#nohr royal Corrin

[xander-wolk]

Peek a boo :D

[emblemxeno]

Just wanting to add to the analysis of Fates a bit because it's absolutely beautiful once you really start digging. Here's just a few of my favorite things that the game doesn't spell out for the player and instead you actually have to think about.

How come Corrin's dragon form is never brought up again in the plot? Cuz Corrin is terrified of it, They only unlocked their dragon form because they watched their two parental figures die in front of them in like a week. The only other time that Corrin mentions it is fear of the fact Kana inherited it, but Kana absolutely loves their dragon form, it's a central part of most of their Supports, because Kana associates turning into a dragon with being able to stay with Corrin.

Also Wyrmslayers are a Nohrian sword, and the only Dragon characters in Birthright are Corrin and Scarlet. Anytime you see a Nohrian weilding a Wyrmslayer that's a soldier equipped to kill Corrin specifically. At least the Dragon killer weapon for Hoshidans is a scroll that can be used on Wyvern Riders.

Why is Jakob so mean to Felicia? One she reminds him of his younger self, when he was a terrible butler and the only reason he wasn't thrown out to starve is because of Corrin. However Felicia can't be fired because she's a political prisoner, and she's unaware of this fact, she's privileged in a way that she doesn't know. He apparently gets along well enough with Flora for her to have a crush on him.

It seems like the only two consistent jobs in Nohr are Maid and Soldier, admittedly that may just be selection bias based on our characters but it really fits the vibes that Nohr gives. The only things that matter to Garon are military might and his royal lifestyle. Nohr's economy just can't handle Not Being At War. The sewers contain more of an economy than anywhere else in Nohr.

Everything about Camilla, basically, from how she DEFINITELY killed every sibling and concubine to how she is so overly affectionate with Corrin, Elise, and her retainers because she doesn't want them to leave, she needs that kind of control and stability in her life. Notice how she kinda does the exact same thing with Sakura the moment that she abandons Nohr in Revelations.

The way that Azura and Lilith kind of perfectly fit into the Numb Eldest Brother and Protective Older Sister template that the Royals provide. If Corrin is the Younger Brother, the only think the Valla family is missing is a Healer Younger Sister, which hilariously could also be filled by Lilith.

Despite being one of Mikoto's advisors, Yukimura kinda doesn't care for both her and Corrin's goals of peace. He's Hoshido's military advisor/general, he actively benefits from keeping the war ongoing. In Revelations his dialouge is like the harshest to Corrin out of any in the entire route. Garon wasn't the only one pushing the forever war.

I dunno how to end this. Fates Good. Drink Water.

YES YES YES ALL OF THIS IS GOOD SHIT. I HOPE YOU DON'T MIND IF I POST THIS.

Like, all of this isn't directly stated, but because the pieces are in such LARGE abundance, there's great cause to believe it's intentional. They're layed out for the player to connect when they dig deeper.

And that's before getting into how game design in general is just so intentional, it has to be in order to have a product that survives in the cultural zeitgeist. Fates endures because of controversy, yes, but the fans it has are fans because of these seemingly minute things connecting to a grander picture because of how many of them there are.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

All the Corrinsexuals in Fates drive me up the wall cuz besides like Anna and Izana, they all have so much going on and it's like, how do you not have full support chains? At least with each other?

Flora technically has one with Felicia but letting her express some of her pent up resentment that she has towards the Nohr Royals, please that'd make a really fun support with Shura or Yukimura. Also Reina grandma-moding and recognizing how important Flora and the other Fortress Fam members are to her lady's child, and now her child, kind of.

Speaking of Reina, in addition to the classic Grandparent pairing with Gunter, I want to see her dynamics with Orochi and Yukimura in more depth. Especially Yukimura because while Mikoto is a major part of both Reina and Orochi's lives, Yukimura doesn't actually seem to care about her or her desires, at least in terms of Corrin, his dialouge in Revelations is the most aggressive anyone gets in that path, and he seems the most nationalistic(?) of all the (playable) characters in Fates.

Gunter and Shura could have an interesting Support on either Shura kidnapping Azura or Gunters reputation as one of the few knights with the balls to tell Garon no.

Like my full list of extended supports would be something like

Flora- Felicia, Rinkah, Reina, Beruka, Camilla, Shura, Gunter, Silas

Gunter- Flora, Felicia, Jakob, Reina, Shura, Nyx, Xander, Silas

Shura- Flora, Gunter, Azura, Saizo, Niles, Kagero, Yukimura

Reina- Flora, Gunter, Azura, Hinoka, Orochi, Nyx, Yukimura, Takumi

Yukimura- Takumi, Reina, Shura, Ryoma, Orochi, Silas

Izana- I dunno man give him Saizo, Leo, Takumi and Beruka and see which one kills him first

Anna- Charlotte, Oboro, Selena, Hinata, and maybe Kaze

👀

[lululeighsworld]

I am re-reading the Crown of Nibelung manga to gather fic ideas and immediately one page out of the first chapter grabbed my attention (for a completely unrelated reason to the fic):

the most relevant panel from the page. for context, the Nohrian siblings are travelling to the Northern Fortress to visit Corrin, and Xander + Leo have arrived on horseback at the gate. in the panels leading up to the above, Xander comments that he recognizes the gatekeeper, and realizes he was the champion of a competition who fought against Peri. Xander expresses surprise that he's here at NF, as a gatekeeper, as he thought he'd been recruited by the royal guard...

sound familiar?

