#why sothis came to fodlan? Why did she make children?

[tinnictheguardian]

Dimitri’s sins during his savage boar phase

What “evil” acts did Dimitri commit during his savage boar phase? This is a topic that keeps coming up because Dimitri is extremely hard on himself regarding his actions during his 5 years as a vagabond. So what does the game say?

In his notes it says:

1181 - Escapes the coup of Fhirdiad and becomes a vagrant. 1182 - Begins murdering Imperial generals/soldiers controlling former Kingdom territories. 1185 - Pursues Imperial troops and ends up at Garreg Mach.

During the start of the Azure Moon War Phase, Yuri tells you, “ You've been snoozing awhile, so allow me to fill you in. There's a madman roaming Faerghus. Imperial troops entering Kingdom settlements are destroyed seemingly overnight. Townspeople on the front lines are terrified, and yet they simultaneously treat this as though he's some sort of hero blazing through the land. Can't imagine their surprise when they realized it was their own prince. ”

Gilbert fills you in more with the following, “ As for myself, I only began to hope three years ago, when I chanced upon some compelling rumours. An Imperial platoon attacked without warning. Incident after incident of Imperial generals being slaughtered in Kingdom territory. It is said that each died in such a brutal, gruesome way that...it is hard to imagine they were killed by human hands. ”

What Dimitri says himself is, “These hands of mine have taken so many lives... Nobles and commoners. Adults and children.” 

I would like to note that Sothis refers to all the students, who range from age 16 to 21, as “children” and also, Fleche is both an Imperial soldier and a child because she is below the age of majority. But even by modern standards, killing Fleche is NOT a war crime because she’s an active combatant.

By modern standards, if you take Fleche alive you have to treat her as an innocent victim and do what you can to demobilise her. But if she’s pointing a weapon at you, you can shoot her. Obviously soldiers who are not total psychopaths would and do find the act of killing children, even in an active combat situation where said children are trying to kill you, soul-shattering. But the point is that you are allowed to kill opposition child soldier during active combat.

By medieval standards, which is what Fodlan follows, Dimitri is in the clear as long as the nobles, commoners, adults and children he killed were soldiers. Based on the information we have, it seems clear that Dimitri ONLY killed soldiers.

So the problem wasn’t WHO he killed, he only killed Imperial soldiers who were invading Faerghus, but HOW he killed. He was brutal and gruesome. This does seem to go against the codes of chivalry that Faerghus seems to hold and also I don’t think the Serios faith would preach it being okay to be needlessly cruel to your enemies.

Another thing to note is that Dimitri doesn’t do the dehumanisation thing when it comes to opposition soldiers. In his B-support with Byleth he recalls the time he came across a dead soldier’s body during the Western Rebellion when a minor, non-crest bearing line of the Blaiddyd family challenged his claim to the throne and Rufus’s regency. He says of the soldier, “ He was clutching a locket. Inside was a lock of golden hair.  I don't know to whom it belonged. His wife, his daughter...mother, lover... I'll never know.  He was a soldier. An enemy. Someone we had cut down without hesitation. But in that moment, I realized he was also a real person, just like the rest of us. “

So Dimitri was brutal to people he never dehumanised to make it easy for him to kill them. So he instead dehumanised himself. He was a monster, a beast, barely human and that’s why he wasn’t just killing but brutalising them. It was most likely a horrible negative loop. 

I am killing these humans out of rage and hate. They are invaders but they are still human. I cannot be human if I am committing these acts. I am a monster. Monsters have no mercy when people invade their territory. 

I can totally see this loop playing in Dimitri’s head and without his friends to check him, like they do in Hopes, we get the Dimitri we see in Azure Moon who is finally checked by Byleth. When he’s unchecked, as he is in Verdant Wind, he of course leads his friends and the last of his loyal followers to doom.

So, basically, Dimitri, didn’t kill anyone he wasn’t supposed to but was more brutal then he should have been. I think it will depend on individuals how grave they rate his sin of being brutal on the battlefield. 

[randomnameless]

What are the odds of, 20 years from now, IS releasing a 3 Houses remake but with:

most of the “uwu” moments removed

Edelgard being constantly and explicitly portrayed as a villain with characters calling her out on her actions

Massively reduced recruitment options

deeper worldbuilding for Almyra and Adrestia

Claude explicitly adressing that Almyra's just as much at fault for it's bad relations with Fodlan as the other way around and swearing to work to get them to stop pillaging and taking child slaves

TWISTD not being so story-breakingly OP

CF not existing at all, or at least being rewritten from the ground up and being fully finished instead of a glorified reskin of another route

Dimitri's friends, especially Dedue, supporting him and being important for his character development instead of just Byleth

Byleth being fully-voiced and having a very clearly-defined personality and beliefs, being an Avatar only in the fact that the player can choose a different name for them but otherwise being a normal FE protagonist

Rhea's S-support being erased from existence, along with her getting new supports with her family and friends and more plot relevance post-timeskip

Sothis' S-support also being erased, especially if CF still exists, and having her be rewritten so that she only gets her memory back right before fusing with Byleth, apologizing to her children for leaving them alone again but refusing to let Byleth die, staying unambiguously dead for the rest of the game

I highly doubt any of this will ever happen, mind, but if it did, 3H might just jump multiple spots into being one of the best FE games lol

Oh, anon :(

I'm afraid this will never happen lol

FE16's main appeal is the uwu factor, you have to feel bad for Supreme Leader who is sekritly the red emperor, even if she does red emperor things.

That's the basis on which FE16 was built, a lot of parasocial pandering towards Supreme Leader, which will make the player feel "sad uwus" when they will have to fight her, always wondering if they couldn't have picked her route instead.

(I say "sad uwus" and not "feel bad", because Fates made the player feel bad, by having characters react to Corn's choice, and Corn, in turn, reaction to all the salt and shit thrown at their face, as the result of their actions).

And while we could think FE16 is also a story meant to challenge the players, and have them realise they're interacting with biased narrators so it's up to them to find the truth and make their own opinion about the world - imo this reading, while a thousand times more interesting than "uwu be sad uwu" is, imo, not the one the devs prioritized, hence the constant supply of Hresvelg Grey.

As I ultimately came to realise (when nopes was released lol), no Fodlan game can circle around and ignore the uwu factor. Uwuing about Earl Grey and always being a carpet to some lord characters is part of Fodlan's DNA - the faves will always take precedence over the world/lore's coherence.

Clout wonders about Fodlan's isolationism and if it has any relationship with Seiros's tenets? No one, not even Hilda, will tell him that Fodlan might not like its neighbours because said neighbours are always trying to invade them (as she could speak for Almyra). Leonie and Claude wonder if they will get some sort of retribution for saying out loudly they don't believe everything good in the world comes from Sothis... when the Alliance is later revealed to be a place where no one really gives a fuck about religion, and when no line, on-screen, has been thrown around that could justify their doubt and worries (not even a random NPC dissing people for being students in the officer's academy even if they are not particularly religious).

Supreme Leader is another can of tea lol, but you get the meaning.

This is also why, I believe, we will never get WoH meaningful content (and not Epi wanting to use the power of friendship to help his genociding fwends!) because we can't uwu about it -

Much like every story centered on the Lions (even if AM got the Parley scene...), a plot hax has to happen to make you forget everything about the red emperor emperoring because now she's a puppet and nothing has ever been her fault and what is even agency and accountability ?

So we got the general "good old academy days" that Engage tried to push, and the recent Heroes alts -to avoid talking about post TS Fodlan, because IS doesn't want to talk about post TS Fodlan.

I mean, if you're not in FE16 with the various "Rhea maybe BaD bcs Nader raids Fodlan every monday to show everyone how large his penis is" and unable to meaningfuly interact with that world, all the "Crust System + IdEaLs" nonsense just sound like Ashnard's battle convo, and while Almedha still seems to be fond of him, she's the only one on Tellius who still has positive feelings about Ashnard as a person.

Tl:Dr : Fodlan's DNA is "Supreme Leader uwu" + "Rhea BaD" + "don't ever question the characters and nod when they say something ridiculous".

If you remove even one of those core principles, FE16 crumbles, so at that point, it wouldn't be a remake that would be released, anon, but an entire AU to the game.

[targentis]

okay, this might be super rambly but,,, Agarthans (note that most of the canon stuff about the Agarthans is like pretty vague? but i’ll try to cover most of it in a way that kind of makes sense)

IN THE BEGINNING, Sothis arrived in Fódlan in the area of Zanado. according to the church, she then like created all life, but who knows whether that’s true. the timeline is a little bit funky around here, but conflict grew between her and the local humans, and eventually some fought against her and probably destroyed large portions of the world. from Romance of the World’s Perdition:

To this end, the children of men have erected pillars of light upon the land. Thinis, Malum, Septen, and Llium were utterly destroyed. Those lands have vanished from this world. Yet even still, the False God stands. And soon, a flood aptly named Despair will drown this world.

this reads to me like the use of javelins of light, so the proto-Agarthans probably essentially nuked the world. they then fled the destroyed surface to inhabit what’s now Shambhala, and swore to one day succeed in destroying the Goddess:

The children of men fled to the depths of the earth, beyond the sight of the False God, beyond the embrace of the sacred sun, and beyond the reach of the waters of Despair. They swore a fervent oath of revenge against the surface world, ruled by beasts, and against their tormentor, the False God.

much time passed as Sothis healed the world, and at some point (unclear if it was before or after this conflict with the proto-Agarthans), she created the Nabateans. they became the rulers of the humans who now lived on the surface again. tensions eventually came to a head again, as humans grew dissatisfied with their Nabatean rulers, and the Agarthans took advantage of this opportunity. from the Nintendo Dream interview:

Those Who Slither in the Dark wanted to overturn this state of affairs (of the Nabateans as rulers) and as such, they devised schemes. They granted humans the technology to make powerful weapons from the corpses of the citizens of Nabatea, or so was their plan that they enacted, to which they went forward with this plan using the human, Nemesis. As a result, what would happen to humans who gained power… they would want even more power, and find a dragon much stronger to beat in order to collect materials forcefully, in order to make even more powerful weapons… and so that was the cycle that was born. And that was the birth of Fodlan’s Ten Elites.

of note, it seems like the Elites weren’t aware of what they were really doing, or of that Agarthan involvement. from Fragments of a Forgotten Memoir:

Why does Seiros despise us so? What did King Nemesis do to incur such unyielding wrath? Perhaps it was a mistake to accept his offer. In any case, that is all in the distant past now… ______and before this body falls to ash, the evil…

this is what led to the genocide of the Nabateans, as Nemesis + co. killed them off to turn them into Relics. Seiros survived, and eventually gathered the strength of the surviving Nabateans and supportive human allies, and defeated Nemesis and the Elites. with the end of this war, the Adrestian Empire, founded by Seiros’s good buddy Wilhelm, spread across all of Fódlan.

the Agarthans slithered back to Shambhala for a while. at some point, they also started a plan to bring back Nemesis and the Elites, though that wouldn’t be completed for a long long time.

there isn’t a whole lot of lore detailed for quite a while here, but several hundred years later (in the mid-700s), Loog, a descendant of the Elite Blaiddyd, led a rebellion in the northern empire. he got many of the other descendants of the Elites on his side, but they were still severely outnumbered by the empire itself. the Agarthans, wanting to sow discord in human lands, supported Loog in this endeavor. from Burnt Remnants of a Report:

…the Faerghus Rebellion. I harbor doubts about the army Loog has raised. How did he recruit soldiers without raising suspicions in the Empire? How did he acquire those mysterious weapons, so like Heroes' Relics? What is the true identity of Pan, the tactician rumored to have been integral to Loog's victories? And Those Who Slither in the Dark…

it appears that the Agarthans sent an advisor in the guise of this Pan to direct Loog, and supplied his forces with powerful Agarthan weapons to defeat the Adrestian forces and secure Faerghus’s independence. perhaps they hoped this would lead to a revival of Nemesis’s kingdom, given that it, too, was located in what’s now Faerghus, but the specifics are unclear.

regardless, it seems that they later lost hope in their plans in Faerghus. about a hundred years later, King Klaus I of Faerghus died, and the country split among his three heirs. although two of them reunited, this is what led to Leicester becoming an independent country. Klaus’s death may have been orchestrated by the Agarthans as another attempt at sowing discord in Fódlan to soften it up for their future schemes. also from Burnt Remnants of a Report:

The shadowed order of the Knights of Seiros believes that King Klaus I of Faerghus was assassinated… Everyone believes that his will, which demands the territory be divided among the three princes and fails to name a successor, is a fake.

could have been assassinated by someone else, but given that Burnt Remnants is an investigation into Agarthan activity, it seems that whoever put it together figured they were related.

things with the Agarthans seem to have calmed down for a while, or at least whatever they did wasn’t as obvious or relevant to the modern state of Fódlan. by the time period of the games, they seem to have upped their activity once again, causing chaos everywhere they can. they bodysnatched a few prominent figures, most notably Cornelia Arnim, the recently appointed court mage of Faerghus; Volkhard von Arundel, brother-in-law to the Emperor and uncle of Edelgard; and Tomas, trusted librarian at Garreg Mach. they used these positions and others to do things such as:

orchestrate the tragedy of Duscur. Cornelia (Cleobulus) convinced not-yet-bodysnatched Volkhard to bring his sister Anselma to Fhirdiad to escape court politics in Enbarr. Anselma took the name Patricia, and Lambert took her as his wife. as time went on, she wished to see her daughter again, and was convinced by Cornelia that she could do so by helping her orchestrate the tragedy of Duscur. Lambert got assassinated, as did some of his closest advisors and guards, but Anselma only participated on the condition that Dimitri lived, so he was spared. she herself disappeared during the tragedy, and was never seen again. (the fact that the people of Faerghus responded by blaming and committing genocide against the people of Duscur doesn’t seem to have been in the Agarthans’ original plans, but given the fact that they’re Evil, i don’t think they’re too upset about it)

