#them being Claude and Byleth

[dragonsarecats]

To be fair CF is just as much about found family than VW

Hi anon! I'm gonna link the post I talked about the Golden Deer here for clarity's sake lol.

I think when discussing themes of found family in different three houses routes, it's important to talk about Byleth. In a game where the single, main variable between possible futures is Byleth's interference, it means the story has to be written in a particular way--I mentioned this before when talking about character supports and endings; each character needs to be able to have a romantic ending with Byleth, which affects how their supports are written. In the case of the Lord's, this means you're given tangible reasons why you should've chosen them.

I mean. Let's be real here. Claude has the highest survivability rate of any character in the base game. He can't die if you're completing Verdant Wind (for obvious reasons), or Blue Lions. He's heavily implied to live to see another day in Silver Snow, and you can spare him in Crimson Flower! Edelgard and Dimitri die without the professor's stabilizing influence--but Claude? What does he lose without the professor.

That's sort of how I determine subtler themes of each route in a way--by comparing what you get with and without Byleth.

So when I argue that Verdant Wind is the most about found family, I mean it thematically; the other routes don't have tangible less found family, but without Byleth members of the Golden Deer just blatantly disappear unrecruited post time skip in several routes!

Without Byleth, the option for found family is removed for Claude in a big way, I personally feel, and not just by full recruitment runs lol. Not completely, of course--even in Crimson Flower a recruited Lorenz laments having to face off against Claude and Hilda is willing to die in defense of him and the city--but enough that it was blatantly shocking to me that if you don't recruit Marianne, she does not appear at all post time skip, no exceptions.

In a narrative sense, perhaps slightly unshocking; but in a practical sense? This leaves Claude without a healer.

Claude can't hold onto all his Deer even if you don't recruit any of them in the Academy phase. Silver Snow, Azure Moon, Crimson Flower--Marianne will always be gone; consistent, non variable. Depending on the route other characters like Lorenz might disappear as well.

The themes of found family are prevalent in all the routes, but since each route is pretty much defined by the Lord who leads it, I feel as though their personal relationship with the found family is most defining, if that makes sense.

People stand by Edelgard, Dimitri, and even Rhea for better, or for worse. Even recruited, characters like Felix make it abundantly clear that switching sides doesn't change the immense emotional attachment they have to their original lord.

This just. Isn't true for Claude.

Without Byleth, he doesn't get to keep everyone together. Without Byleth Hilda is recruitable in two routes. The idea that you could ever do the same with Hubert or Dedue is blatantly laughable.

Byleth's presence is what enables Edelgard, Dimitri, and Rhea to remain the most of themselves, if that makes sense. Edelgard's war strategy in Crimson Flower is a lot less aggressive and scorched earth then it is in the other two routes because she's had the professor as an emotional rock. Similarly for Dimitri, he's able to recover because Byleth is there to keep him alive and safe. And then Rhea will blatantly die in the Verdant Wind route where she doesn't in Silver Snow. Byleth, in every sense of the word, keeps these three characters alive and well.

But without her? They still inspire loyalty and devotion--unquestionable, again, if no recruitment takes place. Dimitri, Edelgard, and Rhea can all face up against you as enemies with the full force of their houses/allies (save for, oddly, Annette).

Claude does not.

Claude's whole route is about learning to trust others in a way that allows them to trust him. The Deer are devoted to Claude in Verdant Wind in a way they just, textually aren't otherwise, and that's due to Byleth's influence, both as a Professor to these individual students, and to Claude.

When I say that Verdant Wind is the most found family thematically to me, I mean it at a very base level. Claude knows he doesn't have what Dimitri and Edelgard seem to take for granted. It seems almost effortless, in Verdant Wind, the loyalty and devotion he inspires in his friends despite how often you, as Byleth, are told that Claude appears to be an untrustworthy and sneaky individual.

But it's easy to see in routes where you don't chose him that without Byleth, that image mantains. Claude is an outsider. And maybe he doesn't need Byleth in the way the other lords do to survive or achieve his dream (after all, there's nothing saying he can't open diplomacy with his former classmates after he goes back to Almyra so long as he lives to do so), but just as Byleth is uniquely able to be a peer to the Golden Deer, so can Claude uniquely trust and gain the trust of his house in full.

It's not as dramatic as the other two houses, and I think it's the point. Edelgard and Dimitri have already built a solid foundation of devotion and loyalty. Ferdinand and Felix (your "rival" characters in those houses) are loyal without Byleth, even if Ferdinand claims it's to guide her or if Felix complains every step of the way. Lorenz isn't. In Verdant Wind, you sort of take it for granted that everyone will be there at the reunion if they survived the Academy phase. Of course they will--they promised, didn't they?

But outside Verdant Wind, it's clear to see that you as the player took it for granted. And that's why I think Verdant Wind is thematically the most found family. It's not because the other routes don't love each other as much or aren't as complex or there isn't devotion. It's because fundamentally Verdant Wind is about Claude, for the first time in his life, having a group of people he can rely on and who will rely on him without hesitation. It's about the formation of found family, and how Claude doesn't need it to achieve his dreams, but man, does it give him something to achieve those dreams for.

[asofterepilogue]

I can't possibly overstate how much I do not care about byleth, which makes the fact that the golden deer route is so wholly about her very annoying.

she's the least interesting character, she's not even my best unit by a long shot so she never actually gets to finish the boss, and yet she has all this screen time that has nothing to do with the alliance members and I. Do not. Care. that she's a goddess or whatever. I want to know about claude's schemes or flayn possibly being that saint or which fucking sweets lysithea plans to eat A LOT more than I want to know why byleth's heart doesn't beat or wtf rhea did to her.

[inkperch]

Okay, so, I made Kronya half human for a joke in an Au, and somehow this has spiralled into two, equally tragic, backstories for her that, regardless of which I'm using, she has jack shit all idea about and is fully unaware that one of her parents was human-

[dimiclaudeblaigan]

Imagine Dimitri finding out how ass Claude's parents were to him. Like, at first Dimitri is quietly envious of/upset at Claude for never contacting his parents and seemingly not appreciating them enough, but then he finds out the (likely) reason why Claude never talks to them... the ideas are interesting 🤔

I do think about it a lot actually! Dimitri really loved and respected his father from what we can gather. It sounds like they were very close, and he loves hearing Rodrigue's stories about him.

I think initially Dimitri would be more inquisitive about it, asking why Claude doesn't visit his parents and such. I know in-game Claude often talks more like he didn't care or mind about what his parents put him through, but I feel like that sarcastic "lucky me" line was kind of the one time it slipped through? Like, showing how all of it bothered him? I can definitely see Claude appreciating how much Dimitri compliments him and sees bright things about him, to the point of getting so used to it that he knows if he sees his parents he'll be humbled back down quite a few pegs.

I imagine his self esteem would improve with Dimitri's kindness and letting Claude know he's appreciated, and I think maybe Claude would start to realize he's getting kind of afraid to go back to not having that. He's grateful to have someone talk him up so much and be excited about him, and he starts to realize exactly what it feels like to have this thing he's been missing all his life.

From how Claude acts in-game about all that stuff, I think at first he would brush it off and just say they're not close or too busy for much contact, but I actually mentioned this one time that I've had this idea of Dimitri being with Claude when Claude sees his parents again. I think based on how things went, like how they conversed and the overall vibe of the room, that Dimitri would realize exactly why they're not close and really not appreciate how they treat him and probably snap at them.

I think he would believe that's not how any parent should talk to/treat their child based on what he knows from the parents he knows. Regardless of how complicated some of the families he knows are, the parents do love their children and I think it would be a huge shock to him to go from that to Claude's parents and seeing how detached they are. Faerghus has/had some terrifying training, but (at least from what I gathered) they usually do it in groups and try to be as reasonable as possible about it.

