#solon obviously

[waketoearth]

SPOTTED: ENHYPEN SUNGHOON at Lotte World beefing with high school student (sources say the student is named Solon and is literally just lines).

[medicallista]

Notice how your throne peaked when it was focused on psydea and started going downhill when we started focusing on the men? Yeah, SAM should've stuck with the sapphics and made them kiss already

[likeastars]

GUYS MAYBE WE ARE SHIPPING PERION WITH THE WRONG SOLON SIBLING

[buriedinmyownfeelings]

Nothing is worse than shipping a rare pair so rare that there is literally not a single piece of media about them in this world

So if I want something I have to make it myself and no one wants that because I am unreliable even to myself

[artfahle]

inspired by thinking of what virtue each guardian of light stands for, whether in terms of their active values or general story role (simplified somewhat, obviously) bargello - generosity / rinyuu - compassion / rondo - integrity / alaune - conviction / richard - altruism / solon - wisdom / eltrix - strength

[11queensupreme11]

by four main yanderes I mean: Hades, Beelzebub, Loki and Apollo

OHHHHH ok ok

poseidon: solon (greek for "wise" LMAO i just thought it'd be funny cuz i've seen those tiktoks of ppl realizing their parent named them after an ex, their first love, etc. in this case, since percy obviously won't name her kid 'anthonius', a name meaning 'wise/wisdom' is the closest)

hades: thalassus (greek for "the one of the sea", it's the name of a sea monster from rune scape lol 😭)

beelzebub: luke (LMAOOOOO YEAH IM SORRY. obviously, in arsenic blues i'm going with show!luke instead of book!luke, so percy would have a better but angstier bond with luke, not romantic ofc, but she really saw him as a friend. also, just imagine beel finding out percy named their kid after the guy who tried to kill her multiple times, became the host of KRONOS, and started a war that traumatized her 😂😂😂😂😂 she'd just be like "babe... it's complicated 🥺" beel: "HE RUINED YOUR LIFE?????")

apollo: makarios (greek for "blessed; happy; fortunate; privileged", the perfect name for a perpollo baby tbh)

loki: anthonius (what, it's norwegian too 😂), baldur LMAO JK, kyrr (old norse for "gentle; kind; peaceful", percy just wants her son to be NOTHING LIKE LOKI okay? you can't blame her 😭. also the name is pronounced like "shira")

[raxistaicho]

In which we discuss Edelgard's flaws (she has none)

Hey folks! Been a while since I did a longpost. There just hasn't been anything to stir my interest.

But fortunately I found something, so I suppose it's a good time to get away from Resident Evil 4 Remake S+ prep runs, cooking dinner, going to the gym, and writing my fanfic to indulge in my hobby of being terminally online.

So recently butwhatifidothis, who I will henceforth call Strikes, made a post in which she allegedly discussed how we Edelgard fans view Edelgard's flaws that she doesn't have any of but mostly just sounded off about how Edelgard was presented in a fanfic that consumes an inordinate amount of her mental focus. Let's see what she has to say!

I think the main thing that makes Edelstans' version of Edelgard so annoying is that she ultimately has every ounce of agency stripped out of her,

Don't get confused by her bringing up agency when I was talking about flaws so far, this is the typical Edelcrit strategy of saying that if we deny Edelgard did certain bad things then we're denying she did all the things.

by people who insist that they're "making her grow" into a character they already made her out to be from the start.

Well in a manner of speaking depending on how you handle her character arc it is possible to portray her properly growing into the role of a more focused revolutionary that we all view her as, so I suppose that's not too far off.

We get told that Edelgard has this amazing character arc,

She does.

and then are presented with a Mary Sue with no discernable flaws and/or who makes no substantial mistakes.

Strikes is confusing us denying that Edelgard's an awful racist imperialist with us saying she never did anything wrong. Shitposting in the title (and in the intro) aside, Edelgard obviously did some wrong things in the name of pragmatism. It's rather notable that she's often having to rapidly play catch-up helping to put out the fires Solon starts throughout White Clouds (chapters 6, 8, and 10 being the most notable examples), so she is a little more reactive rather than proactive in stopping some of their activities before they could begin.

Part of the issue is we're just never given an absolutely clear view of just how much Edelgard knew about what the Agarthans were up to and when she knew. One thing we do know is that she doesn't operate the way they do, her attacks are always targeted and have a specific purpose, she doesn't spread chaos like they do, so it's very unlikely she'd approve of most anything they do, especially considering how she often takes measures to fight back against them.

This Edelgard is perfect out the box, no discolorations or tears to be seen.

So Edelgard's biggest flaw early on is her trust issues. Because she struggles to trust she tries to go it alone, resulting in her taking more extreme measures than truly necessary. Of course this isn't entirely without reason, seeing as how on three out of four routes Byleth ultimately rejects her and plays a key role in halting her revolution, but it's only when she puts her trust in Byleth and appears before them without the mask of the Flame Emperor that Byleth has a chance to take her hand.

She even seems to realize she'll one day have to do this:

She just has a bit of dust, but the doll itself is flawless.

Don't like the idea of calling her a doll...

And that is, in the end, what ruins her. She’s not prideful and arrogant,

Oh no, she is 100% those things, roflmao. Sothis even calls her out on it:

Hell, Edelgard herself admits she can seem arrogant, so she's not wholly unaware of that flaw.

she’s not stubborn and narrow-minded,

Stubborn, yeah.

Narrow-minded? Multiple of her supports are about her coming around to the viewpoints of her interlocutors, most especially Manuela, Ferdinand, and Linhardt, so nice try.

she’s not manipulative and deceitful,

Now we're getting into scwary words!

Can't fight against the framework of the continent if you don't hold your cards close to your chest, Strikes.

she’s not violent and abrasive,

No, no, if you want violent you want Rhea or Dimitri.

Abrasive, yeah, that's another thing she grows out of. She's rather impatient with some of her goofier friends in the early supports, and grows to be much more patient and compassionate by the timeskip.

she’s not nationalistic and imperialistic,

She's neither of those things.

but nor is she fearless and confident,

...Where did Strikes see Edelgard fans calling her an uncertain little coward?

I mean I know where she thinks she saw that, but we'll get into that later.

she’s not ambitious and resolute

Ditto. Please show me these Edelgard fans who say she isn't ambitious, I'm dying to see the idiots masquerading as her fans.

- she has none of her character flaws or boons, because they make her too full of agency. They drive her to choose to do anything; they're not forces outside of her control that make her do things that she would just never, ever do were the WORLD not so broken and flawed.

Here we go, so Strikes has twisted the acknowledgement that some things were out of Edelgard's control (because they were) to some kind of admission that everything is out of her control.

There's a certain interesting meta analysis to be looked into on the subject of whether a revolutionary truly has a say in the matter when it comes to rebelling against a world that's gone so firmly wrong, as Fodlan had, but with Edelgard in particular I think the thing most of us love about her is that she's the only one willing to make the difficult choice of ripping the bandaid off. I'd certainly like her less if she just kinda bumbled her way into fixing the system the way Naruto does.

The few "flaws" Edelstans begrudgingly allow her are only meant to further endear her to the player. She’s childish, but only because she’s oh so traumatized and that should be accepted as who she is and not something to grow out of (nor something that is truly wrong of her to be even in her 20's).

Sadly I have no idea what Strikes means by Edelgard being childish. I guess her liking of cute things and sweets? Or maybe her abrassiveness that Strikes claims we think she isn't?