Crest implantation experiments. House Hrym tried to secede from the empire, with assistance from House Ordelia just across the border, but their rebellion was put down by Adrestian forces. House Hrym was killed off, and House Ordelia’s territory was occupied. Agarthans who had embedded themselves inside the Adrestian power structure took this opportunity to experiment on House Ordelia’s children, which Lysithea survived, having received a second Crest. afaik her siblings died? it’s likely, at least. later on, after the Insurrection of the Seven, they did the same thing to House Hresvelg’s children. all died (or ended up in a practically dead state) except Edelgard, who took to her second Crest better than Lysithea, thanks to the extra practice the Agarthans had gotten.

the assassination of Oswald. the Agarthans set up some Demonic Beasts along the roads of Leicester. this led to the death of Oswald, the current Duke Riegan’s son (and Claude’s uncle), as well as Raphael’s parents, who were merchants along that route. Count Gloucester was implicated in this plot, which heightened tensions in Leicester as well.

god knows what they were doing with Flayn. they probably wanted her blood (possibly to use it in their Elite resurrection experiments?) or maybe she was just a red herring to allow for Kronya to infiltrate the monastery as Monica, who had disappeared a year prior.

that kinda covers up to the start of the game!! idk if you were looking for background lore, or also events that happens during the course of the game. i can rant about those too if needed

cited sources and everything too! damn!

thank you for this incredible resource yet again. with the map of fódlan you also made, my fics will be researched to hell and back <3

[faroreswinds]

To me, the fact that Sothis willingly shared her tech with humans makes me think she could have been not a conqueror but a refugee (Nabatean… maybe that whole air problem for dragons in Elibe got worse) But knowing those people, that still means they’re coming in to take over. Especially having children on Fodlan soil. Just can’t win. :/

Honestly, we really CAN'T be sure.

There is some merit to the idea that maybe Sothis and the Nabateans maybe were not all what they were chalked up to be... but it's hardly convincing when the Slithers are so blatantly evil. We are meant to root for the main cast, no matter what side we join. The Slithers are always against you, and from that view are never viewed in any sympathetic light, so any concept that maybe they had a good reason to rebel against Sothis is like trying to say the water is still good to drink after you poured a lot of salt into it.

From dev interviews, we do know that the Nabateans basically ruled as gods... although, that alone means nothing. I think many fans tend to view this as an instantly negative thing, but by itself it isn't inheritably bad. I like to think of it as something akin to Middle Earth, where obviously greater beings were the ones in charge. In Tolkien's world, there were men of greater birth, it wasn't just a subjective concept forced upon the people through weak education and manipulation. Aragon was legit of a mighty line of men, and that came with actual power and biological advantages. Galadriel was a mighty elf compared to others of her race because she saw the light of the two trees, and her immortal life and great wisdom basically made her a goddess in her own right. The men of Rohan, while noble in their own right, were descended from lesser men than those of Gondor.

I think these concepts make many people uncomfortable, because they have a hard time separating fantasy from reality. In a fantasy, there can totally be a greater line of men and be nothing evil. If you view the work through the moral and cultural lens of your own upbringing, then you invite judging such situations as wrong, or something inheritably bad. And the idea that a race of beings could legit be better than YOU, the player/reader, might make people frustrated.

Nabateans are objectively superior to humans. They live longer. Have greater powers. You could even argue created better technology than humans ever did. It would only be natural that they fell into leadership, godlike roles. Being in a godlike role is a neutral stance on its own, but since many people, especially Western fans, see this as a manipulative role rather than perhaps a supportive one, will read that sentence and think "They controlled humans!" rather than the other reading, which could be "They merely protected or guided humans".

Sort of cycling back to the Slithers, I could present this potential scenario: long ago, they felt that they were controlled by Nabateans, and wanted freedom. When they rebelled, they lost because Sothis is an objectively more powerful entity. The humans in Foldan now are merely new creatures that Sothis created and thus, are nothing more than animals. Well, there is nothing wrong with killing animals, so they see no reason to take a mortal issue with killing said nu-humans on their quest to take back their world. After all, it was their world first!

This would be a very interesting concept to have in the world of Foldan. However.... as I said before, it's soured by the idea that we are meant to root against the Slithers, not sympathize with them- Sothis is meant to be viewed as an objectively good figure, and much of what I just presented is speculation at most, and not hard fact.

It's easy to see why many fans feel that maybe the Slithers Had A Point TM, but usually I find fans who truly feel this way also feel this way in service of supporting their stance against the Church, Rhea, and the Nabateans in general.

Which is.... kind of ironic.

[butwhatifidothis]

I have thought it would have been a hella better game if Sothis had been the protagonist too! Here’s how I imagine it would be like:

Byleth is the actual reincarnation of Sothis and the child-Sothis we see at the start of the game is actually her subconsciousness. Sothis/Byleth is still the emotionless mercenary with no social skills when the game starts, but she does become more and more emotional and expressive as she begins interacting with specifically Rhea, Flayn and Seteth, her old family. They do form a bond with the lords and the students though (I think the dynamic in AM as a close friend is nice) and most of Byleth’s thoughts are shown through child-Sothis’ commentary.

They can still have the “protagonist being ignorant about Fodlan” thing going on, but with a little twist that it is actually because Sothis keeps confusing the old Fodlan of her era with modern Fodlan and gets blinding headache all the time but actually that is her getting flashbacks. Because of this Jeralt took them away to Morfis (which didn’t exist in her time yet) and they only returned recently after being hired by Rodrigue who had them take care of some bandits in the Kingdom (that is why she has heard of the Tragedy but doesn’t know the details of it).

For example, when she leads the class to the Red Canyon, she mistakenly thinks it is a big, prosperous city that is supposed to be the capital of Fodlan and the lords and Rhea have to explain to her the legend of Zanado. Then she faints and gets a flashback of a beautiful city called Zanado with many humans and dragons living together in peace and unimaginably sophisticated technology located in the exact same valley. She confuses a lot of places with old Fodlan too. To her, Arianrhod is still a small fishing village, Fhirdiad is a food paradise and tourist’s attraction, Goneril is the capital of Agartha, a neighbouring belligerent nation, Enbarr is an ordinary small town where she landed when she first crashed into Fodlan, the Valley of Torment is a fertile valley with a large population focused on agriculture, the Church of Seiros is supposed to be called the Church of Sothis instead and she doesn’t know what the knights are because such concepts did not exist in her time nor Morfis, etc.

Of course, because she often gets so confused by the current Fodlan, the lords and Rhea still have a lot of explaining to do every time they have to travel somewhere like they do in the game. Claude becomes very suspicious of her too.

When she gets attacked by Solon, child-Sothis merges with Sothis, now reincarnated as Byleth, and regains her memories and power as the goddess and from now on her emotions and stuff are back. Then a cutscene showing Sothis’ memory of how and why she came to Fodlan as an alien, how she created the Nabateans and passed her knowledge to the humans in Fodlan, how Fodlan thrived as a nation of Nabateans and humans living together, how Agartha rose as a highly technologically advanced belligerent neighbouring country in the east and how Fodlan and Agartha fought in a war that devastated the entire world so much that she spent centuries healing it until it finally began prospering again and she went to sleep. In her memory we are also shown that the Nabateans all had symbols like the current crests of the 12 Elites and we are misled into thinking those with the crests are the descendants of the Nabateans. The cutscene then ends abruptly when Sothis is jolted from her sleep and the last thing she sees is a wicked man (Nemesis) raising an axe on her and a young girl’s screams that she knows it’s her daughter Seiros.

She is very confused right now because apparently the world she knew is just completely forgotten by the people, and apparently five of her children founded an empire called Adrestia with a human an entire thousand years ago. She knows they can live longer than 1000years and realises they must still be alive now and wants to find them. She also doesn’t know how she died too and is rather panicked that she will be killed again if word gets out she is Sothis. Ah, and she is very curious of the true identities of the 12 Elites as their first names were not recorded and shared the same crests with some of her children. Sothis worries if they were her children who adopted a different surname because that would mean her children fought amongst each other and may be they destroyed each other to the point that Fodlan was in such a ruin that no one remembers the old Fodlan now.

After this cutscene showing the old Fodlan under Sothis’ guidance ends, Byleth who has now remembered her life as Sothis and regained her full power, wakes to Rhea singing a lullaby very popular in old Fodlan so Sothis thinks Rhea may know something about the old Fodlan, but she is paranoid because she thinks there are parts of her memory missing and does not know for sure if Rhea is trustworthy. As a result, she doesn’t immediately tell Rhea she is Sothis and Rhea is not aware that her mother has already come back.

Rhea suggests having Sothis sit on the Holy Throne to jolt her memory and she accepts, hoping to remember what happened to her after the man with the axe showed up. However, before she can sit on the actual throne, Edelgard comes in with her soldiers and battle begins. Then the Imperial army attacks the Monastery before Sothis gets a chance to investigate and talk to Rhea/Seteth/Flayn. Sothis is completely stunned when Rhea turns into a dragon to protect the people because she finally realises Rhea is Seiros all along. She goes back immediately to protect Seiros when she is in danger but gets hit by Thales’ magic energy balls and falls down the cliff. She manages to tell Seiros she is Sothis before falling down the cliff though.

From this point, the route differs into the three non-CF routes.

SS will be a more personal story about Sothis trying to recover her memory and finding out what happened to her family. Sothis will also slowly realise Seteth and Flayn are her family and Macuil and Indech will also join them on this route to help rescue their little sister. Unfortunately, none of them can tell Sothis what exactly happened on the day of the Red Canyon Tragedy because Seiros was the only survivor and the four of them weren’t present in Zanado at the time. They can only tell Sothis that the five of them banded together with Wilhelm, a human and later Seiros’ husband and fought with Nemesis and his 12 Elites who tried to conquer the southern half of the continent and subjugate them to his tyranny. They can confirm the 12 elites were not their siblings and just magically got the crests of their family via unknown means. In the end Sothis rescues her daughter and storms Shambhala. The family are happily reunited and strive to rebuild Fodlan together after Rhea explains what she did to Sothis in her infant state.

VW will be a story about Sothis and Claude learning about what happened to old Fodlan and Agartha. Claude notices that Sothis has been reading up on the founding of the empire/church and the legends about the 12 Elites/saints too. He suggests they team up because he is also doing the same thing. Sothis tells him about the truth of her identity, her missing memory and the old Fodlan she remembers. This clarifies things up for Claude so Claude actually opens up to Sothis and begins trusting her as a friend and the rest follows canon. Rhea will explain what happened in the Tragedy and the fates of their family. Sothis and Claude take down Nemesis to avenge herself and her family. They also learn that Agartha is why Almyra and Fodlan fight all the time.

AM will still focus on Dimitri and the Kingdom but this is how I would frame the story: Sothis thinks the Kingdom nobles descended from the 12 Elites are the descendants of the Nabateans and may know something about her children and what happened to them. Sothis asks Dimitri if he has heard of the Nabateans. Dimitri doesn’t know anything but promises he will help Sothis investigate into this. Everything follows canon until Cornelia’s death, who not only taunts Dimitri about his stepmother but also mocks Byleth that she is assisting the descendants of the 12 elites who slaughtered her entire family 1000 years ago in a war against the descendants of her own children. Sothis in the end comes to term with the possibility that Dimitri’s ancestors might have killed her and her family and continues to support Dimitri as she believes he will make a good king while Edelgard is currently a terrible ruler who has caused the suffering of thousands of people.

CF, on the other hand, will be a much darker story. After Sothis wakes up to Rhea singing to her, she gets to choose between “ask Rhea” and “ask Edelgard” about the saints and the elites. If “ask Edelgard” is chosen, Edelgard will ask why and you can choose “tell Edelgard the truth”. She will lie and convince Sothis into helping her by telling her that Seiros and the four faints did a major cover-up and they were the ones who killed sothis and turned their blades against the rest of their siblings for power. The man Sothis saw in her memory was a bandit hired by the five saints to kill sothis and the other children, known as the 12 elites now, banded together to resist Seiros around a heroic mortal that is Nemesis. When they lost, Seiros hunted down the 12 elites, crafted weapons from their bones and gave their blood to her own allies. The church then lied to the people again that the 12 elites were helping her because one of the five saints didn’t want people to remember their siblings as villains forever. Her own ancestor wilhelm helped Seiros in her unjust war for power and she intends to make things right now and asks if Sothis wants to be a part of that. If Sothis refuses her offer and expresses her scepticism of Edelgard’s claims, the game will immediately end because Edelgard will kill her.

If chooses “yes” then you enter the CF route. Edelgard tells Sothis she intends to declare war on the church to take down Rhea and take back the lands occupied by the evil descendants of the people who slaughtered Sothis’ children, aka Faerghus and Leicester. Edelgard, however, tells Sothis she intends to capture Rhea so Sothis will be able to ask Rhea the same questions to prove her claim. They do not return to the Monastery for the Holy Throne ritual and the coronation scene and war declaration scene play instead. When Sothis returns to the Monastery, she is with the Imperial army intended to conquer the Monastery. Sothis confronts an infuriated Rhea, who is extremely mad about her betrayal, and asks why Rhea/Seiros sent the assassin on her and killed her siblings. Seiros quickly realises Byleth/Sothis is in fact the reincarnation of her mother, but Edelgard notices that and has Thales attack Sothis from behind to prevent Seiros from telling Sothis the truth and swaying her to their side. Sothis falls off the cliff and Seiros tries to kill Edelgard for turning her mother against her and killing her again before she retreats to the Kingdom.