Finding out what Claude had to deal with on top of his extended family trying to kill him I think would be enough to make Dimitri snap at his parents for not prioritizing their child's life over absolutely anything. Letting him lick his wounds and find out the hard way, I imagine, is not something Dimitri would consider just "tough love". Dimitri is also a very emotional person, and I think he'd probably snap at them not as a king to another king/former king, but as someone who cares about their son and is disgusted by their treatment toward him. I think he'd apologize later, but I think he'd still feel that way.

Ultimately I think it would result in him showering Claude with a lot of compliments and constantly trying to inflate his ego LOL. It wouldn't make up for Claude's parents not raising him to know warm affection and being very hands off with raising him, but it would at least remind him he's cared for and that he doesn't have to do anything to be worth being shown love; because, really, I think once Dimitri knew how lacking Claude's childhood was in affection, he'd be immediately wanting to help him learn and understand that affection and kindness.

He'd have done it anyway, but I think he'd always want to go the extra extra mile for him after learning all that. Considering how loving and full of excitement Dimitri's childhood was with his family and friends, I imagine he'd want Claude to experience that, even if it was as an adult instead since he missed out with his childhood. I feel like he'd want to make up for lost time for him and make it so that Claude would never feel so lonely and isolated again.

In general Dimitri is very considerate of other people's feelings, but I think once he knew why Claude was the way he was and how his parents did fuck all to make him feel safe in his own home, that he would really amp up trying to make every day special for Claude and make him feel safe.

I would hope, of course, that how Dimitri treats Claude would make his parents open their eyes and realize they dun fucked up and appreciate Dimitri's efforts.

[themoomoorn]

Koei-intsys did have a problem with the whole vague bullshit, yes, but this is just proof that no one bothered to read that 2020 interview. Or worse yet, they claim the translations of them are wrong. Anyway, we love to see more open dunking like this.

The final one also sums up how I feel about the two hunky male lordlings.

The ladlegard slander in the QRTs of the original post I used to pray for times like this 😭

(this is an ask but it had a link to a tweet in it and don't wanna risk the person gettin' shit thrown at them lol)

(for context of the OP in question, it's basically "man remember the crazy times when people thought Edelgard was a VILLAIN why would anyone think that" *inserts screenshots of her "When humanity stands strong and people reach out for each other... there's no need for gods" quotes from CF*)

Going through the QRTs of that post was definitely a fuckin' riot lmao. Some of my favorites:

and my personal (totally unbiased) favorite:

[plotthotrobin]

I continue to mourn the fact that Claude and Yuri do not have supports. They’re born to be scheming rivals. I think those cheeky little bastards have much stronger feelings about one another than simply neutrality - at least within the context of White Clouds and Verdant Wind.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I believe 100% that they respect each other from the start. I don’t think they’d ever be truly enemies. But Claude, particularly during the academy phase, does not like when he feels like someone has gotten the upper hand on him. For example: his supports with Balthus show him growing tense and mildly irritated when the dude starts prying at his background a little too much. After all, he has a lot on the line. I suspect he’d be likely to clock Yuri as a potential threat - or a potentially very useful ally - super quickly. He’d probably spend time verbally sparring with him and trying to feel him out.

I also believe Yuri would be in more or less a similar situation for a while. Claude testing the waters would likely put him somewhat on the defensive. He does not seem to like when people get in his business any more than Claude does. (ie. Yuri and Byleth’s C-Support, which consists of Yuri being tense and on the defensive. This includes him threatening to slit their throat despite him relenting a bit.) I can only imagine the passive aggressiveness. The thinly-veiled threats. Potential outright hostility. 🤌 Chef’s kiss.

I ultimately think it’d take a support chain for them to come to a more genuine understanding, and possibly even a solid friendship. Maybe up to B or B+ with the last support being locked until post-timeskip? A paired ending would be much more difficult to pull off for them considering their priorities.

Do I think supports between them are necessary? Not really. But it’d be so good guys, trust me. We can just replace Claude and Ing.rid’s god awful supports. 🥺🙏

[slotumn]

Underrated VW moment: Byleth saying rest of Fódlan could be divided up among Leicester lords post-war and Claude going "damn that's a terrible idea the people there would hate our asses if we tried to rule them + we also hate each other too much for that to work"

I think this is one of the very few (if not only) places in Houses/Hopes where it's basically acknowledged that Fódlan isn't a monolith and trying to force rule of one region over others would end badly

Personally I take Byleth's reply of "Alliance lords could divide and rule" here not as them supporting it, but being more like "you guys would pull that shit if left to your own devices huh" (and Claude doesn't deny that in of itself lmao)

Also hilarious that if Byleth says "we should search for a new ruler (who doesn't feed into regional/sectarian tensions)" Claude implies that he wants Byleth to be that ruler, but if Byleth outright says "I can do that" he goes

Commoner shows one(1) ounce of political ambition and it immediately scares the noble (even when he actually supports said commoner being in power)

[burr-ell]

If it's alright, can I ask why you like the Golden Deer house more than the Blue Lions or Black Eagle houses? Like, what caught your eye about them over everyone else?

So I actually got into FE3H through a friend of mine, @dar-draws, who I already knew through mutual good taste (Dickkory), and fanarts like this one, this one, and this one plus the way she talked about Claude and Claudeleth caught my attention. I watched a couple playthroughs of the Golden Deer route on YouTube and absolutely fell in love (before finally getting a switch just to play it myself, for which I was violently bullied here). So like, I was already going into the game biased, which is part of why when I got it I went ahead and played through Golden Deer before doing all the other routes in turn; it was genuinely important to me to personally see all sides of the story. But even as I've played the other routes and replayed SS and AM and gained even more of an appreciation for them, I'm still always sort of drawn back to VW and the Deer.

I think it's ultimately vibes-based, but I'll try to articulate it. I'm not really a big fan of "cozy" sorts of games—I've played and enjoyed ACNH, but the things I most enjoyed about that game were finding things to do and goals to complete, like completing the main quest line or filling up the museum. So it's not so much that I find the Golden Deer to be cozy so much as adventurous. They're not inherently personally invested in the conflicts of White Clouds (they don't know Lord Lonato or Miklan, and their house leader isn't [gestures generally]), but they're also not just ping-ponging through the story. They go through the same events as the other two houses, but they're coming at it from more of an outsider's perspective, and their choice to get involved and react and respond feels more active.

The Deer also don't have any real reason to follow Claude, either, and in the early game they make sure he knows it; none of them are really all that concerned that they're speaking to the future Grand Duke of their country. Lysithea snaps at him, Leonie shoots the breeze with him, Raphael is jovial with him, Lorenz undercuts him, Hilda is blase with him, Marianne tries not to talk to him, and Ignatz gets into theological debates with him. Over the course of the game, they develop the same loyalty to Claude that the other house members already have for their leaders almost by default, and it feels a lot more earned because we see it happen. And that in turn makes scenes like the one at Myrddin, where Claude reveals his true goal of opening the border with Almyra and embracing foreign cultures and the other Deer are surprised but trust Claude and follow his lead, that much more satisfying.

I was a little surprised, when I played through the other three routes, that aside from the designated talking-with-the-cast scenes every route gets, the characters who aren't house leaders or retainers don't really have all that much to do in the story. On Verdant Wind, you pretty consistently have members of the Golden Deer appearing in other cutscenes and giving their two cents; there's even a unique scene where Lysithea realizes there's something up with the Empire's mages because of her backstory and approaches Claude and Byleth about it. It's nothing too obtrusive—they do still have to accommodate the potential for character death—but it's those small details that make a difference to me. Every house has a particular dynamic with odd silly quirks, but the Deer being just that little bit more integrated into the story really helps sell the idea that they belong here and they're making this story their own.

