at first, but after long hours of deep thought, I came to the same conclusion as you. It’s our obligation to ensure the safety of the continent and everyone who lived here, and if we lose our memories, we wouldn’t be able to do it. And in case we die… others will take on our legacy. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take a look at them soon, so you can add any necessary information. I’ll send them as soon as they’re finished.

I’m doing as you instructed: I’m writing reports and so are the other Nabateans.

Thank you for your dedication, Byleth. I’ll always be here for you.

Yours sincerely,

Rhea.

Sylvain and you were next to each other, leaning over the table in your kitchen. Your gaze was fixed on the careful strokes of Rhea’s quill. Ingrid wasn’t home, so told her you’d invite Sylvain over to study and finish that project ‒ which you hadn’t touched in months, if you were being honest. Of course, it was just an excuse. Instead of doing homework, you were chatting and conspiring among opened books about matters not related at all with university. Who’d rather do that when you were living a real adventure?

As you went over the letter for an eleventh time, Sylvain called your name expectantly. He had a bright gleam in his eye that screamed trouble.

“Do you know what day it is next Friday?” He asked, a tilted smile on his lips.

“It’s the 21st,” You answered. You took the letter with your index finger and thumb, and slowly placed it back inside the envelope.

“Yes and no, my dear friend. It’s the founding day of the Kingdom of Faerghus”, Sylvain pointed out. You raised your eyebrows, questioning. You already knew that, just as every other student; that day marked the date when lessons were interrupted. Typically, there was a week more to hand over projects and other requirements to pass the subjects, so some students went right back home, yet others stayed behind in their dorms until they were completely finished.

“So what?” You asked.

The redhead breathed deeply as he prepared mentally for what was coming next. He felt the weight of your eyes on him. Were you judging him? No, you weren’t, he was well aware of that, but he couldn’t discard all those doubts that bombarded him at all times. He felt the guilt running through his veins and he was second guessing his next proposition.

“I’ve got a plan,” he managed to say at last. That charming façade of his that made him always get his way had faded away. You tilted your head, unable to make heads or tails of Sylvain and prompting him to explain himself. He cleared his throat and continued. “That evening, a special mass is going to be celebrated, just like every year. It’s the perfect opportunity to sneak a peek of those documents.”

“The perfect opportunity?” You exclaimed, eyes wide open. “Sylvain, it’s going to be crowded!”

“Yes! That way, nobody will notice we’re hiding in the old confessionary booth! You know they barely use it anyways. Then, we get out when everybody’s gone, we go to Rhea’s office, find the documents and run away as far as we can.”

You blinked, once, twice, thrice. Sylvain was impatient to hear your opinion. He was jolting his leg up and down out of nervousness as you bit your lips, deep in thought. He already knew you had said you were in this together, that you'd help him find the truth, yet those were just words, not acts. He needed your reassurance once again, for deep inside his chest, against his wishes, he was expecting you to reject his idea, to ridicule him and leave him behind ‒ just like Miklan, like his parents. Because wasn’t that what always happened? He trusted someone, then they’d betray him for circumstances that he never could understand.

“Are you sure that’s not trespassing?” You frowned.

“Since it’s a religious building, I’m pretty sure it’s not,” he claimed. “There’s a right of devotion, or something like that.”

“You’ve thought of this carefully, haven’t you? It’s a solid plan.” You nod slowly. Solid and stupid. It could work, but it entailed a great risk.

“It is,” Sylvain said. His heart was pounding fast in his chest, waiting for your objections.

“What if somebody catches us?”

“We’ll say we forgot something”, he posed. “My phone, your purse, whatever.”

“Seteth won’t buy it”, you argued.

“But it’s me who you’re going with,” he pointed to his own face. “He’ll just think we’re there to bang. He’ll lecture us and won’t think about it further. My reputation precedes me, after all.”

“Okay, fine”, you yielded easily. “In for a penny, in for a pound.” You stretched your arms, thinking about what you were getting into. However, for some indefinite reason, you weren’t worried about it. You were more worried about him.

Sylvain was relieved but, as always, uneasy with his own actions. Was he asking too much of you? Was he pushing your limits? It was hard to act all cool and mighty around you when he could barely control his own feelings and the messy train of thought that always accompanied him.

“I’ll drive us there,” Sylvain commented when he noticed he had been silent for a while. Even though you nodded and tried to smile, you were worried about Sylvain. You noticed him getting lost in his own thoughts, and it was worse that he had the horrible habit of never telling anyone what tortured him inside. Despite wanting to ease him, you couldn’t do anything but reassure him that the plan will go well. Executing it was the only thing left to do now.

--

Sylvain double parked right in front of your building. He was well dressed to go to the Cathedral, with a white button-up, dress pants and boots. His parents might be there, after all, and he didn’t want to piss them off. Sylvain tapped the wheel with his fingers. It was too early, but he couldn’t wait at home — He was restless, so he had driven to distract himself. Still, that didn’t make him calmer, so he was restless in front of your window instead.

Impatient and anxious, Sylvain grabbed his phone out of his pocket and wrote a message. There was a reason for his uneasiness: he was going to ask you out. Or he was going to reiterate his love for you and see where things would go from there.

Torn between his own actions, his happiness, and if it might make this whole timeline shenanigan more confusing for you, he couldn’t fall asleep and instead dwelled on it for hours. Something had to change. Pitying himself and being a hollow piece of shit to almost everyone only deepened the wound in his soul.  He plucked up the courage and decided he’d do things the right way from then on. And, first, he had to confess to you a couple of things ‒ a sort of declaration of intent.

Sylvain wouldn't ask Ingrid for advice, because she would think this is another one of his dating escapades. She never takes him seriously. Dimitri always understood him, but was clueless. So was Felix, who would be even more unwilling to help. Claude would give him the best piece of advice, but he refused asking the Almyran out of pride. And he was sure Dorothea would tell him to fuck off. So he had only one option. His usual first option, because she knew him like the palm of her hand and always spoke her mind: Mercedes.

Sylvain 15:10 : Mercedes, pls, help me ☹

Mercedes 15:10 : What’s wrong, Sylvain?

Mercedes answered almost immediately. Her attention eased his nerves. Sylvain looked at his watch; he had about twenty minutes left until you’d meet him and sort out his agitation.

Sylvain 15:11 : It’s about you-know-who

Sylvain 15:11 : I need your advice

Mercedes 15:11 : You-know-who finally confessed?

Sylvain 15:12 : No, but I might?

He had finally worded it. A weight lifted off his shoulders. Mercedes would know if it was madness or in fact it would work, right?

Mercedes 15:12 : What are your true intentions?

Sylvain 15:12 : I think I’m in love, for real

Mercedes 15:13 : Oh dear

Mercedes 15:13 : At first I thought you weren’t that serious

He could hear the voice of Mercedes exclaiming, as he had for years. He wasn’t surprised. How many times has he toyed with the idea of love only to discard it? And he had never ever been serious with anyone. If somebody showed the littlest interest in him, he’d dismiss that person and do terrible things to them before they’d do them to him.