Five years later, Sothis wakes up and rejoins Edelgard��s army only to find out the Empire is on the brink of collapse against the combined might of the Kingdom-Church-Alliance with only Garreg Mach, Gronder, Fort Merceus and Enbarr left in their control. Not all of the Black Eagle students are fighting on their side either - Ferdinand, Dorothea, Petra and Caspar have abandoned the Empire and are fighting for the Kingdom-Church-Alliance army while Linhardt and Bernadetta simply refused to join the war. Instead, Ladislava, Fleche, Randolph, Count Bergliez, Arundel and Jeritza have become your new units.

Sothis continues to help Edelgard in the war and they quickly reclaim the territories lost to the allied powers. As they continue to push forward, Sothis encounters Seteth and the other three saints too (Indech and Macuil joined Rhea after learning of what Edelgard did to Sothis) on the battlefield. They will try to tell Sothis the truth and you have an option between “question Edelgard’s claims and spare them” and “believe in Edelgard’s words and kill them”. If the former is chosen, the game will end immediately as Edelgard will backstab Sothis instantly if she knows Sothis has turned against her. The rest follows canon, but Seiros will try to tell Sothis the truth again on Tailtean. Sothis will be killed if she believes Seiros instead of Edelgard here too. Heartbroken and traumatised by the fact that her mother has killed all of her only remaining family members and has already tried to kill her twice and is about to come and kill her again, Seiros transforms into a dragon in Fhirdiad and sets the city to fire once the citizens have been evacuated, hoping to bring down all of her enemies including her mother with the fire in order to avenge her friends and family.

In the end, Sothis kills Seiros as canon but loses her power and immortality as a goddess because it was Seiros’ magic that kept the creststone alive, and without the protection magic on the stone it would just be an ordinary stone and couldn’t function as a heart. Sothis almost dies without a working heart but the Agarthans save her by a heart replacement surgery on her using Seiros’ heart on the condition that she will give them the Crest of Flames creststone and the sword and share her blood with them regularly. Everything else continues as canon and the route can end with a realistic dark ending (everything crashes and burns) or a fake happy ending (the one in the game).

YOOOO dude this is great! Byleth as a character is so uninteresting, at least to me, because the only actually interesting thing about them is something that was done to them, not something they did. Byleth was born without a heart and was given the heart of a long-dead Goddess to let them live - neat! Intriguing! But nothing else catches your eye like that about them. They live on as a mercenary who apparently only wanted to ever ask questions about anything ever at all once they get to the monastery. The biggest thing they’ve done is make a name for themselves for how well they fight in battle. 

Now, we pivot the idea of Sothis being the protagonist, that’s where things start getting interesting. She fell from the stars and created new life? She helped humans prosper in knowledge only to have that knowledge be used for evil? She healed all of Fodlan from the devastation caused by the war humans enacted and fell into a sleep because of it? Those are all things she does that are worth getting to know more about. Her being murdered during her rest by another greedy human and was reduced to nothing but a dormant consciousness for a thousand years being coupled with the “being given the heart of a long-dead Goddess” being what was done to her isn’t the only interesting thing about them anymore. That’s all stuff that offers so much to the player to want to delve into, especially with a character who is gradually more and more vocal about their want to learn about themselves, with thoughts and feelings about what happened to them, what happened to their family, what they did in the past they can’t remember. 

I especially like all the ways you can just get a game over in CF - in a way that reminds me of that one mission in Sacred Stones where if you beat the boss you get an insta-game over since he was your only way to progress the story lmao, except this is turnt up to 11, and instead of punishing you for being a dingus and fucking up the plot, in a way it’s trying to save you from becoming a kin-killing pawn to a tyrant.

About the only thing I might have a bit of a ehhh with is Agartha being why Almyra and Fodlan feud, just because I find them feuding due to themselves and not a third party to be more interesting to me (personally! That’s just for me lol, it’s not an inherently bad notion!), but thanks you so much for sending this!! 

[umbralstars]

Alright now that I've talked a bit about his province it's time to talk about the man himself. We should all be aware of the few bits of canon info we got about Rufus, but here's my own general thoughts about his character and the relationships he has with his family.

Rufus is 13 years older than Lambert and wasn't exactly thrilled when his parents decided to make Lambert heir instead because of him possessing a crest while Rufus didn't. Rufus understands logically why Crests are useful for rulers to have (the legitimacy they offer along with a powerful Relic if a ruler needs to defend the state is useful and he won't deny that) but doesn't believe a Crest necessarily makes one automatically a good ruler. Recognizing early on the faults in Faerghus' system of governance, and feeling like he has something to prove, Rufus was hell bent on leaving his mark on Faerghus whether he's king or not.

Rufus is actually an incredibly intelligent politician who studied not only the governing systems of old, but also tried to learn as much as he could about foreign governments so he could reform Faerghus. He's been reform minded since he was a teenager. Even spent a good portion of Lambert's formative years impressing his ideas onto his younger brother, until Lambert knew enough to start coming up with his own ideas and debating solutions with Rufus. While the brothers were never the closest, Rufus implicitly trusted Lambert because his brother was just willing to trust and listen to him and that meant a lot to Rufus. He did more than his fair share of criticizing his younger brother, but at least he knew Lambert could find appreciation in that.

As Grand Duke of Itha, Rufus had a certain view on wealth and how a government should be structured.

He firmly believes that wealth should be used to glorify the state through great public works and that a well educated populace along with a well fed and protected populace led to the greatest societies. He still lived large and made it known, but he had a more patriotic attitude towards his wealth and believed he had a moral obligation to spend it on Faerghus' greatness. Under his rule, Castell Itha went from a cultural backwater in Faerghus to having one of the largest public libraries (something that would be replicated in Fhirdiad with Lambert turning the Fhirdiad College of Sorcery's library into a royal one open to the public) in Fodlan and having better urban planning than many cities in the Empire. He personally encouraged the creation of great works of art, poetry, and new magical techniques all for the good of Faerghus. He believed that Faerghus could be a cultural powerhouse and he was going to make it so by Sothis.

Rufus' aspirations weren't just limited to Itha either as he was of the opinion that Faerghus' incredibly decentralized governance style was holding the Kingdom back from greatness. Ever since Loog, the Kingdom had been an almost confederation of various states who paid homage to House Blaiddyd and the royal court but devolved so much power on internal matters they were functionally independent. The Kingdom's codes of chivalry were mostly developed and lauded by the crown as a way to retain some centralized authority and respect, but the various states in Faerghus could pretty much beef with each other as they pleased. Nowhere worse was this problem than in the northern reaches of Faerghus. Because much of the north has sided with Loog there was never any consolidation, so the north was made up of hundreds of duchies, counties, baronies, etc that could give the Holy Roman Empire a run for its money.

Rufus saw all of this as a blight on the Kingdom and made it his life's mission to fix it when he became Grand Duke. Lambert and him were working towards a goal of essentially a federalized monarchy with a strong centralized government. It's the entire reason he started to consolidate power and take out anyone who dared to get in his way. He also has a very 'my way or the highway' outlook on the other noble houses and wouldn't hesitate to screw them over if they don't fall into lines or prove to him that they're incapable of leadership. 

Rufus can also be incredibly petty and spiteful if he feels he's been offended in some way. House Galatea is the big example of this. Galatea had been having financial problems for decades before hand, and the Count spurning Rufus on his betrothal request for peaceful inclusion in the Grand Duchy he considered a grave insult. Rufus didn't incite the rebellion as some claim but he did capitalize on it because he wanted to show how weak Galatea was and undermine the Count's authority. A more bloody example came when a smaller noble house in his domain tried to kill Rufus and his heir to take the riches for themselves. While they failed on both counts, Rufus decided to purge the entire family and their supporters with having the ringleaders tried and executed leaving the rest to flee for the Alliance.

The only House he begrudgingly respects is House Fraldarius because he does consider Rodrigue to be a capable leader and they do somewhat get along. They encountered each other a lot and, while Rogrigue is critical of Rufus' certain proclivities, they were able to be amicable to one another. He dislikes how many nobles fled to House Fraldarius due to the perceived aggression on the Grand Duchy's part. But for him, as long as Rodrigue was on Lambert's side with the reform measures he can share power in the north. He and Margrave Gautier have always disliked each other for numerous reasons, but the two don't clash over territory so they can tolerate each other's presence.

Rufus is also a mixed bag of being extremely charismatic, but pretty much only becomes so to woo people or get what he wants. In all other aspects of his life Rufus was domineering and stubborn with his beliefs and in his social life. He was and still is extremely piss poor at handling emotions and this includes his own. He could also be cold and ruthless when it came to pursuing his goals and was willing to do shitty things to get results.

Speaking of doing shitty things yes the man is a prolific womanizer, and every single relationship he has with the women in his life and his children is unique. He does frequent brothels and has done so since he was in his late teens. He courts heiresses to incorporate their houses into his territory or for purely political gain. Many of the children he has had may very not consider him a father at all simply because he's never been in their lives for whatever reason. At bare minimum he makes sure his mistresses and his bastards have at least a comfortable living situation, but that's about it. Rufus is obviously not incapable of loving people or considering his children family, he just doesn't a lot of the time while he never wishes ill upon them. There are a few instances where this was not the case and he was much closer to his mistresses and children, but they were honestly few and far between.

Since I mentioned his family other than Lambert and Dimitri it’s OC time. 

Rufus and Emyr

Darya Artemi was probably one of the few women Rufus ever truly fell and love with. He initially approached her in the same way he had heiresses in the past with just intentions of courting her along with her soon to be lands, but somewhere along the line he genuinely did fall for her. When Emyr was born and it was discovered he had a Major Crest Rufus jumped on the opportunity to make him the heir. They never did legally marry, but she was Duchess Consort in everything but legality. Darya was mostly fine with having an open relationship with Rufus as long as he was around for her and their children.

Rufus as a parent is just as domineering as in every other aspect of his life. He could be caring but extremely strict as well and pushed for perfection in everything Emyr did. He wanted his son to be the perfect heir for the province he was building, and be like him in many aspects. Emyr did love his father and wanted to live up to every expectation.

When Darya died, Rufus experienced one of the first major depressive episodes in his life. He pulled away from his children, threw himself into work and all of his vices, and became even harder on Emyr than he was previously. If her death wasn't enough, some of his mistresses felt an opportunity to get ahead and tried to fill the void or even remove Emyr on a few occasions. The houses never really leveled out again and both Emyr and Rufus clung to the perceived stability they had before Darya's death to their relationship's detriment. They never could come close to breaching those vulnerable waters.

When Emyr ran away with Katya, it came after years of strife between him and his father that did permanently damage their relationship. Rufus was devastated when he lost Emyr and Katya along with a good portion of his family. He grew even more depressed, lost control of the court entirely, and never could form anywhere close to a good relationship with his nephew. He lost a good number of relationships during the four years before his death in friends and family. He spent the last years of his life guilt ridden, dogged by horrible rumors, and trying to keep together a country which was begging to rip itself a part. 

For Emyr's part, he never did wish for his father to die in the way he did. In some ways he did love Rufus even after everything. Emyr is like his father in many ways and terrified of becoming him in many others. 

TL;DR: Rufus is complicated.

[pokemagines]

future child. (byleths x reader)

other fics in this series! alfonse // sharena \ fjorm & gunnthra // loki \ michalis // shigure \ zelgius // chrom \ ike // hrid \ ninian // soren

female byleth is named “beleth” in this fic as to not confuse the two !! its just another name for the demon byleth is named after so :O !!! 

Wide-eyed, blinking slowly, Quinn looks around the wide expanse of the noisy corridors of the Askran palace. It was much different than Quinn remembered, though the castle he was from was much more dour and run-down. The sparkling energy resonating off the walls was also new, heroes discussing happily amongst themselves, challenging others to a sparring match, or napping lazily in the sun filtering in through the grandiose windows.

Had he not been on a mission, Quinn would’ve joined the sleeping manaketes, tucking himself under a wing and curling up for hours on end.

Peeking around the corner, he manages to spot a hero he knew vaguely. It was Annette, much younger than he remembered her, but still humming loudly just as he remembered she always did -- even on the darkest of days. Deep within him, he feels the urge to smile, but it doesn’t register on his features.

‘What are you grinning about?,’ He hears Sothis’s voice in his head. Quinn steps out of the way as the ginger skips past him, seemingly on her way across the castle. ‘Annette is still the same, it seems’. Quinn nods, still scanning down the hallway for either one of his parents. He hadn’t seen them in so long, for a moment he wonders if they’d still be the same as he remembers them, like Annette was.

“Why are you standing there for?” Quinn turns slowly upon hearing the voice, Sothis seeming to be spooked as she jumps from her intangible form behind him. “Looking for someone?”

“It’s you.” Quinn whispers, wide eyes growing wider.

“It’s… me?” You put a finger to your chin. “You know me? I don’t think I’ve seen you before…”. The blank expression reminds you a lot of Byleth, but surely that was a coincidence? You had summoned younger versions of heroes before, so that was possible an explanation. Though, you don’t know how the child Byleth would know you.

But Byleth had always been an enigma -- so you wouldn’t be surprised.

“You’re my parent,” he blinks, quickly grabbing your hand. “We should go find papa”.

Had he not referred to his father as ‘papa’ he would’ve almost reminded you of an adult. It contrasted heavily with his appearance, you would bet he couldn’t be much older than six. 