I think this interaction is a strong column of support for the idea that Gunter was not the only soldier in the Nohrian army who was treated unfairly after Anankos took over Garon's corpse. by no means is this example as cruel as what Gunter experienced, but the fact that the gatekeeper stumbles on his words and intuitively reaches for the verb forced before backtracking to reassigned says a lot about how the situation played out. makes me wonder how many other soldiers in Nohr's army went through something remotely similar...

an additional point that's interesting about this page are the panels that follow. we get insight into Leo's internal thoughts, and he notes that this family (named MacDuff? fascinating choice) has fallen out of Iago's good favour. now in this instance it seems like the demotion was instigated by Iago, as he's allowed to "indulgently do whatever he wishes" because Garon likes him.

all of this makes me think that Leo would absolutely have an inkling over what happened to Gunter and why he went from a renowned knight to a demotion at the Northern Fortress. or at least, as he got older, he'd have the ability to put the pieces together.

goddamn. supports between Gunter and Leo would be so fun (and also a headache).

[pixxyofice]

what if we put the awakening trio into a time loop where the goal to get out was, well, the goal they were sent in with. beat anankos' other half, protect corrin while they do so. they had no direction in this which is why they went to nohr at all, so then when the war starts and they realize corrin is who they need to protect when they first loop after the dragon royal dies... they then realize that who corrin sides with is essentially a coin flip.

and they cannot get themselves into a position to be truly influencial in time thanks to the loop point being either 'right before they leave with no interaction with the trio' or 'right before they choose a side' so its like. oh corrin chose to stay with hoshido well this loop was a waste of time.

not for a lack of trying. i think selena definitely tried.

[curse-d-owl]

Last time I'm gonna beat this dead horse but difficult choice between your "blood" related family and the family that raised you isn't so difficult when one of them has lied to you about everything and sacrifices your life to be a nuke and the other are victims of the other kingdoms unjust invasions.

It does not help that the game puts Hoshido in the most positive light and Nohr in the most negative light.

From the prologue to the split decision the writers have put the kingdom of Nohr and it's royal family in the worst light imaginable and the opposite for Hoshido. There is no moral nor emotional dilemma to be had with these circumstances. There is no reason any sane person in Corrin's position would side with Nohr.

Let's imagine some extremely ridiculous "dilemmas" that Intsys would never do.

Corrin siding with Nohr is like Nino siding with Sonia despite learning the truth about everything.

It's like Robin siding with Validar.

It's like Byleth siding with Edel- oh wait....

All jokes aside tho I'm disappointed with how Fates was handled, especially Nohr and like i said before I wish both families and kingdoms were morally equal.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

heartwrenching angsty headcanon/meta oughhhh

idk what made me think of this but (maybe talking about gunter/corrin kids?) but one of the most genuinely unhappy/sad ways i could see their relationship going is CQ verse when they've been fooling around, corrin gets pregnant, and one of the other nohr royals (or hell, garon if you want to be really evil and screw in the thumbtacks) - basically tells corrin "well this is unfortunate but if we marry you off to $whoever and they raise the bastard child, we can make this go away. :)))) oh btw he won't be allowed around you and the child again :)))"

because i really do feel in my heart that gunter not being able to see his child there would dig up every last bit grief-trauma he's been holding onto for the last several decades in an even worse way before. man that is something he would never forgive for.

[stripclub-elysium]

A Tactical Vacation (Closed RP with @citadelredlightdistrict)

Phillip needed a Vacation, after fighting for Nohr against Hoshido and then later against a common enemy that would eventually lead to the opposing countries to finally end their war, the young soldier was now relaxing at a beach, far away from both Nohr and Hoshido and non of his commanders or members of the royal family in sight, except for...

"Lady Corrin?" He greats the familiar princess. "You also enjoying your vacation here?"

[runicmagitek]

Someone to Lean On: Chapter 7 (Silas/Corrin - Fire Emblem Fates)

“Do you require anything else?”

Truth be told, Silas’ head spun from the sheer abundance of hospitality. And that didn’t include the tournament’s closing ceremony, the reunion with the Nohr siblings—gods, he swore Elise broke his rib hugging him—and the nonstop chatter regarding... well, everything. The evening’s celebratory banquet. The arrangements for a royal wedding. The details around his status as prince consort. Probably some other specifics he forgot after five seconds.

But what Silas required was a moment of solitude. Also a bath and clean clothes. All simple requests, really. After that, he could catch up with Corrin. Also alone. Hopefully. Damn it, two seconds after they embraced, she pried away to resume her role as Queen of Nohr. Didn’t help when a dozen people—a mix of soldiers and servants—followed her every step.

For now, Silas exhaled and turned. “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

A decade later, he still failed to decipher the perpetual scowl Jakob defaulted to. “Shall I fetch a servant to assist you?”

“With... what? I—oh! N-no, I can, uh—” Silas gestured to the hot bath recently drawn for him. “—figure this out solo. Yeah.”

Jakob blinked slowly and drew a breath. No doubt he rolled his eyes beneath his lids.

[read more on AO3]

[skeletalscallybones]

Iago: Out of my way, Prince Xander. Otherwise you too will be branded a traitor and executed for your crime. Xander: So be it. If you wish to kill Corrin, you will have to defeat me first. However, know that I do not intend to go down without a fight. Iago: Wh-what do you mean? Xander: I challenge you to a duel, Iago. I have had enough of you and your cruel manner of doing things. You are a disgrace to the great kingdom of Nohr, but that ends today. If you choose not to repent, the only fate left for you is to die by my blade. As the crown prince of Nohr, I am taking back my kingdom! (Leo joins Xander's side) Leo: Count me in. I've long hoped for the chance to express my discontent with Iago's dirty schemes. If you are going to take him down, allow me to share in the pleasure. Iago: You d-don't intend intend to kill me, do you?! Your king's trusted g-general? That's not very becoming of a N-Nohrian royal, now is it?! Xander: Say what you will, coward. Our father is not here to protect his lapdog. We'll tell him you were murdered by some remaining Hoshidan rebels. How tragic. Iago:

[natsuki208]

My FE14 AU - Chapter 5 Epilogue

(After Corrin returned to their human form, Ryoma had to inform them how they and their siblings gained this… ‘curse’.)