She’s self-unaware, but only because the world made her unsure of who she really is, which is a perfect little angel.

Yeah now we're just getting into Strikes blatantly sounding off about that whole fanfic thing I mentioned earlier. Most of her complaints are about a very specific incarnation of Edelgard, because Strikes and others like will her will never stop trying to pillory somebody for the crime of...

Hang on a sec.

(Flips through notes)

Ah. The crime of writing a fanfic.

The only "mistakes" she makes are because others failed her; Byleth and the Black Eagles fail Edelgard in the Holy Tomb, that wasn't her fault, they didn't ensure her that they could be trusted, for example.

At this point is there any reason in replying concretely to anything Strikes says? Not every Edelgard fan in the world interprets her the way The Emperor and the Goddess does, Strikes, and the point Captain Flash was trying to reach wasn't that the others were wrong, but rather that Edelgard's lack of trust was lamentable but a very really thing founded in the nature of the world she lived in.

Claude and Rhea have flaws - real flaws, that aren't "they just don't wove themselves enuff."

Yeah, Rhea's flaw is "she was a genocide victim, you have to be nice to her :(" according to these people.

Dimitri makes mistakes - real mistakes, that aren't "he twusted the wrong people and got hurt fwom them."

Actually he kinda did trust the wrong people and got hurt by them, roflmao. Thales is... about the worst person ever to trust.

She’s just a little flower

You know, that thing Byleth calls Edelgard in The Emperor and the Goddess!

Man, Strikes's so buttmad at that fic for the crime of existing and being popular.

plucked of all her thorns, safe and easy to pick up and admire, weak, meek and too innocent and pure for this dirty dirty world, coveted by all for her perfection and beauty. Which is just so... boring? And annoying?

Yeah, that would be pretty boring if Edelgard fans viewed her that way...

It's so clear that this Edelgard is one that is sanitized of any pesky little flaw that could make people dislike her or like her in the "wrong" way (because liking villains for being villains Is Wrong), and that is ironically the exact reason why she's so insufferable.

Frankly I'll never understand this flailing claim Edelcrits like to make, insisting we try to deny Edelgard is a villain because "liking villains for being villains is wrong."

I'm sorry, but what? People don't like villains, you say? People love villains! This, probably more than anything else they say, is sheer desperate idiocy.

Cornelia's one of my favorite characters in Three Houses purely because she's just an unrepentant vicious bitch to everyone, including Thales. She became an ascended extra in my fanfic because of it.

Like, it's almost kinda hard to explain why having a character choose to be an asshole is so much more engaging to watch than having a character be entirely reactive UNTIL they can get Good Noodle Stars because.... yeah? Of course? Because there's more meat to bite into whenever a character makes a choice - whether kind or spiteful, whether good or bad - over someone else forcing a character to do something.

Alarak my beloved <3

"Edelgard believes in imperialism because she has been raised in and agrees with a culture that believes itself to be the rightful 'owner' of the continent due to it being the progenitor country, and she genuinely believes Fodlan would be better if back under this 'glorious' reign of Adrestia, even despite her being around those outside of Adrestia for almost a year" says so much about her AND Adrestia.

...It would if she did? Except she doesn't? Says a lot about the nobles who do think that way.

Like the implied Duke Aegir, who Edelcrits try to mildly whitewash of his crimes, coincidentally enough.

"Edelgard DOESN'T believe in imperialism, it's just that everyone else is doing so badly that they FORCE her to kill them or otherwise get rid of them" says things about the ones DOING things badly, MAYBE, but all it says about Edelgard is that she Doesn't Like Bad Things.

That kind of is a way to describe her movement, though naturally Strikes phrased it in a way that strips her of agency because that's convenient for her argument.

I'd phrase it more as "Edelgard chooses war with the rest of Fodlan as a last resort, hating it but accepting the necessity as a means to bring about real and lasting change".

Or, oh so much deeper, it says she likes *gasp* Good Things! How brave, how stunning!

Someone's getting hangry.

Yeah, I have no actual argument for this, Strikes is just mad and saying things.

And before you can try to say "Well maybe Edelgard went to violence so quickly because she views fear and control to be the best way to force a society into being 'good' over trying to convince people peacefully,"

...No. When does Edelgard resort to the Tarkin Doctrine? Ever?

the Edelstan Edelgard is already packaged with "Edelgard went to war first because literally everyone MADE her go to war because THEY wouldn't let anything else work."

That's a rather obtuse way to say diplomacy wouldn't have worked.

"Edelgard tried to assassinate Dimitri and Claude at the very beginning of the game because she wanted to make her eventual war go way easier"

Heheheheheheh, you know where this is going.

turns into the infamous "Edelgard was just trying to scare THE TEACHER away to get JERITZA installed in their place, and CLAUDE ruined it by running away; she wasn't ACTUALLY trying to hurt anyone."

Infamous, and proven true. Edelcrits are still furious about that over two years later. Hopes was a bad time for them, I get it.

And also, if she was trying to kill Dimitri and Claude? So what? If killing them would have made the future war easier, I could understand why she'd make that choice. Their two lives don't weigh heavier on the scales than that of all Fodlan's people.

"Edelgard let Remire be massacred because - like she literally said she would - she was willing to sacrifice her people's lives in service of her higher cause" turns into one of "TWS forced her to be compliant" or "Edelgard definitely didn't know anything because she would have stopped it had she known."

So while it is implied Edelgard had some inkling of what happened,

But she clearly didn't expect Remire to be so terrible,

An interesting thing to note is that the cutscene where Seteth and Rhea talk about the situation in Remire happens on the 1st of the month, Byleth passes out on the 2nd after speaking with Manuela, and we get the scene with Hubert and Edelgard on the 4th. That's the earliest we know that she has some idea what's happening in Remire, and given how in the same scene Hubert openly asks Byleth how the investigation is going, it's likely Byleth had already told the class about the mission by then.

The Agarthans don't respect Edelgard, they don't need to ask her for permission for anything, and they don't need her help with anything. Solon has already vanished from the monastery to finish up the experiments, so by the time Edelgard even knows what's happening in Remire, it's already too late to do anything about it.

"Edelgard directly assisted in Flayn's kidnapping because TWS having more tools to work with means she gets more weapons to fight with" turns into "She was forced to do that."

I think she means, "Edelgard was forced to give up the Death Knight to Thales," when she says "she was forced to do that", because that's the closest I've ever seen it argued. Usually the take I've seen is that Edelgard didn't know Flayn would be kidnapped until she was, because, again, why would Solon bother to tell her about it? He's already had the Death Knight for over a month by then and he doesn't need any further help from Edelgard. If Edelgard wanted Flayn captive, why would she help in the search, why would she let Flayn go, and why wouldn't she take Flayn captive at the Holy Tomb?

"Edelgard helped hide Kronya among the student populace even as she kidnapped students and mutated them into Demonic Beasts because it will help in giving her Demonic Beasts to work with in the war" turns into, you guessed it, "Edelgard was forced to do that."

This time I have no idea what Edelgard was supposedly "forced" to do in the context of Edelgard fan apologia. Edelgard "hid" Kronya by not outing her.