“Summoner,” speak of the devil, but not the right one. “We must talk.” Beleth smiles sweetly at you, her hand holding onto a child that looked eerily similar to one you were holding onto. The only difference was her hair was a bit longer and tied up in pigtails, everything else -- height, build, facial expression -- was much the same. It makes your heart drop, was this your kid as well?

“I’m Quinn,” the little girl mumbles, kicking nervously at the floor. “And y-you’re my... other parent! I’ve been looking for you for so long...”

“But I’m Quinn?” The Quinn holding onto you tightens his grip. He wants to pout, but the being napping deity inside of him is sparse to let him -- forcing an emotion to the surface was nearly impossible for him. “Are we…?”

“The same?” Beleth’s Quinn finishes his sentence, it's then you realize just how similar their voices sound.

“Summoner, who are these people?” Byleth shows himself, a puzzled look on his face as he crosses the stone, boots clicking with every step. The twins both turn to look at him, almost as if in unison. Had the situation not been so strange, you might have made a joke about them sharing the same brain cell.

Quinn pulls himself out of your hand and runs over to Byleth, looking up at him with a hand up, motioning for him to grab it. Byleth holds his hand without a second thought.

“Well, it looks like we have a lot of… talking to do.” You laugh out nervously, eyes darting between the four of them. None of them look angry, just mostly confused. Why did all the strange things happen to you?

‘Yeah, no kidding,’ Sothis yawns from behind, waking up from her nap to take everything in.

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

“So… you’re saying that I’m both of your parents?” You look from Quinn to Quinn, the two of them nodding in unison. You pinch the bridge of your nose, feeling a headache coming on. As much as you loved Byleth and Beleth, the thought of being a parent so early was a horrifying thought; especially out of the blue. 

“This is a lot to take in.” Beleth whispers, nervously fiddling with the hilt of her sword.

“Yes, yes it is.” Byleth sighs, arms crossed in thought. “I never expected to have children so early. We aren’t even wed yet.” Yet, the implication makes a flush grow on your cheeks.

“But having both of your children?” you bury your face in your hands, you hoped they wouldn’t think you would cheat on them. Sure, you were flirty with the both of them, but you weren’t exactly dating either of them. Courting in Askr was much different than it was where you came from, people seemed to get married here much more quickly. 

“I mean we are the same person,” Beleth leans back against the desk in your room, arm resting on the edge of it. “Same soul and all, just a different universe. Like how there’s another version of me here, with Lady Rhea. Who’s dating Lady Rhea.” Beleth shakes her head as if it was ridiculous to even think of it. Of course it would be preposterous for her to think; considering she comes from the timeline where she took sides with Edelgard, effectively making herself the number one heretic in all of Fodlan.

Byleth smiles, a rare gesture you don’t have the pleasure of seeing often. “I fear to see who the other versions of me ended up with as well.”

Beleth scowls, “don’t worry about them. It seems we ended up with a good person, our summoner.” You flush scarlet under the both of their loving gazes -- so much different from the emotionless duo you remember first summoning. It seems merging with Sothis and being around heroes opened them up emotionally more than you would’ve ever thought possible.

The Quinns sit side-by-side on the floor, looking between all of you as you talk; not grasping everything said but listening intently as if they do.

“S-so you’re both okay with this?” You say, “okay with... me being with the both of you? B-because I wouldn’t mind. I do... well, I think it would be best to talk it through later tonight.”

“Yes, that would be for the best,” Beleth replies, “I think I know what you’re going to say, and I feel the same way if so.”

‘Hm, your parents are most peculiar,’ Sothis floats around the two, ‘definitely different than when I was with them’.

“Miss Sothis says that you both are weird.” Quinn pipes up, tucking a stray bang behind her ear. The room gets so quiet you can hear a pin drop, before three voices yell in unison:

“Miss Sothis says what?!” 

[narutsuart]

Edelgard’s backstory and why she blames Crests/Church(Spoilers Obviously):

So I’ve noticed that some people were a bit confused about El’s backstory and why she’d ultimately blame the church for her tragedy and the state of the world. Understandably so, because as much as I love this game they don’t do a great job in explaining it outright. That being said there is enough lore and suplimentary lore, to read in between the lines.

Note: this is NOT a write up on whether she’s right or wrong, it’s purpose is simply to clear up some muddy details in the lore and help explain Edelgard’s motivation and perspective.

Ok so here’s where actual spoilers roll in...

Insurrection of the Seven and the Tragedy of Enbarr:

Those who have played Black Eagles route will know that Edelgard’s tragic past involved the experimentation of her and her 10 siblings. In her C+ support with Byleth she says that the one responsible was the prime minister Duke Aegir, (Ferdinand’s father). Now anyone that was paying attention will know that Thales and those who slither in the dark were the ones that performed the experimentation on Edelgard. When we see the Flame Emperor(later revealed as Edelgard), and Thales speaking, he calls the Flame Emperor “their greatest weapon” and mentions imbuing the Flame Emperor with the blood of the “defiled beast” aka the goddess. Then we get confirmation in the part two: Crimson Flower from Hubert they are indeed responsible for the expiramentation. So did she lie about the prime minister?

Well no, not quite, you see in part one of Black Eagles Edelgard hints her true intentions several times in the story because more than anything she wants her allies and professor to walk her path with her. Of course she has to worry about blowing her cover so she did have to resort to half truths throughout part one. While it’s true that she and her family were experimented on by Thales(the leader of those who slither in the dark), in order to endow them with the Crest of Flames and in-turn become a powerful weapon. It’s exactly as Edelgard says it was ultimately the “prime minister and his gaggle of nobles” that allowed for her to do so. When Thales conducted the expiraments on Edelgard it was when he was under the guise of Volkhard von Arundel, brother of Edelgard’s mother Patricia von Arundel. Due to Patricia being wed to Emperor Ionius IX( Edelgard’s father) Volkhard was granted power as well as the title of lord. He comes to simply be known as “Lord Arundel”. With Volkhard’s new station and power he was able to play a big role in instigating an event known as the “lnsurrection of the Seven”. A soft coup that occurred within the Adrestian Empire in Imperial Year 1171. Duke Aegir, backed by a cadre of other corrupt imperial nobles. The nobles being: Count Bergliez, Duke Girth, Count Hevring, Count Varley, Marquise Vestra, and of course Volkhard von Arundel. They in-turned stripped Emperor Ionius IX of much of his power, relegating him to a mere figurehead while Duke Aegir became the true authority behind the throne. Remember that Thales under the guise of Volkhard von Arundel and used his position to manipulate the prime minister and the other nobles into the experimentation on the Hresevelg royal family as well as various other unsuspecting victims( Lysithea and her family) in order create “a powerful heir for the Empire” (while Thales real objective is to make a champion to destroy the church and children of the goddess.) All of the expiramentation was conducted in secret, implied to be imprisoned underneath the castle grounds of the Adrestian Empire.

Important Note: I want to clarify the expiramentation does not take place in Shambhala it’s heavily implied Edelgard has never been to Shambhala and seen those who slither in the dark at large. We know this because in Hubert’s posthumous note sharing the directions to Shambhala, says he was only able to detect it’s location due the Javelins of Light. The reason why those who slither in the dark use them sparingly is because they can be traced back to their domain.

The reasons why this all comes back to Rhea/Seiros and the church is because had she not lied about the true nature of the Crests, Saints and Elites and created an elitist nobility system where those without crests are screwed, and those with them rise to power, then Fodlan wouldn’t be led by a bunch of corrupt power hungry nobles who seek to further their power by any means necessary. You see regardless of intentions Seiros essentially creates a rift in society, by saying the Crests are a gift of the goddess passed down through nobility she allows the nobility of Fódlan to develop an abnormal sense entitlement as they believe their Crests are blessings from goddess herself. This system is what allowed corrupt nobles like Duke Aegir to rise to power, and ultimately diminish Ionius’s power making him helpless to stop the experimentation and consequential murder of his children. It also allowed Volkhard aka Thales to slip into the Imperial nobility and keep the empire under his thumb and gain influence over a decent portion of the Adrestian Empire. Thales would’ve never been able to accomplish all he did if the nobility system wasn’t so corrupt. The issue of corrupt nobility becomes even worse in the current era as it’s noted that Crests are starting to diminish and noble houses are desperately trying to keep their power. Even still despite the current system failing its still perpetuated by Rhea and the church’s teachings and due to the vast influence the church has it keeps things the way they are, as nobles can justify their rise to power as simply fullfilling the goddess will.

Fódlan’s History:

Now one of the biggest criticism towards Edelgard is her lack of understanding of Fódlan’s true history, but to be fair though it’s not like it’s her fault. Throughout her life she’s had a far more accurate understanding of Fódlan’s history than most characters in the game. I think it’s important to see this from her perspective. Ever since she was young she had been privy to important knowledge that had been intentionally hidden for thousands of years by Seiros and the church. Some things that were hidden like how the Ten Elites created the Heroes Relics, that the story about Nemesis Seiros was heavily altered, and more importantly that Fódlan had been secretly been led by The Immaculate One and her fellow children of the goddess. All that she knows is this monstrous creature in human skin had secretly been leading the world, altering history and stagnating humanity for over a thousand years with the Crest and nobility system and using the church as a front to do so. While Edelgard’s suspicions of why Rhea uses the church are wrong she is ultimately correct that Rhea was using the church as a front(she admits to such in her S support). Even as her time as Seiros she was trying to facilitate the rebirth of the Sothis which led her to conduct her “questionable” experiments to do so. I digress, a misconception is that Edelgard’s understanding of the history of Fodlan came from those who slither in the dark or that she was flat out lying to Byleth. It’s not either of those, Edelgard isn’t dumb enough to simply believe those who slither in the dark after all once she no longer needs their power she seeks to crush them, and after choosing Edelgard she’s always sincere about everything to Byleth. The real reason she is missing details is because her ancestor Wilhelm I (Wilhelm Paul Hresvelg) who had been allied with Seiros in the War of Heroes, passed down the true history of Fodlan to his successor and it went from emperor to emperor, so all sorts of details became lost due to practically being a huge game of telephone. Due to it being passed emperor to emperor it can be assumed that she received her information from her father. Considering her love for her father it’s no surprise she’d believe him and have no reason not to. Edelgard thinks she knows the true story of Fódlan already so it at least makes sense that she wouldn’t risk asking Rhea for the truth, considering she’s been hiding the truth for over a thousand years. Regardless of whether Edelgard is getting an A+ in history class, the thing she seeks to change is the Crest and nobility system as well as take down the corrupt Church of Seiros. By the end of every route these are all things that either get completely abolished, or revised in some way or form.

(I don’t imagine a hypothetical scenario where Edelgard confronts Rhea about the truth going well, Rhea always waited to the last possible moment to give the lore dump and in Golden Deer she’s rather hesitant to tell the truth despite the danger knocking on Fódlan’s door. I would not be suprised if she branded Edelgard a heretic)

Hopes for the world and Views on the Faith of the Goddess:

Edelgard wants to create a world of opportunity. One where people can rise to their position because they are best person for the job. One where all aspects of a person is taken into account instead of simply their status or whether they have a crest. As she says a world where people can rise, and fall by their own merits. A lot of character’s problems in the game has to do with their status as nobility, their crest and the misfortune it brings or the struggles they endure due to a lack of a crest. In Edelgard’s Fódlan people are free to pick their lot in life, if settle mediocrity so be it, and if they aim high they must be prepared to work tirelessly to achieve it. Edelgard simply believes in power of humanity. A lot of the characters in the game have this misconception that Edelgard seeks to create a world where only the strong survive, and a world without faith in the goddess. They have this believe that just because Edelgard seeks to crush the Church of Seiros, that she also seeks to get rid of the faith the goddess as well. That some people need their faith in of the goddess in order to get by and she’s essentially trampling over all those people. While it’s not exactly clear how she’d handle the faith in other routes as she ultimately is unsuccessful, in Edelgard’s route she makes it abundantly clear that she’s simply an enemy of the current church and not the faith. She even says this practically word for word against Rhea in Chapter 11 of Black Eagles.

Edelgard is what we call a Nay-theist. A fictional character in a fictional setting that has real gods and simply doesn’t believe that they need them. Edelgard is well aware that the goddess and children of the goddess existed and that she essentially established Fódlan, but she also believes that people shouldn’t put blind faith in that the goddess will take care of them. She thinks that people should take charge of their own lives. That being said she doesn’t seek to enforce this on people as recruited characters of devout faith like Mercedes and Marianne will comment on how Edelgard doesn’t discourage the prayer to the goddess. Her support with Manuela also shows that she is not above understanding the perspective of those who believe in the goddess.

Alliance with Thales:

(Check my reblog pls!!)

[arkus-rhapsode]

My thoughts of the Church of Seiros, Rhea and the portrayal of their teachings

So this is kinda a companion piece to a previous post I wrote on Edelgard and how FE3H handled perception. And much like that post, this will contain SPOILERS and a bit of rambling.

Now, the reason I felt like writing this is in my Edelgard post, I had stated that I found her a phenomenal character, but I ultimately reject her end goal. Instead preferring Claude’s answer of the church might not be perfect and at the very least it should reveal the true history of Fodlan, but it is preferable to a return to an imperial rule. But that of course leads to the question, do I support the Church of Seiros and its goal?

Now this was a question that I had a hard time answering because unlike the Duma Faithful or the Grimleal or even Naga, its not exactly specified what the “teachings of the goddess” are. With the Duma Faithful, we know that they embrace teachings of militarism and lack of empathy. As for the Grimleal we aren’t given the actual motives, but there is clear emphasis on predestination and considering they worship a destroyer, it can be seen as a form of nihilistic worship.