Mercedes 15:13 : I told her to be careful around you because you play with women’s feelings

Sylvain 15:13 : I’m not angry, can’t blame you for speaking the truth

Sylvain 15:14 : But you’re the worst wingman ever, tbh

Sylvain 15:14 : Still love you tho <3

Mercedes 15:14 : There is something positive!

Mercedes 15:14 : You-know-who hasn’t run away yet! You two grew closer instead! Most would have run away!

Mercedes 15:15 : I think that’s a good sign

Mercedes 15:15 : She might be in love with you, even if she doesn’t know it

Sylvain 15:16 : I don’t like that might. I’d rather to be sure about it

Mercedes 15:16 : Just remember doubts are natural, but you must persist

Mercedes 15:16 : It’s now or never, confess your love!

Mercedes 15:17 : And don’t play with her feelings, please

Sylvain 15:17 : I know it’s hard to believe, Mercie, but I’m serious

Mercedes 15:18 : Sothis has answered my prayers then 😊

Sylvain 15:18 : Or Byleth. The professor paired us on that damned project.

Mercedes 15:18 : I have to go now. I’ll answer later. Write to me if you need it, ok?

Sylvain 15:19 : Ok, see you! Thanks, Mercedes

He appreciated Mercedes’ honesty. However, she had given Sylvain another headache, for the devout girl had reminded him of something else. He hadn’t gone out with a girl in months. He had uninstalled all his dating apps – which weren’t exactly for dating, obviously, but flings. Even so, years of being a bastard had to catch up with him at some point, and he guessed it’d be soon enough.

A knock on the window of the car startled him. It was you, with a radiant smile.

“You’ve come early!”, he greeted you as he opened the window. Unknowingly, Sylvain hid his mobile phone. “Get in.”

You went around the car, which looked new, but not extravagantly expensive, and opened the door.

“You’re the one who is early!”, you said, fastening your seatbelt. “Did I have you waiting for too long?”

“Not at all!” Sylvain brushed it off.

“I saw your car through the window, that’s why I came earlier”, you smiled.

Without further ado, he started the engine and thus began your two-hour journey to the biggest cathedral in Fódlan, and your old highschool.

--

The nearer you were to Garreg Mach, where you practically lived for years – excluding holidays, of course, when you’d visit your family – the more mountains and nature you’d see through the windows.

Sylvain was suspiciously quiet yet again.

“I thought Dimitri would be coming with us?” You asked to spark a conversation against the unbearable silence.

“He’s going to spend all the break with his father in Faerghus after the mass, so he’s not returning to college afterwards,” Sylvain explained nonchalantly. “Besides, he doesn’t like when others drive. Just an odd habit of his.”

“What about you?” You asked. “How come you aren’t going to Faerghus afterwards too? You’ve finished all your papers.”

“Nah”, he shrugged. “My relationship with my family… is rocky. So I’ll be staying behind until our university closes and I finish all my excuses.”

“I thought Miklan was gone for a long while.”

“Well, it’s not just Miklan...” The redhead added. “My father is not interested in me and my whole being, but rather in my grades and my capacity of managing his businesses and his land. Oh, and he’s also-” Sylvain hesitated. He realized he usually doesn’t open up to others this fast. However, thinking about the past you two share, and how you’re always genuine to him despite everything he’s making you do, he continued. “My father is also constantly trying to auction off my hand to any bigwig’s daughter who might make a big investment for the family. It’s exhausting.”

“Sounds horrible. I’m sorry you have to deal with a family like that.” You commented sympathetically. You wanted to express your compassion, so you caressed his shoulder. However, Sylvain flinched in the slightest manner, which you noticed and retreated your hand.

“Remember those girls in the library long ago?” He wondered.

“Yes.”

“I met them in one of my father’s parties. Two fickle, capricious girls that wanted a good catch to get expensive gifts and an exciting roll in the hay.” His tone was harsh, and you saw his knuckles whiten over the wheel. Suddenly, he changed his register into a lighter one. “I forgot to tell you that Edelgard is going to be there with Dimitri. She usually can’t attend, since Enbarr is too far away. Maybe she’s going to stay with Dimitri in Fhirdiad to… amend their relationship. Who knows. And Hubert will be surely there, being Edelgard’s shadow.”

“Ah, I see. Well, she is Dimitri’s step sister, after all, they ought to be on good terms,” You commented.

“Isn’t she your friend?”

“Not exactly. Well, not like Dorothea. We get along, but we haven’t met that much outside the classroom.” You answered.

“I see.” He nodded slightly.

You took advantage of your position in the co-pilot seat and observed him. His soft hair, dark red in the roots and orangey where the light caressed it, the shape of his straight nose and his outlined jaw... He was objectively handsome. The actions of those girls Sylvain talked about were despicable, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that they thought they had won the lottery: this man was rich, handsome, friendly and extremely seductive. However, they had miscalculated the situation, because they had not been the first nor the last ones to try, and they didn’t know Sylvain hated playing that game.

It saddened you, that he had to live that. But it saddened you even deeper in your heart that you didn’t know what to expect. Nothing could assure you that Sylvain would get over his ex-lovers and stalkers. And yes, you liked him – some would assure you were in love with him – but would you be able to pursue a romantic relationship? Especially in this situation?

Ingrid had voiced her opinion a lot of times: you shouldn’t try it. You knew that whatever you did, she was going to support you, but she had her reservations. Mercedes was wary as well. The only dissonant view was Dorothea’s.

Dorothea had gone to a date with Sylvain back in high school and she concluded he was a pig. You had heard so, sat in your desk right behind hers as she was telling the story to Edelgard. Despite that, Dorothea and Sylvain became allies of some sort – which made you jealous until you finally befriended the star of the Garreg Mach choir. It might have been the common nature of the gossip they both faced, or the fact that most of the high-end parties they attended were frequented by the same dull people. It didn’t matter what it was, but, although Dorothea restated constantly that Sylvain was nauseating, her attitude towards him had changed. It lit a small hope within your heart that your friend, who usually despised a lot of men of his kind, was encouraging you.

“Give him a chance!”, she exclaimed one day while you were having lunch with her and Petra. “I feel it in my gut! You’re made for each other.” Petra agreed, although she didn’t know either of you that much.

Yet, what made you different from all those girls Sylvain hated? That unexplained deep connection? Because, other than that, nobody could tell if your love was more authentic than theirs. You weren’t even sure yourself. Did you like him because he was a pretty face, or because you actually were in love? It was hard to tell.

As if Dorothea had read your mind and your hesitation, your phone vibrated.

Dorothea 15:53 : GO FOR THE KILL

Dorothea 15:53 : Make him suffer a little bit before falling into his arms tho

Dorothea 15:53 : AND tell me ALL the juicy details afterwards 😉

“What’s wrong?” Sylvain glanced over at you with a chuckle.

“What?”

“You just snorted!” He laughed.

“Oh, just Dorothea wishing us good luck,” You tried to sound nonchalant, but you weren’t as good as him. He laughed.

“Is she telling you to avoid me like I’m a pest?”

“Something like that…” You lied.