And yeah, it ain't great that Edelgard didn't do that, but there's a lot of reasons she couldn't. By the time Solon reveals himself Kronya's already about to disappear from the monastery, revealing her would be too blatant a backstab against Thales, it wouldn't also reveal Edelgard herself, and there's no guarantee the church would do anything judging from how Rhea reacts to Edelgard outing Thales in Three Hopes.

"Edelgard sent her army and Demonic Beasts onto either her direct Black Eagle classmates or otherwise innocent students to stop them from stopping her from getting Crest Stones to use in her upcoming war"? Oh, a surprise! "She HAD to do that, because OTHER PEOPLE were going to take the Crest Stones if she didn't!"

The students can't be innocent if they're fighting for the church. You don't get to have it both ways: if they're innocent non-combatants then Rhea has no business recruiting them to fight on behalf of the Church of Seiros.

And yes, she endangers her classmates. Again that ain't great, but the future of Fodlan is more important than the lives of a few of her close friends.

She was forced to, she wasn't hurting/trying to hurt anyone, she didn't do anything wrong - if her actions lead to people getting hurt and/or killed, those are the exclusive reasons allowed as to why she did it.

No, they weren't exclusive, I threw several more. The issue here is Strikes wants to either make it:

A) Edelgard is an evil vicious imperialist racist.

B) Edelgard has no control over anything.

With zero nuance because that furthers her point. Edelgard's either EVIL or has no agency, with zero in-between.

These reasons being excuses to alleviate her of any accountability, not genuine explanations that still demand her to take accountability.

Who's she to take accountability to? Most of the people she fails are dead, is she supposed to apologize for starting a revolution to better Fodlan?

That's the difference between Rhea and Dimitri, who Strikes will mention onward: their mistakes they take accountability for are inherently selfish ones. If Edelgard was selfish she'd just hide in her room all day munching on sweets.

Meanwhile, Rhea distorted history to keep her and her family safe - which in verse is said to be something she was still wrong to do, and which in verse she ADMITS was wrong of her to do.

And her fans try to minimize what she did. "Rhea only briefly held back certain inventions, and only so that humanity wouldn't progress 'too fast'." "Rhea had no control over the Crest system, that was humans being bad!" "Rhea was just the midwife, she didn't do anything suspicious to Sitri and Byleth!" "Rhea thought Byleth was an amnesiac Sothis!"

Dimitri was absolutely willing to torture Randolph because he viewed the guy as less than human and felt him getting such inhumane treatment was justice

And his fans try to argue either that Randolph deserved it or because Byleth stopped him it wasn't all that bad.

Hell, Strikes herself is minimizing what Dimitri did here! He didn't just attempt to torture Randolph, he did torture Randolph. Even if you don't know that describing torture you're about to inflict upon a person is legally classified as torture in and of itself, just look at how Randolph is reacting to Dimitri's dressing-down: the dude is having a complete breakdown and Dimitri hasn't even laid a finger on him yet!

- which he directly takes accountability for to Randolph's remaining family.

Uhh what? Did I miss the alt scene where Dimitri stops Byleth from gutting Fleche, admits what he did to her brother, and kneels to her in penitence?

Claude weaseled up to Byleth because he felt he could use them for his own ambitions - which he owns up to and grows out of doing.

Yeah, this is the only thing I generally don't see people trying to minimize, probably because it's the least-obvious offense and doesn't really hurt anyone. Claude comes out of Three Houses with squeaky-clean hands, and I respect Three Hopes for dirtying them a bit.

And yeah, that's about it. As I explained in the opening, Strikes is mostly just mad that we Edelgard fans don't view her as an awful person the way Strikes herself does. She's upset we can actually explain her actions, so she's venting that we're stripping Edelgard of all agency, with a side helping of shitting on Emperor and the Goddess again because that's her life, I guess.

[legendaryandroid]

After two years of playing Octopath CotC I have finally come to understand how the buffs/debuffs work. At least, for what skills and accessories stack together for 30% cap. Here's a (hopefully) helpful chart for other people who want to figure out what's what!

(There is a couple more tips and tricks below the read more.)

If this is your first time considering all this, trying to cap everything all at once is probably overwhelming. I suggest focusing on how to cap a few things first, then moving on to other things. Start with active debuffs, then active buffs, then passive buffs, then passive debuffs, and so on. 1a. Not everything can be capped. It can also depend on what characters and accessories a person has available to them.

If you're not using it, the Filter function for accessories is your friend. Here's the most relevant sections of the tab-

This section here would be for the passive stat multiplier buff. P.Atk and E.Atk obviously being the most relevant for doing damage. (These would go on your damage dealers).

This is for passive damage multiplier buff, it's usually best to focus on one weakness when going up against a difficult battle. (These go on your damage dealers)

This is for the passive damage multiplier debuffs. I find the one's that cause resistance down when breaking the most helpful. You have to assign someone on the team to be a breaker and equip the accessories to them. (People like Solon, Herminia, and W'ludai are nice for this, b/c their skill that attacks at the start of turn counts as them breaking an enemy. So you don't have to use a character's turn to break). Non-'when breaking' accessories can be assigned to other support characters.

The 'Attribute Down' button is the relevant one here. It's the passive stat multiplier debuff. Monk's Gaiters (Yan Longs A4) is the most handy because it is P.Def down when breaking (It also does damage debuff for Ice Res and Staff Res). (These work best on support characters).

3. Something I learned recently from mimiktem is Pet Stacking! Lucetta and Mabel have a passive skill that extends the duration of buffs for them and their row partner, and those buffs includes pets. If Meowgello is activated for a 10% p.atk buff turn 1, then activate Meowguste turn 2 for 20% p.atk buff, it'll stack to 30%.

That's it for now! If people have questions I'll try my best to answer them. I'm not the best player, but at this point I feel like I know more than the average bear.

[reyaint]

history of HAIQIN | part II: founding era

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date: september 29, 2024

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Founding Era (~Early 1600s): The Birth of Haiqin

The First Kingdom:

Katalies’ Vision:

Katalies' vision for education and knowledge-sharing led to the construction of a grand library in the capital, Vasilika. This institution became the symbol of the kingdom’s commitment to intellectual growth. Scholars from both Greek and Akinai traditions were invited to contribute manuscripts on topics ranging from philosophy and astronomy to agricultural practices and herbal medicine. This cross-cultural exchange of ideas birthed new schools of thought, which in turn laid the groundwork for a distinct Haiqin identity. Katalies established this Great Library in Vasilika to preserve the knowledge of both cultures, leading to a flourishing of philosophy, science, and arts.

Cultural Fusion in the Arts:

Through royal patronage, Katalies promoted the arts, leading to a fusion of Greek epic storytelling with the oral traditions of the Akinai. The result was a unique Haiqin poetry style that explored themes of nature, war, and spirituality in a way that resonated with both cultures. Epic songs and performances during festivals became a way of unifying the population, celebrating shared values and victories. The king encouraged arts and literature, leading to the emergence of a unique Haiqin poetry style that blended Greek epics with Akinai storytelling traditions.

Strategic Alliances:

Under Katalies' leadership, Haiqin formed alliances with neighboring regions and distant allies like Greece and Mediterranean nations. These relationships bolstered the nation’s security and connected Haiqin to key Mediterranean and Asian trade routes, making it a hub of commerce.