For @moneyisthebestlawyerinh3ll

-

Ryoma: As you know, the royal families of Hoshido and Nohr have the blood of the ancient dragons in our veins. But what no one knows is that our mother, Mikoto… held the ability to turn into one.

It was war time; our father and many soldiers all left to fight. Our mother was desperate for a way to protect herself and her people. Then one day, the Dawn Dragon granted her wish. She was given the power within her blood to transform into a mighty draconic beast. She used it to fight off intruders, protect the kingdom and our father from ruin.

She later passed on this power to you, me and our siblings when we were born, but times have changed since those days of mother’s youth. So what was to her a gift became to us… an inconvenience.

———

(keep in mind that this story was made up by Mikoto to avoid mentioning Valla and Annankos)

———

Corrin: …. That’s it?! Then… why didn’t you or mother tell me about this?

Ryoma: We thought we didn’t had to. What I remember, you never showed any signs of being able to become a dragon like us. Mother and father concluded that you may not have inherited it… seems like we were wrong.

But it’s gonna be fine now; we’re able to control it and so will you.

Corrin: How is that possible?

Azura: Because of me. I’m able to give you a special stone that will restrain your dragon form from going out of control again, your siblings all have one too. If you keep it with you at all times, you’ll be fine.

Corrin: O-Okay, I’ll trust you.

Obtained - Dragonstone!

[emblemxeno]

Some people have some weird concept of writing fixes

Someone suggested that making Corrin not related to the Hoshidan royals at all and swapping the family vs. family aspect in favor of a loyalty vs. morality concept would improve the story

Obvious problem: How is Corrin still the center of the conflict if Hoshido no longer has a reason to trust or care about them at all? Corrin's choice matters because they have a reason to care about each side, but also each side has reason to care about them

The correct solution to improving Fate's story should be to make Nohr slightly more heroic and Hoshido slightly less good, but keep both sides on a relatively even morality scale

What's funny is that the loyalty vs morality conflict is already prominent within the game lmaooo. Like for sure the family vs family dynamic is a thing, but Corrin in Birthright angsts the most about the lives of the family and loved ones he ruined, and Corrin in Conquest angsts the most about the innocent people being indiscriminately killed.

While I personally don't subscribe to the idea that Revelation is the only valid path (since Ryoma, Xander, and the other siblings need BR and CQ to complement their arcs), Corrin reaches his pinnacle when he rejects the war outright and stands firm on his pacificity. That writing choice can't reasonably exist without the crux of loyalty vs morality already in place.

And I agree, I don't quite understand not making Corrin related to the Hoshidan royals because, yeah it can theoretically remove a weird plot hangup, but it'd also just make Corrin's position in a possible Birthright and Revelation not make sense. At that point he'd just be a de facto political prisoner with not as much time spent with Hoshido as Azura, so it wouldn't make sense for him to have any authority in BR nor would it be reasonable that he'd be able to recruit anyone from Hoshido on Revelation, since the whole reason why he gets Hoshidan support is because Sakura vouches for him, and she does that because she heard great things about her kidnapped older brother. You'd have to jack up Corrin's charisma tenfold to justify it, but people already find it hard to believe that he's charismatic and think the game's writing coddles him as it is.

As you said, the flaws of Hoshido and the positives for Nohr just need to be more pronounced instead of regulated to subtexual fridge horror (e.g. Hoshido's rampant xenophobia and isolationism)

[moritakathedrawer-leonaguilez]

Legendary Male Corrin’s journey in Birthright: Quest for peace and greater good

Preface

HAPPY 9TH ANNIVERSARY FIRE EMBLEM: IF!! (known internationally as Fates)

As it was the birth-month of mine(June 24) and Fate’s first release 9 years ago in Japan, on June 25, 2015.And especially we finally have L!M! Corrin because he is represented well in FEH and many of his lines and meet the heroes page have a lot of references to his journey in Birthright.

 I had written something for my favorite Lord, Corrin in Birthright. As Corrin goes through different paths, it is a gargantuan task to talk about Corrin in all paths. As most games that has different routes, I believe a character will become a different person by taking a specific path,  and I would prefer one route over another. For example, Denam from Tactics Ogre LUCT. He is idealistic and stands for his principles & justice in the Chaos route meanwhile he is cold and pragmatic  in the  Law route.  Thus I’ll be talking specifically about the Birthright version and within the context of that route, because it is my favorite version of Corrin, and I’m very fixated with Hoshirrin. 

I was inspired by the late  u/NobleYato  ‘s  The Most Misunderstood Lord and Why We Love Them, an excellent read and we have arrived at some similar points. And I have to say that I was kinda bummed that someone already beat me to it. However I already started my drafts and made some notes. If I started something, I’m determined to finish it. Thus I’ll attempt to make mine too with my own takes and interpretations. This would be another small contribution for understanding Corrin . 

In the white light 

“In the white light, a hand reaches through”

Corrin’s character is shown to be good, kind, intuitive, and values life, albeit sheltered and knows little of the world. We saw in the early chapters where he effortfully tried to save Kaze and Rinkah despite all the pressure and even threatened to death. Another thing that shows his good character where he even saved an injured bird (who later reveals to be Lilith). When confronted by Xander with his overly magnanimity, he would gladly lay down his life for the greater good, and it is his nature.

 Later when he was out and saw the world for the first time, he witnessed firsthand the atrocities and terrorized villages by the faceless caused by Garon when he was in Hoshido. He wasn’t able to see and know these when he was imprisoned in the fortress, and was brought up that Garon as his “father” and cannot be wrong. When the special sword that was given to him exploded and his true mother died protecting him, along those at the square, this triggered his memories of the day he was abducted and remembering his real father also died protecting him. Now he knows what true colors of his “Father” Garon are. 