Then you have someone like Naga, that really humanity put on the pedestal of worship, but doesn’t take an active role of guiding humanity through teachings but rather provided mankind with godly tools like the Falchion. And this speaks to reflect each god’s personality respectively. Duma is a believer in strength of self, Grima is a living apocalypse, and Naga pulls herself away from conflict.

But now we get to the Church of Seiros. We do know the goddess Sothis protected all of Fodlan and had her race of children. So it makes sense that Seiros’s knights feel that need to overlook all of Fodlan or act as a mediating force. But knowing Sothis’s personality and what she did in the past, we don’t really know what her teachings are.

This is further compounded by Seiros herself. As she has spread the teachings of Sothis, but also distorted certain factors of history to benefit her. Its likely she did not receive a revelation from the goddess and more came to the conclusion of using her influence to temper the worst in humanity. Seiros having said that crests were gifts from the goddess and that the 10 Elites were allies of Seiros. This is all false as crests came about due to the Agarthan slaughter of the children of the goddess and using their blood to make crests and bodies to make the heroes relics.

Now we know Seiros and 4 of her priests survived and naturally had crest abilities and Seiros then allied with the first Adrestian Emperor and gave them her crest naturally. So this calls into question why?

Well as previously stated, its to temper the worst in humanity. And that makes sense as the Agrathan hubris nearly destroyed Fodlan and had led to making crests and empowering people like the Ten Elites. So it is very likely with this crest based society, Seiros knew that with the Ten Elite likely having descendants (because their lines are still present to this day) that she decided to lie about crests being from the goddess to convince those who would gain crests to use them for the greater good.

Unfortunately, its likely that involved inflating the egos of those who believed they were chosen by the goddess and thus allowed them to develop more power and reverence. But since those with crests weren’t banning together to form another Ten Elites and trying to ascend to godhood themselves, its likely Seiros didn’t care then. While it wasn’t Seiros/Rhea who said “Hey, Margrave Gautiar, your son doesn’t have a crest, disown him.” She still made an environment where that kind of mentality could happen.

But regardless of the distortion of history and we do see that there are times for this church. It acted as a mediator between Adrestia and Faerghus after the war of the eagle and lion. And in that situation where Loog had thoroughly triumphed against the imperial forces. If Adrestia continued fighting instead of negotiating, its likely that many more would’ve died in vain of reclaiming Faerghus. So having Seiros act as a neutral bastion was beneficial in that time when the empire ruled all of Fodlan. We also see humans who do believe in what the Goddess taught. Lonato and the Western Church are clearly pious people. But they reject Rhea as overseer of the Goddess’s teachings.

And that brings us to Rhea/Seiros herself. Now I had stated that I was okay with the Church of Seiros existing for many of its positive aspects, but I believed the people deserved the true history and that Rhea herself should not be leading the church.

Now like Validar and Jedah, Rhea is a character and thus you get a more solid picture of who they are as well as how their relgion may be reflected through them, instead of the complex vagueness of the practices of a church we don’t fully know. Rhea does assign students to attack bandits and those who turn against the church, but most of time, those like Kostas are actually bad people. But there are people who are mercenaries who Rhea doesn’t seem to persecute or preach that they’re wrong.

So it shows that Rhea has absolute authority in the church, she is not as totalitarian as Jedah However, she is still guilty of human experimentation to revive Sothis and hanging onto Agrathan technology for her own use. Now it seems to be that other members of the church have no idea about this. That Rhea herself was acting without the church knowing.

Which goes to the idea that put forward that the church’s existence is not bad, just the actions of their leadership in their personal time is bad. Because whatever way you wanna slice it, that Rhea didn’t invent the Golems or she didn’t originally come up with the crest making process, she did still selfishly utalize them.

Now, to be fair, while she has ushered in a society that values crests (which could be considered still possible without the church of seiros as both the Adrestian Emperor and the Ten Elites would have crests no matter what), she was not sending armies of golems to enforce this totalitarian regime. So while she’s willing to use the abhorrent tools of the Agrathans, she’s not going using them to the extent of which they would use them.

So that’s why, I believe that the church itself is not a bad presence. Unlike Edelgard, there are people who value teachings of Sothis while still opposing Rhea as the head. And that is something that can be expected because of organized religion. You’ll get teachings that are ultimately good, but you can still get someone at the top who using it for their own agenda. If Rhea was removed and replaced with a devout believer like Catherine or Lonato, who believe more in the teachings of the goddess and not using it for their own gain, I can totally vouch for its existence. And consider that a more palatable reform than declaring war on it to completely remove its influence.

However, it still does lack definition of those teachings. Unlike the Duma Faithful or Grimleal, I understand what their religions are about and I can say those are beliefs systems I wouldn’t want to practice. But it seems very likely that was intentional as Duma and Grima have very basic teachings that you can glean what its like and have a simple acceptation or rejection of their beliefs. So under the assumption that the teachings of Sothis are ultimately ones of love, virtue, acceptance and neutrality, I again stand with Claude’s answer of telling people the true history of Fodlan and letting them have the freedom to choose if they wish to continue following the Church of Seiros.

[jtavington]

Silver Flower AU

This has been my project for the last few weeks. Byleth makes one last attempt to reach Edelgard and fate intervenes. Trigger: respiratory distress

Red light gleamed a few feet ahead and two pairs of footsteps sounded. Byleth tensed. Edelgard carried a ball of magical flame in one hand and gripped Dorothea firmly with the other. Dorothea's lips were pursed, but she looked neither frightened nor injured. Edelgard had dispensed with her crown and regalia, wearing a tunic of deep purple. Her unbound hair made her look as if she were playing truant from the Academy instead of reigning for five years now. Her cheeks were gaunter than they'd been half a year ago, and creases furrowed around her eyes and between her brows. Byleth's gaze fixed on the black band Edelgard wore on her right arm. Byleth took a half step forward. Who do you mourn for? she wanted to ask. She didn't. Tonight of all nights, it was a ridiculous question.

Edelgard scowled. “Stay where you are, Professor.”

“You came.” Weight slid from Byleth's shoulders.

“And you two took so many foolish risks to bring me here. I felt obligated to come.” She released Dorothea and motioned her towards Byleth. “And I was curious what you could have to say to me. Our last meeting made your feelings toward me quite clear. As does the army encircling my palace.”

“I wanted to tell you...” Her mouth went dry, The Crest of Flames made people listen when she talked, but it couldn't give her the right words. There was only the pain in her chest that she'd carried since the Holy Tomb. “I'm sorry. You were the dearest of all my students, and I failed you. When you talked about changing the world, I never asked you what you meant or if there was anything I could do. Well, I'm asking now.”

Edelgard was silent for a long moment. Then she laughed, a low mirthless sound, like a death rattle. “I used to dream of hearing those words. And now it's far too late.”

“No, it isn't. We've made mistakes. Me most of all. No one likes children disowned or treated like brood mares because of Crests. Give us Rhea and tell your troops to stand down, and we can fix things.”

“You want me to yield before you speak of compromise.” Edelgard's eyes were hard. “The Church of Seiros knows only how to spout honeyed words while doing whatever they please. The only way to change Fodlan is to unite it and purge it of false gods.”

Byleth pinched her nose and closed her eyes in a silent prayer. She would have gladly slept another hundred years if it meant she could save what remained of the Black Eagles. She needed the gift of eloquence as she had never needed it before. "What about Adrestia? Those were the people your father made you swear to protect. You don't need to conquer the whole country to keep them safe."

"Don't bring Father into this." There was a warning, dangerous edge in her voice. "I swore new oaths, to the people of Duscur and Sreng. One was genocided, the other annexed, because Fodlan as it is now cannot abide those who deviate from the Crest system. If I let things in Faerghus and the Alliance continue as they are, a thousand generations yet to be born will rise up to accuse me of shirking my duty. The Church will undo my reforms the moment I'm gone."

"No, they won't." Byleth took a deep breath and tried to hide the tremor in her voice. Edelgard's voice, her unshakable will, could rouse someone to mount a barricade in her defense anytime she pleased. It was their shared gift as bearers of the Crest of Flames, but Edelgard had the advantage of having set on her path long ago while Byleth...doubted. A church that banned autopsies and telescopes might undo political reforms just to keep things the way they had always been. Unless the Goddess herself told them otherwise.

"No, they won't," she repeated with more conviction. "I'm their Enlightened One, Sothis come again. I'll make them change." She took a step forward, and this time Edelgard didn't stop her. "Take me hostage as a guarantor of reform if you need to. I'll take Rhea's place in the dungeons."

There was a flicker of something in Edelgard's eyes. Hope. "Why? You have only to strike me down tomorrow and your war be over. Do you care for the Archbishop so much that you don't want to risk what I might do?"

"No." Dorothea's voice cracked and her eyes were bright with tears. "Don't you get it, Edie? You're the one we don't want to risk. We love you. All of us."

Edelgard staggered back as if Byleth had struck her with the Sword of the Creator. “Don't,” she whispered. "You're lying. I'm the heretic who wants to tear down everything precious to you. You were destined to abandon me. It took me three years to heal my heart and you broke it again. Now you speak of love?" She made a noise in the back of her throat that started as a laugh and ended as a sob.

"We do." Byleth dared another step forward. "We're the Black Eagles. Family. I love you and if I have to spend the rest of my life as your prisoner or at the negotiating table to prove it, then so be it." She held out her hand.

Edelgard looked down at her hand. Byleth held her breath. Please believe me. I already killed Hubert and that's enough for one lifetime. You trusted me so much five years ago. Just once more is all I ask.

A roar ripped through the countryside loud enough to shake the ground. What little color Edelgard possessed drained from her face. Byleth's hand went to her sword. Electricity crackled along Dorothea's fingers, and Edelgard drew her dagger. They all knew that sound: a Demonic Beast, close and drawing closer.

"I'm guessing that's not one of yours," Byleth muttered.

"My allies are careless about where they perform their experiments. Or the subjects." Edelgard gritted her teeth. "You wanted us to be allies? You're about to get your chance."

The beast lumbered into view. It was a big one, far larger than the ones Edelgard had commanded at Garreg Mach or Gronder. Poison dripped from it's gaping maw, dripping on the grass and turning it brown before her eyes. They had killed creatures like this before, but always with the help of a battalion or a Relic. Now they had neither.

Edelgard struck first. The magical light became roaring flame and she lobbed the ball straight at the monsters head. The hilltop glowed with purple light as magical flame met magical defenses. The Beast flinched and roared but did not retreat. Dorothea let fly lightning. Again, the beast merely roared. They had to try something before either claws or poison were the end of them. Byleth summoned the power of her Crest and leapt into the air. She drove her blade into the snout, where magic had already struck. Black blood oozed from the wound.

Byleth didn't get a chance to enjoy her victory. She felt the ground and slipped on a loose stone. She threw her hands out to regain her balance, but it was too late. She fell to her knees, and the wounded Beast roared once more. Hot breath rushed over her. So too did the corpselike stench of the poison. Byleth forced herself to look up. If she was going to die because of a stupid rock, she could at least look death in the face. Hubert must be laughing, wherever he was.

"Professor!” Edelgard and Dorothea screamed almost in unison. Strong hands slammed into her side rolling her out of the way as the Beast spewed forth its venom. Drops splattered on her cloak, leaving holes as if it had been singed. She twisted and her breath caught in her throat. Edelgard had pushed her out of the way. Her reward was a thick covering of the purple liquid. She screamed.

Byleth clenched her fist and the scene froze. She forced herself to exhale in and out. What had Edelgard been thinking? What had she been thinking, trying such a flashy attack? Only a true goddess could have moved fast enough to push them both out of the way in time. The poison of a Demonic Beast was a terrible thing. It was, first and foremost, a paralytic agent. Muscles refused to work even weeks or months later and deformed the face as one side was able to move and the other was forever frozen. Worst of all was what it did to the lungs. The victim would asphyxiate within minutes without a physician. Even the strongest and healthiest were nothing before it. And Edelgard was covered in the stuff.

She drew her finger in a slow circle. Time remained still. She's tried again. Nothing.

Byleth couldn't move, couldn't think, either to reverse time or free it. This was Fate? That Edelgard die because Byleth had tripped? Something wild and rebellious kindled within her. No, she wouldn't let this destiny stand, not when destiny had led her only to a river of blood. No doubt the pious would say that Edelgard deserved such a horrible death. She was unrepentant, no matter how hard Byleth had prayed a few moments ago. Maybe this was nothing more than the perverse answer to her wish that she not have to face any more of her students. Well, a Goddess who answered prayers that way could go to the flames.

Time began again and Byleth forced herself to her feet. She summoned a pulsing white light of holy power. "Dorothea, now!" Electricity and the power of the Goddess combined in a riot of color that left the beast thrashing before it fell to the ground like a stone. Byleth rushed to Edelgard's side. She hoped that she wasn't too late.

Edelgard lay sprawled face-up. Her eyes bulged, her face froze in terror, and her limbs splayed at awkward angles as the venom worked its way through the body. "Not like this," Byleth whispered. She transformed the holy power into the warm glow of healing magic. If she couldn't get Edelgard breathing again, nothing else mattered. She focused on Edelgard's chest as healing power left her. She couldn't purge the poison, but she could force Edelgard's lungs to work despite it. The magic pulsed and breath was inhaled and exhaled in time with the perverse metronome. Edelgard's eyes widened. Fear. Pain. "Shh. I know it hurts. But you need to live. Understand? I won't let those rats and their filthy experiments have the last word.”