Infrastructure and Defense:

Katalies understood the importance of strong infrastructure for a growing nation. He commissioned the construction of roads, fortifications, and naval fleets to protect Haiqin from potential invaders and to support economic growth. The "Silver Road," a major trade route connecting Vasilika to the coast, became a lifeline for commerce, agriculture, and cultural exchange within and beyond the borders of Haiqin. Major infrastructure projects, such as roads and fortifications, were completed to protect against potential invasions, as well as to enhance trade within and beyond Haiqin’s borders.

Founding Families:

Noble Lineages:

Prominent families such as the Vasilios (Greek) and the Nayi (Akinai) rose to prominence. These families not only held political power but also sponsored cultural and educational initiatives that enhanced national identity.

Other families were the Solon Family, Castillas Family, Seria Family, Viotto Family, Alberich Family, Iktomi Family, Tawa Family, Kachina Family and the Astotheia Family

Social Fabric and Family Feasts:

Family feasts and celebrations became more than just personal or local gatherings; they were opportunities to showcase the nation’s unity. Noble houses hosted grand banquets where both Greek and Akinai foods were shared, and discussions on governance and culture flourished. These feasts were critical in maintaining bonds between families and ensuring that the kingdom's leadership remained aligned on key issues. Family feasts became an essential part of the social fabric, celebrating heritage, and fostering connections across different regions.

These families established seats of power in the capital, Vasilika, and contributed to the cultural richness of the nation through patronage of the arts and education.

Other Fun Information:

The Vasilios family is obviously important. Since that's the royal family. I don't think I have to explain much...The Nayi family also has loose blood in the royal family due to interracial marriages.

The Nayi family is one of the oldest and most powerful in Haiqin, being the Native Founder Family. Their connection to both the Solon and Vasilios families has cemented their influence in national politics. They are seen as guardians of tradition, ensuring the preservation of native customs and cultural identity. Their proximity to the royal family has often allowed them to hold key advisory roles.

The Solon family has a direct bloodline connection with the royal family, tracing back to Queen Amara Solon, the wife of King Katalies. Historically, the Solons have been military leaders, excelling in strategy and leadership during wars. They control key provinces like Nirin and have substantial influence over the military and defense industries.

Known for their economic dominance in trade and agriculture, the Castillas family is vital to Haiqin’s prosperity. Their control of Valero and Dridells makes them key players in the nation’s food and resource supply. They have historically been allied with the royal family, providing financial support in times of need.

The Seria family has been instrumental in agricultural advancements, controlling vast swathes of fertile land. They are also known for their patronage of the arts, particularly music and dance, influencing Haiqin’s cultural scene.

The Viotto family is deeply tied to the Naidya and Luminiaz provinces, focusing on marine industries. They often partner with the Kachina family to preserve the natural beauty of the islands and coastal regions.

The Alberich family is historically tied to innovation and the sciences. They’ve controlled Primos and Luminiaz, where technological advancements in medicine and engineering have flourished under their leadership. Marrying into the royal family strengthened their influence over key technological projects.

The Astotheia family controls ports and oversees Haiqin’s naval fleets. They are also renowned for their gem mining industries. Historically, their expertise in naval warfare and shipping has ensured their dominance over sea routes.

The Iktomi family is associated with diplomacy and mediation. Their ability to negotiate peace among rival noble houses has made them invaluable in times of crisis. They often serve as the royal family's emissaries to foreign nations. They were a native family

Known for their contributions to the arts and education, the Tawa family sponsors schools and universities throughout the provinces. They often collaborate with the royal family in promoting education reforms. They were a native family

The Kachina family is known for their religious and cultural influence, preserving the spiritual traditions of Haiqin.

Economy & Society:

Economic Development:

A major achievement of the early kingdom was the establishment of a lucrative trade route known as the Haiqin Silk Road, which linked Haiqin with regions to the east and west. Through this route, Haiqin exported textiles, fish, olive oil, and wine, becoming an indispensable player in Mediterranean trade. Trade routes were established, connecting Haiqin to neighboring regions and facilitating the export of goods.

The Akinai were experts in coastal fishing, hunting and sustainable farming, while the Greeks brought advanced techniques in agriculture, particularly in growing olive trees and vineyards. This synergy led to a flourishing food economy that not only sustained the growing population but also provided surplus goods for export to Europe and Asia. Haiqin’s olive oil and wine soon became sought-after commodities across the Mediterranean. The Akinai's fishing and hunting practices complemented Greek agriculture, resulting in a robust food economy that supported a growing population.

Haiqin hosted seasonal festivals, particularly in Vasilika, where traders from neighboring lands would come to sell goods. These festivals, which celebrated the kingdom's dual heritage, became vital hubs of commerce, diplomacy, and cultural exchange, fostering a sense of national pride and identity. Festivals held in the capital celebrated the unique heritage of Haiqin, fostering a sense of national identity and pride among its diverse population.

Economic stability was achieved through a diversified economy that included agriculture, hunting, fishing, and trade. The establishment of marketplaces in key cities promoted commerce and cultural exchange.

The introduction of olive oil and wine production brought wealth and prestige to Haiqin, allowing the nation to become a key supplier to European markets.

Cultural Synthesis:

Educational Institutions:

Schools were established in cities and villages to educate the youth about both Greek and Akinai traditions. These schools fostered a culture of critical thinking, blending Greek logic and philosophy with Akinai ecological wisdom. Students were taught to see themselves as stewards of the land, incorporating the spiritual and ecological practices of the Akinai with Greek philosophical ideals of balance and harmony. Katalies believed they were established to teach the young about their dual heritage, incorporating both Greek philosophy and Akinai ecological wisdom. These institutions promoted critical thinking and respect for nature.

Sports and Physical Education:

Traditional sports like wrestling were combined with native games, leading to the development of new sports that became part of Haiqin's national identity. Archery and horse-riding also became popular.

Cultural Harmony:

A philosophy of harmony emerged, focusing on balance between human needs and nature, influenced by the spiritual beliefs of the indigenous peoples and the philosophical ideas of the Greeks.

Loose Confederation:

Political Structure:

The loose confederation model allowed local leaders to maintain some autonomy while participating in the broader governance structure. This system fostered cooperation among the diverse provinces. The confederation of city-states and tribal settlements began to formalize, with annual councils becoming a crucial part of governance. Decisions made at these councils would dictate policies on trade, defense, and resource management.

The Annual Council of Provinces became a key event, where representatives gathered to discuss common interests, resolve disputes, and plan joint initiatives.  The founding city of Vasilika became the capital and a center of intellectual and cultural life.

I'm sorry if this is an eyesore. If it is I'll try and make it look nicer🥲

[fontasticcrablettes]

Right so since I know that far more people have played Berseria than Legendia, I'm here to spread some Solon Is A Bastard propaganda. Obviously spoiler warnings because Solon doesn't appear until the final act of the game, and apologies for the very low quality gifs, finding playthroughs of Legendia to pull clips from in slim pickings.

Wow fuck this guy. I think Legendia deserves some attention for once.

[regaliasonata]

Conner McKnight, Tommy Oliver

Character Ask: Conner McKnight

First Impression

-Alright tbh, he didn't stick out too much to me. On one hand the idea of being selfish in not wanting to be a ranger is very understandable but he kinda came off as a jerk(and the women stuff he talked about got old fast...)

How I Feel About The Character/Impression Now

-Like him now, he still has his moments but Conner really holds a piece that each of the rangers give to the table to make everything whole.

Favorite Moment

-the moments where he fights or hangs our with Trent, there's also "Lost In Translation" which is always a nice callback.