It was a hard pivotal decision of Corrin, to stand with Hoshido and his birth family. As it is in line with his character to be good and morally upright and he stands for justice as when he spared the prisoners when ordered to. He does not side with the man that incites  terror and commits atrocities because it goes against his ideals and the sacrifices to those who protected him. His parents sacrificed themselves to save him from the man who abducted and made him sheltered and kept in the dark when he was held prisoner in a fortress, albeit pampered and able to bond with the Royal family. He quickly realized that he was a pawn and his life was not valued by his “father”. Clearly Garon is the mastermind, clearly sees his intentions and clearly sees for what he is. He condemns him and vows to never return to Nohr, and to correct his wrongs. He believes that this is the right path towards peace and is determined to achieve it. 

They got separated with Ryoma and the others after the surprise attack  after the events of CH6 which the battle stretched across up to the bottomless canyon, so they were spread out. Which leaves Corrin ,as the 2nd prince of Hoshido and the only eldest Prince left, the responsibility lies in him and to command the remaining part of the army. As he is also chosen by the divine Yato which gives him authority and legitimacy that makes people trust in his abilities.  And even later when Hinoka—his elder sister joins, he is still in-charge and giving orders as he is the elder prince and the chain of command goes to him in the absence of the High Prince Ryoma. And to prove his dedication, he embraced himself as Hoshidan and dedicated himself to defend the Kingdom yet he only truly seeks peace between Hoshido and Nohr, without unnecessary bloodshed of the innocent. He is merciful to those who surrender and gives chances to lay down arms and spare them, as it is the Hoshidan way . He learns about this from Kaze’s words from CH7, after sparing Silas and then demonstrating it in CH 10 by sparing Zola. This act shows his great commitment to the Hoshidan Ways and this shows that he is not like what they think of those from Nohr, thus earning their trust and confidence of the lost 2nd prince. 

From Isolation to newfound freedom

Corrin: Travel? I hope you both realize that this isn't exactly a vacation...

Fuga: Of course. It's just that Hayato has not had much opportunity to leave the village. In addition to helping you, he will be exploring the world for the first time.

Corrin: I see. I think I understand exactly how he feels. After all, I spent most of my childhood locked in a Nohrian castle

As he wasn’t allowed to go outside when he grew up in the fortress and  even wasn’t able to see other people. He may have grown up in Nohr with luxuries but only in the fortress, he didn’t even know the Wolfskins, the demihumans of Nohr. And now he is finally free, naturally he enjoys his first times experiencing the outside world— enjoying the forest air, mesmerized by a boat ride, that he even plans to buy one after the war, just fascinated by new things that he wasn’t able to before ,and meeting new faces along the way. Being isolated for so long, he makes up to experience new things.  

Due to his experience being locked in a tower, he highlights the experience and let others not experience his sheltered life, and encourages anyone to go explore the world; we saw this when he was introduced to Hayato. And also with Rinkah, whom he sees that they may have similar experiences, he encourages the princess of the isolationist Flame tribe to have this opportunity to explore the world and learn different cultures and he shows his optimism to think positively of what happened, he also shows to be a believer of “things happens for a reason”.

With being outside, free and without the pressures of being subdued especially under Garon, he can openly express himself and can be corny and cheeky at times.  He has a dry-sense of humor to liven up moments such as when he joked about taking the “5-minute staircase”  instead of the eternal staircase(CH8)  and when with all the moving around they no longer need to work out after reaching the peak of Mt. Garou(CH15) . Or when he said “Can I be happy for a moment?” after taking over a fortress(CH15) and being reminded that there are more to be done. He is encouraged to share his thoughts when consulted by Ryouma on  army decisions and is supported when he takes the lead.  With this freedom, it gives him the opportunity to grow and be himself.  

Leadership, charisma and growth

As I have mentioned, as the second prince and the only eldest remaining prince when Corrin got separated from Ryoma. Now, the responsibility lies to Corrin. He may have had training in martial skills when he was in the fortress yet he lacks the field experience, but has no choice but to lead an army early on. Also with his background of being raised by the enemy ,where especially Saizo was very suspicious, may be a thorn in his side.  He works hard to earn the trust of others and to gain their confidence and in himself. He earned it by demonstrating the aforementioned “Hoshidan Way” of sparing Zola,  and through perking up others when the other princes were missing and tries to maintain a positive outlook and puts on a brave face and tries to be convincingly confident despite he hides it (CH10), 

With these experiences of leading, he grows bold, charismatic and confident that later on when they are rejoined by Ryoma and resume command, his confidence has grown that at times leads the way and be a rallying cry for the army,especially wgjhen he gives a rousing speech before their first counter offensive in capturing a Nohrian fort (CH14) and to rally themselves to take a shortcut through the demon falls (CH21) , and he does initiatives to lead the way out when facing grave danger at the Fort Dragonfall (CH21)

Besides being confident with oneself, he also learns to be confident with others and rely on them as he can be very hard on himself at times, does want anyone to get involved and be hurt and even self- sacrifice or be a martyr. When he sided with Hoshido (CH6) or went on a pilgrimage to the rainbow sage(CH19), he was ready to sacrifice himself and not anyone involved. Or when the resistance was discovered, he was all downer. Every time he recruits someone or asks someone to join his cause he would always tell them not to join and they could not because of the possible blood be shed, for example with (Kaden, Hayato, Speech at the border fort). However, time and time again,he needs his allies around him to bring him back to his senses like that slap by Scarlet and most of all Ryoma’s guidance to bring back his confidence and the right path. 