--

It didn’t matter from which angle you observed it; the Cathedral had always been impressive. The clear stone, bathed in the sunrays, seemed to be pure gold, resplendent in its holiness. The place stirred like a hive with the confluence of people, most of whom you knew. A nostalgic sensation washed over you.

“Could you wait here?” Sylvain asked, moving his head around and narrowing his eyes to figure out the identity of the people around you. “I have to go greet my parents.” He clarified.

“Do you want to go alone?”

“Yes”, he scratched the back of his head. “I’m sure you’ll meet them one day,” He winked, “but not today.”

The redhead faded into the crowd, while you waited in the courtyard right before the hall. You didn’t know what to do, so you sat over one of the low walls. You saw a patch of blonde hair, but you weren’t sure if it was Dimitri, so you didn’t move. Meanwhile, you recognised many of the passers-by, as they were family of your own classmates, but you doubted they’d remember you.

A deep voice called your name from the shadows of a nearby tree. You looked at the source of the sound.

“Hubert?” You blinked several times. That was a surprise.

“Indeed. I’m here to accompany Edelgard. What are you doing here?”, he asked. “I was certain that you didn’t like going to mass, and you have to ties with the Kingdom of Faerghus.”

“I’ve come with Sylvain”, you answered. Hubert’s eerie, yellow eyes were fixed on you, disturbing you.

“I see,” he commented. A small grimace that resembled a smile formed on his lips.

“He’ll come in a moment”, you forced a smile. You didn’t dislike Hubert, but he had an extraordinary ability to put your nerves on edge.

“I wanted to thank you for that favour,” he commented efficiently.

“That thing?”, you made an ‘o’ with your lips. “No need to thank me, Hubert. We’re… friends?”

“I prefer the term strategic partners”, he nodded.

“Okay, that name is fine too.”

“The reason I’m here is that I must inform you that the heir of the Gautier is engaged”, he said with solemnity.

“Excuse me?” Your little world shattered into pieces, broken. What the fuck was Hubert talking about?

“A month ago, his parents engaged him with one of the daughters of Mr. Rowe. Since you’re rather close with him, I thought you should know it.”

“... I see.”, you muttered, still shocked, trying to remain composure.

“I must go now,” he said, but he didn’t move. “I apologise for being the harbinger of bad news.”

“No need to worry, I just was surprised. See you around”, you waved at him, indicating that you’d be okay. Hubbert made a bow and vanished.

That was an unexpected turn of events. Your heartbeat was loud and fast, and you did your best to quickly blink away tears so that no one would notice. Despite the doubts, the second thoughts and all the things against you, you had thought you’d be in control whether you ended up with Sylvain or not. However, just like the rest of your life, it seemed that you were trapped in a book somebody else was writing. And now, in the place where your crush had begun, any hope you harboured had disappeared, just like a flame put out with a bucket of cold water.

You opened and closed your eyes rapidly to make the tears disappear and stood up. You breathed in and out in slow movements. Your body began relaxing.

Where was Sylvain? There was almost nobody else outside. The mass would begin in almost five minutes. He must have been talking with his parents, if what Hubert said was true. How were you in such a deep mess?

As if your thoughts had summoned him, Sylvain appeared from the lateral of the cathedral.

“Hey! You ready?” He sprang to you.

“Yes,” You tried to cover your face. You couldn’t let him see you in vulnerability.

“Okay, remember the plan.” He leaned into you, lowering his voice. “We sit on the back row, and 10 minutes before the end we get out. Then, we enter through the left door and hide in the confessionary booth. You go in first, then I follow you 3 minutes apart.”

You nodded and walked into the cathedral. You couldn’t look at him in the eyes. It was going to be a long evening.

--

The confessional booth was dark inside. There was a separation between the two parts that composed it, so the space was reduced. You sat on the wooden bench, thankful that it didn’t crack at all.

Sylvain had been right: nobody saw you. The confessionary itself, with an entry in the back, blocked the view of the lateral door to any onlooker that could have been there. On the other hand, you could see the people sitting in the left wing of the building through the lattice in a very convenient way. It was an excellent place to hide. The pulpit was far away, yet the voice of Archbishop Rhea was heard everywhere.

In spite of your relative security, this had to be by far the worst idea you had ever agreed on. Everything seemed doomed in that moment. You were sure in that moment that you’d get caught or expelled. You wanted to run away.

But right then, the back door silently opened and Sylvain entered the scene.

Sylvain’s wide shoulders almost didn’t fit through the entrance. You tried to move around to make some space for him, but it was in vain. You were thankful for the shadows, because your cheeks were growing redder and redder by the moment as his presence became more and more noticeable.

You didn’t know how exactly, but you ended up with your legs over his lap, your shoulders touching and your faces way too close for your liking. At least right then, when Hubert’s words were still fresh in your mind.

The choir started singing a tune, which indicated that the mass was approaching its end. Such pure voices were inappropriate for that moment you were sharing with Sylvain.

“I swear this was bigger before...” Sylvain whispered in your ear. It made your hair stand on end.

“Yes, when we were confessing, being 12 and younger, and being alone. Now it’s even more tiny because someone decided to have the both of us in here.” You grunted back, careful of not being heard.

His breath caressed your face, and his warmth radiated from his clothes. He was too comfortable, and you felt like you could be cuddled like this forever, while at the same time you wanted to run away from his touch. It occurred to you that he might have been a sorcerer, and that he had put you in an unavoidable spell. How else would all these feelings be so intense? It couldn’t be just love, right?

“I have something to tell you,” Sylvain said, but he wasn’t looking at you.

Was he going to tell you that he was engaged? Your breathing was erratic once more. You couldn’t flee, much to your dismay.

“What is it?”

“I…”, he cut himself.

“You…?” You were suspenseful, but you weren’t sure for what. Disappointment? Elation? Sylvain turned his head and fixed his pupils on yours.

“Be my girlfriend.” He managed to speak. You had no words. The world was definitely laughing at your face. “I’m in love with you and you’re in love with me. So why not? Isn’t it the logical thing to do?”

“It’s not that easy, Sylvain, despite how much I wish it was.” You sighed, at a loss for better words.

“Why not?” He pressed.

His heart dropped and a thousand thoughts rushed into his mind. He wanted to scream. How could he dare to think someone would genuinely love him? He got hurt, as it always happened. He shouldn’t have let his walls down, not even for you. He shouldn’t seek love, he shouldn’t have bothered. Everytime he considered himself worthy of love, the world around him would start crashing down. ‘You’re set yourself up for failure’, Sylvain kept repeating to himself. That’s what his father always told him when things didn’t turn out well. His father had been right. He was a failure. Even when his intentions were pure, he had already tainted his future. There was no redemption for him, right?

You picked up on the rising panic on Sylvain’s face, and you felt guilt inside your chest.

“I’m scared,” you said, trying to justify yourself. You believed it was the moment to be sincere. “I’m scared that you’re lying to use me. Or that you’d just get bored and throw me away.”

“I’d never do that to you,” he said, horrified by the fact that you wouldn’t accept he was telling the truth. “You’re not like the-”. He interrupted himself. “I see it now. I won’t stop repeating the same sentence, right? Now nobody will believe me.” Sylvain covered his face with his hand. “I cried the wolf way too many times…” He mutters.