Idea For A Story

-Based a bit on "Lost In Translation", Conner traveling the many universes to find his twin Eric.

Relationships

OTPs

-Conner/Trent and Conner/Ethan are really underrated. Squeeze in Conner/Dustin and we got ourselves even more of a party.

BROTPs

-Conner/Kira, obviously these two are best friends. Conner/Past Red rangers but it's mainly one sided as they either try to let him off easy or are annoyed by the pestering.

Unpopular Opinion

-Not sure how I feel about him being a leader, the idea is alright but I would've like to have seen Ethan probably taking control. Heck even Kira, though it's better like this so that way Tommy doesn't fully get the veteran card in having free reign amongst the group.

One thing I wish would/had happened in the show

-Too.Much.Forms....dude got three power ups and yeah I get each ranger having a super mode balances it out bit when the shield drains everyone else's energy and on top of that getting a battlizer it seems like overkill. (Plus if they ever adapted the Abaranger movie then he'd have 4....GIVE EVERYONE ACCESS TO THE SHIELD TO BALANCE IT OUT COME ON)

Headcanons

-He secretly wishes to have one of the other zords as his main.

-Due to seeing Abaranger he tapped into the grid and found other dimensions that have sentai teams and watches them like shows.

-He's got a thing for guys but still is new to it, just trying to understand a few things about himself.

-There's a secret wallpaper he has of the red rangers from the past teams....definitely not a crush thing, jokes aside he really admires some of the red's and wouldn't mind getting training lessons.

-During college Kira became a base player for a Japanese band and after attending a concert Conner became a japanese rock fan(TK from Ling Tosite Sigure, any Tokyo Ghoul fans out there).

-He actually attended the Wind Academy before Reefside but was forced to transfer back because his parents like to keep control over one sibling(seeing Conner the problem child), of course he retained an element and uses wind.

-Hugs, dude loves hugging his team.

-Sometimes it's nice to take the raptors or motorcycles out at night and stroll around the city. Especially when it's raining and he's got the music blasting from his speakers.

-Due to the dino gems the rangers each have a permanent mark from using them. Conner has a barely noticeable scale pattern on his neck leading down to his upper back, a bit like a cool wing mark.

-Conner will never admit it but he really loves it when a date, no matter guy or girl, gives him a bouquet of flowers. He's got a high sense of smell and the aroma rocks him to the core, reminds him of a simpler time and he even keeps one in his apartment.

-He became Trent's fashion model for two years and only relied on getting clothes from him because they are so stylish.

-He loves decoding with Ethan and even carries the blue ranger to bed sometimes whenever he falls asleep in his personal lab.

-Despite his best efforts he's hasn't been able to keep in contact with Tommy over the years. When they do meet up it's usually some small interactions like going to other planets or seeing other rangers. Due to this Conner went searching for mysteries himself and almost found Solon's ship on accident, in another timeline Conner became a Dino Fury ranger before 2023.

-Kira pretty much is like a sister to him and the two bicker all the time with the other team mates betting on who will be the one to make up in the end.

------

Character Ask: Tommy Oliver

First Impression

-Cool as heck, especially with seeing him as a kid in DT and finding out he had more appearances with the series prior, like legendary as heck

How I Feel About The Character/Impression Now

-still cool and stuff, love the depth I've learned about him over the years and he's definitely iconic in my mind. A bit of a reach whenever he's put on a full pedestal all the time because it does take away from everyone around him so it's nice to have some atmosphere when gives spotlight to others.

Favorite Moment

-Actually have yet to choose one but his first morph in DT is very iconic.

Idea For A Story

-Trying to piece his soul together with the lost fragments(2 reds, 1 white, 1 black and 1 green).

Relationships

OTPs

-Tommy/Jason, Tommy/Billy and Tommy/Adam because I love these three.

BROTPs

-Tommy/Kimberly, Tommy/Katherine, Green and pink always an iconic duo.

Unpopular Opinion

-Too much focus on Tommy, yeah he's THAT dude and we know it but let's not act like there isn't any other iconic rangers throughout the franchise to speak about.

One thing I wish would/had happened in the show

-Just a scene or two of him brushing his hair or even having Jason do it....like imagine how fun that could've been.

-Blowing the dragon flute out of his suit for laughs like the famous JDF meme.

-Seeing him and Zeltrax have a moment considering Zeltrax as Terrance Smith and the colleague of both Tommy and Anton. Plus it's darker when you find out Terrance had no family or connections before them so he kinda died in the end as Zeltrax without anyone remembering him. Like imagine Tommy finding out that he indirectly caused him to become a cyborg. In a perfect ending Zeltrax gets some peace in his demise and both Tommy and Anton set up a memorial for him.

Headcanons

-No matter who he's dating Tommy is a complete diva about his hair and needs specific products to keep it managed. Whenever someone compares the couple he loves his significant other but hair is HIS domain.

-He's a former Loreal model and has so much money saved up from those days. Katherine said one day that she'd shave it off just for fun and now he sleeps with his door locked.

-Tommy loves cooking and has a meal no matter what team he's on waiting after a mission.

-The main reason why he wanted to make Biozords was to possibly make them small and have pet zords to hold whenever a day gets stressful.

-In secret he wants to be a pink ranger just once, like to see the hype but considering his status it he might ruin it for other pink rangers because then the label about them will all be washed away under Tommy's legacy so he refrains.

-Before taking up martial arts he was into gymnastics and fencing for two years, hence why he's such a good sword fighter. Though compared to Casey, the Shiba siblings and the Rafkonian knights he's outclassed.

-He scammed the Reefside school district out of 20 million dollars.

-He still has a few of Jason's shirts to wear.

[skyland2703]

waitwaitwait had a crazy idea.

if Gridstagram is a thing, then, what about a secret ranger underground market.

like. cafes, stores. like that kinda shit.

is this worldbuilding?

Ansjdjsjsjdbd yes this is world building and I 100% support it. COMPLETELY.

Because 1) The vibe omg. They should have a secret underground mall— I’m tempted to say like Diagon Alley but fuck jkr— but it’s DEFINITELY a thing. And it’s got a secret entrance from every single ranger base— idk teleporter a or smth.

You’ve got places where you can buy power ups, hang out with rangers, MERCH. Of each others teams.

You’ve got this one super techy section for all the geniuses, you’ve got a karaoke bar for the ranger musicians, you’ve got a trophy cabinet where all of them place momentos.

Theres a zord bay that just HAS all the zords and a zord hang out spot— that’s the biggest part of the mall??? Everything else is human sized. (Samurai zords get trolled a lot for being utterly TINY) and even spare zord parts etc are made/sold.

GUESS WHAT I THINK we just figured out how Nate got his hand on all those ranger weapons and shii.

I also feel like this starts somewhere mid-Jungle Fury/Megaforce. RJ definitely has a hand in this. most of the generic mentors don’t know about it because mentors are buzzkills usually (Not Solon and Dr. K obviously.) but yknow. Zordon Gosei Captain Mitchell and the like.

AND THE CAFÉS. ranger double dates. Color coordinated cafés. Ships of different colors arguing on which color cafe they should go to. And it’s all run by rangers in their free time!! So they’ve got schedules and dates.

Arfjfjdjjshdhjsns THE BRAINROT IS REAL. I love this idea wtf.