However, all that confidence and cool head is put to the test. A major blow to his trust, when Zola betrayed them despite all they have gone through. This was a hard lesson for Corrin to learn and proving his naivety. To further erode his trust after the betrayal, the rumors of a spy being continually taunted by Iago, made him lose his confidence in others and himself. He began to suspect others and lose trust after earning that from his new allies, and the stakes are getting higher. The main quality of his character is a trusting charisma, and the people around him are quick to notice the change of mood, most especially Takumi as we know with their rocky first relationship who was wary of Corrin but now he trusts Corrin but got hurt with his doubts. 

As Corrin cannot deal with these matters alone, time and time Ryoma, his guiding light , reaching his hand through Corrin’s troubles, lifts his spirits back. He gives advice that is encouraging to Corrin on his journey to be a good leader, and helps him deal with or settle his old life, even cordial to his Norhian siblings . He points out and highlights his natural charisma and is very trusting in that it makes it both his strength and weakness(CH17), and uses his good sense of intuition on treading on his path. As the chosen one by the divine sword Yato, people lean on Corrin.  Ryoma has been a wise guidance to Corrin when he loses his way and many times to bring him to the right path, showing him the light and what hope is possible, giving him confidence and earning with worth as the chosen one. If he wasn't there, his little brother would have been lost.

Anger, Anguish & Resolution 

“A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two”

 In this path he may have felt the warmth of light and growing in it, but also in this path the darkness follows to test and challenge his personal progress, and the risks involved in the road taken . Now that he’s on the other side, it is inevitable that he would face and fight his loved ones from his old life. He would face trying and difficult moments especially losing his loved ones from his old life and the innocent lives. He lost Flora when she was forced to fight against her village and then sacrifice herself. And he was forced to fight the wolfskin, by false flag incident, in self defense. These losses, yet painful, enduring it  and he would carry a heavy burden, made him more determined to swiftly end the war and make Garon pay.

Despite all that, he maintains his cool head, bearing the pain yet still be merciful to his foes, he still doesn’t want unnecessary bloodshed despite all the inner rage from all he lost. He gives the foe’s soldiers a chance to surrender, and does not do wanton violence against them when they no longer fight. He gives them a chance to talk, explain their side and be patient like when defeating Silas [Ch7], Flora[Ch8], & Leo[CH18]. But knowing the stakes at hand and fulfilling his duty he knows that one could not always be nice and necessary sword-threatening should be done, but when they can explain their side, he will give them a chance to defect and join their cause. 

He learns that not everyone can be reasoned with, and the language they can understand is through his Yato. He grows resolute and understandably angry towards Garon and his lackeys, Hans and Iago. As always, he tried diplomacy first with them but he keeps failing. Nothing can be done but to end them. His interactions with them will always have a comeback, sassy remarks and be contemptuous over the suffering they caused. Corrin learns that not all people are reasonable and redeemable, that peace cannot be achieved without defeating them. 

After all the losses he endured, he still carries on with the burdens and heavy heart, and maintains his cool head, brave face and optimism. However he has a breaking point. After Lilith shielded Corrin from Hans and died, another one very dear to him lost. That moment finally broke him, he finally felt anguished, fell into deep despair and lost all his optimistic spirits. After all that collectedness, he finally opened up the deep pain he held for so long and openly expresses the sorrows he hides, lamenting all the lives lost and for what? He faltered, was about to truly give and yield. 

Corrin: What are we even fighting for? Is it worth it?

Ryoma: Look up, Corrin.

Corrin: Ryoma?

Ryoma: Dry your tears. Think about Lilith's sacrifice. She gave her life so you could continue fighting. And what are we fighting for? We are fighting for peace! We are fighting for Queen Mikoto and for the whole world! Do you think Lilith would want you to give up like this?

Corrin: Ughhh...

Ryoma: Listen. It is time for you to rise to the occasion. If we want to end this war, now is the time for us to take action!

Corrin: I'm just so tired. Tired of loss. Tired of death.

Ryoma: There will be a time for rest. But that time is not now. Rise up! The sacred blade Yato chose YOU, Corrin. We're all counting on you!

Corrin: ... You're right. I know you're right. I will not stop until King Garon's reign of terror is over. Let's go, everyone.

Ryoma: That's the spirit.

Ryoma brought him back and gave him back the light, for the sake of the sacrifices, for their mother and most of all the peace of the world, as why the Yato chose him. Give him resolution, reminding of his cause and for world peace around, bring him back to light and to push him to continue, move on, and fight for them so that their sacrifices won’t be in vain.These trials are not the reason to give up but a challenge to improve ourselves. His pain is not an excuse to back-out, but a resolution to move on and forward.

Alight

Ryoma:... Look, Corrin. Can you see the sun breaking over the horizon?

Corrin: Yes...I suppose I can.

Ryoma: They say the sun never shines in Nohr, but we can see that that's not true. Perhaps it's small comfort, but I take this as a good omen.

Corrin: It is warm here. The same kind of warmth I felt walking the streets of Hoshido. I hope someday, both Hoshido and Nohr can share this kind of warmth.

Ryoma: Anything is possible, Corrin.

With his journey comes to a close, after being in the light of hope and shining on his optimism and that the possibility of peace between nations is achievable, especially when one can do things if you put your mind into it. Corrin was shown that it is possible that light can reach the darkness when they were in mount Garou (CH15), where Ryoma telling all the things are possible and when they made a pilgrimage in the seven fold sanctuary as a test and learned that a magical object nothing better in improving but one's mindset, will power, and hardworking efforts. These experiences changed Corrin to grow and be more commanding of one’s will, which in CH23 where Elise, after meeting since his pivotal decision, notices Corrin’s change compared to the time when he was in the fortress. His outlook is now more bold and knows what he is doing. Now he has returned to Nohr as a different person,  he uses what he has learned and shapes his ideals to be the light who brings justice.

