#not the weird hotpot FE16 is

[randomnameless]

Don't you think the devs didn't like Rhea, like at all? I don't get her character arc, was she supposed to be like Dimitri - too focused on the past so she ignored the present, and she is supposed to open her eyes now to the present? But it fails because Rhea's past returns, through Billy, and saves the world!

True to her tier, Julia - I mean Rhea, has... no character arc ?

Is her arc all about letting go of her mother and finally learn to live for herself?

Well, Billy - who is her mother, or its own being we're not even sure - Billy who was born from her desire to resurrect the Goddess and her mom, Billy who was born from her desire to have someone to alleviate her charge to guide and save the world...

Well, Billy saves the world. Also, for added bonus, Sothis managed to interact with Rhea after her awakening within Billy (the famous off-screen scene).

So, no. If Rhea let go of the past then... Fodlan was doomed.

Unlike Dimitri, she was right to be focused on her Mother, because it ultimately brought Billy and saved the world.

Rhea's lesson is to trust humans and stop tampering with History?

But we don't see how the humans who know about the Truth react, save for CF and, well, CF shows why Rhea thought it might be a good idea to hide her identity.

Edel knocking at her door with Baldo and Waldi is actually a consequence of Rhea trusting humans - by trusting Wilhelm she allowed Edel to barge in 1k years later with her "knowledge" and will to get rid of the non-humans.

Rhea's lesson is to stop trying to govern and lead everything on her own?

I was preparing a post about it, but Rhea always shared power and leadership of Fodlan with humans - which is, ironically, one of the reasons why Fodlan is in such a state, because despite doing her possible to make Garreg Mach a nice place, the rest of Fodlan, ruled by humans, isn't as nice (Adrestia is Adrestia, Faerghus is Kingless and Miklan does his things, Gloucester periodically assassinates his rivals, etc etc).

And yes, I am aware typing this really really sucks (and it hurts tbf) because it means Fodlan would be better with one ruler for the continent... Sadly, this message is the one the game conveys, with all of its endings. Fodlan prospers because it is united under one leader (+ a church in AM).

Rhea's arc is all about letting go of her burdens and finally be free to rest?

Finally she gets her well deserved holidays!

But it's not her arc, or at least, an arc that was spured and concluded by the game, because Rhea already planned on doing that after letting Billy inherit her role as Archbishop. Unless it was her character arc, and the game is just "Rhea's last minute delays before she picks her van for a camping trip in Zanado" and it seriously sucks.

Rhea creates personal and close relationships

Well, this could be one.

SS wise, she can only be saved if she managed to trust and be close to Billy (i hate it did i already mention how i hated the uwu factor?). Rhea is closed off to Seteth, Flayn, her knights, but also, Jeralt and Aelfric.

But because she opened to Billy and managed to form a lasting or meaningful friendship/relationship/whatever, she can rely on Billy and in turn Billy's help and acceptance becomes her salvation.

Rhea finally managed to get close to someone, and that someone, in turn, doesn't betray or leave (Cichol left once, Jeralt left too) her but saves her.

But I really, really hate this "arc" because it erases, imo her character. If the devs insist on saying this is her arc, then I'll go full redshit and join the Cap on his ship and teeter at the borders of reality - because the character "Rhea" IS created is much more than someone who is just lonely and really wanted a friend, and only Billy managed to save her.

Why? Because unlike Tiki and Myrrh, Rhea is not the last dragon after Zanado, her brother and niece are with her. She also has a knight who loves her and would die for her, just like a surrogate son who thinks the world of her. She used to have Willy, for whatever he was worth, he is still on her mind 1100 years after his death (?) as a figure of old who helped her and supported her.

So much like Dimitri - who managed to be hit with the "uwu factor" only after IS fridged Dedue - Rhea already has an entire network of existing relationships, she is not lonely waiting for Billy, she thinks she is lonely, but also knows she has trusted comrades, friends, and family she can rely on.

Ultimately I might be ranting on and on about this (Rhea's friends, current and formers) because of my first route bias - in this mess of a route, we can see Rhea has supporters and allies who will die for her and whom she values. So no, in CF, Rhea isn't "lonely without u uwu" - Rhea is a character with her friends, her family and her men.

I think IS didn't really know what to do with Rhea, and just like Edel, piled tropes on quirks and informed traits until the end characters tastes both sour and bitter. Hopefully, since Rhea belongs to the Julia tier, the defaults in her character aren't as striking as Edel, who had to be the red Emperor, but also peak waifu material.