“There’s something else,” you whispered.

“Just say it. It’s not gonna get worse at this point.” Sylvain chuckled somberly.

“You’re engaged.”

“It’s not something I chose. And it’s definitely not something I’m happy about.” He stated. Your words felt like a knife on Sylvain’s skin. “I didn’t want to tell you because I thought I’d get my parents to break the engagement first, but it’s taking longer than I’d expected.”

Out of the blue, Sylvain placed his hands around your face.

“Will you be my girlfriend? You didn’t say no. You know that I wouldn’t willingly propose to a girl when you are right here by my side. You haven’t seen me with another girl, have you?” He assured, a tinge of desperation in his voice.

“I don’t want to say no,” you answered, confused. “But- Sylvain, we’re doomed. We’re not meant to be.”

“I don’t care about fate. Does that mean you’d give me a chance?” His eyes were intense, hard and, all the same, warm and comforting, with the colour of liquid caramel. Sylvain threw all his doubts away for once, just wanting to be with you. You were one of the only things keeping him happy.

“I don’t know… Sylvain, I-”

“If you tell me I’ve still got a chance, I’m not going to give up. I love you.” He announced seriously. “Don’t get me wrong, if you really want me out of your life, I will do it, but otherwise…”

“This is a trap. How am I supposed to tell you looking at you in the eye that I don’t want to see you ever again?” You complained.

“I’m not a trickster, but I’m not gonna let you go either. I’ll have to convince you to be mine, then.”

“And how are you going to convince me?”, you furrowed your eyebrows.

“I already did the hardest part, I made you fall for me.” he smirked.

With that, you couldn’t resist the invisible force pulling yourself to him anymore. You crashed your lips against his and sat astride his lap. It was easy; you had already done it before. Sylvain was amazed, but he was not one to lose an opportunity. He kissed you back. Unable to control himself, his hands grabbed your waist, but he didn’t let himself explore. He was unsure of what was happening, but he was glad he’d got to taste your lips a second time.

You pressed your chest against his torso, while trying to hug him closer. His lips were soft and firm, his movements decided, and he knew what he wanted. Sylvain took advantage of a pause you took for breathing and let his tongue slide in. He was voracious and greedy in his attentions, and he did not let a single speck of your mouth untouched.

You were starting to feel dizzy and wanted much more, but you stopped.

“Everybody should be gone by now,” you muttered, his mouth still pressed to yours. He was panting, and you could guess what was on his mind – you could feel his excitement rising in his lap, after all.

“What was that for?”

“I felt like it.” you lovingly took off a lock of his hair from his forehead. “I’m not going to give you my heart just like that, but I swear to the Goddess, I can’t resist you.”

“Well, I’m not going to complain if you do it again, you know.” he smirked, releasing you from his grip. “After all, we have to make up for lost time.” He grabbed your wrist before letting you go completely, and lowered his tone. “But don’t get used to torturing me like this, or I’ll eventually lose my composure.”

“I’ll risk it,” you playfully answered while you distanced yourself.

You exited the booth without a single sound. The church was dark, since there was no light coming from the large windows anymore. The sun was gone. The place was creepy without a single source of brightness, and the stone was grey and cold.

Your steps followed Sylvain as he manoeuvred between the pews and towards the sets of stairs that led to the upper floor. You had not been there frequently, just once or twice to help Seteth move some books after class. Sylvain, however, knew the place like the palm of his hand due to Seteth’s insistence in correcting the mischievous redhead’s nature. Seteth never achieved his ambition, of course, but as a result, Sylvain could go to Rhea’s office with his eyes closed. And to Seteth’s one, to the cleaning supplies stall and many more rooms he had the pleasure to visit in his youth.

“Careful with the stairs, the stone is worn-out, and you can fall down”, Sylvain warned you.

There were bright coloured statues of the saints and Seiros splattered around, along with some old-looking tapestries that needed to wash. You couldn’t admire them for long, because before you could register that you were raiding the empty cathedral at 8 p.m., Sylvain had already stopped before a wooden door.

“It’s here”, he stated solemnly.

“Are you ready?”, you asked.

“More than ever”, he smiled and turned around the doorknob.

Of course, it was closed.

“Fuck”, he said.

“We should have expected that”, you rubbed your temple.

“Do you have a bobby pin?”

“Nope”, you hummed.

“Okay, time to go home I guess”, Sylvain suddenly laughed, and so did you. “It feels like we’ve gone crazy, right?”

“Oh my god, Sylvain, you thought about the confessional booth but it didn’t occur to you that the door might have been locked?”, you giggled.

“Shut up! You could have guessed it, too!”

“Four months ago I thought I’d never speak to you in my life, and look at us now”, you couldn’t help the laughs.

“What’s so fun?”, Seteth’s voice reverberated through the narrow corridor, shutting both your mouths at the same time.

He had appeared from a door right across you ‒ from his own office, you presumed. You were so nervous that you couldn’t say a word. It was surreal. Seteth didn’t look angry, he looked curious instead, something you weren’t used to. The years might have eased his nerves. But that fact didn’t make your position any easier.

“Look, Seteth, we’re not here for any funny business”, Sylvain defended himself and you. He stepped forwards out of habit.

“Because entering Lady Rhea’s office is not suspicious at all”, Seteth calmly replied.

“Okay, it seems suspicious. But it’s not what it seems,” he began scratching the back of his head. “I dragged her here and…”

You had relaxed enough to form coherent words. And you decided it was the moment to come out clean, because lies and secrets were just turning your life upside down. Furthermore, Seteth’s presence ignited an old feeling; the need to rely on a much more mature adult. You cut Sylvain’s words.

“Seteth, we’ve come here looking for some papers that belong to Lady Rhea”, you said loud and clear. “We were going to steal them.”

“What are you doing?” Sylvain asked incredulously.

“Seteth, we’ve been having the weirdest dreams”, you said. “And they won’t stop, to the point they seem real, like memories.” Seteth's disposition changed. He tensed, and his face paled. “We went to Byleth’s office and… we read a letter from the Archbishop. We know that those dreams happened, but we wanted to verify it and learn why everything’s happening. Otherwise, we’ll go mad.”

Seteth’s green eyes went from your figure to Sylvain’s and back to you again. It was visible that he was torn, choosing what to do. The older man sighed, defeated. He had lost from the beginning, because he couldn’t conceal his fear from such an unexpected accusation.

“It’s a long story”, Seteth said. “Come into my office and have some tea.”

He let you in the room, only lit with candles scattered around. You and Sylvain sat on a sofa that was behind the coffee table. Sylvain went to a desk filled with piles of papers, where there was an electric kettle and various wooden boxes.

“I’ve got ginger tea and a four-spice blend. There must be some sweet-apple blend too somewhere here, Flayn’s favourite”, Seteth offered.

“I don’t mind which one”, you said, smiling politely.

“We’ll have whatever you're having, Seteth”, answered Sylvain.

There was a prolonged silence. The only sounds were the boiling water of the kettle and Seteth rummaging in his drawers. A nice aroma of ginger slowly spread through the air.