The theme music of the Birthright route is masterfully composed; listening to it evokes feelings of Corrin and what he goes through in this final part of his journey. In the calm version, you could feel the uneasiness, highlighted by the wind instruments, the sounds of nostalgia of his old life growing up in Nohr. That heavy feeling of bittersweet feeling of coming home, now for different reasons, it evokes uncertainty, reluctance, bittersweet nostalgia, hesitation and tense & heavy feeling. And in contrast, the storm version is very contrasting with its upbeat marching rhythm, full of emotion and heroic tone ,signifying Corrin’s choice to act decisively, determination for peace of the world. Thus I named this chapter after this masterpiece. 

For the greater good

Growing up in Nohr albeit in a fortress, he grew up and bonded with the Nohr Royals and was treated as a sibling. He is very attached to them and is dear to him and they cherish him. It was a hard decision for him to go against Garon ,their father, but he must do what he must for his ideals of justice, even dealing with them should they stand in his way. It was clever for Garon to abduct and to let Corrin to have a bond with his children so that he would develop Stockholm syndrome, he would become a pawn to his machinations, but Corrin isn’t fooled and cannot stand his tyranny. Despite now joining the other side, he still held his Nohr siblings dear and tried on every occasion to be diplomatic and convince them not to fight, as he tried very hard to shed light on Garon’s true colors.  And in turn they tried to convince Corrin back but he is firm in his decision and mission, he must make a stand for peace and goodwill between Hoshido and Nohr. Miraculously with all his efforts and the trials he faced in this journey, he somehow manages not to end them. However that may not be the case later on when facing Xander.

They later accepted Corrin as Hoshidan and agrees that he is in the right path but they cannot make a stand against fight Garon, as he is their father and as his children, only Corrin has the opportunity to stand up against Garon, and Corrin as the truly Hoshidan only can he defy and it is his birthright to stand up to their abusive father. They may have understood that Corrin’s duty is in the right path to peace to face Garon.

(The Xander and Corrin duel is a very symbolic battle and has a complex motif , u/Visual-Function-213 may have analyzed it better with Birthright Chapter 26: Analysis and Misconceptions , but I’ll share my short take.)

As Corrin has the birthright to bring light to the darkness, Xander as well has a duty and it is his birthright to be the crown prince to defend his kingdom no matter what with pride and dignity. Corrin’s efforts to dissuade Xander are futile as they both have duties to fulfill. Corrin’s hesitation and struggle to face Xander. That sad and heavy feeling of facing the one who trained you and is close to you, he made Corrin what he is.In this penultimate major trials of this path and the climax of his journey , it duel of ideals and clash of duties, contrasting ideals, as crown prince who is bound to his standing and has no choice , contrast to Corrin is free and has a choice. In this poetic battle between a mentor and a student, who have learned much of the world and to show his mentor how he has changed and grown. Corrin has learned a lot in his journey and he’ll show his mentor what he has learned in his journey that reshaped his views that things are possible, there is justice, which Corrin went through the lessons of his journey. He is no longer hesitant and giving it all. Corrin no longer holds back indications of decisiveness. Xander is very proud of Corrin’s decisiveness but he himself was holding back, making Corrin upset that Xander wasn’t giving his all while Corrin was. 

Dawn Breaks 

Finally in the end of Corrin’s journey, he traveled far in this path, from a pampered sheltered prince kept in the dark and after basking of the light of experiences, growing confidence, taking risks and all the sacrifices, with the highs and lows and with the wisdoms of his big brothers— Ryoma for showing him the hope, warmth and the possibilities; Xander for teaching and training him for to be strong, be decisive and to seize the day. Corrin has grown to be a capable leader and transformed to something else. Just like Yato transformed to its Blazing form in parallel and signifying his change as a person. He will face the source of all the suffering and the cause of the war, Garon who intended Corrin to be naive and unknowing of the world so that he could be a good pawn. But Corrin stood up and is no longer a victim of this manipulation. He fought valiantly but all of it was not enough as he was knocked out despite all his efforts. 

“Waking dreams fade away”

In his unconscious state, he met for the final time with the loved ones from his old life. And imparting their final words: Flora to be self-dependent, Xander, to be decisive, Elise for the bonds, And Lilith, to be a kind heart to the weak . It is a symbolic gesture when Flora tells Corrin that sometimes he has to learn to wake himself up on his own and to decide for himself. In this final farewell, this signifies letting go of his  old life, embracing the new life. This is the final push for him to strive and to finish Garon.  

“Embrace the brand-new day”

Revived and now determined than ever with the path he chose and for the greatest cause and self sacrifice for the greater good. He is not alone and with his allies, they will achieve world peace. After saying goodbye to his old life and all the sacrifices, he has gathered strength to defeat Garon and was triumphant in beating the source of misery and Alight the kingdom in the dark.  

However, Corrin will face his final loss and sacrifice, his good friend Azura.In her final words of comfort, to remind Corrin to smile and look up and live as they finally have world peace. Corrin had faced so many losses and heart wrenching moments, but he grew strong to not let these emotions drown him and break him, but he is more determined to carry on for their sake and for the greater cause. He wishes to strive to build a new world and to make the dream peace happen and for the memories of the fallen. 

“Sing with me a song of birthrights and love”

Later in the coronation ceremony, he has an emotional moment with and with his siblings. This time of tears of joy,after all the sacrifices and pain he endured, he has achieved his dream of peace and friendship between Hoshido and Nohr. He also desires to enjoy and have fun after his emotional journey. 

With his exemplary decision to stand with peace, sacrifices and growth, he is a model and a hero, and together with Ryoma,Hinoka, Sakura and Takumi, his birth family , showing their appreciation and commending Corrin’s decision. Together, they will rebuild the future in a brand new day. His mother would be proud of what a fine man he has become. 