[loyalflutist]

Fifth Time Around (Prequel) (f!Byleth x Edelgard)

Rating: Mature Archive Warning: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death Words: 3,568 Summary:  The Divine Pulse is a powerful ability granted by Sothis to turn back the hands of time. However, with each cycle, Byleth is one step closer to being by Edelgard's side. Upon receiving her happy ending, what happens if Byleth decides to strive for the impossible with another Divine Pulse?

*This is a prequel to the upcoming Final Fantasy Type-0 x Fire Emblem: Three Houses crossover series. However, it can act as a standalone Edeleth OS.

A/N: This is more for my own guilty pleasure and making my own food since no one seems to be writing about this crossover. I decided that a prequel should be in place in order to set the mood and circumstances for the series. However, this OS can act as a standalone Edeleth fiction, so one can read it without any need to read the series. I had fun writing this! Kind of makes you wonder if there's ever going to be a revelation route for this... but at the same time, makes you not want it. Hope you enjoy it! I enjoyed writing it. 

Next Chapter: [to be edited]

----

It has been exactly five months since she had been a professor at Garreg Mach Monastery. It has been exactly one day since her departure from Garreg Mach Monastery. It has been exactly five hours since her encounter with the Knights of Seiros and Adrestian Empire’s troops. It has been exactly three hours since she lost Jeralt in the clash. It has been exactly one hour since she last saw Edelgard von Hresvelg.

A shudder ran down Byleth’s spine, the seated professor pressing the Sword of Creator close to her chest. Byleth, Sothis, and a few surviving members of Jeralt’s battalions currently hid out under a stony shelter, the thunders roaring ferociously in conjunction with the pouring rain late into the night. They were fatigued and sustained numerous injuries. (Were it not for the lone healer in their group, they would have all succumbed to their wounds by now.) Byleth wearily stared at the man-made fire as her remaining comrades slept against the wall; the shadows continuously danced amongst the rocky terrains of the ground with each flickering of the flames. Byleth struggled to stifle her yawn.

“Aren’t you going to sleep?”

Byleth glanced at the nearby floating girl. Sothis, the all-powerful and all-knowing goddess, had features riddled with concern. When Byleth shook her head, Sothis loudly exhaled.

“It’s unfortunate that the war has begun much earlier than expected,” Sothis murmured with arms crossed, her gaze now elsewhere. “As expected of that child.”

“…Could I have been the cause of it all?”

“Perhaps.”

“…”

It crushed her. This fifth cycle amounted to nothing more than tremendous agony and unwarranted heartaches.

The first time, she sided with Dimitri because of his beliefs.

Byleth liked him. He was a young man for a brighter future. Dimitri was always so gentle with his comrades. He was always a people's person. The way he carried himself drew Byleth towards him. However, his true nature would leak out on occasion, his startling dark demeanors overwhelming the instructor. When Edelgard initiated the war, the Faerghus prince bellowed out as if he were a beast. His words coated with poison and burning lust to tear Edelgard’s head off her shoulders… Had it not been for Byleth’s presence, he would have spiraled into nothing more than a man seeking vengeance for everything that went wrong in his life.

“I grow weak when I face you…”

Edelgard’s final words struck something deep within her chest. It didn't help that Edelgard intentionally lowered her guard and held back on her strikes. That nearly caused Byleth to falter in her final attack as she, Dimitri, and the Blue Lions watched the vermillion lord fall. Surprising how a single sentence, a timid, almost quiet remark would be so powerful.

At that time, Byleth did not understand what Edelgard meant to say. Or rather, she chose not to understand what Edelgard meant to say.

The deadlocked war finally settled to a conclusion. Members from the Kingdom of Faerghus all cheered for their well-deserved victory. As for their professor, Byleth did not wish to continue her service under Dimitri’s ruling. It was time she earned her rest as well.

She proposed to Mercedes. It was her first love and the older female graciously accepted the proposal. They retired to the outskirts of the Kingdom of Faerghus. Mercedes would volunteer and run a charity organization for the orphanages throughout Fodlan. Byleth would tend to their farm and place food on the table. A simple life many yearned for. The two remained married until Mercedes died from old age.

As Byleth merged her soul with Sothis, her god-like longevity eventually outlasted all her comrades. The world moved forward and she is by herself. Seteth, Flayn, and Rhea would occasionally visit her, but not for long. They too would pass on from this world. And at that very moment, she found herself staring at the nameless, worn tombstone where Edelgard von Hresvelg laid to rest.

“…”

Byleth soon laid down next to the buried emperor. Could it be because she's lonely all these past decades that she decided to visit an old enemy? But why this enemy? Why this particular person and not someone like Claude? A melodic tune that's closely related to the little vermillion princess’s voice softly hummed in the air. It lulled the retired instructor into a deep slumber and encouraged her to be enveloped in the warmth of the song. If only Byleth could turn back time… If only she could ask Edelgard what she meant by those uttered last words…

Byleth closed her eyelids, sleeping by Mercedes and Edelgard, and never awakened.

Yet it appears the Divine Pulse worked in her favor. When she cracked opened her eyes, she found herself staring at Jeralt. Originally, Byleth expected to be finally sent up to the heavens. After prolonged periods of life on earth, the ex-mercenary yearned for nothing more than eternal slumber.

“Let’s go, kid.”

Turns out, Byleth’s physical appearance not only reverted back to its original state, but the female also stared in horror as the entire day began to slowly unfold itself in a predictable manner. Every interaction, every movement, every reaction… It was as if she turned back the hands of time!

“Did I surprise you?” Sothis later appeared. She bopped the mercenary on the forehead and smiled. “I’ve given you another chance to deal with those regrets.”

The Divine Pulse is a wonderful ability. Byleth was sure she would not waste this opportunity.

The second time, she sided with Claude because of his plans.

She respected him. Claude’s endeavors, track record, and perky attitude colored him in a brighter light compared to the Blue Lions’s House Leader. Yet his carefree personality hid a rather sly version of himself. The young man was not as foolish as he appears to be. Questions that were meant to be answered finally unveiled themselves that surrounds Those Who Slither in the Dark and the Church of Seiros. Byleth was also one step closer to figuring out Edelgard’s feelings and opinions towards the now-Golden Deer’s professor.

Unfortunately, Byleth found herself fighting not just against Edelgard again, but against Dimitri too. The three nations that once stood in the practice field for a friendly tournament five years ago now fight for survival and bloody victory. Weapons were tossed and exchanged. Blows landed and missed. The number of casualties steadily rising to unfathomable degrees. Byleth tearfully steeled herself when she faced members of the Blue Lions. Many of them mourned and expressed grief when she tore them apart, the tears running down her face as she impaled her Sword of Creator into Dimitri’s chest plate.

“Professor… why…?”

Those were the last words from the person that she ringed in her past life. Byleth wailed into the ironic sunny day with Mercedes in her arms. Endless tears spilled forth from the professor as the crimson gash that penetrated the holy maiden’s chest continued to flow with magma fluid. She had struck down students from the previous cycle with little hesitation due to a lack of familiarity. Yet when it came to the Blue Lions, she did so with a heavy heart. Byleth leaned forward and buried her face into the soiled woman’s shoulder, her weeping almost never-ending. It devastated her to murder the one that she once called her wife.

Claude had to pull her back to reality with a slap on the shoulder. The young man knew the heavy burden that rests on her shoulders as it did for everyone in the Leicester Alliance. However, it would be unfair if she were the only person left behind. Everyone had no choice but to recover. With that in mind, Byleth eventually recuperated and regained her strength to move onward.

“I wanted to walk by your side…”

Those words were different from when she was with Dimitri, but those words still haunted her. The two had finally faced one-on-one with each other and Byleth was the clear victor. But Edelgard had begged for her to be slain by Byleth. If anything, she wants Byleth to be the only person to kill her, and so she delivered.

Blood slowly trickled from the Sword of Creator’s tip as the professor stared at the fallen emperor. Then, Byleth grit her teeth.

Why did Edelgard have to say this? She still couldn’t understand what she had meant by those words. If Edelgard wanted to walk by her side, why can’t Edelgard just drop everything and join her and Claude’s vision for a better future? Or is Byleth simply deluding herself again and wished to look away from the damages she had done?

“…”

After the war had ended, Byleth found herself married to Claude, though this was more of a political move in order to maintain peace and balance between Fodlan and Almyra. They’ve never had any children and simply passed the royal title of Almyra to the next heir. For Byleth, she continued to act as an important figurehead for Fodlan well after the natural death of Claude and her comrades.

She eventually finds herself looking at the same nameless tombstone again. Here lies the young girl who wishes to be by her side and someone she had to kill once again. Byleth brushed her fingertips on the stony exterior as her eyelids closed once more. This lifetime came to a standstill with the passing of the Enlightened One from Fodlan, her funeral held for countless days.

Yet once more, Sothis turned back the hands of time. "You still have your regrets, don't you?"

The third time, she sided with Rhea because of circumstances.

This was more so out of anger and frustration from Byleth. The instructor, usually so composed and collected, flew into a fury when she realized the dangers Edelgard had posed against the Church of Seiros. Having to choose between the two women, Byleth bore the blunt end of the former Black Eagle’s House Leader attack, her arms shielding the holy maiden from further harm. Disappointment and sadness colored the white-haired’s features. She looked away, retracted her axe, and bit the bottom of her lip. Dorothea had come up to cast a healing spell on the professor as Byleth trucked through the pain.

Byleth taught the Black Eagles and she finally spent time with Edelgard. Why would Edelgard do this?! She stepped forward and sternly demanded answers from Edelgard. Couldn’t there have been another way to resolve the growing tension between the church and her?

The recently-ascended emperor chose to say nothing. Instead, Hubert and Edelgard forcefully retreated from the premise via teleportation, their silence the only answer provided at the time. That was the last she had seen the pair. After all, it wasn’t long until the neon-haired woman fell into another five-year coma once again.

Deep in her unconscious thoughts, Byleth frequently repeated the same question over and over: Why did she protect Rhea, but not Edelgard? Byleth would not be able to get an answer out of herself any time soon… and she would never as she found herself repeating the same course of action as the second time around.

“I wish we could be something more…”

They were out of breath, lacerations of varying depths scattered among their exposed skin, and their gaze ever so penetrating. Edelgard could barely raise her head, her hands using the Levin Sword as support for her weakened figure. Byleth’s relic trembled when she raised the weapon high above her head. Though she was grateful not to have met with Claude nor Mercedes in this route, the pent-up emotions that swirled and muddled together exploded in a single outcry, the blade flying down with startling power.

When the serrated edges came to contact with the emperor’s head, a sorrowful smile crawled on the lord’s lips. The instant Edelgard collapsed, so did Byleth, the tears dripping onto the dirtied pavement. That obliterated the dam that Byleth desperately tried patching up. She clawed at the ground and pounded the rough terrain until her fists were bruised and bloodied.

Why…?

Why?

Why?!

WHY?!

JUST WHY?!

WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DIE AGAIN?!

“EL!!!”

Had it not been for Dorothea, she would have committed suicide on the spot, the opera singer pulling her back to reality. If anything, Byleth finally realized why Edelgard had uttered those tragic last words, and she regrets learning about it. New regrets had bloomed in place of old ones.

Byleth’s internal struggle continued to grow and it became even worse for her psyche. The truth of Byleth’s birth and her origin nearly spiraled her sanity out of control. Once again, had it not been for Dorothea, Byleth would have offed herself. It was almost laughable that every single cycle she went through, she was subjecting herself to a new form of torture. New knowledge meant new forms of pain. Just how much more can she take?

After the war and slain of the Immaculate One, the professor desperately married Dorothea, their love burning for lust and relief from the war with their severe PTSD. Their relationship had become parasitic in hopes of tending to each other’s scars and unhealed wounds. It took another five years for them to stabilize their attitudes and, finally, fell in love beyond physical euphoria.

“…”

Unlike the previous times, to which she lived for hundreds to thousands of years, the neon-haired woman laid in her sickbed. Not even 20 years ticked by and Dorothea is forced to watch her passionate wife succumb to a mysterious illness. Delirious fevers plagued the few unlucky ones in the remote village from the Adrestian Empire and Byleth had caught it. No treatments were available to cure her of the disease. She was bound to die in a sickly manner. Dorothea stayed by her side up until the time of her passing, her songs lulling the weak warrior into another slumber.

“Fourth’s time the charm, Byleth. Don’t mess this up.”

Sothis was right. The fourth’s time the charm. Byleth’s fingertips dug into the palms of her hands as she greeted Jeralt once more upon reawakening.

The fourth time, she sided with Edelgard because of love.

Finally… finally! It was the cycle that Byleth had dreamed of achieving and ridding of the original regrets that gnawed at her when she was with Dimitri. She stuck by Edelgard’s side like glue from beginning to end since the first time they’ve met. When it came to choosing between the two women again, the professor did not hesitate to choose the young house leader. Edelgard was colored with shock, but Byleth wasn’t. Instead, she immediately greeted the student with plenty of support for her endeavors. Of course, this infuriated Rhea, driving her into the corner and lashing out at the two in future events.

The battles were harsh and Byleth struggled to kill those that had once been her students. Dimitri’s battle cries and lamentations drained her of energy alongside Mercedes inevitable death and Claude’s banishment replayed in her head over and over again. At least Edelgard had always remained by her side during those difficult moments. The young vermillion emperor would hug Byleth as the instructor crumpled into a messy heap. Soothing messages empowered the ex-mercenary for one more day. It was for their future and Byleth fought hard for their future. They were going to make it. This was especially prominent when they fought the Immaculate One and defeated her.

When Byleth died, Sothis departed from her body and provided enough life force to revive the originally-still born woman. Byleth was immediately greeted with a kiss from Edelgard once she had awakened from the temporary loss, the professor’s eyes glistened with a range of emotions. It turns out that she has finally found her happily ever after.