There's also the matter of where specifically their adventure takes them. I respect the choice to focus on Dimitri in Azure Moon, because it does handle his character and arc very well and I think also does the other Lions justice (with the exception of Dedue), but it's also focused largely on Dimitri's personal arc and the Tragedy of Duscur and doesn't really follow through on a lot of the events of White Clouds. (Which some Blue Lions stans have been okay with because they think the Agarthans are bad villains, which...that's valid, but stories still have to like, address plot elements they set up.) Verdant Wind, by contrast, does actually pull back and try to figure out the real impetus behind the whole conflict, and it ends with them beginning to properly lay Fodlan's true problems to rest.

So while the route isn't flawless and I do think there are issues with how characters are written that are part of larger trends within the game and the series as a whole, there's a very specific kind of fantasy adventure energy with the Golden Deer that I enjoy. I think the stories I'm most drawn to are the ones that keep their eyes on a specific goal but still make you feel like the characters would bring that same energy to goofing around with each other, and I think that's something Verdant Wind does very well.

[fantasyinvader]

Guys, I think I figured out why Claude believes the Central Church preaches isolationism.

Look at the history of the Alliance. When they broke off from the Empire, the were conquered by the Kingdom and ruled by them for 60 years. When they managed to become independent, they set up the roundtable which resulted in the Church not having the same sort of power within their region. But thinking about this, the Eastern Church would have broken off from what we know as the Western Church. And said Western Church is fanatical... and xenophobic, wanting to kill Rhea in the present because she allows foreigners at Garreg Mach. They call Rhea an apostate because of what she does in her own jurisdiction, but we also know that TWSITD have infiltrated and manipulated the Western Church for their own purposes and those guys are racist as fuck.

Now think about it, Lorenz believes the Church preaches isolationism, but he’s from the Alliance. The scripture he would have gotten is from the Eastern Church that broke off from the Western Church. We don’t know when TWSITD first began using the Western Church, and for all we know it could the result of difficult relations with their neighbours over the centuries, but Lorenz’s instruction would not have been from the Central Church.

And look at what the third reason is for why there was a ban on a printing press. “3. Risk of intensifying disparity between church branches.” Different branches of the Church preaching different messages. It’s saying that the Church of Seiros isn’t a monolith.

The Eastern Church must have held onto the xenophobic beliefs of the Western Church when they splintered off, not helped by 40 years of Almyra invading them. Claude saw this, heard what the Eastern Church was saying, and took Rhea’s non-interference as acceptance. But then you look at what Lorenz says at the end of Flower, the nobles aren’t actually religious and merely using the Church as a means to legitimize their power. Thus, while the Eastern Church preaches isolationism, the nobles of the Allaince don’t care and do trade with other nations. As a result, Lorenz can believe the Church says not to interact with other nations as that’s what the Eastern Church says, all while nobles in Alliance territory do just that.

That scene where Claude questions Lorenz on this is also the scene where he talks about getting to know people rather than jumping to conclusions. He points the diversity at Garreg Mach despite the teachings of the Eastern Church, and the whole deal with the Western Church during White Clouds would only further serve giving Claude evidence against Rhea being racist. In the end, Claude actually ends up talking to Rhea, learning about her, and ends up believing Byleth needs to be just like her in giving the people salvation. Just get rid of the racism from the Western and Eastern Churches. Not only that, Claude ends up fighting the people who were controlling the Western Church and who committed genocide against Rhea’s people. Claude wants to fight racism, and Verdant Wind sees him go after the actual racists rather than the ones he assumes are racist. He also realizes Almyra doesn’t do it’s people any favors acting like a bunch of drunken frat boys.

[curse-d-owl]

Edelgard waged war cause she believes Rhea and the others are villains that are against progress. Her goal is to kill them and conquer Fodlan so she can change it for the better.

Problem is her accusations are false, her war is unjustified and has done nothing to help the people she's trying to save proven by Byleth's paired ending with Rhea, Hanneman's and Linhardt's paired ending with Lysithea, Petra's, Claude's, Dimitri's Seteth's, Lorenz's, Sylvain's, Hanneman's, Lysithea's endings.

The other nations don't fight back to keep the status quo as it is, they fight back to protect their people and end her war. There is no shades of gray regarding her war. At best she is a misguided villain like Walhart.

Plus she's every bit the villain she accuses Rhea of being.

She lies and manipulates the truth herself in white clouds and cf.

She helped spread the lie that Duscur is responsible for the tragedy, didn't say anything to defend them by condeming the injustices they faced while in contrast demonized the goddess infront of a pious high ranking knight in defense of Miklan and in the original JP script callously trivialized the tragedy by claiming she doesn't care about it.

She drags Brigid into her war, refuses to free them from the Empire's imperialism and attempts to kill Petra for standing against her. Edelgard's and Hubert's "respect" for Brigid is conditional.

Uses her citizens as meatshields and launches demonic beasts in the capital

Responds to dissent with murder attempts

And refuses to cooperate and end the war she started diplomatically.

Only reason there is still discourse about this game cause her fans can't accept that fact she is the villain and provoke her critics with childish insults and waste their time with disingenuous and bad faith arguments.

You can't claim Edelgard's accusation that Rhea and the other leaders are violently against change is true the same way you can't claim Dimitri's accusation that Edelgard is responsible for the tragedy is true.

You can't deny that Edelgard bled fodlan dry the same way you can't deny Rhea didn't sacrifice defensless citizens in the last chapter of cf.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

I watched the new Big Yellow video and it was fun as hell so now Golden Deer drinking head canons plus a ranking of how fun they’d be and then I sat on this for a month because I forgot about it until I was sifting through old stuff so

9th - Leonie - Leonie is already the closest we have to a canonical drunkard, with many of her endings mentioning unpaid tabs and frequent visits to bars. Also she’s definitely the most likely to get into a bar fight with someone. If you talk shit about Jeralt or something, you’re leaving the bar with a broken wrist and she’s getting escorted out by the bouncer type shit. She’s already competitive and hotheaded while sober imagine how she’d act hammered

8th - Lorenz - I feel like Lorenz gets awkward as hell once he’s buzzed. Like imagine some guy failing to hit on random women but he’s also talking like a student who ran a plagiarized quote through a thesaurus to try and fly under the radar. The slightest sign of rejection has him speaking his lamentations in the form of a homerian epic. Depending on your tolerance for 2nd hand embarrassment he’s either really funny to laugh at or “please just make it stop”. I’m on the lower end so he goes here

7th - Byleth - Byleth is the Deer’s designated driver. They do not have a heartbeat and they aren’t interested to figure out what happens if they drink alcohol. Also they’re just dry as hell, they’d listen to what you have to say but only respond with “oh, I see” or “hmmm” and stuff like that.

6th - Marianne - Marianne’s my girl but she’d absolutely hate a bar setting lets be real. I’m not even sure getting drunk would help her because she’d only have like 1 drink before leaving the bar to go outside and look at a weird bug. And I respect that but that isn’t conducive to being fun to hang with in a social situation

5th - Lysithea - so much of a lightweight she’d get absolutely hammered after like half a glass it’s INSANE since she’s tiny as hell and has crest cancer. Despite this I think she manages to be a responsible drinker and mellows out a bit once she gets tipsy 1/8th of a pint in

4th - Ignatz - Definitely a bit nervous at first but once he gets settled in I think he’d be pretty cool. Like he’d just be vibing the whole time. Prone to rambling though and once you here him talk about the goddess 15 times the 16th is gonna start getting on your nerves

3rd - Hilda - She’s got all the gossip you could ever want. You want the tea, well then you’ve come to the right person. She’s conversational to fuckin everyone, be it close friends or random strangers she would just be talking with them for HOURS. She might forget about the initial group she came with but lord knows she’s having the best time, and hey, she’ll definitely introduce you to someone new.