“The light scatters to the sky above

Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone”

Conclusion

Defeating and making Garon pay may have been the main motivator but along the way he learned new stuff that made him grow. He was intended to be sheltered and ignorant of the world and to develop Stockholm syndrome by having bonds with the Nohr Royals, but in his new found freedom, gained new experiences outside in the world.He went through trials, leading the an army, being looked up and depended on, earning trust, becoming more commanding, gaining confidence yet he is till kind and merciful to enemies and intuition to trust and earn charisma. He experienced hardships and anguish, losing his loved ones from his old life and being forced to end a tribe in self defense, enduring the pain and even acting as a martyr and taking it all by himself. But with his allies around him, most especially, Ryoma’s wise guidance and light, as a hand to bring Corrin to the right path and to remain steadfast in their great cause. He made self sacrifices for the greater good, that is beyond his comforts of his pampered old life. Peace and universal brotherhood may have been his ultimate goal, but can’t achieve that without justice. You can’t achieve that by being nice and accommodating to injustice. 

An inspiration

Like many of my favorite characters, this may sound cliché or cheesy, there is something I look up to them or some positive aspects to inspire or influence me. As someone who was from the “darkness” of social anxiety, Corrin’s journey (in birthright) inspired me. His story motivated me to try new things, to be friendly and meet with people and to get along with them easily. It instilled me with confidence that I can talk with anyone, even those you just have short talk with someone, even new acquaintances. 

Like anyone who got into Fire Emblem, I met him at FEH and I loved his design, though I keep hearing some bad things about him. So when I played his game in this route,  he wasn't that bad and what he does makes sense if you put it into context and his reactions felt natural to me. (Though I may confess when I saw Corrin in  the other routes besides Birthright, I can see why they badmouth him.) Like I said I love his Birthright version, I think it’s in character for him and at his best. I like seeing him being outside living in the light free from the shackles of darkness and his abductors. It is satisfying for him to stand up and defy Garon.A fantasy Japanese prince felt refreshing to me versus the usual European fantasy.  His dragon form is unique and cool, too bad it is very underused and isn’t much significant in the plot in later points. 

His Birthright story reminds me of my favorite movie when I was little, the Prince of Egypt. Like Moses who grew up and was adopted to the enemy kingdom, when he knew the heritage of his birth, he left behind the old comfortable life and doing what is right and to defend his people, even facing the “brother” he grew up with. I love that kind of story, that is why Birthright is so appealing to me. 

Closing words

And with that concludes my attempt of doing “”analysis””. I’ve put more effort into writing this than I ever did with my school essays. Like this has 5,000 words! And I didn’t even resort to using redundant word extending techniques. This shows how interest and passion would make you do.  As a peak of my fixation, and before this phase wears off at least I have made a writing tribute to my favorite character before I’ll move on to something else. I hope people read and appreciate this because I have poured my heart and soul to this. 

It was quite harder than it looks as I am mainly a drawer, not a writer. Writing is a way different beast than art. I was so “Lost in thoughts all alone”, like I got so many ideas, interpretations and understanding but I don’t know how to express it and articulate it, so those words got lost. I had doubts sometimes like who would even read this especially a Lord who has a particular reputation in the Fire emblem fandom. In finishing this I dragged myself and slogged through, and rushed it just to make it done.  Writing is scary, I’ll just go back to art as my own way to appreciate Lord Corrin such as doing illustrations of him. 

And now that we finnally have L!M! Corrin in FEH, I think have done my unfinished business and I think I can now move on. Though Lord Kamui has a special place in my heart and I may look back to this in my days of fixation. 

Nevertheless,as always:

HOSHIRRIN, BEST CORRIN!!

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

fates would have been so much better if the hoshidan royals weren't corrin's stepfamily. "but then why would corrin side with hoshido" Nohr is literally attacking Hoshido civilians, which is obviously very bad.

the framing of the choice as family vs family kinda cheapened the decision to me when the obvious conflict should be loyalty vs morality

.

[randomnameless]

Yeah, the argument that "oh Hoshido is completely pure and good while Nohr is completely corrupt and evil" is complete bs and falls apart once you analyze the information you're given throughout Fates, especially in Birthright and Conquest.

Hoshido takes little to no interest in the issues of neighbouring countries once their usefulness is at an end, to the point of Sumeragi refusing to shelter Shura and other Kohga refugees after Mokushu conquered it, just because he wouldn't benefit from helping a now-destroyed nation; Dehumanizes the fuck out of their opposition, with even the royal family being raised under the assumption that the vast majority of Nohrians are inhumane, cowardly beasts who attack other countries for fun and pleasure instead of out of necessity, as is the truth, with things getting so bad that the general populace starts killing anyone in Hoshido who has even the slightest connection to Nohr, with Haitaka going rogue and forming a small platoon for the sole purpose of kidnapping, torturing and killing Azura (with that plot point being conveniently erased from the localization, with Azura claiming that she was the only one targeted in EN); Is so misogynistic that Mikoto and Hinoka were only allowed to take the throne due to the male heirs being either too young or dead to do so themselves, with multiple of the female playable Hoshidan cast having suffered through sexism in the military in the past; And is hypocritical af when it comes to what makes them any better than Nohr in terms of their behaviour on the battlefield, doing the exact same thing Garon did to Sumeragi by ambushing both him and Corrin while they were minding their own business, only to have the gall to call Zola dishonorable for ambushing them in return.