“I’ve originally thought that I would walk on this road on my own, but then you came into my life.” Edelgard extended her hand outward. She took her professor’s hand and brightened her features. “Now, we can walk together. I love you… Byleth.”

Their marriage came to fruition after they wiped off Those Who Slither in the Dark and war criminals with some help from their comrades. Progenitor God no more, both females had adopted a daughter child, and peacefully died in each other’s embrace from old age.

Warmth had embraced them into the heavens. Their hearts were always connected with one another and they would always be together.

Yet there was a tug. Byleth felt torn apart from the comfort of her third wife and spiraled into the darkness once again.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Byleth nodded, her navy hues weary from the anguish she bore through. No amount of weight in the world would be able to appropriately describe the impact the four previous cycles would have on Byleth. It was all to achieve the ending she desired with Edelgard von Hresvelg.

But what about those that she had loved previously?

What about Mercedes, her first wife? The one she first fell in love?

Or what about Claude, her first husband? The one she and he worked so hard to maintain peace and a steady relationship between Almyra and Fodlan?

How about Dorothea, her second wife? The Dorothea from the time she sided with Rhea was distraught from an early loss of her lover?

Then, there are her old comrades. The students that she had taught, the allies she had made, the friends she had met in all four factions… Isn’t it possible for everyone to achieve their happily ever after? Is it possible to save them all from their impending doom?

“I can’t promise you that it will end well. Are you willing to give up your current happiness and peace for a near-impossible fate?” Sothis grimaced when the young woman agreed to one last cycle. The female reached out to touch Byleth’s chest. She lowered her head and muttered, “This is going to be a cycle that will change everything.”

And so, it did change.

Thunder continued to boom in the background. Byleth was startled awake from her nap, her head raised. She rubbed one bagged eye and managed to hold back a profound yawn. Just as she had awakened, so did Sothis. The green-haired readjusted her posture mid-air and stared at her host.

“Is this all a mistake?” The hoarse voice that crackled out of Byleth was out of character. Tonality that would’ve brimmed with confidence and brevity was reduced to uncertainty and anxiety. When Sothis remained silent, she added, “I’ve thought removing myself from the monastery would’ve worked. I thought… I thought I could come back and encourage everyone to openly communicate their problems.”

The mercenary felt her foot twitch as she shifted the weight of her arm onto the relic. “I’m a fool. Even dad died.” Byleth unconsciously smirked. “What’s to say about my other students? They ended up fighting each other in the end, blind to the very end.”

Gruesome blood splattered the field, every flick of a weapon having produced the grimy substance onto the greeneries. Returning in hopes of achieving an almost impossible reality did become impossible. The dream of a happier and more gleeful ending is nothing more than a fleeting wish. Persistence may be the key to success as Sothis was more than available to use the Divine Pulse a number of times for her host. Byleth is free to abuse the power with the guidance of the goddess. Yet the previous four cycles had done a number on the woman.

Sothis recalled the worrisome nature of Byleth when they began the new academic term. She had naturally chosen the Black Eagles House in order to revitalize and restart her relationship with Edelgard. Unfortunately, past red strings of fate wind around her pinkie with three other students, causing the professor to relapse into a potential romantic relationship with Mercedes, Claude, and Dorothea. It was not surprising to see Edelgard, Mercedes, Claude, and Dorothea’s relationship with Byleth become estranged thanks to past commitments.

There were also the nightmares that had plagued the instructor. Post-traumatic stress disorder had gotten severe enough to strangle Byleth into submission almost every night. She would desperately cling to her pillow and violently shiver underneath her blanket. Incoherent mumbles blubber out of her mouth as if she were possessed by the ghost of her past. If it weren’t for Sothis soothing the ex-mercenary, the teal-haired would never be able to retain her sanity.

The goddess watched her host immediately jump to her feet. Sword of Creator readied, Byleth glanced out of the shelter and into the dark, wet field. Two of the five mercenaries stirred from their sleep. When they spotted their leader in an offensive posture, they scrambled and posed similarly to her. Byleth’s knuckles whitened as she dryly swallowed.

“I have no choice but to see this through.”

She raised the now-brightened ancient blade at the approaching enemies. When she took a step forward, an arrow suddenly slammed into her shoulder. The pain receptors delayed its delivery as the chilled rain numbed her body, Byleth reeling her unaffected dominant arm back. Those Who Slither in the Dark raised their weaponries and prepped their magical spells once Byleth and the two warriors ran in their direction.

Sothis face contorts to pure horror when their assaults were exchanged. “Child… You should’ve listened to me before we did this.” Then, she squeezed her eyes and glanced away.

[metalempire]

The Agarthans Did Nothing Wrong: A defence of the villains of Three Houses and also Edelgard

Spoilers ahead for Fire Emblem Three Houses, obviously.

The point of this post boils down to fuck the church it’s bad and stop calling Edelgard a fascist when that’s not what fascism it you braindead idiots please use google and basic reading comprehension for once in your lives. It also covers the wider ideas of the world of Fodlan and bigger picture political impacts and social structure with a historical viewpoint applied to it. Obviously, the villains do bad shit to achieve their goals, but the actual goals far outweigh the price paid to obtain them. 

The whole thing will be long and thus under a readmore. 

So after playing all the routes and nabbing all the lore and then looking back on the Crimson Flower route I ended up concluding that the villains weren’t actually the villains so much as they were the people killing the most amount of other people at any given time and thus villains by proxy. The actual villain is Rhea, or rather Sothis, kind of. To dive into that we need the basic backstory of Rhea and Sothis, which is given in Verdand Wind. The rough summary is Sothis breathed life into Fodlan, and her children, the Nabateans, a race of immortal dragon people (basically manaketes) ruled over the land. This included the human race, and eventually enough humans are said to have seen themselves as gods and challenged Sothis and the Nabateans in a war that humanity ultimately lost. Those humans were the Agarthans, better known as Those Who Slither In the Dark or TWSITD for short. They retreated underground and created Shambhala, which would become an advanced civilisation and their base. Meanwhile Sothis rests, and the surviving Nabateans live in Zanado with her. Nemesis comes along, kills Sothis in her sleep, drinks her blood and makes the Sword of The Creator from her bones and then massacres the Nabataeans with the 10 Elites to make the other Crests and Hero’s Relics from their bodies. The survivors of this are Rhea, now known as Seiros, and the 4 Saints, who go on to create the Adrestian Empire, beat Nemesis and 10 Elites and create the Church of Serios. The rest of the lore plays out as we know it. However, Nemesis wasn’t a hero, but a level 99 kickass bandit who was working with the Agarthans to get back at Sothis, which is why they recovered his body and that of the 10 Elites. The King of Liberation is the name they gave to him, more on the meaning of that later. 

Edelgard also reveals that the Empire and the Church pretty much exist to control humanity, with the Church as the religious and social control and the Empire with the political and legislative control.  Though Kingdom and Alliance came to be, so long as they had the national religion be Seiros, then they were under church influence all the same. So long as the church controls human culture and belief, it doesn’t really matter. The nobility system is also put in place by Seiros, using the crests created from her fallen brethren that humanity now has, in order to have a pseudo-Nabataean rule vicariously lived through them, which is why the nobles hold power in all regions, and why the Crests have the myth perpetuated as gifts from the goddess alongside their weapons. The church has its’ approved houses all naturally be pious on some level (see: one of Lorenz’s dialogue options earlygame in the monastery where he asks if you come to pray, even though he isn’t highly religious, he explains all nobles must be pious on some level) in order to instill the faith in the ruling powers, and thus, their ideologies and social practices will endure. 

The Insurrection of Seven is very important to all this, since Hanneman reveals that the Emperor was trying to take power away from the nobles so he could control the Empire himself. On the outside this looks like a dictator kind of move, yet in context of the world of Fodlan, this is hum trying to regain power of the Church to be able to determine the fate of the Empire without the Church. The nobles won and the Emperor lost power, yet the Empire does not collapse because regardless, the Church has control thanks to the instilled ways the nobles operate originating from the interests of the Church. 

Now that we know all this, it can be quite obvious that the Church, ruled by the last surviving Nabataeans, namely Rhea, is the continuation of the original social order. Dragons controlling humanity, albeit less overtly this time. With this in mind, the Agarthans didn’t think themselves as gods, but, considering the name they gave to Nemesis, they were simply humans who wanted to decide their own fates, to govern and rule themselves. In Hubert’s A Support, we hear him echo their very sentiments, in which he expresses the importance of humanity for humans, and how inhuman creatures with incredibly long lifespans can’t possibly have enough humanity to know what is best for humankind. Personally I’m inclined to agree with him here, since it’s a very logical point to make. Humankind needs to make advancements in science, culture, medicine, architecture, politics, language, agriculture and technology in order to survive. Living beings need to advance over time and evolve, which is what happened in our world, we developed civilisations and technologies and slowly improved everything over time to reach the point we’re at now. Immortal dragons have far less of a need to make all this progress, their lives aren’t short and limited, the future of their kind depends not on progress, but on stagnant peace “How lovely it would be for this moment to last forever. To hold on to this stolen time, for you and I to create a world without end.”- Rhea, after you complete Chapter 10. The best way to illustrate this is the compare Shambhala with the rest of Fodlan. Shambhala is a much more advanced city, with glowing walls and electricity flowing through it, with magical technology and powerful animated titans, as well as missiles that they use in Verdant Wind, controlled by magic, but clearly made of technology. The Agarthans made advancements in magic and technology when absent of the control of the Nabataeans, of the church, while Fodlan is forever stuck in the middle ages, with no changes made in the thousand years of history, forever a medieval world. With the Nabataeans in power, with the church in power, humankind is forever stuck in stagnancy, never advancing.A great example of this backfiring is when Faerghus experiences a plague that almost ends them all, yet they’re saved by Cornelia. When Cornelia is fought as a boss, she uses Agarthan technology, and is either one of them, or an ally to the Agarthans, as Thales mentions her importance in Crimson Flower, and punishes Edelgard for killing her by blowing up Arianrod with a missile. Cornelia used the advancements in technology, and likely medicine, to be able to beat the plague, which wouldn’t be possible in the stagnant world the Church preserves. 

That’s where Edelgard comes into all this. As the Flame Emperor, she is given the power of two crests, the Crest of Flames no less, after the prototype experiments on Lysithea were a success, in order to have enough power to rival Rhea, and to reshape the world with the power of the progenitor god, the same power Byleth has. Edelgard endured the torment because of two factors; Agarthan desires and the Insurrection of Seven. With her uncle Arudnel being Thales, it was clear he planned on using her, and had infiltrated the royal family, but with the insurrection, it meant the nobles had made it unsafe for her to be in Enbarr. Everything lined up for her to be experimented on and to become the Flame Emperor. She had witnesses her father be defeated by the corrupt nobles of the Church, and she had seen her family die because of the importance of Crests. And so, rather than grow an eyepatch and cry about it, she takes her trauma and pain, and resolves to carry on the Agarthan legacy, but as she states, “There will be no salvation for you and your kind.”, Edelgard has no intention of letting them go free, even though they want the same thing, to liberate humanity from the control of the Nabateans, to allow life itself to move forward, she cannot forgive what they’ve done, and turns on them in the Epilogue of Crimson Flower for all that they did to get here. This is arguably hypocritical of her, but in the end it does also help to make right her own wrongs. It will never absolve her of starting a war that claims lives, but as far as history in the far future she creates is concerned, she took the fight to the right people to kill, and then did it again. History doesn’t care for the people and places lost in the past as much if the future they died to create is a good one. If human progress becomes a reality, then it is considered worth it in the end by those who live in a better age. Edelgard wiped out the Alliance and the Kingdom, and unified Fodlan, all to break the hold of the Church. She took a hard stance and presented an ultimatum, either renounce the Church or die. In her mind, and on a larger scale perspective, the Church is very much like a disease, an infestation that takes hold of the mind and the beliefs. If she compromises, the nobility system will endure and cause pain to people like her, MIklan, Sylvain, Ingrid, Marianne, Lysithea and so many more. 

Interestingly, Edelgard doesn’t oppose religion. When fighting Rhea in chapter 12, she states she has not made an enemy of the goddess, only of the church. What this means is Edelgard allows religion as a belief, and is fine with Sothis worship on a personal level, but has clearly drawn the line with the church, which exists to control people on a sociopolitical level, and is ruled by a literal dragon, not a human with human interests in mind. For her, religion as a belief is fine, but as an institution, it has too much power over the world, and has not been used for the benefit of humanity,  but of the Nabataeans. This is further reinforced by the fact that Rhea used humankind for her own ends, using Byleth and those who came before them to try and resurrect Sothis, and have her mother rule the world once more. For Edelgard, this would create further disparity, where a literal god would rule the world, rather than humankind, and so things would only stagnate further, and possibly degrade. Due to their belief system of worship, people would be subservient to a resurrected Sothis, never rebelling or complaining, becoming like slaves and ultimately never advancing as a species. Edelgard had to destroy the church, wipe out the remaining Nabateans (you actually miss two of them on Crimson Flower lol so she didn’t even manage to make them go extinct) and give humanity’s destiny back to itself, shattering Rhea’s ambitions and allowing the world to move forward. Her path is very similar to Emperor Rudolf’s from Shadows of Valentia, starting a war in order to ultimately have events play out that have old gods of the world, who were degenerating into madness, die out and give the land back to humankind. Edelgard does much the same, using a war to liberate humanity as a collective whole from the reign of the Nabateans, crushing their institutions of power and setting her own in place instead. Whether or not this creates a better future is unknown, but the potential for that future can exist now, whereas under the rule of the Church, it could never be possible. 