The man of the church placed three teacups on the table and sat in the armchair right in front of you. You had never noticed, but Seteth was fit, way too much for a man of his profession. It made sense, though, when you remembered his expertise upon a wyvern.

“I’m sorry about the light. I never got around installing lamps, and I like the candles. They remind me of more familiar times…”, Seteth said as he poured you a cup of steaming tea. “Where should I begin?”, he inquired.

“Did those things really happen?”, Sylvain asked first.

“Yes”, Seteth nodded matter-of-factly. “All those memories you’ve recovered have happened in the past. Or… in our other lives, as I like to say.”

“Are those things going to happen again?”, it was your turn to ask, then. Seteth could sense the fear in your voice.

“We hope the war will never repeat itself”, he reassured you. “We don’t really know what the future has in store for us, but we’ve deemed it very unlikely. The events that have happened in this era are completely different from those in the past.”

“Who are ‘we’?” Said Sylvain. “If you don’t mind the questions…”

“The Nabateans,” Seteth answered dryly. He took a sip of his cup of tea. “I’m sure you remember, the Immaculate One back in the battle of Garreg Mach, right?”

“Some things are… vague for me”, Sylvain lamented, because you had told him the story a million of times, but he couldn’t recall the encounter.

“I remember it. It was Lady Rhea, right? I remember Edelgard telling us she was a monster controlling the continent from the shadows.” You explained.

“Yes… So-”

“Wait,” Sylvain interrupted Seteth. “Can you turn into a dragon?”

“Not me,” he denied. “It's been hundreds of years, but that’s not quite the topic of this conversation, is it?” The green-haired man reminded him.

“But how did it happen? How did we end up living so many lives?”, you interceded. “Why didn’t we… just die?”

“It’s Byleth’s doing”, Seteth replied. “Lady Rhea, back when Byleth was born in 1159, placed Sothis’ heart in his, hoping our mother would live again…”

“Sothis… the Goddess? She’s real?” Sylvain was dumbfounded. You looked at your cup of tea, then to Seteth, unable to articulate an answer. You were thankful for Seteth’s patience.

“Yes. This gave him great power, as he became one with the Goddess. Which granted Byleth as well the power of turning back the hands of time.”

“So he’s been turning back the time after the war of Fódlan?”, you exclaimed.

“Byleth wanted to save us all from the tragedy that devastated Fódlan. He kept turning back to the year 1180, yet one way or another, the string of events led to the same. So, at last, Byleth decided he needed to go way back, to the beginning of everything.” He paused, and saw your faces focused on every word that was escaping his mouth. He smiled to himself, remembering those times when you both were younger and listened to his lessons. Your faces might have changed, and your voices and bodies, but the eyes of his pupils were still the same. “Sothis, aware of the future, made her holy sacrifice to prevent Nemesis and his kind to take over. The history of Fódlan changed just enough to give us a rest...”

“So Byleth’s hair will be dark blue forever now?”, Sylvain asked.

“Yes. The professor is no longer the vessel of the Goddess,” Seteth clarified. “There are no longer any crests nor Hero’s relics. Therefore, technology has prospered, and your generation was born later ‒ although we don’t know exactly why this happened.” Seteth paused to sip his tea and hear your questions, but all the information had left you and Sylvain dumbfounded. Therefore, he continued his speech, somewhat relieved that he could finally tell a human all these burdens. “Flayn used to cry a lot, weeping about your absence,” he tenderly recalled. “Lady Rhea and I were sad too. We’ve been through a lot, all of us, after all…”

“I have another question, Seteth…”, Sylvain started. He was in deep thought, just like you. “Why is it that we’ve got our memories back?”

“I honestly have no idea…”, Seteth shook his head from side to side. “It could be because of your previous relationship. Back in the Officers Academy you were on... extremely good terms, as far as I know, so when I was your teacher in this high school it surprised me that you two never coincided. However, you’ve found your way next to each other, so perhaps some things are meant to be…” The older man trailed off, but continued. “Well, I don’t know. I know for us, the kin of Sothis, it’s probably due to our blood. For humans… it’s harder to tell.”

You looked at Sylvain from the corner of your eye, but you didn’t dare to face the ginger.

“Isn’t this a big secret?” you questions, amazed that Seteth ‒ and no other than Seteth himself ‒ was confiding to you such details.

“Yes, it is”, Seteth confirmed, narrowing his eyes.

“Why are you telling us, then?”

“Because, as I said, I appreciate you. Both of you. We’ve fought side by side, you’ve rescued Flayn numerous times”, he crossed his arms over his chest again. “Sylvain risked his life for Flayn numerous times, while you were also close to Byleth. It’s unnatural not to trust you...” Then, Seteth spoke once more. “But I must request that this reunion stays between us. Please. We don’t want any resentment to be born in such a peaceful time as this is. And I’ve broken so many rules right now that I’m frankly scared of what might happen.”

“Okay, we won’t say anything, Seteth”, you nodded. “I promise.”

“You have our word”, Sylvain accepted.

“Not even… Rhea or Byleth. If you don’t mind, this never happened.” Seteth touched his beard.

“Wait, Seteth, I still have Professor Byleth’s letter”, you said, worried. “He must have noticed it went missing…”

“Don’t worry about that, Byleth is a disaster. He came by this morning, I’ll tell him he dropped it and that he should be more careful”, Seteth smiled.

“Thank you, Seteth. For real”, Sylvain said. And you saw for the first time in his eyes the lightest shadow of hope.

[rina-writes-fire-emblem]

Hi Rina I hope you know you’re doing great and ily hehe 💜 Can I request Fem!Reader x Seteth. Maybe Reader gets injured on a mission and Seteth is in protective mode!

Hi! Ily2!!! Gosh, Seteth is so good. Hopefully I write him well and this turned out okay! 💚

I’m Fine. (Seteth x Reader)

"Seteth, I promise, I'm fine," I stated, though I held my left arm up against me in a protective manner. The two of us, as well as a few others, were on our way to a nearby village for the second half of a mission we were on. While most everyone had been completly fine after our first fight, I had managed to take a pretty bad blow to the arm. Honestly, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had broken it. However, I didn't want anyone, especially Seteth, to worry about me.

"Clearly, that is not the case. Let me see your arm," The green-haired man told me, stopping in front of me. I quickly stopped as well, looking away.

"It's fine, Seteth."

"(Y/n), please. I just want to be sure that you're actually alright." His words and tone were a bit more gentle than usual for him, and for some reason unknown to me at the time, that was enough for me to give in. Hesitantly and carefully, I pulled back my sleeve to reveal my quite swollen arm, which was turning various shades of blue and purple. Seteth's eyes immediately widened.

"This is almost certainly broken! We need to get you to a healer, immediately!" Seteth said, causing me to shake my head.

"There's no time. Besides, I need to fight with everyone else," I argued, though even the simple act of pulling my sleeve back down was almost enough to bring tears to my eyes.

"(Y/n), it will be nearly impossible for you to properly weild your weapon with that injury. Not to mention, even if you could, all you would do is make things worse. I will not allow it."