Nohr has it's issues, like the massive resource disparity caused by the nobles and soldiers getting what little food the country has for themselves while the commoners are left to starve (solved by the end of every route thanks to Leo and/or Xander) and it's history of invading and conquering other nations due to being too proud to ask other nations for help with their resource issues (also solved at the end of every route, with Leo or Xander taking pride in the fact that the two countries will be having much better and more open cooperations between them from then on), and is ultimately more morally at fault than Hoshido when it comes to the war, since they're the agressors, but it's also a genuinely better country than Hoshido in a few ways, most notably it's people being much more open and trusting of foreigners by default, with them happily accepting Shura into their midst despite also gaining nothing from doing so, and most Nohrians having no real preconceptions against Hoshidans and being much more respectful of them than the other way around: women are also, generally, much better treated in Nohr, with few to none of the female playable Nohrians having had any issues relating to gender discrimination in the military and being free to choose what they want to do with their lives without fear of being shunned for breaking away from their expected societal roles.

Thinking that Fates in any way portrays Hoshido as solely good and Nohr as solely bad implies a heavy misunderstanding of it's story and themes imo.

(Also, yeah, idk wtf the anon was talking about with "oh Birthright is just a more simplistic version of Shadow Dragon's good blue units destroy evil red units and bring peace to the world story"; an entire chapter of that route is dedicated to showing how rough the average Nohrian has it and how they still band together and overcome adversity by living in the underground, Ryoma's character arc is to understand and soften up to Nohr, ultimately deciding to share Hoshido's surplus resources with it once he's crowned king, multiple of the Nohrians Corrin fights are portrayed in a sympathetic light, and Xander and Elise's deaths are meant to be the emotional high points of the story lol)

(Also also, Ryoma himself never knew that Nohrian land was infertile and it's commoners were suffering prior to reaching Nohr and being told as such by Silas, with him vowing to share food with the country as soon as the war was over once he found out; the Nohrian monarchs prior to Garon were too prideful to ask Hoshido for help and tried to solve all their problems by themselves and the Hoshidan monarchs prior to Ryoma didn't give a fuck about what happened outside of their own country, causing Nohr's resource shortage to only get solved by the end of Fates, though it is likely that at least one Nohrian monarch swallowed their pride, asked Hoshido's monarch for help, and got told to fuck off; no real proof of that tho)

Oh thanks!

Yeah, in general both Nohr and Hoshido are flawed, in different ways, but flawed nonetheless!

Hoshido's extreme isolationism leads them to, not understand why Nohr feels obliged to attack them (but then Mikoto makes her special "and they don't want to fight anymore!" magic, so what happens to the Nohrians who are affected by her magic? Are they killed, or do they return to Nohr or... what?).

FE, in general, always tries to have some sort nuance, not the kind that would excuse imperialism or declaring a war, but it often took the time to explain circumstances that led to the war, so the blue lord doesn't repeat the same mistakes as his forefathers.

Imo, that's why in FE1 we learn about Medeus' motivations and why Jugdral's Travant is so well liked. Zephiel even gets a prequel!

It's never as clear cut as "red empire is evil and invades for shit'n'giggles and blue lords saves the world", or at least, it never was.

[thousand-winters]

Fates was my first FE in 3Ds and I've replayed it a lot, so unfortunately I got attached, sorry, more thoughts to the air because I'm not putting this on the tags but...

What also bothers me is the huge contrast between Queen Hinoka (Conquest ending) and King Leo (Birthright ending).

First of all, it's kinda interesting because we lowkey have sexism vs prejudice awaiting these two. But even then Hinoka still has a way easier time ahead of her as a ruler than Leo does.

Hinoka is seem to be incredibly uncomfortable about becoming queen because it was never supposed to be her. The men were first in line, Ryoma as the crown prince, and should something happen to him, then Takumi, despite Hinoka being older. But being as both of them died, then she has to take over, which she has NO IDEA how to do. It's weird that she wasn't meant to be in line after Ryoma considering that they already had a queen at the time? Why was she not eligible? What's up with Hoshido? It feels like women only rule if all the available men are dead, but I guess Hinoka gets Mikoto as a precedent so she's not gonna have too bad of a time.

(Plus she's inheriting a kingdom that's, despite it all, still thriving, soooo...)

Leo, on the other hand, inherits the throne because Camilla declined it. She was meant to be the queen if Xander died, but as we also see in her Conquest ending, she was never planning to stick around, and given that two of her siblings died here... well, she probably can't even bear to stay. I suspect she only stayed as long as she did because she was protecting her siblings from their father (the fact they all have to protect each other from Garon to the point Xander is terrified in the CD drama when Leo messes up is haunting too, points for most traumatized royals around). In any case, Leo ascends to the throne.

What gets me here is the whole bonus plot with Forrest if you marry off Leo in your playthrough. Nightmare deeprealm babies. But in any case, while Leo seems quite judgmental (his shitty dad arc 💔 my boy did not escape the cycle) of Forrest's feminine sense of style, it seems like part of it comes from him knowing Forrest is going to be mocked and ridiculed for it, not so much that he, personally, minds. Which is really interesting considering Leo is NOT the most masculine prince around, with his little headband, and with how characters sometimes remark on his delicate facial features.

It does not bode well for him as a king when it comes to earning respect. Man, I even remember watching a video of someone who analyzed the art of the cypher cards, and when looking at Leo's King of Nohr's card, he commented on how his pose was quite femenine.

Leo KNOWS how to play the game, he's lived in Nohr his whole life, but he's inheriting a kingdom that was already empoverished and has just gotten ravaged by war. The king, the advisor (good riddance) and two of the royal siblings are dead, plus one leaving him behind. He's SO alone and having to take on that huge task and then seeing his sibling that betrayed them just thriving in Hoshido, while possibly struggling to even earn respect because of his image and the fact it was his father that was in charge when everything got ruined.

It's so messed up!!!

Frankly, when he says he has many plans for Nohr, I can never stop thinking he's so playing the long game. Don't let the petty 18 yo filled with grief in charge. He's a strategist too, I can imagine him truly playing the long game to get revenge because the situation he was left in is SHIT, and Corrin is lowkey like "haha, glad we can all be friends (:"