2nd - Claude - Claude’s the homie dude, he’s got everything. He’s got a bunch of cool stories to tell, he’s funny, generally charismatic, he’s definitely gonna be paying for rounds a lot. Just a generally nice guy to hang with. Barring a poison joke that gets you ONCE and then you roll your eyes at him every other time

1st - Raphael - I do not think it is physically possible to have a bad night with this man. He’s a complete and utter ray of sunshine no matter the place. He could like crash into me on accident and break my ribs and I’d just be like “haha yeah Raphael that’s awesome”. Peak bro here

.

[themisteriousentity]

Do you ever think about how perfectly the three house leaders embody the concepts of "past, present, future"? At least in Houses, it gets a little more muddled in Hopes

Dimitri heavily embodies the past and the way it can drag you down. He forgets the importance of the present and even when going to the officer's academy, he's only going to get access to church records to investigate the tragedy of Duscur, as evidenced by that one event where Dedue and Byleth happen upon him researching late at night in the library and he's investigating Arundel. Even by the end of Azure Moon, he's still not thinking about the future, only putting a stop the the present cruelty and focusing on trying to help that girl he knew in the past until he realizes he can't. It's not until the very end of the game that he breaks from the shackles of his past, but he's also never 100% in the present due to, in Azure Moon, the past never 100% being demystified, as shown by how those who slither in the dark are only eradicated in specific epilogues if you recruited the right characters + bought the DLC.

Edelgard easily represents the present. Her entire focus is on the events of her lifetime and the conclusions she came to based only on (incorrect) past and present information. She came to a conclusion very young and never waivered from it nor investigated it further and only looks towards fixing the problems of the present. The present is built upon by the past, and she perfectly shows that by holding onto past facts to influence the present, but she does not consider the long term future. A youtube video I watched but can't remember the channel name for (I will edit it in as a link if I can remember it) once pointed out that with a merit based appointment system, it'll fall apart as soon as Edelgard is gone and no longer there to maintain it. Not to mention that, like Azure Moon, Crimson Flower has the same issue of only borderline mentioning those who slither in the dark's ultimate demise, and we don't even get a satisfactory ending to that in Crimson Flower. (Side note, Silver Snow is better abut this but is not entirely relevant as that is a Lordless route).

Claude meanwhile is always looking towards the future, informed well by the past and present. He is, of course, aware and affected by the past and present, but like the future itself uses it to build the road to tomorrow. And unlike Dimitri and Edelgard, who have a single minded focus and don't plan for backups, understands that there's no guarantees in anything and is always planning contingencies when he can. And because the future is built from the past and present, he's also the character who most seeks out to demystify them in order to build that future, because even if you don't know a past event, it will still have ripple effect into the future. It's what makes it very important that, unlike Dimitri and Edelgard, Claude steps down from leadership of Fódlan entirely once he uncovers the full truth and realizes that, for all intents and purposes, his type of leadership isn't needed in Fódlan after what it went through and that his next best step is to go back to Almyra and start the next steps there. In fact, in Verdant Wind, they actually almost entirely take care of those who slither in the dark with the only remaining one being Cornelia, but even THEN he had a contingency when he came back to save Fódlan with the Almyran army in the epilogue. Even in other routes, he manages to always perfectly plan for both his demise and his victory, culminating (outside his own path) in Crimson Flower where he plans for his own death. He never stops thinking about the different twists and turns the future can take and plans for it.

This ended up a little bit Claude heavier but to be fair, he usually gives me more to think about.

[emblemxeno]

Cindered Shadows Thoughts

Btw if you don't wanna see thoughts on my 3H playthrough block this tag #playing fe3h

-Finished it in exactly 8 hours, at least 2 of which could've been an email /s

-It is truly a microcosm of my foundational issues with 3H as a whole, besides two things

-One is that exploration isn't as tedious because Abyss isn't as big as the monastery, but I guess that isn't really a point in its favor since that's the whole point lol

-The second is I feel like Byleth's dialogue and text selections with the characters is a bit better. There's less instances of , what I describe as "characters extrapolating how Byleth feels in 1-2 text boxes before actually responding to what they said", which I swear is a cause for why the main game reads as if it's 10% longer than it's supposed to be.

-IMO unique map objectives don't save map design that's pretty uninteresting at the end of the day.

The first map's layout is cool! Until it gets reused in chapter 4, where it's only saving grace is a new objective utilizing prior knowledge established in chapter 1. Clever, but still a reuse in a game that infamously spams repeat maps. And outside of Chapters 2 (a slog where you defeat enemies in waves which isn't fun in FE) and 7 (a cramped hall where you have to brace against a monster boss), the other maps are reused from the base game, even chapter 3 is a slightly modified sealed forest.

-Combat itself is so slow, I'm really just debating turning off animations in general when tackling the main game. Not only do the animations take forever, but they don't look interesting, are surrounded by washed out textures and models, and-my personal biggest grievance-have absolutely no momentum nor weight behind them. The Tellius games, from what I've seen, yeah the animations take decades, but from a visual and sound design point, fighting feels significant. 3H also being sandwiched between Echoes (the gorgeous culmination of handheld 3D Fire Emblem presentation after half a decade) and Engage (which to me set a new, high bar standard for 3D FE presentation going forward) is an extremely unfortunate situation and I feel really sorry for it.

-Music still hits though, Shackled Wolves never gets old

-Another thing that 3H does that this DLC reminds me of is the amount of -Stand Around- cutscenes there are. It confused me that Engage gets the most heat for this, when this game does it more, due to more drawn out dialogue, simpler camera angles, stiffer models with fewer animations, and an absolutely diabolical background setup. For a game with an expository selling point, it repeatedly falls short at being engaging in a visual sense, with its scenes always being saved by the phenomenal voice acting. Almost always, at least. The scenes where the Wolves are getting their blood drained while they just stand there is so jarring and bad, it's nearly funny, when it's obviously not supposed to be given the lines, their delivery, and the accompanying music.

-The story from A to B is sweet I guess, but given that the devs said the Cindered Shadows version of events is basically non-canon to what happens in the main game sours me on it. Like, yeah it's cool that the Wolves can technically be capable enough to do it offscreen on their own, but then what's the incentive then for me to recruit them beyond the player's pre-established care? There's no narrative payoff in the grand scheme :/

-Also the whole plot is "what if Yuri, Rhea and somewhat Claude/Linhardt do everything and also these other goobers are here" which became really funny, because after a while even the lines had characters deliberating the sheer amount of coincidences and melodrama that was occurring. 3H style writing shoved into an 8 hour timeframe is accelerated, exhausting nonsense.

-Sothis not being in the plot is fine, because even though it doesn't make sense why she wouldn't comment, it's not like there's anything of value she would contribute beyond her usual schtick of "bratty banter, where are my memories, i sleep now".

Not having Jeralt though? Absolutely ridiculous. I don't like Jeralt as a character (he's my idea of pretty face and that's it), but there's no convincing me why he couldn't be here but Alois can. Love Alois! But he was a device used to have the Knights on standby and nothing more, which Jeralt could've done and it would've let him have a proper impact on the ordeal with Aelfric.

Speaking of which, revisiting this DLC had me thinking... wow this love of Aelfric is veering very close to cult-like, and it's cut short after chapter 5 because we don't go back to abyss once that map's done. I'm left with wondering how the Abyss denizens would feel after knowing that their caretaker was Like That™️, which is a completely foreign feeling to me when discussing 3H's narrative since the game normally never lets it be remotely unclear how the characters or the player should feel about anything ever. So... props for that for making me flex that part of my brain! You did it Fodlan, the creepy custodian plotline that was left dangling was great fridge horror material.

-The constant suspicion throwing and animosity towards Rhea and the church is tiring as usual, and also sometimes downright baseless. Like, at one point it's said that orphans are among those who are relegated to Abyss or otherwise ignored on the surface which is flat out not fucking true, Rhea literally takes in former bandit kids and Remire orphans, what are we doing here.

-Balthus has a cringe "fight the system line" meanwhile he's an irresponsible jackass pushing 30; Constance is written like a joke; Hapi's writing is a joke; Yuri is as incomprehensibly competent and storied as ever and I love that cuz it's nonsense.