Edelgard and Agarthans brought death and suffering to many people, but in a world ruled by people instead of stagnant gods, an even greater number of people could be living in a world far better in every way to one that came before it. In the end, it’s a question of if the means justify the ends. Is it worth war and bloodshed, for the sake of freedom from the control of institutions that are self concerned and perpetuate social and political misery and stagnancy? Only the people of a future Fodlan can answer that question, but honestly, I think it’s worth taking a chance on a better future for all humankind, even if it means alot of people won’t live to see it, because in the end, our future is the only thing we have as a species, and it shouldn’t be in the hands of those who could never understand what it means to live and die, and to move forward through time. 

Also turns out all of this is pointless anyway cos Verdant Wind is a better outcome anyway thank god for Claude Von Ending Racism for proving everyone is colossal idiot. 

[randomnameless]

I've read somewhere AM fans criticise the plot and the writing the most, when CF fans just go along with the plot.

God, does it make me a AM fan, when the majority of what I post when I post about FE16 (lizards) aren't even present in AM??

Let's say I'm just a FE fan.

And Three Houses... is special.

From the theme song and the red herrings and the framing and all the mumbo jumbo - it's painfully obvious the lynchpin of the game was "what if you knew the red Emperor in their youth but you still have to fight them?".

The plot was built around this lynchpin, thus making SS the first route, the route where, effectively, you end up killing the Red Emperor, even if you created a bond with her.

But, I've made several metaphors about it, this plot... doesn't interest me in the slightest.

Maybe because I'm too old, or I played too many JRPGS, but my answer has always been "whatever the goal the means still matter", so the second Baldo and Waldi were shown, I couldn't have the "sad feels (tm)" of fighting against someone I previously trained.

What I am really interested in is the world built to support the lynchpin, to provide some meat to your "most important choice".

Aliens, dragons, gore, mole people, technology, other countries attacking a continent, etc etc.

And so, by nerding about those "other things" that I am not supposed to care, I completely abandoned the "sad feels (tm)" and I'm left with... a world that more or less makes sense, unless the plot calls for it (it'd be nice if Solon and Kronya's remains were taken to the Church to see what Solon truly is, or if they were just captured, or anything - but Billy needs their vengeance, so even if this plot point was raised, it is quickly forgotten).

I say more or less, because if a plot point can be detrimental to the "most important choice" or has no consequences on this choice, then it is either sidelined or, not even raised.

Or worst, it is raised, but then dropped.

Back to the critics of the plot...

It is a good ludo-narrative example, CF's most ardent fans do not care about the plot and the Truth about Fodlan, because the route itself is all about ignorance.

It "works" so why question it? Why Billy's crest stone poofs away? Why Uncle and pals hate lizards? Why Edel hate lizards? Why is Sothis asleep? Why Nemesis partied?

We're left with half (even quarter) answers and... we don't care about it. Why? Because the meat surrounding the "choice!" seems appetizing enough, so it works.

But if you don't care about it? Well, you see the holes, and wonder WTF.

A SS fan could also find the plot bearable enough - but SS more or less focuses on the lizards - rather less than more - and the mole people, so they have to look beyond the juicy bits around the "most important choice" and come to the conclusion there is... nothing. Why Rhea becomes berserk? We don't know.

Still, if the tastiest meat isn't around the bone... why would you even care about it?

If the FE16 devs paid too much attention the their world, their characters and their lore... why would you, player, have "sad feels (tm)" about siding with Edelgard or not when you have a conflict between a benevolent (?) alien creature and genocidal mole people with nuclear missiles, with people caught in the middle (humans from Fodlan, but also, current Nabateans) ?

Every CF fan who argues they should have had a map where they raid Shambala already finished the meat around the lynchpin and start to look afar - in a way, they are criticising the plot.

[anvils-of-history]

Since my PC is crapping out on me whenever I try to upload a pic, I'm just going to write out the results. They are:

1. Dimitri

2. Rhea

3. Ingrid

Besides them, from most to least favorite is: Marianne, Seteth, Flayn, Sothis, Petra, Annette, Ashe, Mercedes, Cyril, Dedue, Lysithea, Gilbert, Felix, Shamir, Catherine, Hilda, Leonie, Sylvain, Alois, Ferdinand, Hannerman, Manuela, Lorenz, Raphael, Lindhart, Caspar, Hubert, Ignatz, Yuri, Constance, Anna, Bernadetta, Dorothea, Edelgard, Claude, Balthus, Byleth (M), Hapi, Byleth (F), Jeritza.

So what can I gather from all of this? All of the "vile creatures" are pretty high up, no surprise there. It was a toss-up between Dimitri or Rhea for #1 but Dimitri won out since he had an entire route for his character arc, whereas the plot always drops Rhea like a sack of flours, unfortunately. Ingrid's supports with Dimitri and Seteth are some of my favorites in the entire game, and she was a dodge tank monster throughout my playthroughs. After becoming a dancer in my AM playthrough, I'm pretty sure she only got hit, like, once lol.

It will always astound me how sympathetic the Nabateans' backstories are, yet the game just couldn't be bothered enough to care. We could've had an entire route focusing on them, (cough) Silver Snow (cough), and explore some pretty plot-important questions like...oh, I dunno, why Sothis created the Nabateans in the first place? I acknowledge that she's Worst Mom (no matter how much I wish she wasn't) but there's just always the question in my mind for why she created her children. We know from the Nintendo Dreams interview that the Nabateans ruled over old Fodlan, but I find it hard to believe that Sothis couldn't have done that herself considering that in her weakened state she can reverse time. I dunno, I just like to think that if we didn't get all of the player-pandering nonsense then we would've seen a version where Sothis gave a crap about her children, lol.

Petra is the only Black Eagle so high up because, much like I said about the Nabateans, it astounds me how sympathetic her situation is but the game doesn't explore that in any way. The Blue Lions are easily my favorite house, and the only reason why Sylvain is much lower than the rest of them is because his shtick really shows the game's problem with telling instead of showing. I still really like him, but that is a sticking point for me, although I'm beginning to realize that Mercedes' backstory also highlights the game's problem of the worldbuilding and the plot clashing with each other.

Dorothea and Edelgard's "woe is me" shtick got really grating, really fast so them being right next each other so low on the list is very fitting. Yuri and Constance edge out on them, despite by dislike of the Ashen Wolves, because their drives to help others or themselves came across more as endearing than annoying.

Claude is genuinely the only lord in the entire franchise that I'm completely apathetic towards...and I'm not sure how I feel about it? Obviously even in 3H, there are lords in it that I love and those I can't stand, but apathy is a new one. I think that Claude is a good character, but not a good protagonist, if that makes any sense. He has a character arc and growth (though a lot of it is sloppily handled) but he doesn't have much skin in the game. The Slitherers are what kickstart the plot, so: Dimitri has the Tragedy of Duscur stuff and Edelgard has her dumb "enemy of my enemy" sthtick. Heck, Lysithea fits being a protagonist better because her entire character revolves around what the Slitherers did to her. Claude's deal just feels very inconsequential in that regard.

Atm, I honestly don't know what else to say about Byleth, Hapi or Jeritza that others haven't already said. Byleth's player-pandering practically takes the story's potential around back and shoots it in the head, Hapi's hatred of the church is dumb and makes little sense, and IS even trying to compare Jeritza to Burger King is almost insulting.

you can use this generator to make a list of your faves! the first two pics are a collection of all the characters and the last two are for the women and men respectively

[randomnameless]

Finshed VW!

It was... Honestly, I should have taken a break because I am kind of saturating with Fodlan.

Nevertheless, it was more interesting than CW and SS but not as character driven as AM.

I still... Don't understand Claude. I missed the point of the unification - why should the continent be more tolerant if it's united under a single leader - but apparently it's cool and everyone is okay so, uh... Why not?

Nemesis was focused on Seiros but didn't say a thing against cethleann or Cichol... Lorenz didn't say anything about Gloucester, it's the path to where Maurice paralogue was available so...

Meh point with Hubert though, as always he's complicated for deal with. Kuddos for him to prepare plans to deal with the Agarthians, but cucumber points for, uh, everything else?

Why are we supposed to agree with "wow Hubert is so intelligent he wasn't actually a bad guy the empire was being blackmailed by the aghartians :'(" when giving said letter explicitly confirms that they (the empire - Hubert and Elde at least) knew who they were alying with?? I swear everything and everyone is wearing effing blinders when it comes to the Empire' strike and unification of the world - expressing sympathy for a defeated foe is okayish, but when said defeated fore was using human turned into beasts, the very same thing that made everyone vomit back in the good ol' days at Remire?

Flamey said she didn't condone Thomas experiments, but in VW, she uses the results of his experimentations on her side, so again, what the fuck?

Lysithea is furious at the aghartians for what they did to her, she knows they're siding with the empire, and yet in her battle convo with Edel she expresses regret (maybe Edel suffered what i did?). Which is tlling because she (and everyone) acknowledges that the empire was used, but no hard feelings held against Edel for enrolling aghartians? (idk if lysithea knows that Edel knows (?) that her new friends were the ones who experimented on them - but elde knows what Lysithea went through - Lysithea knows that the aghartians experimented on her)

i maintain that lysithea in CF is in a Felix-tier of despair if she ever knows that she was actually helping the ones who made her life a limited shit - but it's highly suggested that no one save for Hubbie (and Emile??) take part in the aghartian extermination plan so...

I noted how Claude is furious at Rhea's refusal to spill the beans (@ultrakatua : you were right haha i never heard him so furious the jp VA really does his job which is a bit undermined by his sprite - he isn't shown to be Dimitri-tier of furious but he sounds like it!) but he notes himself that she didn't tell him everything about the children of the goddess.

Which made me laugh a little, Claude is used to get the things he wants (the diary incident) but when the nabateans avoid his questions he is pissed (in Rhea's case) or tries to jest around it but is still dead serious (in his flayn support) but in both cases he doesn't get everything he wants...  idk if it was here in the US version, but she says she's happy he turned out to be reliable/a responsible guy... which made me think, was she actually aware he was spying on her? or he was supposed to be the lolcalised memelord during his student days?

Anyways, she face tanks an explosions and she's out for the rest of the month... Given how Nemesis fixates on her, it'd have been awesome if she could join us but sadly it was not meant to happen. So no "we settle this old grudge with the two of us dying Claude (and billy because gfdi) i leave fodlan to you it is up to you to build a new future etc" :'(

I noted how her expodump felt like... an exposition dump and it was meh. Rhea said she was one of the children, said that walked around foldna searching for the remaining children - but Claude never notes on said "remaining children" (even if there's a possibility where Billy could suggest FLayn is a child of the goddess, Claude continues saying it might have been why her blood was used but nothing beyond that).

I didn't caught it the first time, but the ten dudes (+ momo) had their weapons before going to zanado, meaning that nemesis did his thing with Sothis, then his dudes did their things with some random nabateans, and then they made a bro trip to Zanado?

Rhea explicitly states that she could never forgive the ten dudes, so maybe Edel was right on that account, Seiros killed them but didn't kill their descendants (if jeralt is any indication they might have had great grandchildren by the time of their deaths given how their lives were expanded due to ingestion of nabatean blood)? This might be the breaking point that made Birdie cut all of his ties with his sister?

Nemesis dead Claude, now King of Almyra, fell in lovve with Marianne, Lorezn and Hilda married and Billy married the voice in her head because those characters can just eff themselves (which is the point of that support?).

That's it for Verdant Wind.

And I still don't understand Claude haha.

His "the world must be united to end racism" felt very... WTF, as WTF as CF suddenly telling us that we are fighting to unify Fodlan and not to first and foremost end the mad (?) dragon lady that tried to blast us.

Maybe because I've always wanted to see how a merchant republic/an alliance works as opposed to a monarchy, but we stay in the usual tropes "fig the republics". It's sad but this game has an hard-on with hegemony so whatever.

The almyrians angle was interesting (gdi i got the "you're not from fodlan you can't undertand" convo... Claude's problem is that he is from fodlan when the almyrians try to belittle him but he's a dirty foreigner when he tries to research and undertand the mysteries of the land he inherited and lived in/ran when it was under agression for at least 5 years instead of figging away to Almyra...) expect that it felt... shoe-horned? Yes he drops hints here and there, but Nader being his second in house leicester and being best pals with Holst who has been fighting him for decades is glossed over (or relegated to Gilbert's wife tier that is only mentionned but never shown despite its importance)

And poor claude being the Prince of Almyra feels like Aerone, that is being a prince of a country you don't know a thing of - the Cyril issue is glaring, and it's not because i like Cyril, but because hey, you don't know children are being used as meat fodder and captured by fodlanese people? Or just, they are effing used as meat shields on the border for "lol feasts" reasons?

Ultimately (bias talking) i still don't understand why there is this visceral need for Rhea to be gone - when he came to the conclusion that the academy was the most cosmopolitan place in the continent and that the tenets of Seiros don't prone isolationism - opposing Lorezn's dad's pov.

Which actually makes me think about his Edel comment "we had the same goals, not the same means", Edel's goal (well one of...) is to unify the continent, Claude's seems to want the same thing (again, just like Edel, this goal appears out of nowhere in the game script, it's not the official goal we start with (discover secrets/end racism/get rid of the dragon lady because she is mad) but the one we end with. And apparently, Rhea would be opposed to the unification of the country... for some reason?

Maybe i'm not reading enough between the lines - Rhea was here when Fodlan was an unified nation, she was there when it split, maybe she really doesn't want Fodlan to be unified again? Because it would diminish the "power" she has over countries?

idk.

Anyways, I need to wait for the last DLC.