[theater-of-dimensions]

Thinking about how two of the most famous lawmakers of ancient Athens were named Draco and Solon... Draco was the first, known for putting in place extremely harsh laws (that's where the word "draconian" comes from), and Solon later on repealed much of the Draconian constitution and laid the groundwork for democracy in Athens.

Thinking about how Draco was the first warlord Xena fought once she renounced her old life (not counting defeating Darfus after his coup). How before Ares ever showed up he was the first to try to get Xena to return to her darkness. How he once tried to go home and his father nearly beat him to death with a blacksmith's hammer, creating an association to cruelty and lack of forgiveness.

And thinking about Solan being named that. As far as I know Solon is never mentioned on the show, and the writers obviously played fast and loose with dates, but Solon died around 560 BCE so it seems likely that he would already be a historical figure by the time the show is set. Headcanon that will never leave my mind: Xena explicitly named her son after Solon. Solan was born in potentially the most chaotic time in Xena's life, in the midst of arguably the most important battle in her military career, which turned out to be a completely life-changing moment in so many ways, even more than she knew. Over the course of a few hours at most, she had her first child, her slave betrayed her, her general murdered her lover, and she gave her child to her enemy to raise without knowing the identity of his mother. And amidst all of this, she names her son after a lawmaker known for repealing harsh laws, ending debt bondage and limiting slavery, and generally shifting society towards democracy and away from tyranny. The opposite of everything Xena represented, and she named her son after him as her last act unto the newborn baby before giving him up forever to protect him from the violent life she couldn't leave.

[kyogre-blue]

Started Black Eagles, yaaaaaaah

White Clouds is so tedious. It's probably easier if you don't try to keep notes while playing, but god...

First, notes about the Holy Mausoleum and the Holy Tomb:

Holy Mausoleum entrance is in the back of the cathedral, on the left. The Holy Tomb entrance is via an elevator that Claude couldn't figure out how to operate, but I can't recall if we know where the elevator actually is. I'll check if there's anything more about it when I get to that part again.

The Mausoleum is described as "where the saints of the church slumber" and it's open to the public once a year on the Rite of Rebirth. There is also a coffin for Seiros. The Sword of the Creator is there for some reason. The Holy Tomb is where Sothis slumbered long ago, before the monastery was even constructed, before ZANADO was built, where her throne is, and also where the Crest Stones of her children are kept. I would assume no one is allowed in at all.

It seems like the Mausoleum is a decoy for the Tomb, and the Agarthans do attack it earlier on precisely to target Seiros's coffin, whether for her Crest Stone or just to check if there's anything there.

I do wonder why Rhea left the Sword there for real tho. Speculation: did she intend Byleth to find it...? Otherwise, weird move in general.

Second, notes about Edelgard's actions and plans throughout the school year:

She specifically spends the entire year coordinating moving hidden troops into position to attack the monastery, disguising them as (iirc) merchants and pilgrims. It still takes them two weeks to actually attack because the calendar is an awful system, but the implication seems to be that she joined the Officers Academy specifically for this.

She hires Kostas to "kill as many noble brats as he can" while she, Dimitri and Claude are out on a mission together without their classmates. It seems like she also planned to use this opportunity to get rid of the teacher accompanying them so that Jeritza would be able to stand in as the Black Eagles house teacher? Not too sure about this, it seems to be more implied.

At the same time, the Agarthans spur the Western Church into spurring Lonato into rebellion, which is used as a distraction for the Western Church's mission to either assassinate Rhea or steal from Seiros's tomb. Edelgard seems to be aware but doesn't actively participate.

Solon has the Death Knight, on loan from Edelgard, kidnap Flayn and uses her blood to experiment on villagers in Remire. Afterwards, the Agarthans use artificial Crest Stones to experiment on Academy students. I haven't seen the BE take on this, but presumably Edelgard is also aware but doesn't actively help?

Monica was kidnapped last year, reasons are unknown.

At the end of the year, Edelgard leads an Imperial force to invade the Holy Tomb to get Crest Stones. iirc, this was her own operation, not the Agarthans.

The main point of question I have is how far along were the Black Beast experiments before Solon got Flayn's blood. Was the obviously still incomplete experiment on Remire necessary, or was the process already complete and he was just fucking around? Could they have started the monster production business without Flayn?

Aside from that, I wonder why they killed Monica. There doesn't seem to be anything special about her, and as far as I know, Hopes didn't really give her any traits aside from being an Edelgard fangirl. Did Edelgard have her snoop around, and the Agarthans got rid of her for that? This is purely speculation tho.

As for the story itself so far, not much to say. Edelgard doesn't really appeal to me as a character, and I can't say that's changed with the C ranks I've gotten on the BE team.

The Eagles team itself is... uh. Well, tbh they are basically the same level of two-joke characterization as the Deer, but less endearing and more trainwreck. Hopefully, their B and As will have more substance.

Liveblogging notes:

Just realized that the armor of generics with Seiros and Nemesis was the exact same as a thousand years later. Medieval stasis indeed.

Thinking about it, the game starts on Seiros and Nemesis. VW ended on Nemesis for better or worse. I guess BE routes will end on Seiros, in a sense? But I don't think it'll make much sense in CF.

Sothis says to drift through the flow of time to find the answers we seek, but we're not... seeking anything...

Man, fem Byleth with her lipstick and blush... I just can't get used to it. Her face looks so weird. That oufit too... sigh

Those boobs are huge.

If you choose Eagles, Manuela chooses Golden Deer and Hanneman chooses Blue Lions.

This house is a disaster.

Hanneman specifies that he designed the Crest analyzer in his office. I wonder if his is the only one? Are they common, or do they not exist outside this? I had forgotten that people can just make their Crest appear in the air, like how Edelgard is doing during one of the early cinematics, but if everyone can do that, then I suppose there isn't really a need for analyzers normally?

Reminder that Edelgard hired Kostas as the Flame Emperor, explicitly to kill Dimitri and Claude.

The Knights of Seiros are accompanying us to the monthly mission.

Claude says his class's mission in month 5 is "downright peaceful" compared to hunting down Kostas.

Edelgard and Ferdinand C: Edelgard's mocking voice is... sure a thing. Ferdinand refers to "copyists" producing pamphlets. What is that like?

Knights were already dispatched to Gaspard when Rhea tells us about going there to do "cleanup" at the end of the month.

Linhardt and Caspar argue about which of their dads tops in their Foe Yay encounters.

Caspar's dad killed Petra's dad when Dagda and Brigit invaded the Empire.

The dark mage who is creating the fog has dialogue very similar to the other Lonato soldiers, so it seems like he's not with the Agarthans.

Edelgard comparing herself to Lonato is... a thing. She switches between calling their reasons for fighting "unreasonable ideas of justice" and "a higher cause" within four text boxes.

During Rite of Rebirth, everyone prays for the Goddess's return. Rhea and Seteth will be in the Tower. What even is the Goddess Tower?

Claude says GD was ordered to help the Knights patrol due to the supposed upcoming attempt on Rhea's life.

Edelgard can't swim.

Edelgard says the system of nobility has only been around for 1200 years. Which... is an interesting number. It would have had to start before the war between Seiros and Nemesis, which means Seiros didn't start it... Did Nemesis do it??

"Hail the mighty Edelgard, though red blood stains her story... Heavy as her crown may be, she will lead us all to glory... To a brighter dawn, we shall carry on... Hail, Edelgard!"

The Eagles all make a big showing of being scared of Rhea executing the Western Church would assassins.