-Overall, not godawful terrible, but nothing in it that's worth coming back to in my eyes.

[fe-fictions]

Happy new year!!! 🥳 could I request a prompt with Dimitri / Claude where they surprise Byleth for the new year? I imagine their post game where Byleth is separated from them for a while bc of their respective duties so a surprise reunion would be super cute 🥹

(This was so much fun to write ;; A ;; )

Claude: Running a country as a new king was no joke, though becoming the religious head of an entire continent (with no experience) wasn’t any easier. It was only natural that when you first started talking about what to do, and what the expectations would be in your new roles, it would mean some distance was required.

What you didn’t realize was that “little distance” thing turned into a long-term absence. Of course, letters were exchanged every day; and the timing of the responses varied depending on the carrier and the weather.

But you were in constant contact, calways wishing to see one another and longing for the separation to reach its end.

It felt more like you were widowed for six months, conversing with a  very charming ghost.

“Seteth…what are the possibilities for taking a sabbatical this year?”

You could feel the prime minister’s hackles raise at the very thought.

“It is the same as I told you last autumn, Archbishop; it’s simply not possible with your current position.”

‘But we’ve been working non-stop since the ceremony- surely we can spare a few days' rest.”

“Not with the relations between kingdoms still in such a dire state. If we were to step away now, and they were to find out, the people would become even more upset. They would feel as though we are trivializing their very lives.”

“I don't want that.” You admitted, looking down at the towering mess of papers on your desk. “But...people are allowed to have days of rest.”

“They are, indeed.” Seteth agreed, “However, we must bear in mind that we are not just any ‘people’. Our obligations transcend those whom we serve.”

It did very little to invigorate you or ease your stress. If anything, Seteth was simply piling them on higher and at a much faster pace. He was not the best at rousing speeches.

“Still…we’ve been working non-stop like this for months…surely we’ll have to slow down and rest so as not to falter later?”

“I do see your point, but I believe we are far from in need of such relief. After all, we bear the expectations of all Fodlan on our shoulders; you moreso, as both a queen and the Archbishop. I would argue that it is more necessary that we continue to push without wasting a single moment.”

“I would argue the opposite…” You mumbled, and the dragon-eared man was polite enough not to acknowledge it. After all, there was a particular reason why he was laying on the pressure so thick.

He wouldn’t have agreed to do so without there being a much desired reward waiting for you. You’d been working harder than most to pull Fodlan back from the struggles of war, and the rebuilding was being overseen in as many areas with the greatest detail you could bring to the table.

You hadn’t heard it yet; it would be a few minutes more.

“Milady, I empathize with your argument, but we must make sure not to allow such temptations that follow a ‘slowdown’, so to speak. It may be difficult for you to ever regain your vigor and our work will suffer for it!”

“Seteth, please…” You groaned, your head hitting the stack of paper before you. There was a good chance the ink hadn’t dried yet, but that was the least of your worries.

The minister worked hard to suppress his smile. Instead he continued to prattle on and on about the importance of diligence, duty, discipline, and several other responsible “d” words, until you heard a shift, outside.

As a matter of fact, you heard the sound of people gathering just below your office, towards the front gates.

And following that rabble was…a wyvern’s wingbeat.

You sat up from the papers, eyes narrowed. There weren’t any wyvern riders that were scheduled to be patrolling this time of day. 

And the only person who could possibly be riding in and exciting everyone would be-

“Claude?”

Seteth grinned, watching the hope spark in your eyes. You hurried from your desk, pulling the balcony doors back.

The shimmering white scales of his beloved wyvern reflected the sunlight right into your eyes. But you knew that roar, and you could recognize that gorgeous, golden cape from a mile away.

With a sharp gasp you turned on your heel and burst from the room. The stairs were too far-- no, the front gate was-! You had to move as quickly as possible.

That man had been gone for so long. You hadn’t seen each other in ages, but now he was flying right up to the monastery out of the blue!

You wracked your brain, trying to think if he’d referenced coming to visit you in any of his letters. Though perhaps it was easier said than done, as the closer you got to the front doors, the harder it was to think of anything other than him.

Mercifully, you did not have to wait until you were outside. The king of Almyra had already made his way inside the building. He was halfway across the great hall, speaking with Hilda about something completely inconsequential.

Well, inconsequential to you. Because all that mattered was the instant your eyes locked, and you could feel the joy build in your chest.

“Claude!!”

The Archbishop’s voice raising was already surprising, but to see her running towards her husband, decorum be damned, was a stunning sight for any bystander.

Claude’s face lit up at the sight of you, his arms spread wide to accept you.

“Byleth!!” Your name was a laugh on his lips; the very sound of his voice made your heart soar. You closed the distance and all but leapt into his arms.

His mere touch was enough to bring tears to your eyes. His scent, his laughter, his…his everything…it overwhelmed your senses in the best of ways.

“I’m home, By.” 

“Welcome back,” Your voice was muffled against his neck, his embrace tight and wanting,  with zero intention of letting you go. “I missed you so much…!”

“I  missed you too. You have no idea how bad I wanted to see you.” He murmured, peppering kisses into your hair between his breaths of laughter.

“I didn’t have a clue- but when did you say you were coming?? I can’t remember reading a single word about you visiting.” You gathered yourself enough to ask, pulling back to look up at your husband.

He grinned at you,  squeezing your waist. “That’s because it was a surprise. I cleared it with Seteth about a month ago; you and I are going to take a nice, long break from all this intercontinental repair.”

It was hard to balance your desire to take in every detail of his face and simply kissing him senseless.

“Really?”

“Of course; I’ve been waiting for ages because I know how badly you’ve wanted to get away. You’ve been talking about it in your letters for the last…three months, I think.” 

“I suppose I’m not as subtle when I’m writing to you.” You smiled sheepishly, “I would love to take a vacation with you, my love.”

“Gods, I’ve been waiting to hear that for so long.” He sighed, capturing your lips in a much needed kiss. You held his face in your hands, relishing the scruff along his jaw and the warmth of his skin.

“Hear what?” You whispered against his lips, your hands shifting from his cheeks to the collar of his tunic, tugging him closer. Your bodies were practically pressed against each other; you couldn’t have gotten closer if you wanted to.

“To hear you call me ‘my love’. I haven’t heard it in so long…I’m afraid your written word doesn’t hold a candle to the sweetness of your voice.”

“You flatter me.” You blushed, kissing the beaming smile he wore with warm reverence. “Shall we  have a proper reunion upstairs? I’d love to hear all about these plans you have for our vacation, but I think we both have some more pressing matters to attend to.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself, darling.” Claude chuckled, and swept you up into his arms, carrying you down the corridor that had mercifully been emptied at some point during your touching reunion.

You were sure the rumors were swirling around the monastery from the bystanders who hadn’t escaped quickly enough, but it was the last thing on your mind.

After all, your sweet husband was back home in your arms…and there was nowhere else you’d rather be. Especially after such a punishing several months’ work without him.

You peeked around the corner, making sure no one was nearby while he strode towards the stairs with a particular skip in his step.

“I’ve been waiting to say this for a while, but…”

“Say whatever’s on  your mind; I’ve been dying to hear it for ages.”

You leaned up to his ear, whispering those longing words.

“Welcome home, Khalid.” 

He nearly tripped up the stairs and took you tumbling with him. When he steadied himself, he pressed his forehead to yours, his whole face flushed.

“If you’re not gonna fight fair, you’re gonna have to deal with the consequences, Teach.” He grumbled, making you laugh. You kissed his nose, squeezing your arms around his shoulders.

“I haven’t been able to say your name in so long either, you know…I wanted to give you a proper welcome.”

His grin turned mischievous, hoisting you back up and starting up the steps with renewed vigor.