"Then what if I don't use my weapon? You know I studied Reason, as well," I suggested, looking up at the man. He opened his mouth to argue, but I didn't give him time to. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll find someone to stay close to," I added. Seteth thought for a moment, before very hesitantly nodding.

"Alright. You'll be staying with me the entire time," He said, surprising me. "I refuse to let any more harm come to you. I would never forgive myself if anything were to happen to you. I shouldn't have allowed you to come along in the first place. This mission is much too dangerous." I let out a sigh, deciding against arguing. Honestly, a part of me was surprisingly happy and maybe even a little flustered by the fact that he was so worried about me. I gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Alright. Then lets go."

The trip to the village didn't take long at all, nor did the start of the battle. Before I knew it, we were already surrounded.

"There are more of them than I expected..." Seteth mumbled to himself, before turning to me. "(Y/n), come here," He spoke, motioning for me to join him on his wyvern. My eyes widened a bit, but once again, I didn't argue. I quickly and carefully climbed on behind him, with his help.

"Okay, what now?" I questioned.

"Leave as much of it to me as possible. I will not have you pushing yourself with such an injury," He replied, as he almost immediately took down a nearby enemy. I huffed a bit, though I was soon distracted from my frustration by Seteth's wyvern making a sharp turn. My eyes widened, and without even thinking, I wrapped my uninjured arm around Seteth, clinging to him. The man immediately tensed up. "(Y/n), are you alright!?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine... Don't worry about me..." I mumbled, heat rushing to my cheeks, as I continued to hold onto Seteth in an attempt to not fall.

The battle seemed to last forever, though that may have been partially due to the fact that Seteth had refused to let me help at all. I appreciated him protecting me, but I was still a bit frustrated. Not to mention, confused. I had only ever seen him so protective of Flayn.

After a while, we were back at Garreg Mach, and I had gotten healed, taken a bath, and gone to my room. I was feeling much better and was actually getting ready for bed, when there was a knock on my door. I looked up, curiously.

"Come in," I said. The door soon opened, revealing none other than Seteth. I raised a brow, confused. "Is something wrong?" Seteth shook his head.

"Actually, I came to apologize. I could tell that I was likely annoying you, and I am sorry. I only hope that you can understand why I acted how I did," He said, not giving me a chance to respond, before speaking again. "As I mentioned before, I could never forgive myself if something happened to you." Seteth's gaze shifted a bit so that he was no longer meeting my eyes, and he quietly mumbled something else. Confused, I took a step closer.

"What was that?" I questioned, causing the man to sigh, as he looked back up at me. To my surprise, his cheeks were tinted pink. That alone was enough to give me butterflies. "Seteth...?"

"I said I care about you, (y/n)," He replied. My heart started pounding. Did he mean as a friend? As a former student? Or... I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. Seteth shook his head. "I never imagined I would fall for someone, again, and I'm sure this is quite a shock to you, but it is the truth. I've felt this way for quite some time, now. However, I think it would be best if we forgot this conversation took place. Goodnight, (y/n)." As he turned to leave, I quickly grabbed his sleeve.

"Wait!" I said, causing him to face me. He raised a brow, face still red, as he waited for me to continue. Blushing, I looked at the floor. "You don't have to apologize, and we don't have to forget about this. I mean, yeah, it was a bit frustrating to have to sit the battle out, but... It's also nice to know that you worry about me, and that you care..."

I wanted to continue, but I honestly had no idea what to say. So, instead, I grabbed the collar of his outfit, pulling him to my level and kissing him. I knew it was sudden, and it did hurt my only recently healed arm a bit, but I couldn't stop myself. Seteth froze, probably very caught off guard by my sudden actions, but after a while, he slowly wrapped his arms around me, letting himself kiss back. It was a gentle, sweet kiss, and it ended fairly quickly.

"(Y/n)..." Seteth softly spoke, once we had separated. He lifted a hand to gently touch his lips, and I gave him a shy smile.

"I don't want to forget about our conversation, Seteth," I simply said, reaching out and taking his hands. Seteth slowly nodded in agreement, a small smile soon forming on his lips, as he gently squeezed my hands.

"I'm glad..."

[furry-emblem]

You know what, after talking about how biases and stuff mess with 3H discourse, I'm going to go over my biases and personal experiences with each major faction leader because I feel like it. I don’t really want people arguing with me on these, but I would like to hear other people describing their experiences with these characters because that’s always interesting to read about. I'm listing the characters in order of how much I liked them.

Byleth

Also known as erotica, keyboard smash, Sothis, another keyboard smash, BoobBoob, and Boobama. I really dislike them. I’ve never been particularly fond of silent or self-insert protagonists. At best, they signal to me that the game isn’t going to bother with its story or character writing (and that’s fine when that’s the case), while at worst, it’s the writers taking the most important character in the story and then throwing their hands up and saying “we don’t need to write this one.” Byleth feels like the ladder and it’s to the detriment of pretty much everyone around them. Like, even considering that silent protagonists are supposed to be characters that the player projects onto, Byleth doesn’t do a good job at this because there’s enough canonical descriptions of them that you can’t really roleplay, but there’s so little going on that they don’t stand on their own two feet. So it’s like having a piece of cardboard dictate the fate of the country. They also primarily function as a wall for characters to exposition dump their backstories onto, which isn’t very interesting to watch. Like, 3H would have been better off without Byleth in it. 0/10.

Rhea

I just haven't had the chance to see a lot of her stuff, so I think I'm missing some of the stuff that makes people like her (and I'd prefer to not have that spoiled for me). Haven't seen her supports or the Church Route, but she just hasn't left me with a good impression. I don't like how possessive she gets of Byleth. Like, it creeps me out a little. I'm also a bit disappointed that you never get to play as her. I want the pope to bitch slap people (except not my people). I remember her being an antagonist in CF felt kind of forced to me when I first played because her reactions felt a bit silly. The problem wasn't whether they were justified or not, the problem was lack of context given and the fact that she was saying stuff like "You will BURN in the PITS OF HELL" while standing perfectly still and making this face >:(. And I just couldn't take that seriously for whatever reason because it felt cheesy and I didn't really understand what was going on. It also soured any endearment Rhea showed towards Byleth to me on future routes because her actions in CF gave me the impression of her being obsessive and controlling of Byleth. Like, she acted entitled to their loyalty, expected them to be something they never asked for, and flipped the fuck out when they rejected. It reminded me a lot of some abuse I've gone through and it made me dislike the character. Now that I have more context on the character, I get why she reacted so suddenly and violently because CF kinda threw all of her triggers at her. It feels like she dug her grave in that route, but she dug it in a way that resembles a Greek Tragedy more than anything else. My second route was Claude's route, which thoroughly disappointed me in terms of its writing. When Rhea was exposition dumping her backstory, I was like "I'm boooored," so that really didn't help my opinion of the character. I also don't really like how she gets damsels in three out of four routes. I still don't actively like the character very much because she left a really sour taste in my mouth, but I understand that I'm missing information and that there are reasons to like her. I'm open to learning more about her, but she just really rubs me the wrong way.