Arundel/Thales shows up in a scene with the Flame Emperor. He mentions that Rhea is still alive, but like... the Western Church was never even going to where she was, they weren't actually doing an assassination?

The Flame Emperor basically confirms they were expecting Seiros's remains to be in the Holy Mausoleum, NOT the Sword of the Creator.

Arundel calls Nemesis a "thief," to Edelgard's surprise.

The Death Knight is explicitly Edelgard's guy, but she loans him to the Agarthans.

Nemesis getting mentioned by Rhea in the next scene flows better after Arundel mentions him first.

The Nemesis cover story has him defeating "wicked gods" which is interesting that their religion acknowledges other gods can exist, even if they're wicked.

[raxistaicho]

Just on the topic that Sothis might magically reconstitute herself and do a bunch of Goddess stuff, including overthrowing Edelgard like her detractors seem to think she will, Fire Emblem Heroes gives some context on what is actually happening with Byleth, courtesy of Seteth.

Fallen Rhea: I believed that if I could resurrect

my mother... I could regain all that had been lost...

Seteth: Your mother? Lady Rhea, you know

full well that such a thing is

forbidden, and yet...

[Alphonse asks what is happening, Seteth explains Rhea's deepest most secreted desire is to bring Sothis back to life.]

Seteth: Day by day, year by year, that desire must have grown, but...it would be the greatest affront of all.

For it was Sothis herself who forbade any and all attempts to return her to life.

Is this the consequence of Lady Rhea’s attempting to break that stricture?

If so, her words can mean only one thing...

1. Seteth says that it was Sothis herself that told the Nabateans not to bring her back to life.

This means she knows it's possible and DOES NOT want it to happen. (I personally have a theory that Sothis was attempting to tell Rhea to become the next "Goddess" to lead Fodlan onwards as their protector and guide when she speak to her in the Holy Tomb before she meets Wilhelm. This would make sense as Rhea says that the name Seiros was given to her in VW, which seems confusing at first until you remember that her birth name is likely "The Immaculate One" or "The White One," in the same way Sothis' is "The Beginning," and Byleth "The Enlightened One." Seiros being a name that references Sirius/The Blue Sea Star and Sothis herself, along with the entanglement of the Crest of Flames and Seiros being the first and last tarot card numbers to actually appear in Three Houses. But I digress.)

2. Not only were the Nabateans told not to bring Sothis back to life, Seteth readily assumes that Rhea is being PUNISHED for attempting to do so. Obviously he's wrong, but it paints a picture of the person Goddess Sothis was and just how taboo this act is.

3. We learn later in this event that Rhea's degeneration is caused by her despair at not being able to resurrect her mother, which obviously matches the in game reasoning. (It also heavily implies that this is THE only thing keeping Rhea from degeneration. She has no other purpose left, which I feel is why she is so so strangely distant, distracted, and unreachable throughout the game. Sothis even criticises her lack of observation that lead to Solon's presence in Garreg Mach. Detachment is clearly not a trait Goddess Sothis would have tolerated in her children. The Nabateans are often hinted at being warriors or at the very least militant by TWSitD and the Shadow Library records, combined with Seteth's intense nature, Rhea's reactions to opposition, Seiros' actions in battle, and the combat oriented nature of Crests. They're all obviously caring, but in the Greek Pantheon/Old Testament kind of way.)

All of this is to say that it's not Byleth or Sothis' heart that "breaks" at the end of Crimson Flower, it's Rhea's.

She's begging and demanding Byleth give her mother's heart back.

We know Sothis is still around. Her essence is in Byleth's soul ever since they merged.

Sothis also says the Crest Stone is nothing but a decoration in every ending of the game, the thing has been empty ever since that point. The only thing keeping it around was Rhea's magic.

There's some heavy implication there that even IF Rhea had been able to retrieve the Crest Stone from Byleth, there wouldn't be a Sothis within it to revive.

Sothis herself didn't just put herself into Byleth, she very likely, and intentionally, made it impossible to revive her from that point onwards.

Now, obviously Rhea can die in SS, but that's also the route where Byleth chooses divinity, that doesn't mean the Crest Stone is still actually doing something when Byleth absolutely should have the Major Crest of Seiros as Jeralt's child. It's literally the X factor Rhea claims to be the difference in Byleth compared to the other vessels. Byleth herself might be keeping the Stone whole, not intentionally, but subconsciously. The same way we all beat our hearts.

Just some thoughts. Rhea is the only one who wanted Sothis back, including Sothis herself. I mean Byleth also wants that, but they get what they want with soul merged Ghosthis.

Also, if Sothis didn't want Edelgard alive, why the hell would she help Byleth wake up? Or bring the rain in CF, or allow Byleth the ability to run through these cycles at all, which her opening dialogue of "It is almost time to begin" and "Drift through the flow of time to find the answers that you seek..."

Considering the Black Eagles is the only route where greater context and knowledge actually enables you to alter the outcome, these quotes show an awareness of that fact. Especially since AM requires the LEAST knowledge of grander events.

Sothis supporting Edelgard and not wanting to be revived is also supported by how "To the End of a Dream" serves as a reference to Rhea's dream to resurrect Sothis, Sothis' constant sleeping, AND Byleth being "The End/Ending" to Sothis' "Beginning."

Sothis canonically, endorses Edelgard through her opinions, actions, foreknowledge/hindsight, and the meta of the game.

It's no mistake that VW and CF titles make allusions to dawn, waking, change and spring, while SS and AM reference night, dreaming, conservation, and winter. The game and Sothis both have a preference.

(Sorry for the essay, I got carried away. I have a lot of thoughts on all four of these ladies.)

Not at all, that was a really interesting bit of analysis! I especially liked point 3 and the point on Sothis acting against Rhea in CF. I broadly knew most of the details from Heroes, but I didn't quite know all the specifics, so I appreciate you sharing them.

[randomnameless]

Post ask: sorry it's giant but u know me yeah??? yeah.

Since that was a response to someone else's post and I don't have enough to say in terms of all or most of the topics to reblog it in response, yeah, I'd say the Agarthans are the lesser of the two evils to Edelgard. If it was the other way around, I would imagine she'd ally with Rhea to get rid of Thales and Friends, but she chooses Thales and Friends over Rhea.

I understand she needs their assistance to win her war and all that, but Edelgard could've just as easily allied with Rhea after telling her the truth about the Agarthans and whatnot (Hopes notwithstanding since that's a different situation and would for another post/ask/etc), and she'd have a power equal to the Agarthans allied with her. By which I mean, Rhea and Thales+the other Agarthans are basically at the same strength, so she more or less had a choice between the two sides to ally with. Having Rhea would also mean having the KoS which isn't a group to scoff at.

So yeah, that said, I think she determined Agarthans were just less evil in her mind (especially considering she has similar values to them, such as saying in the Lonato chapter that she'd sacrifice her own people for her goals, but that's also exactly what Solon does to Kronya, and in Hopes, what Arval does to Solon. In other words them doing that isn't a moral nope I'm out for her/obviously wasn't a deciding factor).

Also, I think it's very likely that she preferred to side with humans over dragons. It reminds me a lot of this one line in FE9, where an NPC says he'd rather side with humans/his own kind because "at least you know what you're getting". Considering the hatred she seems to have (for unexplored reasons) toward dragons, it would make sense that she would choose to side with the people who are human like her.