“Don’t you worry about that- we’re about to have the greatest reunion of all time! And an even better vacation after that, might I add.”

You didn’t get a chance to ask him what the plans were until several hours later. But you weren't particularly bothered by it. 

Having your Khalid beside you again was everything you could have asked for, and more.

-------------------------

Dimitri: He’d gotten the worried letter from Prime Minister Seteth about three days ago. He was already deeply depressed because he hadn’t seen you in such a long time.

It was incredibly difficult, how you were trying so hard and working to get everything in order for the greater continent of Fodlan. 

You were working from the monastery, and had remained there long after the two of you were crowned as the king and queen of Faerghus.

It was deeply upsetting to have spent the first several months of your marriage apart. But it was nothing that heartfelt letters that were practically 300-page journals between each of you.

So when he received a much more brief letter with Seteth’s seal on it instead of the expected loving message from his wife, Dimitri was concerned.

When he read its contents, he was consumed with worry. 

“King Dimitri, it is with deep concern that I write to you regarding your wife, the Archbishop of Fodlan. I am afraid she has become obsessed with work to the point that she cannot seem to remove herself from it. 

The few times I was able to ascertain the reason behind this change in behavior is due to her separation from her spouse. I believe it would be prudent to schedule a visit to the monastery immediately. I fear she has stopped taking care of herself; her eating and sleeping habits have become practically non-existent. 

Please write with ideal dates and times that you would be able to join us. We anticipate a swift response, milord.”

Dimitri had the troops rallied and the Blue Lions en route to the monastery without a second more hesitation. He sent a pegasus knight ahead to relay the information as quickly as possible.

But there was a little more time to waste! His wife was neglecting her well-being, and even though he had no idea how he was supposed to fix it, he knew that he missed her just as terribly and wanted to do anything in his power to make everything better.

He galloped through the forests of Fodlan, not slowing down even in the face of bandits or dangerous weather. 

With the help of the Lions and their unwavering support for the royal couple, the valiant group turned what was typically a weeks’ sojourn to the central mountain range into a four day journey, instead.

And as soon as they were there, Dimitri all but ripped the front gates from their ancient, unmoving hinges.

There was no time to waste. His Beloved needed him!

“King Dimitri has arrived!” The gatekeeper managed to squawk out, sending the passersby into a confused frenzy of excitement and panic. What in the world was the Archbishop’s husband doing here, now??

Dimitri did not bother to socialize or engage with anyone outside of the green-haired man hurrying to meet him, opening the massive old doors that led into the main hall.

“Thank Sothis you arrived so quickly. I just received word from the envoy you sent hardly a day ago; it is a miracle you were able to travel with such swiftness!”

“And not a moment too late, I hope. Where is my wife?” Dimitri asked, breathless from his endless onslaught to visit his dearest.

Seteth motioned towards the stairwell. “She is locked in her office, as always. I fear it has been difficult to access her, even as her right hand. She is deeply troubled by your absence, milord. More So than even she realizes.”

“It saddens me to learn this…but I will do everything in my power to help Byleth in any way I can.” He spoke a solemn promise, striding to the steps and making his way to your office.

A swirl of memories, sweet and bitter, filled his mind. It had been so long since he’d seen the monastery, let alone restored to most of its former glory. 

It was not his favorite place to be, and in spite of all the good things that happened there, he would not lose any sleep over the thought of leaving it behind permanently.

Especially if his having to rule the kingdom while you languished in the ancient halls could cause such a panic.

He hesitated at the door of your office, finding it was indeed locked when he tried to turn the knob. He knocked on the old oak once, twice, three times…but you did not answer.

So he opted to pound on the door, instead.

“Byleth!! Byleth, my love…are you in there? Can you hear me??” His fist hit the door again, with more urgency. There was an indent starting to form where he struck the wood.

There was no answer. He grit his teeth, hitting the door harder.

“It’s me, Dimitri! Open the door- everyone is worried about you! You must-” His hand went straight through the wood, and not a moment too soon.

The punctured hole, while embarrassing, did provide immediate access to the door knob on the other side.

Dimitri dismissed the damage done and opened the door, swinging it into the wall with another crack that likely destroyed the structural integrity of the poor thing.

The sound of wood splintering was enough to get your attention, however. You had been slumped over your arm at your desk, a quill halfway falling out of your hand when the sudden eruption of noise startled you awake.

Your eyes were wild with exhaustion and confusion, only to find a large, black and blonde blob storming towards you.

“Beloved!!”

You gasped at the sound of Dimitri’s voice. That  couldn’t be right, he was far away, back home in Faerghus…his last correspondence with you had been only a week ago.

This was surely a figment of your over exhausted imagination, right?

“D…Dima?” 

“Thank goodness, you’re at least conscious.” He exhaled heavily, rushing around the side of the desk so that he might place his hands on your shoulders. “I was knocking at your door and calling for you- did you truly not hear me?”

“Dima…w-what are you doing here?”

“Dammit, your skin is so pale. The shadows under your eyes- and you’re clearly underfed! Byleth, what has happened to you? How could this have happened?”

“I…” You trailed off, looking down at your hands which trembled in your lap. Dimitri followed your gaze, feeling his heart twist in his chest.

“Nevermind. You're in dire need of rest, Beloved. I will take you to our quarters immediately. When you wake up, I will have some food ready and waiting.”

“But…but Dima, how did you-?” 

“I received an urgent message from Prime Minister Seteth.” He explained simply, taking you up from your seat and carrying you from the office. “He said that you were neglecting your health, and it is quite clear to me that is the case.”

“W-wait, you don’t have to carry me, Dimitri, I-”

“I will not risk injury because you have not been taking care of yourself. I will see to it that you are well rested and well fed before you’re ready to have a conversation about your health. Am I clear?”

You fell silent, realizing that the firm yet gentle touch was indeed quite real. That your husband had arrived from across the land to come to your aid.

Perhaps you were in worse shape than you first thought.

Dimitri took your silence as a sign that you either conceded defeat, were falling asleep, or both. Regardless, you weren’t far from your bedroom.

The attendants and knights who were anywhere nearby as the king crossed the long corridors were quick to scatter, or politely avert their eyes as he tended to you.

With far greater care than when he’d “opened” your office door, he let himself into the Archbishop’s quarters and made sure to fasten the lock as well.

The world shifted around you, and you were suddenly in the soft embrace of your bed. Gods, how long has it been since you were lying there, of all places? 

Dimitri sat on the edge of the bed, taking your ankles up and resting your feet in his lap. He began to undo the laces on your shoes, handling you as though you were glass (a technique ingrained in him since he was little).

“Dima, you don’t have to do all this…”

“You need to rest, Beloved, and I have many, many months of tending to you that I must make up for. Please, allow me to do this much.”

You hummed softly, letting him finish his work on your shoes. Then he prompted you to sit up, slipping the coat from your shoulders and shifting the pillows so that you could recline far more comfortably.

His hand cradled your head, guiding you back down so that you laid fully across the bed. 

The covers weren’t drawn over you, though. Instead, Dimitri unclasped his heavy, fur-laden cloak, and draped it over you.

The overwhelming comfort at being surrounded by his scent nearly brought tears to your eyes. This was indeed your Dimitri. Not a figment of your imagination, this time.

You drew the furry cape closer to your face, nuzzling against the fabric with a soft sniffle.

Dimitri’s smile was sad, but the tension that had wracked his body seemed to have eased at the sight of you.

“Please, rest, my dearest. I will have food prepared and waiting for you by the time you are better.”

“Will you stay with me?” You whispered, as if the pull of sleep wasn’t already  taking hold.

Dimitri laughed softly, carding a hand through his hair. 

“I am still in full regalia, my love. I fear I will be a poor bedfellow.”

“Just until I’m asleep.” You insisted, “I…I missed you so much.”

As if he could say no to that.

Dimitri walked over to his side of the bed,   careful in joining you so that he didn’t dip the mattress and jostle you out of your far too comfortable position.