Yuri

I never finished Cindered Shadows and I have no real opinion on Yuri. I thought he was a girl when I first saw him and I think he's fun to play as in gameplay, so I guess there's that. I don't really see myself replaying Cindered Shadows if I even finish it because it lacks a lot of the major things I liked from 3H.

Seteth

Does he even get to count? Like, he's not in charge and Rhea should've probably been the leader of Silver Snow. Haven't played that route yet. I like Seteth. He's got good dad energy and also he's my wife (specifically in Verdent Wind). He's got good vibes. Also, if you kill Flayn in Crimson Flower, his English voice acting when he's like "Flayn Noooo" gets to me. I still really like Seteth. A solid 8/10 for me.

Dmitri

I wasn't following Three Houses advertising at all, so I didn't know anything about anyone going in. I was originally just going to skip him entirely because he looked boring and had shitty hair. So I did his route last. Partially out if curiosity for the character, partially because I might as well do every major route since I'd already done Claude and Edelgard, partially to get to know some of the Blue Lions, and partially because some of Edelgard's backstory is only revealed in this route and I was curious about that. Dmitri's route definitely has the best writing out of any of the routes. I really like how personal the route is and how much it focuses on how one specific event impacted all of the characters in it. There are some big problems I have with the route and Dmitri, like how the game uses psychosis to represent Dmitri being murdery and how him changing his mind felt more like Byleth's decision than his own due to their conversation being pretty bad. But overall, he has the best writing. I'd strongly recommend playing through his route if you haven't just because the writing's rather good there. The reason why he's ranked below Claude and Edelgard, however, is pretty simple: I just don't vibe with him. Like, the hero archetype bores the hell out of me, even when it is subverted like it is here. I also just didn't relate to the character on really any level while I did with Claude and Edelgard. The amount of Edelgard slander in his name also annoys me, but I don't think it really impacts how much I like Dmitri. He's a well written character that I just don't vibe with. I also remember his death in Verdant Wind and being like “wtf was that??” Like, the writers killed him offscreen.. twice. In the same route.

Claude 

I really enjoyed Claude as a character. He left a good first impression on me and I almost picked him for my first playthrough because he’s hot and sassy. Two good traits for any character. I ended up picking Edelgard, though, and he left a good impression on me during CF. I like that he held the alliance together and had a contingency plan for if he lost that battle. When I played his route, I ended up going Hard Mode NG+ Casual and I stuck everyone on a dragon. I did find it funny that throughout the school phase, Claude learns bow stuff repeatedly, then in one of the last months, he went up to me and was like “hey, can you start teaching me in axe and flying?” Which he had nothing in either. Then timeskip happens and he comes waltzing in on a dragon. Claude is where all the good memes in the fandom go. That said, I really disliked his route because Claude felt like an afterthought in it (because he literally was). I don’t like that I got out of the route and it felt like I didn’t know as much more about the character going out than I did going in. Some of that is because I didn’t see a ton of his supports, which is where pretty much all of the character work is. I like how Claude is open minded and actively tries to seek out the truth. So, overall, I found his route a bit disappoint but I still really like him because he’s a fun character.

Edelgard

I fucking love Edelgard. She was my first pick and therefore the character that introduced me to the game, and by extension, the series of Fire Emblem. I picked her because she’s pretty, she looked ready to fistfight god from the word go, and she seemed like the mascot of the game so I figured the writers might put a bit extra effort into her route (they didn’t, rip). My very first playthrough was actually a Normal/Classic run, but I had to abandon the run because literally everyone died four hours into the save (I swapped to Normal/Casual). Edelgard ended up carrying me through my first playthrough. I stuck her on a dragon and she killed literally everyone and everything. In my most recent playthrough of the game, I did CF and made her an archer mage dancer for the memes and that was also a ton of fun to play with. Her gameplay feel had a role in me liking her (like, Dmitri is also very powerful, but it was my third playthrough and I knew what I was doing better by then, so him being just as OP as Edelgard didn’t really influence my opinion on him as much as it did her). 

Besides the gameplay, Edelgard’s probably the major character that I relate to the most. Every character on this list (except maybe Byleth or Yuri, I know literally nothing about Yuri tho) has experience with trauma and is coping with it in some way. Edelgard copes by villainizing herself and shutting off her emotions, but despite that, she’s still a low-empathy person who’s still very compassionate person who cares about others and is trying to do the right thing. She also generally tries to express some amount of compassion to her enemies, even if it’s little more than saying “it sucks that Dmitri had to die.” She’s not as open-minded or as truth-seeking as Claude is, but she still tries to keep herself open to other viewpoints and will readily accept any she deems as valid at a moment’s notice. I just really like that about her because I share a lot of those traits in common with her. I also like the idea of her being someone who’s willing to do evil things to bring good to the world. That’s not something you normally get in a protagonist and I think that’s a cool idea. 

I still found her route to be very awkward, especially with no context. Like, I missed the line where Edelgard’s like “yeah, btw, I’m the Flame Emperor,” so I was just wondering what happened there. It’s an anticlimactic way to end the main plot of the first half of the game. I also didn’t really get Rhea’s angle at all. So the route just felt a lot like “I guess I’m doing this now??” In other routes, I found her deaths to be very hard hitting. The death in Verdant Wind only really got me because I really liked Edelgard and she was my original student and I could feel how much she wanted to make her future a reality and how her failing meant all of those sacrifices she made and the evils she’d done would now all be for nothing. I get that impression with Azure Moon’s ending too. 

Most of my appreciation for the character does come from her support conversations. I like how her chain with Bernie has her trying to learn how to not scare her off. Her interactions with Dorothea in their support chain are kind of sad because Dorothea is trying to show her admiration and love for Edelgard in a way that makes sense to her but then Edelgard’s low view of herself causes her to reject the offer. I really liked her Manuela support too (haven’t seen Hanneman’s but I’ve heard that it’s good). I like how with Manuela, Edelgard learns why people are religious and she that being religious doesn’t make you weak. I like her Linhart support where he calls her out for trying to dictate his life and she responds by trying to overhaul some of her own systems and assumptions about him, which leads to her giving him a role to the empire that also properly accommodates for his needs. I like how with Ferdinand’s supports, he has to learn to let go of their rivalry, but once that does happen, Edelgard takes into account his ideas and roles with them. I think it’s funny that she and Hubert flirt with each other by sending each other credible death threats. Edelgard just has a lot of very good supports. Don’t get me wrong, Claude and Dmitri also have supports that are good (I thought Claude’s support chain with Petra was cute and I really like Dmitri’s support chain with Flayn), but Edelgard’s supports go a long way to paint her as someone who is flawed but still really admirable.

Edelgard is definitely one of my favorite fictional characters, and I’d love to see more characters like her in the future.

[frozenartscapes]

Pumpkins - A World Without Gods Fic

Byleth heaved the large, orange vegetable up onto the kitchen table with a grunt, the weight of the object causing the whole piece of furniture and the cutlery on it to shake.

Edelgard did the same, though her pumpkin wasn’t quite as big so it didn’t land with the same intensity.