She seems to have more reasons/goals/things in common with Agarthans overall, and if she doesn't accept Rhea's values and such, it makes sense that she'd have a preference toward Agarthans. No idea if you could say that Thales has a part in it because he's by appearance her uncle, so maybe that plays a part too? Again, unexplored, but it could be a factor since Thales has had her uncle's body for years now and is pretending to /be/ her uncle to the public.

Yet again, UNEXPLORED LOL, but I wish they went more into depth of like, why would she side with the people who tormented her and killed all her siblings? Why would she listen to anything they told her, much less ally with them? I was much more preferable to SB's situation because it felt more like the right thing to do as far as her character. If they had that much of a chokehold on the Empire, there was still nothing stopping her once she was safely in GM and could've talked to Rhea privately, and also asked that she doesn't do anything to raise their suspicions that Rhea and Friends have caught on/know what's happening because it could put her/the Empire/etc in danger.

The whole "they have us in a chokehold" kind of thing isn't really how it goes in CF because she does willingly want them allied with her to use their tech and whatnot, so it's a mutual usage and she does target Cornelia who ends up being collateral damage for being in Faerghus when she attacks Faerghus (again, a technical ally who she ends up killing).

Which like, she didn't have to attack Faerghus at all because Cornelia had so much power there. Again, that was an ally of hers technically; though I guess it gets muddy because Rodrigue still trusted Cornelia and was working alongside her in CF, so it's highly likely Cornelia was fighting /with/ Faerghus to take out Edelgard before truly running the place with an iron fist (which like, that might be true in general; I don't really remember since my memory on CF overall is a little hazy in comparison to the other routes).

Also makes me think that was another thing they should've put more focus on (which they absolutely could have considering CF was cut short chapter-wise). Thales gets mad that they attacked Cornelia, but was Cornelia actively fighting the Empire with Faerghus, or was she holding back (i.e. Faerghus was fighting the Empire but Cornelia personally was trying to mitigate damage because it would benefit the Agarthans)?

If Cornelia wasn't doing anything, yeah, I can understand Thales getting mad, but if she was, then he can't really be mad that they killed an Agarthan in the middle of that conflict. Like, Faerghus was going to fight back no matter what, but Rodrigue was treating Cornelia like a commander or something? So like... what was the Agarthans' role in all that? How much did they help Faerghus fight back? Obviously they want to weaken the Empire for more control, so it makes sense to side with Faerghus in part, but it's just a really condensed arc because it only lasts for one chapter.

This got a bit off topic BUT I wrote it anyway because it was relatively related. I just feel like there were better methods to write out the whole Edelgard and Agarthans thing, but they made CF a lot shorter than the other routes and effectively shot themselves in the foot by doing so with the story.

I feel like they did that with the chapter count because CF was supposed to be much more of a secret route, but since they made the conditions significantly easier by their own admission than they intended to originally, they gave themselves like what, five chapters less to work with the story? Makes it more convoluted than it could've been.

How dare u send me a long ask

jk

for what it's worth, in heroes, she calls them both monsters/beasts !

Beasts hiding in the light. Monsters slithering in the dark.

So she knows they're both non-humans, but having pointy ears is worse than having pale skin ?

And yet, the lizard are just so BaD with their "non human-ess" that she always targets them first - because let's be real, in Nopes, she just kicks her uncle out of Enbarr, but doesn't make sure he's dead or his cult is dealt with, no, she returns to her top priority, make Fodlan a lizard-free world.

Part of her hatred against Nabateans must come from agarthan slithering in Adrestia since... uh, the moment Seiros left? and some of it might also be part of her growing up as an Adrestian Nobles, and being Big MaD (tm) that the stupid church let those barbarians get their own country 400 years ago :( Maybe her rac- specism comes from those two sources?

About Cornelia - in CF Rodrigue seems to work with her, but we have also to be reminded that in CF, Cornelia is still under cover and supposed to be the nice lady who cured the Kingdom - she can't pull all the things she does in the non CF routes or manipulate Rufus like she does in AG because Rhea (and her knights) is in Firdhiad! I personally thing she was mitigating her efforts - not actively helping the Kingdom, and having to prepare her Titanus army in secret because the second the capital, aka Dimitri hears about this, there's a possibility Rhea will know too, and the gig would be up (Rhea herself isn't that familiar with Titanus, but she most likely knows giant robots are either Nabatean, or Agarthan - coupled with Cornelia's permanent youth it could raise way too much suspicions).

Yep, I also think so regarding the chapter count! CF was supposed to be the bonus/bad end route so it'd make sense if it is shorter, but imo, also because the writers wrote themselves in a dead end - if Rhea has to be the main enemy because her ears are pointy, you can't suddenly throw Agarthans in the mix and for Supreme Leader to demolish them at first, and then taking Rhea's head because her ears are pointy!

They already wrote themselves in a bretzel knot with the "nu uh it was Rhea who launched those missiles trust me uwu" where even the CF writers couldn't possibly imagine that no characters would ever call doubts on her bullshit of the day - but imagine if the rest of the cast had to come clean with Flamey's association to Agarthans, what they did (hello war assets!) who they are and what they want?

I know CF operates on a "suspension of disbelief" level - but even at this point I think it would have been hard for the FE16 writers to make any sense of it.

Giving more screentime to Supreme Leader's association with Agarthans (especially since she believes she needs them to off Rhea, after all, she asks her Uncle to come and watch the final battle, so maybe she thought he could summon "reserve troops" if everything failed like what happens in the non-CF versions of the Assault in Garreg Mach?) would also means giving more spotlight to Flamey's actions during White Clouds, and we know FE16 is allergic to that.

So, in a nutshell, I think Supreme Leader targets the lizards before targetting Uncle'n'co because :

Both are non humans but pointy ears are even "less human" than Agarthans because pointy ears are "beasts"! (which would explain why in Nopes she immediately shifts her target on pointy ears after Thales is only "outed" of the Empire and not killed - bear in mind she targets Rhea when Thales is still alive, but in CF, killing Rhea is her top priority!)

She needs Uncle's help to target pointy ears (which doubles as horrifying if she counts on Thales'n'co's abilities to get rid of Nabateans because she checked their resume and/or they told her how they genocided them all save for half a dozen remaining ones)

Getting rid of Pointy Ears means she'll be able to MAGA (one of her main goals!) while getting rid of Thales won't bring her any step closer to unifying Fodlan under Adrestia's banner

She's more pissed at the Goddess not answering her prayers when she was being tortured than at the people torturing her themselves! (Thales lit says he gave her the CoF so she'll become their greatest weapon! So she knows the one who cut her open wasn't Aegir, or acting on Aegir's orders, but the mole men working with Thales!)

Granted, as you pointed out with the PoR comparison, if both are non humans, an usual "racist" human wouldn't want to side with either of them - Thales is a monster, Rhea is a beast, so who should she side with?

That's why I suppose she has some personal grudge against Nabateans (more personal than any grudge she can have against the one who butchered her and her own siblings!!) to make her hate them much more viciously than hating Agarthans. Is it because the Church recognised Faerghus' right to be independant? Or something else?

i still have my au/verse/hc where Emperor Willy named his half-nabatean son Lycaon as his heir, when he had other older fully-human children who felt like the half lizard stole their throne, and since then House Hresvelg harbours a deep resentment against nabateans, who are supposedly better than themselves (else why would Willy have picked his latest kid and not a human one???).