He propped himself up on one elbow, facing you on his side so that you might have full access to him.

And take advantage, you did. Dimitri flushed when you shifted over, burying your face in his chest and curling your fingers into his tunic. The soft clinking of all the metal bits and pieces didn’t seem to bother you. He wasn’t in his armor, but the formal layers of Faerghus’ royal uniform did not make for excellent nightwear.

The queen did not seem to mind, however.

“I’m so happy you’re here…”” You mumbled into his chest, feeling strong arms wrap wholly around you, drawing you in as close as he could.

“I have longed for you, terribly, in the time we have been apart. I could not bear to be away from you any longer when Seteth sent for me.”

“I must remember to thank him for his wisdom…I may very well have wasted away had he not asked you to come. It…felt so hard, going through all this work without you by my side.”

“It was no more joyful in Faerghus, I’m afraid. Ruling as king feels cold and empty without you there, right alongside me.” 

You nodded into his heartbeat, melting when his fingers worked through your hair.

There was no way you’d stay up a moment longer.

“But all that matters is we’re together now. And once we have you full and smiling again, I believe we ought to make plans to visit the countryside. The snow is glistening this time of year, up in the northern mountains…I can finally introduce you to the rarer parts of our home.”

“I would…love to…” You yawned,    wide and obvious.

Dimitri bit his tongue to keep from fawning. You were too cute when you weren't even trying.

“ Please rest, Beloved. I swear I’ll be right here when you wake. I will not leave your side again.”

“Thank you for this…and…thank you for coming… I'm so happy you love me so much.”

“As am I.” He kissed your forehead, squeezing you gently. “I have been yearning to see you for far too long. To hold you in my arms, even in less ideal circumstances…I could be any happier.”

“I love you, Dima.”

“I love you, too.” He beamed, before gingerly tapping his forehead to yours. “Now rest. Sleep. I beg of you.”

You smiled softly. Perhaps Dimitri was right; you were indeed long overdue for a good nap.

It wouldn’t be until seven hours later, well into the nighttime, that you came back around.

 But Dimitri was ready and waiting, a beautiful meal set aside on the nightstand and waiting to be enjoyed by the royal couple.

And of course it was immediately paid for by a mess of urgent kisses from wife to husband, wrapping your arms around him and rolling to lay atop him, your hands happily pressed to his chest.

How you missed that strong, thundering heartbeat.

The food would have to wait, unfortunately;  you both had much more pressing matters to tend to. 

Especially for the next seven days, as prescribed by the monastery clerics to prevent further burnout.

While you were certain Dimitri had some influence in this decision (ie, nearly all), you couldn’t help but relish every single second you got to spend, alone and warm with your fiercely loyal lion.

[butwhatifidothis]

I guess the ultimate thing that kills CF for me - or at least nudges it away from me saying I definitively like it - is just how much Edelgard is clearly written with the player in mind before she's written with her character in mind.

Because on all of the other routes, there's a power to Edelgard's presence. Even on BE, there's a sense that for as lonely as Edelgard might be, she still ultimately will do whatever it takes for her to get what she wants. Be that be killing her citizens (or otherwise letting them be killed), endangering her friends, assisting in kidnapping people, allowing Byleth to support her only when they have the Sword of the Creator, covering for TWS - no bar is too low for her to limbo under if doing so means she's even a step closer to her goals.

She's manipulative! She's deceitful! She doesn't care for the lives of her people! Even her friends are forfeit if they try to stand in her way! And this happens no matter how close you, the player, get to her, in the case of BE - C+ ain't stoppin' Remire, and going to the coronation ain't stopping the Holy Tomb.

And in the war phase, she is dominating the field. She has the Kingdom completely on the ropes, down to a few houses standing against Imperial rule, and the Alliance is stuck in neutrality - she may not be able to do much to it, but neither can they do anything to her (to say nothing of the Alliance houses who stand with her). She's far from the underdog in this race, and she shows off how threatening she can be.

CF? Her route?

She scweams at scawy rats. She gets embawwassed when you find her dwawings. She's just so wonewy, and she's just so gwad that you chose her. She somehow fails to capture Rhea, or frame Dimitri for regicide, and so now has to deal with that on the Kingdom's side of the war. But that doesn't stop Elly Welly-kins fwom twying to find her pwecious teacher, because you're just so important to her. She cwies and hugs you when you meet her in the Goddess Tower!! Because she missed you so much!!

It's like... Dimitri and Claude certainly show different sides of themselves on their respective routes. It's the whole point! You grow closer to them and thus see how they treat those close to them, as opposed to being the Kinda Neat Teacher they see run along every now and then. But, like... Claude doesn't become a blushing maiden whenever Byleth speaks with him on VW. Dimitri doesn't scream at scary rats and get called cute for it on AM. They don't get Basic Bitch Gap Moe Traits slapped onto them that are only ever shown to the player and only on their routes. Unlike Edelgard.

Dimitri's endearing trait is that he's this big huge dude who can bench-press forests and arm-wrestle god who still wants to learn to sew and who teaches kids to protect themselves and who buys candies for his friends. Claude's endearing trait is that he's this mastermind planner who has contingency and lie and obfuscation as three separate legal government names who still wants everyone to be safe and happy and hold hands and be friends.

Edelgard is strong, confident, and willing to do some of the shittiest things known to man for her goals. Her endearing trait is that her screams are cute. She's shy about her drawings of the player character. She blushes over the player potentially joking about having sex with her per her JPN version of her C support; you know, the one about how Byleth walks in on Edelgard muttering in her sleep from a nightmare about her tortured family? Perfect time to joke about fucking her! Dimitri and Claude's endearments are, well, endearing; Edelgard's are all straight up embarrassing for her.

Hell, even the smaller stuff is affected! Claude's passion for poisons and mushrooms are things he has no qualms about having others know about, despite how weird they are. Dimitri laughing at shitty jokes brings him no personal discomfort or embarrassment, despite just how loudly he laughs at them. They have traits to them that can easily be uwu worthy, and they don't care! Of the lords, only Edelgard does! Because, it feels like, the only way for a strong, resolute female character to come off as approachable is if she's knocked down a few pegs for specifically and only you, the player.

And that sucks ass! I'm sorry, but when I'm playing Edelgard's route I don't want to deal with her hiding herself away in her room for a month IN THE MIDDLE OF HER FUCKING WAR because she's just so embawwassed! It is so fucking insensitive that Edelgard is literally the only lord of the three who can have her trauma openly belittled at any point in the story by Byleth, all to have some cheap cutesy uwu moment about her fear of rats (calling her screaming in fear cute and INSISTING that it's really cute which is just. Fucking ew man)! Why can we fucking mock Edelgard's manner of speech during the MASSACRE OF REMIRE?

This shit doesn't happen to Claude or Dimitri! And saying "oh just don't pick those options then" is bullshit because no equivalent options exist for the male lords! It's piss-boilingly annoying that the second you choose to see things from the strong confident villainous ambitious female lord's perspective you can reduce her down to this bumbling moeblob just for you (sometimes unavoidably!) like!! Dude!

[plotthotrobin]

Do you guys ever think about Crimson Flower!Claude? Because I think about him often.

Imagine you’re the young Prince Khalid of Almyra. You’ve spent your whole life with one foot on each continent. Your parents encourage you to fight your own battles so that you can handle carrying the weight of the crown someday, essentially leaving you to flounder wildly in the deep end of a world that has essentially built itself to other you. Your half-brother has never been good at hiding what’s on his mind, but he doesn’t even bother masking his distain for you. Most people you meet are well-intentioned and usually treat you with the respect your title calls for, but it is hard to distinguish their polite smiles from the ones of those who secretly hate you for your very existence or have hired hits on you. Enough of them have decided that you are too Fódlani for them. You learn from a young age to not trust easily, to keep your cards close to your chest, and to always be prepared for betrayal.