“Alright,” Byleth said as she playfully dusted her hands, “Let’s get started, then.”

“So remind me again why we’re making...what was it again?” Edelgard asked.

“Jack-o-lanterns,” Byleth told her, “It’s another Halloween tradition.”

“I figured as much. I was mostly just wondering why carving up perfectly good pumpkins to turn them into decorations rather than food seems to be so popular,” Edelgard said.

Byleth merely chuckled. “Don’t worry, El. These pumpkins aren’t that great for food. They’ve been growing them this way for decades specifically for making Jack-o-lanterns. That’s also why we got a couple of those small ones, which are good for eating.”

“I...see,” Edelgard replied, glancing at the two pie pumpkins sitting on the counter.

“So... Do you know what you’re going to do to yours?” Byleth asked, pulling out a couple of markers and offering one to El.

“I think so... I did a little research beforehand when you told me you wanted to do this, although I know right now that many of the designs I saw were far too complicated for me to execute,” Edelgard said, taking the marker and beginning to sketch out a simple face.

“Yeah, some people are crazy good at this. Although most of the time they’re professional sculptors.”

“What about you?”

“Me? I’m maybe average at this? The building does a contest but I’ve never won in the years I’ve lived here. I mostly just like the tradition.”

“I’m hoping this will turn out all right. It’s not the same as cooking, but I also can’t say I’ve ever been...careful when it comes to blades.”

Byleth laughed. “I’ve seen you use a dagger just fine, and you were pretty good with a sword,” she offered, “But yeah... Your style definitely was more about doing damage rather than precision.”

“I never really had the patience,” Edelgard admitted with a sigh.

They finished their designs and now it was time for the “fun” part, as Byleth called it. ��Ok, so you want to take the knife and cut a circle around the stem. Make sure you cut at a bit of an angle so that the piece you cut doesn’t just fall through,” she explained, demonstrating on her pumpkin.

Edelgard nodded and followed along. Once the hole was made, she glanced into the pumpkin with a grimace. She had never...dealt with a pumpkin before. She knew of them. She had eaten food made with them. She knew of the general concept of their most popular uses, including these jack-o-lanterns. For some reason, though, she never really thought about what might be in a pumpkin until it was staring her in the face.

Byleth simply shoved her hand in without question, removing it with a handful of seeds and pumpkin guts and dumping the goo in a bowl with a wet splat. Edelgard gulped, then carefully stuck a hand into her pumpkin. Her finger brushed against something cold and stringy, and with a small squeal, she yanked her hand back out.

“Why is it warm?” she demanded when she heard Byleth chuckle.

“We were keeping them inside, El,” Byleth reminded her, “Trust me: it’s better than if they were cold.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Edelgard commented, attempting to clear her pumpkin out again. This time she got her hand in far enough to grab a clump of goop, but the squishiness of it made her retreat with a gag.

“Here,” Byleth said, offering a large spoon, “You can scrape the sides and bottom with this, then just turn the pumpkin over the bowl. It’s less messy that way.”

Edelgard let out a deep breath, accepting the spoon with a grateful smile. “You’ve clearly done this a lot,” she stated as she got to work, finding the spoon method much better.

“It’s funny. I used to get together with Rhea, Seteth, and Flayn and do this sort of thing a lifetime or two ago. It’s interesting to see how the holiday has changed over the decades,” Byleth said, “Pumpkin carving thankfully has stayed more or less the same. While costumes and candy and decorations and parties have all changed, good old pumpkins have been a nice constant.” For added emphasis, she patted the pumpkin lovingly before reaching in to clear out some more seeds.

A nervous smile made its way across Edelgard’s face. “Ah... And how did...they...find the holiday?” she asked, trepidation growing at the reminder of her former enemies.

“Flayn has always been intrigued by it, so of course it’s Seteth’s worst nightmare,” Byleth replied casually, “Rhea’s kind of indifferent on it. But she really doesn’t like carving pumpkins.”

“Really?” Edelgard asked with an eyebrow raised.

“She doesn’t like the guts,” Byleth said.

“I can’t fathom why,” Edelgard returned dryly, turning her pumpkin over the bowl and shaking out a clump of seeds and goo.

“It’s just seeds and mushy squash,” Byleth teased upon seeing El’s face, “Goddess knows you’ve dealt with much worse.”

“It’s the texture,” Edelgard insisted, “I don’t like how it’s slimy, warm, and sticky all at once. And don’t remind me about worse things because then I’ll start to picture them.”

Byleth laughed again, dumping out the last of her pumpkin guts. “Sorry. I should’ve known better,” she said sheepishly, “How’s it going? You get it mostly cleared out yet?”

Edelgard did a final scrap of the sides of the pumpkin. “About as clean as it ever will be,” she replied, “So now we can start carving?”

“Yep.” Byleth reached for a knife as Edelgard did the same. “Just work slow, and be careful not to cut yourself. Blood might be spooky but parents tend to be more approving of fake blood this time of year.”

Edelgard chuckled. “I’ll keep that in mind, my Teacher.”

Byleth smiled at the nickname. They were well passed their time spent as student and teacher, but Edelgard kept insisting that Byleth had never truly stopped teaching her new things, now more than ever. So the name stuck.

She realized she had been watching Edelgard carving for perhaps a little too long. She couldn’t help it, though. For as silly and casual as this activity was, Edelgard was approaching it with the same intensity and focus as she did whenever she was learning a new fighting stance or battle strategy.

Byleth blinked a few times before snapping out of it. As much as she would have liked to keep admiring Edelgard, she had her own pumpkin to carve.

“How are you making out?” Byleth asked after a few minutes, finishing up the last few details of her carving in the process.

“Almost... Done!” Edelgard proclaimed, leaning back to take in her creation. The pride in her expression fell away, however, as she studied her work. “Hmm... I feel like it’s missing something...”

“Hang on,” Byleth said, getting up to retrieve a couple of candles from the counter. She set one in each pumpkin, flicked off the lights, and with a snap of her fingers, both jack-o-lanterns lit up in all their spooky glory.

Byleth’s had a large, fang-filled mouth stretching from one side of the pumpkin’s face to the other, and two pointed eyes that seemed to narrow menacingly. Edelgard’s had the classic triangular nose and eyes, but a toothy mouth that was frowning rather than smiling.

“He doesn’t look very happy,” Byleth commented lightly.

“I thought the frown would make it less friendly,” Edelgard mused, “But now I’m not... Oh! I know!”

She quickly left the kitchen, only to return moments later with the plastic bloodied axe Byleth had hung up over the fireplace. After making another quick cut in her pumpkin, Edelgard then stuck the fake weapon inside, giving it the appearance of having just been attacked by an axe murderer.

Byleth couldn’t contain her laughter. “Oh Sothis, I love it, El!” she said.

“See, now he has a reason to be unhappy,” Edelgard replied with a small chuckle of her own, “And you did say fake blood was ok.”

“I did say that,” Byleth conceded, “I can already think of multiple morbid little kids who are going to love this pumpkin.”

---

A few days after Halloween, Byleth returned home after work to an envelope that had been tucked under the door.

They had won the pumpkin carving contest.