Despite this, you truly love Almyra and its people. That is your home, your people. You want the best possible future for them, and you can tell that it isn’t just you who is suffering from this ongoing prejudice and fighting between Fòdlan and Almyra.

You decide to try your luck in Fódlan instead when you find out that you have powerful blood ties in the Leicester Alliance, and a crest to boot. You start going by the moniker of Claude. Your grandfather is nice enough, but keeps his distance emotionally. People are suspicious of you constantly - your vague background, your laid-back demeanor. It’s not long before you find out that Fódlan is just as bad when it comes to the way they talk about Almyrans - worse, even. It’s deflating, and infuriating, and exhausting… but you’re determined to change things for the betterment of both peoples.

So you make it to Garreg Mach at 17 years old, and this is when your luck starts to change a little. Dimitri and Edelgard, while uptight, are people with good intentions that can be reasoned with - a good sign for the future. Archbishop Rhea and the Church of Serios aren’t quite as open-minded, are clearly keeping a lot of secrets, and have an unsettling amount of influence over the people. You plan accordingly.

Most of your housemates are nice enough. They’re an entertaining bunch, to be sure. Lorenz is a pain in the neck, constantly voicing his suspicions of you and promising to figure you out. It’s annoying, but at least he proves to be somewhat reasonable. His heart is in the right place, too, even if his hair isn’t. Hilda makes the occasional offhand comment about Almyrans, but it seems to be out of ignorance rather than malice. You get in touch with Holst.

Then, Byleth shows up. They become the professor of the Black Eagles. A shame, really. They’re incredibly skilled, and you can practically feel all of the secrets buzzing around them. Despite you not being their student, they take the time to get to know you anyway. You subtly try to sway them into changing houses over cups of tea, shared meals, and games of chess. They look at you with blank, unsettling eyes - but those are the same eyes that that they look at everyone else with. They speak with a monotone calmness you find soothing. Despite yourself, you become fond of them.

Your attempts to get them on your side gradually become less subtle the more you spend time with them and the more that comes out about them. They can wield the Sword of the Creator? They have a crest thought to be gone completely? They allegedly absorbed the power of Fódlan’s goddess??? Not to mention they are kind, yet sharp as a blade. They always seem to have an answer, and they keep up well with your battle of wits.

One day, you get bold enough to ask them about religion. Their answer is pretty vague, but they nod in interest and listen as you talk about gods and goddesses beyond the scope of Fódlan. You half-expect them to scoff and shut down the conversation, especially considering they’re Rhea’s little favorite… but they don’t. They engage with these ideas wholeheartedly, acknowledging and expanding on them. Their eyes seem to see right through you and right into the core of your deepest secrets. For once, you don’t mind.

You need Byleth as an ally. Bringing Fódlan and Almyra together is a seemingly impossible task, but you just know it wouldn’t feel that way if Byleth was at your side… if you had one person you could truly rely on. You’re not in any major rush, though. After the school year is over, you might be able to convince them.

Except that doesn’t happen. Edelgard secretly ascends the Adrestian throne only to abruptly declare war against the Church of Serios. You don’t like the church either - in fact, part of your planning had involved potentially killing Archbishop Rhea - but you’re frustrated beyond belief. This disrupts everything you’ve been building over your time in Fódlan… and Byleth, despite your prior efforts, has joined her. Archbishop Rhea is progressively getting more and more unhinged. You’re left trying to comfort and prepare your terrified housemates, the closest people you have to friends.

The monastery falls. Of course it does, Edelgard has clearly been planning this for years. Byleth goes missing. You and the Golden Deer flee to the Leicester Alliance, scattering across the country as everyone tries to help their families brace themselves.

After your grandfather’s passing, you find yourself alone at the head of the Alliance. You’re young, inexperienced, and overwhelmed. Everyone is ill-prepared and the Roundtable is constantly fighting amongst themselves. You know that perhaps Byleth didn’t care for you as much as they did their Black Eagles, but you don’t know who else to write letters to - so you address unsent letters to someone who is probably dead.

After five years of managing to barely hold the Leicester Alliance together in the face of bloodshed and war, you receive a report involving the return of one of your favorite people. Byleth has somehow popped out of nowhere and, unsurprisingly, rejoined the Black Eagles. Despite all logic and reason, that decision hurts… but you also find it comforting, in a way. Even if you fail, there will be someone on this side of things that you can negotiate with.

You aren’t going down without a fight, but you make it clear to the other Golden Deer as well as Judith that they are to prioritize their own lives. You make them promise. You don’t know if you can bear the guilt of them dying for your pipe dream.

Battle after battle breaks out as the Imperial army invades the Leicester Alliance. One by one, your friends break their promise and fall. You feel the weight of their blood on your hands. The nightmares you once had of assassins standing over your bed when you were asleep and vulnerable gradually shift into visions of Byleth standing above the bodies of the people who die fighting for you. You personally write a letter of condolences to each of the families of your fallen friends. You have no time to mourn. You’re numb.

You have been a fool. You were so focused on Byleth, on a made-up reality in your head of leading a bright future with them at your side… that you didn’t stop to see just how much the people around you cared. They laid down their lives for you. It’s your fault. You did this.

Hilda and Lysithea are the only ones remaining by the time Edelgard reaches Derdriu. It’s your last chance to turn this war around - you gather all of your resources and pull all of your strings. You pull your friends aside before the battle and emphasize that if things get sticky, they are to retreat. You cannot lose them too. You make them promise.

Lysithea is the only one who keeps her promise. She takes Byleth’s offer and retreats to the enemy side when she’s out of options. You’re sad to see her go, but relieved that she is alive. You’re proud of her.

Hilda, much to your dismay, breaks her promise. You watch from afar as she dies on Edelgard’s axe. Red isn’t her color, but you’re proud of her, too.

And then at last, you’re face to face with Edelgard and Byleth. You hate Edelgard for doing this… but you also understand. You and her are cut from similar cloth, really. She’s just… far more okay with spilling blood to achieve her goal than you are, apparently.

You hate Byleth more, you think. You hate them for looking at you with such remorse. You hate them for treating your friends with such kindness five years ago, yet being okay with their deaths. But you care for them, too. You can see the weight of the war on their shoulders. The bags under their eyes mirrors your own.

You make your final plea to Byleth specifically, pulling every last ace out of your sleeve. You heavily drop hints about your true identity, promising to return the favor should they spare your life. Each word feels like bile on your silver tongue.

It hurts when Byleth makes the decision to kill you. Perhaps you should have seen it coming. You are the head of an enemy nation. Of course they wouldn’t offer you the same mercy as they did Lysithea. As you bleed out on their sword, you think you see hints of tears glistening in their eyes as they whisper apologies. You don’t know if it’s worse or better to be dying at the hands of someone that cares for you, at least a little bit. Is this how your friends died? With tearful apologies in their ears and memories of better times flashing in their mind? You smile, but it doesn’t reach your eyes.

It hurts even more when, alternatively, Byleth convinces Edelgard to spare you. Perhaps you hate them more for giving you an opportunity that most of your friends and allies didn’t get. They expect you to just… move on and live with all of this? You don’t say that, though. You express your partially sincere gratitude, promising to pay them back in the future. Byleth weakly smiles, but it doesn’t reach their cold eyes.

You go home to Almyra alongside Nader, trying to shake off the failure of the one who was Claude von Riegan. You are Prince Khalid once more: alone, jaded, and no closer to your goal than you were when you left. At least you’re alive, right? Perhaps you can negotiate with Edelgard and Byleth in the future and attempt to salvage the fragments of your pipe dream, right? That is enough to make up for the deaths of your friends, allies, and all of those Leicester soldiers who fought in your name… right?

Imagine you’re King Khalid of Almyra. You learned from a young age to not trust anyone, to keep your cards close to your chest, and to always be prepared for betrayal.